Chapter The Hunt Begins

The forest surrounding the refinery was eerily quiet, save for the occasional rustling of leaves. The dim light from the setting sun filtered through the trees, casting long shadows across the ground. Damian led the group deeper into the woods, his sharp eyes scanning every movement, every subtle shift in the underbrush.

Astrid followed close behind, her compound bow drawn and ready. Miles trailed them, gripping a dented aluminum baseball bat with both hands, his eyes darting nervously around.

“You’re sure there are goblins in this area?” Astrid asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Miles nodded. “Definitely. I scouted this whole place before. The goblins have turned the abandoned refinery and the nearby warehouses into their base. The forest is crawling with scouts. Trust me, they’re here.”

Damian stopped suddenly, holding up a hand to signal silence. His gaze locked onto a faint rustling sound ahead. “Here we go,” he muttered, his grip tightening on his sword.

Three goblins emerged from the shadows, their hunched forms clutching crude weapons. Their yellow eyes glowed faintly in the dark as they sniffed the air, chattering among themselves.

“Identify,” Damian whispered.

Goblin – Lv 5

Goblin – Lv 5

Goblin – Lv 6

“They’re low-level,” Damian said quietly. He turned to Astrid and Miles. “This is perfect for you two. Astrid, take the one on the left. Miles, you’ve got the one in the middle. I’ll take the one on the right. Don’t hesitate.”

Astrid nodded, steadying her breathing as she raised her bow. “Got it.”

Miles swallowed hard. “Middle one… okay,” he muttered, gripping his bat tighter.

Astrid drew her bowstring and released an arrow. It zipped through the air, striking the goblin on the left in the chest. The creature let out a screech and staggered back, clutching at the arrow. Before it could recover, Astrid knocked another arrow and fired, the second shot piercing its throat. The goblin collapsed with a gurgle.

Meanwhile, Miles charged forward with a shaky yell, swinging his bat wildly. The middle goblin snarled, dodging the first swing and countering with a rusty dagger. Miles yelped, stumbling back, but managed to recover. He swung again, this time connecting with the goblin’s head. The creature stumbled, and Miles brought the bat down with all his strength, finishing it off with a sickening crack.

The final goblin lunged at Damian, but it was nocontest. With a single, precise slash, Damian cleaved the creature in two.

Miles leaned against a tree, panting. “Okay… that wasn’t so bad,” he said, though his trembling hands betrayed him.

Astrid smirked. “Not bad for a rookie.”

Damian crouched over the fallen goblins, pulling out mana stones from their chests with practiced efficiency. He wiped the blood off on the grass before holding one out to Astrid and another to Miles.

“You know what to do,” Damian said simply.

Astrid didn’t hesitate this time. She popped the mana stone into her mouth, wincing as it dissolvedinstantly. Miles, on the other hand, stared at the glowing gem with a mixture of fascination and disgust.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“You’re really going to make me eat this?” he asked.

“Yes,” Damian replied, his tone leaving no room for argument.

Grimacing, Miles swallowed the stone. A moment later, his eyes widened as warmth spread through his body. “Whoa… that’s insane!”

“That’s the sensation of gaining experience points,” Damian said, standing. “Keep at it, and you’ll level up in no time.”

As the group moved closer to the refinery, Milesexplained what he had learned during his earlierscouting trips.

“The military’s been poking around here a lot,” Miles said, keeping his voice low. “I’ve seen them trying to figure out how to awaken people, but they’re clueless. They’ve even brought in someone who can use fire magic, but I couldn’t get a clear view of them.”

Damian frowned, his mind racing. If the military couldn’t figure out how to awaken, it meant they were fighting at a massive disadvantage. And if someone else had already awakened… there was more to this than he’d thought.

For now, though, Damian focused on helping Astrid and Miles. The two quickly adapted, each killing enough goblins to reach level 3. Astrid’s precision with her bow improved with every encounter, and Miles grew more confident with his bat, using his stealth ability to land surprise strikes.

Once Damian was satisfied with their progress, he left them behind to scout a little farther. “Stay close to the clearing,” he told them. “Don’t go looking for trouble.”

Astrid gave him a mock salute. “Yes, sir.”

Miles just nodded, still catching his breath.

Damian moved quickly through the forest, his senses sharp. He had already eaten several mana stones and could feel himself approaching another level-up. All he needed was one more good fight.

That’s when he heard it—the unmistakable sound of padded feet pounding against the forest floor. He turned to see a goblin riding a massive gray wolf, the two moving as one. The goblin carried a long spear, its gleaming tip catching the last rays of sunlight.

Damian’s eyes widened. “A goblin rider…”

The wolf growled, its sharp teeth bared as it charged toward him. Damian barely had time to react, diving to the side as the spear grazed his shoulder. He rolled to his feet, drawing his sword and preparing for the next attack.

The rider circled back, the wolf snarling as it leapt over a fallen tree. Damian swung his sword, but the wolf dodged, its agility far surpassing that of anyenemy he’d faced before.

The chase began. Damian sprinted through theforest, dodging trees and leaping over roots as the wolf closed in. Every time it lunged, he countered with a quick slash, forcing it back.

Finally, the goblin made a mistake. It overcommitted, thrusting its spear too far. Damian sidestepped the attack and slashed upward, the blade cutting deep into the goblin’s side. The rider screamed, falling from the wolf’s back.

The wolf howled in rage, lunging at Damian, but he was ready. He ducked under its jaws and drove his sword into its chest, the beast collapsing with a final whimper.

The goblin tried to crawl away, but Damian didn’t hesitate. With one swift motion, he ended it.

As Damian caught his breath, he leaned on his sword for support, sweat dripping down his brow. The adrenaline in his veins was finally beginning to subside. He stared at the goblin rider’s lifeless body and the massive wolf lying beside it, both now still in the moonlit forest.

But then, something strange happened.

A soft golden glow appeared above the goblin’s corpse, shimmering faintly at first. Damian froze, his exhaustion momentarily forgotten as the light grew brighter, coalescing into a distinct shape.

“What the hell…” he whispered, his voice barely audible.

The object floated in the air, spinning slowly as its brilliance lit up the dark forest. It was mesmerizing, almost hypnotic. Damian took a cautious step forward, his heart pounding in his chest.

“An item…? An actual item drop?” he muttered, unable to believe what he was seeing.

His mind raced. He’d only thought it might have been possible like they were in game item drops in countless games, but he could’ve never dreamed about it actually happening —but this was real life. This was actually happening. His hands trembled as he reached toward the glowing object, hesitating for a moment as if it might vanish if he got too close.

The bright light reflected in his eyes, and for the first time in what felt like forever, a grin spread across his face. Not a small, reserved smile, but a wide, uncontainable expression of pure joy.

“This… this changes everything,” he whispered, his voice filled with awe.

The weight of exhaustion lifted, replaced by a surge of excitement and anticipation.

Damian didn’t think it could be possible but it was the same item drops similar he knew from games he played.

His heart raced as he extended his hand, fingers trembling with exhilaration wanting to know what type of item was dropped.

And just as he was about to get close enough to see it clearly he couldn’t stop himself from laughing softly, almost disbelieving. “An item drop… a real item drop…”