As the sun began to set, Alec woke up from his restless sleep. He quickly gathered his belongings to his mountain backpack that he bought on the [market] for 20 System Currency and carried them to his back. He needed to find a safer place to stay.

He groaned as he felt a sharp pain in his lower back. He had been sleeping on the hard ground for too long, with nothing but a thin blanket to cushion him. He wished he had a proper bed, or at least a decent mattress.

He shook off his discomfort and took a deep breath. He had to keep moving, no matter what. He didn’t know what dangers lurked in the dark forest, and he didn’t want to find out.

“Alright, here we go,” he muttered to himself.

“Caw!”

“Caw!”

The sound of crows pierced the air, startling him. He looked up and saw a flock of black birds circling above him, as if waiting for him to drop dead. He shivered and quickened his pace, hoping they were not a bad omen.

He scanned his surroundings, looking for anything edible. He was quite hungry and thirsty, He spotted some berries and nuts on the nearby bushes and trees, and picked as many as he could. He ate some of them on the spot and saved the rest for later.

He walked for what seemed like hours, following the faint trail that he hoped would lead him to civilization. The sun was high in the sky, beating down on him mercilessly. He wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He was about to take a sip from his water bottle, when he heard a rustle in the bushes. He froze and looked around, his heart pounding. He saw a group of goblins emerge from the foliage, armed with crude weapons and wearing ragged clothes. They grinned wickedly and advanced towards him, their eyes gleaming with malice.

"Gyaaahaha."

"Gyayayaya."

Alec felt a surge adrenaline. He reached for his sword, the only weapon he had, and prepared to fight for his life. He threw his water bottle at the nearest goblin, hoping to distract him.

The goblin dodged the bottle, but Alec used the opportunity to slash at his throat. The goblin fell to the ground, clutching his wound and gurgling. "Gugh...guh."

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[Level 1] (10% Exp)

[Market] (System Currency: 220)

He saw two more goblins charging at him from the sides. He jumped back, avoiding their swings.

He stabbed one of them in the chest and kicked the other one in the face. He heard a crunch and a scream. "Gaaaahk!"

[Level 1] (20% Exp)

[Market] (System Currency: 230)

He got up and looked around. He saw three more goblins, all of them holding a bow and arrow. The goblin archer aimed at Alec and let loses an arrow. Alec barely dodged the arrow, feeling it graze his arm. He felt a sting and saw blood.

[HP: 289/300] (Status: Poison -3 HP/sec)

"Gyahahaha." The goblin archer laughs at him after they shot his arm.

"Bastard!" Alec cursed under his breath, feeling a surge of anger and adrenaline rush through him.

Alec lunged forward, dodging another arrow and closing the distance between him and the goblins. But one of the goblins Alec kicked attacked him from behind, stabbing him in the right leg.

[HP: 267/300] (Status: Poison -3 HP/sec)

'This is bad, they got me from all sides' As Alec's adrenaline surged, he gritted his teeth against the pain of his injuries. With a wounded arm and a stab wound in his leg, he knew he was in a precarious situation. Ignoring the pain pulsing through his body, Alec swung his sword at the goblin that attacked his leg.

He sliced through the goblin's neck, sending its head flying.

[Level 1] (30% Exp)

[Market] (System Currency: 240)

He turned around and faced the goblin archer, who was aiming another arrow at him. Alec knew he had to act fast. He threw his sword at the goblin, hoping to hit him or at least make him flinch.

The goblin was caught off guard by the unexpected move and tried to dodge the sword, but it was too late. The sword pierced his chest, making him drop his bow and arrow. He gasped and fell to his knees, blood spilling from his wound. “Guh…guh…”

[Level 1] (40% Exp)

[Market] (System Currency: 250)

[HP: 221/300] (Status: Poison -3 HP/sec) (Status: Bleeding -2 HP/sec)

"Ugh!!!" the remaining goblin archers shot arrows at him from both sides. Alec pulled his sword out of the goblin’s body.

'I need to drink a healing potion before I deal with the remaining goblin.' Alec took the potion from his mountain backpack and drank it.

[HP: 221/300] (Status: Poison -3 HP/sec) (Status: Bleeding -2 HP/sec) (HP Regen: 5 HP/sec) (HP Regen for 5 minutes)

Alec ran towards the goblin, ignoring the pain in his leg, body, and arm. The goblin archer saw Alec running towards him and panicked. He tried to grab another arrow from his quiver, but he was too slow. Alec reached him and slashed his sword across his throat, silencing his scream.

[Level 1] (50% Exp)

[Market] (System Currency: 260)

And the last goblin took his chance to run away, returning to the cave. Alec did not chase the goblin but waited for his wound to heal completely. "Tsk, he ran away, I need bandage and antidote."

Alec bought a bandage and an antidote from his system for 40 System Currency. He applies the bandage and pours the antidote on his wound.

[HP: 226/300] (HP Regen: 5 HP/sec) (HP Regen for 5 minutes)

As his wound heals, Alec collects his loot from the goblin and sells it all to the system, earning 80 System Currency.

"Should I go after that goblin?" Alec looked at the goblin trail and felt a strong urge to kill that goblin and get some experience.