Lucius pulled the sword out of the goblin's head, and with the skill still activated, it glowed with a faint light.
Shaking it vigorously, green splatters painted the walls. He searched the goblin's body and found only a valuable axe, discarding the rest as trash and putting the axe into his inventory before rushing out of the hut.
Outside, he ran into a level 2 goblin wandering around. Without hesitation, he charged at it from behind, covered its mouth to muffle any noise, and swiftly sliced its throat. He then dragged the lifeless body back into the hut. He gained another 20 EXP and 2 gold from this kill.
Peeking outside to make sure no one saw him, Lucius spotted a nearby hut with two goblins inside, both looking towards the door.
Lucius moved swiftly, crashing through the wall of the hut. In an instant, the goblins turned towards the noise, their eyes widening in shock, but before they had a chance to react, Lucius swung his sword with deadly precision. Their heads were severed from their bodies, and their lifeless forms crumpled to the floor.
These were normal level 2 goblins, and killing both of them gained him 40 EXP and 4 Gold, but it was not enough. He decided to disable the skill as it was making him feel pain, and he took a moment to catch his breath.
With a sense of satisfaction, Lucius knew he had eliminated another threat. However, he had to be cautious. He spotted a larger hut nearby and noticed a level 5 goblin inside, it was green with a finger missing and a scar on its back.
The goblin was focused on its meal, completely unaware of Lucius arriving behind it.
With his skill activated, Lucius charged forward, aiming to deliver a single lethal strike to the goblin's head.
However, the goblin displayed unexpected agility, managing to dodge at the last moment. Despite this, Lucius's attack was not in vain as the sword still managed to pierce the goblin's head from the side, inflicting a severe wound.
Quick on his feet, Lucius reacted and placed his fist in the goblin's mouth, muffling any potential screams as the goblin made light 'Kuk Kuk' sounds in response to the pain.
He endured the discomfort from the goblin's teeth as he shifted the sword to deliver the final blow, destroying the goblin's head and bringing it to a swift end.
Lucius wasn't sure if the goblin didn't have a skill or simply didn't have the time to use it, but it was easier to defeat than the one he fought at the gorge. Taking advantage of catching it off guard, he had swiftly eliminated the goblin.
The hut, compared to other goblin dwellings, was relatively clean, but there was nothing of value inside. Despite that, the goblin rewarded him with 60 EXP and 6 Gold. Lucius checked the system and noted the change in his stats.
[Name: Lucius Maxwell]
[Age 36/200]
[Level 4 Exp 0/400]
[HP 100/150]
[MP 50/100]
[Free Attributes 2]
[Strength 16]
[Health 15]
[Agility 13]
[Intelligence 10]
[Mana 10]
Skills 'Empowered Luster'
Gold 60
Within just 30 minutes, Lucius had achieved a significant amount of experience and gold, surpassing what he could have gained by wandering outside for an entire day.
Understanding the urgency of the situation and the risk of the goblins discovering the dead bodies, he stowed the hammer he had found and continued to move stealthily through the darkness.
Taking advantage of the cover of night, Lucius skillfully eliminated three more goblins, two at level 3 and one at level 4.
While their possessions held no value, the experience they granted him was considerable, totalling 110 EXP and 11 gold. He was now a mere 290 EXP away from reaching the level he had set as his goal for this expedition.
As he cautiously approached the center of the goblin village, he stumbled upon something out of the ordinary—a prison of sorts. Upon further investigation, he discovered human prisoners, bound with chains, their bodies battered and bruised from mistreatment. Their faces were etched with fear and desperation. Some of them had lost limbs, likely taken by the goblins as a form of punishment, torment, and even as a source of food, while others were already dead.
The prison was guarded by a familiar level 6 goblin fighter—the same goblin he had seen at the workers' eating area. It had a strong aura, reminding him of the one he had encountered at the gorge. Despite being labeled as level 6, Lucius estimated its actual strength to be closer to level 5, mainly because it was missing an arm.
Lucius found a hiding spot in a hut after dealing with another goblin, gaining 20 Exp and Gold, and looked at the dire situation of the imprisoned humans.
As Lucius looked at the imprisoned humans one by one, he counted around 13 of them. Unfortunately, four appeared lifeless, likely already dead as they lay motionless with chains around them.
Leaving only a female and an older male, who seemed to have some strength left to fight back if necessary, in relatively better condition.
Not recognizing any of them and witnessing the dire state they were in, Lucius understood that attempting a rescue in the heart of the goblin camp would be an impossible task.
The risks were immense, and there was no guarantee of success. Rescuing them would be too dangerous, and the experience he needed to reach level 5 would be hard to gain by hunting normal monsters and small patrols.
Lucius didn't understand the goblins' language, but he observed them performing various tasks, such as cutting trees. He noticed that they didn't use the cut trees themselves, indicating that they had another purpose or were storing them for someone else.
From his observations, he deduced that this location served as an outpost or camp to gather resources, which would then be delivered to a more powerful enemy, likely deeper within the unexplored territory.
Lucius looked at the [Goblin Fighter] in the distance, thinking of the potential rewards he could gain from defeating him, including experience and maybe even a skill.
However, he knew that taking on level 6 [Goblin Fighter] alone would be suicide in this place. Instead, he made a plan and decided to attempt to use the imprisoned humans.
If they could assist him, they might have a chance at defeating the guard and securing their freedom. If they didn't agree, he would have to abandon the idea and leave, not caring either way.
He looked at the female, who gazed in his direction with a lost expression. Suddenly, her dead eyes started to glimmer again, first with confusion and then shining with hope.