Chapter 3

"Finally found it..."

After that, I went to the Adventurer's Guild to register for the goblin extermination request and entered the forest.

The receptionist from yesterday looked surprised, but it was probably because I hadn't taken consecutive requests before.

I peeked out from behind a tree to look at the goblin.

It was walking through the forest carelessly, completely unguarded.

The branch it held in its hand was long enough but couldn't pose a threat to me.

Its equipment was even poorer than that of a regular goblin, making it easier to deal with. I decided to use this one to experiment with my skills.

I moved between the trees to follow it. The goblin eventually reached a clearing and stopped, standing still as if waiting for something.

Since it was in the middle of the clearing, it would definitely notice me before I could get close. Still, I tried to catch it off guard by circling around to its back and charging in.

"Keh!?!"

The goblin turned around, surprised by the sound of my footsteps.

It hurriedly thrust the branch at me, but I was already within attack range.

"Smash!!!"

"Keh...! Keeeeeeehhhhh!"

"Whoa!"

I dealt a sharp horizontal slash, leaving a definite wound on the goblin's chest, but it didn't die from the single blow.

It thrust the branch at me in retaliation.

"Take this!"

I dodged and slashed at the goblin's neck, which had become disoriented.

"Kehp..."

It fell, spitting blood from its mouth.

"Phew, managed to take it down."

I couldn't kill it with one hit, but I managed to use my skill somehow.

"Alright, this should work."

Until now, it had taken me a long time to defeat even a single goblin, but with this, I could definitely take them down quickly.

"Right! What about my 'Status'?"

Name: Tim

Age: 16

Occupation: Warrior Level 2

Strength: 28 + 4

Agility: 31

Vitality: 19 + 4

Magic: 5

Spirit: 8

Dexterity: 19

Luck: -19

Status Points: 115

Skill Points: 41

Unique Skills Acquired: 'Status Manipulation'

Skills Acquired: 'Swordsmanship Level 1', 'Smash Level 1'

My level had increased by one, probably because I defeated the goblin.

However, the numbers that changed were Strength, Agility, Vitality, and Dexterity. It felt like the attributes necessary for a warrior had improved.

"Status Points and Skill Points have also increased..."

Skill Points are apparently used to acquire skills. If I consider that my Skill Points increased by 2 with each level up, the numbers add up.

On the other hand, these Status Points... I touched the '+' sign next to each attribute.

"Wow! It increased."

My Magic increased from 5 to 6. It seems that Status Points can be allocated to each attribute.

"Does that mean I can get stronger by allocating these?"

I tried allocating about 20 to Strength, which increased from 28 to 48.

"I feel a surge of power..."

The large increase made it clear that it wasn't just my imagination. I wanted to allocate points to other attributes too, but I wasn't sure whether to distribute the remaining Status Points evenly or keep some in reserve. I'll need to test this further in a safe place.

"Can I take on two at once now?"

Until now, I had avoided any goblins other than one at a time. But with my level up and increased Strength, I might be able to take them down before they surround me.

If I can do that, I won't need to spend so much time exploring, making things more efficient. As I was thinking about this...

"Keh!"

"Keh keh keh!"

"Keh heh heh!"

Voices came from behind me. I turned around to see three goblins glaring at me.

It seems they were waiting for the goblin I just killed.

"Just a moment... I need to gather my thoughts..."

The three goblins slowly approached. I considered fleeing, but...

"Keep entertaining goblins forever?"

The faces of Walter and my fellow adventurers from the other day came to mind. I had been suppressing my frustration and enduring it. But...

"How long do I have to stay in the same place, treading water?"

If I ran away now, I felt I would never become strong. I would continue to be mocked by my peers and use my slightly improved abilities to live a slightly better life.

Imagining that future made me feel sorry for myself. I remembered why I had become an adventurer in the first place, recalling my former admiration.

"I'll do it!"

I glared at the goblins in front of me and...

"Smash!"

Charged at the three goblins.

"Ha ha ha... Managed to... win."

Despite being injured, I successfully defeated the goblins.

"I wish I could have moved better."

I managed to take down the first goblin with a Smash, but the remaining two, having seen my attack, attacked me from the front and back.

Having never fought multiple enemies before, I didn't know what to do and ended up getting injured.

"But, I can do this!"

I had acted rashly out of frustration, but it gave me a bit of confidence.

"For now, I'll take down the remaining six and head back..."

I stood up, finished off the remaining goblins, and returned to town.