Beginner Hunting

"Goblins?" Someone from the crowd asked rhetorically, gazing at the tiny monsters that emerged from the dust. Their numbers were shallow, while their strength seemed meager at best.

Goblins, a species at the bottom end of the food chain. It was a species widely regarded as best for "beginner hunting," and was used to formulate a solid level of strength before moving on to a stronger species.

They were tiny, sometimes cute, green creatures that usually wore leather garments, that hugged their waist and bosom. There were hundreds of tribes of goblins present in Telos Dou Dromou, and people regarded them as the most common species other than humans.

'They're definitely powerful, but they're nothing compared to the yetis,' Alex thought. 'Why is that bastard sending a weaker horde with fewer numbers? Does he think we succeeded and just wants to pass the time?'

There was no reason for a horde of goblins to appear at this point since the yetis had been incomparably more powerful. Yet, here they were, rubbing their grubby little hands over everything as if they owned it.

The humans were perplexed as they gazed at the horde, wondering why they couldn't feel the power that the yetis had radiated.

The goblin in the front, whom Alex assumed was the leader, raised its club as it shouted incomprehensible words towards its platoon of monsters. A very awkward war cry emerged as the goblins charged at the humans, weapons and determination in tow.

The humans did not react negatively. Instead, they thought of the goblins as a source of profit, since they seemed to be extremely weak. Alex, Eric, and Maxwell, however, did not act hastily. They were the only ones blessed with mana and could feel some form of abnormality from the goblins.

Mana was present everywhere in nature, and those who possessed it were able to sense it. Sensing an abnormality in a weaker existence of not difficult if the person was in proximity to the mana.

"What do we do?" Maxwell asked cautiously, narrowing his eyes at the figure of the goblins.

"What do you think? We kill them! They're a free source of Stones of Soma!" Eugene announced as he lead the other humans towards the horde. Sarah, although hesitantly, followed the burly man towards the target.

"There's something wrong," Maxwell noticed, to which Alex and Eric wordlessly nodded. They'd noticed it too. "My explanation might be a bit crude, but it seems to be that their hearts, in which mana resides, are pumping abnormally. At a rate slower than normal."

"I'm surprised you noticed that much," Alex raised an eyebrow. Even he took a few weeks to master the anatomy of species possessing mana. "Anyway, the specific part of the heart in which mana is condensed is named the 'mana core'. And you're right about their mana cores being exponentially slower than usual. That could usually be because of the meager size of their bodies, but the suspicion cannot be dismissed."

Maxwell scratched his head awkwardly, not because of embarrassment, but because of the fact that the idea had randomly appeared in his head. He had no prior knowledge, which caused the unexpected occurrence to cause confusion.

"Should we stop them?" Eric asked, genuinely concerned about the lives of those who rushed to murder the goblins. However, Alex shook his head slowly.

"If we save everyone, all of us will die," he stated flatly. "We need to observe. Observation is what matters most when something is suspicious, and bait is most important in such a situation. Let them be bait for us to be able to save some of their lives instead of letting everyone, including ourselves, die."

"But there has to be a way to save a majority of them!" Eric protested, against the idea of using the others' unusual behaviors to their advantage.

"Normally, I would try to save them all, since we'll need as many people as we can get for the second tutorial," Alex responded. "But the yetis were too powerful. If there is something about these abnormal goblins, it has to be more dangerous than the yetis, which I am fearful of."

Maxwell and Eric turned to look at Alex, their eyes larger than the size of saucers. Bewilderment took over them as chills shot down their spine. "You're… scared?"

"No, I'm not scared. I am fearful of that bastard up there. There's a difference," Alex pointed towards Beli, the giant watching over the planet, and the one who Kyl said was invading the planet. In reality, he was ordered by the deities to do so. "Don't get me wrong, I absolutely hate that animal. However, he has the power to do things. Bad things. That's why we need sacrifices."

Despite admitting his insecurity, Alex seemed as calm as ever. The contradictory features when comparing his words and the emotions he displayed are what confused Eric, and Maxwell, who narrowed their eyes.

"Anyway, I digress," Alex shook his head as he chuckled lightly. "For now, all we can do is watch what happens. We will only act when things get out of hands. If nothing happens, it's wonderful, and if something does happen, we'll need to act immediately."

Maxwell and Eric nodded reluctantly as they watched from afar the atrocious acts humans could commit when in a desperate position.

*

The battlefield had become a wasteland, inducing stenches not capable of being handled by human senses. Corpses of goblins were lined up atop the crimson soil as the humans looted the Stones of Soma.

Their gluttonous act had concluded, bringing about a shift in power for many. The humans had grown powerful after consuming many Stones of Soma, becoming suitable to be able to handle the least of what the apocalypse had to offer.

"Nothing happened," Maxwell spoke, but his eyes never left the corpses of the tiny creatures as they lay dead.

"What do you mean?" Eugene and Sarah asked simultaneously. "What did you think would happen?"

"We sensed an abnormality in the bodies of the goblins," Alex responded as he narrowed his eyes at the corpses of the goblins. "Their mana seemed weird. It is why we didn't hunt the monsters."

"You didn't think to warn us?" Eugene asked, his eyes widening considerably. Alex, Eric, and Maxwell were the only people capable of sensing and utilizing mana. Their words would be the most accurate and trustworthy when thinking of danger.

"We're sor–" Eric began, but Alex quickly stopped him from apologizing.

"We did. Your state was abnormal, too, at the time," Alex said emotionlessly. "The way you brutally ran over to kill the monsters for profit wasn't like you usually behave. Of course, I'm not saying anything you did was wrong, but it was just… weird."

"We understand," said Sarah, covering Eugene's mouth, who seemed to be wanting to refute Alex's statement. "What did you think would happen, though? I think we deserve to know that."

Alex only nodded slightly as he recited the abnormalities found within the goblins' bodies; specifically, their mana core. "Of course, we didn't know what would happen, either. It was merely a suspicion."

Sarah bit her lip as she thought back to when the goblins had appeared. Her mental state had indeed changed considerably, causing her behavior to be unstable. Even Eugene had been affected, and had pulled her along to murder the goblins, as if he were an animal.

Chills shot down her spine when she compared the prowess of those who could utilize and sense mana, and those who couldn't. The former's perspective seemed so refined, as if they knew the secrets of the world. However, possessing mana was basic to most dimensions. Earth, as well as the dimension it was in, of course, was not in that majority.

"What's that?" Someone shouted from the crowd as all gazes turned towards a disturbance in the distance. The corpses of the goblins melted as powerful energy emerged from thin air. Debris flew in all directions as the winds became stronger.

"What's going on?" Eugene yelled as he grabbed Sarah's hand, who did not resist.

Alex watched in confusion as a figure emerged from the powerful energy. Only then did he realize what had gone wrong. His eyes widened as a look of bewilderment appeared on his face.

"Shit."