Chapter 5. Staying*

My wounds from the first day had healed up. I only had a hatchet with me after fighting those armed goblins yesterday, the swords were left behind as I was making a 'tactical retreat.'

I once again made my way to the center of the dome, this time being more cautious and alert.

Strength increase did not just make me strong, it increased the amount of force I could exert allowing me to hit hard and dash faster at the same time.

Finding those armed goblins was tough around the area I found them last time. I had to move deeper into the forest, and I found them. The same combination of shield, bow, and hatchet.

This time instead of engaging immediately I hid nearby and waited for something to happen, something that might give me an advantage and if it became a disadvantage I would back off and come another time.

I waited and waited and waited and was just about to engage them anyway when the hatchet-wielding goblin moved away from the group. I did not understand why he went out of the way but I still followed it.

What I did not notice was the archer goblin right my way.

I followed the goblin into a small clearing and was about to rush in when a chill went up my spine. I turned around to see the archer goblin, far away, looking straight at me with a fully drawn bow but no arrow.

I went down as fast as physically possible to hear a gust of wind just above me. Diving sideways to take cover, hiding behind the tree.

'Fuckers got me. I thought they were just dumb idiot monsters not capable of proper thought just rushing anger, but looks like there's more to them than that.'

Only the shield goblin was not here and I did not want him to also surprise me with a shield bash. He was moving towards the hatchet same as me, now it was a race to who reached him either to kill or to support.

The shield goblin was slow due to his big shield but he was rushing toward a friend while I was running towards two enemies that will kill me the first chance they get and I would do the same.

I took an either make it or a break it chance by throwing my weapon, my only weapon that was left,

And I made it.

The warrior goblin got hit right in the middle of its face. I saw that level-up notification from the corner of my eyes and two points to strength making it come up to fifteen. The sudden speed boost from the increase in strength made me reach the now dead goblin even faster.

I ripped out the hatchet from its face and grabbed the other one still in its hand. Throwing one of my weapons towards the goblin running with his big shield, which he brought up to defend his face but by the time it came down I was not there.

I punched his side with my free hand and brought the hatchet down on its neck, blood splurted as I pulled it back and hit it once again on the same spot which separated its head from the body.

I was about to pull out the hatchet stuck in the shield but I had to instead dive to the side to find an arrow where my head was.

I looked from where the arrow came to find the goblin running away after a failed attempt to kill me. I chased after it as I brought the two hatchets with me and added those two points that I got from killing the shield goblin to dexterity.

After getting close enough to throw my weapons I threw them. The first one missed and landed on a tree just beside it but the second one hit its mark.

Strength : 15

Agility : 15

Endurance : 15

Vitality : 15

Dexterity : 15

Intelligence : 10

Wisdom : 10

Perception : 20

Bonus point remaining : 2

I was at level 14 and did not know what to do with two points as almost every stat was at fifteen and adding more to perception was something that I might do in the future but not now.

Intelligence and wisdom had to be related to mana, I currently had no skills that needed mana or any skill at all. My second class was something that I wanted to be similar to a healer because healing was something I really needed.

Going over today's battle, the stat which shined the most was perception. Fighting three advanced goblins and coming out unscathed after being through an ambush and getting arrowed twice were all possible due to perception.

Perception did not only increase spatial awareness but it also increased the other five senses. The hearing got better, sight improved, and it might have also increased the other three but I couldn't tell the differences for now.

I was level fourteen and in one or two armed goblin's worth of energy, I could easily reach fifteen. According to the system, leaving after reaching fifteen was the most probable scenario or it wouldn't have specified to reach that level and then find the door.

But I wasn't going to leave like this. Before me were a bunch of armed goblins to kill that gave enough experience to reach maybe level twenty and more if there was enough.

All the reasons above were valid but one for which I was staying was a lot simpler. I enjoyed the fight. Having combat with your life on the line, the rush at that point compared to nothing that I had ever felt. It was exhilarating.

'I missed this feeling-'

I paused and my hands shook a little.

'Is it all right if I fight now? I don't want to go back to all that.'

I took a deep breath and left that thought behind. It didn't matter if it was right or wrong now, fighting was the only way I could survive in this forest full of monsters.

I have overcome that situation once, it won't be that hard a second time.

I moved to the outskirts, not fully back near to the pond or the dome, but enough to not encounter other armed goblins.

Sitting on a tree branch high above the ground and using [meditate] to recover back to full stamina, I once again turn to the inner dome.

I killed another six armed goblins with the same strategy, first kill the archer by throwing the hatchet. Then kill the warrior by deflecting his first strike with my remaining hatchet, punching in the gut then bringing the same hatchet back to its face or neck.

The shield goblin couldn't do much if I stayed too close to the warrior not allowing it an opportunity. After the warrior was done the shield was easy, hatchet throw, side punch either pickup the hatchet or make it fall down and neck crush.

The problem occurred after killing the second group. I couldn't level up anymore. I didn't know why I did not level up anymore but the energy from the kills still accumulated in me. I slowed down my search and tried to figure out what was happening but I had no idea. That's when the system came forward.

[Hidden Quest]

[Condition: Kill 10 E grade goblins]

[Objective: Kill the Cheif Goblin]

[Rewards: Chance to gain a personalized growth weapon, regeneration potion(E)]

[Failure : None]

[Accept/Reject]