I'm not a Witcher anymore.

The stench of blood quickly spread through the woods.

The smell of damp, decaying leaves was suppressed, leaving only a metallic, fishy odor that seeped into the nostrils.

Zieg frowned slightly.

But that's all.

This was the first time he had personally killed a truly humanoid being.

The thought flashed through his mind, but he suppressed it.

The woods weren't quiet enough to warrant a moment of distraction.

He glanced down at his feet.

Broken wooden sticks, overturned corpses, blood slowly seeping down the muddy ground, soaking the decaying leaves until they turned black and sticky.

Zieg withdrew his gaze and drew his sword, passing through the bushes splattered with blood.

The soil beneath my feet was softened by the blood, and when I stepped on it, it made a slight wet sound.

His gaze swept past the mess on the ground and landed on the lakeside.

The goblin that was first hit by the arrow was still lying there, half of its body submerged in the water, motionless.

The arrow shaft protruded diagonally from his back, swaying gently with the ripples in the water, which was already stained dark red with blood.

It looked like it was completely dead.

Zieg did not approach immediately.

He stopped a few steps away, stood still, and stared at the body, examining it inch by inch.

The wound on his back was still bleeding.

The back is too tense.

His right arm was tucked under his body, completely hidden.

It doesn't look like a truly relaxed corpse.

Zig raised his hand, drew an arrow, and steadily nocked it onto the bowstring.

The bow was slowly drawn open.

The arrow tip pierced the blood-stained water and landed near the upper back of the goblin.

Only the sound of water remained in the woods.

The goblin that had been lying in the shallow water suddenly sprang up.

With a splash, water sprayed everywhere.

Arrows were still stuck in its back, blood was flowing down the wound, and its face was distorted by pain and ferocity.

The right hand that had been pressed under his body was finally revealed, tightly gripping a sharp-edged stone.

It screamed and lunged at Zig.

Zieg did not back down.

The moment the bowstring snapped open, he released the bow, pressed down with his right hand, and simultaneously drew the steel sword from his waist.

A flash of silver light.

The goblin was still in its lunging posture, the stone in its hand only halfway raised, when the sword blade had already slashed diagonally into its head.

A muffled thud.

The skull cracked open, and the blade plunged in, abruptly stopping its oncoming momentum mid-air.

Those blood-red eyes suddenly widened, but the murderous glint within them had already dissipated.

Zieg shifted his feet slightly and drew his sword in the process.

Fresh blood spurted out immediately.

The goblin lost its strength and crashed straight into the mud. It twitched twice and then lay still.

Dark red blood trickled down the skin from between the split skull, quickly forming a small puddle at the feet.

The woods finally fell completely quiet.

Only the soft sound of the lake water lapping against the shore and the gentle rustling of the wind through the branches and leaves remained.

Zieg glanced at the corpse, making sure it was completely still, before taking a piece of linen from the Book of Adventures and slowly wiping the blood off the sword.

The filth, blood, and bits of flesh were wiped away little by little.

The silvery-white blade reappeared.

The next moment, his mind stirred slightly.

Deep in my mind, the pages of the book turned silently.

A few lines of writing emerged on the yellowed paper.

"Milestone Achieved - First Impression: First Goblin Kill"

"The gift has arrived: Strength +1"

Current strength: 5→6

As the words appeared, a warm force surged from deep within my chest.

It wasn't like flames, but more like a sudden surge of heat that flowed into my limbs and bones.

It spread along the blood vessels, swept over the shoulders and arms, sank into the waist and back, and then pressed down into the legs.

The muscles tightened little by little in that heat, as if they were being tightened again, and even the deepest part of the joints felt a very slight swelling.

Zieg gripped the hilt of his sword.

My palm is more stable now.

The familiar weight now seems to have lightened considerably.

He raised his hand and casually swung his sword.

The sword's edge sliced ​​through the air, producing a sharper, cleaner sound than before.

The drooping branches beside them swayed and rustled in the strong wind.

The heat came on quickly and subsided just as fast.

After about ten seconds, it slowly sank back into the depths of the body, no longer churning, but it did not disappear either.

Zig stood still and looked down at his hands.

It just has a little more power.

But for him now, that's enough.