An hour passed, and Ray finally found what he was looking for.
It wasn't a forest slime per se, but it was something different.
Strong and powerful Forest Slimes were extremely rare and difficult to find, so Ray had given up on finding them.
Instead, he decided to look around for something stronger yet more common, and that was none other than a goblin.
Well, to be more accurate, he had found a goblin scout, and at the moment, the scout was crouched near a stream, drinking water.
It was small, maybe around four feet tall, but it had a green colored skin, pointed ears, and was wearing a crude leather loincloth.
It also had a rusted dagger which was hanging from its belt. But what really caught Ray's attention was the fact that the goblin was a level 3.
At the moment, Ray should be searching for a combat-experienced level 2 forest slime, but since he hadn't encountered such a slime yet, he had no other choice but to search for the next big thing, and in this case, that happened to be the goblin in front of him.
However, defeating this goblin alone, with his current strength, was synonymous with him asking for a death sentence.
In his previous life, Ray had barely survived his first goblin encounter.
The little monster had been faster than he had expected, and its dagger had left a nasty cut across his arm which had stung for weeks because he hadn't been rich enough to buy a healing potion.
However, Ray wasn't going to allow such a thing to happen for the second time, and that was why he began to move before the goblin even knew he was there.
Activating his <
He covered a distance of three meters in an instant and suddenly reappeared behind the goblin.
The goblin spun around in shock, then snarled with rage. But Ray was already swinging his sword and his blade cut through the goblin's throat in a flash.
Blood sprayed everywhere and the goblin clutched his throat as he gurgled before collapsing to the floor.
Meanwhile, Ray stepped back while breathing hard, he could feel his head spinning in ways he hadn't felt in years.
This was one of the major side effects that came with using his <
The spinning in his head continued until it worsened into disorientation and nausea.
Feeling that the sensation wasn't improving anytime soon, Ray swiftly leaned against a tree and waited for his body to become stable once again and regenerate his depleted mana.
Fortunately, Ray had made sure that the goblin scout was alone and it didn't have a scouting partner with it, otherwise, things would have been bloody for him.
Looking at his fingers and hands they seemed to be multiplying thanks to the side effects of his skill. This made Ray grit his teeth as he recalled why he had hated the skill so much.
Initially, in his last life, it had taken him years to get used to these side effects, but with practiced efficiency, Ray believed that he would get used to them a lot faster than he had in his previous life.
Subsequently, Ray realized that his dizziness had lessened, then he looked at the goblin's corpse before noticing his system's window which appeared in front of him.
[Congratulations to the host, you've defeated a Goblin Scout.]
[Defeated Monster: Goblin Scout (Level 3)]
[Experience gained: 15 XP]
[Skill available for absorption: Basic Blade skill (Common Skill) Lv.1]
[Would you like to absorb this skill?]
[Yes / No]
"Yes," Ray responded, and a massive influx of heat flooded into his body.
The heat was so intense, but a storm of knowledge followed right after.
It poured into his mind at a pace that was too fast for Ray to follow, but it allowed him to swiftly comprehend the basics of wielding a sword, like how to hold a blade properly, how to thrust, how to parry, and how to battle against an opponent in a 1v1 situation.
It wasn't much, but it was more than enough for Ray right now.
In other words, it was the perfect start and the perfect skill to have in a dangerous forest near the village.
Satisfied with this, Ray swiftly opened his status, and a new string of words was displayed before him.
[Congratulations, you currently have one out of ten active skills.]
[ABSORBED SKILLS (ACTIVE - 1/10).]
[Basic Blade Skill (Common) Lv.1.]
Ray smiled as he read the words displayed in front of him.
Then he gripped his sword tightly before swinging it experimentally.
His movements were a lot smoother now and he was moving with better control and precision than before.
His wrists had adjusted automatically and his stance had shifted and improved without him even thinking about it.
In a nutshell, the skill was working perfectly and Ray couldn't hold back his excitement as his grin widened.
'Alright, one skill down, nine more to go.' Ray reminded himself before looting the goblin's dagger, then he continued on his quest.
By the time the sun had begun to set, Ray had already killed three more goblins.
Well, to be precise, he had killed two Goblin Scouts like the previous scout, and the third goblin happened to be a Goblin Warrior.
The latter was bigger, stronger, and armed with a large and crude spiked club
It had taken a lot longer for Ray to defeat it.
In fact, Ray had nearly been hit twice, but in the end, he'd won, and that was all that mattered.
Feeling relieved and proud of what he had accomplished today, Ray checked his status as he walked back to the village.
<
***********
Name: Ray
Class: Void Walker
Level: 3
Rank: Un-ranked
Experience: 55 / 100
**********
<
Strength: 14 (+2)
Agility: 16 (+2)
Endurance: 12 (+2)
Intelligence: 16
Wisdom: 18
Luck: 8
Mana: 35 (+5)
*********
<
Void Step (Unique skill) Lv.1
Void Sense (Unique skill) Lv.1
Absorption (Unique skill) Lv.1
Harem Mark (Unique skill) Lv.1
***********
<< ABSORBED SKILLS (ACTIVE SKILLS- 1/10) >>
Basic Blade Skill (Common Skill) (Lv 2)
***************
"Wow, level 3, huh?"
"Not bad for a first day," Ray muttered to himself as his body ached all over.
His current body wasn't used to fighting yet, but it had greatly improved in strength and speed.
During his previous life, it had taken him about two months to get to level 3, but this time, he had done it in a day and that was more than enough to make him feel proud of his feats for the day.
Yes, he knew he had a long way to go, but he was certainly on the right track. That was why returning home and taking a rest was the best thing to do right now.