Chapter 24: The End of the Slaughter and the Journey to the Lair.
System Notification:
+100 Experience Points
+10 Experience Points
+10 Experience Points
+10 Experience Points
+20 Experience Points
+20 Experience Points
Your level has increased!
Once again, I leveled up. Just like before, I invested all my points into mana. Increasing my mana pool is my top priority right now; I have enough health, and my agility is sufficient. Allocating my points into intelligence, I opened the information panel.
Information Panel: Health: 108 (108) (regeneration 0.48 + 0.25 per second) Mana: 108 (168) (regeneration 0.96 per second) Armor: 1.35 + 0 Physical Resistance: 25% Magical Resistance: 25% Damage: 52 (27 + 25)
That's a significant boost in damage! Now, with a full-powered "Crushing Blow," I can deal 520 damage. It seems the big goblins won't be a hindrance for me. It's time to swiftly deal with all of them and head to their lair.
Quickly realizing my superiority over them, thanks to the red arrow, I learned the direction the other group of goblins had taken. I didn't have much time to catch up with them or deal with them. As a bonus for their slaughter, I received slightly fewer experience points than from the previous group, a total of 150 points. So, I hurried after the last wandering group in this forest.
Encountering the group of goblins, I attempted to finish the battle quickly. However, I overlooked one simple thing—my own pride. When you're proud, you tend to overlook ordinary things. In my case, it was the dagger. Rushing at a goblin who appeared weak in an attempt to kill him with a single strike, I failed to notice one thing—he managed to alert the entire group of goblins by letting out a piercing scream.
The main goblin, swiftly turning towards me, executed an incredibly fast and accurate throw. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my side. The sharp goblin dagger had pierced me. Due to the pain, I screamed and jumped backward, trying to fend off the goblins who had pounced on me at that moment. However, my reaction was too slow, and the next blow struck my shoulder.
The pain from the goblins' attacks weakened me greatly. I could feel the blood soaking my clothes, forming red patches with streaks running down. Meanwhile, the goblins renewed their assault with fresh vigor and determination.
Gathering the remnants of my strength and standing firmly on my feet, I endured the intense pain. Focusing on my goal, I threw myself at the goblin who was attacking me. My avian companions provided support at that moment. The red arrow targeted the leader, while the blue one chaotically set traps, attempting to hinder the support of the reckless goblin.
My strike, amplified by the "Crushing Blow," cut diagonally through the goblin, tearing him apart. With an effort of will, I channeled all my energy into the next blow. My axe pierced the chest of the next goblin, and he screamed in agony before collapsing lifeless. The remaining goblins, those who resisted my avian companions' attacks, began to feel fear as they faced the axe in my hand.
My determination grew stronger. I deflected their attacks and now held the advantage. Feeling my wounds slowly healing, my resolve became fiercer. This was a true battle for survival.
The main goblin, disregarding the attacks of the red arrow, charged at me while I was busy dispatching his kin. The blue arrow, which had been helping me set traps, caught him just a few meters away from me. The goblin's cry drew my attention, and realizing that he was about to attack me from behind, I gathered my strength and, with all my might, struck his legs with the axe.
His cry of pain silenced the remaining goblins. The anger and rage that had filled their eyes faded. The red fire that had burned in their eyes extinguished, losing faith in their leader.
The large goblin, now without legs, quickly regained his composure. His gaze mixed anger with regret. The primitive emotions I had previously sensed from them had deepened, as if they were coming from living humans. There was no fear in him, only regret. Overcoming the pain, he attempted to free himself from the trap, but, to his dismay, it was too late. My axe descended with a heavy thud, separating his head from his body.
Losing their leader, the remaining goblins trembled in fear. They no longer displayed the same frantic aggression; only an animalistic fear of a superior predator remained. I felt no remorse for the remaining goblins and swiftly ended their lives.
Finally, victory was mine, but it was a victory purchased with my blood and pain. I sank to my knees, exhausted and wounded, yet still alive. Though this wasn't my first life-and-death battle, it had fundamentally changed me.
Surrounded by goblin corpses, the area bathed in blood, I weakly smiled. Various emotions washed over me as if in a torrent. I had never imagined I would find myself in the woods, fighting goblins, darting between trees, and setting traps. The sun had almost disappeared behind the horizon, leaving only a faint light, and in this semi-nocturnal darkness, I realized.
Here, in this perilous place, I had to remain strong and persistent if I wanted to survive, for ahead of me lay their lair, where there could be hundreds, if not thousands, of them. Every goblin I encountered would try to take my life. There was no choice but to spare none, only the choice to kill or die.
The thought of comparing them to other living beings had become repulsive to me. Their habits, their desires, were no longer important to me. The main thing was to stay alive and return home, where a new family awaited me. My brother, whom I had scarcely seen in my world for most of my life, and my parents, who had always been in another country in that world.
I wished to return and embrace the familial warmth that was lacking in my own world. That's why I would use everything I had and destroy them. It no longer mattered how many points or experience I would gain; the main goal was to kill them and stay alive.
As I contemplated this, a shroud of darkness surrounded me. Fortunately, thanks to the faint light emanating from the birds, I could see within a few meters around me. Quickly orienting myself, I slowly rose and began gathering twigs and leaves that surrounded me, attempting to create something resembling a campfire.
The birds, understanding my intentions, helped me gather a few twigs. Nearby, there were several small-sized boulders, and with their help, I managed to construct a fairly decent campfire. I had a lighter in my pocket, which I skillfully used to ignite the campfire. Seating myself in front of the fire, I turned to Ever.
"I haven't been here for long, have I? Why is the sun setting now?" I asked her.
"Time flows much faster here, several times faster, I believe. The time difference here is probably three to one," she replied.
"Wait, you don't know how much time has passed here?" I inquired.
"I'm a system, not an online clock. Initially, I was created solely as a system to grant abilities to the user. However, it turned out that I also needed to process goblin corpses, gather materials, and most importantly, ensure the user doesn't die," she said with an aggressive yet emotionless tone.
Slightly taken aback, I apologized, "I'm sorry."
"There's no need for the user to apologize to me," she replied, devoid of emotion.
I felt a sense of loss wash over me. It was as if I had lost her, the one who had been supporting me in this world. So, I apologized to her once again, trying to evoke her emotional side.
"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to upset you. So, what's the plan now?" I asked in a friendly yet apologetic tone.
"While I can't get angry or offended at you, I accept your apologies," she responded with a slightly more lively tone in her voice. It lacked the mechanical indifference it had earlier.
"I'm glad you forgave me. Now we can patiently wait for morning and then head to those monsters' lair," I said with enthusiasm. With those words, I lay down carefully on the ground, placing my hands under my head.
"By the way, Green Arrow, continue to scout the surroundings. And both of you, protect me," I said, covering my eyes.