Chapter 2: River

I waited patiently for the goblins to finish and move on, feeling a growing thirst now that water was within sight. However, after satisfying themselves, the goblins simply fell asleep right then and there.

No matter, I thought. I could walk a bit downstream, out of their range.

I had gone quite far when I glanced toward the goblins, having put a considerable distance between us. Finally, I could drink.

Kneeling on both knees, I set the spear beside me, dipped my hands into the water, and took a handful, absorbing its coolness.

After that initial mouthful, I abandoned using my hands and submerged my entire face.

One mouthful, then a second, and another. I desired to drink more, but my capacity was limited.

"Grr..."

A growl interrupted my reverie, instinctively causing my hand to reach for the spear and swing it behind me with all the force I could muster at that moment.

Nevertheless, I still got hit.

The spearhead cut through the goblin's stomach, spilling its guts, but it managed to scratch me with its sharp black nails.

No time to complain or succumb to the pain, as two more remained.

I swung the spear once more, forcing them to back away, and rose to my feet.

I had no idea what led them here.

This would be a challenging fight, with the river at my back and limited space to evade.

However, fear was visible in the goblins' eyes.

Terrified.

They hesitated, so I took the initiative.

It was live or die from this moment on.

Lunging forward, I thrust my spear toward the goblin on the right, aiming for its heart or at least the general area where it would be for a human.

Perhaps through luck or hitting something crucial, as soon as the spear pierced its flesh, the goblin coughed out blood.

Twisting it slightly and applying more force, I pushed the spear harder.

I wasn't sure how, but it penetrated and emerged from the goblin's back.

An unwise move, as I struggled to extract the spear, bearing the weight of the lifeless body.

Nevertheless, this display of strength frightened the last goblin so much that it screeched and tried to run.

Scared that the goblin might call reinforcements, I left the spear and dashed to the last goblin, kicking its leg and making the monster trip.

Instinctively, I pinned both of the goblin's arms under my knees and started to punch.

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The goblin screeched for the first few hits, but soon blood started to splash in every direction, and the goblin went silent. Still able to perceive life below me, I held the goblin's head and violently twisted it until I felt a crack and the body went limp.

Releasing the breath I had been holding for who knows how long, I looked at my hands covered in blood and took a long break.

"It's fine, It's all ok."

After taking a few more deep breaths, I stood up and attempted to pull my weapon out of the corpse, but it was lodged inside.

With little progress after a few tries, I stepped on the goblin's stomach and exerted all my strength to pull.

The spear finally came loose, accompanied by splashes of blood across my face and clothes.

I also felt the pain from the wound on my back as the rush of adrenaline subsided.

After washing away the blood, I glanced at my hands.

They were wet, water dripping from them into the river.

Strangely, the water felt thicker, more viscous, and sticky.

It resembled blood, and no matter how much I cleaned them, it never disappeared.

I followed the river until I reached a serene and peaceful lake after a few hours. However, fear held me back from approaching it. The memory of the previous encounter by the riverside lingered, and I couldn't shake off the apprehension of another dangerous situation.

Instead, I sought refuge in a tall tree with abundant leaves. It stood at a respectable distance from the lake, providing a clear view of the surroundings.

Climbing up, I settled into a comfortable spot and turned my attention to something that had been demanding my attention for quite some time—the system.

[Killed a Goblin. Experience gained] x3

[Bonus experience for being in a Trial Tower] x3

[Level up] x 2

There weren't many changes in my status, except that I now had 4 points in the bonus section.

[Bonus points remaining: 4]

Another small section was added to the overall panel.

---

[Class: Trainee]

Level: 3

Skills: None

---

For the time being, I left the points unassigned and attempted to rest.

I stood on a tree, holding my breath, waiting.

Waiting for prey.

This was the only way I could come up with to hunt goblins without putting myself at risk. Well, there were some risks, but most of it depended on me executing the process perfectly.

Find a tree that was big enough to hide me and find places where goblins would pass by.

The plan was simple: wait for the goblins to be right below me, then jump down and kill them in one strike.

There were a few hiccups, like what if there were multiple goblins in a group or what if they carried weapons.

If I encountered such a situation, I would simply not jump; let them pass, and stay up there waiting for another one to come by.

If there were no goblins in view for another half an hour, I decided that I would change places and continue.

Anything else would be dealt with later—

*step* *step*

The moment I heard movement, all thoughts left my mind, and I focused on the surroundings.

Two goblins came under the shade of this tree and rested, one of them was very weak. Half the size of the other goblin, and staggered with every step that it took.

I didn't know when or why, but before I could process anything, the healthy goblin had its claws pierce its companion.

It killed one of its own.

The goblin removed its claws from the corpse, held the now limp arm, and bit into it.

It gorged on the corpse of its own without a care in this world. Even though I was shocked, I had to act.

'Now or never,' I said under my breath and jumped.

My eyes never left the goblin.

I fell right behind and saw its body startle from the sudden impact, but before it could move any more muscles, I thrust my spear right into its torso.

I removed it as I kicked the goblin into the tree along with the partially eaten corpse.

Just as it faceplanted onto the bark, I thrust once more, this time impaling my weapon onto the trunk.

[Level up]

"That was easy."

I wasn't able to find anything edible. The trees didn't have fruits nor were there coconuts that would fill my stomach.

The growls slowly grew louder, and the goblins felt more appetizing.

But I still hadn't reached that point, yet.

There was no knowledge if the goblins were safe to eat for a human like me, and I was still hoping to not cross that line.

I climbed a relatively large tree, closed my eyes, and started to go through whatever had happened up to this point.

It was a habit I had developed during exams to deal with stress and clear up my mind.

After a few moments, I could feel myself relax and my thoughts calmed down, but this habit also brought an unexpected boon.

[Learned 'Meditation']