16 16. Hunting Goblins
In the depths of the forest, three figures moved with caution.
Leading the group was a figure wielding a sword, followed by a young individual with peculiar hair, and bringing up the rear was a youth with three swords secured around his waist.
These were none other than Ryfin, Famir, and Orion.
They moved in close proximity to one another, navigating through the shifting shadows cast by the sunlight filtering through the forest canopy.
Remarkably, they had not encountered any monsters for nearly an hour, a stroke of luck they deeply appreciated.
Unfortunately, they also failed to find any sustenance. The trees around them seemed tall and dense, devoid of any edible fruits.
Adding to their misfortune, they hadn't stumbled upon any small animals like rabbits that they could catch and cook for a meal.
At that moment, Ryfin voiced his frustration.
"We've been trekking for two hours now, and we haven't found a thing—not even monsters."
Famir responded with a shake of his head.
"No need to complain. At least we haven't encountered any high-level monsters."
Reluctantly, Ryfin nodded.
"True, it's almost as if there are only two types of monsters on this island: the giant and the skeletons that we encountered earlier and not anything else."
"Shh, quiet for a moment."
Orion, trailing at the rear, suddenly interjected, his attention drawn to a faint sound.
"There's something to our left," he whispered to the group.
Famir, now fully alert, furrowed his brows.
"I heard it too."
"Let's investigate."
Ryfin took the lead, with Famir and Orion close behind.
On tiptoe, they advanced cautiously to their right until they finally laid eyes on what they had been searching for.
In the space nestled between two towering trees, the scene unfolded before them.
Two humanoid creatures, slender and green in appearance, with pointed ears and small stature, were in pursuit of an unusual sight: a rabbit with two heads instead of one.
"It's goblins!"
Ryfin exclaimed in a hushed tone as he caught sight of them.
"This could be our perfect first battle," he continued, drawing on his knowledge from games.
"Goblins aren't strong and can be easily dispatched."
Famir nodded in agreement, already formulating a plan.
"Orion and I will take the first shot from a distance. If they're still standing, you'll teleport in for the finishing blow," he directed towards Ryfin, who and Orion both nodded in agreement.
"Alright, let's do this."
Famir's right hand crackled with a golden lightning bolt, casting a brilliant glow over their surroundings, while Orion's sword began to hover in the air, poised for action.
"You go for the left one, and I'll take the right," Orion directed Famir as his sword darted towards the goblin on the right with the grace of a gentle breeze, cleanly severing its head. Green liquid gushed from the decapitated body like a fountain.
Simultaneously, a faint thunderclap accompanied a streak of golden light as it pierced through the left goblin, leaving a burning hole in its body.
Unexpectedly, the lightning bolt, having dispatched the goblin, veered towards them.
"Watch out!"
Orion shouted, preparing to intercept the bolt midair with his sword.
"Step aside, you two."
Without hesitation, Famir pushed Orion and Ryfin to the side just as the lightning bolt surged towards them and with quick reflexes, he caught the bolt back in his hand.
"What just happened? Why did the lightning bolt come back?"
Orion inquired, puzzled by the unexpected turn of events.
Famir, feeling a twinge of embarrassment, explained.
"I had a thought—if you can control your sword, why can't I do the same with my lightning bolt? So, when the bolt killed the goblin, I commanded it to return, though I wasn't sure it would comply. Surprisingly, it did."
Orion nodded in acknowledgment, but his attention was soon drawn to Ryfin's shout.
"Guys, look! The goblins are disappearing," Ryfin exclaimed.
Turning their gaze towards the scene, Orion and Famir witnessed the goblins disintegrating into red light particles before vanishing into thin air.
"They've left behind two spherical balls, just like the giant did. Looks like we can upgrade ourselves again," Ryfin exclaimed excitedly as he moved towards the orbs.
Orion and Famir followed suit, but upon closer inspection, they noticed that these balls were smaller than the one retrieved from the giant.
"Why are they so small?" Orion wondered aloud, eyeing the balls in Ryfin's hands.
Famir pondered for a moment before offering an explanation: "I'm not sure, but I think it's related to the size of the monsters. The giant we defeated was massive, so its core was equally large. These goblins were much smaller, hence the smaller cores."
Orion considered Famir's reasoning and found it plausible.
Meanwhile, Ryfin's eyes gleamed with excitement as he interjected, "Guys, the system just gave me a notification to absorb them. But it didn't mention anything about upgrading, so I think absorbing these will increase our stats."
"Really!?"
Famir and Orion both exclaimed, visibly thrilled by the prospect.
"But there are only two."
Orion pointed out, noting the number of balls available.
Famir sighed and gestured to the others.
"I upgraded first last time, so this time, you two go ahead and increase your stats."
Orion and Ryfin exchanged nods of appreciation with Famir as they quickly reached out to grasp one core each.
As Orion held the orb in his hand, a notification appeared before his eyes.
[Do you want to absorb the core?]
He nodded inwardly to the system, and in response, he felt a gentle, refreshing sensation wash over his body.
[Your agility has increased.]
Another notification flashed in Orion's field of vision as he accessed his status.
[Name - Orion Darkwood
Rank - Bronze
Talent - Copy Curse - 3%
Curse - Null Body, Electrostatic Disruption, Dimensional Dissonance
Strength - 10
Stamina - 10
Agility - 12
Perception - 10
Constitution - 10
Mana - Nil (Due to the host's curse—Null Body, host isn't able to feel any form of mana. Please check your curse for more information.)
Skills - Nil (Due to the host's curse —Null Body, host isn't able to feel any form of mana. Therefore, the host is unable to use any skills. Please check your curse for more information.)]
As soon as he glanced at his status, his attention was drawn to the mastery of his talent, which had increased to 3%.
'Nice. It looks like all the training I did yesterday finally bore fruit.'
After that, he glanced at his stats.
'So, it only increased my agility by two points. But–'
He paused in his thoughts, sensing a sudden rise in temperature around them. Before he could react, he heard Famir's urgent shout.
"Watch out!"
Startled, Orion turned just in time to see a blazing red streak hurtling towards him at breakneck speed.
