"Hm. This ability is even more… perfect than I expected."
Calamity Cut was more than sufficient in terms of raw power. Excessively so, in fact. But I had never been the type to rely on a single tool. Power only gained true meaning when it could be applied in different ways. And within that equation, the sword still held an important place.
That was why I drew my sword from my Void Storage. It was an expensive, well-crafted blade. If I recalled correctly, it was the sword Baroness Catherinne had given Aurelius for his eighteenth birthday. Catherinne was genuinely kind-hearted. She could have bought something cheaper instead, yet she chose to gift such an expensive sword to a young man under her protection one who had not yet brought her any tangible benefit.
The moment I took it in hand, I felt its weight distribution. Balanced. Not too light so it did not invite sloppiness. It wasn't too heavy, so it didn't slow me down. It was not a battlefield sword, but rather a dueling blade. Made to keep its wielder alive, not to impress onlookers.
As always, Catherinne's taste had been impeccable.
The steel reflected the cave's dim light with a dull sheen. There were no ornate engravings or decorative flourishes. Yet it was compatible with mana. It did not obstruct the flow; it guided it. Swords like this were rare.
The second goblin panicked. It retreated while wildly swinging its short spear, slipped on the muddy ground, and lost its footing. That was when I used the sword. Not mana muscle memory. A short motion from the wrist, then control. I felt the moment the steel entered goblin flesh. The resistance was weak. The sword did its job, and I did mine.
As the goblin collapsed, the spear slipped from its fingers. The sound of metal hitting mud was brief. Then silence returned. But that did not mean the cave was truly quiet.
The smell in the air had changed. Fresh blood mixed with the goblins' distinctive, filthy sweat. In places like this, that scent was like a summons.
I heard the first growl from deep within.
Then another.
Then irregular footsteps.
"So you were just sentries," I murmured to myself.
The first wave came around the corner. Three goblins. Weak, hasty, and constantly getting in each other's way. Their coordination was almost nonexistent. That made them not dangerous but predictable.
I let the first one get close. The moment it thrust its spear, I stepped inside its range. The sword entered beneath its shoulder and stopped just short of the heart. When I pulled it out, its body remained standing for a moment, but its eyes were already empty.
The second screamed. To silence it, I reversed my grip and drove the blade into its throat. The third tried to run. Running in a cave is always a bad idea. The walls narrow. The ground betrays you.
I used Calamity Cut and severed the goblin's head.
After a while, the cave grew quiet again.
But it was not over.
The sounds from deeper within had increased. This was not a small cave. If caves near cities had one advantage, it was constant feeding. Humans lost gold; goblins collected it. Goblins multiplied; the cave expanded.
The second wave was larger. Maybe five or six of them. Some were bigger. Not more muscular, but hungrier. And hungry goblins were more aggressive.
Here, I focused a little more. My passive ability, Predator's Awareness, intensified. As my perception sharpened, I began to hear better, see better, smell better. With every swing, the sword's steel became more stained with blood. My movements shortened. No unnecessary motion. Every strike had purpose.
One tried to circle behind me. I knew from its footsteps alone. Without turning, I cut backward. I felt the resistance spike briefly as the sword slid between its ribs, then give way.
The goblin staggered and collapsed. Its struggle was short-lived. When I pulled the blade out, I saw that the cave floor was no longer just muddy; it was soaked in blood.
I controlled my breathing. There was no haste. No panic at all.
Predator's Awareness was still active. This ability was as much for defense as it was for offense. And right now, it was functioning exactly as it should. The cave had become a three-dimensional map in my mind. The sounds of footsteps, friction, and breathing were all precisely where they belonged.
I knew the third wave was approaching before it arrived.
This time, they did not shout. They had learned. Silent goblins were always more dangerous. They acted not out of blind rage, but fear and fear dulled recklessness.
There were four of them. Two with short spears, one carrying a rusted cleaver. The last one stayed behind. That type was usually either the leader or the bait.
I focused on the ones advancing. When the first spearman attacked, I did not retreat. Instead, I stepped forward. Before the spear could reach me, I knocked it aside with the spine of my sword, then delivered a short cut from the wrist. He lost his hand. He did not even have time to scream.
The larger goblin with the cleaver charged me. He was not strong, but he was heavy. Weight is an advantage in confined spaces. I did not raise the sword overhead. I slipped it beneath his shoulder. His own weight sealed his fate. Steel scraped against bone, then entered empty space.
The last two goblins retreated. That was when I used Calamity Cut.
It was silent. Nothing visible happened. But the space itself was severed for an instant. As if a thin layer had been removed from the inside of the cave.
Both goblins' heads separated from their bodies at the same time. The cut was clean. Even the blood flowed with a delay.
I waited a little longer.
At last, the cave conceded.
Nothing else was coming. Predator's Awareness made that clear.Either everything inside was dead or whatever remained was not here. Either outcome was acceptable to me.
I lowered the sword. There was a faint ache in my wrist. Misuse, not fatigue.. After all, I was someone reincarnated from a modern world, someone who did not truly know how to wield a sword. My movements were crude, sometimes excessive. But in real combat, I learned much faster and that was a good thing.
Now we had reached the real point.
Goblins did not like to hide gold but they did like to guard it. That usually did not mean they left it in the open. It just meant their hiding methods were primitive.
I began examining the walls. Not with my eyes, but with perception. Predator's Awareness served me here as well. Frequently touched areas. Stones inexplicably clean. The way the dense smell gathered at a single point.
One wall was different from the others.
It was free of moss. There were also more footprints in front of it. Clearly, many goblins went back and forth here. I struck it with the pommel of my sword. The sound was solid.
This was it.
I did not force the stones. Instead, I pressed at the edge. It was held by a crude hinge mechanism. With a bit of pressure, the stone slid inward.
The sound of gold echoed through the cave.
I smiled.
Inside was more than I had expected. Sacks full of gold coins from different cities and mints. There was silver mixed in, a few pouches of copper, and a small chest in the corner.
When I opened the chest, I found several mid-grade mana crystals. Pure. That was the real advantage of being close to a city. Not just money, but quality resources accumulated as well.
I did not count the coins one by one. There was no need. The weight and volume said enough. I transferred everything into my Void Storage. The clinking of metal ceased, and the cave suddenly felt emptier.
This was why I had come.
At that moment, I opened the system and entered the quest tab.
[Goblin Camp Cleansing Quest Completed.]
[Reward: 1,000 coin]
"They call that killing two birds with one stone…"
The notification hovered in the air for a few seconds. There was no burst of light, no triumphant music. As always, the system was taciturn. It recorded the deed, dispensed the reward, and withdrew. I closed the quest tab. After making sure I had not missed anything in the cave, I headed toward the exit.
That was when I heard a familiar sound.
A woman's cry for help.
When I silently exited the cave without reacting, I saw Luciene surrounded in the cornerIt wasn't just goblins; there were also larger, stronger hobgoblins among them. So that meant all the ones I had killed inside were females. And when the others returned, running into Luciene had made things far too convenient for me.
"Ahhh! Aurelius, help me! There are too many! Aurelius!" There was panic in her voice, but something else too. Expectation. That pure, reflexive belief that help would surely come.
Predator's Awareness was still active. I could count them without looking. At least five hobgoblins. Fifteen normal females goblins more. The hobgoblins' breathing was heavier, their steps slower. They wore no armor, but their bones were thick.
But I did not turn toward any of them.
I took one step.
Then another.
My feet crushed the mud silently. I had neither haste nor hesitation. What was happening behind me was now just data. Not a threat. Not an opportunity. Simply a situation with consequences.
The moment Luciene realized it, it happened.
At first, she did not understand. She thought the help was delayed. Maybe a tactic. Maybe preparation. The human mind invents thousands of excuses before hope shatters. She tightened her grip on her sword. Her fingers turned white.
"…Aurelius?"
The tone of her voice had changed. It wasn't panic; it was confusion. The voice of someone who thought she must be seeing something wrong.
A hobgoblin stepped forward. Tall. Broad-shouldered. Each time the heavy mace in his hand struck the ground, the stones trembled. Luciene raised her sword on reflex, but her wrist hesitated for a split second.
That was when she turned her head.
She saw me.
Saw me walking away.
With my back turned to her, counting my steps as I went.
We did not make eye contact. For me, there was no one there to begin with.
Luciene's mind broke at that point.
"No… it can't be" I heard her say. It was barely a whisper. It was a realization, not a protest. The world had failed to behave as it should. The flow of the story had been disrupted. Help was absent where it was supposed to arrive.
The second hobgoblin approached. The normal goblins closed in. Luciene could not step back. Her knees locked. Her body was ready to flee, but her mind had already been left behind.
She swung her sword. Randomly. No technique. But fear can sometimes be sharp. It wounded a goblin's face. Blood sprayed. It did not give her courage.
On the contrary, it made her feel even more alone.
Because no one had come.
"AURELIUS! DON'T GO! WHY DID YOU DO THIS TO ME?"
She screamed then. It was not a cry for help, but a cry of denial. A sound born not from her vocal cords, but from instinct. One of the hobgoblins raised his arm like a shield. The sword slid across metal. The blow failed.
I was already far away.
When I stepped onto the dirt road, a more special, more ostentatious notification appeared from the system.
[Fate Quest Completed]
"I suppose that makes it three birds with one stone."