The blazing sun slowly dipped toward the western horizon, and the Great Forest of Tob darkened in kind. Shadows crept between the trees, and visibility diminished with each passing moment.
Having escaped the ogres' relentless pursuit, Sakeer wasted no time finding a safer spot. He chose an area where the trees thinned and the underbrush lay low — a place that offered better visibility. With the ogres' massive size, he'd be able to detect them from a distance in such an environment.
"Minor Injury Heal."
A soft white glow emanated from Sakeer's palm, spreading over his body like a warm veil. The light seeped into his skin, and the shallow wounds on his face and body began to mend at a visible pace.
Though the injuries seemed minor, Sakeer knew better than to ignore them. Out here in the wild, untreated cuts could easily fester, leading to infection — a lesson he'd learned from the "Rock" team's survival experiences. In this environment, minor injuries often claimed more lives than direct combat.
Fortunately, a single cast of Minor Injury Heal was enough to patch him up.
A comforting warmth spread through his body, easing the tightness in his chest and relaxing his muscles.
"What the hell's going on?"
Sakeer's expression darkened as he pondered.
He knew that slaughtering enough goblins would eventually draw the attention of ogres. After all, goblins were just another food source for those hulking brutes.
But still...
This doesn't add up.
The number of goblins he'd killed shouldn't have been enough to provoke such a coordinated ogre assault. Something was off.
"Could there be a special individual among the goblins... or the ogres?"
The thought struck him suddenly.
Unlike games, where creatures of the same species shared identical traits, this world's reality was more unpredictable. Individual strength could vary significantly — even if anime hadn't shown such deviations, that didn't mean they couldn't exist.
A unique ogre... or perhaps a goblin powerful enough to command them?
"I can't afford to take chances."
The earlier battle had been a harsh reminder — while his offensive power was impressive, his low physical defense left him vulnerable. One or two ogres posed no real threat, but against a group...
One more hit like that, and I might not get back up.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Sakeer tightened his grip on his resolve.
"I need to be more careful."
Night fell.
As he had done before, Sakeer found a sturdy tree, climbed to a secure branch, and concealed himself beneath a black robe. The darkness deepened, and with his shadow blending into the canopy, his presence became all but invisible.
Late at night...
Sakeer dozed lightly, his senses still on high alert.
Then —
Rustle... rustle...
Crunch...
The faint sound of grass shifting and leaves cracking reached his ears — soft, careful footsteps approaching from below.
His eyes remained shut, and he kept his breathing steady, feigning sleep.
In the Great Forest of Tob, nocturnal movement was common. Beasts, monsters — all manner of creatures wandered through the night. He'd learned from experience that reacting hastily often did more harm than good.
The sound paused — right beneath his tree.
Sakeer resisted the urge to move. His grip on his sword remained firm beneath his robe.
Moments passed.
Then, the footsteps resumed, fading into the distance.
Sakeer exhaled slowly, his body relaxing once more.
Out here in the Great Forest of Tob, darkness consumed over twelve hours of the day. Sleep had to come in brief, cautious intervals — rest too long, and the forest's dangers would surely claim you.
Day 2
The warm morning sunlight pierced through the leafy canopy, casting dappled patterns across the forest floor.
Sakeer stirred awake, stretched his limbs, and leapt down from the tree. With a swift motion, he tucked the black robe draped over his body into his Item Box and prepared to begin his day's routine.
Munching on a piece of dry rye bread, Sakeer set off — his goal, as always, was to hunt goblins and other monsters.
Time trickled by.
The sun climbed high, then dipped toward the horizon. By the time Sakeer found himself carving a mark into the bark of a nearby tree, his face was painted with frustration.
"What rotten luck... only ten goblins today."
He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Even more frustrating was that those ten goblins weren't even part of a tribe — just scattered loners.
Of course, he'd also encountered several beasts and monsters throughout the day. Giant snakes seemed particularly common, and his prop box now contained the coiled remains of several serpents, each stretching over three meters long.
But ordinary beasts yielded barely any experience points. As for monsters, Sakeer had spotted a massive beetle nearly half a meter in size. Unfortunately, it managed to scuttle away before he could kill it.
Though monsters provided a decent experience boost — roughly the same as slaying three or four goblins — they were far more troublesome to deal with.
Goblins, on the other hand? Simple. One clean strike and they were down. If he was lucky enough to stumble upon a group trailing behind one another, he could rack up a satisfying amount of experience points in no time.
Over the next few days, Sakeer's frustration grew.
The goblin sightings remained disappointingly sparse, while ordinary beasts — which he'd previously ignored — were now filling his kill log.
Previously, Sakeer could easily kill around 30 goblins a day, earning between 500 to 600 experience points.
But now?
Some days, the goblin count barely reached double digits.
"What's with this bad luck..." he muttered, feeling increasingly agitated.
Despite his recent efforts, the total number of goblins he'd slain was still insignificant compared to the hordes that routinely troubled the borders of the Re-Estize Kingdom each year.
For several days now, he hadn't encountered a decent-sized goblin group, leaving him to chalk it up to sheer misfortune.
June 16th — Middle Wind Moon.
Today marked exactly one month since Sakeer had arrived in this world — May 16th, to be precise. He'd entered the Tob Forest on June 2nd, meaning he'd been surviving in the wilderness for half a month.
Perhaps fate had taken note of his month-long struggle, for today, fortune seemed to smile upon him.
The goblins that had eluded him for days finally began to appear — and not just one or two.
The iron sword in his hand practically itched for action, and Sakeer wasted no time cutting them down. By sunset, he'd slain 21 goblins, raking in a satisfying boost to his experience points.
『EXP Points: 2620/5000』
Even better — something felt... off.
The sheer number of goblins in this area seemed unusually high.
"Could there be a goblin colony nearby?" he wondered. The thought lingered in his mind as night fell.
Nightfall.
A faint rustling drifted from below — the soft sound of something brushing against the bushes.
Sakeer, half-reclined against the tree trunk, barely reacted. His head rested lazily on his arm, one leg casually crossed over the other. Whatever creature lingered below, it wasn't worth his concern.
Thanks to the Odorless spell masking his scent, no beast — no matter how keen its senses — could detect his presence.
(End of Chapter)