『You're about thirty meters from the exit passage,』 Arcan said. 『Life signs detected ahead. Three entities. Stationary.』
"Let me guess. More goblins?"
『Correct. Two small signatures consistent with the scouts you already killed. One larger signature that reads as way more powerful.』
"Define 'way more powerful.'"
『The difference between an adult human and a child.』
I crouched behind a fallen chunk of masonry and peered through the gloom toward the exit. My eyes had adjusted enough to make out shapes in the darkness. Three forms huddled near a narrow opening in the far wall. Two small, hunched figures. One larger silhouette that stood almost as tall as me.
The larger goblin turned. It wasn't just bigger. Its body was different. Muscles bulged under green skin. Its head was decorated with some kind of bone headdress. In its hands, an actual weapon. A crude mace made from a chunk of metal strapped to a wooden handle.
『That's a Goblin Shaman. It can use primitive essentia techniques. Be careful.』
"Oh, now you tell me to be careful. A few minutes ago, it was 'try not to die.'"
『Your odds have improved since then. You've demonstrated basic competence.』
"Gee, thanks."
I moved closer to the exit, creeping from shadow to shadow until I was within throwing distance with the rocks.
The two smaller goblins squatted near the passage entrance, picking at something they were eating. The shaman stood a few feet away, its back to me. The bone headdress bobbed as it made weird gestures in the air.
I pulled a rock from inventory and aimed at the farthest scout.
Now or never.
The rock flew true and smashed into the back of the goblin's skull with a dull crack. It collapsed forward without a sound. Dead or unconscious.
The second scout and the shaman spun around. Beady eyes searched the darkness. The shaman raised its mace. A guttural sound rumbled from its throat.
I was already moving, circling right, keeping to the shadows.
The second rock caught the remaining scout in the chest. Not a killing blow, but enough to make it stagger back, clutching at itself with a surprised yelp.
The shaman roared. It raised one hand. A faint, sickly green glow appeared around its fingers. A pulsing, living light that made my skin crawl just looking at it.
『It's preparing an essentia technique! Move!』
I didn't need the warning. I was already diving behind a pillar as something that looked like ghostly green fire shot past where I'd been standing. It hit the wall behind me with a hiss, leaving a smoking black mark on the stone.
"Jesus fuck!" I pressed my back against the pillar. "It can shoot fire?"
『Not fire. Corrupted essentia. It's corrosive to living tissue.』
"That's so much better," I muttered.
The wounded scout was shouting now. A high-pitched keening that echoed through the chamber. It would bring the others. I was out of time for subtlety.
I pulled the bone shiv and stepped out from behind the pillar.
The shaman saw me immediately. It raised both hands. Green energy swirled between them.
I didn't give it time to finish. Rock after rock flew through the air. A barrage of stone that forced the shaman to dodge and weave. One caught it in the shoulder. Another grazed its headdress.
The wounded scout charged me with a shriek. A rusted dagger in its hand.
I sidestepped its wild slash, grabbed its arm, and drove the bone shiv deep into its throat. Hot blood sprayed across my chest as I yanked the blade free and shoved the dying goblin aside.
The shaman finished its spell. A ball of green energy shot toward me.
I dove to the ground. The corrupted essentia passed close enough that I felt its heat on my back. It struck a pillar and ate into the stone with a sizzling sound.
I rolled to my feet and charged. No more hiding. No more rocks.
The shaman's eyes went wide. It hadn't expected me to rush it. It backpedaled, trying to create distance as it prepared another spell.
Too slow.
I closed the gap in three strides. The shaman swung its mace in a wild arc. I ducked under it, felt the wind of its passage over my head, and drove my shiv up into its abdomen.
The blade sank deep. The shaman howled. More rage than pain. Its free hand grabbed my shoulder. Claws dug into skin. Green energy began crawling down its arm toward me.
Shit.
I yanked the shiv free and stabbed again. Higher this time, under the ribcage, angling upward toward where I hoped its heart was.
The shaman's grip tightened. The green energy reached my skin. Pain like I'd never felt before seared through me. Like acid and fire and electricity having a party on my shoulder.
"JUST FUCKING DIE!"
With everything I had left, I twisted the blade and pushed deeper. Put my whole body weight behind it.
Something gave way inside the shaman. Its eyes bulged. The green energy flickered and died. Its grip on my shoulder loosened.
We stood there for a moment, locked in a grotesque hug. Then the shaman's legs buckled and it collapsed. I went down with it, still clutching the shiv buried in its chest.
I rolled away, gasping. My shoulder burned where it had touched me. The skin was red and blistered. Every breath sent fresh waves of agony through my body.
"Arcan," I wheezed. "Status."
『Minor tissue damage to your left shoulder. No permanent harm. The shaman's essentia technique was incomplete when it died.』
"Lucky me." I pushed myself to my feet, ignoring the pain. My vision swam for a moment, then steadied.
Blue text flooded my view.
► Hostile Entities Neutralized. [2x Goblin Scout, 1x Goblin Shaman]
► Experience Points Acquired [+45 EXP]
► Your understanding of raw force has deepened.
► Your understanding of physical endurance has deepened.
► Your understanding of life essence has deepened.
► Level Up! You are now Level 2.
► Attribute Point Bonus: +50 AP
"I leveled up?" I blinked at the notifications.
『Correct. Your performance was... adequate.』
I looked down at the dead shaman. Its body was already dissolving, particles of light rising from the corpse. Three crystal fragments remained where it had been. Larger and brighter than the ones from the scouts.
I collected them with a thought, adding them to inventory.
My status window appeared.
Name: Rome Level: 2 | Title: None | Class: None | Attribute Points: 250
ATTRIBUTES: Strength: F(0/25) | Endurance: F(0/25) | Vitality: F(0/25) | Intelligence: F(0/25) | Sense: F(0/25)
All five attributes now showed upward-pointing arrows, though the base numbers stayed at zero.
"So I've made progress on all of them, but not enough to actually increase the values yet."
『Correct. The arrows indicate accumulated experience toward each attribute. Combat provides natural growth, though it's way slower than direct AP investment. I still say don't spend points until you understand this world's threats better.』
I nodded and dismissed the status window. "Let's get out of here before more show up."
The exit passage was narrow but taller than I expected. It sloped upward at a gentle angle. Rough stone steps carved into the floor at irregular intervals. I climbed steadily, the bone shiv ready in one hand.
"So what exactly are goblins?" I asked as I walked. "Lesser demons? Monsters? Some kind of mutant?"
『They're classified as F-Rank Gate Monsters. They appear from the lowest tier of spatial rifts, known as Gates. They're among the weakest hostile entities in this world, though they can be dangerous in large numbers or when led by evolved forms like the shaman.』
"Spatial rifts. So they're not native to this world."
『Correct. Most monsters emerge from Gates that connect this reality to other dimensions. The study of these Gates is a major field of research. The profession of Hunter exists primarily to deal with the creatures that emerge and to explore the dimensional spaces beyond.』
I absorbed that as I continued climbing. The passage grew lighter as I went up. Natural daylight filtered down from above.
"And that's what I am now? A Hunter?"
『You lack the inherent essentia that most Hunters possess, but the System I provide offers comparable capabilities through different means. So yes, functionally, you're equivalent to a Hunter in training.』
The passage ended at a rough opening partially hidden by hanging vines. I pushed them aside and stepped out into blinding sunlight.
I stood at the edge of a forest. Behind me, the cave entrance was tucked into the side of a small hill. Practically invisible unless you knew exactly where to look. Ahead, trees stretched as far as I could see. A sea of green under a clear blue sky.
The air hit me first. Fresh. Clean. So different from the stale, blood-soaked atmosphere of the ruin that my lungs actually hurt taking it in. Birds sang somewhere in the canopy above. A light breeze rustled through the leaves.
I looked down at myself. Covered in goblin blood. Naked except for the gore. Holding a bone shiv like some kind of deranged caveman.
"So," I said, turning my face to the sun. "What now?"