The burnt smell wouldn't go away. It stuck to my clothes, my hair, everything. The goblin I killed was just a pile of ash now, blowing away in the wind. All that was left was a broken wooden club lying on the ground.
I picked it up with shaking hands. It was heavy and rough, with splinters that poked my palms. The goblin who owned it was dead because of me. I killed him.
"I actually killed something," I whispered.
Then that sound came again. *Ding.*
«Skill Recorded: Goblin Club Fighting (Bad Version). Problems Found: Wild swings. No balance. No skill at all. Perfect Version Created: Club Fighting - Basic»
Suddenly I knew how to use the club properly. My hands moved to the right grip. My stance shifted. When I swung it through the air, it felt smooth and balanced instead of clumsy.
"Whoa," I breathed, staring at the club. "So even something like this..." The Archive didn't just copy skills. It made them better. Way better. I was starting to understand how my power worked. And it was pretty amazing.
My stomach made a loud growling noise. I was so hungry it hurt. When was the last time I ate? I couldn't even remember. But food would have to wait. This forest was dangerous. I could hear things moving in the shadows between the trees. Rustling leaves. Snapping twigs. And sometimes I'd see glowing red eyes watching me from the darkness.
"Wolves," I muttered. "Or maybe something worse."
I stayed close to the big trees, trying to move quietly. Every sound made me jump. Every shadow looked like a monster ready to attack. This wasn't like playing video games. This was real. If something killed me here, I'd be dead for real this time. But then I heard familiar voices up ahead. Rough, growling voices. More goblins.
I crept closer and hid behind a tree. There were four goblins this time, fighting over some dead animal they'd found. They pushed each other and waved their clubs around angrily. One goblin got really mad and tried to hit another with his club. But he swung so hard he spun around and almost fell over. Another goblin tried to cast a fireball spell. He said the words and held up his hand, but only a tiny spark came out before it died. The goblins were terrible at fighting. They had no teamwork at all.
*Ding.*
«Skill Recorded: Fireball (Bad Version) - Already Have This. No New Information»
*Ding.*
«Skill Recorded: Goblin Group Fighting (Bad Version). Problems Found: No cooperation. Predictable movements. Fight each other more than enemies. Perfect Version Created: Group Fighting - Basic»
More knowledge flooded my brain. I could see exactly how the goblins moved, where they would attack, how they left themselves open. It was like watching a badly choreographed dance. I knew I could beat them easily now, but there were four of them and only one of me. Even with better skills, that was risky.
But I was so hungry. And they had food. That dead animal they were fighting over looked like some kind of rabbit. My mouth watered just thinking about cooked meat.
I gripped my club tighter and stepped out from behind the tree.
"Hey!" I shouted.
All four goblins turned to look at me. Their ugly faces twisted into snarls. One of them pointed at me and screeched something in their weird language. They all started running toward me, raising their clubs.
But I wasn't scared this time. The Archive had shown me exactly what they would do. The first goblin would swing high and leave his side open. The second would try to tackle me. The third would hang back and try magic. The fourth would circle around to attack from behind.
Everything happened exactly like I knew it would. I ducked under the first goblin's wild swing and smacked him in the ribs with my club. There was a loud crack and he screamed, falling down. The second goblin tried to tackle me but I stepped aside and hit him in the back of the head as he stumbled past. He hit the ground and didn't get up.
The third goblin raised his hand and started chanting for a fireball. I threw my club at him like a spear. It hit him right in the chest and knocked him backwards into a tree. The fourth goblin was trying to sneak up behind me, but I already knew he was there. I spun around and punched him in the throat before he could swing his club.
In less than a minute, all four goblins were dead or unconscious. I stood there breathing hard, looking at the bodies around me.
"Holy crap," I whispered. "I actually won. Against four of them."
The Archive made another sound.
*Ding.*
«Archive Update: First Floor Unlocked. Storage Space Expanded. Current Limit: 10 Skills»
So the Archive had floors, like a real library. And I could store more skills now. That was good to know. I walked over to the dead rabbit the goblins had been fighting over. It looked fresh enough to eat if I cooked it. My stomach growled again, reminding me how hungry I was.
I gathered some dry wood and used my fireball spell to start a fire. As the rabbit cooked over the flames, I thought about what had just happened. I'd killed five goblins now. Five living creatures. On Earth, that would make me a monster. But here, it was just survival.
"This world is different," I said out loud. "Kill or be killed. No room for being weak."
The meat smelled amazing when it was done. I tore into it hungrily, not caring that it was a little burnt. It was the first real food I'd had since arriving in this world. As I ate, I looked up at the two moons in the sky and thought about my situation.
I was in the Tensura world. The same world where Rimuru would become a demon lord. Where dragons could destroy countries and demon lords fought wars that killed millions. I was just a weak human kid with one special ability. But maybe that was enough.
The Archive was powerful. Really powerful. Every skill I saw, I could copy and improve. In a world full of magic and monsters, that meant I could become incredibly strong if I was smart about it.
I finished eating and put out the fire. Time to keep moving. This forest was huge, and I needed to find civilization eventually. Maybe a town or village where I could learn more about this world. And maybe find more skills to add to my Archive.
As I walked through the dark forest, I felt something strange in the distance. A huge presence, ancient and angry, somewhere deep in the woods. I shivered and changed direction. Whatever that was, I wasn't ready for it yet.
I didn't know it then, but that presence was the Storm Dragon Veldora, sealed in his cave. And someday soon, a certain slime would find him and change everything.
But that was still in the future. For now, I had my own path to walk. My own power to build. My own story to write.