"Aaarrggh!"

Sirius swing his blade at the nearest monster. The sound of metal hitting metal is heard as his attack gets parried. The opponent, being the last one alive, sends a crushing blow in blinded anger. Sirius blocks the attack with his shield, and the enemy is left wide open. Elayne takes advantage of the opening to fire a spell at the monster, hiring it directly in the centre of the chest, and sending it flying. Ilyena jumps on the opponent with a sneak attack, thus ending its life.

This was our third encounter with the most common fantasy small fry monster. The goblin.

Despite being the typical beginner monster, these goblins are no joke. Each one of them has an astonishing amount of health when compared to the spiders and slimes. On top of that, they are the first monsters to use actual equipment. While they may wear and use the equipment, it doesn't always drop. Based on the goblins we have killed so far, I would guess the drop rate for any type of equipment is 1 in 5.

So far we have obtained a copper battle axe and two daggers from them. In addition to everything else, we've obtained a good haul, and nobody is tired yet.

"It looks like there is a split in the cave up ahead."

I was too focused on the fight to notice, but Astrya seems to be keeping aware of our surroundings. Since we don't have a thief for scouting, we all take part in the scouting; however, I need to pay more attention to my surroundings in fights. It wouldn't be good if I were ambushed because of negligence. Thankfully, there are teammates I can rely on.

"Which way should we go?"

"Let's take the right path." Sirius says with confidence.

"Umm, how about we check out both paths before making out decision?"

"I agree with Astrya"

"Mhmm"

"Hey, come on.” Sirius looks dejected. Hey, I don't want to be trekking down a path based on your whim. That's dangerous, you know.

The left path emits a foul odor, whereas the right path feels fresher. However, the purpose of this expedition is to go deeper, so I'm leaning towards going left. I just internally berated Sirius, but now I want to choose the more dangerous seeming pathway.

"Let's split up into two groups and each take a path." Elayne suggests, "we go for ten minutes along each path before meeting back here."

"That sound good."

"I'm fine with that."

"Okay. Us girls will go together. Sirius, you and Quinn can take the other path."

"Alright."

We split into our respective groups and each pick a path. The girls chose the right path, so Sirius and I are going left.

"If you are going to be more than 10 minutes, send a message."

"Okay."

The foul air coming from the left tunnel reeks of body odor and excrement. It's similar to how the goblins smell, but 10x worse. My night vision, which is continuously activated, gives me a better look at what's ahead. However, the path keeps winding around; therefore, I must be constantly vigilant for ambushes. Those goblins are clever compared to other monsters, and love to lay traps. We found this out the hard way during our first encounter with them.

"Hey, Quinn?"

"Huh?"

"What do you think of Astrya?" Siruis hesistantly asks.

Random topic.

"Umm, she's pretty... and very kind.” I try to come up with a polite answer, “I don't know, why are you asking me?"

"Mmm. I think I like her." He says this in a more serious tone. "I have never felt like this before."

"Okay... But you just met her earlier today?"

"I know, but haven't you ever felt like a person you have just met resonates with you? To put it as a cliche, like love at first sight."

For some reason my mind drifts towards a certain red head.

"There have been a few back in high school, but those where just an infatuation due to unstable hormones. Hah, I'd rather forget about those days."

"Mmm, I think everyone has those. Still though, do you think I have a chance?"

From what I've experienced, Astrya is the same to everyone, but I don't want to tell him that.

"I don't know. I'm probably the worst person to ask, but if you show your genuine feelings, in a non obsessive manner, you might."

"Pfft. I'm not obsessive."

Up ahead, the sound of pebbles moving can be barely heard.

"Shh!"

Sirius looks at me in shock, but regathers himself once he realizes I've gotten on edge.

We proceed cautiously until we reach a bend in the path. I send him a signal to stay still and be quiet. Activating my cloaking skill, I go around the corner while being careful to not make any noise. When we get out of here I should go get the Sneak skill. Ilyena mentioned that it can be obtained from a group of children who like to stalk animals at the east gate, or from another group of children with a sweet tooth.

When I get a couple feet past the corner, I see a group of four goblins ready to ambush us. Thankfully their senses are not as sharp as mine, otherwise I would have been noticed. I quickly return to Sirius and begin formulating a plan.

"There are four of them just past the curve lying in wait."

"Four!?"

"We need to be smart about this. I think I could sneak up on one and eliminate it without alerting the others." I continue, "but at that point I will be found out, so you're gonna have to draw their aggro."

"Alright, but what if that doesn't work?"

"Well, we'll play it by ear at that point"

I activate my cloaking once more and sneak up on the first goblin. It still hasn't noticed me, so I take my dagger and aim straight at the nape of it's neck. Backstab activates as the dagger sinks deep beneath it’s skin. There is only a slight gap between the body armour and the helmet, and usually this area is near impossible to hit. However, with a sneak attack it is possible to land a precise blow.

A critical strike is dealt and the goblin collapses after having it's spinal cord severed.

I move towards my next target as I watch Sirius come charging around the bend. The goblins, now disoriented and confused, panic and give up on their ambush to target Sirius; however, this makes it easier for me to strike at them.

The goblins clash with Sirius and I hear their swords striking his shield. He's holding off two goblins while I intercept the third. A sneak attack does not work this time, but I make due with the skill i’ve learnt from fighting other goblins. At level 16, these goblins are almost a match for my current stats. But, my 225 strength is no joke. Against their 100 defence, it is like trying to stop a bullet with a pocket bible.

Species Level Goblin Warrior 16 Vitality 320 Stamina 350 Strength 120 Mana 100 Defence 100 Intelligence 40 Dexterity 80 Spirit 20 Skills None

After killing the goblin, I turn to help Sirius and notice he’s already dealt with one of the goblins and is busy fighting the second. Since he has the goblin’s attention, I activate the cloaking and sneak up behind the goblin. Sirius sends me a signal that he understands and proceeds to bash the goblin with his shield. This knocks the goblin unsteady and then I move in for the kill.

After a few direct hits, the goblins health drains completely.

*Phew* Sirius exhales, “It’s definitely easier with the girls here.”

“True. I wonder how they ended up.”

I pick up the dropped items, but there is nothing special about them.

“Who knows.”

"Let's head back, the ten minutes is almost up."

“Alright.”

The walk back is uneventful and when we get back to the intersection, the girls are already there waiting for us. Their expressions are that of someone who has been waiting a long time, but I don’t think we’re that late.

"Anything on your end?"

"No." Astrya answers dejectedly. "Our path ended up being a ventilation shaft."

"That was why the air was less foul." Elayne comments.

"Ahh, that makes sense." Sirius continues, "We got stopped by some goblins in our path, but the tunnel continues on further.

“Shall we go?”

““Un””

We go down the path for a couple hours, fighting as we go along. In this time, I reach level 17, while everyone else also obtains a level. I put the bonus points into intelligence to get a boost in magic defence. We have come across at least 10 goblin mages and I found out how pitiful my magic defence actually was. Thankfully my armour absorbed some of the damage, otherwise I would have died at least twice during this time, and that is terrifying to say the least.

My experience in Swordsmanship has gone past 2,500 and my one-handed sword skill is about to hit level two. In addition, all my other skills have been raised considerably. While the benefits are great, I wouldn’t be able to do this every day.

It's now around 11 o'clock now, and everyone looks exhausted.

"I think it's time to call it a day, what do you think?"

"Nn good idea."

"Yeah, I'm getting tired."

"Mhmm."

I zoom out on my map and see we have covered a lot of area. Starting from the main shaft, we have gone through countless twists and turns to reach this spot. Unfortunately, the map isn't in 3D. Perhaps that function will become available when I level it up.

We all say our goodbyes to each other.

"Goodbye." Elayne is the first to teleport away.

"Alright, it was nice hunting with you all. I'm sure we'll meet again." Astrya gets enveloped by a white light and disappears.

"I'll see you at the boss fight!" Sirius slaps my shoulder. He then takes out a teleportation crystal and activates it.

"Damn, I should have added them to my friends list." I mutter under my breath. It's too late now. Ahh well, if we're fated, we'll meet again.

Player: Ilyena wishes to be friends. Do you accept? Yes No

Ilyena and I are the only two left. I wonder if she heard me. I look at her and see she is looking downwards bashfully. Hmm, despite not being able to see her face clearly, she looks cute like that.

I select [Yes]

Immediately after, she takes out a crystal and teleports away. I am left in the cave, alone.

I take another look at my map, which reminds me. I wonder how they are going to get the map data afterwards. They didn't add us, and unless they offer an incentive to give it up, people won't share. Oh well, that's what you get when this has never been done before.

I take out my teleport crystal, which sends me to the Prancing Mare. It's late, but the bar is still going strong. It's amazing how quickly we can adapt to this life. I guess these normalized activities, such as drinking alcohol, can help people cope with the trauma.

I recognize the barista to be Meira. We make eye contact and she smiles at me before turning her attention back to her work.

When I get back to my room, I can see Gem sleeping in the other bed. She looks so peaceful and vulnerable in this state. Her dark red hair is in a mess, but it only adds to her charm. The only movement is the steady rising and falling of her chest as she breathes.

*sigh*

I sit down on the edge of my bed and bring up my inventory screen. It is full of junk. The most abundant material is the spider silk. Who knows how many of those I killed.

“Hmm, a treasure box. I wonder what’s inside.” I had forgotten about this until now, but I got it from the killing the first hidden boss.

The box itself doesn’t look anything special. A foot long, half a foot wide and half a foot tall. From a realistic perspective, not much could be in this, but often some of the smallest items are the most valuable.

I open the lid and a single die jumps out and starts spinning in mid air. The numbers pass by:

4

2

6

3

4

1

5

It slows loses momentum and lands on the treasure chest; however, it is still spinning. Typically when tossing dice, a higher number is ideal, so I become ecstatic when I see the number it settles on.

6

It must be beginners luck. After all, things like plot armour don’t exist in real life.

The treasure chest disappears, and in it’s place is a slip of paper.

Deed of Ownership

Confers selected plot of land’s ownership to player.

Costs are negated.

Land must be available for purchase.

Single use only.

Hmm, I guess this will be useful for when I want to open up a shop; however, as far as I know, the land in Fairhaven is only available for renting rather than purchasing. I don’t see how this is worthy of a 6 though. Oh well, I had best get some sleep. I put into my inventory, turn off the lights, and get into bed.

Not even 10 minutes pass before my consciousness fades.