novelraw Chapter 38 : Kill! Strange Bird!
Chapter 38 : Kill! Strange Bird!
Chapter 38: Kill! Strange Bird!
The sharp tip of the sword pierced through the skin.
Beneath the ribs, the two bulging masses were its liver.
That was hepatomegaly caused by long-term consumption of rotten food.
And now, that enlarged liver became Leo’s target—pierced through by a single thrust.
The intense pain struck like lightning, sweeping through its entire body, nearly causing it to lose consciousness.
At that moment, Leo did not pause for even an instant—his sword flashed.
The moment Starfall was drawn, it transformed into a bursting silver serpent.
Power of Dark Tide! Diagonal Slash!
Whoosh!
A heavy tearing sound cut through the air from both sides of the blade.
Leo’s strike was aimed at its frail neck.
The Starfall sword carried the full strength of Leo’s body.
Shing!
The sharp blade slashed downward at an angle, biting into the cervical spine and lodging in the gap between bones.
Leo watched as a large amount of blood, steaming with white vapor, gushed from the wound.
The Goblin’s neck was severed by more than half. It struggled briefly before collapsing limply to the ground, completely motionless.
Leo panted heavily.
Everything just now had been decided in a split second.
Fortunately, it had succeeded.
Leo felt that if it had been when he had just transmigrated, he would never have turned back to deliver that thrust.
But after practicing the Breathing Technique and Swordsmanship for so long,
he felt that a trace of killing intent had grown within his chest.
This was what it meant—when one held a weapon, the intent to kill naturally arose.
Leo stared at the corpse on the ground, waiting for quite some time.
After confirming that it had completely stopped breathing,
he stepped forward and thrust another sword straight into its eye socket.
Finishing blows were a good habit.
Unexpectedly, the blade was stopped by the hard skull.
However, at this moment, Leo saw new information appear on his panel.
Hunting (White) Level 1 26/100 → 87/100 (Perceive prey weaknesses, obtain information on hunted species)
The red Goblin from earlier was indeed dead.
What he didn’t expect was that a single red Goblin had granted him over sixty points of experience!
Equivalent to killing dozens of ordinary Goblins!
In other words, the experience gained varied depending on the prey.
The stronger the Beastkin, the more experience they provided.
With this, Leo’s Hunting skill was about to level up very soon.
Moreover, a new species entry appeared on the panel.
【Blood Goblin】
【Blood Goblin: A mutated variant of Goblins, possessing far greater strength and defense than ordinary Goblins. Fond of gold, and due to its love of killing, it may even slaughter ordinary Goblins. Its body remains in a constant state of blood congestion, giving it a red appearance. A small number can use weapons.
Traits: Hardened bones, tough skin, excels in using strength and agility in combat.
Weaknesses: Fear of strong light, high-frequency noise, fragile cervical spine, enlarged liver, flat feet unsuitable for long-distance running
Special Value: The blood core inside the heart has value for assisting cultivation】
The Hunting skill had provided a new species description.
“Blood Goblin…” Leo glanced at it.
Its weaknesses were the same as ordinary Goblins.
However, due to enhanced strength and defense, its combat power was far greater.
Perhaps the difference was like that between an ordinary person and a knight.
Aside from that, what drew Leo’s attention most was the “Special Value” section.
For ordinary Goblins, that section was empty.
But for the Blood Goblin, it now contained information.
The blood core inside the heart…
Leo looked around. After sprinting just now, he had arrived at an unoccupied fork in the road.
After hesitating for two seconds,
he raised his sword, located the heart, and slowly stabbed down.
Soon, Leo felt the tip of the sword touch something extremely hard.
His sword technique was flexible—he twisted the blade slightly and flicked outward.
A bead the size of a fingernail rolled onto the ground.
“Blood core.”
He quickly picked it up.
But in the next moment, the corpse in front of him began to decay. In just a few seconds, it dissolved into a pool of thick red slurry that spread outward.
“This…”
After the blood core was removed, the body seemed to melt as if corroded by acid.
Additionally, after the body dissolved, several glittering gold coins and a gold ring were left behind.
It seemed these were things it had swallowed.
Leo quickly collected them, hiding them separately on his body.
This was not a place to linger.
Leo glanced around.
He decided to return to the watchtower.
Right now, nowhere was safe—and that was the highest vantage point.
The Blood Goblin carried a heavy scent of blood.
He could distinguish that the Goblins in the direction of the watchtower were ordinary Goblins.
At this moment, ordinary Goblins were nothing more than experience packs to him.
As long as he avoided Blood Goblins, it would be fine.
Leo shook the blood off his sword and, like an experienced hunter, cautiously observed his surroundings.
He quickly moved toward the watchtower.
Meanwhile, those Knight’s Squires had gathered at the base of the tower, standing clustered at the entrance, speaking in hushed voices.
“I really heard strange noises inside.”
“Then let’s run. If we run into that red Goblin again, we…”
Having just arrived at the base, they had already heard what seemed to be Goblin sounds coming from inside the tower.
After encountering the Blood Goblin, much of their newly gained courage had dissipated.
Now, each of them hesitated, unsure of what to do.
But in the next moment, they saw a figure suddenly squeeze in from outside.
“Leo, you’re okay?”
“Don’t go in, there’s—”
They stared in shock as Leo reappeared, just about to stop him—
but Leo, holding his sword, charged straight into the watchtower.
Moving upward, Leo quickly encountered several ordinary Goblins inside.
Now, when these green creatures faced Leo, they were like weeds—cut down effortlessly, reduced entirely to experience.
After killing a Blood Goblin, Leo’s confidence had surged.
These ordinary green creatures looked like nothing more than a pack of rats to him.
Soon, Leo reached the top of the tower.
Looking around, there were two guards’ corpses, mangled beyond recognition, along with two ordinary Goblin corpses.
Clearly, a fierce battle had taken place here.
It could be inferred that the two guards had killed two Goblins before dying.
Near the window, he saw a longbow and a signal arrow that had already burned out.
They must have tried to fire a signal but failed.
Leo closed the eyes of the two brave guards.
Standing at the highest point of the entire castle, Leo gazed into the distance, taking in the fortress—spanning several football fields—in its entirety.
Though called a castle, it was actually a military stronghold enclosed by high walls, filled with numerous structures.
Looking afar, it seemed that many areas had already seen conflict.
In some corners of the castle, the sounds of battle could still be heard.
Leo felt something was off.
He checked the marked position from 【Tracking】 again.
It showed that the mark was still at the stables.
“That Goblin is still at the stables… what exactly is going on?”
Leo looked toward the stables, but his view was blocked by a rooftop.
Strangely, on top of that roof stood a peculiar black bird, motionless.
From over a hundred meters away, with the enhancement of Keen Senses, Leo noticed the strange bird.
Its entire body was pitch black—like a crow.