Chapter 20. Escape.

I followed the green arrow through the dense forest. After approximately 15-20 minutes of walking, I spotted a column of smoke rising steadily a few hundred meters away from me. Without much hesitation, I moved to a high tree branch from where I could observe the goblins feasting by the campfire.

My heart raced in anticipation of the impending battle. I scanned the goblins, assessing their abilities. What concerned me the most was a goblin who stood taller and larger than the rest, at least by a factor of 2 or 3. He wore something resembling armor, and the axe hanging from his hip appeared more like a dagger, five times the size of a typical one, which filled me with unease and a touch of fear about the sharpness of that axe's blade.

I extended my hand to my heart to feel its beat and calm myself down. I couldn't allow any hesitation to take hold of me. Taking a deep breath, I used "Shadow Leap" to reach the top of a tree directly above the goblin who seemed to be observing the surroundings while the others dined.

Being above him, I remembered my "Earthly Snares" ability. For a split second, I felt my mana start to flow, and then I concentrated it in my hands. Trap-like formations appeared in several spots, consuming a significant amount of mana but proving their effectiveness.

With the scene set for the battle, I took one last deep breath and, employing "Shadow Leap" once more, I struck the unsuspecting goblin. At the same moment, the red and blue arrows waited for the right moment to assist me.

I sent a dagger filled with the power of the "Striking Blow" into the goblin's head. What happened next was as I had expected – the goblin fell lifeless like a sack of potatoes. While the other goblins were still trying to grasp the situation, I directed the blue arrow to set up an "Earthly Snare" around the main goblin to prevent his interference in other fights.

Without waiting for my command, the red arrow selected its target. I, on the other hand, attacked the nearest goblin, smashing his head with my dagger. The goblin standing close to his fallen comrade shrieked in horror, which stirred aggression in the rest of the goblins. Having noticed my presence and the demise of their comrade, they charged towards me.

Deciding not to wait for their attack, I slipped behind the next goblin, repeating the same move, a head strike. This continued until only two remained: the chief goblin and the one who had been successfully fending off the red arrow.

I was left with just over 20 mana, certainly not enough to take down this formidable goblin. Therefore, I decided to hide from their sight using "Shadow Leap." I chose a nearby tree as my resting place, which provided a good vantage point to survey the area.

So, what was the haul from these four goblins, you might ask? Well, here it is.

System Notification: +20 Experience Points +20 Experience Points +20 Experience Points +20 Experience Points

I was taken aback by the amount of experience I received, considering that it was twice as much as what I had gained from the previous goblins.

"Why did my points increase?" I asked Ever.

"You may not see the difference between these goblins, but there is one. Those you faced earlier were, one could say, plain goblins, while these goblins are slightly stronger," she replied.

"And how many points will I get for that goblin?" I inquired, looking at their leader.

"Presumably 40, or possibly even more points," she answered.

"I forgot to ask earlier. Will I get points for killing goblins in the end?" I asked.

"Points?" she asked.

"Don't pretend you didn't understand. I mean system points or core points. So, what about the points?" I pressed.

"Oh, you mean core points. Yes, you will receive points after clearing the dungeon. An assessment of your clearing performance will be conducted, followed by the distribution of core points," she explained.

"Assessment? What are you even talking about?" I exclaimed in shock.

"We will evaluate the effectiveness with which you utilize the abilities provided by the system. There will also be an ethics check. After that, points will be credited," she stated.

Well, it seemed I needed to efficiently kill goblins. Cool... So, if I don't kill effectively, I won't get points...

How much mana has been restored?

Information Panel: Health: 99 (99) (regeneration 0.44 + 0.25 per second) Mana: 46 (70) (regeneration 0.40 per second) Armor: 1.35 + 2 Physical Resistance: 25% Magical Resistance: 25% Damage: 25

Just one more minute of rest, and I can take on the remaining goblins with a full mana bar. If I'm lucky, I might even level up. Now, how many points do I have at the moment?

"144," Ever replied.

"Got it. Thanks," I responded.

So, I can open the inventory, but it will be empty.

"I want to buy an inventory from you," I stated.

"Payment received, you have 44 core points left," she said.

"So, can I put these daggers in the inventory now?" I asked her.

"Yes, you can. Just imagine the inventory and place the items in it, as long as the items are in your hand," she replied.

"What if I want to put something in that's not in my hands? Can I do that if I pay you?" I inquired.

"Yes, but in that case, you'll have to pay 20% of the item's value," she replied in a businesslike tone.

"Another commission," I muttered as I used "Shadow Leap."

After using the ability, I found myself in front of the goblin who had been fending off the red arrow. Without much thought, I swung my dagger horizontally, attempting to cleave the goblin, but he managed to parry my attack with his weapon. In retaliation, he swung at me, but his strike never landed because the red arrow hadn't given up on trying to take him down. As a result, the poor goblin was knocked onto his back as a bird collided with him, allowing me to strike from above, aiming for his head.

I don't know whether it was due to adrenaline or something else, but I missed. My strike hit the ground, and the hand holding the dagger went numb. I nearly dropped the dagger as I struggled to raise my hand for another attack. The goblin, however, wasted no time and attempted his strike. Unfortunately for him, the blue arrow was still there for me, instantly creating an "Earthly Snare" beneath him, pulling him backward into the ground. I retrieved another dagger from my inventory, this time with my left hand, and filled it with "Striking Blow" mana, totaling 10 points.

Finally, the goblin met his demise, but their leader remained unharmed and unharmed. Perhaps, he had been enjoying the spectacle before him because I only now realized that he had long escaped from the "Earthly Snare." He silently observed the skirmish, although he could have assisted his comrade.

"So, you're the last one standing," I said as seriously as possible.

I didn't know if he understood me, but I felt obligated to say it. After all, this was how I imagined scenes like this, whether in books or movies. The main hero had to appear courageous, or at least pretend to be.

He, however, seemingly unimpressed by my remark, slowly rose from his stump and leisurely drew the axe hanging from his hip. A drop of blood trickled from the axe, presumably from the prey they had been feasting on here. I, on the other hand, felt a bit unnerved by this sight, as the calmer your enemy, the more dangerous he became. That's what all the books on warfare taught.

Summoning all my determination, I transferred the available mana into my daggers, using the "Striking Blow" ability. I decided not to strike from behind, as he had clearly been observing how I fought. Instead, I opted to strike head-on. Perhaps, he wouldn't expect such an opening move.

So, I used "Shadow Leap" and appeared right in front of him. My strike landed on his left side, but he managed to parry it with his axe. At that moment, I struck with my left hand, aiming presumably for his head. My strike connected, but not quite where I had intended. I hit directly against an iron protrusion in his armor, concealed beneath the fabric.

From the impact, my hand recoiled, and I was left vulnerable to his attack. Seeing an opportunity, the goblin swung his axe in my direction. The blow was so powerful that, even though I managed to block it with my right hand at the last moment, I was thrown several steps back, crashing heavily into the ground. My back contorted in pain, and it was excruciating. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I had no time to shed them, as the goblin was already charging toward me to finish the job.

The blue and red arrows acted in perfect synchronization. While one attacked him, the other, using my mana, set up traps. Fortunately, the goblin got distracted by them, giving me precious moments to frantically search for a place where I could hide from him.