Since he'd climbed the tree to near the top, he had a rough idea of the structure and the grip the branches provided and knew for a fact that they were stable enough to support his weight. The testing was already done on the way up, so he didn't need to be as cautious on the way down.

When the branches were clustered close enough, Noah simply stepped past one after the other while keeping one hand on the tree's bark for support. When the drop was too much, he wedged his hands between the tree's bark and clambered down to the next branch. He was completely focused on the task, systematically scaling down the tree as fast as he could because he wanted to secure the loot as soon as possible.

Finally, he reached the lowest hanging branch. Noah tightly gripped it with both of his hands and let his body dangle from the branch. Only his upper body strength kept him tethered to the branch, as Noah intended to reduce the distance between himself and the earth before entering a state of freefall.

A few seconds later, once he had mentally composed himself to brace for impact, he let go of the branch. The drop was only a few meters as he was falling at standing height, so he figured it should be fine.

Noah landed with a thud, feeling an impact on his knees as he landed upright. The light pain he felt was soon dulled, maybe his heightened constitution at work, and Noah used that time to summon his gladius. He had already upgraded it using the [Weapon Evolution Crystal]- wasn’t much of a complicated process really, he just had to hold the crimson red stone over the weapon and allow the system to make the modifications- the weapon now had a thin red line running across its border, and had gained an additional effect which Noah thought was a pretty wicked upgrade.

Roman Gladius, Quality: Common (Upgraded)

A short double-edged blade of inferior make that was once utilized by the Roman Empire of Earth. A weapon ideally most lethal when paired with a shield, the gladius’ short size and light weight makes it a weapon that enjoys a distinct advantage when paired against a foe with a weightier, more unwieldy weapon in close quarters. However, the gladius’ short length may also prove to be a heavy disadvantage when faced with foes that carry weapons with overwhelming reach and range. Additional sharpness and lethality gained with upgrade.

Additional Effect-

Flash strike- Land five successful strikes on a single entity (monster or human) within 60 seconds, and the sixth strike will enjoy a 50 percent increase in speed. Cooldown- 300 seconds.

His Assassin’s Dagger, which thankfully, had come with a belt sheath of inferior rank was attached to his waist, so Noah never had to worry about going without a weapon.

Assassin's Dagger, Common

A very sharp blade for extremely close-range encounters. Wounds inflicted with this blade take longer to heal and have an increased additional penetration effect.

Hidden Blade- Inflict 25 percent more damage if a successful ambush is made while stealthed. Cooldown- 10 minutes.

Finally, on Liam’s instructions, Noah had purchased two health potions- that were just small vials containing a light red liquid that seemed to be made out of a pseudo-glass material, according to Liam they wouldn’t break under stress from a fall- so Noah had just jammed those in his pocket in case things went sideways.

Merely a few meters away from him, Noah saw the remnants of a cracked wooden box, and near the center an odd piece of clothing that seemed to blend in with the surrounding grass. Fascinated, Noah gave his surroundings a once over and reached for the piece, as if he were afraid someone would snatch it up if he took his eyes off it.

It turned out to be a fusion of a full-sleeved t-shirt and a trench coat, with a soft-leather feel from the exterior while the interior was padded with brown animal fur. It stretched out till Noah's knees, like a Scottish kilt, but with an incision right in the middle to allow for easier movement and a belt attached at the waist to keep it tight.

“Is it clear?” Noah whispered to Liam.

“I can’t look through trees lad, but if someone shows up, I’ll give you a warning,” Liam said, and for once, Noah felt appreciative of the advantage he had over other challengers.

Noah hurriedly wore the armor over his shirt, to immediately get a notification pertaining to its stats.

Forest Dweller's Hauberk, Common

Offers moderate protection against weapons up to [Common] Grade. Crafted from the hide of a now-extinct species, the material serves as a shock absorber and force retardant while maintaining minimal restriction to movement. Minor camouflaging effect in forest terrain.

Strong Against: Slashing, Brute Force, and Blunt Attacks.

Weak Against: Stabbing, Piercing, and Sharp Bladed Attacks.

Before Noah had time to admire the ergonomics and comfort of his new outfit, Liam whispered, “We’ve got company,” and those words were enough for Noah to prepare for battle.

“Hey there!” A Caucasian man with light brown hair and a cool smile on his face waved to Noah, holding a spear with his other hand. He appeared to be in his late twenties, clean shaven and fairly athletic greeted Noah with an amiable smile. Behind him, was a short, well-muscled Asian man that held a short sword coupled with a shield- which Noah found interesting, he hadn’t encountered that drop from the goblins until now.

“Don’t come any closer,” Noah warned, pulling his dagger out of the sheathe as well, and switching to a reverse grip.

“We mean you no harm,” the man impaled his spear into the ground, and raised both his hands up in the air. “I have come with a proposition. You seem to be doing quite well on your own, and we need capable individuals that can hold their own with a weapon. I’m sure you know how dangerous travelling alone in this forest can be, but with capable individuals all united under one banner we can crush the goblin lord and claim as many Elixirs as we need,” The Caucasian man called out, not taking another step forward as a gesture of good faith.

“Shameless rat. He’s stalling,” Liam called out with disdain, a tub of extra-large popcorn in his hands. “There’s a third rat hiding out in the bushes, behind you. Can't even hide without rustling through the bushes like there's a bloody earthquake. Don’t let them catch on you know. His friend’s positioning himself, give or take another minute before he comes at you.”

Noah’s heartbeat rapidly accelerated, but he barely managed to keep it from showing on his face. What a ruthless bunch, stabbing others in the back under the guise of extending a helping hand. Hope, followed by a dagger to the back. Summoning his courage, Noah responded.

“A fine proposal. May I know what to address you as?” Noah replied, sounding equally amiable and friendly.

“I’m Charles and he’s Wang Lie,” he said, introducing both of them at once in his thick American accent.

“Ah well Mr. Charles, as nice as your offer is I’m afraid you’ve made one fundamentally wrong assumption. Also, I’m Noah, nice to meet you”, Noah replied, with the best fake smile he could manage. For him to have the greatest chance of survival, he had to make sure the ambusher attacked first.

“And what is that Noah?” Charles asked with inquisitiveness, as if the man wasn’t involved in an elaborate plot to murder the fuck outta him.

“You see Charles, I am not alone,” Noah replied, his smile growing wider.

“Oh…” Charles muttered somewhat absentmindedly, surprised with this revelation. He tapped the side of his forehead twice, a gesture that Noah would normally miss or assume as a subconscious tic made while thinking. “Will it be possible to meet with your acquaintances? An alliance between both our groups would be mutually beneficial, and we will also be able to travel with far more safety.”

“Ah, Charles I’m afraid you’re mistaken. You see, I hear these voices in my head that can see the future- that have been guiding me through this trial. They are telling me to inform you that, with nothing but the highest of respect, that ‘your mum’s a slag, you gormless milksop!”

“HAHAHAHAHA, NICELY DONE LAD!” Liam’s voice echoed out from the backdrop, howling in laughter. Noah was too focused to pay attention to Liam right now, but he did have a wide grin on his face. The adrenaline was pumping through him, trembling in anticipation at what was to come next.

Charles seemed dazed for a moment, and then his fake smile crumped into an unpleasant expression. Even a fool could make out when he was being taken for a ride, so Charles tapped his forehead a single time and viciously gazed at Noah.