The headache was killing me. It was an eyes-splitting headache, one that threatened to split your head apart and maybe split it again and again until your head exploded into gut and gore.

 

I gritted my teeth and tried my best to endure. My eyes shut tight. The darkness and the painful headache. That’s all there was at the moment. It was horrible, but I couldn’t do shit. All I could do was to endure.

 

After a while, the headache subsided, and I started to open my eyes. The other senses slowly but surely came to me. 

 

The first thing I sensed were the sounds. Feet shuffling, metals clanging, stones grating, grunting and growling. The sounds were all faint at first. I heard them like I was under the water. It was all nothing but muffle and faint noises, but I could perceive them.

 

Then came the sight. I opened my eyes slowly. Blurry images entered my vision. I blinked once, then twice. The images became clearer and clearer. And what I saw was… a hideous face with green skin!?

 

My eyes went wide open instantly. The drowsiness and the faint lingering of the headache from before were all gone as if they weren’t there in the first place.

 

I jolted, and grasped a silent grasp, crawling backward, staring in shock at the man, or maybe a child, right in front of me.

 

He, or she, was short, the height of a four-year-old. Livid green skin. Completely bald with a bulging head. A very hideous and ugly face. Crooked nose, bulging eyes, bloodshot eyeballs, and two rows of teeth as sharp as knives.

 

Panic and fear crept into me. What was this hideous creature? There’s no way this thing was a human…

 

Then came the smell. A pungent and horrid smell. The mixture of very strong body odors, feces, pukes, and molds. All those horrible smells kicked my nostrils and quickly registered into my brain as something dangerous that shouldn’t enter into one’s body.

 

My body reacted instantly. I twisted to the side and regurgitated whatever was inside of me all over the floor. The headache came again in a faint throb, but it went away right after.

 

I wiped my mouth and breathed out a tired sigh. My eyes were watery as my vision got a bit blurry once again. But in the hazy images I noticed something else. 

 

Something else that made my skin crawl.

 

A small and boney arm to the right was pushing against the floor to support my body. It was green, just like the skin of the creature I just saw.

 

A sense of panic and fear kicked in once again, this time stronger than before. My heart thumped in my chest and pounded so hard I could hear it clearly. My body started shaking uncontrollably.

 

I jolted once again and sprang up on my feet, staring blankly at a pair of hands in my vision. 

 

They were green. 

 

I folded them, opened and closed them. They moved the way I intended. Yep, these were my hands. But no, they weren't! I mean, these weren’t the pair of hands I used to have. My hands weren’t green! And more than that, they didn’t come equipped with small claws on each finger!

 

T-These weren’t my hands. No, they weren’t. But at the same time, I could command them, and saw them attached to my body…

 

Looking down, I finally noticed my body. A bony and small body like that of a toddler! And more than that, the skin was green, just like my hands, just like my arms, and just like that hideous creature!

 

Don’t tell me…

 

My mind raced at a speed of lightning as possibilities after possibilities flashed in my head one after another. Then it came to a halt, stopping at one of all those thousands possibilities.

 

I wasn’t in my body… I was now in the body of someone else, or rather, something else I doubted was human…

 

And now that I turned to look at the creature from before—who just stared right back at me, tilting its head as if acting cute—I finally realized what I was seeing, and also what I possibly had become.

 

I—had become a goblin…

 

A sense of panic and fear reached its peak. My body shook wildly, my heart threatening to beat out of my chest. I clenched my hands and shut my eyes very tightly, then opened them again and shouted out from the tip of my supposedly green lungs.

 

“What the hell’s all these!!?”

 

My voice echoed loudly. 

 

Or… that’s what I wanted to hear, anyway, but instead, all I heard was a loud grunting and growling noise coming out of my mouth. 

 

I froze. My mind went blank for a few seconds until a realization hit me.

 

I-I… couldn’t talk…

 

I tried again, this time it wasn't a shout, but a gentle whisper.

 

“H-Hello… Test, test… One, two, three… Hello, hello…”

 

That’s what I wanted to hear, but instead, I only heard somewhat of a whimper, like a dog yawning.

 

My mind went blank once again. 

 

My body started shaking a suppressed trembling. A sense of emptiness washed over me as I slowly became more and more depressed.

 

I am a goblin… 

 

I can’t talk…. 

 

I am an ugly goblin… 

 

I can’t talk… 

 

I am a hideous-looking goblin… 

 

I can’t talk… 

 

I can no longer communicate… 

 

I can’t flirt with chicks… 

 

Terror… This is terror…. 

 

I am a goblin… I can’t talk…

 

I kept repeating these self-depressed sentences over and over again. Though, it didn’t last very long as a loud growl woke me out of my trance.

 

I snapped back to reality, and stared wide-eyed at the goblin in front of me. 

 

Its somewhat curious expression from before was now painted with rage. Its nonexistent brows were furrowed into wrinkly knots. Its razor sharp teeth were clearly visible as its mouth turned into an angry snarl. Its bloodshot eyes narrowed, and they were staring right at me…

 

W-Wha…

 

Before I could finish questioning, it suddenly lunged itself toward me. 

 

It was quick, so goddamn quick in fact. For a moment, it was a few inches apart, for the next it was right in front of me! 

 

Then came the impact. I felt a sharp pain coming from my chest as the goblin pushed me to the floor. 

 

I dropped on my ass with a yelp, but it should have come out as a grunt. My mind was dizzy. I couldn’t quite register what had happened yet when the next pain came from my tummy.

 

I grunted in pain, and my hands instinctively went toward my tummy to somehow protect it from danger. 

 

Then I saw a movement, a blurry green fist went toward my face in a flash, and in the next moment the pain and dizziness came over me once again. 

 

Then came pain after pain from all over my body. I could only squirm and curl my body while uttering grunt after grunt. I couldn’t quite see as I shut my eyes tight. I felt heat on my face, and also some sort of liquid dripping down my cheeks. 

 

The pain, the dizziness, and the utter terror went on for a while…

 

Finally, it stopped, leaving me feeling sore all over my body. My vision was blurry and red as I felt the warm liquid dripping down my cheeks again and again.

 

For a while, I kept in that position and didn’t move. I curled up into a ball, all tensed up and shaky, sobbing to myself silently.

 

After a while, my mind started to clear up, but the pain was still there, lingering all over my body.

 

I finally had time to think about what had just happened.

 

What did I do..? 

 

Why did that goblin attack me suddenly..? 

 

What have I done wrong..? 

 

I didn’t do anything… I was just…

 

Then a realization hit me.

 

Oh, yes, I did. I did do something wrong. When I tried to shout out before, what came out of my mouth was a very loud and aggressive growl. And that globlin, that bastard just happened to be standing in front of me at that moment.

 

Yep, it was clear that I’d brought this upon myself. Unbeknown to me, I had provoked that goblin. I didn’t really mean to, but it didn’t know that, or maybe it didn’t care. Maybe it just wanted to beat up a toddler goblin like me. Maybe it didn’t like my face, the way I didn’t like its face. Maybe it was…

 

A lot of maybe went on and on in my head, but then my thought came to a stop at one conclusion.

 

I… was weak.

 

Yes, that’s the problem.

 

If I were stronger, then I could have just dodged his attack in time and maybe even be able to retaliate. If I was strong and sturdy enough, I wouldn't have to lay here on the floor, curling up like a little loser. I wouldn’t be feeling this horrible pain right now.

 

Yes, it was all because I was weak…

 

That’s what brought this upon me.

 

If only I could just… get stronger. If only I was… stronger, I would hav—

 

My thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a ‘ding’ sound, and followed right after was translucent blue screens floating in my field of vision like a hologram in those sci-fi movies.

 

[System download complete.]

 

[Nameless host is now the owner of the Lord of Seduction System. Congratulations!]

 

[System initiates…. Opening the system interface….]

 

[Select the menu]

 

[Status]

 

[Skill]

 

[Quest]

 

[Shop]

 

[Inventory]

 

[Notice! System has issued the first mandatory quest. ]

 

[Mandatory Quest: Newborn

 

You’ve just awakened in the world of Vista Terra. This world is lurked with dangers. Only the strong rules in this world. It’s the survival of the fittest. If you wish to keep living in this world, then you must get stronger! Now it’s time to take your first step to the very top!

 

Objective: Get to level 10 within 3 days.

 

Reward: Analyze.

 

Penalty: Death.]

 

For a moment, my mind went blank as I stared at the screen in my vision. What the hell was this? A... game system?

 

I was familiar with RPG games to some extent and also more than familiar with light novels. Somehow, this scenario was very similar to what I read in most light novels. A guy suddenly died on earth and then reincarnated into another world. That kind of scenario was very popular to the point that it became a cliché.

 

I’d already had somewhat of a suspicion the moment I realized that I was now a goblin. It was what happened when one reincarnated, or maybe transmigrated. And the goblin wasn’t even a real creature. It was a creature in a fantasy or fictional world.

 

So, seeing myself turning into that kind of creature, it wasn’t hard to conclude that I was in another world.

 

As for what the system had just stated…

 

I read the content on the screen more thoroughly.

 

So the system’s name is… Lord of Seduction System? W-What does that mean…?

 

I was confused. Why Lord of Seduction? As far as my knowledge of light novels and web novels was concerned, I didn’t quite remember seeing a system like this before…

 

I pondered for a while but then decided to think about it later. Right now, the most important thing would be this.

 

The quest.

 

And it wasn’t just any quest. It was a mandatory quest that had a death penalty and a time limit. If I didn’t accept the quest, I would die in three days from now. And even if I accepted the quest and died when the three day time limit was up, then I would die nonetheless. Yep, this was a mandatory quest, alright. 

 

What kind of system was this? Why was it so brutal to a newcomer like me?

 

Anyway, putting that aside, I didn’t really have a problem with the quest right now. All I had to do was get to level 10 in three days. All I had to do was get stronger, which was what I aimed to achieve in the first place.

 

But… how? How do I level up?

 

Normally, in RPG games, you would have to do quests, hit the dungeons, or slay monsters to level up. So I assumed that rules applied here as well.

 

Well, slaying monsters seems to be the easiest option right now. 

 

But… What kind of monster could a newborn goblin like me slay and level up that much in only three day? I assumed I was level 1 right now, since that seemed the most logical.

 

Well, just to be sure I clicked on the status menu and checked it out, and sure enough, I was still just a level 1 weakling. My stats were also quite pathetic to say the least.

 

[STATUS

 

Name: -

 

Race: Goblin

 

Level: 1

 

HP: 10

 

MP: 10

 

STR: 1

 

AGI: 1

 

VIT: 1

 

INT: 12

 

DEX: 1

 

CHA: 1

 

LUK: 3]

 

Yep, I was definitely a weakling, alright. So to get stronger, I needed to level up. So that I wouldn’t have to suffer like this again. So that one day I could kill that bastard.

 

Thinking about that bastard made me angry, but all I could do was gritted my teeth and endured. No, not now. Right now I was no match for that bastard. I needed to get stronger.

 

I willed the status screen to close and go back to the menu interface. I then mentally clicked on the skill menu.

 

[SKILL

 

Active - Taunt Lv.1: provoke your enemy and draw them in.]

 

I stared at the screen, dumbfounded. The only thought in my mind was…

 

Huh…

 

Such idiotic thought was all I had going on in my head at the moment. I was completely dumbfounded.

 

How the hell would I get stronger with such a useless skill like this? I mean, it would have been quite useful for sure if I were to be a lot stronger than this. What’s the point of being able to aggro your enemy when you couldn’t even do much damage. It was suicidal no matter how you think about it.

 

A realization hit me.

 

Wait, don’t tell me… Did I get this skill from growling at that green bastard earlier?

 

My eyes widened at the realization, but then I just shook my head.

 

Nah, can’t be… 

 

But, what should I do now? I didn’t think slaying monster was an option with how weak I was at the moment, and the only skill I got was a suicidal skill. Slaying monsters was out of the question for now.

 

But then, what should I do? I needed to level up 9 times to complete the quest. And the time limit was only three days. If I didn’t do it, I died, and if I failed, I also died. 

 

Man, what a predicament I am in… 

 

This was worse than getting beaten up by that green ugly bastard. Now, the system’s the one bullying me? 

 

I just sighed and shook my head. Thinking back on those light novels, usually, the system would help the protagonist get stronger, not bullying them. So… was there something that I missed? 

 

What options do I still have right now? Hmm….

 

A quest.

 

Yep, that's the other option I had.

 

The dungeon was also out of the question; I didn’t know where to find one, nor was I confident of slaying the monsters there. For worse, the monsters there would be even stronger.

 

So… a quest, huh?

 

I went back to the menu interface and mentally clicked on the quest menu. 

 

[QUEST

 

[Mandatory Quest: Newborn

 

You’ve just awakened in the world of Vista Terra. This world is lurked with dangers. Only the strong rules in this world. It’s the survival of the fittest. If you wish to keep living in this world, then you must get stronger! Now it’s time to take your first step to the very top!

 

Objective: Get to level 10 within 3 days.

 

Reward: Analyze.

 

Penalty: Death.]

 

The only quest on the screen right now was the same mandatory quest. So, the quest was also out of the question, huh?

 

I sighed. 

 

Damn, what the hell should I do? Should I just do 100 sit-ups, push-ups, and squats, and then run 10 km, and hope for the best? Goddamn, I don’t even have any hair to begin with. What’s the point of getting bald all over again anyway…?

 

I sighed again. That’s when another ding came up followed by another screen.

 

[Warning! Unknown entity has tried to interfere with the system.]

 

What…?

 

[Warning! The system will shut down in 3… 2… 1…]

 

[System shutdown]

 

What? System shutdown? What does tha—

 

Before I could even finish questioning, another screens popped up.

 

[Initiate the system… 3… 2… 1… Complete.]

 

[System is now available.]

 

[You have received a new skill: Passive: The Will of The Seducer]

 

[Notice! System has issued a new quest. ]

 

[Special Quest: The Seed of Seduction.

 

You are destined to become the greatest seducer in the multiverse. You are destined to become the Lord of Seduction. Learn the art of seduction on your own. Plant the seed of desire into the heart of those you want to conquer. Make them fall for you, obsess with you, and kill for you!

 

Objective: Make one girl fall for you (100+ AP).

 

Reward: Reaching level 10 instantly.

 

Accept the quest?: [Yes] [No]]

 

[Autopilot activated—Quest accepted]

 

[Good luck, host~ (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧]

 

Staring at the screens, wide-eyed, mouth hanging. The only thing on my mind was—

 

What. The. Fuck?