บท 25: The Camp

''My storage skill.''

After answering, he went back to eating. Just as he finished, they noticed the caravan started to move. They both made their way over, walking along the dirt road. The summer breeze gently brushed Archer's face as he took the opportunity to check his status.

[Experience: 1300/3000]

[Level Up: 25>26]

[SP: 6>12]

[Eldritch Blast: 1>2]

[Cosmic Sword: 1>2]

Archer was happy that he leveled up two of his spells and gained a new level. The caravan moved along the road for a few more hours before seeing a village in the distance. Not long after, they arrived.

Rowana, Ephrain, and Ludo bid farewell to Archer as the caravan passed through without stopping. She quickly approached him and hugged him so hard that he was getting suffocated between her two mountains, managing not to poke her with his horns.

''Look after yourself. We will see each other when I've completed this quest. Be careful while you're traveling,'' the blonde woman said.

She rejoined the caravan just before it passed through the southern gate. After that, Archer set off to find the village chief. Surveying the area, he identified the most prominent house. Making his way towards it, he reached the door and knocked to announce his presence.

After a few minutes, a young man in his early twenties answered the door with a cocky look on his face. ''What do you want, boy?''

Archer knew where this was going. 'He's the young master type.'

Before the young man could say anything, Archer stared into his eyes and spoke. ''Fuck this and fuck you. Tell the Chief I'm here to clear out the goblins.''

Not giving the man a chance to speak, Archer went to look for any villagers roaming around. After searching for a while, he found a woman outside a house hanging up clothes. He approached and greeted her with a smile.

''Hello, miss. Do you know where the goblins have been seen?'' She turned around and looked at him.

Her eyes widened as she had never seen anyone who looked like him; she could tell he wasn't human but couldn't figure out what he was. She nodded and answered him. ''Yes, leave through the west gate and head towards the ruined farm. They were seen there yesterday.''

Archer thanked her and headed to the western gate. He walked for an hour and arrived at the ruined farm the woman spoke about. After looking around for a while, he couldn't find anything, so he searched the forest.

When he entered the forest, the afternoon sunlight got blocked out, but it didn't affect him because of his dragon senses. As he strolled by a peculiar-looking tree, he was ambushed by a gang of mischievous monkey-like creatures.

These pesky troublemakers from the treetops continued their assault, hurling things at Archer. Despite his impressive dodging skills, a particularly cunning monkey seized the opportunity to get up close and personal, launching a surprise attack.

Wham! It smacked him straight in the face, forcing Archer to come to a sudden halt and deal with whatever bizarre object they had thrown at him. Fueled by anger, Archer chased down the mischievous beasts, ranting and raving.

Archer caught two of them and proceeded to butcher them right in front of the other ones. His brutal retaliation sent the remaining monkeys into a wild panic. Witnessing him tear apart their kin.

He cast Cosmic Sword and chased the things down, slaying them one by one as he stored them in his Item Box. After killing four more, he stopped chasing them and returned to his goblin search.

A few hours later, he came across a clue: loads of little footprints heading further into the forest. An intense desire surged through Archer. As he followed their tracks, he entertained the idea of slaughtering everything in his path.

The thought of tearing the goblins apart and consuming their hearts overtook him. Archer felt a growing madness, fueled by the anticipation of the experience points he could gain.

The taste of victory threatened to overwhelm him. Looking up and finding the perfect branch, he climbed higher to get a better view.

What he saw shocked him. It was a big goblin camp. Hundreds of them were walking around, and that's when he felt his heartbeat getting quicker. Archer was losing his mind thinking about all the hearts he could eat and how much experience he would gain.

Using the Cosmic Sword's power, Archer plunged the blade into the first goblin's chest with a double cast. Swiftly casting Blink, he materialized near the nearest adversary, smoothly extracting the blade from the fallen foe.

As Archer rushed forward, he began to rhyme, the rhythm of his incantation matching the fluidity of his movements.

''Goosey, goosey, gander.

Where shall I wander.''

He ran toward another goblin, slicing its throat, and then he shot four Fire Missiles at two groups of goblins who were running toward him. Archer went back to rhyming as he butchered every goblin he came across.

''Upstairs, downstairs.

And in my lady's chamber.''

Blood was flying everywhere as he slashed and stabbed everything he got close to. The goblins were clueless and didn't know how to react. They were panicked as all they could see were white and black streaks, and more fell to the floor.

Archer cast Blink to get around the camp, not letting any goblins catch him.

''There I met an old man.

Would not say his prayers.''

Archer was out of breath, so he started using magic. He cast a lot of Void Blasts, Plasma Shots and Fire Missiles while he finished his rhyme with a big smile.

''Take him by the left leg.

Throw him down the stairs.''

Archer smiled as he looked around at the carnage he had caused. A little under a hundred goblin bodies lay motionless. He thought to himself with a chuckle, 'Loads of hearts.'

His senses screamed out to him to block quickly, so he did just that and was sent flying as a massive great sword swiped at him. Archer landed gracefully on his feet and looked up. His gaze met a formidable opponent — a large goblin.

Unlike the skinny ones, this goblin boasted formidable muscles and wielded a decent weapon. Smiling as he prepared, he charged forward as the big goblin swung its sword again, but Archer cast a Plasma Shot at the blade, directly hitting it and causing it to change course.

When he dodged the swing, he sliced its wrists, making it scream out in pain. He kept firing Plasma Shots and Fire Missiles at it, getting another dangerous feeling he was used to. Reacting swiftly, Archer cast Cosmic Shield, and just in time.

The shield deflected a sudden axe strike from behind. Without missing a beat, he turned around and stabbed the goblin before effortlessly flinging the lifeless body aside.

Archer shifted his attention to the big, half-burnt adversary. As he witnessed the goblin's miserable state, a sinister smile played on his lips, and he launched another attack without hesitation.

Speeding forward, he fired a Plasma Blast at the goblin. It blocked the attack, but Archer slashed its leg, bringing it to the ground. With a swift spin, Archer leaped towards the goblin's back, driving both swords into the base of its neck.

As the large foe crumbled, Archer, ever vigilant, noticed the surviving goblins attempting to flee. Chasing after them with the fervor of a police dog, he resembled a relentless hound on a hunt, swiftly dispatching numerous goblins in his path.

Archer stopped because he was out of breath. He dismissed his swords and slowly walked back. Upon reaching the camp, he diligently collected all the goblin hearts, bodies, and loot scattered across the scene.

Hours of thorough looting passed, and when he finally looked up, he realized that night had fallen. Collecting the aftermath of his battle, Archer amassed one hundred forty-seven goblin corpses, one hundred fifty-six hearts, two hundred gold coins, two hundred silver, and one thousand and twenty-three copper.

Exploring further, he stumbled upon human and demi-human corpses within one of the ramshackle huts, indicating a recent ambush on a caravan or adventurer's party. Driven by the desire for experience, Archer started consuming the goblin hearts.

Once he finished the grisly feast, he planned to check his status. After gathering everything he wanted, he left the camp, not before casting Fire Missiles at all the shacks and burning them to the ground.

Archer strolled away, searching for a tree to rest in. For some inexplicable reason, he had become quite comfortable sleeping in them. Before long, he found a tall, sturdy tree that seemed perfect for a night's repose.

Climbing it, he took out his water skin and drank. He watched the stars in the sky as he ate. Before long, he felt sick and stopped after eating thirty hearts. Archer laid down and fell asleep, hoping he didn't have any more nightmares.

The following day, he opened his eyes to see a bird-looking creature before him. When the beast saw him looking, it quickly flew. Archer rose, scratching his head as he surveyed his surroundings. It took a moment for him to recall that he had fallen asleep just outside the goblin's camp.