They moved through the woods like smoke, Caleb in front, the others close behind. The forest floor was slick with last night's rain, the roots twisted like veins. No wind. Just the sound of breathing and boots shifting mud.
The goblins were scattered. Six of them. Huddled near a rotting log where something had been slaughtered—maybe a deer, maybe not. Their backs were turned. No discipline. No guard. Just raw instinct.
Perfect.
Caleb raised a hand. The others stopped.
Soren was already crouched low, eyeing a thick branch on the ground. Dina had a rock in each palm, her expression unreadable. Marek held the rusted knife he'd picked up two floors ago. Ellen carried a broken spearhead tied to a stick with frayed cloth. Not pretty. But deadly.
He signed: circle them.
They obeyed.
The goblins didn't notice.
Caleb counted seconds. Let tension coil tight. Then he struck.
He hit the first one low, sweeping its legs and ramming his knee into its face. Bone cracked. The goblin didn't scream. It just twitched once and went limp.
The others reacted, screeching. Two turned toward Caleb—too slow. Soren barreled in from the side, branch raised. He crushed one's arm, then drove the thick wood down on its skull.
Blood sprayed. The goblin's HP dropped in a blink:
[Goblin – HP: 27%]
Not dead. But dazed.
Dina's rocks hit another in the neck. It staggered, choking, eyes wild. Ellen followed through with a desperate lunge, her makeshift spear slicing a deep line across its chest.
[Goblin – HP: 44%]
Marek's blade sank into the gut of one fleeing. The goblin shrieked, lurching forward, only to trip and slam its head against a root. It didn't get back up.
[Goblin – HP: 0%]
Combat ended in seconds. Not clean. Not precise. But successful.
The group stood in silence, panting. Soren wiped his face. Ellen was still trembling. Dina bent down, heaving once before she managed to spit bile into the dirt.
"I didn't think it'd look like that," she muttered.
Caleb didn't speak. He scanned the bodies.
"Gear up," he said. "Take what you can."
They moved fast. Goblin weapons were crude—jagged knives, chipped bone spears, short clubs wrapped in wire. But still better than fists and branches.
Caleb found a dagger notched but balanced. He slid it into his belt. Soren took a small round shield made from bent metal. Marek strapped a leather vest onto his chest. Dina took nothing. Ellen grabbed a sling and a pouch of stones.
The interface pulsed.
[Experience Distributed Based on Contribution]
Caleb – EXP: +12.3%
Soren – EXP: +10.0%
Marek – EXP: +7.5%
Ellen – EXP: +5.9%
Dina – EXP: +3.1%
A second pulse followed:
[Hidden Achievement Unlocked: First Bloodshed as a Unit]
Reward: +1 Stat Point to All Attributes (All Team Members)
A ripple of warmth passed through Caleb's limbs.
Status windows shifted. His stats ticked upward.
Then a faint hum echoed through the trees. Artificial. A system sound.
[Equipment Synchronization Enabled]
Tier: Crude
Durability Tracking: Active]
The items they took now glimmered faintly. Not magic. Just registered. Counted. Official.
"This wasn't a fight," Caleb said, eyes on the corpses. "This was a test. See if we'd take the initiative."
"You think they're watching us?" Marek asked.
"I know they are."
Dina still hadn't moved from where she knelt.
"I didn't even stab it," she said, voice quiet. "I just threw a rock. Why does that feel worse?"
No one answered. Not really.
Because it looked human. Because it screamed. Because the blood was still warm.
"Let's go," Caleb said. "We're still behind enemy lines."
They left the bodies behind.
Above them, the trees swayed in silence. Watching. Waiting.
And somewhere deeper in the woods, more goblins moved. Organized. Armed. Alert.
The real test hadn't started yet.