As the goblin archer shoved its arm through the wooden bars of the cage, the young woman screamed again. Her tear-filled eyes were fixed on the filthy hand reaching toward her as she pressed herself against the opposite side of the cage, trying to put as much distance as possible between herself and the goblin.

  The desperate scream of the woman irritated the goblin leader, who was still chewing on what little meat remained on the animal leg. He roared at the archer.

  The other goblins flinched. All attention shifted toward the cage.

  These bastards… Lucas thought as he watched the helpless woman struggle against the bars. But he forced the emotion down. This was not the time to let impulse get the better of him and act blindly. Her scream had given him the best opening he could have hoped for.

  He needed to kill the leader while the goblins were distracted.

  Lucas ran along the treeline, keeping low as he moved toward a position where the leader’s back would be fully exposed. More importantly, it was roughly ten meters from the camp but still provided the cover of the trees and bushes.

  Running as quietly as he could, Lucas used the scroll he had been saving - Minor Agility. He already knew the enhancement would be modest at best. With his Agility at 9, a 10% increase would grant him less than a single point.

  Still, in his current situation, even that fraction could mean the difference between life and death.

  After confirming his angle, he dropped to one knee and laid five arrows and the wooden staff beside him. He planted his elbow on his knee to steady the bow and quickly nocked the first arrow.

  Holding the bow, he immediately felt the difference. The +2 Dexterity granted by the Uncommon shortbow made his grip steadier and his aim more precise.

  But what to target?

  The head? No. He had no idea how thick a goblin’s skull was.

  The chest? Their anatomy was unknown. The heart might not even be where he expected.

  So he chose the throat. No matter the creature, blood had to reach the brain.

  Lucas inhaled deeply and pulled the bowstring to its limit. It pressed painfully into his fingers before he released.

  The arrow whistled.

  Without waiting to confirm the kill, he nocked another arrow and aimed.

  The goblin leader staggered. It let go of the animal leg and grabbed its neck, greasy mouth wide open, though no sound came. Its hands pressed on the wound as dark green blood forced its way between the fingers.

  The creature lurched forward. The arrow remained buried in its throat as it collapsed face-first beside the fire. Blood pooled quickly beneath its body as it twitched once, then again, weaker the second time.

  [You’ve gained 10 Experience Points!]

  It died without shouting and alerting others.

  Still, the wet choking sound and the dull thud of its fall drew attention.

  One goblin’s startled cry quickly became seven.

  But their wild shrieks were cut short as Lucas’s second arrow struck true. The mage staggered backward and dropped to one knee, gripping its wooden staff to keep from falling.

  The other goblins, confused and scared now that their leader was dead, screamed, baring their teeth as they looked around. They scanned the treeline for the unseen attacker.

  But Lucas was already moving.

  He slipped between the trees, boots barely making sound against the forest floor. The terrain was uneven, roots jutted out from the soil and stones ready to stagger him, yet he strangely avoided all of them. If he stumbled even once, the sound alone would betray his location.

  He circled wide, moving to a position almost directly opposite from where he had killed the leader. Only then did he slow, drawing an arrow and nocking it smoothly.

  The archer stood beside a spearman, both guarding the wounded goblin mage, an arrow sticking out from its abdomen. The mage was hunched over its wooden staff, muttering and gesturing frantically as it tried to channel mana into it. For some reason, nothing happened.

  Lucas steadied his breathing. The surge of adrenaline and running as fast as he could had left his chest tight, his breath uneven, and it interfered with his aim. He forced it into rhythm. In. Out. Slow.

  He adjusted the arrowhead, aligning it with the archer’s neck.

  He noticed something then. He felt no revulsion.

  Up until now, even when killing the bears, he had hated the sensation. But now, for reasons he did not yet understand, he was enjoying the hunt.

  Perhaps it was the blue notification confirming that his growth, or the poor woman still in the cage. Maybe it was both.

  It looks like I have to kill all of them to clear this chamber, he thought, pushing the distracting thoughts aside as he waited for the archer to move.

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  At the moment, the creature stood sideways, reducing the exposed area he could target.

  As the initial fear and panic faded, the goblins began to show signs of battle experience. The frontliners picked up wooden shields from the ground and raised them in front of their bodies, turning themselves into much more difficult targets.

  An arrow whistled through the air just as one of the goblin archers turned toward Lucas.

  The steel tip struck its shoulder with a wet crunch. The goblin jerked back. Immediately, one of its arms dropped and hung uselessly at its side, as if barely attached. But even from a distance, Lucas could tell the wound was not fatal.

  And worst of all, the goblins now knew exactly where he was.

  As the wounded archer screamed, its gaze fixed on the spot where Lucas was, another arrow flew from the treeline and buried itself in its chest.

  The green body went slack. It collapsed where it stood.

  [You’ve gained 5 Experience Points!]

  The remaining goblins froze for a moment as they stared at the corpse. Before they could react, another arrow cut through the air and struck the mage. The frail goblin staggered backward and fell flat on its back, the shaft sticking out from its chest.

  [You’ve gained 8 Experience Points!]

  [Archery (Novice) Proficiency increased to 11/10.]

  [Proficiency threshold reached.]

  [Archery evolved to Archery (Basic) - 1/10.]

  [You’ve gained 3 Experience Points!]

  Lucas quickly counted that he had gained 26 experience. That put him at 33/59 XP.

  Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have risked tracking experience mid-fight. But here, with his life on the line, an instant heal that came with leveling up could become crucial.

  Fuck… he cursed internally as the five remaining goblins snapped out of their shock and charged toward the treeline. If each of these gives five XP, I still might not level up in this chamber.

  His first instinct was to turn and run.

  But then he remembered Evelyn’s warning. Never show fear to goblins, or if they sensed weakness, they would only grow more vicious.

  But what else was he supposed to do? Turn around and face them head-on?

  That was exactly what he decided.

  He slung the bow over his shoulder and grabbed the wooden staff. Then he burst out of the treeline.

  He targeted the smallest goblin at the front. It carried both a shield and a shortsword and had outrun the others.

  Lucas roared as he broke from the trees, the campfire casting orange light over his figure.

  The goblins faltered.

  They had just seen three of their own drop in seconds. Their leader was already dead. Now a tall human charged at them instead of fleeing.

  The two spearmen slowed first. Their shields dipped instead of bracing forward. The three swordsmen continued running, screeching, but there was hesitation in their steps.

  Lucas saw it and pressed forward.

  He lunged at the smallest goblin and swung the staff like a club.

  The creature realized too late that its speed had isolated it. It tried to turn and run, but the staff crashed into its face before it could escape.

  The impact lifted it off the ground. Its small body flew to the left several meters before slamming into the dirt.

  Lucas was already on top of it.

  The goblin had dropped both sword and shield. Lucas drove the tip of the wooden staff straight into its chest.

  [You’ve gained 5 Experience Points!]

  The remaining four goblins froze.

  For a brief moment, their eyes locked onto Lucas and the corpse at his feet. Then they turned to flee.

  But Lucas moved first.

  Whether it was adrenaline or something more primal, he didn’t hesitate. He sprinted toward the nearest goblin before the creature could even complete its turn and brought the staff down from above.

  The crack of bone traveled up through his hands as the wood connected. The goblin’s skull gave way, its head snapping forward under the force.

  [You’ve gained 5 Experience Points!]

  As though the brutality of the scene had been a waking call the other goblins needed, or perhaps they understood there was no outrunning him, the two remaining swordsmen turned back with shrill cries and rushed him together. The last spearman broke away and sprinted toward the cage.

  The woman… Lucas realized, but he didn’t chase the spearman. Instead, he stepped into the charge of the closest swordsman and swung.

  The goblin raised its shield and absorbed the blow. It took a step back as the impact was far too strong for it. At the same time, the second one moved in from the side, trying to flank Lucas.

  There was no hesitation or fear in their actions anymore, as though they had accepted that either they killed him, or they died.

  Lucas kicked the shield-bearing goblin square in the chest. The impact knocked it off balance and sent it tumbling backward.

  He turned just as the other goblin swung its shortsword.

  The blade sliced into his thigh. The cut was shallow, but it burned.

  But the goblin had overextended.

  Lucas drove his foot into its stomach, knocking it to the ground, and immediately thrust the staff into its chest.

  [You’ve gained 5 Experience Points!]

  The last swordsman was already on its feet and charging.

  Lucas met it head-on. The goblin tried to block, but its strength was nowhere near enough to withstand the full force of the staff. The shield was knocked from its hand.

  Without the shield, it had nothing to protect itself.

  The next strike crushed its skull.

  [You’ve gained 5 Experience Points!]

  Confirming he had killed all of them, Lucas didn’t waste any time. He sprinted toward the cage.

  The spearman had already broken the lock. The door hung crooked, and the goblin was halfway inside.

  He grabbed the creature by the back of its neck and yanked it out. The goblin fell onto its back, twisting instinctively, but Lucas drove the staff down before it could recover. The tip punched into its abdomen.

  Lucas ripped the staff free and raised it for the final strike.

  But his grip loosened.

  Pain exploded across his back. His vision darkened for a brief moment and his legs nearly buckled beneath him. He couldn’t even tell what had happened.

  Then he sensed movement behind him.

  Lucas forced himself to turn his head.

  The woman stood there, a blood-stained knife clenched in her hand.

  The next chapter on Thursday!

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