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I use [ Presence Detection ] to scan the area around me but I don't pick up anything. This skill is directly related to my 'Sense' stat which is at 1 0 at the moment, there's nothing I could do about it.
I slowly make my way through the tall thick trees and moss covered rocks all around. A forest is supposed to be filled with unknown dangers and I had to be extra careful about moving through it. I mean come on my Hp is worse than that of a Goblin's. My life force is so depleted that I would most likely be severely wounded with one punch and that's not something I want to happen.
As I was moving through the trees I noticed something white twitch from afar. Ears, Rabbit ears...lunch...I mean a rabbit. I'm kind of hungry, to be honest.
I immediately activate [ Presence Concealment ] and slowly approach the said rabbit. There are some animals like rabbits and deers that have monster counterparts and those monsters are edible as well but not everyone can eat monster meat as they can be poisonous to anyone without resistance to poisons. However, with my skill [ Abnormal Status Nullification ], it's alright for me. Eating monsters can sometimes increase your status as well when you are able to fully digest it.
Something that separates animals from monsters is their lack of Mp and magical stones inside their body. All Monsters have a magical stone inside of them which can all have a different size depending on the level of the monster.
These magical stones can be used for powering magical devices, creating or enchanting weapons, making Magical staff and etc. You would have to cut out the magic stone from the monster's body after killing them. They are always located at the heart of the monsters.
I can't analyze the rabbit from this distance so I just hope it's not a monster but a normal rabbit. Rabbit monsters are actually quite sturdy, looks horrifying and are generally high-level creatures.
As I slowly move towards the rabbit, it finally comes into full view. Thank God it was a normal rabbit!! I guess my luck isn't that bad...wait doesn't say that I died in one life and betrayed in the other, that's not the greatest show of luck.
The rabbit was munching on a twig. I used the [ Devil-Queen's Eyes ] on the rabbit to check it's status.
Name: Wild Rabbit
Level: 2
Hp: 10 Mp: 0 Strength: 3 Agility: 15
Defense: 4 Vitality: 4 Intelligence: 2
Sense: 5
Skills: Hopping Magic: none
Why? Why is it's Hp the same as mine? I feel so pathetic...his Agility is 15. That's actually really high for a rabbit but the Sense is really low for an animal. Its Mp is 0 which makes sense as animals don't have the ability to use magic but monster do. They get skills for the basic actions they are good at but actual people wouldn't since well it's just common sense. But when the monsters evolve so does their skills, which becomes more and more similar to ours.
Well, it hasn't noticed me yet. I could use magic against it but maybe a sword would be better. It can be dealt with quickly then.
I back off a little and position myself on a straight line from the rabbit but still make sure that the rabbit doesn't see me. I take out the 'seal' sword that was in my Storage.
I take my stance with the sword then activate [ Physical Enhancement ]. My body gives off a greenish glow signaling that the skill was now active.
Right!! 3...2...1...Now!!
Using [ Flash-Step!! ] to accelerate my speed, I become a blur. I swiftly move from the place I was standing at to leaving the rabbit behind me. My sword didn't have any blood stain on it neither did it feel like I had cut something but the rabbit's head was flying in the air.
*Sprrt!!!**flop*
It's now headless body falls to the ground with blood gushing out from it. I pick up the head and bury underground then drain the blood from the body before putting it in my Storage. Rabbits are very fast and with my current speed, I wouldn't have been able to kill it if not for my skill. After I was done with the rabbit I start moving through the forest again.
Something I noticed while moving through this forest was the lack of herbs around. In a dense forest like this one, herbs should be almost everywhere but I couldn't even see any useful herbs. Do people come to a thick forest like this to pick up the herbs? If so I may even meet some people here...
Nooooo, I'm not ready for people right now!!
I morph the slime suit to extend up to my nose to cover up my face then make a hood come out from my shoulders. This way even if I encounter anyone at least they wouldn't know what I look like. While doing this I heard a peculiar sound coming from somewhere nearby. I already had my [ Presence Concealment ] active so I started moving towards the sound with the utmost caution.
"Humans!! Humans in the forest!!"
"Yeah.!! Women !! we want new women!!"
"More!! More women!!"
The voices I heard were all high pitched and screechy. They weren't speaking in human language or the devil language rather it was the language of the goblins!! With [ Language Comprehension ] I was able to understand almost all languages and that even included the languages of monsters.
Goblins are generally really dumb creatures. They are not very strong one on one either. However, when they are acting in a group, they can be really annoying to deal with. Their leader is almost always a Hobgoblin, was an evolved version of the goblins. They can use magic, unlike regular goblins.
Did they just say, humans? I got close to the goblins to get a better look at them. There were 3 of them beside a cave. It was most likely goblin nest.
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They capture women and bring them to their nest for the purpose of breeding and increase their population. There are no female goblins so they have to breed with other species to increase their numbers. So they capture women from all around and rape them. Not just goblins, a lot of the other monsters do so as well.
Those who get captured are never the same again. Even if they get saved from the goblin caves, the trauma causes them to suicide and the ones that never escape keeps on giving birth to goblins until they die. If I get caught right now I don't even know if I could escape without any injuries.
"Get weapons ready!! We attack humans!!"
Another goblin came out of the cave and gave an order to the other three. I wonder how many humans they are going to attack. If they are high level then it wouldn't matter but for low-level humans, they can be really troublesome.
I don't have anything against humans anymore but if the goblins win it might actually be very beneficial to me...For now, let's keep my distance and follow their movements.
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*Inside the deep forest, there were a group of Adventurers escorting an old merchant on a Carriage.
The merchant was carrying various supplies for the next town over and he was afraid of getting robbed by bandits so he hired some Adventurers to escort him on the way.
"Sonny, are you sure this path is safe?" The merchant asks the only guy that was in Adventurers' party.
He seemed to be the leader. He was blond with blue eyes, really young. He was in the prime of his life, reckless, inexperienced and naive. He was The Swordsman.
"Don't worry gramps. I got this map from one of my friends. He said it's a quick shortcut." The boy reassures the old merchant that it was going to be okay.
"But...I heard that there were a lot of monsters around this place. Really dangerous ones as well." The old merchant has been through a lot of experiences during his lifetime so of course he wouldn't be completely relaxed.
If he had a choice he would hire more experienced Adventurers but he didn't have enough time to be picky as he needed to make his way to the next town as soon as he could.
"Nah. Don't worry about that. We are here to take care of that. Aren't we?" the young boy put on a bright smile pointing at himself then looking at his party members.
He was fully confident in his ability to take care of everything with his party. As a young Adventurer, he had yet to experience 'failures' so it was appropriate to call him cocky.
"Yes, of course!!" It was one of the female members of the group, The young Healer.
She quickly agrees with the boy. She has been with the boy ever since they were kids so it was right to say that she was a bit attached to him. She went everywhere with him so they always stuck close to each other.
"Don't worry!! You are in good hands." This time it was the young Martial Artist of the group.
She also agrees with her two group members. She joined the boy and the healer later on but became good friends with them very quickly. She has been doing minor quests with them ever since.
There was one other member in the group but she didn't say anything to the conversation going on between her party members. The Magician. She was in her own world, minding her own business. She didn't care about what went on with other people, she was just there for her own business and this job just happened to present itself at the right moment.
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"Are you sure we are still on the right path?" ( Martial Artist girl )
"I mean...I have been following the map as best as I could..." ( Swordsman boy )
"It feels like we are just getting deeper and deeper into the forest instead of getting out!" ( Martial Artist girl )
"Don't worry!! I'm sure we will find a way out of this." ( Swordsman boy )
"Dammit. I knew to come with you brats was a bad idea!!" ( Merchant Oldman )
The young group of Adventurers and the old merchant had been on the path to get out of the forest for hours but it seemed as though they were getting deeper and deeper into the forest with no way out.
The old merchant was getting angry at the fact that he wasn't going to make his deliveries on time. The Martial Artist was also getting sick of just waiting in the carriage. The other two girls didn't really seem to care as the Healer was always supporting the Swordsman and the magician was reading her book.
Another hour went by with no sign of the exit. The sun was already going down and they were physically exhausted to go on anymore so they decided to set up camp in the forest.
They found a small open space to stay for the night and set up camp there. They decided to switch every 2 hours to keep watch till the night was over. It was decided that the merchant wouldn't have to do so as it was mostly their fault that they were in this situation now.
The first was The Martial artist. Everyone went to sleep around her as she stayed awake staring at the campfire they had set up.
*yawn* she was already very tired mentally from just sitting in the carriage all day and she was beginning to doze off a little as well. All the other members of her group were already fast asleep so she couldn't help but want to do the same as well.
As time went on she couldn't hold on anymore as her eyes started to become hazy. She closes her eyes and finding comfort in that situation she unknowingly lets herself go.
Now...all five members of the little group were all fast asleep and it was at this time they decided to make their move. The shadows of many tiny creatures barely 3 feet tall came out of woods. There were dozens in number but any of them had barely made any noise as they were surrounding the little group of humans.
Two groups of goblins with three members, with each group, was carrying a giant boulder made their way to the Swordsman and the Merchant. Without making any noise dropped the boulders on top of the Swordsman's an old merchant's head. In their sleep they didn't have any power to retaliate, they died without even knowing how. Their heads were crushed into a bloody mess.
The Healer and the Martial artist woke up from the noise then looked around to see their companions' corpses.
"No, no, no, no, no, no. Please...please wake up!!"
The Healer had already lost her sanity from seeing her childhood friend's corpse before her eyes. She couldn't handle the shock and passed out right there.
"Dammit!! Hey, Magician girl wakes up!!"
Being surrounded by goblins, she knew she didn't have any way out by herself. As she turned around to look where the Magician Girl was sleeping at, she was taken aback.
There was no one there. The Magician was gone. She was left alone, by herself.
Having no other option, she takes her fighting stance. She was surrounded by dozens of goblins, all she could do was to fight for her life.
Not having enough patience a goblin jumps at her but she swiftly kicks him away. Taking this as a signal the rest of the goblins all jump at her together. There wasn't much she could do as she tried to fend off an army of goblins.
She got repeatedly stabbed and exhausted all over her body as the fight went on. The goblins were purposefully avoiding her vitals since they didn't just want her to die.
They needed her alive and there was nothing she could do about it. After fighting continuously for a very long time she was on her last breath. She didn't have stamina as she was just a low-level.
Having wounds all over her body and being spent to the limit, she didn't have any energy left to continue and collapsed on the spot.
It was over, they barely had any chance of winning letting their guard down in this forest. The goblins won.
The goblins tied up the girls and carried them back to their cave. They weren't interested in anything else but the girls.
During this event, there were a pair of eyes peeking from a nearby tree. Waiting for the goblins to leave.