We calmly walked towards the exit. The goblins didn't have a steady pace, they got easily distracted and always ended up fighting with each other. This resulted in a delay in our departure.
However, the first summoned goblin seemed to have taken a leadership position. Whenever one of the little green ones tried to cause trouble, he used the bat, the one I gave him, to hit the troublemaker on the head.
After a short walk, we reached the dungeon gates. I pushed them open and the whole group came out - with me leading, of course.
It was still daylight outside, but the sun was already approaching the horizon, so I hurried.
"Walk in groups of two and don't wander too far from this point," I said to them and signaled for them to move away. "Lobo, come with me."
The wolf let out a loud howl and followed me. The only ones left were the skeleton and the first summoned goblin, who ended up forming a duo.
I wanted to make it clear how important it was to be safe. If they saw anything unusual, they needed to report it to me as soon as possible.
However, trusting goblins was not the best option.
"Let's go this way. If you see anything, let me know immediately." I proceeded carefully in one direction.
The forest was very dense. After only a few meters, I could no longer see the dungeon. The only thing that told me it was still around was the connection that linked me to its Core.
I was careful where I stepped, as there could be traps. I also focused on my surroundings. I had no tracking or defense skills, so if I were to be attacked unexpectedly, I would just die.
Dying here doesn't seem like a good idea.
Suddenly, the wolf started acting strangely. He began to smell something and growled for me to follow him. I lowered my body and paid attention to the wolf's movements, following him calmly.
After a few meters, he lowered his body and hid behind a bush. Following his lead, I also hid.
Soon, a small creature sprouted from one of the bushes. It had a small sharp horn on the top of its head. It also had a small white body and red eyes.
"A Horned Rabbit..." I recognized the creature as one of the weakest monsters in Vangloria.
I quickly raised my hand and tried to read its stats. However, nothing happened.
How strange. In Vangloria, you could see the stats of monsters and items, why not here?
It became even more dangerous to roam the area. For some reason, I couldn't see the stats of monsters that weren't in the dungeon. I even tested this by looking at the white wolf's stats, but everything was normal.
The horned rabbit continued to graze, seemingly unaware that we were nearby. Although I couldn't see its stats, I remembered that most of them didn't even have 5 points, so worrying wasn't relevant.
"Wolf... Attack!" I ordered firmly and, following what I said, he jumped out of the bush in pursuit of the animal.
I predicted the attack would be perfect. The rabbit was distracted and the wolf was extremely agile. However, to my surprise, the little creature dodged the attack with precision. It then performed some movements in the air that I thought were impossible and retreated to a safe distance.
"What was that?" Still inside the bush, I contained my scream and looked at that animal with different eyes.
The white wolf growled and clawed at the ground, creating a tense atmosphere in the air. The rabbit didn't back down or fear for a moment, positioning itself for attack.
"There's really something wrong here..."
Attacking directly, the wolf ran towards its prey. Upon arriving at the target, however, it received only air in its grasp, as the rabbit once again executed movements in the air, as if it could jump on it.
Suddenly, I realized what it was and put an arrow in my new bow. This fight wouldn't be so easy.
The animal cut through the air and, in a precise leap, hit a blow to one of the wolf's paws. Blood leaked out and a growl of pain echoed. The horn was short, so the wound wasn't deep, but it still hurt.
If the wolf suffered a dozen more attacks, death was certain.
My arrow was already in the bow and I was aiming directly at the little one's head. However, his rapid movements prevented me from having adequate target accuracy. I needed him to be distracted for a moment.
Full of fury, the white wolf attacked again. This was my chance to kill the creature. And, once again, the wolf missed its target, causing the rabbit to once again move in the air.
When he gave a third jump in the air, my doubts dissipated. That was a skill known as a three-dimensional maneuver. It wasn't something a simple rabbit could have, so things weren't really going well.
However, when the attack hit, a gap of a few seconds was created until he could reuse it, and that was my chance to counterattack.
As predicted, he hit the wolf with another blow, this time in one of the animal's paws. In the meantime, he let go of the canine and stepped on the ground. Unaware, an arrow was already flying quickly in his direction.
A soft sound resonated, followed by a sudden impact. The bloody body of the rabbit hit a tree and hung there, writhing in pain. After a few more seconds of uninterrupted suffering, the animal gave its last breath.
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[Dead Horned Rabbit]
[Achievement]
Name: First Kill
Degree: Common
Reward: 100 Points
Description: You have ended the life of another living creature. Death is a devastating force. Be careful when playing with it.
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Seeing the dead rabbit, I let out a sigh of relief and left the bush. I noticed that the White Wolf was still watching and growling at the corpse. This had never happened before in Vangloria, so I was suspicious.
"Relax. He's dead..." I tried to approach and put my hand on the wolf, but was met with an attack from its claws. I took a step back and stared at it furiously.
Realizing its mistake, the wolf lowered its head and lay down on the ground, looking regretful. I decided to let it go this time. It was extremely hungry.
"So you really are a living being, aren't you? Come here." I remembered that now I wasn't in a game and this animal had just come into the world, never having experienced pain before. Although it was at the peak of its life, it was nothing more than a child.
The wolf approached slowly, like a stray dog.
"It's okay. You were brave. You didn't try to run away at any point during the battle, so I'm proud of you. Now come here," I said some words of consolation and noticed that the wolf wagged its tail a little excitedly.
As it approached, I looked at the wounds it received. It was still bleeding a little and there was a red stain on its beautiful snow-colored fur, staining the old magnificence it had shown before. At that moment, the white wolf was just a helpless little animal.
"When we get back, I'll make sure to heal you, so don't worry," I said.
As a gesture of loyalty, the animal licked my hand a few times. I smiled a little.
"Can you stand?" I asked. He let out a soft howl and, with some difficulty, got up.
Apparently, he was a strong beast with great determination. I shouldn't see that attack as something bad, but rather as a certainty that he wouldn't back down in battle.
"Great then. We'll meet up with the others soon, let me see this first."
I pointed to the corpse hanging from the tree and walked toward it. I pulled the arrow out of the tree and the body fell to the ground. I thought Vangloria was realistic, but that broken body inside out made me feel nauseous and a latent sense of fear.
I swallowed the urge to throw up, even though I hadn't eaten anything since I got here, and held the rabbit firmly in one hand. At another time, I would look for the Mana Stone he could possess.
I called the wolf and we disappeared into the woods.
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"To the south of the Imperial Capital of the Noble Vampires, there is a medium-sized kingdom that was constantly in conflict with its southwestern neighbor. Their borders were mostly in open grass fields, so conflicts and wars unfolded between large armored armies.
However, there was a single border point between these two kingdoms that had a terrain different from the others. There were also three territories that bordered these lands: a small barony and two counties.
The infamous terrain was known as 'The Forest of Fate', an unexplored place rich in mana, minerals, and treasures, but also full of dangers.
It was not explored for several reasons. The size of the territory alone was close to one of the kingdoms that bordered it. Another crucial point was the fact that the forest was surrounded by the border between five kingdoms of equal military power.
That land had no legitimate owner... But, in fact, it did have owners...
The dangers that lurked in that forest were infamous and multiplied to such an extent that they even became part of the culture of the kingdoms around it.
Few are those who dare to enter Sort, fewer are those who leave alive to tell their story" - Count Edyard - The Beautiful Kingdom to the South.
Book Written 2 months before the death of the Count who narrated it; it was never published. Draft recovered by a Bone Soldier named Ian during the looting of the County.
1 year and 6 months after the Invocation of Kayn.
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