After a short rest, I pushed myself back to my feet. My body still ached from the boar fight, but I wasn't about to stop here. With the rough map I'd bought earlier, I followed the path deeper into the forest until it led me to a half-hidden tunnel.
It looked like it had been explored before—torches long burned out, and faint scratches marked the stone walls—but most people clearly hadn't gone far. Curiosity gnawed at me. If I want to get stronger, I can't be timid.
I lit a fresh torch and descended. The air grew damp, and faint glimmers on the walls caught my eye. Mana crystals, scattered everywhere. My fingers itched to pocket them, but I held back. Don't get greedy, Scott. Monsters first, treasures later.
Sure enough, the first appeared not long after: a goblin, short and snarling, clutching a crude shield.
My heart picked up. Alright, let's do this.
I rushed forward, raising my sword as if to slash. The goblin snarled, bracing its shield—exactly what I wanted. Instead of swinging, I threw my blade straight at its head.
The goblin jerked to the side at the last second. My sword slammed into its upper chest instead, drawing a shriek. Before it could recover, I dashed in and smashed my fist into its ugly face, sending it stumbling backward.
Its shield dropped with a clang. The goblin lunged at me, claws bared, but I ducked, snatched up the shield, and rammed the edge straight into its skull. Bone cracked. The goblin crumpled lifelessly.
Breathing hard, I shoved the corpse into my storage ring, retrieved my sword, and pressed deeper with both blade and shield in hand.
Not long after, another figure emerged from the dark. This one held a bow, its beady eyes glinting in the torchlight.
The twang of a bowstring.
I raised my shield just in time. The arrow clattered harmlessly off the metal, and I surged forward. My sword carved across its neck—not a clean cut, but enough to make it stagger. The goblin screeched, blood gurgling from the wound, until I bashed its face with my shield. The crunch echoed. It dropped to its knees. I finished the job with a stab to the head.
Another corpse into the ring. Another close call.
I took a few minutes to rest, catching my breath, before pressing deeper. The tunnel narrowed, but soon opened into a chamber… and that's when I froze.
There wasn't just one goblin. There was a group.
"Damn it," I muttered under my breath. A group meant there was probably a leader somewhere nearby.
I crouched low, grabbed a loose stone, and tossed it to the side. One goblin separated from the rest, moving to investigate.
Perfect.
The moment it turned its back, I crept up and drove my sword straight into its heart. The goblin screeched before I could silence it, and the others immediately spun around.
"Ah, shit."
They charged, a wave of snarling green bodies.
I didn't have time to think. I sprinted straight at them, bracing my shield. Their weapons clashed against it, sparks flying, but I forced my way through. My sword lashed out, catching one in the chest. With a grunt, I twisted, yanked the blade free, and kicked him hard in the groin. He folded instantly, and I rammed the sword through his skull to finish it.
Two bodies down. The rest were still screaming behind me, too close for comfort. I dragged their corpses into my ring on instinct and bolted further into the tunnel, shield raised.
Heart pounding. Adrenaline rushing.
This is insane… but I'm alive. I'm actually doing this.
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