In the third prince's event, most people chose to go with the flow. For instance, Yuta and another man, feeling uncomfortable, had somewhat strained relations with the third prince.
In Keith's event, out of sympathy, people like Yukino chose to comfort Keith, though it didn't make their relationship very close...
However, Hachiman, perhaps being a lonely person himself, got along with Keith most harmoniously.
Later, at a tea party, Hachiman, relying on his special孤loneliness intuition, unexpectedly managed to get closer to another key character, Mary Hunt...
Everyone was unaware that in this game, Hachiman was currently the most advanced. Of course, these were hidden scores for now, unknown to all.
…
The next day, Takeru's group quickly headed towards the Damuro New District.
Here, everyone found the goblins' strength had increased significantly again. They even had crossbows, and their group sizes were usually no less than five, with some gangs reaching up to twelve goblins...
In their first encounter in the New District, the five carelessly provoked a group of nine goblins. Without Takeru intervening, they experienced a tough battle.
Tsumugi and Shihoru suffered serious injuries before finally annihilating the goblin group. This fight served as a wake-up call for the group, who had become accustomed to smooth sailing, making them cautious again.
It made them realize their strength wasn't enough to ignore elite goblin groups.
Seeing their setback, Takeru smiled slightly. Constant success easily breeds pride, even if not overtly shown… unconscious behavior becomes less cautious than before.
Even Takeru himself wasn't immune to rising pride. However, compared to them, Takeru's strength was much greater, and he maintained some vigilance, so he hadn't stumbled yet...
Of course, another crucial reason was Takeru knew many worlds had power levels that could be called unreasonable. Even with his current strength, he couldn't withstand the aftershocks of some battles. So while proud, Takeru also maintained reverence.
But compared to Takeru, Yui and Ui, after gaining power and experiencing smooth sailing, their pride rose quickly. This incident made them realize this world could be deadly...
Regarding their introspection, Takeru didn't say much, just let them rest and adjust...
While the five adjusted, Takeru noticed that due to their earlier commotion, several nearby goblins had detected them and were cautiously surrounding them, seemingly preparing an ambush.
"Goblins are coming!" As one goblin entered Yui's perception range, she whispered.
"What?" Hearing Yui, everyone looked around cautiously, quickly searching for the goblins. Under careful observation, they soon spotted the sneaking goblins.
Instantly, everyone gripped their weapons, ready to attack.
"Leave it to me." Seeing their reaction, Takeru gave an imperceptible nod. With a thought, six pebbles under his control shot out at piercing speed, accurately penetrating the heads of six goblins.
Then, under Takeru's mental control, the six goblin corpses floated before him.
Next, Takeru put the six pouches from the goblins into his backpack and selected two valuable daggers. Other weapons and armor were left. Exposing a storage space in this world was inconvenient, so Takeru's group mainly carried the most valuable, portable items.
Later, they would surely kill many more goblins, and carrying their equipment would hinder movement.
"What is this?" Seeing the goblin corpses drawn by an unseen force, Tsumugi asked curiously.
"One of my skills." Since Shihoru was present, Takeru didn't explain fully...
Hearing this, the others didn't press further...
After resting a bit longer, they resumed hunting.
...
In the blink of an eye, five more days passed. During these five days, Takeru's group's mass slaughter drastically reduced the goblin population in the Damuro New District.
Now, even in the New District, encountering goblins wasn't easy. Moreover, the remaining goblins gathered more tightly, usually acting in groups no smaller than eight.
Takeru's group stopped, no longer hunting goblins. Takeru himself had lost count but estimated he'd killed over five hundred. Adding Yui and Ui's kills, the total probably exceeded fifteen hundred...
In terms of gold coins alone, each person had at least over ten gold coins, and their equipment was completely renewed.
Even Takeru bought two new pieces of equipment and an accessory.
[High Priest Robe: Spirit +15, Defense +8, MP Recovery +1 per 30 seconds]
[High Priest Staff: Spirit +12, Strength +10]
[Wolf Fang Necklace: Spirit +3, Speed +3]
The two Priest items cost Takeru ten gold coins, and the necklace cost two gold coins.
Though expensive, Takeru felt it was worth the price. He wasn't sure if he could take them out of this world, but he thought it was worth trying.