A few hours of relentless goblin hunting later, Damon sat near a small campfire he had built, roasting a few pieces of goblin meat he had butchered on a wooden stick.
Even though goblin meat wasn't exactly tasty for him, it was at least nutritious enough to fill his stomach.
"Better than starving," he thought.
He chewed in silence, his eyes scanning the jungle beyond the firelight.
"At least I managed to get a lot of artifacts and EXP for my effort," he muttered, glancing at his system notifications.
---
[Dungeon Log – Hunt Summary]
• Goblin Scout defeated (×47) — +1,880 XP
• Double EXP Bonus Applied
→ Total Gained: 3,760 XP
[Loot Summary]
• Goblin Scout (×15) — No drops
• Goblin Scout (×32) — Artifact Drops: 『Goblin Dagger』
---
Damon turned and checked the artifact's description.
---
『Goblin Dagger』
◆ Artifact Grade: Common
◆ Artifact Description: An ordinary dagger carried by the goblin scouts.
◆ Embedded Skill: None
◆ Imbued Strength: +0.1 Dexterity
---
"Even though these daggers are an inferior version of the first artifact I got and are honestly a waste of space in my bag, they'll play their part once I get my hands on an Awakening Stone," Damon pondered.
"It's just that I have to find either a storage skill or a storage ring to carry my stuff from now on, since unfortunately, the system doesn't give us players an inventory."
Chhk—
Suddenly, Damon heard a faint rustle in the leaves ahead of him.
He momentarily froze, processing the situation.
His hand hovered near the dagger on his hip while the other gripped his bow. His sharp eyes scanned the trees and bushes, searching for the source.
Another sound. Lighter this time. Leaves shifting under cautious feet.
"They're flanking me."
Damon dropped to a crouch, ducking behind a moss-covered stone slab. In a smooth motion, he nocked an arrow and waited. His heartbeat slowed. His breaths came evenly.
Then—movement.
Four goblins emerged from the underbrush, creeping forward with low snarls. But these were different. They moved with purpose, their eyes darting to one another.
Coordinated.
Damon frowned. "Goblin Scouts wouldn't do this…"
A notification flickered in the corner of his vision.
---
[You have encountered: Goblin Hunters (Elite Variant) ×4]
---
"Tch. Of course."
He loosed the first arrow before the system notification even faded. The shaft flew with precision—striking the lead goblin in the throat. It gurgled and collapsed instantly.
But the others didn't hesitate.
Two charged, while the third raised a crude horn to its lips.
"Not happening."
Damon quickly dropped his bow and unsheathed the Venomfang Dagger, lunging forward. His movement was fluid, likely stemming from the muscle memory etched deep into his soul.
The horn-blower raised the instrument to its mouth—but Damon was already there.
Shhk!
The dagger slid across its throat, the poisoned edge leaving a thin green trail as the goblin dropped the horn and fell backward, twitching.
One of the remaining goblins slashed at him with a chipped axe.
Damon ducked low and plunged the dagger into its side. The creature shrieked and stumbled, poisoned blood bubbling from its wound.
The last goblin roared in rage and tried to tackle him.
Damon sidestepped and slammed his elbow into its face, then finished it off with a clean stab to the chest.
Silence returned.
Only the twitching corpse of the poisoned goblin remained alive—barely. Damon watched as it convulsed, the stacked poison taking effect until it finally stopped moving.
Another orange glow began to shimmer faintly beneath the dead goblins.
"…Again?" Damon muttered.
He approached and brushed aside the bodies, revealing a dull, copper-colored pendant with a cracked green gem in the center. The glow was weaker than before—but still an artifact.
---
『Cracked Goblin Totem』
◆ Artifact Grade: Common
◆ Artifact Description: An old, ceremonial charm used by goblin tribes. Even in its broken state, it still radiates residual strength.
◆ Embedded Skill: None
◆ Imbued Strength: +0.1 Constitution
---
"Garbage," Damon said, slipping the totem into his pocket. "But it will at least have its use later."
He retrieved his bow and wiped the dagger clean before standing again.
Then he heard it.
A low hum.
No… a chant.
It echoed faintly through the trees—strange syllables spoken in a guttural, warbling voice. The air around him grew tense again.
---
[Warning: You are approaching a Goblin Shaman's Territory.]
---
Damon's lips thinned.
"A shaman… already?"
He knew what that meant—there would be a mid-boss ahead. Probably controlling the jungle's lesser goblins. If left alive, it could summon reinforcements or place curses on intruders.
He looked up at the towering canopy above.
"I could turn back now. I've already gotten solid loot. No need to risk it."
His hand gripped the Venomfang Dagger.
Then again, Damon wasn't the type to back down from a challenge.
He continued forward, moving with caution as the jungle grew denser. The fog was gone now, replaced by a foul, earthy stench.
Eventually, Damon emerged into a clearing—and saw it.
A grotesque figure stood hunched over a stone altar. Bones and feathers hung from its gnarled staff. Its skin was wrinkled and covered in strange symbols painted with blood.
A Goblin Shaman.
Around it were six more goblins, but these were armored and carried jagged spears. They stood in a protective formation, clearly guarding the ritual in progress.
Damon crouched low in the brush, surveying the scene.
The shaman was chanting faster now—desperate. Its eyes flickered with purple light.
"If I let that ritual finish, I'm screwed."
He glanced around the perimeter, calculating.
Six guards.
One shaman.
He needed to kill the shaman first. Fast and clean.
He aimed carefully.
"Let's end this."
Thwip—
The arrow pierced the air and buried itself into the shaman's throat before it could react. Its chant broke into a choking gurgle as it collapsed.
The other goblins turned in stunned confusion.
Damon was already moving.
He dropped from the ridge and sprinted into the clearing. One goblin lunged toward him, but he ducked and drove his dagger into its ribs.
The second spear-wielder thrust, but Damon parried with the flat of his bow and kicked it back.
Slash—stab—twist—
He moved like a shadow through their ranks. Every strike with the dagger left a green stain and a dying goblin.
When the final one fell, Damon stood alone in the bloody clearing.
He exhaled heavily, sweat beading on his brow.
Then came the drop.
Right beneath the shaman's corpse, something shimmered with intense orange light. This time, the glow was stronger—almost blinding.
Damon approached carefully and picked up the object.
A pendant—twisted and black, set with a blood-red gem.
---
『Pendant of Familiarity』
◆ Artifact Grade: Rare
◆ Artifact Description: A forbidden relic once worn by jungle shamans to commune with dark spirits. Radiates unstable magical energy.
◆ Embedded Skill: Create Familiar
◆ Imbued Strength: +2 Spirit
---
A rare drop.
Damon smirked.
"Now this… this is more like it."
The dungeon had just become a lot more interesting.
He tightened his grip on the pendant, slipping it over his neck as he inspected its embedded skill.
---
『Embedded Skill: Create Familiar』
◆ Skill Description: Resurrects a creature that the user has killed as their familiar.
◆ Note: Only one familiar can exist at a time.
◆ Note: You and your familiar share the same innate trait. As long as you awaken your trait, your familiar will unlock it too.
---
"Interesting. So I got a familiar skill this early on. I'm certainly lucky. But the question now is—who do I make my familiar?" Damon thought.
"The most logical option is the goblin shaman, but I want to save up for the orc that's this dungeon's boss."
"Let's be safe and make this shaman my familiar."
Damon raised his hand and uttered the command clearly.
"Create Familiar."
A faint hum resonated in the air, followed by a sudden chill that seeped into his bones.
From the pendant around his neck, a blue flame-like aura flickered to life. It danced with an ethereal glow—both cold and vibrant.
The aura spread swiftly, stretching out in tendrils toward the fallen goblin shaman.
The shaman's body twitched as the blue flames wrapped around it like living smoke.
A crackling sound filled the clearing, and the ritualistic symbols painted on the shaman's skin began to glow faintly beneath the spectral fire.
Muscles twitched and bones creaked. The shaman's chest rose with a harsh, rasping breath.
Its eyes snapped open—now glowing with an eerie, unnatural light.
The goblin shaman had been resurrected, reborn as an undead servant bound to Damon's will.
It stood slowly, its movements stiff but purposeful.
A cold aura radiated from its form, marking the unnatural life that now coursed through it.
Damon smiled faintly.
"Welcome back, familiar."