Chương 14

Waking up at dawn, Ethan packed his stuff and bid farewell to the spider's head on the spike. It was probably worth some coins since he still didn't see any stronger beast in the area, but he felt that it fit the cave perfectly. He had a long journey ahead and a limited space in his ring. There would be many more monster parts he'd have to leave behind. Speaking of that, he also started to pick up wild plants and flowers from time to time.

Expecting a sneak attack that never came, he uprooted anything that looked bizarre and unique, especially if it had a trace of mana, and stored it all in the ring. Who knew whether he might stumble across a priceless heavenly treasure and leave it behind simply because he didn't recognize it? Why take chances when he could plunder everything that caught his eye? They didn't take much space either. It had nothing to do with his prejudice and distrust against the plants of this world. Nothing.

Following a curved and narrow path, he started trekking toward the large hill ahead. The sunlight seeped between the dense tree canopy and illuminated the ancient forest in a timid way. A gentle breeze carried a fresh and earthy fragrance and blew through the tears in his clothes, tickling his skin. In contrast to the terrible shape of his old attire, his cloak was in pristine condition. The first time he'd noticed the anomaly was after the spider fight.

Despite the wound on his shoulder, there was no hole in his cloak. Only a week later, he witnessed the cloak repair itself in just a few seconds after getting torn in a claw attack. The sight left him speechless, feeling like the item had a life of its own. Compared to the colorful forest of the nightmare village, this one was dominated by darker tones in its aged, consistent vegetation.

The wildlife also seemed more natural here, with beasts keeping their distance from one another and mostly hunting to feed themselves. Using the [Mana Sense] with his eyes and ears once in a while, Ethan easily arrived at his destination. During his month-long retreat, he'd killed three more goblins and managed to track their base afterward.

They were living in a cave system inside this large hill, but he had no idea how big it was or how many lived there, just that the entrance was guarded by two goblins and some hunting parties went in and out occasionally. Creeping toward them, he considered his options. Depending on the target, his darts needed about half a minute before the sedative kicked in. They could stir up quite a commotion during that time, maybe even get inside to warn others.

His poison, on the other hand, caused huge damage over a long time. It was rather unnecessary here. As he got closer, he realized they were sitting and eating a meal. One of them had something like a liver in its hand, and the other gnawed a raw, rotten foot. A human foot. His shoulders hitched up. Oh, crap. Are there prisoners in there?

Not wasting any more time, he called two of his unpoisoned daggers, took a deep breath to focus, and let it out before thrusting them with two [Fabric Tear]s and penetrating their skulls simultaneously. He rushed to the entrance and stored their bodies immediately. Throwing his hoodie over his head, he entered the cave and slipped into the shadows. Following a long tunnel with many twists and turns, he focused on his [Mana Sense] and gave a command to Ani,'Draw a map of the places I pass through.

Let's not get lost here.' The main tunnel was illuminated by torches, but most of the place was drowned in darkness. [Mana Sense] did wonders here, not only letting him know about the obstacles and dead ends, but also alerting him to the enemies. The goblins could also be using the same skill, but they were in their home. Even if they actively used the skill and noticed him, they would guess that it was just another goblin. For him, though, anything he could detect was a potential kill target.

With a [Blink], he appeared behind a green creature and stabbed his dagger into its heart while closing its mouth with his other hand. As soon as the Exp flowed through, he sent the corpse to his ring and continued his path, calling his dagger back on the way. At first, he only killed the lone ones and pairs, changing his route whenever a group came his way. The cave system was much bigger than he'd expected, the roads opening to many others and even leading to other entrances.

This was not a small tribe but a huge settlement. The ones he'd killed so far were all around his level, except one that was likely high tier-1. It died all the same with a dagger stab to the eye that emerged from a [Fabric Tear]. Once his mana dropped below 20%, he found a secluded place and started to cultivate. A few hours later, his eyes shot open as he heard footsteps from the corridor. Two groups were coming his way from different directions.

He wasn't sure about the numbers as they were out of the range of [Mana Sense], but didn't want to wait until they gathered together. He picked a random side and snuck away. Four goblins entered his sight. [Fabric Tear]s appeared before two of them as he pierced his daggers forward. One of them died on the spot, but the other managed to dodge at the last moment. Ethan charged as they looked for the attacker.

Just before the clash, he [Blink]ed behind the line and slashed his dagger backward, severing the head of the taller goblin. The last two turned and attacked. One carried a short blade, the other used its claws. He blocked the blade and redirected it toward the claw attack, using his other dagger to slash the goblin's throat. Jumping back, he opened another [Fabric Tear] and plunged his dagger into the last goblin's heart. The second group arrived at this moment, charging forward as they screamed.

Seeing that there were only three, he decided to save his mana in case more goblins showed up and he had to escape. Dodging another claw closely, he entered amidst them and crouched before slashing his daggers outward and almost cleaving a goblin in half. A kick to his back sent him rolling. When he turned around, a rusty knife grazed his arm, and the other goblin jumped over him, his claw aiming for his head. Rolling sideways, he stopped the incoming knife and slashed his other dagger to sever the goblin's hand.

A high pitched scream echoed through the subterranean labyrinth. Gritting his teeth, Ethan reverse-gripped his dagger and stabbed the other goblin's side next to him before it had a chance to stand up. Using it as a support, he pulled himself onto its back and slitted its throat with his other dagger. The other goblin was on the run. Cursing under his breath, he jumped to his feet and threw his dagger behind it. Since the distance wasn't too far, he refrained from using [Fabric Tear].

Thankfully, the dagger penetrated its skull from behind, killing it instantly. For the next few seconds, he enhanced his hearing and waited for the reinforcements. There were none, at least for now. He stored the corpses quickly and made his leave. He killed four more on the way until he found a well hidden room and started cultivating to fill his resources. The battles caused a lot of noise, but no one came to investigate.

Perhaps the fights between goblins were regular here, or perhaps he got lucky that the others weren't in earshot. Once he was ready, he let out all the corpses from his ring and left the place, looking for his next target. Ethan repeated his actions for a whole day and managed to snatch a level, but there was no sight of any prisoners, only more goblins. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

On the second day, walking through a large room connected to a passage, he noticed something surprising. His [Mana Sense] caught a dozen beings below him, mostly tier-2s. He stopped his step halfway, raising an eyebrow. Oh? Is there an underground level as well? No wonder they kept coming and still didn't figure out the missing ones. Straining his hearing, he confirmed they were all goblins. A sly smile shaped on his face as he called his blowgun.

Unlike his daggers, all his darts were dipped in the spider's poison. One of them appeared in his hand as he placed it in the bamboo. He aimed with the [Mana Sense] and blew toward the floor before opening a [Fabric Tear] and sending it to the lower floor. As soon as the dart left, he closed the portal and summoned another dart, repeating the process. By the time the goblins caught on to what was going on, he'd already hit three of them and kept firing rapidly.

The mana signatures started to move, and shouts reached his ears. He also started to move and tried to hit the targets from unexpected places, leaving the two who were escaping. When he hit the rest, more goblins rushed to where they were and became his new victims. Total chaos erupted below. Some tried to help others, some fled without looking back, and some had already figured out where he was, trying to rally the others.

He spent the next few minutes taking advantage of the mayhem and hit more than two dozen goblins, making them clear the area completely. When a group of them finally found him on the upper floor, he had only 60 mana left. Replacing the blowgun with two of his daggers, he [Blink]ed to the lower floor and witnessed the fruits of his hard work. A dozen goblins were lying motionless on the ground of a large chamber, bleeding from their sensory organs. One by one, he ended their misery and left the room.

In the corridor, he saw a few more with the same fate, some standing as they leaned against the wall, and some crawling or even shuffling with bloody faces like zombies. The tier-2s had actually managed to shrug off the effects of the sedative, but combined with the poison, they were in no condition to fight. Strolling among them casually, he ended their life swiftly and collected his darts back. There didn't seem to be anyone else nearby.

The large group on the upper floor noticed his actions and turned back after leaving a few behind. He took a look around for a few minutes more and returned to the large room, teleporting once again to where he'd been and killing the closest goblin by stabbing his dagger under its chin all the way. After killing the other two in a swift fashion, he sprinted to his latest hiding place and started cultivating right away. He really thought this would be enough for another level, but that wasn't the case.

A suspicion crept into his mind, but he pushed it away for now. The goblins started to scour the cave system relentlessly, but it was truly a big place. If they separated, he'd take them out quietly without a trace. If they moved in large groups, he'd escape. And so, the cat and mouse game continued for another day as Ethan often stopped to fill his mana. In the end, he got his wish and reached level 14.

On the third day, when all the remaining goblins abandoned the upper floor, he decided to go down and search for the rest. It turned out to be a mistake as there was an ambush waiting for him. Goblins poured out from every direction and blocked his way, no space to [Blink] on the upper floor either. They'd actually figured out his skill and trapped him in a perfect place, not even rushing to kill him, and instead, waiting in a dispersed crowd.

Even if he teleported among them to escape, he'd have to fight some of them and risk the others catching up, burning his mana for nothing. Their number, thanks to his non-stop grind the past two days, was in the mid-twenties. Compared to the last test in the temple, while the numbers doubled, these goblins were absolute trash. However, unlike the shadowy beings, they were all stronger and faster than him, with most at Tier-2 and one at Tier-3. Ethan's hands gripped his daggers as he looked around, locking his jaw.

On the bright side, I have my skills now. Alas, so did they. A blazing ball of fire appeared before the tier-3 goblin and shot forward fast. Throwing himself to the side, he rolled on the ground, but he was a tad too late. His shoe was on fire. Panicking, he got rid of his shoes before his pants started to burn as well. The goblins rushed at him with screams. When a bulky one blocked his view of what he assumed to be the tier-3 goblin shaman, he opened a [Fabric Tear] and stabbed his dagger through it.

The second portal appeared before the shaman's chest, but it somehow sensed the skill and jumped backward. This time, it was the shaman who was a tad late. His poisoned dagger drew a drop of blood from its chest. Yesterday, he'd noticed a troubling fact after some experiments. Using his darts and the poisoned daggers dropped the Exp gains considerably. Since his purpose here was mostly leveling up, he refrained from using those until now. This was no longer a grind but a life and death situation.

He was perfectly fine with lower Exp if it meant a higher chance to survive. The bulky goblin, which he decided to call the goblin warrior, jumped on him as it slashed its claws. He sidestepped and swung his dagger on its belly, opening a gory wound. Another came from behind. Ethan rotated his body back and lashed a kick on its chest, sending it colliding with another goblin. The second goblin warrior attacked him with a curved blade.

Just before the blade could take his arm, he [Blink]ed next to another goblin, but before he had a chance to attack, he had to [Blink] again to avoid a fireball. The shaman was predicting his skills fast and accurately. It would be a pain in the ass if he didn't deal with this green granny first. Taking a risk, he used two more [Blink]s and appeared right next to the shaman, slashing his dagger at its throat. It cast a gust of wind to both push him and make a distance itself.

The tall goblin warrior next to the shaman lunged forward and grabbed his wrist, giving a savage headbutt and breaking his nose. The room spun around him, and his sight faded to black for a moment. Gritting his teeth, Ethan stabbed his other dagger into its stomach and cut his way upward. Shrieking in pain, it still refused to let him go, blocking his ability to [Blink]. A claw attack came from behind and opened a searing wound on his back.

He struggled to free himself, but it was no use; the goblin warrior's hand was like a shackle on his wrist. The third goblin joined in and thrust its spear toward his head. A [Fabric Tear] appeared behind his head, and a second one in front of his face. The spear passed through and punctured the goblin warrior's throat, severing its spine. Finally free, Ethan turned around in a flash and plunged his dagger into the goblin's eye before pulling it back and [Blink]ing toward the shaman.

He closely dodged another fireball and noticed that his cloak was immune to the fire. Well, it didn't catch fire, but it did nothing against the heat. The skin on his side blistered and twisted as he clenched his teeth, trying not to scream. Using two more [Blink]s to fake his attacks, he used his high Agility to catch the shaman off guard. With a furious slash, he chopped its head off.

His mana was dangerously low, but now that the goblin shaman and most of the goblin warriors were out of the picture, he resumed his fight more methodically, using their bodies to shield himself, turning their attacks against each other, and luring them to unavoidable traps. In less than five minutes, he was the only one standing, albeit barely. Pulling his dagger out of a goblin skull, he slowly sat down and started cultivating. Only after two hours did the pain subside enough to let him think clearly. Shit.

Not even a level after all these. That shaman was only slightly weaker than the spider. I'm pretty close though. A few days more perhaps? Heaving himself up, he started exploring the cave system thoroughly. The first intriguing place he found was the shaman's den. All the weapons the goblins had used were rusty or broken, but he spotted a few in good shape here. Before taking a close look at them, something else stood out to him.

A little creature was locked in a small metal cage, looking at him with curious crimson eyes. It was about eight inches tall, its dark purple carapace covered in scars and burns that somehow elevated its malevolent vibes to new heights. Looking at it closely, he noticed it was actually a praying mantis. Though he doubted this little prince of evil had anything to do with the praying part, maybe except for some nefarious eldritch gods.