Chapter 4 - Leveling up

We spotted the monsters, and they spotted us. Before any of us could process the situation, Leo, who was leading our group, acted quickly. He dashed forward, knocking down one of the monsters and instantly overpowering it. Both us and the monsters were caught off guard by this unexpected action.

I knew this confusion wouldn't last long, so I didn't hesitate to act. I swiftly moved towards one of the green monsters, which, upon noticing my approach, attempted a clumsy and unskilled frontal slash.

But I managed to easily dodge it, like it was nothing. Strangely, I realized my body felt lighter, but it wasn't something I immediately noticed, as it wasn't an explosive change. However, now I feel like my body is responding better to my thoughts, as if they're synchronized.

As I fell upon the monster, I tightly gripped my metal pipe and began to strike it with all my might on the head. With each blow, green blood spurted from its head, staining my clothes, but that didn't deter me. I kept pounding, relentlessly, until the monster finally stopped moving.

You defeated [Goblin - Lv - 2] Experience gained.

You leveled up [0] -> [1] and gained 5 stat points and 1 skill point.

Breathing heavily due to exhaustion, I quickly glanced over and noticed Leo had also finished off his opponent. The third Goblin, who was the archer, lay dead beside Ellen's body and the two men.

Everyone around was breathing unevenly, but their surprised looks alternated between me and the Goblin I had killed. Following their gaze towards the Goblin, I realized the reason for their expressions and couldn't help but feel the same shock.

The Goblin's head was unrecognizable, a shapeless mass of green blood spread across my body and the nearby bushes. Among all of us, I looked the most frightening. But frankly, I don't care. I don't regret what I did. If it wasn't him, it would've been me. At this moment, I feel no guilt, and I'm sure they don't either.

Furthermore, upon examining my pipe, I realized it was completely destroyed. Just one Goblin was enough to leave a metal pipe in such a sorry state. If we don't get better weapons soon, our chances of survival are likely to be greatly reduced.

Additionally, the anatomy of these things was quite strange, while beating on it, I noticed its skin seemed strangely tougher than you'd expect when you first look at this thing.

So, before getting up, I decided to investigate. I began poking at the Goblin's chest, and, as I expected, its skin felt incredibly resilient. Though not as hard as metal, it was still sturdy enough to not give an inch, no matter how much effort I applied with my finger.

"What the hell are these creatures? It's the first time I've seen something like this. Their biology seems to be completely different from the animals I know" replied one of the men who came with us, as he examined the monster in the same way I did.

Your words got me thinking if he might be some kind of biologist or something similar. At least, that was the impression I got from him at the moment. Speaking of which, I've been trying to use [Identify] on this Goblin for a while now, but without success. That probably means it doesn't work on already dead creatures.

By the way, this forest was seriously spooky. Strange noises were coming from all sides, and the fact that there were creatures we had never seen before only intensified that feeling that probably everyone was experiencing.

"I think we should head back. Honestly, it's too dangerous for just 5 people. We should try to bring a few more people with us" exclaimed the other man in the group, whose name I didn't know and frankly, wasn't interested in knowing.

Normally, I would agree with this guy, but I still maintain my opinion that if we don't level up quickly, we'll end up getting killed sooner or later. So, before that happens, I need to increase my power.

"If anyone wants to head back, I won't stop them. I intend to explore a bit more, understand as much as possible about this forest. If I don't do that, I doubt I'll be able to sleep peacefully at night" I said, shifting my gaze between everyone present.

Although some hesitated at my words, surprisingly, Ellen showed no concern at all and seemed determined from the start about what she would do.

"Then, I'm going with you" exclaimed Ellen, stepping closer to me.

I wouldn't refuse her help, so I just nodded. Then, I turned my gaze to Leo and the other two men. It seemed they were undecided. If I had to say, Leo seemed more inclined to continue. The other two seemed fearful of what might lie ahead in the forest, and frankly, I couldn't blame them.

"Haah... alright, I'll go too. After all, I'm the one who put this group together" Leo exclaimed after a long sigh.

After that, our gaze turned to the two men, who still seemed confused and apprehensive. Under the pressure of our stares, they must have realized the urgency of making a decision, as we were about to venture further into the forest.

"Look, you guys are nuts. Sorry, but I'm out. I'm heading back to the bus. If you want to risk your lives, fine, but I don't intend to be a part of it" said the man who seemed to be a biologist, walking away from us in the direction we came from.

"Well, that sucks, now we're just four" said the last man, clearly expressing his dissatisfaction with the situation but maintaining a determined stance, indicating he wouldn't back down.

Anyway, after observing who would accompany me, I turned my attention to the fallen monsters' weapons and picked one for myself. I decided to take the dagger, although the sword offered greater reach. I opted for agility; honestly, I didn't see myself capable of wielding the iron sword quickly enough.

In my turn, Leo chose the sword, and he seemed quite capable of handling it, his test movements were surprisingly fluid. Ellen ended up with the bow, and frankly, I wasn't sure if she would be skilled enough to use it.

None of us got any formal training with these weapons, but in the end, I just hoped Ellen could be useful to the group. The last guy ended up with our barrels; his probably would've broken with just a few more hits, so it's better to have some spare parts.

"Ready?" I asked, glancing at my group.

Everyone just nodded, but Leo didn't seem too happy about me probably taking the lead. Well, if he wants to take charge, that's fine by me. Honestly, I really don't care who's leading as long as it keeps me safe.

But at the first hint that this group might put me in danger, I'm out. Of course, not before taking along anyone useful.

Armed with our new weapons, we pushed deeper into the forest. However, to be honest, the situation didn't improve at all with one less in our group. In fact, it clearly got worse as we were all more paranoid, alert to any noise coming from the forest.

After walking for a few minutes, we found nothing: no monsters or any other form of life. The strange noises persisted in the distance, but they didn't seem close to us.

As we wandered aimlessly, with plenty of free time on hand, I took the opportunity to explore further the functionalities of the status screen. One of the most obvious advantages I found was in the [General Skills] tab.

General Skills: Identify [Lvl – 1], Ether Manipulation [Lvl – 1]

You didn't need to be a genius to understand the purpose of the [Identify] skill since I had used it before to examine the glacial sloth. However, the skill called [Ether Manipulation] remained shrouded in mystery to me, and I had no clue what it could do.

First off, what was Ether? I'd never heard of it before. Was it the same as the mana in games, allowing us to use magic? However, the only thing I could grasp with this skill is that I'll be able to manipulate Ether. Maybe I need something more to turn this Ether into an attack power.

Honestly, there were more questions than answers in my current situation, and I feel like if I tried to think more about it, I'd end up going completely nuts. I already have enough problems to deal with; I don't want to add more items to my worry list.

It was while observing my status window that I noticed a square next to my name, something that had gone unnoticed until then. Curious, I decided to explore it, and to my surprise, a new screen popped up, displaying exactly the information I was looking for. Honestly, I wondered why these details weren't more visible or highlighted in some way.