[Chapter 28: Testing gains]
A day has passed since the incident in which I obtained healing magic. This new addition brings my list of magic to eight different types. To think that around a year ago this was all just fantasy. Sure I’ve lost certain luxuries by coming here, but I’m confident that if I properly use my class to get better at magic and stuff then I will be able to remake or replace everything that I miss.
There’s just one thing that’s preventing my plans from coming to fruition, pure stats. With my Low numbers I get too tired and run out of mana far too quickly. While my stat giving skills are helping to remedy that, they level far too slowly. But there is an alternative that will give me stats immediately, level ups. If I take care of enough goblins I can gain the equivalent of weeks of exercise immediately. But take note that I wouldn’t do it if I thought this would permanently effect me negatively in any way.
This world seems to be very open ended and I have yet to encounter any situation where pursuing one path closes off another. If I had any reason to believe that by doing this I would be hindering my ability to gain stats through my skills I would wait no matter how long it would take to max out my gains. Because if I did permanently stunt myself, I would have to live with that knowledge for my entire life, and I plan on living forever.
So strapping all my weapons to my back with some rope and grabbing some arrows for my bow I creep in to the forest on a goblin hunt.
Staying low and vigilant I creep through the underbrush, though this time harboring more ill intent than any previous outing. Killing goblins really irked me out the first time I did it but continuous observation has shown that they literally feel less empathy than the actual wildlife. The little beasts have no care for any living creatures other than themselves, only living in groups so as to protect themselves using swarm tactics. I’ve seen more die to infighting over food than I’ve actually killed, then they eat the corpse as well. Combined with several close calls with them I’ve long since lost any mercy for the entire species.
While I’ve done this many times before, in this particular instance I am more focused on staying undiscovered. Maybe it’s the weapons I’m carrying or maybe it’s just the intent of goblin hunting itself but soon a window popped up.
[Skill level increased]
[Stealth| lv.2]
[12% decrease in presence while hiding]
Welcome as always but I have bigger things to think about.
Finally I come across the first group of today, four goblins in total this time, longing in a valley as normal. I take out my bow and string an arrow, hoping to take some out at range.
I string an arrow and aim for the goblin closest to me. I fire the first shot aiming for the neck.
The arrow goes a bit high hitting the side of the head, but it still managed to kill it, first.
On to the next before. The goblins all lock on to me as a string the next arrow.
One screams so I shoot that one through the mouth, second one down.
Now the goblins are charging me but I try to get on more shot in.
I manage to string another and fire but the arrowhead falls off mid flight, the shaft hits but deals minimal damage. Still all three arrows hit their target, the practice paid off.
[Skill level increased]
[Basic bow proficiency| lv: 8]
[When using a bow accuracy is increased by 8% damage by 8% and crit chance by 8%]
The remaining two goblins have crossed over half the distance to me. I give up on the bow and reach for the spear on my back.
But while trying to grab it the rope keeping it on my back come loose letting my spear and axe fall to the ground.
I freeze for a second as my plans come undone. This allows the goblins to reach my location.
Frightened I run out of the way of their savage attacks, grabbing a weapon off the ground in the process, scrambling towards the center where the goblins originally started.
Recomposing myself I brandish my weapon, sword a glance tells me and prepare for the melee.
I have to deal with these two quickly, I'm deep in goblin territory and they've already made a lot of noise so reinforcements will surely come. Goblins may be selfish, but a threat to one goblins is by proxy a threat to every goblin. While I'm okay with reinforcements, I didn't come all this way out here to only kill four goblins after all, but if they show up mid-fight things will get tricky.
But in no time at all the two goblins reach my position and begin their flurry once more.
One swings at me from the ground with a rudimentary knife while the other repeatedly jumps at me with a knife that looks even pointier.
Facing them head on would be dangerous, but I don't need to play their game. From my studies of them I know that they will mess up eventually, then will be the time to strike.
After continuously backpedaling, constantly glancing behind me to make sure I don't run into anything, it happens. The one that jumps landed on the grounded one, knocking them both over, now is the time to strike.
Dashing in with a large swing I send jumpy flying with a large gash to boot. Like the bloodthirsty creatures they are it immediately attempts to right itself so that it may charge again.
Giving groundy a swing as well I jump back out of the way of jumpy.
With groundy getting back up it seems like things are back to square one, but it's not. Both have sustained injuries making them sluggish. What once was a frenzy to be feared is now a bedraggled routine full of holes.
Taking advantage of their occasional stumbles I get a few more light cuts in on both slowing them further.
After a few more exchanges like this I take a chance striking jumpy as hard as I can, that's three.
Without their teammate groundy goes down easily to a stab through the heart, four down.
The original four have all been taken down, but I have no time to relax. I took far too long dealing with the last two. Not even taking the time to reclaim my weapon I hide in the bushes of to the side.
Waiting for the second wave in the bushes I try to wipe off some of the blood on my sword with my shirt to partial success.
As I suspected more goblins come, this time in a group of seven.
Still hidden I take a moment to calm myself, as well as prepare a little surprise in my left hand using earth magic.
Then with a roar meant to drive away my own fear I rush at the large group.
The three closest to me prepare to attack as they form a small front against me. To counter I throw the contents of my left hand, the pile of dirt I conjured billowing into a cloud that gets into all three of their eyes, ruing their attack efforts as they claw at their eyes in pain.
As they try to get the dirt out their eyes I rush in driving my sword through one of their throats before moving on, five.
The next goes down the same way, still unable to fight back, six.
The third managed to compose itself slightly more than the other two, meaning it dodged the first slash, got knocked down by the second, and the third ended it through the heart, seven.
[Level Up]
[ Str: +1 | Dex: +1 | Agi: +1 | End: +1 | Int: +4 | Cha: +1 | Luk: +1]
Finally leveled up once but there are still four goblins left in this group.
All seem kind of shocked that three of them got taken out so quickly giving me an opening I gratefully exploit.
Running into the middle of their group to slash at one knocking it down before immediately running for the goblin farthest away from the others knocking it down with a slash and finished through the neck, eight.
Keeping up the momentum I run at another goblin as it attempts to meet my charge only for me to break of going for the still recovering goblin I knocked down earlier which I stab through the heart, nine.
Still going I go after the goblin I faked out while the last goblin charges me.
I reach my target first, hitting the thing with a powerful slash at the neck, decapitating this particularly unlucky one, ten.
This gives the last goblin the chance to catch up with me as it begins a frenzy incomparable to any goblin I've seen before.
It attacks like a combination of jumpy a groundy, an series of rapid slashes while hoping at me at an angle which makes counter-attacking difficult. Even I can tell this goblin is especially skilled.
Rapidly backpedaling I am put fully on the back foot for the first time in the fight.
I try to conjure a burst of flames at it but having never practiced using magic mid-fight nothing comes out. Realizing that focusing on magic right now will only distract me further I stop and try to pay more attention to the fight.
But the goblin does not stop its relentless assault and I don't trust myself enough to be able to outlast it without tripping. So out of options, I rush it and swing for its little knife, and in a culmination of all my training it works, the weapons clash and the knife goes soaring out of its little hands.
[Skill level increased]
[Intermediate sword proficiency| lv: 5]
[When using a sword damage is increased by 45% crit damage by 10% and crit chance by 15%]
Even without its knife it keeps its momentum as it careens towards me and in a moment of pure instinct, I knee it in the face, knock out some teeth and breaking its nose.
Sent sprawling to the floor by my impromptu attack it lies prone. Not to waste an opportunity I jump at it, driving my sword through it's heart, eleven.
[Level Up]
[ Str: +1 | Dex: +1 | Agi: +1 | End: +1 | Int: +4 | Cha: +1 | Luk: +1]
Wave two is over and another level gained with it but the noises I hear in the distance tell me I'm not yet done. Grabbing weapons and quickly restrapping them to myself I prepare for what I hope is the final showdown. And then I'm not sure why, but I walk toward the noises unhidden and ready to face the hoard.
And a hoard it is, ten more goblins to face. But perhaps for the same reason I gave up the stealth attack I felt no dear at the oncomers, simply the feelings of exhaustion and wanting this fight to be over.
Seeing the corpses surrounding me the goblins went into a bloodlust fueled frenzy. But this was a mistake as I held an advantage I had not in the previous fights, the range of a spear.
Stabbing at any goblins that get close while slowly backing up to maximize the time I can spend dealing what is basically free damage with the spear.
One gets a bit too bold and attempts a jump attack, neck, twelve.
Another tries going low but I skewer it through the eye, thirteen.
At that sight a goblin about to attack hesitates, neck again, fourteen.
Knowing this stage of the fight is almost at an end I go for one last kill through the heart, fifteen.
[Skill level increased]
[Intermediate spear proficiency| lv: 4]
[When using a spear damage is increased by 28% crit chance by 18% and crit damage by 18%]
Switching back to the sword as the remainders have spread out too much for the spear I prepare to end this.
And like a bloody omen of death I begin a dance that spells the end of the fight.
Rushing one, knocking it down before cutting its neck, sixteen.
Two more charge me but I sidestep and the same to them, seventeen, eighteen.
At this point they remainders look terrified but at this point I'm too tired to care.
They barely put up a fight as I pierce their hearts and neck, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one.
[Obtained skill]
[Footwork| lv: 1]
[5% increased control of foot movements]
[Level Up]
[ Str: +1 | Dex: +1 | Agi: +1 | End: +1 | Int: +4 | Cha: +1 | Luk: +1]
With wave three done and one last level attained I decided not to stick around to see if anyone else wanted to show up and after grabbing my weapons, ran towards the edge of the forest in order to throw any pursuers off my trail before I return home, leaving a field of goblin corpses behind me.
[Skill level increased]
[Flee| lv: 3]
[When running away increases movement speed by 12%]
[ |Name: Yellow Stone|
|Species: Human|
|Class: Scholar|
|Lv: 6|
|Hp: 95/95| |Mp: 108/108|
|Str: 9| |Dex: 8| |Agi: 8| |End: 9| |Int: 33| |Cha: 6| |Luk: 6|
|Skills: [Intermediate sword proficiency| lv: 5] [Intermediate spear proficiency| lv: 1] [Intermediate axe proficiency| lv: 2] [Basic bow proficiency| lv: 8] [Mana circulation| lv: 3] [Mana manipulation | lv: 3] [Basic mana core| lv: 2] [Basic mana reinforcement| lv: 2] [Magic circle creation | lv 1] [Meditation| lv 2] [Fire magic| lv: 2] [Water magic| lv: 2] [Earth magic| lv: 3] [Wind magic| lv: 3] [Ice magic| lv: 2] [Lightning magic| lv: 2] [Magnet magic| lv: 2] [Healing magic| lv: 1] [Inspect| lv: 2] [Sprint| lv: 3] [Butchering| lv: 3] [Woodcutting| lv: 3] [Sewing| lv: 2] [Fletching| lv.1] [Grinding| lv.1] [Carpentry| lv: 4] [Masonry| lv: 1] [Knapping| lv: 2] [Footwork| lv: 1] [Stealth| lv: 2] [Flee| lv: 3] [Strong arms| lv: 3] [Nimble fingers| lv: 2] [Swift legs| lv: 2] [Tough body| lv: 3] [Able mind| lv: 2] [Epistemology| lv: 1] | ]
Lovely to see a new chapter. I thought the fight scene was well done. It had a kind of frantic energy that conveyed the sense of urgency, but it was never unclear or confusing (apart from my own tired brain having to reread some words). I look forward to seeing how you're gonna integrate magic into fights in the future.
With just weapons, the movements can be described in a clear mechanical way to maintain the sense of flow and momentum of the fight, but with spellcasting, describing the intent and effects of the spell without breaking the flow should be an interesting task!
Nice fight scene, it flows well and feels like it could actually happen. It also reflected his high intelligence that he fought smart using tricks and strategy. His constant flow of thoughts throughout the fight felt right.