[ Day 22 ]
Today as well, the never-ending Labyrinth tunnel was crowded with Goblins.
“Greeenn!”
During the very first days, Damian had to run for hours on end to get a proper encounter. Now, however, a group of four would at least be waiting for him every 10 minutes or so.
[ You have defeated a Goblin. ]
‘How many more for today?’
Dashing in search of his next target, Damian glimpsed at the watch on his wrist. Stamina had always been a problem for him, but the current him was different.
While his Constitution Stat might not have increased that much, his skill had advanced by leaps and bounds. Aura or no Aura, Damian could make quick work of a dozen Goblins without breaking a sweat.
‘Four, no, another five groups should do.’
In addition, just yesterday, Damian had realized that there was nothing more that he could learn from his training partners. It took time and an incredible cheat like Combat Instincts, but Damian had firmly outgrown Goblins.
Adding more Goblins to the group no longer held any value to him. Aside from the decrease in efficiency, Combat Instincts’ effect still didn’t trigger. In simple words, Goblins no longer posed a threat to Damian’s life.
Most importantly, as if to act as a testament to Damian’s achievement, a wholly new skill had appeared on his Status Window.
[ Skills: Aura Nurturing Lv.3, Combat Evasion Lv.1, Swordsmanship Lv.2, Spearmanship Lv.1, Blunt Mastery Lv.1, Shield Arts Lv.1 ]
‘Just looking at this makes me feel better.’
While it was only a level one skill that didn’t have any grandiose name, it was something that Damian rolled in blood and sweat to obtain. Just by having this engrained into his mind and body, he no longer needed to rely on Combat Instincts to save his behind!
Moreover, the fact that the Skill List had been rearranged by its addition, Damian presumed that the higher leveled Swordsmanship skill had less value in comparison.
Perhaps weapon skills were easier to learn compared to movement skills… Or maybe it was just that Swordsmanship's experience was accumulated in the wrong place.
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
Although he was busy admiring his new skill, Damian still noticed that something was wrong. Double-checking the watch, he confirmed that it had already been 20 minutes without any Goblin in sight.
Iris didn’t answer as she seemed to be distracted by something, but things were just too quiet. Unlike before, Damian couldn’t pass it by as a coincidence, something different was going on!
‘Don’t tell me that I have to do it all over…’
Picking up the pace, Damian’s eyes were peeled open for the next Goblin. While he felt that it was unlikely, he couldn’t help but be apprehensive.
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
It was one thing if this was a special event, but if this gap meant that he would have to go through the gradual population increase one more time, then things would get complicated.
A treacherous cycle that endlessly repeated was still one of Damian’s greatest fears!
Thankfully, before Damian’s mind could wander any further, something new appeared in front of his eyes.
“Oh?”
A Den-like opening blocked his path
The ever-extending tunnel seemed to have suddenly reached its end. Rather than the normal ones that appeared in the walls, a Den-like opening blocked Damian’s path. Only…
‘Big.’
The size was completely different, for such a wide opening, only a small part of the cave that it hid was visible. Just by looking at this, Damian could already feel that his premonition was coming true.
[ Save Point has been created. Main Save Point has been replaced. ]
Regardless, with a new Save Point, Damian directly stepped inside with no fear in his heart.
“Gree?”
The first thing that greeted Damian inside was, naturally, a Goblin, or more like Goblins. The area inside was even wider than Damian expected, but the whole ground was covered in green!
‘10, 20, 30… At least fifty?’
Damian tried to do a quick headcount, but since the Goblins had already started moving in reaction to his appearance, his eyes couldn’t keep. However, the number that he estimated didn’t shake him one bit.
‘It was all for this!’
Instead of having to throw himself in this Goblin hole till he adapted, Damian didn’t mind suffering all the way here so something like this wouldn’t faze him. If anything, he was brimming with confidence.
[ You have defeated a Goblin. ]
The second he took out his Shortsword, a Goblin’s head was already sent flying. However, Damian didn’t stop there.
In his other hand, the rusty Goblin knife was covered in platinum Aura, ready to take its first victim!
[ You have defeated a Goblin. ]
After cutting so many necks, two consecutive shortsword slashes were all it took for Damian to end his opponent. He didn’t even have to fully retract his arm, he just stopped midway and slashed again, making it look like he did it all in a single motion.
Conversely, the Goblin knives were too dull to replicate this feat, and Damian’s left hand wasn’t as easy to control with such precision. As such, when facing a small horde like this, it was more effective to use it as an Aura tool to keep up the efficiency!
[ You have defeated a Goblin. ]
[ You have defeated… ]
[ You have… ]
[ You… ]
[ You… ]
[ You… ]
The system messages kept going as Damian turned left and right, places that he didn’t think he could twist back on Earth were flexibly bending whenever needed.
“Gree!”
Of course, the sheer number of opponents dictated that an attack or two still reached Damian, but they all landed on his armor, dealing no actual damage to him!
‘Sure feels like a final battle.’
Although Goblins kept pouring out from the opening at the other end of the cave, there was only excitement in Damian’s heart. Labyrinth ending or not, progress was finally here!
For a moment, Damian lost sense of time as he indulged in Goblin slaughter. By now, the grudge he held for his first death was long gone, but killing Goblins still gave him a sense of satisfaction.
[ You have defeated a total of 1,000 Goblins. Extinction Threat Status achieved. ]
[ Plot Achievement recorded: FP +10 ]
By the time Damian came to his senses, the only thing surrounding him was corpses as a new System Window celebrated his deeds.
‘Is it there?’
However, Damian didn’t let down his guard as he stared at the opening that no longer produced anything. Since nothing great happened after all of this, whatever was hiding there had to be the real thing!