Now that I am trying to listen to my surroundings, all sounds are much louder and clearer. I think that if I tried, I could tell what sound was made by what creature or by which direction's wind. And my hearing is not the only thing that has improved. My eyesight did so as well. I didn't think much about it when it happened. But when I saw that group of Knightglen men and Tiger Zais, I could tell that their group consisted of three men and one woman. Not only that, but I could also tell what they were doing. And even now, I can see in the dark just as though it was the day, I thought to myself as I looked around my surroundings and listened to them while Faylen led me to her village.

Hearing the bushes rustle, I stopped and put my right hand on Faylen's right shoulder. Thus, stopping her. She looked at me and said, "What's wrong?" while I looked at those bushes. I saw something moss-green inside them and then status information appeared above them.

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"Remember what I said, Faylen?"

Faylen nodded her head. "Yes, you said to listen to everything you say."

I patted her dark-green head with my right hand. "Good girl. Now listen. Those disgusting green-skinned creatures that attacked your village are called goblins."

Faylen's eyes widened. "Go—goblins?" she mumbled.

"Yes. Goblins. And I will now fight one of them."

Faylen's body shook and she hastily looked around before breathing out a sigh of relief and looking at me with a frowning expression on her face. "Not funny!" she shouted out and out of the bushes leaped out a goblin.

Faylen looked at the goblin. "Eek?!" she shouted out while I narrowed my eyes and looked at her. Then, I looked at the goblin.

"Prey! *Kikiki!* Prey!" the goblin shouted out and ran towards Faylen and me.

Faylen ran behind me and grabbed onto my clothes with both of her hands.

Keeping my eyes on the fast-approaching goblin, I unsheathed my two-handed sword with my left hand and waited for it to reach me.

"Die! *Kikiki!" shouted out the goblin as it pierced towards my stomach with its claws and I slashed down with my two-handed sword.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

My attack was the first one to connect and it was a critical strike as my left-handed attacks had over 100% critical strike chance.

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The goblin fell down to the ground. And its claws never came in contact with my stomach.

<

<<+275 XP>>

I sheathed my two-handed sword and looked back. I saw Faylen standing and grabbing onto my apprentice sorcerer's robe with closed eyes. I smiled. "It's over."

Faylen opened her eyes and looked into mine. Then, she lowered her head. "I am sorry," she said as she let go of my apprentice sorcerer's robe.

I faced her and patted her head with my right hand. "Faylen," I said and she raised her head, once again looking into my eyes.

"What?" Faylen said in a weak voice.

"Don't shout or scream and always stay by my side. And I mean always."

Faylen nodded her head. "Okay, big sister," she said and shook her head immediately after. "No, I mean…god. Okay, god."

"My name is Astrid. Just call me by my name."

"Is it really okay for me to call a god by her name?"

"It's fine."

Faylen smiled and nodded her head. "Okay, Astrid."

I turned around and looked at the dead goblin. Then, I squatted down and touched it with my left hand. A loot window opened.

<<20 copper coins>>

"What are you doing, Astrid?"

First Rick and now Faylen. I won't bother making up some lie, I will just straight up tell her, I thought and said, "Looting."

"But he is naked."

I looted the copper coins, opened the menu and from it my inventory. I pulled out 20 copper coins and stood up. Then, I faced Faylen and showed her those copper coins.

"That goblin had 20 copper coins?" Faylen said with surprise in her voice. "But how? He was naked. Where did he keep them?"

I shook my head. "Let's go," I said as I stored the copper coins back into my inventory.

Faylen furrowed her eyebrows. "Please tell me, big sister Astrid. Where did he keep those copper coins?"

"They were just on him. Now, let's go."

Faylen nodded her head. "Okay, big sister Astrid," she said and once again led me towards her village. But not too long after, I heard the bushes rustle and I stopped both her and myself.

Faylen looked at me. "Another goblin?" she said and I nodded my head. She ran behind me and grabbed onto my apprentice sorcerer's robe with both of her hands.

I looked at those bushes that rustled and saw the status information of not one but of two goblins.

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I unsheathed both of my weapons, taking the stave into my left and the sword into my right hand. I extended the stave towards one of the two goblins and activated the skill, <>. The stave got enveloped in a faint golden glow and the words which I needed to speak to cast the skill floated up in my head. With each spoken word, the stave shone brighter and brighter and then a golden blast shot out of my stave and towards the goblin.

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"That hurt *Kikiki!*" the goblin shouted out and it together with another goblin leapt out of the bushes.

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"Kill! *Kikiki!* Kill!" the two goblins shouted out one after another and charged at me.