The five-man team followed the footprints carefully. The light in the forest grew dimmer, and the mist thickened around them as they ventured deeper.
Instructor Calm stepped even lighter, scanning the surroundings like an experienced leopard.
Matthew also pushed his Perception to its limit, striving to distinguish every unusual scent and sound carried by the wind.
After advancing for about ten minutes, Instructor Calm, leading the way, stopped once more. He tilted his head slightly and gestured to the group with his eyes: there was movement ahead.
Everyone immediately lowered their bodies and held their breath. They peered through the sparse foliage and swirling mist, looking in the direction Calm had indicated.
About twenty paces ahead, at the edge of a natural depression, several short, grayish-green figures were moving about.
There were fewer than Instructor Calm had anticipated—only thirteen of them.
However, the sight before them brought a wave of confusion to Matthew and the others.
The state of these thirteen goblins seemed off.
Looking closely, several of them bore obvious wounds, crudely patched with rags and mud.
More noticeably, they were gathered in a circle, their heads buried in something as they tore it apart, making bone-chilling chewing and sucking noises.
Everyone present vaguely sensed that something was wrong. The remains were too large, and they didn't look like an animal's carcass...
“Those damn green-skinned bastards!” Reynard growled under his breath, gritting his teeth.
Instructor Calm kept his eyes locked on the group of goblins, particularly the carcass they were feasting upon.
After a moment, his pupils seemed to contract slightly.
“Prepare for combat.”
Calm said no more. Like a grey shadow, he was the first to slip silently from his hiding place. Using the bushes and terrain for cover, he flanked the eight unsuspecting, feasting goblins at an incredible speed.
The other four followed close behind.
Matthew's heart pounded wildly, filled with both the nervousness of his first real battle and the righteous anger shared by his companions.
Instructor Calm struck first, his sword flashing with a brilliant white light that sliced through the forest gloom!
Blood splattered.
A small green-skinned creature was instantly sliced in two.
For a brief moment, the forest fell into a dead silence.
“Screeech—!”
A sharp, ear-piercing shriek shattered the silence.
The gap Instructor Calm had opened was immediately rushed by screaming goblins trying to fill it. Although these green-skinned creatures were injured and in poor condition, the scent of blood and their survival instincts triggered a chaotic, frenzied ferocity within them.
They stopped eating, their blood-red eyes turning toward the intruders as they lunged forward, brandishing their crude weapons.
“Fight your own battles, watch each other's backs!”
The battle erupted in an instant.
Matthew felt a gust of foul wind rush at his face. The nearest goblin was already howling, charging at him with a rusty mace.
He raised his sword to parry almost out of instinct.
“Clang!”
The heavy metallic impact left his hand slightly numb.
“Is that all the strength you have?!”
The thought had barely formed when the memory of the goblins' gruesome feast fueled Matthew's anger!
He flowed with the downward force of the mace, nimbly flicking his wrist, bringing his sword up in a cold, sweeping arc.
“Slash!”
The blade sliced through the goblin's neck as smoothly as water!
‘My cheat is working!’ Matthew rejoiced inwardly.
Blood sprayed!
Tumbling onto the ground was the goblin's foul-smelling head, along with its hot, filthy blood!
His chest heaved.
Matthew exhaled a deep breath.
The intense palpitations and nausea from his first kill were mostly dispelled with that single strike.
His gaze turned sharp as lightning, instantly locking onto another goblin that had frozen in shock at its companion's sudden death.
The green-skinned creature had just raised its blood-stained face from a corpse, its murky yellow eyes still holding a mixture of greed and terror.
Without hesitation, Matthew surged forward, stepping over the still-twitching, headless corpse and lunging straight at his target.
Only then did the goblin snap out of it, frantically raising a crude wooden club to block.
But in Matthew's eyes, its movements were clumsy and agonizingly slow.
The sword flashed again!
This time, it was a simple, no-frills thrust. The sword bypassed the crude wooden club, piercing cleanly into the goblin's wide-open, howling throat, pinning its final shriek forever inside its chest.
The battle did not last long.
In less than ten minutes from start to finish, the skirmish was over.
Instructor Calm had set an excellent tone right at the beginning, and the inherent cowardice of low-level monsters quickly showed itself. Panic and fear prevented them from coordinating.
Matthew grew bolder as he fought, breaking through their lines one by one, slaying a total of six goblins before finally stopping.
He had fought with such ferocity for two reasons. First, his deep-seated hatred for goblins—the parents of his body's original host had died at the hands of these green-skinned monsters.
Second, Matthew had discovered that real combat increased his proficiency much faster!
Quiet returned to the forest, leaving only a sickeningly thick stench of blood and the varied, heavy breathing of the men.
“Something's not right... This isn't a human corpse.”
Reynard's voice broke the brief silence. He was crouching beside the badly mangled remains.
The group gathered around. The stench of blood in the air was even more pungent here, mixed with the foul blood of the goblins they had just slain.
“These bones, and this hide... definitely not human. It's on the smaller side, but the skeleton is robust,” Reynard said, pointing at the bones.
“It's a kobold,” Instructor Calm said, his voice certain.
“What's a kobold?” Fabian asked.
“Like goblins, they are low-level monsters. However, an adult kobold is roughly the same height and build as an average human, sometimes even stockier because of their thick tails and heavier bones.”
“In terms of individual threat, an adult kobold is more troublesome than an adult goblin. They are stronger, have sharper claws and teeth, and some can use crude stone axes or spears.”
“Like goblins, they are creatures that pose a threat through numbers. Once their population reaches a certain size, elite individuals that act as leaders will naturally emerge.”
Fabian gasped. “Then... how did these goblins dare to eat a kobold?”
“That is precisely the issue.” Instructor Calm stood up, scanning the messy battlefield and the deep forest around them. “Either this was an accidental stray—a kobold pup far from its nest.”
His eyes turned sharp. “Or it means a nearby kobold tribe has run into major trouble. They might be migrating, scattered, or were attacked by something far more powerful, leaving this kobold isolated.”
“In short, something unknown is happening in the forest.”
The silence of the forest felt exceptionally heavy now.
Instructor Calm took in everyone's varied expressions.
“You did well on this mission,” he encouraged them, then added, “The scent of blood is too strong here. Clean up the battlefield quickly, and let's head back to the village.”
Rate on N.U.
