As Noah took his first few steps into the forest, he couldn't help but notice the contrast between how the same luscious green forest that exuded a sense of serenity and natural beauty had transformed into a landscape that seemed to be pulled straight out of nightmares- With the dense shrubbery and trees providing ample cover for both monsters and humans alike in this poorly illuminated terrain, with each turn or behind every tree lay a potential ambush.

A sense of anxiety gripped his heart, and he now understood why Liam had specifically warned him not to think of hiding up in the trees - It really didn't seem like a bad option at this point. The forest terrain that he believed himself to be familiar with had completely betrayed his expectations, as when he glanced at the dense shrubbery surrounding him, or the gigantic trees that obscured his view of the sky, he couldn't help but think there was someone staring back at him from behind it just like Jake did, waiting for the perfect opportunity to mercilessly drive a sword through his exposed back.

Noah gritted his teeth and trudged onward at a slightly faster pace, choosing to have more faith in both himself and in Liam's guidance. Goblins had far better eyesight in the night and knowing that in advance already provided him a huge advantage - He could only feel sorry for those about to come to a painful realization. As long as he kept moving though, even if the [Goblin Archers] manage to land a shot, it would be highly unlikely that it would be a fatal one.

Another factor that reassured Noah was that his constitution stat was now a respectable 5, and he felt as if the surface of his skin was more concentrated and robust now - maybe his internal organs and bones too, but he had no way of verifying that. Along with the defense that his [Forest Dweller's Hauberk] provided, believing himself to be in a far more advantageous position than most challengers was hardly a stretch.

He trudged on, only able to hear the sound of his own light footsteps in this artificial forest that was home to neither animals nor any form of insect life while a battle waged on within his mind, paranoia clashing against reasoning and logic - both locked in a tight stalemate.

That, however, came to an end when a light crack echoed out a dozen or so meters to his left - most likely the sound of someone stepping on a dried twig, signaling that the time for mental gymnastics was over. Noah picked up his pace while craning his neck to get a better view of the situation, but he couldn't make out anything beyond a few meters in the darkness. A twang of what Noah assumed could only be bowstring being released, followed by a light hissing sound as what could only be an arrow sailing in his direction - guess it had seen him, after all.

Noah increased his speed and lowered his head as much as he could within that short span of time while loosely holding on to his spear with his right, continuing to run deeper into the forest- he could see a tree ten meters away from him in his direction, and he planned to hide behind it for cover.

He guessed his increased constitution had also increased his hearing by a certain degree, as he could hear the arrow pass behind him, only missing his body by two meters. Noah covered a few more meters of distance before another twang sounded out, but this time he was prepared and dived headfirst in front, having a shrub cushion his fall. A few moments later, an arrow whistled past the location he was just standing at with greater accuracy than the previous shot.

Noah had let go of his spear nearing the very end of his high flying antics, as he used the shrub as a cushion and rolled behind it. His spear lay to the side, and he quickly retrieved it while remaining crouched, hoping his figure would remain obscured behind the shrubs for a while longer.

Taking a second to stabilize his footing, he burst out into a maddened dash, covering the last one meter left to get to the tree before the goblin had time to notch a third shot.

Noah's heart was beating crazily at this point, and while he didn't believe that a single arrow was enough to kill him, he had no choice but to admit how terrifying archers could be at night. Thankfully, the circumference of the tree was far too large for the archer to get a clear shot, and all he had to do now was to run away in the opposite direction.

Until the sounds of two pairs of footsteps approaching from different directions and headed right to his location sounded out. Noah glanced around to see a goblin wielding a cruel-looking sickle approaching from his northwest, while the other one approached from the north-east, wielding none other than his previous weapon- the one-handed sword. Both were only 7 meters away from him and would reach him in a matter of moments.

Noah roared in anger at the bullshit the tower kept throwing his way and charged at the one-handed sword user with his spear pointed forward and wielded with both hands. He had no choice but to take the initiative if he wanted to survive this encounter, and right now he really did want to kill these ambushing fucks that kept targeting him in the most sinister of ways time and time again.

Since both Noah and the Goblin were headed towards each other at full speed, the collision happened much faster than Noah expected- Without much surprise, Noah's spear ripped into the Goblin's abdomen before it even had an opportunity to get into striking range, a burst of blue blood leaking out as it pierced through its back as well. Maybe as a result of his increased strength stat, he had ended up using far too much force than required and ended up impaling, and thereby trapping his spear within the goblin's corpse.

The sickle wielding goblin had been forced to halt its sprint and change directions, costing it valuable time within which it's companion got itself impaled. Roaring in anger in its unintelligible language, it charged towards Noah with its sickle raised high above its head - and there wasn't a lot of distance left to cover.

Noah, upon hearing the second goblin's cry gave it a quick glance and decided what to do next. It was time to see what his increased strength stat could do. Straining both his arms and exerting the maximum amount of strength he could, he lifted the spear that still had the corpse of the goblin dangling on it, and with a roar, swung it in the direction of the approaching goblin as if he were wielding a blunt weapon instead of a heavy weapon.

Goblins didn't weigh all that much, to begin with, and while the veins on Noah's arms could be seen from the pressure they were under, he found it manageable. The dead goblin's carcass ended up being the final stumbling block for its companion, as Noah swung it with all the force he could muster and it crashed into its companion without mercy.

Its eyes widened in terror as its sickle was knocked out of its grasp and it went tumbling away for a meter. Upon seeing the dazed goblin laying on the ground, Noah let go of his spear and reached in his pocket for the dagger.

'You were the ones that attacked me, bastards' thought Noah, as he plunged his blade into the now weaponless goblin's neck without mercy.