Lennard stood up from the grass, still a little rattled from what he just did earlier.
"Where the hell is this place exactly? I'm not an expert, but I'm sure goblins are usually a bad sign.." Lennard grabbed his knife just in case.
'My goodness… I'm just a poor boy who got reincarnated in this world. Does fate have no sympathy for me?' Lennard felt like despite him having a system, life in the world of Tillian was still difficult.
Thinking about how difficult his life would be without the system, Lennard shuddered.
"Again… it's better than nothing.." Lennard decided to take a closer look at the system.
He swiped his hand to the right and examined his system better.
Lennard scrolled past the stats, the locked features that required a truckload of cash and eventually saw the achievements section.
"Achievements? That's interesting.." Lennard saw an exclamation mark next to the achievements and decided to check it out.
[First Kill! + 50 Experience Points]
[Claim?]
"Who's stupid enough not to?" Lennard claimed the points.
He then saw that the achievements had different sections called "Collection Achievements" gained by getting specific items, "Killing Achievements" by killing a special creature or killing a large number of a specific creature, "Advancement Achievements" which are done by leveling up normally, and "Action Achievements."
Action Achievements are special and are finished by doing a specific action. These actions are divided between the Righteous Route and the Evil Route. By doing specific things that are good, you get the achievements from the Righteous Route, and by doing despicable and evil things, you get achievements from the Evil Route.
The Evil Route gives more rewards, but doing so will also make it more dangerous for you to progress, while the Righteous Route gives a more stable way of getting rewards without ruining your reputation.
"I'm definitely going the Righteous Route.. always being hunted and on the run isn't my thing." Lennard already decided what route he's taking.
Someone who has died under the hands of evil people, Lennard wasn't willing to go down the same way.
"So far, It seems that I'm not missing anything important. At this point, I think it's best to unlock the skill tree and start from there." Lennard turned off the system and decided to go back to the camp.
But just as he was going to leave, he saw a few more green creatures running towards him.
[Basic Goblin - Level: 3]
[Basic Goblin - Level: 3]
[Basic Goblin - Level: 3]
[Basic Goblin - Level: 3]
…
"You've got to be kidding me.." Lennard wanted to make a run for it.
He immediately bolted away from the goblins because he was sure that one of them wielded a sword!
"Grah!" The goblins ran towards him with all their might.
With their long arms, they grabbed small stones that they hurled at Lennard as they gave chase.
Twak!
A few rocks fell down next to Lennard's feet.
He turned around and saw that the goblins were relentlessly throwing out stones which made him curse out loud. "You little sh*ts! Let's see if you guys like it when it happens to you!"
Lennard went to grab some stones as he ran and blindly threw a rock towards the goblins.
Pak!
The goblin who was about to be hit by a rock blocked it by using his wooden club.
"Oh of course it gets blocked!" Lennard decided to run towards the forest. "Surely with the trees around, I might lose them." Lennard consoled himself.
The goblins followed closely behind.
It was a good assumption that the goblins would be slowed down by using the trees because of how clumsy they run with two legs.
Sadly, Lennard didn't expect that the goblins were actually a bit faster in the forest because they could use their empty hands to steady themselves using the trees.
Having realized this, Lennard definitely knew that he made a mistake.
He also noticed that his stamina was slowly getting drained. With a level four endurance, Lennard wasn't going to get far with this much energy remaining.
Thoughts of fighting them started popping within his head. After all, if he was too tired to do anything, it would be truly upsetting if he died without getting to fight for it.
Because of this, Lennard decided to fight the goblins since there's no other way to get out of this situation safely. "Ahh! It's all or nothing then!" He quickly turned around and faced the goblins.
The one in the forefront was surprised for a short moment. The goblin raised its sword and slashed down in a rather crude and rash manner.
"Shiyah!" The goblin taunted.
Lennard used his knife and deflected the sword away from him. And with a sudden jerk of his leg, he kicked the goblin away from him.
"Giyah!" The goblin was kicked squarely on its face.
Lennard smiled.
He quickly grabbed the sword and stepped back to avoid the claws of the goblin.
The goblin who he just stole from was looking at him with burning rage. It really wanted the sword back.
"Ah gotcha.. you want it back? Hehehe.." There was no way Lennard was going to give it back to the goblin.
(Common Grade Iron Sword - Price 5$)
[Durability 98 / 200] [Sell? Y/N]
Lennard's eyes gleamed. "Cool sword."
The goblins began rushing towards Lennard with their clubs and sharp claws. They were really going in for the kill.
He slashed forward which cut the three goblin's stomachs which sent a stream of blood gushing out. However, the goblin on the right managed to get close enough to swing its club down at Lennard.
> You have killed [Basic Goblin - Level: 3]
+10 Experience Points. (2x)
Lennard kicked the club with a pushing motion which knocked the goblin off balance. This was an opening that Lennard took advantage of and slashed the unguarded spots of the goblin, finishing it off.
Burying the sword into the goblin's body, Lennard moved it around to scramble the organs inside.
"Giyah!" The goblin squirmed around, trying to break free.
Lennard pulled the sword out and slashed the goblin's neck. The goblin stopped moving, it only made small twitches before being completely still.
> You have killed [Basic Goblin - Level: 3]
+10 Experience Points.
With the last goblin remaining, Lennard wasn't planning to stay idle. He glared at the goblin who stood his ground holding its club upright.
Lennard could see his own reflection from the goblin's eyes. He held his sword up and said, "What?! Are you going to attack? C'mon! I'm right here!" Lennard pounded his chest.
The goblin growled menacingly, it was burning with hatred and used all of its strength on its legs to..!
… Run away!
The goblin was already far away from Lennard when he finally reacted to what happened.
"Wait! Get back here!" Lennard ran towards the goblin with a knife and a sword on both hands. He couldn't react that quickly to the goblin since the last thing that he expected was for it to run away.
"With that look in that goblin's eyes, I thought it was going to fight me to the death! How would I know that it was going to run!?" Lennard complained about the goblin's cowardice as he gave chase.
But before that, he of course had to sell its comrades' bodies.
He needed the cash after all.
"…" The goblin.
The goblin ran as fast as it could. When it turned around, it became more hurried as it feared for its life.
If the goblin had a more intelligent mind, it would be saying, "Why is that bald monkey chasing me! Can't you just let me go?"
Lennard ran with all his might, but he soon felt that he was getting tired. "Chasing after this guy might be… harder than I thought.." He panted.
Balancing the pros and cons, Lennard decided that it would be best letting it go for now.
But just as he was about to slow down, the goblin tripped on a rock.
Poor guy.
"Oh heavens, this must be because of my luck!" Lennard laughed to himself. He quickly caught up to the goblin and raised his sword.
The goblin tried crawling away, but the sword was soon plunged into the back of its neck.
> You have killed [Basic Goblin - Level: 3]
+10 Experience Points.
Lennard sat down. The adrenaline rush ran out and his body soon felt sore and tired. But luckily, the exhaustion settled in a bit slower.
Lennard glanced at the goblin's body and decided to sell it as well.
> Balance: 13.04$
"Nice.." Lennard's eyes shone with glee. He scrolled down and saw that he unlocked another achievement.
"Oh? What's this?" Lennard opened the achievements section to claim his reward.
[Killing Spree + 100 Experience Points]
[Claim?]
Lennard's mood became even brighter. He laid down on the ground and exhaled to release some of his fatigue. "Ahhh.. this is nice." He turned his head and looked at his experience bar.
> Experience Bar: 200 / 300
"Only a hundred left? That's nice.." Lennard looked at the sky and saw that it was around 1pm based on the sun's position. "Hmmm… if I come back without a catch, I'll probably get scolded or something.." After thinking about this, Lennard felt a bit worried.
'Maybe I should go and kill a few more goblins?' Lennard thought to himself.
…
30 minutes later…
Lennard was all rested up and began walking towards the place where he first saw the goblins.
He watched the ground closely in case he was passing through the transition zone between stone and soil. Lennard kept walking forward, and he even passed the spot where that one goblin was eating.
And sure enough, he found a large stone ridge up ahead teeming with lots and lots of goblins.
The goblins had wooden spears, wooden clubs, and stone stalagmites that they used for weapons.
They also had numerous captives imprisoned in dug out stone caves with wooden gates guarded by numerous goblins.
Lennard could see that the captives were mostly beasts, but he could also see some human captives.
Peeking his head from a tree, Lennard sighed, "Damn, wish I could help.." Lennard knew that attacking all by himself wouldn't work at all and it would probably even get him killed.
But just as he was going to leave, Lennard heard a notification from the system.
[D Tier Quest: Rescuing Captives From The Deadly Goblins]
[These people were innocently traveling by themselves. They all have different backgrounds and different origins, but they were captured by these evil goblins. Surely you could help them. They might even give you something that would help you a lot.]
[Completion Requirements: Save all five people from the goblins.]
[Quest Failure If: At least one captive dies]
[Reward: 30$, Uncommon Grade Steel Sword, Mystery Reward]-[Accept? Y/N]
..
Lennard frowned upon seeing this quest.
It wasn't that he didn't want to save them, after all, the rewards are already enticing. But Lennard really doubted if he could actually help without getting killed.
This was a difficult situation.
Scratching his head, Lennard decided not to save them.
He just reincarnated into this world and he wasn't just going to throw out his life for this. If he died once again, he'd really regret it.
Plus, what did those people have to do with him? It's not like he's a hero that has to risk his life all of the time.
"Forget it, I'm leaving." Lennard took one last look before deciding to leave.
Bling!
[Are You Sure You Aren't A Hero? +35% Bonus to all stats for 6h]
[Claim?]
Seeing this, Lennard finally gave in.
"You know what? Fine, let's do this. I already died once, I have no emotional connections in this world, and death isn't really that bad." Lennard shrugged and claimed the effect.
From the system, Lennard felt a strange force coiling around his body as if it were a snake. But the sensation wasn't restricting, but rather soothing.
Lennard peeked his head once again from the trees and began formulating a plan.
"...This might actually work." Lennard smirked.
…
At the ridge…
The goblins were sitting around, doing their thing.
A large campfire was lit in front of the makeshift cages, cooking a large hound with a wooden pike stabbing through its mouth and anus.
Two goblins were working hard spinning the pike around to cook it properly.
Redford, an ordinary farmer who sold carrots, potatoes and cabbages by the Rubystone City sat in his cage with hopelessness in his eyes.
All he was doing was his job. What did he do to deserve being captured by goblins?
"I'm really going to die here, am I…?" Redford looked at his wooden necklace before gently caressing it with his hand. "Asilia, my wife.. if I die here, I hope you and the kids stay safe… I'm sorry for being an incompetent father…" Tears slowly dripped from his eyes.
Suddenly, three goblins that were supposed to be guards turned their heads to the right before sniffing something in the air.
A goblin wearing sheepskin snorted. This goblin was a bit taller than the others and is definitely a higher ranked goblin in terms of hierarchy. "Naiyah." The goblin then pointed towards the right.
Three goblins quickly went towards the area where the goblin pointed. One of them carried a stone stalagmite, while the other two carried wooden clubs.
…
Lennard waited in the bushes like a tiger stalking its prey.
He left his shirt and smeared it on the trees before hiding.
The bushes were a bit itchy at first, but he had to deal with it or else he'd reveal his location.
Lennard then heard some noises coming from the direction where the goblin camp is located.
"Oooh, there they come." Lennard lowered himself further on the bushes. Rubbing his hands together, he slowly grabbed his sword and his knife.
The goblins soon arrived at the area.
With their keen sense of smell, they immediately tracked where the goblin blood was scattered.
What they saw was a bloody shirt and goblin blood covering the trees.
The goblin at the forefront picked up the shirt and sniffed it. The other two checked the tree for anything strange, but to their dismay, there was nothing.
The three of them looked at each other while scratching their heads. Unaware of the man creeping up behind them.
Twitch..
The goblins sniffed something strange.
They turned around and saw Lennard with a devilish smile on his face. And before they knew it, they were slashed by a sword.
"GIYAHHH!"
…
> You have killed [Basic Goblin - Level: 3]
+10 Experience Points. (3x)