26 Gibberlings

Archer was looking at the black smoke of the remains of the camp; he shook his head as he cast Cleanse on himself and made his way to Stonethrone to deal with the gibberlings. It was the last quest he needed to complete until he could return.

While trekking through the forest, Archer didn't encounter any more beasts, so he started eating the hearts again. They were small, a bit bigger than a golf ball, so they weren't hard to eat.

After a brief walk, Archer reached the road and turned south. As he continued along the road, he spotted a caravan approaching him. They passed each other. The caravan guards eyed Archer suspiciously, as if he were a bandit, especially while he nonchalantly chomped away at the goblin hearts.

Archer ignored the looks and carried on walking. A few hours later, he felt sick again after finishing the last of the hearts. He found a tree to lay down in while he had a stomach ache; it was his fault for being greedy, but he didn't care.

'Status.'

[Experience: 0850/3000]

[Level Up: 26>42]

[SP:4>181]

[Mana: 3120>3200]

[Rank Unlocked: Novice>Apprentice]

[Void Blast: 2>3]

[Cosmic Shield: 1>2]

[Cosmic Sword: 1>2]

[Blink: 2>3]

[Plasma Shot: 1>3]

[Fire Missiles: 1>3]

[Short Sword Mastery Learned]

Archer got excited about the giant boost he received in stats. Also, many of his spells leveled up because he used them so much against the goblins. He also unlocked the next rank to create another spell, but he will deal with that later when he has some spare time.

Looking at his stat points, he had 181. After thinking for a little while, he decided to spend all of them to boost himself again. So he put thirty into HP and mana and twenty-five in every other stat apart from intelligence, which he put twenty-one in.

[HP: 900>1200]

[Mana: 3200>4100]

[Strength: 340>590]

[Constitution: 370>620]

[Stamina: 370>620]

[Charisma: 450>700]

[Intelligence: 320>530]

When Archer checked his status, a satisfied smile crossed his face. He felt a significant improvement. His body had gained strength, and he experienced an overall well-being that surpassed his previous feelings.

He started working out how much experience he earned from that little exercise; the total was 37,650 experience from the kills and hearts. 181 status points due to leveling up and eating the hearts.

As he approached a quiet part of the road, he smelled something nasty nearby. Casting his Cosmic Sword, he headed towards the smell. When Archer got closer, he heard growls and yipping noises.

Archer ventured deeper into the forest and discovered the unsettling smell's source. Before him stood hunchbacked humanoids with pointed, canine-like ears and wild manes of black hair framing their hideous, grinning faces.

These creatures, known as gibberlings, had overly long arms ending in razor-sharp claws. Their black, maniacal eyes added to the grotesque sight. Archer had found the quarry he sought, about twelve gibberlings surrounding what appeared to be a rhino-type beast.

The beasts were circling it while giggling. ''Kekekekekeke.''

Observing the gibberlings. Typically seen in large, writhing masses of dark fur and flesh, they emitted unsettling sounds—howls, clicks, shrieks, giggles, and odd chattering noises.

They creeped Archer out beyond belief and gave him goosebumps as they let out their creepy laughs. He didn't give them a chance and fired a few Fire Missiles toward the nine beasts; one died, but the others managed to avoid the attack.

Archer used Blink to appear behind the furthest one and plunged his sword into its neck. The creature fell to the ground with a heavy thud.

He rushed toward another beast leaping at him and wildly slashed with its grimy claws. Using his right arm, he effortlessly blocked the attacks with his scales, then countered them by stabbing the beast in the head.

Archer's smile unsettled some of the others, and in response, four gibberlings rushed toward him. He cast four Eldritch Blasts, unleashing powerful purple beams shot through the air, slamming into them and killing them instantly.

The spell pierced through the four gibberlings without issue. As he surged forward, one of the creatures leaped at him, slashing with wild abandon. Archer dodged and counterattacked, slicing its chest.

It dropped to the floor in pain as he finished it off, leaving only two left. Looking at the remaining two, they instantly turned around and fled. But he wouldn't let them escape, so he rushed after the fleeing creatures.

After catching up, he butchered the two and extracted their hearts as he dismissed his sword. He walked back to the scene of the fight. As he reached the area, he started ripping out the hearts and storing them in his Item Box.

Before storing all twelve bodies, he cut off some fur and smelt it. He was revolted by the smell but picked up a strong scent from the north. Archer started following the smell and came across a cave.

Yipping and screeching could be heard from inside, and he felt it was their den. Archer swiftly climbed into a nearby tree, positioning himself to observe the ongoing scene below. Gazing into the sky, he noted that it was still early afternoon.

He thought he wanted to return to Vassia before sunset, prompting him to watch the surroundings. None of the beasts came out as he waited, so he fired a void blast into the cave. All the noises suddenly stopped.

Getting fed up with waiting. Archer entered the cave when he heard loads of footsteps rushing out. He saw them exiting the cave in a panic. Smiling as he got an idea, he raised his hand and cast five Eldritch Blasts at them.

The purple beams flew through the air, smashing into the group. Screams and whines could be heard as the dust settled. Only two gibberlings remained standing. Archer cast Blink on them and finished them off before they could react.

After confirming all seven were dead, he walked into their den. He quickly held his nose as a rotten smell assaulted him. It was a mixture between a week-long shit cooking in the sun and a dead body. Looking around, he saw the bodies of beasts and humanoids.

In one corner, there looked to be a nest. Walking over, he saw loads of baby gibberlings all growling at him. Aiming his hand precisely, Archer unleashed a barrage of Fire Missiles into the gibberlings below.

He knew they would have met their demise anyway, so he opted for a swift and decisive end, ensuring a quick death for the beasts. Archer left the cave and started to make his way back to the city. While walking back, he decided to check his status again.

[Experience: 2000/3000]

[Level Up: 42>43]

[SP: 0>2]

He was happy with his progress. It took him a few hours of speed walking, but he arrived back at the city gate. Archer entered and made his way to the guild. After a ten-minute walk, he was standing outside the guild.

He entered and made his way over to Sarah. As he walked up to the desk, he spoke. ''Hello Sarah, I've finished the four quests.'' Archer handed the magic grass bag to the woman somewhat begrudgingly.

She glanced at him with a hint of exasperation, sighing before requesting his guild card. Complying, he handed her his card, and she began processing some paperwork, stamping the documents, and adjusting the card.

Sarah handed it back before going to get his reward. Not long after, she returned and handed him ten gold coins, but she asked him something as she handed them over: "I bet you have bodies to sell?"

He nodded his head. She sighed yet again. ''Well, the guild master has asked us not to buy any more. We have to sell the ones you've already brought us.''

Archer wasn't as bothered because he'd save them and sell them to guilds, so he replied. ''That's no problem. I'll sell them when I can.''

Sarah smiled and handed over the coins before telling him about a quest. ''Archer, there is an escort quest going to the Rhodora Kingdom to deliver relief supplies to the guild in Karna city. They asked for our assistance, so we've made it a quest.''

He thought about it and wanted to do it. ''Yes, sign me up. How long is the quest, and where is this kingdom?''

''It takes a month to get there and back, so two. It's on the southwest border of the empire; the reward is two hundred gold coins, and there's a bonus if the shipment arrives.''

Archer agreed with everything and got signed up. Sarah told him to meet up at the southern gate tomorrow at sunrise.

She smiled as she told him something that made him happy. ''The guild will count this quest as two, so you'll only have to complete two more quests, and you'll be able to rank up.''

Archer smiled and said goodbye as he walked over to the quest boards.

*************

Archer's current status.

Name: Archer.

Race: White Dragon.

Age:13.

Rank: Apprentice

Exp: 2000/3000.

Level: 43.

HP: 1200/1200.

Mana: 4100/4100

Magic: Fire- Water- Earth- Wind- Lightning- Space- Darkness- Light.

Strength: 590.

Constitution: 620.

Stamina: 620

Charisma: 700

Intelligence: 530.

Status Points: 0

Spells: Void Blast(3)Cosmic Shield(2)Cosmic Sword(2)Body Enhancement(-)Blink(3)Cleanse(-)Eldritch Blast(2)Plasma Shot(3)Fire Missiles(3)

Skills: Spell Creation(-)Item Box(-)Mana Regeneration(-)Regeneration(3)Dragon Senses(-) Short Sword Mastery(0)