"Oh shit!" I shouted as I dodged the huge claws of the liger.

 

I tried to jump backwards in order to gain some distance but the liger immediately followed...

 

"Persistent bitch!" I yelled as I barely managed to dodge its claws again.

 

(That's a male liger, by the way. Females don't have manes.) The goddess explained to me.

 

(I don't fucking care! Now it is not the time!) I shouted in response.

 

I continued to barely dodged the attacks of the liger. The beast didn't mind it too much and surely thought that it was just playing with its food. It tried to bite me with its large teeth and slice up my throat with its huge claws... I managed to survive all of that.

 

My heart was beating wildly... All of my senses were completely focused on the liger. I was trying to predict its attacks in order to counter those attacks.

 

After what seemed like an eternity, I managed to find an opening.

 

I dodged the claws of the liger and thrusted my spear towards the heart of the enormous animal. The spear managed to penetrate the flesh of the liger but it wasn't enough... The spear was not able to go past the muscles of the beast...

 

Oh shit...

 

My instincts raised the alarm and my body moved on its own. Unfortunately for me, I didn't manage to completely dodge the attack of the liger. I was bitch slapped and sent flying away from the liger. I managed to take the spear with me since I was grasping it tightly...

 

My body soon came into contact with the hard trunk of a tree... I could only gasp thanks to the pain... The tree was just beside the campfire, so I almost fell into it... I managed to land safely beside the campfire...

 

"Holy fuck..." I whispered sofly while trying to confirm that I had not lost any limbs... I was a bit dizzy...

 

The liger simply stood there and looked at me without much interest.

 

(Grashouzen Ligers have the ability to harden their muscles at will. It is kind of neat since slashing weapons won't do much to them. Piercing weapons won't do much either since they can get stuck in their muscles. And blunt weapons are simply not effective. You're in quite the predicament, aren't you?) The goddess said with amusement.

 

(Fuck off Electra... I'm busy...) I said while I was still dizzy.

 

(I'm not Electra... Shesh... That concussion looks bad. Do you want me to call an ambulance? Do you have insurance?) The goddess tried to be funny...

 

I'm gonna ignore her for now...

 

I tried to stand up but I was still a bit dizzy... Fortunately for me, I managed to confirm that all of my limbs were still in their place. My only injury was the concussion... I used the spear as a support to stand up.

 

As soon as my eyes were laid upon the liger, I was consumed by a deep rage and hatred... I want to eat that liger meat so badly... I will make that kitty pay for this...

 

My anger make me recover almost instantly from the concussion... I looked at the campfire and grabbed a flamming stick.

 

If hitting it and stabbing it won't work, then burning it surely will!

 

The liger was still looking at me uninterested... That only angered me even more...

 

"I'm gonna fuck you up!" I shouted as I ran towards the liger.

 

It didn't take too long for me to close the distance between the two of us...

 

The liger immediately tried to slice up my throat with its gigantic claws. I swiftly dodged its attacks. The liger continued its flurry of attacks. The liger look confident that it would surely kill me soon. That I would get tired of dodging eventually... The liger made a mistake.

 

Just like I did before, I dodged one of its attacks and instantly thrusted my spear, aiming to the heart of the liger. The spear was once again stopped by the hardened muscles of the animal.

 

The liger then tried to kill me with its claws... I was already expecting that attack, so I simply let go of my spear and dodged the claws of the beast.

 

Noticing that its claws had missed, the beast then tried to bite my head and kill me right then and there... Everything went according to my plan. I was barely able to evade the bite of the liger.

 

"Eat this, you bitch!" I thrusted the flamming stick towards its mane.

 

The liger was not expecting that... Its mane quickly caught fire. The beast was now angrily moving around and roaring. It was trying to extinguish the flames. I quickly ran away and gained some distance from the beast.

 

I grabbed the makeshift bone knives and then ran back towards the liger.

 

The liger was still moving wildly while trying to extinguish the flames. I used all of my strength and jumped to the back of the liger. I was now riding the liger. I felt like I was riding a bull. The liger was still desperately trying to extinguish the flames on its mane.

 

"Try to block this!" I yelled.

 

I started to stab the liger on its back repeatedly. I finally saw some blood coming out of its wounds... The liger was now desperately moving around trying to make me fall while also moving its head as fast as it could to extinguish the flames that were quickly consuming its mane.

 

"I'm not done yet, bastard!" I started to stab the liger with my claws.

 

The liger let out a fierce and loud roar... I thought it was about to shatter my eardrums. I simply ignored the beast and kept stabbing it with both the makeshift knives and my own claws.

 

"Die! Die! Die!" I shouted while still stabbing the beast. Its bloody back mas making me grin from ear to ear.

 

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to kill the beast. With its erratic movements it managed to shake me off. I was once again sent flying, but I managed to land safely this time...

 

The beast soon launched itself to the ground and started to spinning its body... It somehow managed to extinguish the flames, but it was already too late for its mane.

 

The once majestic and powerful mane of the liger, was now looking like a poorly made wig.

 

The liger stood up enraged... It quickly roared up fiercely. Its loud roar made my ears hurt a bit, but I was still smiling... I managed to get vengeance for my concussion. I thoroughly humiliated the beast. It is not dead yet, but it is a start.

 

The liger was looking at me while still enraged. I knew that it would jump at me any second now.

 

"What? Are you still sad about your pathetic mane, little kitty?" I said with a grin.

 

Obviously, the liger didn't understand me, but my grin must have surely angered it more.

 

As expected, the liger started running at full speed towards me. It instantly jumped at me...

 

Time slowed down for me again... My heart was beating wildly. I could see verything clearly. My bone spear that was still stuck into the hardened muscles of the liger. Its huge fangs and teeth that were threatening to tear me apart. Its huge paws and the claws that were about to reach my neck and slice it up.

 

My body, once again moved according to my instincts. I dodged to the side evading completely the attack of the enraged liger. The head of the liger came into contact with a the trunk of a tree. I heard a loud bang as soon as the head of the liger hit the tree.

 

That only made me smile even more. The liger had been even more humiliated.

 

The liger stood up and looked at me with anger... There was blood coming out of its forehead. I internally laughed at the sight.

 

The atmosphere around the liger changed. It roared loudly and then with its claws slashed the air. I thought that the liger had gone mad because of the injury on its head. How wrong I was...

 

My instincts raised the alarms, but I was not quick enough to dodge the attack... An invisible attack had suddenly hit me... Three large cuts had appeared in my arm. It looked like my skin had been teared up by the real claws of the liger. I could see the bone since it had taken large chunks of my skin...

 

I expected to be in pain, but contrary to my expectations, I was assaulted by the same deep rage from before. I was not in pain at all...

 

All I wanted to do was to kill the liger in front of me. I wanted to slash up its throat and feast upon its entrails... I guess the liger was feeling the same way about me.

 

(How curious... Grashouzen Ligers should not be able to use magic... Maybe, this one has a mutation? I need to study this further...) The goddess was talking about something unimportant.

 

I didn't care about what she was talking about. I was too enraged to even hear her out...

 

The liger then launched another invisble attack at me...

 

Time slowed down once again... This time, I could clearly hear the magical attack of the liger traveling through the air... It was causing the air to vibrate a lot, and my ears managed to pick up those vibrations. I could dodge the attack in time... But then I also noticed that the liger had started running towards me. It surely knew that I was going to dodge its attack.

 

I was one hundred percent sure that if I dodged the magical attack, the liger would charge at me to finish me off... If I don't dodge the magical attack I will basically die...

 

In this state, with the slowed time, my mind started to wander...

 

(How can I kill this beast? Stabbing it didn't work... And fire, while effective, it also didn't kill the beast... What do I do?) I asked to myself.

 

The liger could kill me if I made a wrong move, but I could not do the same thing to the liger...

 

I was getting frustrated that I couldn't find a solution to this problem... I must kill this bastard no matter what it takes...

 

It was then that I noticed something that could help me kill the liger... It was the small pool of acidic saliva left by that huge white spider.

 

I instantly grinned when I found something that could kill the liger. If I can't hurt you enough to kill you from the outside, then I'll just kill you from the inside!

 

I instantly jumped away from the path of the magical attack of the liger and ran towards the the pool of acid. I still had one of the knives in my hand so I was planning to cover the knive in the acidic saliva and then kill the liger with it.

 

The liger immediately charged at me at its full speed. The pool of acidic saliva was really close, so I was going to make it. The complicated part comes after that...

 

I grinned as soon as I reached the pool of acid. I immediately covered the makshift knife with the acid. The knife started melting... I still have enough time to execute my plan.

 

When I stood up, I noticed that the liger was already in front of me.

 

The liger opened its mouth widely... I had a sinister smile because the liger did exactly what I wanted. I thrusted my left arm, which was the one holding the bone knife, into the mouth of the liger. The liger immediately bit my arm with all of its might...

 

The liger was running while bitting into my arm... I was being dragged in front of the liger. I was still smiling... I didn't feel any pain despite my arm being completely destroyed into the mouth of this beast.

 

After all, everyone deserves a last meal before they die.

 

"You better enjoy that arm, you bastard! Because I will certainly enjoy eating your flesh!" I shouted after licking my lips.

 

The liger kept running. I could no longer feel my arm... I could feel myself getting dizzy...

 

The next thing I know, is that I was rolling on the ground... As soon as I stopped, I noticed that the liger was standing proudly. It was looking at me as if it had won. The liger was also chewing something...

 

I tried to stand up but it was futile... I looked towards my left and I noticed that my whole arm was gone. There was no bone and blood was pouring out of the wound... I could only smile in joy when I noticed that.

 

I then looked at the liger and smiled.

 

"I hoped you liked that treat, kitty..." I grinned as I said that.

 

Then... The liger started coughing... It seemed like he was trying to get rid of something... I don't know, perhaps a knife coated with acid?

 

That simple action just confirms my victory...

 

I smiled feebly while my blood was pouring out of what was left of my shoulder... The liger was in no better shape... It had fallen to the ground and it was now coughing blood. Its fur had fallen off its body, revealing its skin... Its skin was in a worse condition... There were purple coloured spots all over its skin...

 

I grinned so hard while I watched the liger die... After a minute or two, with a final cough, the liger died... It's skin had turned purple...

 

<SYSTEM: Battle, Clear! / EXP REWARD: 2000 XP / Enemy: Grashouzen Liger  / Condition: Defeated / A title is about to be given to the user... "Bane of the Ligers" has been acquired. Check your STATUS for more information.>

 

<SYSTEM: You have leveled up!>

<SYSTEM: You have leveled up!>

 

Hehehe... I managed to level up again...

 

I then noticed something strange... I could feel my arm again. I looked to my left and my arm was there... It was looking healthy.

 

"What the...?" I was confused...

 

Not only that... I was feeling completely fine. It was like I had never fought the liger in the first place...

 

(Oi... The idiot who wrote your file really needs a scolding! I must admit that it was a very clever move to use that poison. You should thank your new spider wife later!) The goddess said cherfully...

 

I ignored the last part and asked her a more important question.

 

(Hey... Is it normal for arms to regenerate on their own?) I asked.

 

(If you level up, then yes. Anyway, that was a very nice fight. I'll give it a an 8/10. The part where you lost your arm was unnecessary. The part where you burned the mane of the liger was really funny though.) The goddess gave her opinion.

 

(Ah... So if I level up when I'm badly injured, I should recover from my wounds?)

 

(It depends. If your life is in danger, then yes. If not, you will have to use a potion or have someone heal you.) The goddess added.

 

I see...

 

I looked at the dead liger... The poison of the spider killed it so fast... I'm suddenly really glad that the spider fell in love with me... Also, I don't think I should eat the liger meat now...

 

(You really should be. The poison of the Arbreata Lunara is one of the most lethal poisons in this world. It usually acts within a minute after the victim is bitten. Its acidic saliva contains the poison. If you are bitten by that spider, you only have two options to save yourself. The first one is to pray and wait for a miracle. The second one is having a white mage cast Hyper Cure on you before reaching the two minute mark.) The goddess explained.

 

Feeding that spider was probably the best plan I ever had...

 

I was sweating bullets when I realized how lucky I was that the spider liked me...

 

Anyway, it looks like I leveled up. I should check my status...

---

[STATUS]

NAME: Ru

RACE: Goblin

AGE: 8 days old

LEVEL: 7 / EXP: 10/2000

JOB: HERO

TITLES: Novice Hunter / Survivalist / Irresistible Lover / Hero / Apex of the Forest / Bear Killer / Bane of the Ligers

---

[STATS]

HP: 220/220

MP: 195/195

STAMINA: 10,000/10,000

NATURAL DEFENSE: 80

MAGIC RESISTANCE: 17

MAGICAL ATTACK: 26

PHYSICAL ATTACK: 72

INTELLIGENCE: 160

---

[NORMAL SKILLS]

CRAFTING / Grade: E / Proficiency: 40/100

TAILORING / Grade: E / Proficiency: 60/100

CLOSE UNARMED COMBAT / Grade: D / Proficiency: 75/350

ARMED COMBAT: SPEAR / Grade: D / Proficiency: 105/350

ARMED COMBAT: SWORD / Grade: D / Proficiency: 34/350

ARMED COMBAT: DAGGER / Grade: D / Proficiency: 75/350

FOOTWORK / Grade: D / Proficiency: 100/350

LESSER DETECTION / Grade: E / Proficiency: 165/200

FIRE MAGIC / Grade: E / Proficiency: 0/100

LIGHTNING MAGIC / Grade: E / Proficiency: 0/100

MANA PERCEPTION / Grade: A+ / Proficiency: 0/??? / BLOCKED

---

[PASSIVE SKILLS]

SUPERIOR SENSE OF SMELL / Grade: C / Proficiency: 301/3000

SUPERIOR SENSE OF HEARING / Grade: C / Proficiency: 400/3000

---

[UNIQUE SKILLS]

ENHANCED STAMINA / NO GRADE / NO PROFICIENCY / SKILL ESCALATES WITH LEVELS.

---

[BLESSINGS]

BLESSING OF THE GODDESS OF THUNDERCLOUDS,

LADY ELECTRA

BLESSING OF THE GODDESS OF DESTINY,

LADY ARRAT

---

 

I reached level seven. That's great! Also, my stamina reached the 10,000 mark!

 

I immediately smiled thanks to my victory and the fact that I leveled up twice thanks to that fight.

 

"Hehehe! I'm strong!" I couldn't help it but I smiled cherfully...

 

I beat that strong predator on my own!

 

(Hey don't get complacent just because you managed to beat that kitty on your own! There are other strong monsters and animals on this trial!) The goddess got angry at me...

 

"Sorry!" I apologized thanks to the pressure of her voice...

 

(You can celebrate that you won, but try to be mindful of your surroundings. There are several predators that would take the opportunity to attack the weakened winner.) The goddess explained.

 

Ah... I guess that really makes sense. Of course, I need to be more mindful of my surroundings... I'll celebrate as soon as I evolve.

 

(That's the spirit! Well, if you'll excuse me, I need to make more popcorn.)

 

What a strange goddess...

 

Anyway, I decided to go somewhere else to set up another campfire and rest. I didn't find any other creatures while I was wandering around the forest. I did take some of the meat of the wolves I killed before fighting the liger. It was tasty.

---

-----Goddess' POV-----

I was in my room watching Ru walking through the forest. He had his guard up thanks to me... There's really no need for that...

 

"Seriously... What an outrageous soul..." I sighed heavily.

 

My sister, Arrat had told me that this specific soul had a great destiny ahead of him. I had no reasons to doubt her words, but I decided to watch him for a while. I then noticed that my sister Arrat gave him the title of Hero and raised the grade of one of his skills. She was babying him.

 

In my opinion, a hero must get strong on its own. His sisters and self-proclaimed wife were also babying him a lot. So I decided to test him to see if he was worthy of being a Hero.

 

All the creatures that are able to evolve have to go through the Trials of Evolution. That's a strict rule. Usually, I let the system handle these tests, so this was the first time in a really long time that I supervise a trial.

 

I can only say that... I'm impressed.

 

This is the first time I'd seen a soul, that was recently reincarnated, connect so deeply with its instincts... Not only that, he's more clever than his file says he is.

 

He trusted his instincts and ran away from the wolves, he avoided that Braten Grizzly and he didn't panic when he was almost bitten by that snake...

 

He also seduced a spider without knowing if it would work or not. It was genius and stupid and the same time. But since it was an Arbreata Lunara, I will say that it really was a genius move.

 

And let's not forget that he faced that Grashouzen Liger, he didn't seem scared at all... Even when we discovered that the liger could use wind magic, he didn't panic.

 

Heck! He wasn't even scared of losing his arm! He willingly sacrificed that arm in order to kill the liger...

 

I have never seen a soul more suited to be a goblin and a Hero... My older sister was right...

 

"Sigh... Now what is the point of this trial...?"

 

The guy just showed me that he can handle things on his own... The liger was probably the strongest monster there. Followed shortly after by the Arbreata Lunara.

 

"He will probably roam around while being avoided by most creatures..." I said while sighing heavily.

 

Since he managed to beat the liger and take the Arbreata Lunara out of the trial, he's probably the strongest creature in that forest, right now... Most beasts will avoid him since he's the apex of that forest.

 

"I guess I'll watch some movies until the day ends. Then I'll make him evolve."

 

I took out my phone out my pocket and turned it on...

 

"114 missed calls from my older sister Arrat... I'm dead, aren't I?"

 

Just as I noticed the large volume of missed calls from my sister, the door of my room was forcefully opened... Oh no...

 

A three meter tall goddess with short red hair, silver eyes and massive breasts entered my room... My doom has arrived...

 

"Astera..." She was mad... She was smiling warmly... That's the smile of the devil! The devil!

 

"H-Hey! Older sister...! I was about to call you!" I said while trying to not provoke her any further...

 

She just kept her smile... I was sweating bullets at this point.

 

"Are you trying to pull another prank? Sheesh! You simply won't learn, Astera..." 

 

I'm going to get beaten again, aren't I...?

 

"Wait! I swear that this was not a prank! Look! He got even stronger thanks to my help!" I said before she even tried to beat me up...

 

I showed the replay of the recent events to my sister.

 

She kept smiling warmly at me... I didn't know if she was still mad or not.

 

"Hmm... I guess it is fine since he leveled up and his confidence got a nice boost." She said...

 

Phew... I'm saved...

 

Hmmm? Why am I floating in the air?

 

I was not floating... I was grabbed by my sister... She made me look directly into her eyes...

 

"Ummm... Older sister, what are you doing?" I asked shyly.

 

"You still went behind my back and did something unnecessary... You made Ru face a liger that had evolved two times already while Ru is just a simple goblin. Obviously, you need to be punished." She said with anger.

 

"I did it for his own good! You were babying him too much!"

 

"That's not an excuse." My older sister was angry... Her smile was no longer reaching her eyes...

 

I'm done for...

 

My whole body was trembling... I was scared of my older sister...

 

"I wonder... If you were mortal, how many times would you die if I were to beat you up with a baseball bat?" She asked with a sinister smile...

 

Why do you have to be so violent!? I'm a pacifist! A pacifist! You can't just hit people like that!

 

"I promise it was not a prank! I really tried to admit my fault to him and clear Electra's name but I couldn't! Some wolves attacked before I could even say anything!" I tried to save myself from another beating...

 

"Is that so?" She asked.

 

I nodded vigorously...

 

She suddenly put me on the ground and let me go... Am... Am I saved?

 

"I'll forgive you this time, Astera. I can see that you're being honest about it."

 

"Thank goodness..."

 

I then let out a sigh of relief...

 

"In exchange, you will have to come with me everywhere from now on." She said with a smile.

 

Ehh? I have to leave my room...? I don't wanna!

 

"You have been a NEET for far too long. We can also take this as an opportunity to teach you to not play pranks on other people. Let's spend some quality time together, shall we?" She smiled from ear to ear.

 

I am not saved...

 

"Can you just beat me up like last time?" I asked her.

 

Anything is better than leaving my room! I don't wanna go out!

 

She simply shook her head and then sat one of my chairs.

 

"Sigh..." I sighed heavily...

 

I know I messed up... But if I knew that this would happen if I played that stupid prank on Electra, I wouldn't have done anything...

 

I took a seat and started watching Ru while he was walking around the forest... He will probably keep doing the same for the next 22 or 23 hours, so I guess I better get comfortable...

 

"Hey... Older sister, is it me or Ru ressembles grandpa a bit?" I asked something that has been on my mind since I saw him fight the wolves.

 

My older sister just tilted her head in response.

 

"The way Ru fought the Liger does remind me a bit of the stories our grandmothers used to tell us about grandpa when he was young..." My older sister seemed to be a bit nostalgic.

 

"Right!? Ru is like grandpa! They both don't seem to be afraid of anything!"

 

I could feel several emotions coming from him during his fights. But he was never truly afraid... It is really strange for a mortal not being afraid. Even more for a reincarnator... Ru is really strange...

 

"It does look like that... Well, we can compare them soon. Grandpa will visit this year." Arrat said.

 

Ehh? Really!? Grandpa is coming!? Yahoo! I will get my head patted a lot! Hehehe! I wonder if he will bring some gifts this time?

 

"It has been fifty years already? Time really flies eh?" I asked.

 

For the record, my grandpa visits us every fifty years or so. For mortals, it might seem like a long time, but for us gods that would be like a short trip to the grocery store.

 

"Astera, of course time will fly when you barely leave your room... When was the last time you did laundry? Or the last time you got something to eat that wasn't popcorn or instant ramen?" My sister frowned...

 

Ehh? Why am I getting scolded now!?

 

"I am a goddess! It doesn't matter what I eat! Ramen is easy to make! And besides, I don't need to wash my clothes since I can just order new ones some from Godmazon!" I protested.

 

Sigh... I really should tell my grandpa to change that name... Oh well, it is not like mortals can sue gods.

 

"So your plan is wear something once and throw it away?" Arrat asked.

 

"I've been wearing these clothes for the last 25 years! They smell fine!"

 

Thankfully for me, Gods do not need to shower. We always smell good! I pity the mortals who have to take time of their lives just to take showers.

 

"Astera... Go and take a bath... I will do the laundry and meal." My sister sighed heavily.

 

Free homemade meal! Yay! That's exactly what I wanted!

 

Before I was able to run away to the bathroom, my sister grabbed the collar of my shirt.

 

"Astera... I don't want you interfering with Ru, unless I specifically ask you to do so. Are we clear?" She was making a terrifying expression.

 

"Okay..." I instantly agreed.

 

"Good." The terrifying expression of my sister was replaced with a sweet smile...

 

My sister then let me go and I escaped as fast as I could towards the bathroom...

 

I tried to be nice and I almost got beaten for it... Life is not fair! Okay... Who am I kidding, I probably deserved that...

 

Sigh... I thought that Electra would realize that the file was wrong and investigate... I never expected her to act like a dominatrix and gain the hatred of her first believer... It was an honest mistake, okay!?

 

Well, lesson learned I guess...