Chapter 12: Goblin Blood Hunt

Evan couldn’t hide his surprise.

‘An absorption constitution, huh?’

He could feel it—like his level had just risen.

A moment later, once the elixir’s energy was fully absorbed, message windows appeared before Evan’s eyes.

[Due to the effects of your absorption constitution, you have fully absorbed Ufr’s Elixir.]

[Agility has increased by 15.]

[Strength has increased by 15.]

All stats increased at their maximum potential instead of being determined randomly.

The efficiency was overwhelming.

Even Evan, who normally had terrible luck, couldn’t help but smile this time.

‘With this, I won’t have to worry about taking elixirs anymore.’

Evan opened his status window.

[Status Window]

[Name: Evan Kerthen]

[Age: 19]

[Level: 15]

[Race: Human]

[Class: None]

[HP: 2,300 / 2,300]

[Mana: 560 / 560]

[Strength: 27]

[Agility: 22 (20)]

[Intelligence: 50 (-9)]

[Endurance: 15 (-2)]

[Wisdom: 15]

The penalties had significantly decreased.

Thanks to the elixir boost, his overall stats had risen considerably.

‘These stats are already better than when I was level 15 in my previous world.’

The absorption rate made even low-tier elixirs from the shop yield incredible results.

His early growth now was clearly superior to before.

‘Maybe this body really does have the most potential.’

The possibilities were endless.

Besides the shop elixirs, there would surely be special potions unique to this world.

Thinking about that made Evan realize how ideal his body was.

“Alright, next…”

Evan opened the shop window.

Without hesitation, he purchased a weapon blueprint.

‘Dire Sword. I used this one a lot early on. Especially the skill embedded in it—it was really useful.’

Ding!

With a cheerful chime, a hologram appeared in front of him.

[Dire Sword]

[Required Materials: Direwolf Bones (0/7), Direwolf Claws (0/5), …]

[Current Crafting Progress: 0%]

Evan immediately began crafting the Dire Sword with everything he had.

***

“Damn it. Finally done.”

[Dire Sword has been crafted.]

A white blade forged from the thick bones of direwolves.

The blade was longer and sharper than the Fox Claw he had used before.

However, it was also bulkier. In appearance, it looked like a fairly standard sword.

Evan inspected the weapon’s information.

[Dire Sword]

[Grade: D+]

[Type: One-handed Sword]

[Attack: 20–60]

[Durability: 40/40]

[Requirements: Level 13+]

[Effects: +25% Attack Power, +30% Attack Speed, +20 Strength, +10 Agility]

[Skill: “Wolf’s Sprint”]

[Repairable: No]

Wolf’s Sprint: Increases movement speed by 150% for 3 minutes.

Emits a wolf-like aura during activation.

(Cooldown: 90 seconds)

[Description: A sword forged from the sturdy bones of a ferocious direwolf. Its very presence intimidates other wolves. (Repairable: No)]

The base performance of the Dire Sword stood out immediately.

‘This isn’t even comparable to the Fox Claw.’

Just like before, the quality was far superior to the one he had crafted in his previous world.

Especially the skill “Wolf’s Sprint” embedded in the blade.

‘The performance gap is massive. Is this the result of a higher proficiency level?’

The granted stat boosts were over twice what he’d seen before.

In battle, movement speed made a huge difference.

It could mean the difference between life and death, or the ability to close the gap with ranged enemies in an instant.

It had all kinds of uses.

As Evan was admiring the Dire Sword…

“Young master! Something terrible has happened!”

Alan, who had gone out on a scouting mission, came running over in a panic.

Seeing him, Evan quickly made a guess.

‘Did he find a gate?’

As Alan approached, he reported what he saw.

“It looks like a mana rift has opened not far from here. Thankfully, the scale isn’t too big, but a significant number of goblins have settled there. It could be dangerous.”

“A mana rift?”

Evan frowned, puzzled.

He had expected it to be a gate, but the report was something completely different.

‘To think I’d hear about a mana rift in this world…’

Evan was well-acquainted with mana rifts.

In his previous world, they were just as common as gates.

The exact cause was unknown, but mana rifts were considered like massive tears of pure mana.

Just like a cracked fish tank would spill out water, mana rifts spilled out mana.

The Hunter Association had explained it that way, though the finer details remained unclear.

Still, the important part was that massive amounts of mana would pour out from the rift, drawing the attention of nearby monsters.

That likely explained the abnormal number of wolves and the appearance of a direwolf.

‘Maybe the monsters from the gate were drawn toward this place instead. I can’t say for sure yet, but this is still a major discovery.’

Evan’s eyes began to gleam.

‘If there’s a mana rift, that means I might be able to create a mana core.’

In his previous world, both the Hunter Association and the guilds had researched ways to utilize the vast mana that came from rifts.

Eventually, they discovered something left behind after a rift disappeared: the mana core.

A concentrated lump of mana that emitted endless energy.

That discovery had sparked a technological revolution.

Magitech based on the energy from mana cores emerged, blending advanced technology with magic.

Countless powerful magical weapons were produced from it.

‘With the limitless mana of a mana core, almost anything became possible.’

It was no wonder that mana cores were called every mage’s dream.

Their value was immense—even in his previous world.

‘Mages in this world would probably treasure mana cores just as much. I should look into this.’

Evan turned to Alan, who was standing nearby, and asked, “Alan. Did you see anything besides goblins at the rift? Like… a glowing blue orb?”

He subtly steered the conversation toward mana cores.

Alan tilted his head, looking confused.

“No, I didn’t see anything like that.”

“That can’t be right. I heard that blue orbs that endlessly release mana are sometimes found near mana rifts. They’re said to be extremely important for mages.”

As Evan explained, Alan suddenly seemed to remember something and replied, “Oh! I don’t know about the mana rifts, but… are you talking about the Mana Spring?”

“Mana Spring?”

“Yes. There’s only one blue orb that endlessly emits mana, so it must be that. I’ve only heard it’s inside the Magic Tower.”

‘The Magic Tower, huh…’

He vaguely remembered Alan mentioning the Parsk Crystal Tower when he explained magitech before.

‘Wasn’t that the place where magitech gear was made?’

It felt similar to a guild lab or the Hunter Association back in his previous world.

Still, that was only a guess.

He had too little information about the Magic Tower.

To learn more, Evan asked Alan, “Then, what does the Magic Tower do with the Mana Spring?”

Alan shook his head.

“I don’t really know much about the tower. Just that you can get magitech gear from there… Actually, I don’t think ordinary people can even get close to it.”

Alan seemed to be recalling something from his past, but his expression soon darkened.

“There’s something I heard about the Magic Tower, but… I’m not sure if I should say it. There are just so many rumors out there.”

“It doesn’t matter. Tell me everything you know.”

At Evan’s firm tone, Alan hesitated for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.

“Well, it’s something I heard back when I was in the knights. From my comrades…”

At that moment, Evan focused entirely on Alan’s words.

This could be a valuable insight into how this world viewed mana cores.

Even rumors were worth hearing.

“Usually… the kingdom protects the Magic Tower with golems, high-grade spirits, or magic weapons…”

Alan didn’t look too eager to continue.

“But there are exceptions. In the southern region—the Holy Empire—they revere the Spring of Mana as sacred. Instead of a Magic Tower, they build a temple and have a divine beast guard it. And far to the east, in the land of alchemy, Palaes, a bone dragon is said to guard the Magic Tower strictly.”

In addition, he mentioned that in the northern Magic Empire, a lich and its army of undead, contracted through dark magic, protect the tower.

One and all, it was like these absurd, overpowered beings were monopolizing and guarding the mana cores.

Hearing this, Evan was dumbfounded.

Alan noticed Evan’s reaction and shrugged as if he had expected it.

“Like I said, it’s all just hearsay. But I guess it shows how important these things really are.”

“Yeah. Interesting stories.”

Still, there was one thing Evan had confirmed for sure.

‘The value of mana cores in this world is definitely higher than in my previous one.’

Of that, he was certain.

“Alan.”

A faint smile spread across Evan’s lips.

“Take me to the place where you found the mana rift. It might be a goldmine.”

“…What?”

***

Following Alan’s lead, Evan arrived deep in the forest, where no human footprints remained.

Because of frequent monster appearances and dungeon activity, the land had been abandoned.

‘No wonder the Count’s family hasn’t responded to this. A mana rift of this size occurred, and they didn’t even notice.’

Alan, walking ahead, turned and spoke to Evan.

“The path is a bit rough, so be careful.”

“Got it. How much further?”

“We’re almost there.”

A few moments later, Alan stopped and pointed ahead.

“The mana rift was down there.”

Evan turned his gaze in the direction Alan indicated and stepped forward.

From the edge of the cliff, a dense forest spread out below.

‘Where is the rift supposed to be?’

Evan looked around—and soon spotted it.

A section of the forest had been completely cleared, as if a hole had been punched through it.

And in the center, a blue glow shone faintly—that was the mana rift.

Just as Alan said, a goblin tribe had built a settlement around it.

Crude huts and bone decorations could be seen scattered throughout.

Wooden fences surrounded the village, enclosing it entirely.

Evan narrowed his eyes in thought.

‘Looks like around 50 goblins. Manageable. The rift is on the smaller side—maybe it’ll yield about 1M of mana core?’

That was the smallest size possible for a mana core, but Evan saw it as a blessing.

If the rift had been any bigger, it would’ve attracted far stronger monsters.

‘In that case, it would’ve been like a pie in the sky. Thankfully, it’s just goblins.’

Beside him, Reynold let out an amazed whistle.

“Wow! This is my first time seeing goblins alive. They actually built a whole village like people.”

Alan frowned at the casual tone.

He clearly found Reynold’s relaxed attitude frustrating.

“Reynold, this isn’t a joke. Goblins may be weak, but they move in packs—very dangerous. Let your guard down and you could die here. Got it?”

Alan tried to convey the seriousness of the situation, but Reynold only shrugged, looking unfazed.

“It’s fine. I’ve handled goblin corpses plenty of times. I can cut down that bunch easy with this strength.”

He flexed his arm confidently, making Alan speechless.

Evan watched them, deep in thought.

‘Alan was right—the goblins could be dangerous in a group.’

‘But that didn’t mean they were unbeatable.’

‘Honestly, finding a hunting ground like this isn’t exactly easy.’

Rather than a threat, Evan saw this as an opportunity.

To take control of the mana rift, he would have to conquer the goblin village eventually.

And maybe, the goblins’ own village could become a strategic advantage for claiming the rift.

After coming to a decision, Evan issued his orders.

“Reynold, Alan. I need you two to do something.”

***

“Kyarrrk! Blood! I smell blood!”

“Kyaak! Meat!”

Five goblins were out on patrol.

The moment they smelled blood, they went wild and rushed toward the source.

Pushing through the undergrowth, they found a large, bloody hunk of meat.

Drooling, the goblins ran straight for it—

Swish—!

A sword suddenly shot out from the nearby bushes, slicing one goblin’s head clean off.

Thud!

In an instant, a goblin dropped dead.

The other four goblins finally realized something was wrong and tensed up.

Swish!

Thud!

Another head flew off, and a blade pierced through one’s chest.

“Kaarrgh!”

Only two goblins remained.

Evan, Reynold, and Alan revealed themselves from the bushes.

“Humans! Humans!”

“Kyaaaah!”

The goblins began stumbling backward, trying to flee.

“Reynold! Alan ! Don’t let them escape!”

Evan shouted and activated the special skill of his Dire Sword.

[You’ve used Wolf’s Sprint.]

[Movement speed increased by 150% (Duration: 03:00)]

Evan dashed at terrifying speed toward the fleeing goblins.

Effortlessly, he swung his Dire Sword and slashed one goblin’s leg.

Slice!

“KYAAARGH!”

The goblin screamed as it tumbled across the ground.

Evan calmly approached the writhing goblin.

‘This is more than twice as fast as the Wolf’s Sprint I used to know. The effect is amazing.’

It felt like he had become a wolf himself.

Impressed, Evan casually finished off the crawling goblin.

The experience gain wasn’t that high—less than from wolves.

‘They really are weak when you look at them individually.’

Evan clicked his tongue and turned around.

Alan had already finished off the remaining goblins.

‘Looks like he’s done too.’

Evan dragged the goblin corpses over to where Reynold was.

Reynold was busy draining blood from the goblins and collecting it in wooden containers.

This was all part of Evan’s strategy.

‘Goblins are highly sensitive to the smell of blood. Sure, using food to lure them works, but nothing attracts them like the blood of their own kind.’

Evan’s goal was to break their sense of unity.

When goblins smell the blood of their own, they go into a frenzy.

In that state, they stop acting as a group and charge blindly toward the source.

‘Goblins die easily, but instead of getting scared, they get enraged. They’ll chase that scent to the bitter end. Ruthless creatures.’

That trait, while helpful in long-term battles, could also be a fatal weakness.

Evan turned to Alan and Reynold and gave his next order.

“As soon as we’re ready, we’re storming their main base.”

As Evan remembered the time he wiped out a goblin army, he set his sights on the experience points awaiting him in this next battle.