Chapter 18. The First Battle.
Fear and excitement churned within me as I made my way towards the exit of the mysterious cave. However, as my soul gradually calmed, I began to take notice of the surrounding space.
Before me unfolded a mesmerizing panorama: the walls and ceiling were adorned with tiny crystals that sparkled like bright stars in the night sky. The radiance of these crystals created an illusionary sense of magic, as if the entire world obeyed laws beyond physics. The crystals themselves were small, much like those in the previous cave, but thanks to their light, the surrounding space seemed to be enveloped in a fairytale illumination.
My attention was drawn to the exit point of the cave. Stepping outside, my admiration soared to new heights as I discovered a vast landscape before me. From the height where I stood, the world revealed itself in all its majestic beauty. The bright blue waters of the lake glistened under the sun's rays, resembling a mirror that reflected its magnificent radiance. A fresh breeze blew towards me, filling me with a sense of bliss. Tranquility reigned in this place, and I couldn't help but think that not only humans would appreciate such unique beauty.
However, it wasn't just nature that captured my attention. In the distance, on the horizon, I noticed moving figures. A group of goblins, about a dozen of them, were heading somewhere, crossing my line of sight. Their skeletal silhouettes and erratic movements gave them a sinister appearance, and the fact that they carried weapons made me realize that they were my enemies. Alarm began to swell within me, but at the same time, a sense of excitement awakened. This was the moment I had been waiting for so long.
I lifted my gaze to the sky and felt an inner thrill before the battle. Against these goblins, I wanted to use the abilities I had acquired, hoping to replicate the skills of the previous owner of this body: "Striking Blow," "Shadow Leap," and "Earthen Traps."
"Ever, can I use my abilities through the Blue Arrow?" I asked her.
"Yes, you can use your abilities through it, but mana will be depleted twice as fast," she replied.
"So, can I set 'Earthen Traps' through it?" I clarified.
"Yes, you can," came her response.
"How much damage can the Red Arrow deal?" I inquired, remembering the red bird.
"It deals damage equal to your strength multiplied by 2," she confirmed.
"So, it has 22 damage now?" I asked.
"Yes, the Red Arrow has 22 damage," she confirmed.
"Is it invulnerable to damage or does it disappear after taking damage?" I wondered.
"It's invulnerable to physical damage, but after each attack, it replenishes the necessary energy for the next attack," she explained.
"How long does that take?" I asked.
"The interval between attacks is only 5 seconds," she said with a somewhat reproachful tone.
"Excellent. Do all the abilities work the same way as when summoning birds?" I clarified.
"Yes, as mentioned before, you just need to envision the ability for its use," she replied.
With confirmation from Ever, I surveyed the surrounding forest and the riverbank. The group of goblins had divided into three groups: the first group included 6 goblins and their leader or captain, the second group consisted of 3 goblins, and the third group also comprised 3 goblins. If I was lucky, I might be able to handle them one by one.
But a question arose: how do I descend? I was currently on a mountain, and the distance to the ground was equivalent to at least seven or eight floors of a multi-story building.
"You can use 'Shadow Leap' to jump down to the top of a tree or to the ground," Ever suddenly announced.
"Wait, 'Shadow Leap' doesn't require a constant shadow?" I asked, unsure.
"'Shadow Leap' implies that you jump into the shadow where you are heading," she explained.
"What's the distance limitation?" I inquired.
"At the moment, the distance shouldn't exceed 100 meters, but for every 5 meters, you spend 1 unit of mana," she replied.
"Understood, thank you," I said briefly and activated "Shadow Leap."
After my utterance of "Shadow Leap," the scene before my eyes momentarily blurred, and then I found myself atop a tree, just as Ever had foretold. As I struggled to regain my composure, my heart pounded furiously, and a sense of triumph washed over me. Happiness engulfed me because everything had gone according to plan. However, suddenly, I decided to turn my attention to the information panel.
Health: (99) 99 (regeneration 0.44 + 0.25 per second) Mana: (70) 55 (regeneration 0.40 per second) Armor: 1.35 + 0 Physical Resistance: 25% Magical Resistance: 25% Damage: 18
Upon seeing this information, I realized that I had overlooked the section regarding armor and noticed that my regeneration had become stronger, despite my inaction.
"As explained earlier, the information is constantly updating. You have several passive abilities, such as 'Impervious Aura' and 'Healing Aura.' The former grants you 1 unit of armor for each enemy within a 100-meter radius at level one, while the latter ability provides you with health regeneration at a rate of 0.25 units per second," Ever explained, responding to a question I hadn't spoken aloud.
"So, I'm currently regenerating 0.69 health units per second?" I clarified.
"Yes," she confirmed briefly.
This meant that I was regaining 41.4 health units per minute, almost half of my total health pool, considering I had 99 units. Though my armor left much to be desired, 25% physical and magical resistance offered a definite advantage. But how much health and damage did the goblins possess?
"At the moment, the system lacks precise information about the goblins' health, but judging by the settings, their health can vary from 80 to 500 units," Ever explained.
"Why such a wide range?" I wondered.
"The weakest goblins have 80 health units, while the strongest can reach 500 units. Since they come in various forms, some may have, for instance, 90 or 99 health units," she elucidated.
"But I only have 99 health units myself, so essentially, I'm on par with a weak goblin?" I asked, feeling undervalued.
"At this moment, yes, but you will become stronger in the future," Ever assured me, her voice carrying a hint of mockery.
So, I possessed 18 damage, and I could only wield it with my bare hands. However, with the "Striking Blow" ability, I could increase my damage to 180 units for 10 mana units.
"And if I strike the head, will my damage be higher, as the head is a weak spot?" I inquired of Ever.
"Yes, you've noted correctly. In addition to increased damage, 'Striking Blow' also provides a passive critical damage ability. You have a chance to increase the damage dealt to opponents by 120% at level one," she explained.
This meant that my damage of 180 units could surge to 216 units on a critical strike. But perhaps I wouldn't need all 10 mana units to deal with the goblins.
"Red Arrow won't be able to handle them alone; it will take a minimum of 4 strikes, which will consume 20 seconds. Very well, let's begin. Blue Arrow, descend and carefully set up several earth traps. Place them behind the group of goblins to prevent their escape," I commanded.
And I remained atop the tree, observing them. Time flowed slowly, and with each earth trap arranged by the Blue Arrow, I felt my mana reserve diminishing. Each earth trap consumed 6 mana units, which wasn't a negligible expenditure, but judging by the mana regeneration rate, 15 seconds to replenish the expended mana did not seem overly lengthy. When she had positioned 5 traps, the goblins drew nearer to me. I now possessed 55 mana units, which should suffice to dispatch these three goblins.
I activated "Shadow Leap," and in an instant, I found myself behind one of the goblins at the rear of the group. Before striking, I fortified my fist with "Striking Blow," expending 5 mana units for this purpose. My strike was swift and devastatingly accurate, and when my reinforced fist connected with the goblin's head, something extraordinary occurred. The goblin's head seemed to explode from the impact, scattering into bloody fragments. I was awestruck by what I had witnessed; my eyes widened, and my heart raced even more fiercely. I couldn't have imagined that my strength was capable of such destructive feats.
Slightly stunned yet simultaneously filled with admiration for the potency of my strike, I lowered my hands and beheld a bloody dagger before me, which had been in the hands of the now lifeless goblin. It was the first instance in which I had come into contact with a weapon designed solely for taking life. Slowly, I retrieved the dagger from the goblin's grasp and examined it up close. The blade was coated in blood, and it remained as sharp as a razor. My blood boiled in my veins, but the alert from my astute notification brought me back to reality.
System Notification: +10 Experience Points