Chapter 17. Here Come the Goblins.

And here I stand, in a cavern that resembles the one where I first appeared in this world. But the most pressing matter now is that I find myself without any weapons. How did this happen, you might ask? Simple. I was so focused on the desire to get here faster that I forgot about everything, even my own defense. But what's important is that no one else reminded me of it, not even Arman. However, even though he gave me the return stone, it's better than nothing.

So, I need to explore this dungeon and try to find some sort of weapon. The skills I acquired from Ever, like bird-summoning and traps, should come in handy here. I wonder, can I use birds for scouting, like cameras?

"Yes, you can, but to do that, you need to upgrade the skill to the third level," Ever said.

"And how do I do that?" I impatiently and excitedly asked.

"You have two options. The first one is to use the ability frequently, gaining experience, and the second one is simply to purchase the skill level," she replied.

Again, I need to buy something. At this rate, I'll have to buy air from her in the future.

"I'm not selling air in my shop for now," she clarified.

"Fine, how much does leveling up cost then?" I asked with a touch of snobbery.

"To buy the second level of the skill, you'll need 50 energy points, just like buying a skill from the second category. And for the third level, you'll need 100 energy points. Remember that this leveling cost applies to skills up to the fifth level," she explained.

"So, I lack 150 points. Can I get a loan or pay in installments?" I asked with a hint of pleading.

"What?" her surprised voice echoed. Ideally, this shouldn't have happened, considering she's an artificial intelligence or something like that.

"What?" I asked again.

"You're talking about loans and installments? I'm a system powered by energy. Where would I get the energy to provide you with credit?" she replied, with a note of disdain in her voice.

"Well, it was just a question. If it won't work, then fine, I'll find another way," I said, suddenly remembering something.

"And did the previous owner of this body keep any weapons somewhere?" I inquired.

"In the inventory, of course," Ever sarcastically replied, and added, "Considering you were given all the essential information about the previous owner, it's strange that you don't remember this."

"I don't understand why it turned out this way either. Anyway, the important thing is that you remember," I calmly replied, though I also pondered this question in my mind.

"So, can I access the inventory?" I asked.

"No, but you can purchase access to it," she answered.

"What does that mean – purchase?" I asked, lightly mocking.

"The inventory was transferred to you from this world's system, but you're not part of it. However, I can provide you with virtual access, so to speak, a key," she explained.

"And are you saying you're going to hack into this world's system?" I inquired.

If to put it plainly, yes. I'll create a virtual space for you and transfer items from another system into it," she answered.

"So, this is more like stealing than hacking," I retorted.

"I'm not stealing; I'm giving you back your belongings," she retorted calmly, with a playful accent.

"Fine, how much does this cost?" I asked.

"It's affordable – just 100 points for the virtual space and 500 points for transferring items," she replied.

"Wait, how is this 'affordable'? That's a total of 600 points! I don't even have 150 points to upgrade the skill, and you want 600 just for access to the inventory, which should theoretically be available by default," I said, expressing my dissatisfaction.

"If you don't want to, you don't have to," she replied with the same calmness.

"Fine, the points are yours," I surrendered.

So, since I have the ability to summon birds, I think I should start by summoning them, but how?

"Think or say the name or a keyword of the ability," Ever prompted.

"So, I need to say 'summon a flock of birds' then?" I asked, but instead of an answer, the summoning occurred.

Before me appeared three birds of different colors, standing on the ground and curiously observing me. Their feather colors were simple: from left to right – red, blue, and green. From these colors, it was evident that each bird corresponded to one of the three main attributes: strength, intelligence, and agility.

Reflecting on the color scheme, I decided to turn to Ever for clarification.

"Do their colors indicate their main attributes?" I asked again.

"Yes, you understood it correctly. They are indeed divided into three types, each corresponding to a primary attribute. Red ones represent strength, blue ones – intelligence, and green ones – agility," she explained.

"And can they communicate with each other from a distance?" I inquired.

"Yes, of course. They can relay information to each other remotely," she confirmed.

So, for now, I can manage without using the screen. If the green bird possesses the attribute of agility, does that mean it's the fastest among them?

"Yes, and it can also camouflage itself," Ever replied.

"And are they completely obedient to me?" I continued.

"Yes, as they are essentially spirits created by your mana," she affirmed.

"And the summoned birds will only consume mana during the summoning, right?" I asked, with enthusiasm.

"Yes, only during the summoning," Ever succinctly replied.

Good thing this place has high ceilings. It seems that it's nothing other than an entrance – more accurately, an exit – to the dungeon itself.

"Do they have any names?" I asked her, realizing that I didn't know how to address them.

"You can come up with names for them yourself, but keep in mind that summoning happens randomly, so don't focus too much on this," she replied.

"Then let's call them Green Arrow, Red Arrow, and Blue Arrow," I said, pointing to the corresponding birds. So now I have birds with names – Green Arrow, Red Arrow, and Blue Arrow.

"Your task is to scout ahead. If you spot an enemy, let Blue or Red Arrow know," I instructed Green Arrow, which, flapping its wings, soared to maximum height and silently sped forward.

"And you two, if you receive a signal from it about enemies, just lightly tap me on the hand twice," I added, addressing the remaining two birds.

While I was contemplating how best to use these birds, I remembered my mana. I became curious about how much mana was used for summoning the birds. I decided to ask Ever for clarification.

"Do I have something like a health or mana bar?" I inquired.

"Yes, you do. To see it, just imagine it as you see the statistics," she answered.

After some thought, I imagined an information panel similar to the ones in games. Almost instantly, a panel appeared before my eyes, displaying the primary attributes and current values of health and mana. However, I was interested in the regeneration values.

My mana regeneration was 0.4 mana per second. This meant that 1 point of intelligence equated to 0.04 mana per second. And health regeneration was 0.44 per second, which also equaled 0.04 for 1 point of strength. Furthermore, I learned that agility influenced armor.

My armor was currently determined solely by agility and amounted to 1.35. I also had resistance to physical and magical damage – 25%.

Why weren't all these details visible in my status? Just imagine. If my resistance to physical damage reduces the damage by 25% initially, and then armor blocks damage equal to it, then it means that out of 100 damage, I would only receive approximately 74 damage.

"I understand correctly, Ever?" I confidently asked.

"Yes, you are absolutely correct. As for the new data, they will be added to your updated statistics," she informed.

So, that means I didn't have all these "perks" before opening this information window? If I had just regarded the window as health and mana data and not as a gaming element, I would have missed out on a lot.

"From what I know from games, can I conclude that these indicators can also be improved?" I turned to her.

"I cannot give you a definitive answer," she replied emotionlessly.

"Alright, I'll figure it out on my own in the future," I said, after which I felt a tapping on my hand.

Mechanically, I looked at my hand and saw that the blue bird was tapping on it – more precisely, the Blue Arrow. Noticing that it was rhythmically tapping twice without pause, I understood that either it was trying to get my attention in this way or it was a signal that enemies were ahead of us.