Chapter 14: The Hunt
At that moment, a faint spark of light emerged from the headless corpse of the undead and drifted toward Leon Grant, merging into his body.
"Huh? What's this?"
A thought flashed through Leon's mind. Could killing undead also grant potential points?
He stopped in his tracks, summoning his status panel.
Name: Leon Grant
Mana: 18/21
Skills: The Breath of Darkness Meditation Method
Zero-Rank Spells: White Fang of Bone
Potential Points: 0.5
Indeed, his potential points had increased by 0.5!
Leon's heart leaped with excitement. He already knew how valuable potential points were, allowing him to evolve his abilities and grow stronger.
However, he noted something curious—killing an undead provided only 0.5 potential points, less than the points gained from slaying a goblin. Was it because undead lacked intelligence?
Leon's thoughts raced, and a dangerous idea surfaced. Why not kill the rest of the undead here for more potential points?
The grotesque, shambling undead, once horrifying creatures, now seemed like walking treasures in Leon's eyes, practically begging to be harvested.
But almost immediately, Leon suppressed his greed. He was still too weak, his survival uncertain. Hunting these undead recklessly could put him in a dire situation.
Survival comes first.
Taking a deep breath, Leon moved cautiously down the stairwell, mindful to keep his movements silent.
He stepped over the headless undead he had killed earlier, careful not to tread on the sticky pool of dark blood.
A Strategic Retreat
Reaching the ground floor, Leon adjusted the straps on his backpack and chose a new direction to avoid the clusters of undead.
His initial path was no longer viable—several undead hordes had passed through the area during the previous night. Judging by their patterns, Leon suspected they had retreated into nearby buildings to avoid the sunlight.
He decided to backtrack toward the route he had taken the day before, hoping to find a safe place to regroup.
But the Arcane Realm had a way of defying expectations.
Leon froze as a noise reached his ears from ahead.
He dropped to one knee, straining to identify the source of the sound. His face paled.
The guttural, chattering voices were all too familiar—they were goblins.
Leon's heart sank. Could they have tracked his movements from the previous day? Were they seeking revenge?
No, that doesn't make sense.
Enough time had passed, and the chaotic movement of undead overnight should have wiped out any trace of his presence. Yet here they were.
There was no time to ponder. Leon bolted, abandoning any pretense of stealth.
The streets were teeming with undead hiding from the sun, making the area treacherous but ironically safer in the short term.
A Dangerous Discovery
After sprinting about a hundred meters, Leon glanced over his shoulder and spotted the goblins—a group of over twenty green-skinned creatures, their small but wiry frames moving quickly through the ruined city streets.
Leon ducked into a nearby building he had scanned with his spiritual senses, confirming it was free of undead. He climbed through a shattered window and crept up to the fourth floor.
From his vantage point, Leon watched the goblins.
This group was far more numerous than the one he had encountered yesterday. There were at least twenty of them, armed with crude stone spears and makeshift clubs. Some even wore feathered necklaces that marked them as shamans or leaders.
There's no way I can take them all on.
Leon clenched his fists. His White Fang of Bone spell, effective as it was, took three seconds to cast. Even under ideal conditions, he could only eliminate a handful before they overwhelmed him.
For now, hiding was his only option.
The goblins moved boldly, shouting and banging their weapons against walls as they marched. Occasionally, a few of them broke off to explore nearby buildings.
Leon narrowed his eyes. What are they doing?
The Goblin Tactic
The goblins soon approached the block where Leon had killed the undead earlier. This area was infested with undead hiding from the sun.
What unfolded next shocked Leon.
Two goblins entered a nearby building, their guttural laughter echoing through the shattered windows.
Moments later, they burst out, shrieking with excitement. The others joined in, cheering and waving their weapons.
Curiosity gnawed at Leon, but he remained in place, using his spiritual sense to