Severe Goblin Dependency

Chapter 110: A Sudden Encounter

Two months later.

On the outskirts of the Mist Forest, in a certain goblin nest.

Silence.

An eerie silence.

“Drip.”

A drop of crystalline, bloody water refracted the pus-green glow of the fungal moss as it fell, creating a fine ripple on the surface of the pool of blood.

Only a phantom-like echo of the horrifying shrieks that had resounded between the stone walls remained, and the frenzied, distorted roars had also dissipated into nothingness.

The air was still filled with a filthy, foul stench, but compared to before, it was now tinged with a much richer smell of blood.

This was a goblin colony with a population of twenty-three.

Even without the existence of an elite individual.

These inferior and lowly bottom-tier monsters, relying on the primitive hunting instincts inherited from the depths of their bloodline, formed packs. With their almost frenzied aggression and an exaggerated reproductive ability akin to another species, they had carved out a place for themselves in the perilous Mist Forest.

Tree bark and grass roots, wild fruits and mud fungus, common beasts, careless adventurers... their wide-ranging diet and a tenacious vitality like that of insects, beasts, and plants allowed them to survive as long as they had a bite to eat.

As if their biological characteristics were inherently enhanced for survival and reproduction, goblins were like those nauseating and ubiquitous mosquitoes, flies, and cockroaches.

You might only see one on the surface, but in reality, their nests had already silently bred in the darkness, spreading to every corner you hadn't noticed.

To some extent, a group of over twenty green-skinned goblins, if the timing and environment were right, already possessed the ability to attack a human caravan.

And if there was a leader-type elite individual like a "hobgoblin," their numbers and actual combat power would increase exponentially in a short period of time.

If left to develop, even a small human village with its own guards would be threatened by them.

However, right now, at least for this goblin colony, that possibility no longer existed.

As if ravaged by some sharp weapon, fragmented limbs with smooth cuts, pieces of skulls encased in a red and white viscous fluid, glaring fresh blood, and writhing internal organs.

They covered almost the entire cave.

The aura of death seemed to have solidified.

“Ska... Ska...”

In the silence, a sharp and pain-filled wail suddenly sounded.

Its legs were off the ground, its muscles atrophied, its emaciated limbs, like withered branches, thrashed and struggled frantically in a convulsive manner;

Its scarlet eyes, filled with desire and ferocity, now only held deep despair and fear.

A two-handed longsword, gleaming with an iron-gray metallic luster, had pierced through the center of the goblin's chest.

Like a javelin, it pinned the goblin firmly to the hard stone wall.

Blood continuously flowed from the wound.

And not far in front of this goblin.

On a rock, slightly cleaner than the muddy and filthy ground of the cave.

Sat a black-haired youth with a wooden sword on his back and sharp features.

My tough and thick chainmail links were stained with the foul blood of goblins, but upon closer inspection, only a few minor scratches could be found on its surface, without a single sign of being breached.

And if one looked further inside, through the fine, overlapping metal chain links, one could see the perfectly intact, supple leather armor it protected.

Facing the goblin pinned to the wall before me, my face did not show the pathological smile of someone tormenting an enemy as one might imagine.

I just kept a straight face, fully focused, my eyes staring unblinkingly at the drops of blood trickling from the wound where the goblin was pierced by the sword.

Calming my breath and steadying my spirit.

One second, two seconds, three seconds...

It was unknown how much time had passed.

It wasn't until the goblin's limbs struggled with decreasing intensity and its wails gradually subsided.

Finally, its head drooped, and it completely lost consciousness and fainted.

Only then did a spark return to my eyes.

I let out a silent sigh.

I stood up, walked forward, and pulled the beheading longsword out of the stone wall with one hand.

With a simple and unadorned flourish, I flicked the blood from the blade's surface and sheathed the sword.

Without the support of the blade, the goblin that was pinned to the wall also fell to the ground.

I took out a short, sharp dagger gleaming with a cold light from my waist.

I bent down, first giving the green-skin a couple more stabs to confirm it was completely dead.

Only then did I, with considerable skill, step on its head, cut off its left ear with the dagger, and stuff it into the bulging, blood-stained trophy sack behind me.

Of course, I did not do this to torture the goblin or vent some emotion.

These goblins acted like beasts in their daily lives and could barely speak a few words of the Common tongue. Torturing them wouldn't be very interesting.

And that wasn't my personality.

The reason why I, after clearing out the entire goblin nest, deliberately left one alive and "watched" it die.

Was mainly to test the [Gravity Compression] (simplified version) that I had unexpectedly obtained from the wild mage's diary.

It did not require filtering raw magic through the Weave, nor did it require constructing a spell model in advance.

In the simplest way, it used mental power to influence the magic particles in the air, affecting the unseen and untouchable "gravity."

Like the beast priests and bloodline sorcerers of the ancient wilderness, it did not require learning complex and vast magical knowledge.

It was very suitable for a novice like me who had started halfway.

However, perhaps it was because I truly lacked talent in this area.

It had been over two months since I got the notes.

The results were minimal.

Following the method left by the wild mage, I concentrated my attention, and although I could faintly feel my consciousness extending outwards like tentacles.

The distance was very short, and what I could perceive was very blurry.

Never mind adjusting the magnitude of gravity, I couldn't even control the magic particles in the air.

I even suspected that before I started training, I might need to find some kind of "meditation technique" to improve my mental power.

But I wasn't anxious.

Spellcasters were rare and powerful. This was a universally acknowledged fact, whether in the vast majority of anime and novels from my past life, or in this current fantasy world.

But since I came to this world, I had always fought up close with my body, having no connection to spells, nor had I ever teamed up with a spellcaster, so I didn't have a real sense of it.

Now that I had unexpectedly obtained the simplified spell of a wild mage from three hundred years ago, if I could learn it, that would naturally be for the best.

And if I could not learn it in a short time, there was no rush.

I could take my time.

I had the patience.

Even if it turned out in the end that I really had no talent in this area, I would at most feel a little regretful, and then give up decisively.

With the attribute panel in my possession, it had already given me a clear and distinct path for advancement.

Even with the most common "Warrior" profession, if I walked this path all the way, advancing through job changes, to extraordinary, to legendary... with the accumulation of countless specialties, attribute points, and equipment, I was confident that my combat power would not be much weaker than a spellcaster of the same level.

Besides, over the past two months, my main goal was not this simplified spell.

Tightening the backpack on my back, I took two steps towards the cave entrance.

My gaze moved down.

Reflected in the faint light of the nest, the viscous, bright red blood faintly mirrored my blurry figure.

My eyes focused.

Translucent characters appeared before me.

[Fang Hunt] lv2: (89/100)

Sixty, seventy days, nearly two hundred proficiency points.

All I can say is, I had a blast grinding.

I even felt that during this period, I worked harder than in the days of my past life when I had just graduated and was struggling at a big internet company.

Prepare supplies - accept missions - kill goblins - return to town - prepare supplies - accept missions...

It was a continuous cycle, I had barely rested at all.

And the rewards from such hard work were naturally quite substantial.

Not only did I raise the newly learned [Fang Hunt] to a level close to lv3 "Skilled," my savings in the bank also shot up.

My net worth had reached 576 gold, 8 silver, and 2 copper.

Adding the reward and loot from this mission, I should be able to earn another twenty-something gold coins.

I was rolling in it.

Of course, the reason I, all by myself without joining any team, was able to accept missions and earn money so smoothly and steadily, and increase my proficiency.

My own strength was one aspect.

Another was thanks to my cautious attitude of not getting arrogant at all, and only treating myself as a novice adventurer who had just started.

I spent a large amount of gold before setting out (even if some of it would be wasted), to ensure I had enough supplies to survive in the forest for a long time. I only accepted goblin-related missions, and the location had to be near the outer edge of the Mist Forest, with a round trip of no more than three days.

Before entering a goblin nest, I had to thoroughly observe the surrounding environment.

If I discovered that the number of green-skins was too large, exceeding my ability to handle, or if there was a possibility of bear goblins or hobgoblins...

Without hesitation, I would retreat immediately.

[Fang Hunt], as a movement-type combat technique, with my current physical fitness, could be used multiple times in a short period.

I could easily pull away from my enemies.

With their short little legs, the goblins couldn't catch up at all.

I scanned the nest one last time to make sure nothing was missed.

With twin swords on my back, I left the cave.

The turbid air in the nest instantly cleared.

Although I could still smell a faint stench wafting from the passage, it was undoubtedly much fresher than inside the cave.

In my ears, there were also many sounds of insects chirping and the "rustling" of leaves rubbing against each other.

My gaze glanced into the depths of the forest for a moment. I hesitated slightly, but soon my resolve firmed.

Right now, my [Fang Hunt] proficiency had been trained to (89/100).

I was only 11 points away from reaching lv3.

If I could get into a few more fights, I could level it up quickly.

But I gave up the idea of training it to lv3 in the forest before returning to River Valley Town.

On one hand, the reason I had been so successful these past two months, even though I was alone and hadn't encountered many dangerous situations.

Was because I adhered to the principle of not staying in the forest for long periods. Finish the mission, and immediately return to town.

Even this goblin cave behind me was something I had accidentally discovered on my way back to town. I only entered after a detailed investigation confirmed there was no risk.

I had not yet obtained a professional level, and there were many dangerous monsters on the outskirts of the Mist Forest that I couldn't handle. Thıs text ıs hosted at novel·fıre·net

On the other hand, when [Fang Hunt] leveled up from lv1 to lv2, it did not give me an attribute point reward like [Whirlwind Slash] did before.

It felt like only the proficiency had increased.

I guessed, perhaps it would only grant attribute points and specialties at lv5 max level?

In this situation, the reward was completely disproportionate to the risk required.

As for goblin caves and the like, I didn't have a corresponding sensory combat technique, so they weren't something I could just find easily.

Instead of risking my life wandering around the forest, hoping to find a suitable enemy by luck.

It would be much safer to just practice in River Valley Town for ten days or so, or go back, accept another mission, and come out again.

Having made up my mind, I was about to leave.

“Rustle, rustle!”

From a dense bush not far from my side, a violent rustling of branches and leaves suddenly sounded.

Hum—

An iron-gray sword light flashed.

The beheading longsword was instantly unsheathed.

In the blink of an eye, I was already prepared for battle.

A light gray mist drifted in the air. Accompanied by the sound of approaching footsteps, three figures appeared before my eyes.

“Three of them?”

My gaze focused, but my breathing couldn't help but become slower and longer.

Power brewed silently within my body.

Walking at the very front, the first to pass through the bushes and enter my field of vision, was a sturdy man with short, fine black hair...

A woman?

I remembered very clearly. She was the female adventurer I had met before in the alchemy shop, the one who was arguing with the owner.

I had thought she was just a passerby I had accidentally met during a mission break, but I never expected to run into her again at this moment.

I had only caught a hurried glimpse of her in the guild, and only remembered a few of her memorable features.

Now, meeting her face to face, the light filtering through the canopy of the trees revealed her true appearance to my sight.

Her short black hair looked as if it had been roughly and haphazardly trimmed by herself, like a butcher's pelt, messy and disheveled;

Her skin, tanned dark and rough by the constant sun, had nothing to do with terms like "fair" or "delicate," and one could vaguely see scars on its surface;

Over her faded gray linen shirt, she wore a set of scale mail that reflected a metallic luster. It was well-maintained, almost the cleanest thing on her entire body.

If not for her facial features, which showed a faint softness amidst their ruggedness, and the feminine voice I remembered from her argument with the alchemy shop owner.

At a glance, one would not be aware of her gender difference at all, and would only take her for an ordinary low-level adventurer.

The environment of the Mist Forest was complex, with low visibility.

But at such a close distance, there were no conditions to conceal one's figure.

When I saw her, the woman also discovered my presence at the same time.

Her body froze for a moment.

The two male adventurers behind her also stopped in their tracks.

The mist was thick, and there was also the cover of branches and leaves.

It was difficult to accurately discern the expression on her face.

I still maintained my sword-ready, guarded posture.

While watching the three people in front of me, I also remained vigilant of my sides and my back at all times.

But my legs did not move an inch, showing no intention of retreating.

To say something counter-intuitive.

At a time like this, especially for me, who was at a numerical disadvantage.

If I showed even the slightest hint of retreat or cowardice.

Then a life-and-death encounter would be unavoidable.

1 against 3.

No supervision from the guild or peacekeepers, in the desolate and uninhabited wilderness.

In the eyes of most adventurers.

A lone adventurer, and a green-skinned goblin.

There is no difference.