Chapter 32 - Wolf's Den (4)

As I stood before the tree, my eyes locked onto the diminutive figure of a goblin.

Its appearance was quintessentially goblin-like, with a wiry, emaciated body covered in a mishmash of tattered leather and rusty chainmail.

Its skin was a sickly shade of green, with a texture that seemed to resemble decaying moss.

The goblin's eyes gleamed with a malevolent intelligence, its pupils glinting like dark, polished onyx.

A cruel, twisted grin spread across its face, revealing a set of jagged, yellowed teeth.

I paused, my gaze lingering on the goblin as I addressed my system, Ella. "Oh right, Ella, do you have a feature that lets me see other's level and stats?" I asked aloud, my voice carrying through the stillness of the forest.

The response came in the form of a melodious, feminine robotic voice that echoed within my mind.

[Yes] Ella's voice was like a gentle breeze on a summer's day, a soothing contrast to the harsh, unforgiving environment that surrounded me.

I felt a surge of excitement at the prospect of being able to gauge the strength of my opponents.

It was a feature that I had grown accustomed to in the system genre games and novels that I had consumed in the past.

Now, with Ella's confirmation, I felt a sense of reassurance, knowing that I had a valuable tool at my disposal.

As Ella activated the stat display feature, a translucent, ethereal window materialized before my eyes, suspended in mid-air like a ghostly apparition.

The window was adorned with intricate, swirling patterns that seemed to shift and dance in the light, imbuing the display with an otherworldly aura.

The text within the window was rendered in a crisp, silver font, each character shimmering with a soft, luminescent glow.

As I gazed upon the display, I felt a sense of detachment, as if I was observing the goblin's stats through a veil of unreality.

________________________________________

Name: unnamed

Level: 1

Race: Goblin (Monster)

STR: 13

AGI: 14

DEF: 12

INT: (Locked)

MP: 100

________________________________________

The stats themselves were underwhelming, to say the least.

The goblin's strength, agility, and defense were all mediocre, barely scraping the surface of what I would consider acceptable for a monster.

The fact that its intelligence was locked, inaccessible to my gaze, only served to further underscore the goblin's primitive nature.

As I took in the goblin's stats, I couldn't help but feel a sense of superiority. After all, goblins were the lowest rung on the monster hierarchy, barely worthy of consideration.

Just like in the game also, the monsters used MP. Unlike humans, elves, dwarves, beastmen, and the djinn that used different constituent energy, monsters used only MP.

A thought then occurred to me, one that I hadn't really thought about.

Perhaps the reason Unique type system holders like myself tended to be stronger than our Knight or Mage counterparts was because we were able to tap into the fundamental energy source of the universe – MP.

What if MP was the main energy source of this universe and mana and aura were just it's constituents.

Krieek!

Snapping me out of my reverie. The goblin's club whistled through the air, mere inches from my face, as it swung wildly in my direction.

I sidestepped the attack with ease, my movements fluid and calculated. As the goblin stumbled past me, I seized the opportunity to strike.

With a swift motion, I covered my palm in flames, the fire crackling to life with a soft whoosh.

The goblin's eyes widened in terror as I grasped its throat, my flames-engulfed hand closing around its neck like a vice.

Krieek!

The goblin shrieked in my grasp, its voice like a rusty gate scraping against concrete.

"Burn, you filth," I growled, my voice low and menacing. With a twist of my wrist, I unleashed the flames covering my palm, sending them coursing over the goblin's throat.

The sound of sizzling flesh and crackling flames filled the air, accompanied by the goblin's agonized screams.

As the flames consumed the goblin's throat, its shrieks grew louder, more piercing, until they were abruptly cut off.

The goblin's body went limp in my grasp, its eyes frozen in a permanent stare of terror. I released my grip, allowing the goblin's lifeless body to crumple to the ground, its throat a charred, blackened ruin.

As I prepared to leave the portal, I gazed down at the collection of black crystals in my storage ring, their dark, glossy surfaces seeming to absorb the light around them.

I knew that I had to be mindful of the limit on crystal absorption, lest I risk overwhelming my body.

The rules of crystal absorption were etched in my mind like a mantra.

Level 0s, like the novice explorers who first entered the portals, could only absorb a single black-grade crystal per day.

It was a limitation that made sense, given the fragile state of their bodies.

I recalled how Justina and the Emperor had carefully timed the administration of crystals to coincide with my impending level-ups, allowing me to absorb the energy without risking burnout.

Level 1s could absorb two black crystals per day, while Level 2s could handle three.

The pattern continues, with each successive level granting access to more powerful crystals and increased absorption limits.

Level 3s could absorb four black crystals or a single red crystal, the latter of which was said to hold exponentially more energy.

The hierarchy continued, with Level 4s absorbing two red crystals, Level 5s absorbing three, and Level 6s absorbing four red crystals or a single orange crystal.

Level 7s could absorb three orange crystals, while Level 8s could absorb five or a single yellow crystal.

The upper echelons of the hierarchy were truly elite, with Level 9s absorbing three yellow crystals and Sovereigns absorbing six yellow crystals or a single silver crystal.

The silver crystals, were the exclusive domain of Sovereigns and demi-gods.

Even among these elite ranks, there were limits to the number of silver crystals that could be absorbed, with Moon rankers/demi-gods limited to five silver crystals or a single white crystal per day.

I stood amidst the portal's eerie silence, my storage ring now holding seventeen black crystals.

The past two hours had been a straightforward exercise in efficiency, as I cleared pack after pack of wolves with ease.

The first pack had set the tone for the rest of my excursion. The subsequent packs were similarly disposed of, with me killing the alpha and the rest fleeing.

It wasn't that they were a challenge, but rather that luck had been on their side, allowing them to escape.

In fact, only one pack had met a different fate. I had slaughtered every last wolf, leaving none to flee.

The memory of that encounter was a testament to my capabilities, a reminder that I was more than capable of handling whatever this portal threw my way.

As I prepared to leave the portal, I was suddenly halted by a faint, wheezing cry for help. "H...e...l...p m...e."

The voice was weak and labored, like the speaker was struggling to draw breath. My hand instinctively went to the hilt of my sword, my senses on high alert.

I followed the sound of the voice, my eyes scanning the surrounding area until I spotted a small cave just a few meters away.

I approached the cave cautiously, my sword at the ready, and peered inside.

The interior of the cave was dark and foreboding, the air thick with the stench of death and decay.

I stepped inside, my eyes adjusting slowly to the dim light. The ground beneath my feet was uneven and rocky, forcing me to navigate a treacherous landscape of jagged formations and twisted, nightmarish shapes.

As I ventured deeper into the cave, I stumbled upon a gruesome scene.

Bodies, mangled and twisted beyond recognition, littered the ground.

Some had their limbs torn asunder, leaving behind jagged, splintered stumps.

Others had their throats crushed, their faces frozen in perpetual screams.

The air was heavy with the acrid scent of burnt flesh, and I could see that some of the bodies had been reduced to little more than charred, blackened husks.

I approached one of the bodies, my hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of my sword.

As I touched the body, I activated Ella's appraisal ability, and a wealth of information flooded my mind.

The body, I learned, was that of a Level 2 explorer, one who had met a grisly end at the hands of some unknown monster.

My gaze swept the area, taking in the sheer scale of the carnage.

It was clear that whatever had done this was incredibly powerful, capable of dispatching multiple Level 2 explorers with ease.

My mind recoiled at the thought, my own strength seeming paltry in comparison.

Just as I was about to turn away, I heard the faint, wheezing cry once more. "H...e...l...p m...e."

My gaze snapped towards the sound, and I saw a figure, barely clinging to life.

The person's face was a twisted, nightmarish parody of its former self, with one half burnt beyond recognition and the eyes plucked out.

Both legs were ripped off, one arm twisted at an unnatural angle, and the other arm simply torn away.

Despite the horrific injuries, I could sense a faint spark of life still lingering within the person.

I approached cautiously, my sword at the ready, and activated Ella's appraisal ability once more.

The person, I learned, was a Level 2 explorer, with blue hair and was currently wearing silver armor.

"Hello?" I said cautiously, my hand still gripping the hilt of my sword.