"(Umm...)"

I wake up and stretch.

Looking around, I can see the clearing through the gaps in the branches.

This place is on top of that treant's body.

Even though the treant died, the large tree remained as it was.

The trunk is thick and doesn't break under my weight, so I've been borrowing it as a bed.

"But I don't think I can stay here much longer."

Seeing the leaves gradually wither, that's what I think.

The number of fruits has also decreased drastically, but that’s just because I ate them; it’s unrelated to the tree withering.

…No, maybe I can’t completely say that.

If the treant were still alive, there might have been a chance the fruits would have been replenished immediately, thanks to a skill similar to my own "Self-Regeneration."

With such trivial thoughts running through my still-groggy mind, I climb down from the tree.

I also eat some nearby fruit as I go.

Thanks to the "Antibody" skill I obtained yesterday, I only feel a slight tingle.

"Alright, time to go find some more enemies... Hmm?"

As I start to head deeper into the forest, unexpected visitors appear.

At the base of the gentle slope, on the edge of the clearing, a group of six goblins appears.

"Gegyo gege gya (Take it down!)"

"Gyaa! (Roger!)"

With the "Comprehension" skill, I can understand their intentions through their cries.

Following the command of an armoured goblin, they spread out and start coming toward me.

"I’ve never seen goblins with such good equipment."

I think this idly to myself.

Each of them is armed with iron weapons, and it’s obvious just by looking that the quality and condition of their equipment are excellent.

On top of that, they have a good build. They must be "Long Beasts"; each goblin is about the height of a high school student.

This group of armoured, large goblins — let’s call them hobgoblins — would normally be dangerous foes even for a "Behemoth."

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"But that doesn't really matter to me. Slash."

Kachink!

My whip-sword clashes with the goblin's iron sword, producing a loud, high-pitched sound.

However, I come out as the victor of the clash.

The hobgoblin, who took a direct hit from me, gets blown away and rolls down the hill.

"Slash, slash!"

"Gyaa!?"

I grow a second whip-sword and attack them with dual strikes.

The goblins are trying to surround me, but for a slime, the concept of front and back is kind of meaningless.

My vision may blur in directions I’m not focusing on, but taking a hit doesn't actually hurt me.

Every time my whip-swords lash out, the hobgoblins scream in pain, and eventually, realizing they can’t win, they stay just out of my range, watching me warily.

"If you're not coming to me, I'll come to you!"

"Gyaaa! (Run!)"

The hobgoblins all turn and start to run away at once.

My first target is the troublesome one in armour.

I leap forward with "Jump," and with "Air Jump," I land right on top of it.

With the additional effect of "Plunge Attack," the troublesome goblin is killed instantly.

I focus on the other hobgoblins who are scattering and escaping into the forest.

"Jump, Thrust."

The next one I target is the one that got its leg injured in the earlier fight.

I close the distance in one jump and extend my body like a spear, stabbing it. My spear pierces through the underside of its raised axe, hitting its abdomen.

"Throw."

As soon as that’s done, I throw the sword I took from the armoured hobgoblin.

It flies through the air, and I successfully hit another goblin that thought it was safe as it ran through a sparse section of trees, just outside my range.

"Weapon Storage, Jump."

I put away the second axe and head towards the spot where the third goblin fell.

It’s the first time I’ve used "Weapon Storage," but as long as I cover the weapon with my body, I can absorb it almost instantly.

This could come in handy.

"I’ll be taking this one too."

I store the sword that was stuck in the third goblin as well as the spear lying at its feet, then jumped again.

Of the remaining three goblins, I’ve already lost track of two, but I’ve managed to keep tabs on one.

"Still, hunting down one more won’t give me much, huh?"

This battle hasn’t raised my level even once.

Killing a weaker "Long Beast" at this point doesn’t offer much reward.

"Besides, there’s something that’s been bothering me a little."

I recall the weapons these hobgoblins had.

Their equipment was clearly different from that of the goblins I’ve fought so far.

It might even surpass what humans carry. That’s how high-quality the hobgoblins’ weapons were.

After all, their weapons could hold their own against my "Slash."

Even though I just evolved, the fact that their weapons showed no significant damage after taking a direct attack from me is strange, if they’re just old second hand weapons from defeated adventurers, the weapons should have shattered the instance they clashed against my body made whip-sword.

"Maybe they just happened to find them, or… could it be that their group has someone with a skill related to weapons?"

I have two reasons for thinking this.

First, there was the giant monster, the Red Ogre, that I once saw, which was battling the Forest Turtle.

That creature could melt the ground, quickly cool it, and create glass clubs.

If there’s a skill like that, it wouldn’t be strange if others exist as well.

The second reason is the unusual nature of the hobgoblins’ weapons.

Initially, I thought they were all carrying iron weapons, but calling them “iron weapons” doesn’t quite capture it.

Their weapons are one hundred percent iron, from blade to handle.

Normal humans don’t usually make such bizarre things.

So, I decided to let this hobgoblin go for now and have it led me to the group.

The hobgoblin is running for its life, but as a Great Beast, I can keep up with its speed even without any skill boosts.

Just to be safe, I activate "Stealth," and now I’m fully prepared.

The chase is on!