The forest stretched out before her like a tunnel of light and shadow.
Rafaela walked calmly, hands on her hips, her silver hair moving like silk as she admired her new dress.
—Oh, what a blessing not to be wearing that white Disney princess dress.
Now I really look like someone who knows what they're doing.
The wind blew softly.
Her wings shimmered in the filtered sunlight.
And her new revolvers, securely holstered at her hips, jingled with every step.
Rafaela felt… good, powerful and comfortable and yes, a little bit sexy but she preferred not to think about it too much.
Until she heard something.
—GYAAGH! GYAHH! GIIIK!
Rafaela stopped abruptly.
—What… is this scandal?
Leaping out of the bushes, five goblins appeared.
Garish green, ugly, with yellow teeth, stone weapons, nearly four feet tall.
The most classic cliché of all.
Rafaela raised an eyebrow.
—Seriously?
Goblins?
My first fight in this world outside my kingdom… is with goblins?
The five goblins looked at her with hunger and malice.
It was obvious their little brains were already processing shady plans.
One of them raised a club and yelled:
—HUMAN! WOMAN! CAPTURE! CAPTURE!
Rafaela sighed, slowly drawing her two weapons.
One was shiny silver.
The other was matte black.
—Oh no, guys…
Not today.
Today I'm in the mood to test weapons.
The goblins stood still for a second.
Then they charged.
—GYAAAAAAAAH!
Rafaela smiled crookedly.
—Perfect. Moving targets.
The silver "EAGLE" revolver gleamed as it was aimed.
The recoil was minimal.
The sound resonated like compressed thunder.
The first goblin exploded backward, flying three meters, its body paralyzed by light energy.
The others stopped, surprised and trembling.
Rafaela blew on the barrel, absolutely delighted.
—Uff… yeah, it hits hard and I like it.
The bravest goblin tried to attack her with a bone spear.
Rafaela elegantly swiveled her waist, aimed the "Night Howl," and fired.
CRACK!
The black bullet shot out like a shadow dart, piercing the spear, the goblin's arm, and pinning him against a tree.
The goblin squealed like a pig.
—AAAAH! GYIII!
Rafaela turned the weapon slightly.
—Shut up, monster.
The goblin fell unconscious.
The other three tried to surround her.
Rafaela placed both weapons in a crossed position.
—Come on, all three of you.
I'm just getting warmed up.
They rushed her with stone knives and unpleasant laughter.
Rafaela turned, firing three times at the speed of a blink.
BREED! BREED! BREED!
The three goblins fell in different directions, skidding across the ground like broken dolls.
Silence.
Rafaela holstered the weapons in a smooth, badass motion.
The wind began to blow again, calmly, as if the forest had accepted its victory.
She stretched.
—Well… that was a good test.
Excellent power. Excellent accuracy.
Mmm… I'm definitely a dangerous goddess.
Her cheeks grew warm.
—Oh, but I don't like admitting it out loud.
How embarrassing… if my past male self heard this… he'd kill me again.
She cleared her throat.
—Okay. Next goal… keep exploring.
Rafaela had barely taken a few steps when a divine thought hit her mind like a textbook thrown by a teacher.
—Warning: Goblins in this ecosystem contain small magical crystals in their life core. These can be used as alchemy materials, weapon catalysts, or currency.
She stopped dead in her tracks.
—What's the deal?
Do goblins carry money inside them?
She turned toward the bodies scattered on the ground.
She sighed deeply.
—Well… time for the dirty work.
Rafaela pointed at a goblin with two fingers.
A small, fairy like light spell shot out and tore open its chest without spilling a drop of blood.
The wound was as clean as a scalpel cut.
—Oh dang… if I had known this before, I would have gone after goblins like someone goes after mangoes.
Inside, where the heart should have been, a greenish crystal shone softly.
Rafaela took it carefully.
The crystal vibrated slightly, like a beating heart.
—Ohhhh… how lovely.
And how useful.
She repeated the process with the other four goblins, extracting a total of five goblin crystals.
She lined them up in her palm.
✧ Goblin Crystals – Divine Information
Minimal but stable magical energy.
Ideal for experimental magic ammunition.
They sell well in any trade.
They are common, but always useful.
Perfect for tricking out weapons… or making money without raising suspicion.
Rafaela smiled mischievously.
—Now that's more like it.
Conveniently useful.
Rafaela stored one of the crystals in a small internal compartment of her suit.
—This is for weapons experiments.
I'm going to see if I can make goblin bullets or mana-piercing ammunition.
That would be fun.
She looked at the other four.
—These… are for selling.
Because I don't think people are going to ask me where I get my money.
No way am I going to say, "Oh no, I conjure gold and also I'm a goddess."
NO.
I just pass as a regular adventurer, thanks.
The guide spoke:
—Tip: Goblin crystals can be sold in small guilds without much effort. Estimated price: 5–7 silver coins per unit.
Rafaela clicked her tongue.
"Cheap, but enough to make me look like an adventurer with a normal life.
I don't want people saying, 'How can you buy food without working?'
No thanks, I already lived through an economic crisis once. I don't want to repeat that trauma."
The dragon Spore, hidden in the Fairy Kingdom, let out a telepathic laugh.
Rafaela ignored him.
As she walked, she imagined what she could do:
—If I put this crystal in my silver "Eagle" revolver… maybe I can amplify the speed of the shot.
Or generate a projectile of pure mana.
Or a moderate explosive shot.
The guide confirmed:
—Compatibility: High.
Recommendation: Do not test in populated forests. Medium-level magical fire risk.
Rafaela nodded.
—Okay, okay. No burning forests.
Not yet.
She placed the crystals into a small inner bag.
—Perfect.
When I get to a town, I'll sell three.
And I'll keep the fourth one just in case.
Her wings shone as sunlight filtered through the trees.
She continued walking through the foliage, satisfied.
—Okay. I have weapons, a suit, crystals, and an excuse to have money without looking suspicious.
Now I can explore in peace…
But then she heard something else ahead.
Footsteps.
Voices.
Metallic.
People.
Rafaela tensed up.
—Mmm… this smells like…
adventurers?
soldiers?
elves?
She slipped between the trees, ready to see who was approaching.
Because her first interaction with real people…
was about to begin.