Advancing slowly towards the tent, his senses heightened to the maximum, ready to react to any movement, the daggers in his hands gleamed in the moonlight, revealing the reflection of his cold, emotionless eyes. Just as he was about to enter, a deafening roar echoed from within, followed by a sudden explosion that shattered the tent in a burst of debris and dust.
*Crack! Rumble! Crash!*
Emerging from the rubble, a shadow moved swiftly in his direction. Aethereis reacted quickly, transforming his daggers into a shield and using it to cushion the impact. The force of the blow sent his staggering back several meters.
********
Aethereis's POV:
Spitting out a bit of blood, I observed my target. His skin, like that of the other goblins, was green. He was clad in rough leather armor, and the only thing setting him apart was his slightly taller stature and the fact that he wielded a large sword made of stone.
'His strength surpasses mine, but our speed is on par,' thought Aethereis. 'Given the weapon he wields, his attributes lean towards brute force. As long as I can avoid his sword touching me, I can finish him off.'
Unleashing a powerful roar, the goblin charged at full speed, making several cuts in an attempt to cleave me in half. I dodged his attacks with agile movements, feeling the sharp air of his sword as it passed dangerously close to my skin.
*Swoosh!* *Swoosh!* *Swoosh!* *Swoosh!*
'That excites me, the sensation of teetering on the edge of his blade, despite knowing I could die with one wrong move...'
Performing a backflip, while mid-air, I threw one of my daggers aiming for the goblin's eyes.
*¡Swoosh!*
The goblin instinctively reacted, raising his large sword to block the attack.
*Clang!*
In that brief moment of distraction, I seized the opening, launching myself forward decisively. In the blink of an eye, I was face to face with the goblin.
Quickly directing one of my daggers with the intention to stab his side, I pierced through his armor, sinking my dagger into his flesh. The goblin roared in pain and swung his sword in an attempt to strike me.
*Squelch!*
Without giving him time to recover, I capitalized on the confusion to move and launch a series of swift and precise attacks from different angles.
The goblin fought ferociously, desperately trying to block the attacks while covering his wound with his left hand.
*Slash! Slice! Rip!*
The goblin, now covered in cuts all over, began to move with more sluggishness and clumsiness. Fatigue and pain were starting to take their toll on his endurance, and his face clearly showed frustration.
With one last attempt to defend himself, gathering the last of his remaining strength, the goblin made a desperate move. With a guttural roar, he lunged forward, his sword trembling in hand.
I watched as his sword was enveloped in a small layer of green light, my instincts activating, sensing the danger emanating from his weapon. I kicked the ground, propelling myself forward.
"Boom!* *Crack!*
The goblin thrust forward, his sword infused with aura aimed at my chest. In a split second, with deadly precision, I used my dagger to deflect his attack upwards.
As the goblin's sword was deflected upwards, it released a wind slash that tore through the air with a deadly whistle. The slicing wind passed dangerously close to my face, and the blade of his sword shattered with a sharp sound.
*Krrash!*
*Swoosh! Whoosh!*
In a fluid motion, I plunged my daggers into his heart with precision and force. The tips of my daggers pierced his green skin and deeply pierced his flesh.
*Squelch!*
The goblin emitted a final grunt of pain, his body convulsing as life faded from his eyes, with a dull thud, the goblin fell to the ground.
"Gnghh..."
Pulling my daggers from the goblin's chest, taking a deep breath, I looked around. What remained of the camp was chaos: tents torn apart, blood and bodies scattered everywhere.
Turning the daggers into a scythe with precision, I severed the goblin's head, storing it in my storage ring as evidence for the guild.
After collecting the remaining goblin parts, I headed as far away from the camp as possible. The chaos that had occurred there could attract hungry predators.
***************
After searching for a while, Aethereis found a suitable tree to rest and check the system notifications.
[You have killed a F- ranked goblin and gained 100 experience points! * 19]
[You have killed a F- ranked goblin and gained 100 experience points!]
[Level up >6]
Feeling a sudden surge of energy coursing through his body, Aethereis experienced the fatigue dissipating. Previously, when he leveled up, she hadn't perceived any significant change at that moment. However, now her body felt more agile and stronger. Additionally, his perception had increased considerably; he could sense his surroundings more accurately.
"System, why weren't the other four goblins counted?" Aethereis asked, seeking confirmation after realizing that only the ones he had killed had been tallied.
[Deaths caused by an external factor do not count. Some died due to an attack by their own kind, while the host did not commit the murder, it will not count.]
"What's the reason I can't use mana? Despite feeling it, I tried to move the mana from my core and couldn't," Aethereis inquired.
[The reason the host cannot utilize his mana is because there is a prerequisite: his core must have formed a star. If he were to try to force the mana from his core, he could end up destroying it.]
[Just like that goblin, despite being close to obtaining a star, he forced the mana out of his body, activating an ability. Even if he survived, his core would shatter into pieces, leaving him crippled.]
"I understand. In that case, I will focus on increasing the stars of my core for the time being," Aethereis replied.
Without receiving any response from the system, Aethereis checked his status.
"Status," Aethereis said.
------|Demonic Dragon System|------
[Name]: Aethereis Tenebris Noctis
[Level] - 6 (EXP 500/600)
[Race]:Demonic Dragon
[Bloodline]: Demonic Dragon Progenitor
[Body Constitution] - Common 0-star Mana Core
[Treasury]
'Hmm... I'm four levels away from my core gaining a magical star,' Aethereis thought as he reclined against the tree bark. Observing the sky, a magnificent landscape where the stars shone brightly and, amidst it all, two moons adorned the firmament. he closed his eyes as the gentle breeze of the wind caressed his face.