Lately, the number of beasts active at night seemed to have increased.
As long as they didn't bother him, Adam didn't care to pay them much mind.
Having gained a decent amount of experience, he was in a decent mood today. Plus, this area likely harbored a goblin tribe.
Adam planned to search thoroughly tomorrow.
For some reason, a nagging feeling tugged at him, as if he'd overlooked something. But when he thought it over, nothing specific came to mind.
The only thing that lingered was the memory of being ambushed by ogres a while back. Since escaping them, though, nothing similar had happened.
A night breeze swept through.
The cool wind rustled the jungle's lush, abundant leaves.
Adam's nose twitched as the breeze carried a faintly familiar scent.
At first, he didn't think much of it, preparing to drift back to sleep. Then, his eyes snapped open.
That smell...
Goblins!
No mistake, it was the stench of goblins, like rotten socks left unwashed for decades.
Adam's groggy gaze sharpened instantly.
He'd been ignoring something all along, and now, catching that scent in the air, it hit him.
It was the smell goblins gave off!
Over the past half-month of "friendly exchanges" with goblins, Adam had grown so accustomed to their odor that he'd subconsciously tuned it out.
But these past few nights, wherever he camped, that faint stench had drifted by!
In the darkness, Adam couldn't see his own expression, but it was surely grim.
Those creatures passing under his tree weren't beasts, they were goblins!
Though goblins had night vision, they typically followed a diurnal schedule like humans, resting at night and active by day.
In a jungle like this, even goblins wouldn't hunt at night unless necessary.
He was being watched!
Damn it!
To think he'd only realized it now.
Adam cursed himself inwardly. The vague unease he'd felt for days crystallized in that moment.
After maxing out his Sword Saint class, the outer regions of the forest held no real threats to him. Even ogres, unless in large numbers, posed little danger.
This had dulled his initial caution, letting goblins track him without his notice.
No, wait!
Beneath his black cloak, Adam's eyes glinted.
Ordinary goblins lacked the intelligence for such meticulous stalking.
"Am I really so lucky as to run into a goblin variant?" The thought crossed Adam's mind, and he licked his lips.
Even if he'd let his guard down, he wouldn't have missed a regular goblin trailing him.
Guerrilla Soldier? Forest Priest? Druid? Thief? Tracker?
Those classes excelled at stealth, especially in complex environments like forests. Without detection magic, they'd be nearly impossible to spot.
Adam calmed himself. The goblin stalking him likely had one of those classes.
But what was its goal?
Adam frowned.
This goblin wasn't just following him, it was confirming his location every night, clearly with some purpose.
Why was he so sure it was a goblin variant and not an ogre?
Ogres' massive size made too much noise when moving. They were ill-suited for stealthy tracking.
"A trap?"
Recalling the past few days, Adam's suspicions grew.
He'd encountered pitifully few goblins lately, only seeing a surge today.
If he hadn't noticed this hidden, likely variant goblin, he'd have blamed bad luck. Now, it was clear someone was orchestrating this.
With that realization, Adam continued feigning ignorance, leaning against the tree as if sleeping, just like always.
Since he'd spotted his stalker, the roles of "hunter" And "prey" were about to switch!
The moonlight and stars gradually faded.
Morning birdsong mingled with sunlight filtering through the leaves, echoing in the jungle.
Adam stretched, leaping down from the tree, looking refreshed.
Not only had he slept soundly last night, but his rest felt better than usual.
Since the suspected goblin variant hadn't attacked, its strength was likely far below his. Otherwise, it wouldn't have limited itself to tracking and surveillance.
Adam resumed his routine, pulling out rye bread and cooked pork, munching heartily while hefting his iron sword and moving forward.
He scanned his surroundings with his peripheral vision, and as expected, saw nothing.
This confirmed one thing: his stalker kept a safe distance.
Adam abandoned the idea of flushing it out immediately. If the goblin had one of the classes he suspected, catching it in the jungle would be no easy task.
"Then let's see this trap you've set for me. I'll drag you out myself." Adam's eyes gleamed, his thoughts resolute.
About ten minutes after he left, a figure appeared where Adam had stood.
It had green, pointed ears and resembled a goblin, but its size was twice that of a normal one.
The differences didn't end there, its eyes were distinct.
While goblins had narrow, beast-like eyes, this figure's were closer to human size, with large white sclera and tiny black pupils at the center.
Its gaze was cautious and wary.
The figure sniffed the air with its slightly flattened green nose, then looked at the crushed leaves and snapped twigs, traces of Adam's passage.
After a brief pause, it followed the trail.
Remarkably, as it moved, the grass, bushes, and even tangled branches parted silently to clear its path.
Not a single sound was made.
Unnoticed, time had reached midday.
Adam took a few gulps from his water skin, squinting at the vertical beams of sunlight filtering through the leaves.
He carried more than one water skin. During his preparations, he'd bought over 60, each holding about 5 kilograms.
At two per day, that was enough for a month!
For drinking alone, he had no worries about running dry.
***
Every 5 reviews and 200 power stones, a bonus chapter will be dropped.
(5,10,15, 200, 400, 600, and so on then two bonus chapters will be dropped, 1 for 5 reviews and 1 for 200 power stones, so that's 2 bonus chapters!)
And if you want to read more than 50 chapters early, feel free to visit pat re on. com / Xelenea (remove space).