I reached the forest before dawn and moved straight to my assigned zone.
Before settling in, I circled the area to study the terrain—natural choke points, uneven ground, places where pitfalls could be set later if needed. I marked each danger with subtle identifiers only I would notice. Preparation mattered more than numbers.
I focused more aura into my senses than usual. This assignment required patience—long observation, tracking, and restraint.
Afterward, I climbed a tall tree with clear visibility and set thin wires around my perimeter, spaced carefully to act as sound alarms. Once everything was ready, I remained still, eyes fixed toward the heart of the forest where the main force would clash.
I couldn't see the battlefield from here.
But in my chest, something burned.
One day, I won't be watching from the edges, I promised myself.
I'll be standing at the front.
That was when the first shockwave came.
A distant, thunderous boom echoed from the goblin colony's direction. Even from here, I could feel it—large-scale magic. The vanguard had begun.
As rear support, we were permitted to hunt other monsters within our zones, but missing goblins carried consequences. I kept that firmly in mind.
The forest soon responded.
Dual-horn rats emerged from the underbrush, drawn by the chaos. I took them down methodically with arrows. Normally, I carried thirty arrows. Today, I'd brought three quivers—ninety in total.
This wasn't a day for restraint.
While I worked, one of my wires rang.
I climbed higher and spotted a small goblin group entering my area. One tripped over the wire and fell.
I didn't hesitate.
Arrows flew.
Most were unarmed, panicked, and scattered blindly. Five escaped—same as last time—but the rest fell before they ever found my position. I didn't expose myself. I didn't pursue recklessly.
I left the bodies where they lay. Collecting proof now would be dangerous if another group appeared.
From my vantage point, the battle felt… quiet.
This was the reality of backup duty. While the vanguard carved through numbers, we scraped the edges.
As time passed, my thoughts drifted back to the egg.
What will hatch?
I'd heard rumors—that while pouring aura or mana into an unfertilized egg, imagination could influence the outcome. The creature might respond to the image engraved into the flow.
The idea lingered.
Another wire rang.
This time, three goblins.
I decided to test myself.
Two fell to arrows. For the third, I descended and finished it with my spear. It barely resisted.
Hours passed like that.
Goblins trickled in. None broke through.
Then a blue flare lit the sky.
The signal for success.
We were told to remain in position while the guild allowed time for evidence collection. Payment depended on confirmed kills.
I moved quickly, collecting goblin ears—fourteen in total.
We were informed a green flare would signal withdrawal. Until then, we were not to leave our zones.
While waiting, I sensed dense miasma pooling nearby.
I decided to absorb it using my beast-skin technique.
The moment I did, I knew something was different.
This miasma was darker—thicker—and painfully heavy compared to what I'd encountered before. It resisted me.
Still, I endured.
When the green flare rose, I withdrew and returned to the main camp.
By the time I reached the mercenary office, evening had fallen.
The results were tallied.
Fourteen goblins.
Five dual-horn rats.
Payment:
Three silver and one hundred copper for goblins.
One hundred copper for the rats.
Total: four silver coins.
My first large-scale expedition was complete.