The blazing sun began to set.
The light in the Great Tob Forest dimmed rapidly, the thick canopy of ancient trees swallowing the last rays of daylight.
After Minori successfully evaded the pursuing ogres, he immediately sought out a place where the trees were sparse and the undergrowth low.
In such a location, it would be easier to observe the surroundings — and with the massive size of an ogre, any movement would be immediately visible.
"Heal Minor Wounds."
A soft white radiance gathered in Minori's palm, sinking into his body.
In an instant, the small cuts and bruises on his face and limbs began to heal, the torn skin knitting itself together at a speed visible to the naked eye.
The injuries he had sustained were not serious, but in the wilds of the Great Tob Forest, untreated wounds could easily fester and become deadly.
From his survival training under the "Rock" mercenary team, Minori knew that infection was among the greatest threats.
Fortunately, one cast of "Heal Minor Wounds" was enough to restore him to good condition.
He felt a soothing warmth spread through his limbs, and the tightness in his chest eased significantly.
"What's going on?"
Minori frowned, puzzled.
The ogres' organized pursuit troubled him.
He had anticipated that killing goblins would eventually draw attention — after all, goblins served as prey to larger predators like ogres.
But the scale of the response seemed disproportionate.
"Could it be... a special individual among the goblins or ogres?"The thought crossed his mind.
Unlike YGGDRASIL, where most monsters of the same race shared identical stats and behavior, the real world — the New World — was more chaotic.
Unique individuals could exist.
Rare mutations, advanced evolutions — these were not just possibilities, but certainties in such a complex ecosystem.
It might not have appeared in the canon material of Overlord, but that didn't mean it couldn't happen.
One or two ogres posed little threat.But large groups?That was dangerous.
Even with his high attack power, Minori's physical defense was not exceptional.
A few solid hits could easily bring him down.
"I have to move more carefully from now on," Minori muttered, making a mental note.
As the last vestiges of daylight vanished, Minori followed his established routine.
He located a tall tree with sturdy branches, climbed it with practiced ease, and draped his black robe around himself, blending into the night.
In the thick darkness, he became little more than a shadow among shadows.
Late at night.
Minori rested lightly, his eyes closed but his senses sharp.
Suddenly, his ears caught a faint sound:
Rustle... rustle...
Footsteps.
Something was moving cautiously across the forest floor.
Minori's body tensed, but he did not open his eyes.
In the utter darkness beneath the trees, human vision was almost useless unless the target was extremely close.
Better to feign sleep.
He controlled his breathing, making it slow and even.
The sound drew nearer — then paused directly beneath his tree.
Minori remained motionless, heartbeat steady.
A long moment passed.
Then the sound resumed, slowly fading into the distance.
Only when he was sure the presence had left did Minori allow himself to relax slightly, resuming his light doze.
In the Great Tob Forest, night stretched over twelve hours.Without occasional rest, mental fatigue would accumulate, weakening body and mind.
Thus, even light, fragmented sleep was essential for survival.
The Next Morning.
Golden sunlight filtered weakly through the dense leaves.
Minori stirred, then dropped silently from his perch.
He folded the black robe neatly and stored it back into his item box.
Without wasting time, he began his day's work — chewing a piece of hard rye bread as he scanned the surroundings for new prey.
The hours slipped by.
From sunrise to sunset.
Minori marked a tree with a quick slash of his iron sword, then sighed.
"Terrible luck today. Only ten goblins."
His voice was low and calm, but there was a hint of frustration.
Moreover, the goblins he had encountered seemed to be isolated stragglers, not part of any larger tribe.
Of course, along the way, he had run into other creatures as well:
Giant snakes, common throughout the forest.
A few aggressive wild beasts.
Even a large beetle-like monster nearly half a meter long — though it had escaped before Minori could finish it.
While wild beasts provided negligible experience, magical creatures offered slightly better rewards.
Still, none of them compared to the efficiency of hunting goblins — fast, clean kills, and reliable experience gain.
In recent days, goblin encounters had dwindled sharply.
Minori found himself reluctantly hunting even the beasts he would normally ignore, just to make up the difference.
Where once he could easily kill thirty goblins in a day and earn five to six hundred experience points, now he was sometimes lucky to find even ten.
The slow grind was irritating.
But compared to the number of goblins that still threatened human borders every year,the ones he had killed so far were a drop in the ocean.
Still, Minori could only blame bad luck for now.
Downwind Month (June) 16th.
Today marked exactly one month since Minori had arrived in this world.
He had entered the Great Tob Forest on June 2nd.
Two weeks spent hunting, surviving, growing stronger.
Perhaps the world itself had chosen to celebrate the occasion —because Minori's luck took a sudden turn for the better.
That day, he encountered goblins again.Many of them.
Twenty-one kills by nightfall.
His experience bar jumped significantly.
—
『Experience: 2620/5000』
—
And more importantly:
The density of goblin sightings suggested the presence of a large goblin tribe nearby.
An opportunity — or a deadly trap.
Minori made a mental note to be extremely cautious moving forward.
That Night.
Rustle... rustle...
A wild beast passed beneath Minori's tree, brushing against the undergrowth.
Perched high among the thick branches, Minori remained motionless.
His black robe rendered him nearly invisible in the darkness.
More importantly, he had long since cast Deodorization — erasing every trace of his scent.
Even the most sensitive noses would not find him.