Battle Gains

*Congratulations! Your party has defeated 24 goblins!

Congratulations! Your party has defeated a force SIX times your size! Bonus experience awarded!

Warning! Party level gap of twenty levels detected! Experience reduced!

Congratulations! Single-handedly killed 1 goblin ten levels higher than you! Bonus experience awarded!*

'Must have been that bigger one, I think.'

*Experience awarded for slaying 24 goblins awarded! As this is your first time being in a party, note that experience for combat is divided evenly between each living participant in the case of victory. In defeat, only those you aided in the kill of are awarded.

Personal experience gain after division and personal awards: 767

Congratulations! You are now level 8.

You have 5 stat points to allocate.

Congratulations! You have raised hand-to-hand to level 3.

XP gained: 30

Congratulations! You have raised hand-to-hand to level 4.

XP gained: 40

Ding

Skill obtainable: Leader

Skill obtainable: Pierce

Skill obtainable: Awareness

Skill obtainable: Dodge*

Hmm. Less experience than I'd hoped given how many enemies we killed, but given that goblins are E-Rank monsters I suppose it's understandable. At the very least I managed to level up! Seeing my skill gains though, I can't help but mentally facepalm. I really need to get into the habit of *Identifying* and *Examining* everything I can. I probably would have gotten another few levels if I'd *Identified* all the goblins.

Speaking of skills, these new ones I've been offered are pretty tempting. *Leader* would obviously be important if I'm going to be leading my party. Maybe if I'd had this, Millie would have reacted quicker when I gave her her instructions. I also noticed that she never came through with the buffs I asked for. Luckily the rest of the goblins retreated, because without that ring of fire we definitely would have lost someone.

Kodian might be strong, but he can't protect us all. Which makes me curious as to who he would prioritize in protecting.

Either way, I'm definitely going to be picking this skill up. It might even help with my stage fright! As for the others, *Pierce* is out since I don't really prioritize attacking that way. Though I did feel super badass with my hand buried in its chest. Does that make me a psychopath? Perhaps. But sanity has always been overrated, so whatever.

Which would leave *Awareness* and *Dodge*. Now, obviously I'm a fan of not getting hurt, making *Dodge* very tantalizing. But *Awareness* peaks my curiosity with how simple and unassuming it appears. Not to mention the wide range of situations it could apply to.

Awareness of a fight. Awareness of a room. Awareness of the flow of magic. Admittedly that one is kind of iffy given my *Magic Instinct* ability. But it could also help my awareness of social situations and how to avoid them! If I can't, then it could give me an awareness of how I can get out of it!

I know I'm hyping myself up to get the skill, and honestly I doubt that it will be as impressive as I'm imagining it will be. Still though, if it ends up being even a quarter as effective as I hope it will, I need to take it! Ignore the fact that taking *Leader* and *Awareness* will max out my available skill slots. I need them filled anyways, and I might as well fill them with what I want.

Adding those two skills, I contemplate where I should put my stat points. Speed is still going to be my lifeline in any fight, that and my magic. So a point each in dexterity, agility, and intelligence. Then to satisfy my ocd, I put my last two points into charisma to bring it to an aesthetically pleasing twenty-five.

*Status:

Name: Seka

Race: Cat Beastkin

Age: 16

Class: Unavailable

L.V: 8

X.P: 336/800

Health: 150/150

Mana: 480/480

Stats:

Strength: 11

Constitution: 15

Dexterity: 16

Agility: 16

Charisma: 25

Intelligence: 24

Wisdom: 13?

Skills:

Identify: 3

Hand-To-Hand: 4

Sneak Attack: 3

Examine: 1

Acting: 5

Leader: 1

Awareness: 1*

I block out the part that tells me my abilities since those haven't changed since I first got here. 'I've got around fifteen hundred xp to go until I unlock my class.'

It's a bit disappointing, but that's the price you pay for having safety in numbers. If I'd encountered that horde by myself, I would have lost unless I was willing to risk that random effect happening. And I'd like to minimize the chances of the world exploding, thank you very much!

Now, for the other half of combat that every geek adores. Loot! Looking at the corpses of the goblins around us, I take in their loinclothed forms, a variety of weapons lying near them. Though they're either rusted to the point they're barely usable, or random branches that have had their protrusions cut off.

…

My disappointment is immeasurable, and my day is ruined.

Mostly ruined I mean, because I did get a level out of it. Still though, the lack of loot is definitely a downer. On the bright side, we can turn in their ears for a reward. So we still get money as loot at least!

Looking at the other girls in the party, it seems like they've calmed down. Their eyes are unfocused, leading me to think that they're going over their own karmas. I'm not sure how close Elva was to level twenty, so I'm not sure if it was worth it to her. But I know that Millie should have shot up at least two levels.

Could I use *Identify* to check? Sure, but that would be rude to do to your party members. At least without permission. Though now that I think about it, I should really use it on the crowds of people back in the city. I'm sure that would get its level to skyrocket.

Seeing them blink their eyes clear, I call out to Kodian. "We're settled up with our karmas. Did you level?" When he shakes his head, I continue. "Ok, then. In that case we'll start harvesting ears for the guild. Do they take both for proof of the kill, or just one?"

"They take one. The left one. Joke is that even when they're dead, goblins are never right, so those parts aren't worth much."

I snicker, getting looks from the others. Do they not think it's funny…?

Whatever.

"So girls, since Kodian did most of the work, the three of us will be chopping some ears. Chop Squad!" I raise my fist to the air in cheer, but they don't follow suit. Elva just takes a step away and Millie eyes the corpses uncertainly.

"Do we really have to cut off their ears?"

I roll my eyes at her question. "Of course we do. How else are we going to get money! I mean, I guess the three of us could sell our bodies, but I'd rather kill stuff." I hold my palms in front of me. "Not that I'm going to judge! You do you! Don't let others stop you from pursuing your happiness!"

The whole time I've been speaking, Millie's face has been growing more and more red. With a wordless shriek of embarrassment, she snatches the proffered knife out of Elva's hand and gets to work cutting corpses to get rid of it.

Smirking at Elva, who rolls her eyes, I get to work myself. A light application of wind magic and a straightened palm gives me a makeshift knife to work with. It also keeps my hand clean! I'm so glad Lord Soahc gifted me with such an ability.