Red was fully focused on killing those goblins; he was in an adrenaline rush, so that he didn't think or feel anything but to kill the goblins. Once he killed the last goblin, everything returned to him at once.
He could hear his own heartbeat; his chest heaved up and down as his breath became heavy at the realization that he had killed his own tribesmen.
He told himself not to feel guilty, but he ended up feeling guilty for killing them. There was a little bit of regret for a moment.
Red knew very well that they would not feel the same as him if they managed to kill him. They would laugh at his corpse and leave with his prey afterward. He should not feel guilty or regret for killing them. This was the only way for him to survive.
This came with a realization. Red realized that his physique might not be the only one that was different from his tribesmen. His train of thought, his feelings.
If he compared them to the kids of his generation, he was more rational than they were. Not just that, he was more emotional than they were. Meanwhile, the other kids didn't have those. They moved based on their instinct; they acted on their impulse.
The thought that he might not be a goblin crossed his mind. But the thoughts were quickly thrown away. The tribe would not keep him if he were not one of them. The Matrons would follow the Shaman's suggestion to kill him if he was not one of them.
Red took a deep breath and released in one go, calming down from the intense fight. It looked like he didn't put much effort into killing them, but that was not the case. He felt like he was using everything he could muster to kill them, and it was more exhausting than it looked.
"You don't have time to dawdle on these useless thoughts, guesses, and feelings if you want to survive from the Shaman!" He reminded himself in a low voice.
Red grabbed the goblin's leg and dragged the body back with him. He gathered the six bodies along with their weapons.
His red eyes locked on the piling body, and a thought appeared in his head.
'Can I exchange their bodies for loot?'
They were no different than those rabbon and marget he hunted, after all. It was worth a shot; no harm trying it.
Something he learned yesterday was that he didn't need to say it aloud to exchange the bodies with loot. He just needed to convey his will through his intent.
His eyes widened in surprise as the six bodies turned into blue light particles. He could exchange their bodies with loot as well. It was another discovery that everything he killed could be exchanged for loot.
"Ah, shet. I forgot to use Appraisal on them."
Red only remembered about Appraisal when he saw six Might Cores and six Copper Coins on the ground. His tribesmen had the same drop as the rabbon. He was disappointed that they didn't drop more than one core.
"Again, all of them are Might Cores!" He raised his voice slightly, frustrated.
When he wanted them to drop Magic Core, they gave him Might Core. When he wanted Might Core, they gave him Magic Core.
"Should I wish for Might Core so I can get Magic Core?" He was unsure if that was how things worked. But it was worth a try, no harm done trying it. That was for later to try.
He grabbed the six cores and absorbed them. As per his habit, he checked his status and was surprised by the increase.
[Tier 0 Might]
Strength: 10 Endurance: 8 Vitality: 6.2 Dexterity: 7.6
[Tier 0 Magic]
Intelligence: 10 Wisdom: 10 Arcane Perception: 9.8 Mind: 9.8
His Endurance increased by 0.4, his Vitality increased by 1.2, and his Dexterity increased by 1.2 as well.
That increase rate was something he would get from 10-12 Might Cores. A dark thought appeared in his head.
'Maybe I should kill the other kids instead!'
The thoughts crossed in his mind. He might be able to do it, hunting them one by one. However, he quickly threw the idea away.
Killing each other was not prohibited by the tribe if it happened outside the tribe. However, if he wiped out the kids of his generation, the tribe might change their mind and would punish him for that.
Especially with the Shaman going after his life. That old goblin might be able to persuade the Matrons to execute him if he truly wiped out the other goblins.
After taking care of the core, he turned toward the pile of weapons. He finally got the shield that he wanted. He grabbed the shield and held it in his hand.
That was when he realized that the shield might not be a good choice for hunting. It was much heavier than the other weapons, and it lacked the deadly factor of the other weapons provided.
However, the shield might be a good tool for an actual battle. If he had a shield when he decided to fight the six goblins earlier, he would not run but face them head-on. The shield was more useful in that situation, but not as effective as he had thought in hunting.
Before he left the tribe, his priority was safety, not how to effectively hunt the beast. That was why shields were his priority back then. But now he wanted a weapon that was effective in hunting.
Red favored the dagger with the way he was hunting, but the two daggers were in a worse condition. It was rusty, and the blade chipped. It was in much worse condition than his broken spear.
Thinking of his broken spear, he remembered that. The shaft broke apart, and the spearhead was left inside the goblin's body. He wanted to get back because it was still in good condition.
He thought of looking for a new shaft and used that spearhead to make a new spear.
Red looked at where the bodies disappeared, but only six Copper Coins lay there. That was when he realized that the spearhead had disappeared along with the body. He didn't know that would happen.
He was fond of the spear even though he had been using it like a dagger.
"Alright, what should I do with the weapon now?"
Red thought of leaving them behind and just brought the curved blade, the one in the best condition. However, it would be a waste to leave all the weapons behind.
He didn't know when he might lose his weapon. He needed a reserve in case that happened, or somehow he met a beast that might break his new blade.
With that in mind, Red decided to bring everything back with him. There was a string on the shield, and he put the shield on his back. He slipped the hatchet and the dagger on his loincloth and held the curved blade in his hand.
He decided to throw the second curved blade. It was the worst one, even compared to the rusty dagger. He threw that away, then he gathered the rabbon he threw earlier before going back.
The warriors on guard were surprised to see him again. They frowned, looking at the weapons on his body. The new kid was not supposed to have that many weapons. It meant Red took it from the others.
They were surprised, but they didn't say anything or interrogate him about what happened. They let him in.
Red was relieved that the warrior didn't make a fuss about it. But the hurdle was not over yet. He must face one of the Matrons, and that was the real problem.
A different Matron was in charge of the storage this time. Her eyes never left him the moment she spotted him.
Red placed the five Rabbon on the table in front of the Matron and waited there.
"Explain why you have so many weapons!"