Chapter 16 - 15
After two days of rest, Lumberling departed alone, carrying rations and his weapons. He followed the path Chief Eldric had marked for him through the dense forest. For the first couple of days, nothing unusual occurred. He encountered a few animals, but not a single monster.
On the third day, that changed.
For the first time, he saw a creature straight out of the fantasy novels he’d once read—a goblin. Child-sized, with mottled dark green skin and a grotesque face, it looked exactly like he remembered. The goblin was carrying a dead rabbit on its back, presumably taking it home to its den.
Lumberling studied it closely.
"How the hell did people in my old world describe these things so accurately?"
"Maybe the author who made up goblins actually saw one? Nah. Doesn’t matter. At least my nerdy reading paid off."
He silently followed the creature through the woods. It eventually arrived at a lake and started eating. Lumberling activated his concealment skill to its limit, curious to test how effective it was against monsters. On humans and villagers, it had worked well—he could get close if he tried hard enough.
Step by step, he approached.
At seven meters, the goblin’s ears twitched. It paused its meal and shrieked, alert and alarmed.
It sensed him.
Lumberling appeared without hesitation. The goblin drew a small dagger and lunged at him. He parried and kicked it away. It scrambled up and attacked again, but he dodged effortlessly.