KALA
As I observed the goblin village from my vantage point on top of a tree, a sense of concern washed over me. The size of the village was far larger than I had anticipated, and it seemed peculiar that the guild hadn't taken any action against such a significant threat located so close to Eldria. Questions raced through my mind, wondering why the guild had not yet destroyed the village or even reported its existence.
Curiosity and a desire to gather more information propelled me forward. I leaped from tree to tree, getting closer to the village to gain a better understanding of the situation. As I approached, my eyes fixed upon a crude structure resembling a watchtower positioned beside what appeared to be the main gate. Standing in front of the gate were two goblins armed with knives, most likely pilfered from their unfortunate victims. In the tower, I spotted five more goblins, armed with makeshift bows.
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A direct fight may not be the
best approach here.
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‘I understand your point, but if I rely on others, without this challenge myself, I will never grow stronger. Running away all the time won't help me improve. Besides, there are so many points I could gain from this situation. If I manage to defeat all the goblins here, I might even reach Level 5 and complete the quest. I just need to be smart about how I approach it.’ I take my time to scout around the village, from what I could see, the guards switched every 2 hours, which means that by the next switch it will already be completely dark, so that’s when I’ll act.
The plan is simple: I'll slip past the gates while they change shifts. There is approximately a 5-minute gap when the gate remains unguarded. Once I'm inside, making my way to the top of the watchtower should be feasible, as there seems to be no guards at its entrance. Then, I'll have to eliminate everyone there. The absence of archers in the tower will considerably ease my task, at least for a duration of 2 hours, before the bodies are discovered. However, that should be ample time.
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Then what?
Remember that this is a big
village with a lot of enemies.
How are you planing to kill all
of them without getting killed in
the process?
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‘I'm... still figuring that part out. The best idea I had was to set some of the tents on fire to create chaos, and then take advantage of that chaos to eliminate the isolated ones. The problem with that idea is the fire would make it harder to hide in the shadows. So yeah... not much of a plan, really.’
Alan didn't say anything after that. ‘Guess he doesn't have a plan either.’ Anyway, it's time to act. The guards will change shifts in about 3 minutes, so I move closer to the gate. I have to climb down from the trees and crawl through the grass because all the trees around the village have been cut down. I crawl my way to the wall surrounding the place and wait for a few minutes until the guards leave. I take the opportunity to quickly run through the gate and hide in some tall grass. The tower is about 30 meters (98 feet) away, which would be great if it wasn't for the two goblins having a conversation right in my path to the tower.
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[Analyze] has been activated!
Analyzing…
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Species: Goblin
Level: 3
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
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Species: Goblin
Level: 2
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‘That goblin is the strongest I've ever seen, a level 3’ The two goblins were... talking? Maybe I could defeat them quickly before they called for backup. If my mana-infused attacks could harm that spider, they might be enough to take down a slightly stronger goblin. But I'm not sure how big the difference in levels really is. It mattered a lot to me, but without the system, I can't understand how their stats would improve. Maybe levels for other creatures are just rough estimates of their strength, and they gain levels as they get stronger, unlike me. When I asked Alan about it, he stayed quiet, so I have no clue how to judge their power based on levels alone. The spider encounter showed me that a higher level doesn't always mean stronger, because skills can bridge the level gap. ‘This is giving me a headache’
As [Retrocognition] activated, the world around me seemed to slow down. However, this time was different - I could move a little faster. The difference was so subtle that I almost didn't notice it. The air didn't feel as thick and heavy as it did during my previous use of this skill. Could it be because it had leveled up? Did this mean that with each level gained, I would be able to move even faster within the slowed-down time? Excitement surged through my body. It provided me with one more reason to not only enhance myself, but also develop my skills.
Directing my mana to the tip of the arrow, I aimed at the level 3 goblin. The arrow flew through the air in slow motion to my eyes, and before it reached its target I had already readied another one with the help of my [Inventory], shooting it before the first one made contact. Resulting in both goblins being killed almost simultaneously as both their heads turned into paste.
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User: Kala
Level: 2
XP: 80/400
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‘Hmm, the level 3 goblin gave me 20 XP, while the level 2 ones gave me 10. Good to know’ I thought as I collected whatever I could from the bodies and hid it in the tall grass. Now, all I needed to do was take care of the goblins in the watchtower. I searched around the tower's base and found a small door that led to a corridor. At the end of the corridor, there was a ladder. I climbed up halfway and could hear the goblins talking up there. Luckily, they couldn't see me because there was a hatch blocking their view at the top of the ladder.
The top of the tower wasn’t too big, meaning a bow wouldn’t be a good choice, so I put it in my inventory and grabbed my knife, coating it, together with my body, in mana.
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HP: 150/150
MP: 36/50
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I didn't have as much mana as I wanted. It took about 2 mana to make each arrow stronger, and using [Retrocognition] cost around 10 mana per second. With [Retrocognition], I could turn 1 second into 5, but it required 10 mana. So, if I wanted to experience something 10x faster, it would take 20 mana, and so on… ‘Damm, I should really focus a bit in my mana’ Fortunately, strengthening my body didn't require much mana. It only used about 1 in 5 seconds, just like my knife. I think arrows are more expensive because they separate the mana from my body, wasting more of it in the process. That doesn't leave me much time to use my skills, so I need to be more careful.
With a sudden burst of speed, I opened the hatch and jumped inside. I saw a goblin archer and quickly ran towards the nearest one, stabbing it in the neck with my knife. The other goblins were too shocked to react, until one of them snapped out of it and aimed its bow at me. I ran towards its friend to find cover, but I couldn't make it in time. Since [Retrocognition] wasn't activated, I didn't have enough time to dodge. The arrow hit me in the side of my stomach, pushing me to the side and bouncing off.
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HP: 120/150
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I smiled as I tried to stab the archer closest to me, but it was quicker. It stepped back and aimed at me. Luckily, because it had to dodge my attack, its aim was off, and it hit the ceiling instead. That created an opportunity for me. I took advantage of it and stabbed it in the chest with my knife.
I picked up the archer's body and used it as a shield against the remaining three goblin’s arrows. I threw the body at them and ran towards them. I stabbed one in the neck while simultaneously taking an arrow from my inventory and sticking it in the eye of another one. Now, there was only one goblin left.
It opened its mouth, and I instantly realized it was trying to call for help. That wasn't allowed. I grabbed another arrow from my inventory, infused it with magic, and used my strong arm to throw it like a spear. The arrow went into the goblin's mouth and came out the back of its head, killing it right away.
‘That makes five.’
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User: Kala
Level: 2
XP: 190/400
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I can't keep the smile out of my face seeing that. ‘Time to level up a bit’