Out of all people, why am I the ntred protagonist

I steadied my breath, my fingers curling tightly around the necks of the Molotovs. Their glass bodies felt fragile in my grip, but the devastation they would bring was anything but. Behind me, Cipher readied himself, his hands trembling slightly as they glowed with faint magical energy, the telltale sign of an imminent spell.

"Three… two… one… Go!"

With precise movements, I hurled the first Molotov into the heart of the sleeping goblin horde.

Shatter.

The glass broke upon impact, igniting a violent surge of blue flames that spread hungrily across the cave floor.

The second.

Crash.

More fire erupted, licking at the stone walls, spreading in wild, chaotic waves.

The third.

Boom.

A cascade of flames roared to life, turning the sleeping chamber into a hellish inferno.

The goblins jolted awake, their screeches piercing through the chamber as the fire swallowed them whole. Their bodies writhed in panic, some blindly running in circles, others scrambling toward the only exit.

"NOW!" I barked.

Cipher slammed his hands into the ground.

The earth trembled.

A jagged wall of stone erupted, blocking the only way out.

The goblins collided against it, clawing, shrieking in terror. Smoke curled toward the ceiling, the stench of burning flesh thickening the air. Their cries grew weaker, then silent.

Cipher's breath was ragged behind me. I turned, catching his wide-eyed expression. "What the hell…" he muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

I exhaled slowly, the flames reflecting in my eyes. "One less problem."

---

[Chat:]

— HOLY SHIT?!

— WTF DID I JUST WITNESS???

— Nah, bro just committed a war crime LIVE.

— Goblin Genocide Arc unlocked.

— Bro said "One less problem" like he just took out the trash.

— Chat: "Wow, that was tactical." Me: "Bro just burned a hundred living beings alive."

— The goblins were LITERALLY sleeping, man.

— This guy might actually be worse than the goblins.

— "Now!" → Rock wall goes up → Instant death

— Cipher witnessing a massacre: ☠️

— Bro's entire personality is just "necessary evil."

— Nah, this is some villain arc level brutality.

— Next time, he's just gonna drop a nuke and call it a day.

— "We're just here for the content."

— So, um… what's next?

The ground trembled beneath our feet—faint, but distinct. Something was coming. Something big.

"Hide," I hissed.

Without hesitation, we pressed ourselves against the jagged edges of a towering rock formation, barely concealed in the flickering light of the dying flames. The acrid scent of burnt flesh still lingered in the air, mixing with the cave's natural dampness.

Minutes passed, the tension coiling in my chest like a loaded spring.

Then, it emerged.

A towering goblinoid figure strode into view the one we saw earlier, its hulking frame unlike the smaller, hunched goblins we had encountered before. Its features were sharper, more defined—not the grotesque, twisted faces of the lesser goblins, but something eerily closer to human. Despite that, its sickly green skin left no doubt. This was still a goblin. Just… different.

And it wasn't alone.

Six goblins flanked it, each armed with spears, their sharp tips glinting in the firelight. A robed goblin—a shaman—followed closely behind, its beady eyes scanning the area with a calculating gleam.

The towering goblin surveyed the carnage before it—the charred remains, the collapsed rock wall trapping its kin. Its eyes narrowed. Then, it threw its head back and let out a guttural roar, the sound vibrating through the cavern walls.

Immediately, the six goblins sprang into action, dispersing in all directions.

They were searching.

For something.

For us.

Cipher shifted uneasily beside me, his breath shallow. I didn't need to look at him to know what he was thinking. We had just wiped out an entire goblin horde, but in doing so, we'd drawn something far worse.

[System]: Really basing someone because of their skin racist for real.

I mentally rolled my eyes. Not the time.

I clenched my jaw. We had taken down the numbers, eliminating the biggest threat in this chamber. But now?

Now, we were the prey.

The humanoid goblin strode forward, its massive frame nearly blending into the shadows, flanked by three of its underlings. They were heading toward the throne chamber, moving with purpose.

Meanwhile, the remaining three goblins had taken a different route—the same right passage we had explored earlier.

I watched as they moved, scanning the walls, sniffing the air, weapons gripped tightly in their clawed hands.

They're looking for us.

"Let's go," I whispered to Cipher.

He hesitated but nodded, and we silently followed the goblins, keeping our distance.

The three goblins searched frantically, eyes darting from shadow to shadow, their bodies tense. They knew something was off.

"Do you have something to attack?" I murmured.

Cipher shifted. "Well… I still have a bit of gas left in me," he said hesitantly.

"Good. Cover me."

"W-Wait—"

Before he could finish, I was already in motion.

I lunged at the nearest goblin, my blade glinting in the dim torchlight.

The goblin barely had time to react. It flinched, letting out a surprised grunt, its spear clumsily thrust forward in a desperate attempt to counterattack.

I sidestepped just in time, feeling the wind brush past my cheek as the spear missed by mere inches.

Pinpoint Slash.

I twisted my body, planting a firm kick into the goblin's stomach. It stumbled back, completely off balance.

It didn't get the chance to recover.

With a swift horizontal strike, my blade sliced through its torso with ease. A wet schlk echoed through the cavern as its upper half slid off, hitting the ground with a sickening thud.

[System]: Bros name now is gob/lin.

Really? I gritted my teeth. Now's not the time.

Before I could react, something gleamed in the corner of my eye—another goblin, its spear already mid-thrust, aimed directly at me.

Shit—!

I knew I could dodge it. My body screamed at me to move. But… no.

I needed to conserve it.

Just as I braced myself—

WHOOSH.

A streak of flame shot past my shoulder.

FWOMP!

The fireball struck the goblin square in the chest, its body engulfed instantly. It let out a shriek, thrashing wildly before collapsing into a burning heap.

CHAT COMMENTS:

—BRO REALLY SAID "I CHOOSE LIFE"

—🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

—Ain't no way Cipher actually did something useful

—Mans out here playing DPS while Cipher's throwing fire like a budget mage

—Ok but that sidestep was CLEAN AS HELL

—Behead. Cleanse. Repeat.

I exhaled, lowering my blade.

"Thanks, Cipher."

"...Y-Yeah. No problem," he muttered, his hands still faintly glowing from the spell.

Two down. One left.

And it was already backing away, gripping its spear with trembling hands.

Seeing the last goblin trembling, fear evident in its beady eyes, I knew this was the moment to strike.

I lunged forward, closing the distance in an instant.

The goblin reacted on instinct, thrusting its spear in a desperate attempt to stop me.

The sharp tip shot toward my chest, the wind whistling past its crude wooden shaft.

Perfect.

I waited.

A little closer… just a little more…

Now!

Parry!

My sword met the spear with precise timing, the impact sending a sharp crack! through the air as the brittle weapon snapped in two. The broken tip clattered to the ground.

The goblin flinched, its panicked expression twisting into grim determination. It had no weapon left—but it refused to die without a fight.

With a guttural snarl, it lunged forward, balling its fist, ready to swing.

Desperate.

Predictable.

I didn't even move.

I simply raised my sword.

The goblin's momentum did the rest.

As the goblin lunged, its clenched fist aiming for my face, I brought my sword down in a clean, brutal arc.

Schlk!

The blade cleaved straight through flesh and bone, splitting the goblin in half from shoulder to waist. Blood sprayed across the cavern floor as its body collapsed in two separate pieces with a sickening thud.

Behind me, Cipher made a strangled noise.

"Oh—Oh god... I don't think I can hold it—"

Bleurg!

He doubled over, emptying his stomach onto the cold stone.

[Chat:]

— LMAO HE ACTUALLY THREW UP

— Bro folded faster than the goblin

— Streamer diff fr

— "I can handle it!" Five minutes later: 💀

— We got a weak stomach boi in the house

— I bet he's crying off-camera

— Nah, let's be real, we'd all be Cipher rn

— Mc out here soloing, Cipher out here suffering

— At least he's not screaming like a horror game stream

— This is why NPCs stay in town

Cipher wiped his mouth, face pale. "Dude, what the hell?! You didn't even hesitate!"

I flicked the blood off my sword. "It was either me or him."

"Yeah, but— Urgh!" His stomach lurched again, but nothing came out. "I should've just stayed home..."

"Let's go. I want to see what they were looking at earlier," I said, stepping forward.

Cipher wiped the last traces of vomit from his mouth, still looking queasy. "You sure? No more murder sprees?"

I ignored him and kept walking.

The passage stretched on, the torchlight casting flickering shadows across the damp stone walls. Every step echoed slightly, the silence pressing down on us like an unseen weight.

Then I saw it.

I froze mid-step. My breath hitched.

"No..."

My mind struggled to process what was in front of me.

This wasn't supposed to be here. Not in a dungeon. Not in a newly generated dungeon.

"Yo, dude, what are you—" Cipher walked up beside me, following my gaze. The moment he saw it, he stopped dead. "What the hell...?"

For the first time since we stepped into this place, Cipher was speechless.

Because standing before us was something that shouldn't exist.

Not in this dungeon.

Not in the game.