Chương 32: Open-World Exploration

Nothing looks too strange in the camp. Except for the mound of goblin bodies next to the campfire, of course. Curiously, I walk over and check one, finding a bread sash. Score! Picking through the pile of goblins I killed before, I collect over a dozen fist-sized stones of moldy bread. They're not the best thing to eat, hence the 'stone' part of the name, but they keep me from eating corpses. After I dump all the bread into the leather pouch on my back, I step into a tent.

I didn't get a good look last time due to the urgency. Turns out, I didn't miss much. The ground inside is covered in straw from who knows where. Piles are lumped together, likely for goblins to sleep on. The corners of my lips pull down when I don't see any rewards. I kick a bundle of straw, hoping that maybe it's hidden inside, but the cobblestone ground is the only thing there. Then, I kick another one. Still nothing. It's only after I get to the last bundle near the corner that my foot hits something hard.

Hope brightens across my face as I crouch to the ground and scatter the straw. A smile slides across my face. Under it is a simple chest about twelve inches wide and a few tall. I open the latch, and the system graces me with the sound. Chime Without wasting time, I go around to the next tent and do the same. Chime Then, to the next. Chime And the next. Chime In the last tent, the largest and the one the skilled spearman came out of, stands something slightly different.

A chest reinforced with metal, leading all the way up to my knees. I completely ignore it for a different item. Next to the chest stands a bed. Not a real one, like from Earth. It's a rough, itchy-looking cloth filled with straw. My eyes shine as I run over and pick it up.

"You're coming with me." Loosely, I walk over and kick open the chest, eliciting another chime. The crappy mattress goes onto my back, and I begin my walk back to base. During the journey, a wide grin stretches across my face as I fantasize about snuggling on the thing. After I get back, I pull the door closed and lie on the horribly made thing. I moan and stretch out completely. Releasing a deep breath, I go limp on top of it. My mattress at home would score a solid eight out of ten.

The moss mattress would maybe score a four, due to the dampness and organic feeling of it. This one would probably be a two. Still, a two is a massive upgrade compared to sleeping on lumpy stones that make up the ground. I lazily open my eyes, an expanding blue screen opening in front of me. [You have slain Goblin(lv. 11) - (lv. 13) x3] [Partial experience granted x6] [Tamer(lv. 13) > (lv. 14)] [Human(lv. 13) > (lv. 14)] [Danger Sense(lv. 1) > (lv. 2)] [You have discovered a reward x5] [Accept(4) / Bank / Consolidate] Crap, I forgot to check that new skill. I reach up and tap on Danger Sense. [Danger Sense] [Utilizing instinct, this skill allows the user to predict incoming threats. Precision and delay scale with perception and skill level.] Finally! A skill that scales with my highest stat! This thing removes half of my weaknesses by itself! A truly busted skill. More than every other one I have without a doubt. Except for maybe control tame.

Smiling, I read the description over and over again. Screw steel skin, I would take this over it a million times. Wait, does this mean I can dodge arrows now? Excitement grows inside me as I hop to my feet. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Next to me lie my gauntlet and spear. I want nothing more than to go back out and level up one more time. If my prediction is right, I'll be able to hit an important milestone at level fifteen. And boy, do I want it.

A conflicted expression crosses my face as I look at both of my weapons. The gauntlet doesn't have much reach, but its power and defense are incomparable. The spear, though… It combines so well with everything I have going on. Poking the goblins while being out of their reach made me feel untouchable. The biggest problem is armored opponents. I've only fought humanoid opponents so far, and their natural defense is nonexistent. Thus, armor is a natural remedy.

The spear would be next to useless against an opponent wearing plate armor. Stroking my beard, I consider it for a moment before shrugging and equipping both of them. I only have two weapons, so there's no point in contemplating it. New messages appear on the screen as I turn to it.

[Vitality: 26 > 27] [Strength: 18] [Agility: 19 > 21] [Endurance: 17 > 18] [Fortitude: 25] [Intelligence: 12] [Wisdom: 22 > 23] [Perception: 28 > 30] [Unassigned: 1] Two points in endurance, one in agility, and surprisingly, one in perception. I don't think any points from my species have gone anywhere except for physical stats so far. Without thinking too much, I toss the free point in vitality. The familiar well of life flows through me, lessening the weakness plaguing my body.

Once it finishes, I take a look over my entire stats. Dang, just from this, you really can't tell what I'm going for. If someone else saw this, they would be confused as hell. My highest stat is perception, which makes you think I'm some kind of mage or rogue. The thing is, it's followed by vitality and fortitude. That's already strange enough, and paints me as some sort of alert juggernaut or monk. But my strength and endurance are among the lowest, making it a dead end as well.

Intelligence is the lowest by far, not being increased at all since I got here. It was my second-highest stat when I arrived. The painful memory of my failed future as a mage pops into my mind. Archmage Kevin will be lost, but never forgotten. After a quick chuckle, I lie back on the straw mattress and close my eye. There's not too much mana in my body after the last healing session, but I toss it in anyway. It only lasts for a couple of minutes before I run out.

The fierce hunger that usually follows is weakened, only making me feel a bit peckish. I fill my stomach with water and hold some bread under the fountain, weakening its solid exterior before munching. The blue screen returns as I stare into it. [5. 89 cycles until next phase] Still not even halfway through. Only four cycles. My heart shrinks in on itself. The last couple of weeks have felt like a lifetime. Wait… I do the math in my head, converting cycles to days.

"Heh." It hasn't even been two weeks yet. Only a bit over eleven days. Starting with a little over a hundred health, I've taken enough damage to kill pre-integration me a dozen times over. The mystical, wonderful mana in my body that could have been used to form magic and cast spells as a mage… Is now nothing more than a secondary health bar. With sadness in my heart, I stand and push the door open. I don't even have a volleyball to speak to. Chuckling to myself, I begin the walk over to the lake once again.

Travelling across the edge, I move to the camp I just cleared. I walk between the tents and look for clues of goblins returning, but there aren't any. The scene is completely untouched. The entire place has already been skimmed by me, so there's no reason to stay around. The only things left are piles of straw, empty chests, and sharpened poles of wood. It would be nice to carry a bundle of them around on my back, but I don't want to awkwardly tie them there.

I walk out of the small camp and continue on around the edge of the lake. From where I am, I can already see a few more camps placed along the shore of the lake. The next one is the same distance from here as the first camp is from the intermission room. I take an off-angle, so that I can arrive behind a nearby pillar to scout it out. When I get to the pillar, I stick my head out and scan the camp. The first thing I notice is the size. Tents are larger, with seven of them in a circle.

One is larger than the others, just like the last camp. The second thing I notice is the sentries. Seven of them are visible just from where I am, most of them hold primitive bows in their hands. Tsk A grimace grows on my face as I pick apart the camp. Over two dozen goblins are visible, all wielding the same weapon. The first camp seems to be themed around spears, while this one is themed around bows. I weigh the thought of attacking. It should be possible to use danger sense to dodge the arrows to some extent.

But a firing squad of over twenty? My metal pants could take it, but the rest of my body would become a pincushion. Regretfully, I turn around with an annoyed expression. The only other settlements I saw were other camps farther away. The area to the right of the intermission room is mostly the lake, but the left side is still unexplored. During the walk, I truly appreciate the size of this new area. It only took me about fifteen minutes to get from one side of the free roam area to the other.

But getting just to the closest camp here takes more time. It's crazy that only two weeks ago, this walk would leave my legs sore. Especially with everything I'm wearing and carrying. The gauntlet and spear might be about thirteen pounds together. All of my armor, though… My strength has increased to the point where my usual references don't work anymore. The soles on the bottom of this armor are crap, but my feet still feel fine. The first thing I see after going to the left is a wooden wall.

Compared to the other fortifications I saw deeper in, this one is by far the smallest, at about fifty feet in diameter. Walking up, I touch the logs and do a full circle around it. There's a single gate made of thinner wood. The sound of voices and busy movement constantly comes from within. Sounds like orcs. No one is standing guard outside or on top of the wall, which is about twelve feet tall. While considering knocking on the door, I take a look around for anything else.

In the distance, there is a dark spot against the same sheer wall that the door is. I step closer and narrow my eyes. A cave. Perhaps I'll finally fight something that isn't green and humanoid. Or maybe it's just treasure. The system did say that rewards can be found around key areas, and not just near enemies. Curiously, I walk the five minutes to the hole. It's extremely similar to the tunnels leading to the intermission room in the dark area.

Sunlight bleeds through a good few dozen feet, but goes dark soon after.

"Ugh." Now I have to go back and get a torch.