Insomniac Player

Damien looked toward the timer.

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➤[Remaining Tutorial Time: 00:51:38]

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In less than an hour, they had killed hundreds... perhaps more.

But there were still countless goblins in the forest.

Enough experience to gain another level, maybe two.

If the horde scattered, they would never catch enough of them.

Not even with increased speed. Damien’s eyes narrowed.

There had to be a way, something that could force them to return. Something that could call them back.

A thought struck him: the reward. He had forgotten about it during the fighting.

Damien opened his inventory. Rows of item slots appeared before him.

And one new item. A curved black horn bound in tarnished golden rings.

Even inside the inventory window, it looked ancient.

Not crude like the goblin weapons, not improvised.

It looked like something carried by a king marching to war.

Damien selected it.

A larger window appeared.

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➤[ITEM INFORMATION]

Name: Horn of the Chief

Rank: Legendary

Type: War Horn

Description: Obtained by slaying the Chief Goblin single-handedly within the Second Tutorial.

The set effect activates when blown.

Set Effect:

Enemies

- Taunts enemies.

- Suffuses panic through hostile forces.

- Clouds enemy judgment.

Allies

- Eases the minds of allies.

- Suffuses courage through friendly forces.

- Heals minor injuries.

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Damien read the information twice, then a third time.

"Legendary?" His jaw dropped.

The word stood out more than everything else.

John’s dagger was epic-rank.

It had sliced through the chief’s weapon and severed its neck.

What could a legendary item do?

Damien looked at the horn resting inside the inventory slot.

Taunt enemies. Panic clouds judgment.

It didn’t merely frighten enemies; it made them irrational, and it forced them to act.

The fleeing goblins would stop running; they might return. All of them.

Damien stared into the darkness. He could hear goblins retreating through the forest.

Thousands of feet moving away. Every sensible instinct inside him warned against the idea forming in his head.

The horde was finally leaving; the safest decision was to let it go.

Rejoin John and return to the cave. Wait for the tutorial to end.

That was what Damien from the first day would have done.

Survive and avoid unnecessary danger. Take no risks without a guaranteed advantage.

It was a beneficial philosophy; it had kept them alive. But Damien now understood something else.

Survival wasn’t only about escaping danger.

Sometimes, it meant becoming strong enough that the next danger couldn’t kill you.

There would be 18 more tutorials. The monsters would become stronger. Level Fifteen might eventually seem weak.

If Damien left experience on the battlefield now, he might regret it later.

He took the horn from his inventory. It appeared in his hands with a faint golden glow.

The thing was heavier than expected.

Its surface felt cold, almost like polished bone, though he couldn’t identify what creature it had come from.

Dark markings covered its length; they looked like scratches at first. Then they shifted beneath his fingers.

Damien almost dropped it. "Shit..."

The markings stopped moving; he raised the horn carefully. Far away, John saw the golden glow.

Even in the darkness, his voice carried. "Damien!"

Damien turned. John stood among a circle of dead goblins.

Rahul, Imran, Mark, and several other players had gathered near him.

The surviving formation was stronger than before.

Everyone was bloodied; everyone looked exhausted. Yet none appeared defeated.

John pointed toward the horn. "What’s that?"

Damien lifted it. "A bad idea."

Rahul shouted from beside him. "You have many of those!"

Imran studied the retreating horde, then the horn.

Understanding appeared on his face. "It brings them back?"

Damien nodded. John looked toward the forest.

The last goblins were vanishing between the trees.

Then he looked at the timer; his grin slowly returned.

"How many?" asked John.

Damien stayed quiet before he answered. "All of them, possibly."

Mark stared. "You want to call the entire army back?"

Damien examined the horn again. "It will also strengthen allies."

"How?"

"Courage, healing, and clearer minds."

Rahul raised one hand. "And what does it do to enemies?"

"Panic, bad judgment, and taunting."

Rahul went quiet, then he looked toward the others. "That does sound useful."

Mark tightened his grip on his sword; the fear in his face remained.

But beneath it was something new. Anticipation.

John rested his mace against one shoulder. "You killed the chief, we killed the elites, and we killed an ogre."

He looked around at other players. "Seems rude to let the rest leave."

One by one, weapons rose. Not because Damien ordered them.

Because they had decided, the same people who had hidden inside the cave now stood in the darkness, waiting for an army to return.

Damien felt a strange pressure settle across his chest.

Leadership, responsibility, and possibly stupidity. Usually all three felt similar.

He raised the horn of the chief to his lips.

"Stay together," he shouted.

The players formed ranks; John took the center.

Rahul and Imran stood on either side.

Mark moved behind them with the wounded; Damien looked toward the black forest.

He could no longer see the goblins, only hear them escaping.

Taking thousands of experience points with them.

Damien inhaled, then he blew the horn.

BWOOOMMM

The sound was not loud, not like how Chief blew it.

A deep note rolled from the horn and spread through the clearing.

It vibrated inside Damien’s bones; the ground trembled.

The remaining fires bent toward him, then the note expanded.

It passed through trees, through stone, through flesh.

Golden light swept across the Players, and their minor wounds closed slightly.

Their shaking hands steadied; exhaustion loosened its grip.

Rahul straightened.

Imran’s breathing slowed.

Mark’s fear faded from his eyes.

John’s mustache lifted as his grin widened.

In the forest, the effect was different; the retreating footsteps stopped.

For several seconds, nothing moved, then came the screams.

Not ordinary goblin cries, something worse.

Furious, terrified, and confused. Thousands of voices erupted at once.

The forest shook; branches snapped.

The darkness itself seemed to charge toward them.

Damien lowered the horn; yellow eyes appeared between the trees.

First dozens, then hundreds. Then there were more than he could count.

The goblins had returned, but their formation was gone.

Their fear had become rage; their judgment had disappeared. They rushed without shields, without strategy, without waiting for one another.

An ocean of enemies poured from the forest. John laughed, Rahul lowered his spear, and Imran raised his axe.

Mark swallowed once and lifted his sword, and Damien returned the horn to his inventory and drew the First Blood Dagger.

The timer continued counting down.

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➤[Remaining Tutorial Time: 00:49:56]

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Nearly fifty minutes, an endless horde.

And for the first time since the tutorial began, Damien felt no urge to run.

He leaned forward, his new speed settled into his legs.

The first goblin entered striking range.

Damien smiled. "Now..."

The players charged.

"Let’s finish grinding."