The next day, the party returned to the Adventurers’ Guild to officially accept their mission.
Afterward, they headed east into the forest.
Along the way, they hunted a few weak wild beasts while making their way toward the goblin settlement.
They spent the entire day traveling through the forest without encountering a single monster.
By nightfall, they established a temporary camp inside a cave near the outer perimeter of the area where goblins had last been reported, using the map provided by the guild.
The following day, as they crossed a clearing, they spotted four goblins butchering a boar with crude knives.
The moment the goblins noticed them, they attempted to flee.
Unfortunately for them, it was already too late.
Before the goblins could properly react, the party attacked.
Mia loosed an arrow that struck the goblin farthest from the group.
At the same time, Sam rushed the nearest goblin.
The creature turned and raised its crude knife.
Clang.
Sam’s sword collided with the weapon.
The force of the impact sent the knife flying from the goblin’s hand.
Before it could react, Sam drove his sword into its abdomen.
The goblin struggled briefly, but there was no hope for something so weak.
The light faded from its eyes.
While Sam dealt with his opponent, Joe and Jane charged the goblin to the left.
Jane cast Air Wall, blocking its path and confusing it for a brief moment.
That moment was all Joe needed.
His double-headed axe swept through the air, splitting the goblin cleanly in two.
Connor, the elven mage, launched a fireball at the final goblin.
However, before the spell could reach its target, the creature dove behind a tree and disappeared into the forest.
“Tsk.
Missed the last one,” Connor muttered.
“Doesn’t matter,” Trent replied, patting him on the shoulder.
“We’ll get it when we reach the settlement.”
“Let’s take the proof first,” Jane said.
Kneeling beside the corpse Joe had slain, she cut into its chest and extracted a small heart.
This was the proof required to confirm a kill.
The heart of a creature carried traces of its mana, qi, or both.
Its signature made identifying the race simple.
Only beasts possessed beast cores for storing energy.
“I have enough experience for my rank up,” Sam said as he extracted the heart from his own kill.
“I don’t think I’ll be continuing the hunt.
I’ll need to find a safe place.”
“Then let’s head back to the cave,” Lilian suggested.
“It’s the safest place around here.”
The group agreed and began making their way back.
“What class are you choosing?” Trent asked.
Sam thought for a moment.
“Knight,” he said with a smile.
“It’ll make it easier to work under a noble family.”
The others looked at him with interest.
“You’re not planning to keep adventuring after Level 20?” Trent asked.
“I have a younger brother to take care of,” Sam replied.
“If I get recruited by a noble house, I’ll gain access to better resources—as long as I work hard.”
Silence settled over the group.
Finally, Mia nodded.
“You’re right.
That path suits you.”
Do you have any?” Connor asked, ready to lend Sam his last one from his own rank up.
But Sam pushed his hand away.
“Keep it.
I have three mana stones, so I’ll be fine.”
Everyone stared at him in surprise.
They hadn’t expected him to possess three.
Seeing their expressions, Sam explained.
“One came from the academy, which you all know about.
One I bought myself, and the last was a gift from my mother.”
The others looked at him with healthy jealousy.
While it wasn’t uncommon for parents to save mana stones for their children, families from the lower classes rarely had that luxury.
Mana stones were expensive.
A single low-grade mana stone cost one thousand bronze coins.
By the time they returned to the cave, dusk had fallen.
They gathered firewood and lit a campfire while Sam prepared for his rank up and class advancement.
A glowing prompt appeared before him.
[You have met the requirements for a rank up.]
[Would you like to upgrade your class?]
[Yes / No]
Sam selected Yes.
Another screen appeared.
[Choose Your Class:]
– Weapon Specialist
– Assassin
– Martial Artist
– Knight
Without hesitation, he selected Knight and began reciting the Knight’s Oath.
Qi surged through his body, spreading outward in visible waves.
During a rank up, complete concentration was required.
Failure could result in wasted resources and a failed advancement.
This made the process dangerous, as the energy released often attracted unwanted attention.
The party allowed Sam to advance in peace while they focused on hunting nearby beasts for food.
The qi radiating from his body acted like a beacon.
The rank up lasted four days, which was expected because of the additional mana stones.
For someone with average talent, four days was considered respectable.
On the night of the fourth day, the energy surrounding Sam finally began to stabilize.
The party had already slain several wandering beasts during that time.
Then—
A figure the size of a ten-year-old child burst from a nearby bush.
A rusty sword came crashing down toward Connor.
Connor reacted just in time.
The blade grazed his chest, leaving a shallow wound.
Before anyone could counterattack, an arrow struck Joe’s armor.
The stone-tipped projectile did little damage.
“We’re under attack!” Joe shouted.
“And they have an archer!”
Another arrow pierced Lilian’s leg before he could finish.
Unlike warriors, she wore only light clothing.
“Aaah!”
She screamed in pain.
Trent rushed to her side, shielding her as blood trickled down her leg.
He snapped the arrow shaft and pulled it free while Lilian bit down on her cloak to suppress another scream.
Immediately, she cast healing magic upon herself.
As chaos erupted, the party finally got a good look at their attackers.
Green skin.
Ears longer than an elf’s.
Goblins.
Though widely regarded as the weakest monster race, goblins were infamous for their cunning.
The party counted six goblins in front of them, along with two hidden archers.
Eight males in total.
Combined with the three killed earlier, that made eleven.
Meaning at least five more males were still somewhere nearby.
They only counted the males because female goblins typically remained within the settlement.
The levels of the six visible goblins ranged from five to nine.
The one who had attacked Connor was clearly the strongest.
“They’re only six,” Jane said calmly.
“You can handle them, right?”
Everyone nodded.
“I’ll deal with the archers,” Jane continued.
“Lilian, heal Connor and bless everyone.
Joe, protect Sam.
This won’t take long.”
At that moment, Sam stepped out of the cave.
His body still radiated faint traces of unstable qi from the recent class advancement.
“Don’t worry about me,” he said calmly.
“Let’s finish this.”
He took a single step forward.
A shadow moved.
Something burst from the darkness with terrifying speed.
A rusty axe descended.
Sam barely had time to turn his head.
Crack.
The sound was wet.
Final.
The axe split his skull from temple to jaw, burying itself deep within his head.
Sam froze for half a second.
Then his body collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
Blood sprayed across Joe’s armor.
Silence.
No one screamed.
No one moved.
Then the figure stepped into the firelight.
Roughly 169 centimeters tall.
Pale green skin.
A long nose and elongated ears—shorter and sharper than those of the goblins before it.
Its posture was upright.
Controlled.
Calm.
It looked almost…
Human.
“A…
hobgoblin…” Trent whispered.
Fear seized the party’s hearts.
Sam’s body lay at its feet, his eyes still open.
And in that moment, the party finally understood.
This was no raid.
This was terror.