Free Web NovelChapter 15: Unexpected Boon
Arthur stepped back and watched as the goblin’s corpse dissolved into motes of white light that faded in the wind.
There were no item drops this time. Just a simple ’18 EXP’ notification.
But Arthur didn’t mind it too much.
He let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and turned toward the direction of the camp.
One down. One more to go.
...
The way back was simple.
Arthur retraced his steps easily, doing his best to avoid stepping on any loose branches and making any noise in the process.
And a few minutes later, he’d already reached the edge of the goblin settlement again before he finally slowed down.
The second Spear-Guard goblin was still there, as expected, still pacing lazily in front of the vine-covered fence.
This time, Arthur felt much more confident about the upcoming fight.
He already had an idea of how strong this thing was and how it moved, so dealing with it should be much simpler... in theory, at least.
He crouched low and picked up another stone before throwing it across the clearing.
It struck the ground a few feet from the goblin and bounced harmlessly aside. Still, it was enough to draw the imp’s attention.
The goblin growled and glanced at the rock before turning its gaze toward the source: the raggedly dressed human standing beside a large tree.
It stared at Arthur but... surprisingly, it didn’t move away from its position. It just bared its fangs at him and hissed in warning while its eyes narrowed.
"Not falling for it, huh?" Arthur was a bit surprised.
He had been planning to bait this one using the same rock trick as before, but it seemed that wouldn’t work. This guard was apparently smart enough not to leave the vicinity of the camp and leave the settlement completely unprotected.
Well, that was fine. He didn’t need it to chase him, anyway. After all, he wasn’t going into this blind anymore.
So Arthur let out a breath and stared at it for a moment, before choosing the simplest option.
He just charged at the goblin.
The goblin growled again, even more threateningly this time, and planted its feet as it prepared to meet the crazy human.
Arthur winced, but he didn’t stop. He was almost certain that last growl was bound to alert the goblins inside the camp.
...So he had to end this as soon as possible.
A few seconds later, he was already within the imp’s striking range, as the goblin swept out its spear, its movements almost identical to its partner’s. It was fast and sharp, but this thing only knew how to thrust, apparently.
And Arthur had already seen it coming.
He twisted his body to the side and let the blow graze past his shoulder as he continued forward, coming face to face with the armored imp.
Then, in a single strike, he slashed the fang upward, straight into the goblin’s neck. The blade bit deep, lodging itself in the imp’s neck.
The goblin staggered, gurgling, as it stared at the human in disbelief. It tried to raise its spear and strike back, but Arthur didn’t give it a chance.
He ripped the fang out with a brutal twist and stepped back, causing a fountain of blood to spray out from the wound.
The goblin’s arms trembled, its grip on its spear suddenly loosening. Then, with a final burst of strength, it opened its mouth and tried to bite the hateful human’s face, but Arthur drove his shoulder forward and slammed into the creature’s chest.
The goblin sprawled backward onto the grass and twitched one last time, before it finally went still.
[Goblin Spear-Guard defeated. +18 EXP]
Arthur stood over the goblin’s corpse, watching as it broke apart into particles of white light, while the tip of the [Goblin’s Fang] in his hand was still stained a bright crimson.
He stared at the goblin for a second longer than necessary.
There was no guilt in his chest. Just a cold sort of satisfaction.
It was... weird.
He’d never killed anything before. Not even chickens or lobsters in his grandfather’s kitchen. But inside this game? For some reason, killing these goblins didn’t unsettle him in the slightest. If anything... it felt somewhat exciting.
The fights, the adrenaline, and finally the moment of victory. They stirred something in him.
Arthur frowned at that thought.
That wasn’t normal. He could tell that much.
Still, maybe it was the game and the way it worked. Perhaps it was just an aftereffect of Zenith’s realism and immersion.
"That’s probably it. I’m sure I’m not some kind of psycho," he thought to himself.
He glanced down at the item the goblin had dropped and was just in time to pick it up when a chorus of growls erupted from within the camp behind him.
[Item: Scrap-Leather Chestpiece]
[Rarity: Common]
[Description: The armor piece of a goblin Spear-Guard. The quality is crude, but it is still capable of blocking attacks.]
Arthur quickly looked up.
He barely had time to skim the item’s description before a swarm of goblins poured out of the camp’s entrance, their weapons raised and their small, beady eyes all fixed on him.
At this point, he no longer hesitated. He just turned and bolted into the forest.
...
Arthur kept running while pointy branches whipped past his arms and chest, while the thud of small feet pounded right behind him. The goblins were right on his heels.
And this time, it wasn’t just a handful of them either. Mixed in with the swarm were dozens of level 2s... and even a couple of level 4s.
If his Agility stat hadn’t hit 4, he was sure they’d have caught up to him by now.
Luckily, he still had one major advantage the goblins apparently didn’t. The terrain. He’d already scouted this stretch of forest when the first Spear-Guard goblin was chasing him, so he already had an idea of where to duck, weave, and disappear.
From the looks of it, the green bastards weren’t as familiar with the area, even though it was right outside of their own home. It was weird, but Arthur ended up attributing his good luck to the goblins’ lack of intelligence.
They probably hadn’t bothered to scout it.
After a quarter of an hour or so, he managed to shake off the last of the murderous imps.
He could still hear some distant growls as the bulk of the goblins were now scattered throughout the woods, snarling and shrieking as they still looked for him, but he didn’t move.
It was a grim situation... but it wasn’t all that bad.
At the very least, this solved the immediate problem of goblin scarcity he’d been facing.
So after resting for a bit, Arthur got straight to work.
...
He spent the next couple of hours lurking through the forest, stalking the goblins until he was sure he could take them out and escape unnoticed. Groups of three goblins were no longer an issue, as long as he ambushed them first and not the other way around.
His technique was simple: hide, observe, and take out the strongest one before the others could react.
It worked, too.
The fights were fast and messy... but always in his favor.
Soon, he began noticing something else. A level 2 goblin only gave him 7 EXP, while level 3s netted him a solid 9. It was a far cry from the Spear-Guard goblins, who gave him double that.
"Were they some kind of Elite-level mobs?" Arthur muttered to himself, still crouched behind a tree, catching his breath.
"...Probably not. They were too weak for that."
Still, the difference in EXP was too large to be ignored.
By the time an hour had passed, Arthur had already killed nearly a dozen goblins, but he had yet to level up or gain any new items.
Thankfully, he hadn’t suffered any serious injuries either. Aside from that one time he’d lost 8 HP after a level 3 imp grazed him with its own Goblin’s Fang, he was basically unharmed.
Finally, with a quick thrust and a dying screech, goblin number eleven crumpled at his feet, before that familiar soft chime rang in his ears.
[Goblin defeated. +7 EXP.] [Level up!] freewebnσvel.cøm
Arthur’s eyes widened as he straightened his back instinctively.
He’d finally leveled up.
He watched as the goblin’s corpse dissolved into motes of white light, and blinked when he spotted something left behind. A second Goblin’s Fang.
"Jackpot!"
He crouched and picked up the small, jagged tooth, its description identical to the one already in his hand. Without hesitation, he slipped it into his pocket.
He was about to open his status window and check his new stats when a low groan echoed from a few trees ahead, followed by the sound of wood splintering violently.
And then he froze.
The sound was close. A bit too close, in fact.
After a moment of hesitation, Arthur stepped forward.
He moved through the branches and bushes until he reached a break in the trees.
And then he saw it. The origin of that sound.
In a small clearing, a burly man in dirt-streaked clothes stood with his back against a tree, facing off against a group of six goblins who’d formed a semi-circle around him.
The imps approached him slowly, their weapons raised, forcing the man to shift and parry with what he held in his hands.
A log.
An honest-to-god wooden log, probably around the thickness of a grown man’s torso. And he was swinging it like a club, battering the goblins back with brute force alone.
It was an unbelievable sight.
Arthur’s eyes moved to the man’s arms. There were a few scratches and shallow cuts that were still bleeding, but it was obviously nothing life-threatening. This guy was clearly tough, and it was obvious he’d fought the six imps to a stalemate with that log alone.
Then his gaze shifted to the imps around the man.
Four level 3 goblins and two level 4s had formed a tight semi-circle, completely blocking off any path of retreat.
And surprisingly, the one leading the charge, the one fighting the burly man head-on, was a level 4 Spear-Guard goblin.
Arthur took in that scene.
He didn’t know what level the burly man was, but judging by how he’d been backed into a corner, he couldn’t be higher than level 3 or 4.
"Is he a warrior or someone with a physical class?" Arthur thought to himself before he began considering his options.
Obviously, he could just turn around and leave. That would be the smart choice here. After all, he didn’t even know the man, and a group of six goblins was too much to take on, even for him. Let alone when the leader of the pack was a level 4 Spear-Guard.
...But that was only in a ’fair’ fight. And this wasn’t a fair fight.
Arthur glanced at the burly man and the edge of his lips slowly curved up.
Sure, this was risky... but how could Arthur possibly pass on the idea of taking down a whole squad of goblins?
