Chapter 6: Bear Goblin

I carefully examined my attribute panel.

Compared to the thrill of seeing my attributes quantified, the numbers themselves weren’t anything special.

All six attributes were “5,” presumably the level of an average person.

The attribute panel itself was extremely basic, like something from an unfinished third-rate game, revealing little.

The only thing worth noting was the lone entry in my skill tab:

[Whirlwind Slash] lv4 (99/100)

“Just 1 point short of leveling up?”

I murmured to myself.

Though I knew I couldn’t rush it, being just 1 point away from lv5 made me restless.

I couldn’t help but feel eager to know what kind of benefits this level-up would bring.

My mind recalled the moment my proficiency had increased earlier.

“I wonder if using the skill in combat grants any bonus compared to regular training.”

Having only recently transmigrated to this world, I was a rookie adventurer with just one inherited skill.

The sparse lines on the attribute panel offered no further insights.

After a few more glances, I refocused my mind and returned to my night watch duties.

…

The next day.

At the crack of dawn, the Rotten Fish and Shrimp team packed up their supplies and left the campsite.

The Mist Forest at dawn was just as foggy as at night, with barely any visibility.

The dense mist in the air, combined with the indistinguishable lush vegetation in my eyes, made it impossible for an ordinary person to discern the path.

After half a day of walking, I even had the illusion we were treading in place.

Yet the two ahead moved with confident assurance, as if they had a minimap in their heads.

I didn’t say much, just followed closely like a tail.

When they stopped, I stopped;

when they hushed their voices, I crept along stealthily too.

As for why a low-tier team like Rotten Fish and Shrimp could navigate the Mist Forest like it was their backyard, even pinpointing the vague direction of a goblin lair in such complex terrain,

I had some guesses.

On one hand, it was likely the experience of “veterans” like Maji, who could navigate using forest details I didn’t understand; on the other, judging by how this exiled hunter occasionally paused, sniffing the ground like a hound,

he probably also possessed some kind of prerequisite skill, similar to [Whirlwind Slash], tied to a specific profession.

But just as Gagu and Maji didn’t mention the skill I’d used after the battle, acting as if they hadn’t seen it, I didn’t ask about it either.

I just made a mental note that when dealing with other adventurers, I should be cautious about this topic and avoid being too talkative to prevent unnecessary trouble.

After about three hours of trekking through the forest, a small hill came into view.

At the center of the hill was a clearly artificial mud-and-stone cave, its entrance marked by heavy signs of activity.

A faint stench lingered in the air.

“We’re here!”

Maji’s face lit up with uncontainable excitement, his voice low.

“So, we just go in?”

Gagu gripped his iron axe with both hands, his pupils faintly red, clearly ready for battle.

“There shouldn’t be any back exits in a cave like this,” Maji said, studying the hill carefully before hesitating. “We can go straight in.”

“You take the front, Gagu. Xia Nan, stay in the middle. I’ll cover the rear.” He hefted his longbow. “Be careful, don’t get careless!”

Hearing this, as we prepared to enter the cave, I couldn’t help but voice my doubts:

“This cave entrance is big enough for two adults to walk side by side, isn’t it?”

“Is digging it this large a goblin habit?”

“Uh…”

My question seemed to stump Maji behind me. His voice faltered, and he didn’t speak for a moment.

“We’ve already taken out their main force, so why worry about it!?”

With the goblin treasure so close, Gagu’s tone was noticeably impatient.

“Scared? Then get lost! You won’t get a share of the loot inside!”

As they spoke, the group kept moving, already stepping into the cave.

“Damn it!” I cursed under my breath, glancing at the cave’s scale and feeling a growing sense of unease.

“These two bastards have me pinned between them.”

“If I back out now, I’d probably be the first to get screwed.”

At this point, I had no choice but to follow them to the end.

In truth, I’d only been in this world a short time and didn’t know much about the adventuring trade.

If I’d been around a few more days, I’d have realized.

The reason low-tier adventurers were called “low-tier” was partly due to their lack of strength, but also because of their ill-timed courage, “conveniently” timed cowardice, consciences easily swayed by a few bags of gold, and brains controlled by greed.

Frequently changing teammates, years of adventuring with nothing but tattered gear, a team of rotten fish and shrimp letting a complete newbie like me join so easily…

These alone were enough to hint at something.

But it was too late to think about that now.

All I could do was grip my longsword tightly and stay alert to my surroundings.

The cave wasn’t deep, and it soon seemed to reach its end.

“Gurgle…”

With the faint firelight, a strange sound came from around the corner ahead.

Unable to contain his excitement, Gagu’s muscles swelled, his eyes glowing red.

Roar—

Letting out an utterly undisciplined bellow, he charged forward, axe raised high.

Then,

like a wild dog with its neck grabbed, his roar cut off abruptly.

Though startled by Gagu’s shout, I wasn’t slow to follow.

So, in the next moment, I saw what had silenced him.

As mentioned before, while goblins had a unique reproductive system distinct from other creatures, as a single-sex species, they weren’t above reverting to primal instincts and unleashing their savage desires on females of other races if given the chance.

Humans, more widespread across the multiverse than goblins, had an exaggerated number of high-tier fighters, but their ordinary population was also the largest among all races.

This vast population meant that those abducted by goblins for reproductive abuse were mostly human, especially weaker females.

And these despicable creatures naturally wouldn’t hold funerals for them.

Goblins, perpetually on the edge of survival, prioritized filling their stomachs when it came to those women.

And so, I saw the scene before me.

Predictably, this scene would have an explosive impact on me, an ordinary person from a modern society.

Even if I became a seasoned adventurer in the future, this would remain etched in my memory.

Of course, what made even Gagu, a half-beastman raised on raw meat and blood, lose his voice in terror wasn’t this all-too-familiar scene.

It was the massive figure sitting at the deepest part of the cave, shrouded in shadows.

From behind came Maji’s panicked, chicken-like screech:

“Bear Goblin!!!”

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