Kaito Arakawa — Perspective
The elf girl still looked frightened even after the goblin was defeated.
Her breathing was uneven, and her body trembled slightly as she held onto my sleeve.
The healing magic had closed her wounds, but it probably couldn’t erase the fear she went through.
“…You’re safe now,” I said quietly.
Slowly, she loosened her grip.
Yuna stepped closer carefully.
“Are you feeling better?”
The girl nodded weakly.
“…A little.”
For a few moments, none of us spoke.
The forest around us remained strangely silent, almost like it was waiting for something.
Then finally, the girl lowered her head politely.
“Thank you for saving me.”
Her silver hair moved gently with the wind.
“My name is Elira Moonveil.”
Elira Moonveil.
Even her name sounded like something straight out of a fantasy story.
“I’m Kaito Arakawa,” I replied.
“Yuna Shirosaki,” Yuna added softly.
“And I’m Reina Kamihara,” Reina said calmly while observing Elira carefully.
Elira looked at each of us one by one, almost like she was trying to understand who we were.
But then her expression suddenly changed.
Fear.
“…We need to leave.”
Reina frowned immediately.
“Why?”
Elira looked toward the dark forest behind us.
“…Because goblins never hunt alone.”
Almost immediately after she said that—
A loud screech echoed through the trees.
Then another.
And another.
Yuna’s shoulders stiffened.
“…There’s more?”
Elira nodded quickly.
“A goblin group. They’re probably searching for the one you killed.”
Perfect.
So killing one only attracted the rest.
A system notification suddenly appeared before my eyes.
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[EMERGENCY QUEST ACTIVATED]
Objective:
– Survive the Goblin Hunt
– Protect Party Members
Danger Level: Medium
Rewards:
– Bonus EXP
– Random Skill Chance
Failure Penalty:
– Severe Injury Probability Increased
“…This system seriously enjoys making my life harder,” I muttered.
“What happened?” Yuna asked immediately.
“Emergency quest,” I replied.
Reina sighed slightly.
“Of course there is.”
Then Reina activated her Appraisal skill.
Her expression sharpened instantly.
“…Six goblins approaching from the east.”
“Six?!” Yuna looked pale.
Elira stepped closer nervously.
“We can’t fight that many directly.”
Honestly… she was probably right.
None of us were experienced fighters.
I only survived earlier because of surprise and adrenaline.
Then suddenly, Elira grabbed my sleeve again.
“There’s a hidden cave nearby,” she said quickly.
“Follow me!”
Without wasting time, we immediately started running.
The forest became chaotic.
Branches snapped behind us.
Goblin screeches echoed louder every second.
I could even hear footsteps now.
Fast ones.
Yuna used small bursts of wind magic to move faster while staying close to me.
Reina constantly checked behind us with Appraisal, giving warnings whenever the goblins got closer.
“They’re gaining on us!”
“…Wonderful,” I muttered.
Elira suddenly stopped near a cliff covered in vines.
“There!”
A cave.
“One at a time,” Reina warned quickly.
We rushed inside just before the goblin noises reached the area.
The cave became completely silent after we entered.
Dark.
Cold.
Quiet.
For several tense seconds, nobody moved.
Then slowly…
The goblin sounds passed by.
They didn’t find us.
Yuna immediately sat down in relief.
“…I thought we were dead.”
Reina leaned against the cave wall while breathing quietly.
“…We barely escaped.”
Elira lowered her gaze slightly.
“…I’m sorry.”
Yuna blinked.
“Why are you apologizing?”
“If I wasn’t attacked earlier… you wouldn’t have gotten involved.”
I shook my head.
“You don’t need to apologize.”
Elira looked surprised after hearing that.
Like she wasn’t used to someone saying those words to her.
Then suddenly—
The cave walls began glowing faintly blue.
Everyone froze.
“…What now?” Reina muttered.
The Genesis System immediately reacted.
[Hidden Area Discovered]
Ancient Genesis Ruins Detected
Compatibility Resonance Found
My eyes narrowed slightly.
“…Genesis ruins?”
The glowing symbols on the cave walls slowly became brighter.
And for some reason…
The light was reacting strongest near me.