Chapter 6 First Battles 1
POV Blaze
Location: Marcoon City, Dark-shaded Forest Hunting grounds, 11:25 AM
After using [Quick Step] 4 times to cover around 12 meters (36 feet ), I saw the lake approaching fast, to which I stopped, looking around and staying hidden in a tree, looking for any monsters. My eyes and ears were much sharper due to [Predator's Body]. Soon I took notice of three goblins as I [Appraisal] the three, and there were two goblins with clubs and one with a rusty sword in his hands, commanding the other two as it pointed and barked out gibberish.
[LV2 Goblin Grunt x2]
[LV5 Goblin Commander]
[MP:90/50]
"Gahhh mwra Gahhh!" It spat at the other two, looking around most likely for food or weak females to ambush.
Looking at how much mana I had left after 4 [Quick Steps], I was pretty happy, as I used to deal with way less mana. I was only feeling slight fatigue due to my lower but better stats, as named systems scale their stats to double a normal one, so 11 Agi is actually 22 in the way of a standard System.
Drawing out my combat knife, I focused on the level 5 goblin as they were a few meters away from me. Still, due to the darkness of the leaves and branches of the tree I was on, they would only notice me a little if I made lots of noise. I took a silent, steady breath before aiming and flicking my right arm and hand out. Throwing the knife with all my might, it sailed straight through the air with a low whistle before hitting home into its skull as blood started to gush out. To the surprise of the lackeys, who were lost entirely, the [LV5 Goblin Commander] was killed on the spot, desperately looking for where the knife came from, let alone who could kill their leader.
~~Killed an [Lv5 Goblin Commander] Earned 50 EXP~~
Drawing my sword next, launching myself at the closest goblin off the tree branch, piercing my blade into his neck from the momentum hitting him like a shooting arrow, making the blade slide through like butter as I rolled with the body, shooting towards the knife in the dead leader's skull, pulling it free as I charged the last scared goblin, grabbing the hand that held the club in its hands before it could move, quickly slicing it neck open with the bloody blade as its blody crys rings out before it fall to the floor in its own puddle of blood.
~~killed an lv:2 [Goblin Grunt] Earned 20 EXP~~
Noticing I was only getting one notification for one LV2 kill, my eyes fell on the one impaled in the neck with my sword. Seeing the piercing was too sloppy, as it wasn't a quick kill, leaving it just barely alive, I walked over to it, seeing it struggling. A wide grin slowly came to my face as I saw it struggle and choke on its blood. Probably begging for mercy with its bloodshot, yellow enlarged eyes and tears running down its face in its garbled language, but it would get no mercy from me.
I learned early on in life that it's kill or be killed, and I took great delight in killing and watching others suffer if they so deserved it. I was no saint, and seeing a Goblin dying was more funny than anything else. They were vile, sadistic evil little fucks when feral, at least. One more dead was another person that would be horribly abused to grown there population. This was no different; I just took joy in seeing it struggle, turning the knife down in my hand for an easy stabbing position, towering over this prey of mine.
"Hey now~... hey now~... don't look at me like that. There's an old saying about you, vermin. The only kind of a good goblin is a DEAD goblin ~! I said with reverie, stabbing below its left collarbone down to its abdomen as it let out a bloody, gurgly scream; I was busy digging into the cavity. Laughing out as its blood got on me as I kept stabbing and digging into its body as it weakly screamed out in bloody murder. Before finally ripping his heart free with ease as the light finally left its eyes, letting him die a dog's death...no, that would be disrespectful to dogs, hahah!
~~Killed an lv:2 goblin Earned 20 EXP~~
After harvesting the two other hearts, I took a deep breath, calming myself down from the bloodlust and sadistic glee I was feeling after all of this. Giggling to myself for a bit before I got my instincts and emotions in check. I stored the hearts in my storage, and I was surprised. The system flashed in my face, and the purple screen was now much more intricate. It was still a dark royal purple but had black and red embroidery with white roses on the top and bottom.
As it was set to the [storage] tab, it showed two hearts, one LV5 goblin heart and another next to it saying LV2 Goblin heart, with times two next to it, basically stacking them and sorting them automatically, as I'd assumed I would have to use some of my mental strength to look and sort through it, but no. They also loss there titels, just saying the race's name.
Dragging the lv5 body with me into a safer part of the woods, throwing it into a bush, before going in with it, as my system claims I'll get stronger by eating flesh and hearts, but how much was needed was the question.
So I started with the neck, sinking my fangs deep into its neck and ripping off flesh as I began to eat it. It was the worst-tasting thing in my life, having to hold back throwing up and gagging before finally swallowing it after chewing it to where I'd all go down.
Feeling a strong impulse in my body, I soon ate more and more as it slowly started to taste better in my mouth. I was salivating, and only after eating about a pound of its neck and upper body flesh did I get a way better notification that only left me grinning with a bloody smile.
~~Devoured the flesh of an lv5 Goblin Commander killed by the user. Awarded 25 bonus EXP~~
Seeing that I could earn half the max amount of EXP from eating only a pound of meat, and there were absolutely no side effects after waiting a full hour, I went back, quickly eating from the other two.
~~Devoured the flesh of two lv2 Goblin Grunts killed by user. Awarded 20 bonus EXP~~
EXP135/500
Seeing that everything the system said was true and only benefited me, I summoned up the courage to eat a heart, as it could be way worse tasting or a delicacy. Taking out the level 5 heart first, as if the others don't count towards my quest, I should eat the best first, as it was roughly the size of an apple. I started to eat away at it. Soon, a pleasing heat washed over my body as this was the juiciest, sweetest meat I've ever had in my life. I quickly wolfed it down until nothing was left, licking up the tasty blood in my hand.
~~user has eaten an lv5 goblin heart + 1Agi, 2Con, 2 Str~~
Str:6>8
Con:8>10
Agi:11>12(+4)
HP:800/800>1000/1000
~~hidden quest eat three sentient hearts (1/3)~~
Quickly taking out the remaining two hearts, eating away like a madman. I waited... then it pinged.
~~User has eaten two lv2 goblin hearts +2 stat points~~
Stat points:0>2
That was all it said. I couldn't be disappointed, as it seems I'd only be given random bonus stats from the 3 hearts related to the quest; all others would give me stat points.
"Well, this changes my plans a lot, hehe, so I'll have to kill a Fishman and another monster. Not many are this far to the entrance." So I'll have to go deeper, where higher-level enemies are, to find something, not a goblin. My gut tells me the highest monster I can easily kill is level 5, even with higher stats.
Monsters do tend to grow smarter past LV 5. Storing the clubs and rusted sword in my [Storage] to sell them later, I sheathe my sword and knife in their holsters, as I was upset I didn't generate a knife-throwing skill, but it was no issue if I kept it up with my knife throwing or anything else.
I'll learn it on my own, as I wasn't in any shape mentally to try and force myself to remember my old spells or boost myself with mana, as my reserves were more than double what I was used to. That, and I still felt an intoxicating bloodlust to eat more hearts soon and fast. It wasn't like I couldn't hold this feeling back, but I knew it was the system's doing to make me actively want more to finish this quest. Sighing, I continue my soon-to-be long day of hunting. Trying to keep myself sane in my sadistic hunting glee. Who said I had to immediately go to the fishman spot? Why not hunt some more for more stat points and EXP?
"....huh, why did I feel that I should havent went staght to the lake...no, this is different...better," I said to myself as once again I had that feeling, as unknown to me at the time someone was watching me and gritting their teeth at that one simple choice of mine.