Chapter 15 - Time to level up

As soon as we entered the woods, I briefly glanced at Noelle. As expected, she was looking around anxiously, clinging to Ellen. Honestly, I couldn't blame her. Before getting [Ecopulsation] I was just like her.

"Don't worry, Noelle. Big brother Noah here will find the monsters before they find us" I reassured her.

Turning around, I saw Ellen with a tender smile on her face, stroking Noelle's head. I honestly didn't remember telling her how my [Ecopulsation] worked, but I guess noticing what I've been doing, it's easy to figure out it was a locating ability.

Putting that aside, I focused entirely on locating monsters and, after a brief moment of concentration, easily detected them. There were about eight of them in total, all Goblins by their body shape. Although they weren't very useful for me and Ellen, they would be perfect to help Noelle. The only problem now was deciding exactly how we should proceed.

Lost in my thoughts, I didn't even realize I had stopped and was intensely staring into the forest. However, the gazes directed at me quickly brought me back to reality; it seems I developed a strange sensitivity to these things.

"Monsters ahead, eight in total. They're all Goblins, apparently low-level, which makes them perfect for Noelle" I commented, turning to Ellen with a smile on my face.

Upon hearing my words, Ellen nodded in agreement. So, I approached Noelle and squatted down to her level. It seemed more appropriate to talk face to face, and I figured crouching to her height would make her more comfortable.

"So, Noelle, your sister told me you can see fairies, is that right?" I asked, keeping a calm smile on my face.

Upon hearing my words, Noelle briefly glanced at her sister. As soon as Ellen nodded, indicating that Noelle could share with me, the little girl turned to me and also nodded in agreement.

"Can you ask the fairies for help?"

Upon hearing my words, Noelle looked away for a few seconds, as if communicating with something invisible. After this brief moment, she began to speak. Overall, the conversation boiled down to Noelle asking something and apparently receiving confirmation, as she turned to me and nodded her head once again.

With that, I turned to Ellen and nodded, indicating that we would be entering battle soon. Upon realizing my gesture, Ellen crouched down, getting to Noelle's eye level.

"Noelle... we're about to fight some monsters, but I promise it'll be okay. Big brother and I will protect you. Can you ask the fairies to help you defeat the mean monsters too?"

Although Noelle was clearly scared, she nodded. Seeing Noelle's reaction, Ellen stroked her head and smiled reassuringly.

"Good girl, you make your big sister proud here"

With everything set, we advanced toward the monsters. After a few minutes of walking through the forest, we reached a denser area. As my ability had indicated, there they were: eight Goblins. Some were gathered around a fire, while others slept. I found it intriguing that they were sleeping in broad daylight.

This made me consider the possibility that this place might not have a regular day and night cycle. Furthermore, it reminded me that, since our arrival, several hours had passed, yet curiously, I didn't feel any signs of tiredness or drowsiness.

Of course, not to mention the moments when I felt exhausted after the confrontations with the monsters. Anyway, I noticed Ellen was watching the monsters with great concentration.

Ellen also shared with me that, during my absence, she discovered a new variation of her ability: she can project electricity rays out of her body, turning them into blades. However, she hasn't had the opportunity to test this ability in combat yet, so we're not sure how useful it will be.

Anyway, this ability would probably be more useful in combat than just paralyzing enemies, considering Ellen needs to be close to use it.

With that said, I explained the plan to Ellen. In the end, I'm confident in my abilities to dodge the Goblins while Ellen and Noelle attack from a distance. In short, I'll act as bait while they both attack.

I'm not sure, but I believe there are enough monsters here to take Noelle to level 3 or 4, which should also be enough for Ellen to level up once more. After all, even though they're just Goblins, their levels are relatively high.

[Goblin] – (Lv: - 4)

[Goblin] – (Lv: - 3)

[Goblin] – (Lv: - 4)

[Goblin] – (Lv: - 2)

[Goblin] – (Lv: - 1)

[Goblin] – (Lv: - 5)

[Goblin] – (Lv: - 4)

[Goblin] – (Lv: - 6)

Only one of them had a relatively high level, but in the end, that would also be perfect, as there were enough for all of us. With everything ready, Ellen and Noelle hid in the bushes while I moved to a more advantageous position.

Noelle explained that the fairies would begin to attack as soon as I initiated the assault. Honestly, it's quite strange to depend on something you can't see, but considering all the weird situation we're in, I see no reason to doubt the little invisible creatures.

With that thought, I finally arrived at the desired location. The level 6 Goblin was one of those who was sleeping. Although I didn't understand why the strongest of them would be sleeping, I presumed it was to ensure he was 100% ready to fight, which turned out to be a complete advantage for me.

Taking my last remaining dagger, I approach the level 6 Goblin slowly. After activating [Infusion] my dagger pierces through the Goblin's skull at once, leaving him no time to react.

You defeated [Goblin - Lv - 6] Experience gained.

Of course, even if I wanted to, it was impossible for this scene to go unnoticed by the other Goblins. But it's not like I wanted that anyway. As the Goblins turned towards me, they started shouting and pointing in my direction. Their ugly faces quickly lit up with a grin as they stared at me.

I honestly wasn't interested in what exactly they were saying, but at that moment, a gust of wind was launched at one of the Goblins beside me. Although it wasn't enough to kill him, it merely threw him backward, which totally changed the game when I was facing five of them at once.

The Goblin hit by all these attacks was violently thrown towards the bonfire, and upon colliding with the pieces of wood, began to catch fire. Honestly, it was a rather disturbing sight, as even while partially dead, the Goblin still had the strength to scream in pain.

Anyway, with that, two had already been eliminated. I didn't stand still amidst the chaos. While the Goblins tried to make sense of what was happening, I ran towards another one. Although he was confused by the events, it wasn't enough to make him lower his guard.

Wielding a rusty sword, the Goblin attempted to strike me. His movements were slow and clumsy from my viewpoint, but I could sense they contained a surprisingly high level of strength for their build. Anyway, many aspects about these monsters are strange, especially their anatomy.

Their bodies are heavier and their skins thicker than they appear, yet they still manage to move faster than an adult, which doesn't make sense considering their actual weight. I easily dodged the Goblin's attack with minimal movements, and then, my dagger struck his skull.

You defeated [Goblin - Lv - 4] Experience gained.

I felt another Goblin coming up behind me, but a lightning-made blade passed by my side, hitting the Goblin. This was probably Ellen's new attack. After that, more wind-made attacks began to come out of nowhere, hitting the Goblins. Although I couldn't see them, it was evident that spirits were around.

In the end, I hardly had to do anything. Before I knew it, only one Goblin was left. As my dagger pierced his neck, the battle finally came to an end.

You defeated [Goblin - Lv - 1] Experience gained.

As expected, this wasn't enough for me to level up. However, my focus was to ensure Ellen and Noelle gained experience, so I wasn't too disappointed about not increasing my own level.

When the fight came to an end, Noelle and Ellen approached me, but something seemed off. Noelle showed no signs of nervousness in front of the fallen monster bodies. Ellen, on the other hand, seemed visibly concerned about Noelle's apparent lack of reaction to that scene.

Though I didn't understand the reason behind this behavior, I actually considered it more appropriate that she reacted this way. If Noelle harbored compassion for the monsters, she probably wouldn't muster the courage to face them, and if she didn't face them, there would be no progress in our level.

In the end, Ellen shared with me that she had reached level 6, while her sister, Noelle, reached level 3. It was honestly good news, but we're still far from being safe and need to continue increasing our levels if we want to survive.