The rustling of leaves, carried by the morning wind, filled the air above the forest.
Saelran, his legs stretched out on a thick branch, leaned against the tree trunk, opened his eyes, and took out his pocket watch.
"8:07. I wonder if the time in this world is exactly the same as in my previous world." Saelran closed the watch and looked at the still dim forest.
Although the sun had risen, the dense canopy allowed only a faint amount of sunlight through.
However, compared to the darkness of night, the visibility was far better.
Saelran had been awake for quite some time, or rather, he had remained in a half-conscious state throughout the night, perhaps due to the physical enhancement brought by his level.
Even though he had not slept long, he did not feel drowsy or tired.
If not for the poor visibility in the forest, Saelran would have already taken action.
Whoosh!
Sitting on the thick branch, Saelran's shoulders shifted and he immediately dropped from the tree.
Right before hitting the ground...
Thud!
Saelran adjusted his landing posture, his feet landing firmly on the ground.
"Operation begins," Saelran said calmly while gripping his iron sword.
As he fully entered the grunnfang territory, the number of goblins encountered in the forest gradually increased. Along with that, many goblins were converted into experience points.
One day.
Two days.
...
Four days.
Over the course of several days, hundreds of goblins became Saelran's experience points, along with several beasts and ordinary monsters.
His "Sword Saint" level increased again, reaching Level 9.
The number of goblins slain seemed large, but in truth, it was not much. The entire Arkenwald Forest was vast, and a few hundred goblins were only a tiny portion of the goblins within grunnfang territory.
Moreover, the goblins he killed were simply those he naturally encountered in the forest, averaging only around twenty per day.
Therefore, the total was not significant.
Furthermore...
Saelran discovered that not all goblins lived in groups. Many lived and hunted in small packs.
It was not that Saelran did not try to kill more goblins.
Rather, the forest environment was too restrictive. For thirteen hours each day, the forest was completely dark.
This was extremely unfriendly for Saelran, a human. Goblins, though weak, naturally possessed night vision.
Nighttime was not suitable for hunting.
Additionally, the dense forest hindered Saelran's movement, limiting his daily range and reducing his mobility even further.
In the days that followed, Saelran's daily routine became monotonous, consisting of killing goblins or searching to kill them.
If he was lucky, he might encounter an orc. Wherever there were orcs, there was always a goblin colony nearby.
As time passed, Saelran himself did not realize that the massive increase in goblin deaths had caused a faint rotten scent of blood to spread from the forest's interior toward its outskirts.
The overwhelming number of abandoned goblin corpses released a stench that, instead of attracting beasts deeper into the woods, caused many to flee in fear from the outer regions and move toward the forest's center.
The beasts began to realize that a terrifying monster had appeared at the forest's edge.
...
Year 612 of Divine Descent
Arkenwald Forest, June 11.
Ten days had passed since he entered Arkenwald Forest on the 2nd.
In a small goblin colony...
"Kyah!!"
"Kyaa—"
"..."
Shrieks and howls of goblins echoed in succession.
Saelran swung his iron sword expressionlessly, the blade flashing repeatedly through the air.
Whether due to the number of goblins he had slain or his increased "Sword Saint" level, Saelran's swordsmanship had become more refined.
He kicked, and the tremendous force sent a goblin flying, crashing into several others who tried to escape in the distance.
Saelran leapt forward, closing the distance in a few steps, his sword gleaming.
Several goblin heads flew into the air and fell to the ground.
Moments later, all the goblins were eliminated. As usual, Saelran cut off their pinky fingers, placed them in his backpack, and stored them inside his inventory box.
Glug
Glug
Saelran took the water pouch from his waist, drank a few gulps, and exhaled softly.
Right after that...
Ignoring the corpses on the ground and the pungent smell of blood, Saelran took out a piece of cooked boar meat and began devouring it.
"This goblin colony does not even have an orc? What a shame," Saelran thought, his cheeks puffing slightly as he chewed.
The goblin corpses around him did not bother him at all. Having stayed in the forest for a while, he had become somewhat accustomed to it.
With that thought, Saelran crouched on the ground, put down his iron sword, held the water pouch in one hand, and chewed on boar meat with the other as he recovered his strength and rested.
The boar he had captured several days earlier had been cooked with a "heating" spell, cut into pieces, and stored in his inventory box. He could take it out and eat it whenever he wanted.
At the moment, Saelran's appearance from afar resembled that of a savage.
His sturdy linen clothing was somewhat tattered, covered in plant leaves and marks from branches and shrubs.
His once short black hair had grown much longer and appeared messy.
This was actually Saelran's fifth set of clothes, and the previous ones had been even more ragged.
If not for the "Odorless" spell, Saelran would probably smell awful.
However, through the bits of skin exposed under his tattered clothes, it was clear that Saelran's body had unconsciously developed a firm and muscular physique.
"Attribute panel," Saelran murmured in his mind.
[Attribute Table]
Player: Saelran
Alignment: [Positive]
HP: 113 (8%)
MP: 13 (1%)
Physical Attack: 114 (8%)
Physical Defense: 12 (1%)
Agility: 115 (8%)
Magic Attack: 13 (1%)
Magic Defense: 13 (1%)
Overall Resistance: 0 (0%)
Special Ability: 0 (0%)
Total: 28%
...
[Ability Table]
Innate Ability: Player
Overall Level: 11
Experience Bar: 1721/5000
Classes:
Basic Class: Genius Level 1 (Warrior...)
Intermediate Class: Sword Saint Level 10
Skill Points: 19
Passive Skills: Inventory Box, Slash Damage (10%)
Active Skills:
Warrior: Instant Reflex, Light Consecutive Slash, Rapid Slash Magic Caster: Paper Creation (Tier 1), Heating (Tier 1), Minor Healing (Tier 1), Magic Arrow (Tier 1), Odorless (Tier 0)
Class Skills: Potion Crafting, Alchemy