GRWW!
GROWLLL!
The noise grew louder.
Astrael's heartbeat pounded in his ears as he sprinted through the twisted tunnels.
Behind him, the sound of steps on the ground multiplied. Three, maybe four pursuers.
Left. Right. Straight. The tunnels twisted like a snake, but Astrael didn't dare slow to think. A mistake here meant death.
As he makes a turn-
THAM!
-and slammed face-first into a rusted iron gate. Blood filled his mouth from a split lip. The impact sent him sprawling backwards.
No. No, no, no-
Astrael scrambled to his knees just as the first goblin rounded the corner. This one was bigger than the scout, with a bigger wooden club in his hand.
GRRRROOOAAALLL!
It roared.
Astrael's hand closed around the sword just as the goblin lunged.
The sword in his hand hummed silently. Pulsating with blue light. The world around the Astrael got slowed. The memories of his training with Avalon came into his mind. 'A warrior isn't just someone who carries weapons. The biggest war you'll ever fight is right between your ears. It's in your mind.'
Astrael's eyes snapped open, clarity burning through the fear. Seeing the goblin in front of him, he slashed.
A single, precise slash. The blade flashed, a line of cold blue light cutting through the darkness.
[You have acquired the soul energy of a level 1 goblin soldier]
[+200 exp]
[Ding!]
[You have learned a new skill, Sword Mastery (beginner)]
[Congratulations to the host for reaching level 2.]
[You get 2 status points to distribute freely]
[The host has acquired:
Crude club x1
Brown Mushroom x10
gold coin x1]
[Ding!]
[Inventory is now available for the host to use]
The notifications flickered across his vision, the goblin's head, eyes wide with sudden shock, tumbled to the ground. Its body swayed for a second before collapsing.
SKREEEEEECH
The shrieks of the other goblin brought Astrael out of trance. Two more goblins surged from the tunnel's throat, smaller than the soldier
Their beady eyes darted from their fallen comrade to Astrael, then to the headless corpse, though enraged, they advanced rather slowly in Astrael's direction.
Though the creature looks mindless beast, they seemed to understand that the food in front of them is not weak.
Just as they advanced, one from the right and another from the left.
'System, add 2 points in agility.'
A surge of energy, cold and electric, flooded his limbs. His muscles felt lighter.
After giving the command to the system, Astrael's eyes flashed as he shot forward at full speed.
The world blurred. He covered the distance to the leftmost goblin in less than a heartbeat, guided by the newfound power, the sword flashed in a horizontal arc.
SHINK!
The blade parted flesh with ease. greenish brown blood fountained as the head toppled. Astraael didn't pause.
Using the momentum of the kill, he pivoted to the right side.
The second goblin, still processing its packmate's demise, raised its club too late.
Reaching in front of the goblin, Astrael mercilessly slashed the necks of the nasty goblin.
The creature barely had time to widen its eyes before Astrael's sword.
The blood sprayed like a fountain. One more head joined the rest.
[You have acquired the soul energy of a level 1 goblin scout]
[+100 exp]
[You have acquired the soul energy of a level 1 goblin scout]
[+100 exp]
[Ding!]
[You have learned a new skill, Quick Draw (E) lvl.1]
[The host has acquired:
Crude club x2
Brown Mushroom x20
gold coin x3]
Astrael sighs in relief.
He tumbled to the ground, gasping for air.
"Phew…" he rasped,
A shaky, disbelieving smile touched his lips. "I… I did it."
He had survived, against overwhelming odds. After the initial adrenaline, he trembled violently before sitting on the floor.
"Status."
A translucent blue screen materialised before his eyes.
Host: Astrael Ravenastra
Age: 4 yrs
Race: Human
Title: Young Master, The One Who Defies Death, ???, ???
Class: -
Cultivation: Novice stage 1
Level: 2
Exp.: 200/300
Bloodline: Ravensastra Bloodline
-------------------------------
Attributes:
- Strength: 8
- Agility: 9-->19
- Intelligence: 10
- Endurance: 8
- Vitality: 7
- Charm: 5
- Soul: 100 (LOCKED)
- SP: 2
-------------------------------
Skills and Abilities: [Appraise] [ Sword Mastery (beginner)] [ Quick Draw (E) lvl.1]
-------------------------------
Astrael blinked, processing the numbers. "So, one status point increases an attribute by five," he murmured.
That explained the blinding speed he experienced.
"And I gained two skills?". Astrael's gaze drifted to the skills section and focused on the Sword Mastery skill.
[{Sword Mastery} beginner: You possess refined control over bladed weapons, especially swords. Your strikes are faster, more precise, and instinctive. This skill enhances reaction time, balance, and weapon intuition. The effectiveness depends on the user's physical strength, combat experience, and battle intent.]
"That's a really powerful skill!". Astrael couldn't help but exclaim in excitement. Upon reading the brief yet unclear details of the skill, his eyes shone even more brightly.
Next, his gaze fell on the second skill.
[{Quick Draw} lvl.1: Instantly unsheathe and strike with your weapon in a single fluid motion. Effective within 1.5 meters and enhanced by reflex speed, precision, and killing intent.]
As he finished reading the skill's description, though it was somewhat vague, it still offered a clear and concise understanding, and his eyes lit up.
After seeing the goblin bodies, he quickly checked the goblins but found nothing.
Then he remembered the final notification.
"Inventory".
His perception shifted. Instead of the cave, his mind's eye saw a vast, grey, ethereal space
"So, it stores everything automatically after a kill," he contemplated.
He looked down the dark tunnel ahead, then back at the grisly remains behind him.
"I have to move forward, otherwise this place would be my graveyard." He whispered, his voice with new determination to survive. He tightened his grip on the sword.
Astrael walked back to the place where he first arrived. His enhanced agility making the movement unnaturally smooth.
The cavern where he'd first woken felt different now. He knelt, ignoring the sting in his scraped knees, and pressed a small hand against the moss where his cheek had lain.
[Residual Spatial Anomaly]
[Note: Origin point sealed]
His gaze swept the cavern. The goblins had emerged from a fissure, lower and wider, partially obscured by a curtain of dripping stalactites near the cavern's rear wall.
He moved toward the narrow corridor. As he proceeded forward, Astrael's nerves were on edge, and his muscles subtly tightened from the tension.
As he moved, approximately 50 feet, a growling sound came.
Astrael took cover behind a large rock. In front of him, four goblins crouched in a crude circle, feasting on giant rats.
It was nauseating for him to watch. Had it been just a few minutes earlier, he would've likely struggled to resist the urge to throw up from the foul stench.
However, after the previous experience, everything was different for him.
He took a deep breath and then launched himself forward at full speed, unwilling to let such a valuable opportunity slip away.
Astrael dashed towards the nearest goblin while activating the skill Quick Draw.
A beautiful horizontal arc of light sliced through the air.
Shink!
The goblin's movements came to a complete halt, and just a moment later, its head was cleanly severed from its body.
[You have acquired the soul energy of a level 2 goblin scout]
[+120 exp]
[You have acquired the soul energy of a level 1 goblin scout]
[+100 exp]
[Congratulations to the host for reaching level 3.]
[You get 2 status points to distribute freely]
[Ding!]
[The skill Quick Draw (E) lvl.1 -->lvl.2]
Astrael didn't have the time to see the system notification, as he lunged at the other goblins.
The goblin, momentarily dazed, snapped out of its shock, let out a grunt, and grew furious upon seeing the tiny being slay one of its kin.
They grabbed their wooden club and dashed toward Astrael.
Astrael, anticipating them, dodged to the side and drove his blade into the goblin's chest, while landing a kick to the face of the other.
He pulled out his sword and swung it toward the second one.
[You have acquired the soul energy of a level 1 goblin scout]
[+100 exp]
[You have acquired the soul energy of a level 2 goblin scout]
[+120 exp]
[The host has acquired: .....]
Astrael, wiping the blood from his sword, moves forward.
Suddenly, two baleful red dots ignited from beyond the tunnel.
.
.
***
🌟 Hey, fellow traveler of tales and treasures! 🧭 Your presence here is a journey filled with surprises, like uncovering hidden gems 💎. Isn't it fascinating how a little GOLDEN ✨ something can change everything? 💛