Joshua left Aurora's house the next day's morning. He wanted to stay more, but other things needed his attention. The trip to the capital was getting near, and the goblin's threat did make Joshua uneasy.
The next strong enemy would be the chief of the goblins. But now, Joshua was at level 3, and his newly acquired armor set was sure to be of great help.
Five attributes points were the reward of his new level. He had not used them before, afraid of not having enough to wear the armor set. Its requirements were not that harsh, so the points now had a purpose.
[Name: Joshua Moore]
[Level: 3 (12/250)]
[Class: Solan's Warbringer]
[Health: 440/440]
[Mana: 200/200]
[Attributes:
[Strength: 14(+3)]
[Endurance: 7(+2)]
[Dexterity: 6(+2)]
[Wisdom: 6]
[Intelligence: 6]
[Free points: 5]
The armor set boosted up his attributes for a little. That pleased Joshua. After pondering for some time, he went all-in on strength once again.
With that, his strength attribute reached 19. Well, adding his armor set would stack that up to 22.
Joshua was feeling strong. It took him so long to get his first combat class, but now, he was leveling up fast. He had no idea how long it took others to level up, but he could not be that far behind, right?
These were things he would eventually know. The trip to the capital was precisely for this purpose. Widening his horizons had to happen sooner or later.
After leaving Aurora's house, he went straight to the woods. Stopping at his house would only lose him time. Joshua ate already, so what's the point? Level up was his priority, and just because he reached level 3, that would not change the slightest.
Memories about his last fight with the goblins flashed through his mind. The Blazing Rage seemed to change his personality. The first time he used it, the changes were not that clear. But now? Under the effect of that ability, he was a beast. The killing was the only thing in his mind while under that effect, and it scared him.
'Power does come with a cost. It makes sense for me now,' Joshua thought. Joshua pondered about not using that skill anymore. But it allowed him to fight stronger foes than him and get more experience points. It was a fact that the only way he would not need the skill anymore was reaching a high level. He hoped that his personality would only change under the skill's effect, not beyond that.
~~~~
The woods were now familiar to him. Getting to his destination did not seem as troublesome as before. A cave he entered, and goblins he wished to kill.
Using the same tactic as before, he now had his night vision. The cave looked the same as the last time. Well, the first room now was different. No goblins. All of the corpses vanished. It was clear that the goblin chief did not want to attract hungry beasts to his cave.
The remaining goblins gathered inside the last room. They had fewer numbers, expected after all the killing Joshua had made. Still, there were at least seventy goblins. Not that they posed any threat to Joshua. But fighting the chief would be troublesome, and even if the goblins were weak, they could still sneak upon him. One attack would not harm that much. But constant attacks would kill Joshua nonetheless.
Joshua did try to think of a plan, but there was none. The cave was their habitat, and taking advantage of that place was impossible. The only tactic that should work was the one he used before.
'I hope I can handle the chief. No way he's stronger than me after using my Blazing Rage, right?' It was a fact that the chief of a tribe would be tough to beat, but Joshua had tons of divine skills. A mere goblin could not withstand the power from the Gods.
Joshua steadily followed the small corridor that led to the last room. They were waiting for him, with weapons raised and fierce gazes. None of the sides took action. A taller goblin stood behind the rest of them. To call that a goblin would sure change the common belief. That thing was huge.
For a brief moment, they only stared at each other. Joshua would not be fool enough to be the last one to raise his weapon. A greatsword made its way to his hand. The goblins walked sideways, creating a clear path for their chief.
After each step, the tension got higher. The tall and fatty goblin wielded a massive club. Joshua was sure the fight would be hard. The motive?
[Goblin Chieftain]
[Level: 6]
[HP: 1240/1240]
'Damn, this thing has a lot of health.' Maybe it had been a mistake to go there. Joshua was so eager to level up and so confident in his skills that he never thought about the possibility of losing. Sure, it was only a three-level gap. But it was common knowledge that this goblin would be far superior in attributes to an ordinary level 6 monster.
"Human, you dare to harm my tribe," a hoarse voice. Joshua was surprised. That goblin knew how to speak the human language. Not that strong monsters couldn't learn it, but a level 6 goblin? Things started to get stranger. For instance, goblins should not even appear in this region. He read that in one of Richard's books. But now there's even a talking goblin.
"How do you know my language? Speak the truth, and perhaps I can spare your tribe's life." It was a long shot. No way that goblin would tell him that.
"Are you implying a goblin is too dumb to learn your language?" The goblin looked even more furious than before.
Joshua looked up to him and smiled.
"I am saying exactly that."
A furious roar. Even the goblins looked scared and hid at the back of the room. The chieftain made its way to Joshua, hoping to smash that human into a pulp.