10 I'm fighting goblins?
It was I against the goblins, and I prepared myself for whatever would come next.
The goblins were tricky creatures, so it was a bit of a relief that they waited for me to make the first move. At the same time, it was also concerning as they may be waiting to spring a trap on me.
Just thinking about it was stressful, especially since I was only eight years old. Normally, a child my age would struggle to take down even one goblin, regardless of their Rank F status.
But I wasn't your average eight-year-old. My abilities were boosted by a god, which gave me enhanced stats.
In addition, I possessed the Unique Skill「Beginner's Luck」, which helped to increase my potential and boost my mana points whenever I used it.
It had also granted me a Rank S+ summon known as Serendipity, who was a divine summon while I was a mage.
Now, it was time to waste these goblins.
"(Get ready!)" (Lumiere)
I took a deep breath and prepared a spell.
Out shot a powerful jet of water. 「Aqua Sphere」, I called it.
It hit two goblins head-on, flinging them across the forest clearing. I was amazed at the sheer force of the spell - talk about an overpowered mage.
As the goblins struggled to get up, using [Plant Magic] I summoned vines from the forest floor to trip them up. It was an old trick I'd thought of sometime ago, but it was still efficient.
I had a few plant spells up my sleeve, well, up to Rank E...
But like I said earlier, I'd read on magicubellas before.
These plants were useful not just for making potions but for fighting foes.
Imbuing some with my mana, the vines surged forward, entangling three goblins.
That was five down.
I think the goblins were taken aback by my sudden surge of energy. I'd successfully taken them by surprise, but they were still determined to take me down.
One of the goblins decided to take me on and charged me.
"(Woah!)" (Lumiere)
In a panic, I shot a spell at him. 「Aquarrow」 to be precise, the mana molded to become water and heading straight for the goblin, it assumed to form of an arrow.
Almost effortlessly, the arrow tore though the head of the goblin, blowing it into a writhing mass of flesh.
To my surprise, I felt a strange rush of energy as I defeated the monster.
I'd gained one of the goblin's innate abilities - 「resistance to poison...」
Two left, but the three I entangled returned having chewed off the vines.
Had my [Plant Magic] being higher than Rank E, I doubt they'd have easily done that.
"Alright! Brace yourselves you fowl green beasts!" (Lumiere)
One by one, I took down the goblins. Each time, I gained a new ability.
The last one was the toughest. He was clearly the leader, and he wasn't going down easy.
He was a goblin on the verge of evolving into a hobgoblin - unfortunately that won't happen.
The goblin charged for me, but I knew to act quickly. As my class was [Mage], close range wasn't my strong suit.
I used the 「Aqua Blade」 - a spell with high pressure razor-sharp blades made of water - on him.
The moment he was within range, his head dropped to the ground as speckles of blood emerged before it exacerbated into a stream of blood. The decapitated goblin collapsed, thoroughly defeated.
It was a powerful attack that didn't give him a chance to recover. The speed of the high pressure water blade was impregnable.
After defeating the last goblin, I gained his final ability - 「enhanced stamina」.
- - - - - - - - -
With the battle won, I breathed a sigh of relief.
The adrenaline rush was still making my hands shake, but I felt victorious. Knowing that Serena had played a crucial role in my success, I patted her on the head, praising her for a job well done.
"What's that for?" (Serena)
"For encouraging me.." (Lumiere)
All the while I battled, she didn't even watch, instead she sorted out the herbs selecting the magically rich ones from the bunch.
It wasn't that she didn't have interest in watching me fight, she just knew I'd succeed.
"Well, I'm always glad to help my lord." (Serena)
A mild, heart-warming smile followed. As expected of a goddess.
I checked my surroundings, making sure there were no other goblins around. When I was certain that I was safe, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.
"(Okay, safe.)" (Lumiere)
I focused my mind on my mana points and felt them start to recharge. With each passing moment, I felt a surge of energy coursing through my body, revitalizing me.
In total, I spent about 720 mana points or so.
「MP: 14,280/15,000...」
I couldn't help but wonder why the goblins had been in that area. It was strange for them to be in a forest so close to a populated area.
And then, it clicked. The magicubella plants were known to have a powerful, magical aura that attracted all sorts of creatures and monsters.
The royal family's estate was built on a large concentration of the plants, making the area a prime target for any creature that was attracted to magic. It seemed like the goblins had caught wind of the concentration of the magicubella plants and had set up camp nearby.
As I pondered this, Serena tapped me from behind.
"What's wrong?" (Lumiere)
"I'm done sorting out all the magicubellas... the dull ones don't have as much mana fertility, so I used my enchantment to improve the plantʼs quality..." (Serena)
"Oh, that's pretty neat, but you didn't ha—" (Lumiere)
I was too amazed to finish my words.
She'd improved the quality of the dull magicubellas enough to have turned it into a perennial woody plant.
A large tree!
"How did you e— it shou—" (Lumiere)
Bereft of words, my mouth hung open.
This was the first time I'd seen plants being improved to such a level. I already had plans for the tree, but that was much later.
"Um, Serena..." (Lumiere)
"Yes, my lord?" (Serena)
"If you can do this... then... was there any need to sort them out to begin with?" (Lumiere)
"Hm... (~rubs chin) I suppose you're right, if they were all enchanted, they'd still have grown at the same pace." (Serena)
"Yeah, that... and you basically just made magicubella heaven here... (~eyebrows twitch) do you know what that means?" (Lumiere)
"That selecting high quality herbs will be easier?" (Serena)
"No! It means we've made here a tourist attraction for all sorts of monsters!" (Lumiere)
I held my head in my hands, crying.
If we left the tree, the magical concentration would attract even more monsters than before.
Somerhing had to be done, and quickly. It was almost midnight.
"I'm sorry... I failed my lord." (Serena)
She wasn't pleased one bit. The look on her face made me realize I'd been a bit harsh in response.
I didn't reprimand her properly.
Situations like these made me feel more like an adult - I don't enjoy it.
"Uh, it's... it's not your fault Serena, it's mine.." (Lumiere)
"My lord is just saying that to make me feel better." (Serena)
"Oh no, I'm quite serious... I should've told you beforehand, yet I didn't, so any mistake you make is simply because I failed to deliver a proper lesson. You're new to this world after all." (Lumiere)
Her face lit up again.
Without a doubt her beauty was always so captivating.
It'd take some time to get used to.
"You're so kind, my lord." (Lumiere)
She had a bright personality that thoroughly masked her shyness.
"Oh, and uh Serena... you can just call me Lumiere you know." (Lumiere)
"I don't think that would be appropriate." (Serena)
"If that's the case then I suppose I'll have to call you Lady Serena then..." (Lumiere)
"That wouldn't be appropriate either my lord, I'm the one who will be your wife, so in servitude it's only right I refer to you with reverence. You can simply call me whatever you wish." (Serena)
As she said this, she wore a smiling face of objection. She wouldn't have me call her by such. I on the other hand, wasn't too keen on her idea of servitude. Then again, it could be how All-Father raised her.
"Hmm... fine then. Suit yourself." (Lumiere)
She bowed in response.
- - - - - - - - -
After acquiring the goblin skills, I gained heightened senses, agility, poison resistance and the ability to move silently. It didn't enhance my magical abilities, but I could still cast spells with enough power and precision.
Additionally, I could now sense the presence of magical energies better than before, helping me to detect magical traps or hidden threats. It was an Additional Skill 「Magic Detection」.
Serena returned back to the summoning network and now, I had the herbs.
The tree was a concern, but that was a problem for another day. I'd done my job and was ready to get some shut eye.
As I returned to the mansion with the ingredient in hand, I found Genny waiting for me at the entrance. "Big brother, you're back! Did you see my new doll? It's so pretty," she said, holding up a small porcelain doll.
I couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm.
- - - -
Acquired skills: 「Magic Detection」, 「Enhanced Stamina」, 「Poison Resistance」.
