All that Ronan needed to do now that he had a firm goal in mind was to decide what he wanted to master this time around. He hadn't forgotten that despite their horrible deaths, his party had put up a smidgeon of resistance against Magriz'al the second time they fought.

Terry had even blocked the hobgoblin champion's first blow! Albeit at the cost of his arm and shield, but Ronan could exploit that moment if he trained hard enough.

He'd had an odd suspicion the first time the boss wiped them out, but the second time had almost confirmed it—the monster was too damn overpowered for the 'normal' difficulty.

The system had mentioned terraforming the planet before the tutorial began. Clearly it was preparing it for some of humanity to return. It wouldn't call it a tutorial if its only purpose was to slaughter them like sheep.

Which had left him confused as to how the hell anyone was supposed to defeat that ridiculous green bastard. He was blessed—and cursed—to be able to challenge the monster endless times and even he couldn't see an easy path to victory.

What was a regular party of five supposed to do?

Despite knowing it was bullshit, Ronan couldn't waste time worrying about it. The system was an unfeeling overlord and it was preparing to begin his torture all over again.

Your difficulty has been set to [Normal]! If you believe this is an unsuitable assessment, you are free to voice your complaints. Stage 1 will begin in 5…

I don't think I can take pugilist or mana to the second cap any time soon. They grow too slowly. Stamina maybe? Or pain. Then again, most of my deaths have been instant and rather painless, not sure it would help much. Ronan was filled with mirth, joking at his own expense.

4…

3…

It's probably easiest to work my way through the different weapon skills. Mana mastery gave me wide ranging buffs, so I have to hope the rest are similar. The first goblin had a shortsword, so let's start with that, he decided right as the countdown ended.

0…

Good luck, challenger!

Ronan wasn't fazed when he was ripped through the shifting void. He simply closed his eyes and waited for the rush of air on his face.

He still wanted to uncover the secrets of that place, but now wasn't the time. Now he had a clear idea of what he needed to accomplish, he wouldn't allow himself to get distracted until it was done.

As soon as his brief, stomach-lurching journey was over, his eyes snapped open. He found his footing, landing cleanly on the grass.

The shimmering, gooey portal opened in front of him. He wondered why only the first stage had one, yet the second threw the challengers into the thick of things.

Actually, that was rather obvious. Couldn't keep putting people through the same shit if you wanted them to grow.

Although it has problems sending the infinite armies of goblin-dom at us, he scoffed to himself, scorning the system's lack of creativity and resources. He had to suppress his rage towards the goblins in order to not kill the vile little bastard the moment it appeared.

Instead of a punch, he gripped its wrist firmly. A firm squeeze on its tendons and a hard tug later, he was the proud owner of one rusty shortsword. Its previous master had a twisted scowl on its ugly, wart covered face and was screeching at Ronan in meaningless tongues.

He imagined it was colourfully cursing out his actions—or perhaps going a more childish yet infinitely more hilarious route of insulting his mother. Whatever the case, it barely had time to finish a third sentence before its own rusty blade was shoved through its face.

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Ronan treated the sword more like a kitchen knife than a weapon. He was relying on a wealth of action and martial arts movies to guide his hand, hoping that his stats would pick up the slack along the way.

Repetition was the mother of learning, after all. By the time he'd cut, stabbed, or slashed a hundred goblins to death, he was sure he would be well on the way to mastering swordplay.

At the very least he hoped that he wouldn't resemble a child waving a foam replica. The kill notification gave him his first reward this run and he wasted no time putting the free stat point into dexterity.

You have killed [Lesser Goblin Lv.2]!

+2 Copper Credits

+2 [Sword] Mastery

+Lesser Goblin Ears (Common)

You have leveled up to Lv.1!

You have been restored!

+1 Vitality

+1 Endurance

+1 Free Stat Point

His aim was control and finesse, not wild savagery. Or a mix of both. Whatever got Ronan to that 100 mastery mark was fine by him.

He spent the remainder of the time before the next stage practicing his movements with the sword. His effort didn't go unrewarded, although it was less intuitive than mana control.

You have gained insight!

+1 [Sword] Mastery

Almost an entire minute of practice and he only gained insight a single time. As to why, he had been so caught up in his routine he'd missed the exact moment the notification chimed.

He didn't forget the most important event of each life. With ten seconds to go, he stopped and wiped the sweat from his brow. Then he used the myriad skills tome without delay.

[Myriad Skills Tome (Common)] has been consumed!

You have received the skill [Mighty Strength (Common)]!

Mighty Strength (Common): Gain +1 to strength for every 15 points of strength you possess. Does not include stat bonuses.

Not bad at all, he assessed with a satisfied nod. Ronan actually thought this skill was far stronger than the other 'common' skills. However, he quickly realised that most people would only receive the one skill, not endless amounts as he could.

It made sense for there to be variance among the same tier as well—not all skills could be created equal. For now it wouldn't help him much, but he planned to take the fighter class again so it might benefit him down the line.

Stage 2 went about as well as could be expected. Ronan didn't even bother to stop and say hi to Keith before carving the two lesser goblins apart.

The archer was his first victim, ensuring it couldn't escape and start blasting arrows at them. The warrior fell soon after. He knew Keith could be turned into a valuable ally, but knowing that whatever happened in this life would be meaningless, he wouldn't try yet.

When he knew he could defeat Magriz'al, he would start treating his companions' lives as a treasure, not a temporary state of affairs. He was rewarded with a few more points of sword mastery and 2 levels for his accomplishment.

This time he didn't bother forming a party. He knew there was an experience bonus, but he wasn't convinced that it overpowered the net loss of splitting with another person—or four.

[Endless Treasury Token (Common)] x2 has been consumed!

You have received [Dexterous Dates (Common) x3]!

Dexterous Dates (Common)

Rich and sweet fruits with soft and chewy flesh that improve fine motor control and hand-eye coordination.

+1 Dexterity

You have received [Pendant of Protection (Common)]!

Pendant of Protection (Common)

A pendant enchanted by an unskilled apprentice, granting slight protection against harm

+1 Resistance

Ronan chuckled when he saw the latest of the stat fruits appearing in his hands. He wondered if these fruits had evolved naturally somewhere or if the system crafted them wholesale.

After slipping the silver, heart-shaped pendant around his neck, he chewed on the first of the three dates. They were delightful, chewy and sweet with hints of caramel.

How many is that so far? Four? Lucky bananas, apples of wisdom, oranges of intelligence, and dexterous dates, he reminded himself of the previous rewards. Oh and those blue lemons that Keith got for bonus resistance. Five, then. Gotta taste 'em all, he joked, remembering his favourite monster taming show.

His heritage didn't seem to increase his drop rates or anything related to items. His inventory was empty at the start of each run. He didn't mind, the boosts everywhere else were reward enough for him.

Stage 3 was even less of a challenge than usual. Now that he was free to carve and brutalise the goblins without restraint, it took no time at all to clear.

Even when he allowed the shaman to summon the fleshbeast once more, it posed little threat. He knew how to kill it already.

Given its lethargic speed and slow reactions, it was even less of a threat than the damn lesser goblins. At least they had a chance to hit him back.

When it was time to advance to stage 4, he felt light as a feather. The fear of the unknown that had plagued him in his earlier lives was gone.

Ronan knew what fate had in store for him. It wasn't a happy end, but it was one he could overcome with time and effort.

And as his grandma always used to say, he was as stubborn as a damn billy goat.

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