Chapter 22: Preparing for Battle
As I regained consciousness, a notification appeared before me.
System Notification: +20 Experience Points +100 Experience Points Your level has increased!
"What?! Wait! That was a mini-boss for real?" I exclaimed, unable to contain my surprise.
"If you're asking me, then yes. In this case, due to the difference in your level and its strength, you were rewarded with this amount of experience points," Ever replied, her tone reminiscent of a professor.
"So, does that mean I can reach at least level 10 here, maybe even more if I use that ability, right?" I asked her, still finding it hard to believe.
"I would like to remind you that the experience required for subsequent levels will increase. Currently, you are at level 4, and to reach level 10, you will need 200 experience points. However, for level 11, you will need five times that amount, which is 1000 points. To reach level 21, you will need 5000 experience points. The higher your level, the more points you will need in the future," she explained, as if conducting a lesson.
"I see. That's disappointing, though. It would have been great to level up a lot here and invest those points in mana and strength. But it seems that I can probably aim for only level 10 here, and that's if there are enough goblins around," I said with a tinge of sadness, already envisioning how I could become stronger in a short time.
"So, how long was I unconscious?" Suddenly, the question crossed my mind.
"You were unconscious for only about 10 minutes. Your attributes have already recovered. I would advise you to allocate the acquired attribute points to intellect," Ever advised.
"I was planning to do that, but I thought of adding at least 2 points to strength to become a bit more resilient, and it would make the red bird a bit stronger too," I said as I opened my status.
Name: Temir
Race: Human
Age: 22
Level: 4 (unallocated points: 5)
Strength – 11 (6+5) +
Agility – 9 (3+6) +
Intellect – 10 (6+4) +
Health – 99 (54+45)
Speed – 45 (15+30)
Mana – 70 (42+28)
Abilities: "Earth Traps," "Shadow Leap," "Summon Flock of Birds," "Striking Blow"
Unique Abilities: Passive Abilities: "Aura of Invincibility," "Protective Barrier," "Healing Aura"
Unique Attributes: Ever – Level 1, Lottery Ticket (uses remaining - unlimited, usage limit - once a week).
"Excellent!" I exclaimed with determination. I used one point to increase my strength to 12 points and invested the remaining 4 points into intellect. This would give me 108 health points and 98 mana points. Is it just me, or is this the perfect allocation of points?
"Am I right in understanding that I need to press the plus sign to increase attributes?" I asked Ever.
"Correct, just press the plus sign and allocate attribute points," she replied.
"Awesome!" I exclaimed with enthusiasm as I distributed the points. Just as I was about to go on reconnaissance, the red arrow next to me suddenly struck my hand.
"Did I understand correctly that there are enemies nearby?" I inquired of the bird.
It nodded in response.
"If there are more of them than the previous group, hit the ground once. If there are fewer, then twice," I instructed, carefully observing the bird. It promptly struck the ground once.
"If there are more than 10, strike once; if more than 20, strike twice, and so on," I continued, attempting to simplify the counting for it.
The red arrow, looking at me, performed three slow strikes. There were definitely more than 30 enemies, and I had barely managed to kill 12 goblins. Was I really going to survive an encounter with 30 goblins, especially if one of them was as powerful as the last goblin I faced? What if there were several like that? Questions flooded my mind, as my life hung in the balance.
And then I remembered the axe left behind by the goblin. Quickly picking it up, I nervously opened the information window, hoping to see a substantial increase in damage.
Information Panel:
Health: 108 (108) (regeneration 0.48 + 0.25 per second)
Mana: 98 (98) (regeneration 0.56 per second)
Armor: 1.35 + 0
Physical Resistance: 25%
Magic Resistance: 25%
Damage: 46 (21+25)
The damage, totaling 46, took me by surprise. It was much more than I had anticipated. Now, with an enhancement costing only 5 units of mana, it equaled my previous enhancement that cost 10 mana.
For just 5 mana points, I could deal 230 damage, and for 10 mana points, the damage would be a whopping 460. Ordinary goblins, who usually fell from a dagger strike, would now perish without comprehending what had just happened. And for me, it would take just 3 mana points to enhance my attacks, maybe even just 2 mana points for a headshot.
At least I was confident that I could swiftly dispatch the weaker goblins. But what to do with the stronger ones? Betting everything on cleaving them with an axe was foolish. My only option was to lay traps and dart between them, hoping to eliminate them while they were ensnared.
"Are they far away?" I inquired again of the red arrow, which simply looked at me.
Though deep down, I knew she couldn't respond, it was my way of gathering my thoughts. So, I explained, "Oh, right. You can't speak. How do I put this... If they've already passed the spot where the goblins feasted earlier, give me one tap with your paw; if not, give me two taps." I instructed. The bird responded with two taps of her paw, signifying that I had time to set up dozens of traps, given that my mana had now reached 98.
"Set the traps behind me while I arrange them here," I softly said, gazing at the blue arrow, which calmly took flight, heading to the location I had designated.
"Now, get ready. I'll need your help soon," I told the red bird, then gently stroked her head, feeling reassured by her presence.
"Oh, almost forgot. Ever, can you retrieve the bodies of the slain goblins?" I asked her.
"Of course, I can," she replied promptly.
"Then convert them. You can distribute the points later. Just make sure to retrieve the bodies," I requested.
Deciding not to waste mana unnecessarily, I planned to place mines in a way that would allow me to move between them easily, without allowing small goblins to get near. My strategy revolved around trapping the larger goblins, as they posed the greatest threat to me. The weaker goblins could be dispatched quickly with swift strikes from my "Shadow Leap."
I set up approximately 20 traps, while the blue arrow placed about 10 traps. All of this drained my mana completely, even with the regeneration factored in. Therefore, I sat on the same tree stump where I had recently awakened, contemplating the scene before me and taking a deep breath in anticipation of our visitors.
About 2-3 minutes later, I received a signal from the red arrow. Immediately realizing its meaning, I teleported to a tree using my "Shadow Leap." Comfortably perched on a branch, I watched as the goblins approached me slowly and nonchalantly. Among them, as I had suspected, were several large goblins, identical to the last one I had slain.
The plan was crystal clear: let them get closer for easier dispatch. After a moment's thought, I added to the plan. I would use my dagger to silently eliminate any goblins who strayed from the group. If the plan succeeded, it would spare me the trouble of dealing with them during the melee. So, drawing my dagger, I murmured, "Shadow Leap."