"Understood, Chief, the goblins are steering straight for their heartland. If I may, it implies they're heading back to their main tribe grounds," Draven stated. "But with all due respect, sir, tangling with a united goblin tribe could spell trouble. It's like stirring a hornet's nest with a twig. Best tread carefully, Chief."
Besides Wang Jun, Draven had the highest intelligence among the hunters. With an intelligence of 13, it couldn't compare to Wang Jun's, but among the other members, he could be considered smart.
"Main tribe?" Wang Jun mumbled.
"Forgive me, Chief, but let me lay it out plain. Among the creatures prowling this forest, goblins outnumber the rest by far. They breed quicker than rabbits in mating season, and they've got this nasty habit of snatching up women from weaker tribes, using them to bear their young," Draven explained, his tone respectful yet straightforward. "But when it comes to raw strength, they're as feeble as a newborn fawn. Survival's their game, Chief, and they're masters of it, relying on sheer numbers rather than brawn."
"So, what do you think the reason?" Wang Jun asked.
The group waited behind the bush, keeping their distance from the goblins but still able to observe them due to their large number. They waited for Draven's answer, knowing that some of them didn't like to use their brains, especially Freya and Grimlock, who preferred to solve problems through fighting.
"Here's my take, Chief. It's either their main tribe's dealing with some big trouble that needs backup from the branches, or they stumbled upon a new labyrinth," Draven speculated.
"But if you ask me, it seems more likely they're headed back to the main tribe. Think about it - if they were venturing into a new labyrinth, they wouldn't need a massive force. Ten, maybe fifteen would do to explore it, especially if it's still in its infancy. And judging by the behavior of that one goblin, it looks like a scout to me. Its job? To tip off the goblin leader if anyone's on their tail."
Wang Jun nodded at Draven's words. He didn't know this place well enough to make informed decisions, so he could only provide questions and wait for answers.
According to Grom, the labyrinth comprises different floors, with each floor housing its monsters. The lower the floor, the stronger the monsters encountered. Additionally, there are benefits to exploring the labyrinth: they could find treasures like rare herbs, monster body parts that could be used as trophies or weapons, or items left behind by previous explorers who died in the labyrinth.
Grom shared that when he was young, they attempted to explore the labyrinth but only managed to reach the third floor. The hunters who comprised strong men at the time have now dwindled in number, with only Grom remaining. His father and grandfather died in the labyrinth, which had a traumatizing effect on him and the tribe, leading to many consequences.
After becoming Elder, he banned the tribe from entering the labyrinth unless it was necessary.
"So if they are going to the main tribe, then there's no reason to follow them," Wang Jun muttered loud enough for the group to hear his words. "But if it's the labyrinth, there must be something important hidden there to make such goblins move in a group."
He didn't know what lay hidden behind the labyrinth, but he was curious and eager to find out. He wanted to know if it could help his tribe. He didn't care about the army of goblins. If there was a treasure that could benefit his tribe, he was willing to at least try to fight for it, or perhaps even steal it. However, if it proved to be of no use to his tribe, then he would leave the goblins alone.
"Wulfgar, tell your friend to follow them silently. If they are going to the labyrinth, notify us. If not, stop the following," Wang Jun instructed.
Wulfgar nodded at Wang Jun's words, then whispered into the dog's ear. After that, the dog barked and disappeared into the bush.
Wang Jun glanced at the army of goblins before they left.
…
A large creature holding a club slammed at the white-haired woman, who dodged easily. Then, a burly man appeared out of nowhere, grasping the club and the arrow that pierced through its eyes. Following him, a man with white hair appeared at the feet of the large creature, slashing its tendon, and causing it to stagger and fall to the ground.
With a final swoop, Freya swung her sword, cutting off its head.
'Your subordinate Freya, kill Mimic, and you receive 20 EXP.'
The creature that appeared to be holding a club was a Mimic disguised as a Troll. Mimics, as the name suggests, can mimic the appearance of other creatures, whether stronger or weaker, as long as they have seen their appearance. They also possess the same power and strength as the creatures they mimic. However, the group was able to kill it easily because of its lack of intelligence. Trolls are powerful but lack intelligence, so the Mimic also inherited the attribute of low intelligence from the Troll.
The five hunters of Wang Jun's team worked together perfectly. Using a game as an example, with their teamwork, they could easily defeat a creature more powerful than them. Freya served as the fighter, Grimlock as the tank, Jacob as the archer, Draven as the assassin, and Wulfgar as support. Although Wulfgar wasn't particularly useful in combat, being an old man, one swing of the club from the Troll was enough to kill him.
Despite Wulfgar's limited combat abilities, he still had his uses. Additionally, with Wang Jun's gift, there was a high chance that the old man could become stronger in the future.
The group continued their hunt until nightfall, and it was finally time to return to the tribe. Wang Jun's EXP bar was finally filled up, and he reached level 3, granting him 9 attribute points and 3 skill points.
The tribe was lit with torchlight as Wang Jun made his way to his home. After a short meal, he called the five hunters and the Elder to gather together.
It is finally time to use the attribute point.
While waiting for the others, Wang Jun went outside his house and picked up a branch. He used it to write something on the ground. In this era, paper was still not available, and Wang Jun couldn't find any object to write on, so he had to use the ground.
He wrote something on the ground regarding status points, attributes, and skills. Wang Jun had observed that everyone in the tribe had attribute points below 10, with children below 5 and hunters above 15. This puzzled him at first, prompting him to begin his study.
He noted that the normal status of an adult human was considered to be 10 and below. Most women had stats of around 10 because they mostly stayed in the tribe, while the men, who did the hunting, had stats above 10. The strongest among them was Freya, with a stat of 17.
In conclusion, Wang Jun deduced the following regarding attribute points:
Teenagers: Below 10
Normal Adults: Around 10
Hunters: Between 15 and 20
Despite being the same age as Freya, Wang Jun's stats were relatively weak compared to hers. However, this was understandable considering he grew up in a peaceful era, while Freya had been constantly fighting for survival. Despite this, Wang Jun's intelligence was 20, the highest in the tribe. This was likely because he had been a student in his past life, dedicating most of his time to studying and, perhaps, playing games.
"Chieftain…"
As the group arrived, Grom called out, and Wang Jun stood up, patting his body before signaling for them to follow him inside.
"Now, I will use my gift on all of you. I will start with Freya," Wang Jun said, turning to the white-haired woman with an unwavering gaze.
Freya's stats were well-balanced, with 14 in both dexterity and constitution. After pondering for a moment, Wang Jun decided to increase her strength stat to 20, matching the strength of the Mimic they had encountered before. With 20 strengths, she could handle a Mimic alone.
Wang Jun planned to initially strengthen each member in their respective specialties: Freya in strength, Jacob in dexterity, Grimlock in the constitution, Draven in dexterity and constitution, and Wulfgar in his skills. Although this might seem unbalanced at first, the team's specialties complemented each other's weaknesses well. For example, while Freya lacked in defense, Grimlock could absorb damage, allowing them to deal with enemies effectively.
Once they had enough points, Wang Jun would distribute them to their weakest attributes, making them more independent and well-rounded as individuals.
After Wang Jun distributed all the attribute points, he still had the skill points remaining. He decided to save them for now, intending to find a useful skill that could benefit the tribe. Since he could only gain one skill point at every level, he wanted to be strategic about its use.
Meanwhile, the hunters were ecstatic about their newfound strength. Grimlock and Draven went outside, expressing their desire to test their strength against each other.
Wulfgar spoke, "Chief, my friend tells me, it was a labyrinth."