Rustle—
Rustle—
The sound of leaves brushing against one another echoed faintly through the forest, carried by the cold breath of the morning wind.
Minori shifted slightly on the thick branch he rested upon, leaning back against the rough trunk.Opening his eyes, he retrieved a small, ornate pocket watch from his inventory and clicked it open.
The delicate hands pointed to eight minutes past four in the morning.
"...The passage of time here seems to mirror Earth almost exactly," Minori mused quietly, snapping the watch shut and slipping it back into his robe.
The forest around him remained cloaked in a deep, dim twilight.
Even though dawn had broken, the dense canopy of the Great Tob Forest allowed only scattered shafts of light to pierce through, barely illuminating the jungle floor.
But compared to the oppressive darkness of the night, visibility had improved.
Minori had woken long ago.
In truth, he had never truly slept — instead, resting in a half-awake, meditative state.
It seemed that his body, strengthened by his increasing levels and racial enhancements, now required far less rest.
Despite having barely slept, he felt no fatigue whatsoever.
If the visibility were better, he would have already begun hunting.
Woosh—
Without warning, Minori shifted his weight, dropping silently from the thick branch.
Bang!
His boots hit the earth without a sound, absorbing the impact perfectly.
Drawing his iron sword from his hip, Minori's golden-red eyes glinted coldly beneath the dim forest light.
"Time to begin," he whispered.
From here on—
The hunt would become relentless.
The deeper he ventured into the troll territories, the more goblins he encountered.
At the same time, those goblins became his stepping stones—fuel for his rapid rise in strength.
One day.Two days.Four days.
In just a few days, Minori had slaughtered hundreds of goblins.
Not only goblins — but also wild beasts, mutant wolves, and the occasional minor monster.
As a result:
His "Sword Saint" class had risen to Level 9.
Though it sounded impressive, the truth was different.
The Great Tob Forest was unimaginably vast.
Hundreds of goblins barely made a dent in the teeming numbers living under the rule of the ogres.
Minori's average kill count was around twenty goblins per day—a respectable number, but not enough to affect the broader balance of the jungle.
Complicating matters was the oppressive environment.
For nearly thirteen hours a day, the forest was shrouded in complete darkness.
Goblins, despite their weakness, possessed natural darkvision, while Minori, being human, did not.
Night hunting was nearly impossible without risking dangerous ambushes.
Even during the day, the dense vegetation and twisting terrain severely limited movement speed.
Every step had to be cautious, calculated.
Thus, Minori's life in the forest became monotonous:
Slay goblins.
Rest.
Hunt again.
If luck favored him, he might stumble across an ogre —where goblins clustered thickest around their brutal masters.
Unconsciously,Minori's continuous slaughter began to have effects beyond himself.
The outskirts of the Great Tob Forest started to reek faintly of rotting blood.
Untended goblin corpses piled up.
The stench did not attract predators — instead, it repelled them.
Wild beasts, sensing the birth of a greater terror, abandoned the outer forest in droves, migrating toward the deeper heartlands.
The ecosystem itself was changing.
A new predator had arrived.
Four Years Before the New Calendar.
A Bad Month — June 11.
Ten days had passed since Minori entered the forest.
At the edge of a small goblin settlement—
"Gyaaaah!"
"Kiiiiii!"
"Gugyaaah—!"
Shrieks and screams shattered the humid air.
Minori moved like a storm through the haphazard huts.
His iron sword flashed with mechanical precision—each strike clean, each motion minimal.
Whether it was due to the level-ups or simply battle experience,Minori's swordplay had grown sharper, faster, deadlier.
He raised one foot and kicked.
The heavy impact crushed a goblin's chest inward, sending its broken body flying into a knot of others.
Without slowing, Minori lunged forward, swinging his blade horizontally.
Several goblin heads flew into the air, spinning grotesquely before thudding into the mud.
Moments later—
The last goblin's scream was silenced.
Minori stood alone among the dead.
Without hesitation, he sheathed his sword, drew a small knife, and began cutting off goblin ears—tokens that would one day serve as proof of subjugation.
Each pair of severed ears was carefully bundled and stored into his item box.
Gulp. Gulp.
Finishing his grisly work, Minori retrieved his waterskin and drank deeply.
He exhaled.
The metallic taste of blood clung to the air.
Without caring, Minori pulled out a chunk of cooked wild boar meat and tore into it.
"No ogres in this camp... what a waste."
He chewed mechanically, expressionless.
The mutilated goblin corpses surrounding him did not faze him in the slightest.
Minori had long since adapted to the brutal, primitive life of the jungle.
He crouched down in the blood-soaked dirt, casually placing his sword beside him.
One hand held the waterskin, the other continued tearing chunks from the roasted meat.
The boar had been caught several days prior —cooked thoroughly using his Heating magic, sliced, and stored within the item box for preservation.
It was simple, efficient, and sufficient for survival.
At a glance—
Minori no longer resembled a traveler or scholar.
His black linen robes were ragged and torn, stained with blood and jungle filth.
Leaves and twigs clung stubbornly to the fabric.
His once short, neatly cut black hair had grown wild and unkempt.
This was already the fifth set of clothing he had changed into.
Had he not mastered the Deodorization spell,Minori would likely have reeked worse than a goblin himself.
Yet—
Underneath the tattered garb, his body had undergone a remarkable transformation.
His muscles were lean, hard, and powerful.
He moved with a feral grace born from endless battles.
The forest had carved him into a predator.
Minori glanced downward.
"Attribute Board," he commanded silently.
[ Status Window ]
Name: Minori
Alignment: 35 [Neutral]
HP: 113 (8%)
MP: 13 (1%)
Physical Attack: 113 (8%)
Physical Defense: 13 (1%)
Agility: 113 (8%)
Magic Attack: 13 (1%)
Magical Defense: 13 (1%)
Overall Resistance: 0 (0%)
Special Traits: 0 (0%)
Total Progression: 28%
[ Class Skills ]
Natural Ability: [Player]
Overall Level: 11
Experience: 1721 / 5000
Basic Class: Prodigy Lv. 1 (Warrior-type)
Intermediate Class: Sword Saint Lv. 10
Skill Points: 19
Passive Skills:
Item Box
Slashing Enhancement (+10%)
Active Skills:
Instant Reaction
Four-Light Slash
Rapid Strike
Stealth
Magic Spells:
Papermaking (Level 1)
Heating (Level 1)
Minor Healing (Level 1)
Magic Arrow (Level 1)
Deodorization (Level 1)
Life Skills:
Medicine
Alchemy
Minori narrowed his eyes at the numbers.
Slow, steady progress.
But it wasn't enough.
He needed to become stronger. Much stronger.
The monsters lurking in the deeper regions of the Great Tob Forest were nothing compared to what awaited beyond.