The days passed slowly. Arthur spent most of his time sleeping inside his den.
Due to his injuries, he was forced to minimize his movements until his body fully recovered, so he rarely went out, only to drink or relieve himself.
Staying still in the same place for a long time was very boring, but he didn't mind it much, especially since he had stored enough food and possessed the ability to sleep for long periods.
Even though his wounds were deep and numerous, he healed in a very short time.
After only six days of rest, he regained a large part of his vitality and energy, and due to his impatience, he decided to return to hunting.
On the morning of the seventh day, Arthur woke up early, stretched his scarred body, and wagged his tail happily like a pet dog going for a walk. He truly missed the feeling of running freely through the forest.
"Finally, I'll head out into the wild and breathe some fresh air. I've started to hate staying in my den. It's far more boring than I expected.
If only I had some ways to entertain myself, time would pass faster… but that doesn't matter anymore."
Without paying it much more attention, he looked at the entrance of his den with a feral smile and muttered,
'For some reason, I really want to eat some fresh, tender meat today… and I also want to howl. That's strange. I've never howled out loud before.'
Arthur had been feeling off since he woke up. He didn't know exactly why, but he didn't let it bother him.
He quickly left his cave and started searching for prey to satisfy his unexplained thirst for blood.
As usual, he first headed to the nearby hunting spots he knew. When he found nothing, he decided to go further, venturing deeper into the forest.
The forest was vast, and even after living in it for a while, he still only knew a small part of it—or more accurately, he still knew almost nothing about this world he had been transmigrated to.
He had many questions, but who could he ask? Monsters didn't talk, and he had never seen any humans or sentient beings. The System, in turn, wasn't helpful in this regard and rarely answered his questions.
Sigh!
'Tsk… being alone makes me think too much. It really irritates me, ruins my good mood, and increases my thirst for blood.
Thinking about it, I'm acting strangely today. It feels like my instincts want to take control.'
Arthur furrowed his brows and thought seriously.
He knew there had to be a logical reason for the conflict of his emotions, because a deep-seated instinct kept whispering that today was special and different from the other days—but he didn't know what exactly made it so.
Lost in thought, Arthur wandered off and didn't realize he was heading the wrong way until he entered an unfamiliar area.
He had previously marked the boundaries of where he could roam, so he had no intention of exploring new places—at least, not today.
He turned to go back but suddenly stopped, sniffing the air sharply.
'What is this scent…? It's very strange.'
Confused, he noticed that the smell was completely different from any he had sensed before—from monsters, animals, or even trees. There was something distinct about it.
Curiosity piqued, he raised his guard and tracked the scent. After covering roughly half a mile, he arrived at a part of the forest filled with dense, low shrubs.
Here, the smell grew several times stronger, coming from multiple nearby sources. Adding to the oddity, he heard faint footsteps approaching.
'This isn't good… I'm trapped.' Arthur's eyes narrowed.
He couldn't see the creatures moving through the thick shrubs, but he was certain they were numerous, small, and moved unlike ordinary monsters.
He calmed himself, refusing to let anxiety take over.
Adopting a defensive stance, he prepared for battle and waited for this mysterious enemy to reveal itself.
After a few seconds, dozens of ugly green monsters emerged from the shrubs around him, and without any warning, they began pelting him with large stones
'Goblins?'
Arthur's eyes widened in shock. Without even using the "Evaluation" Skill, he instantly recognized the creatures attacking him.
But there was no time to react, as dozens of stones started raining down hard on his body, causing several small bruises.
[ Unranked Goblin ]
[ Unranked Goblin ]
[ F-rank Goblin ]
Unexpectedly, most of the goblins were weaker than F-rank. This explained why their attacks were weak and their bodies small. Still, Arthur didn't underestimate them.
Their large numbers and childlike intelligence made them very dangerous. Furthermore, he sensed the presence of more Goblins hiding among the shrubs, and it was clear they were following some kind of plan.
'I can't take more hits. There's only one solution—attack fast and hard, and create an opening to escape. I can't defeat these cunning creatures in their own territory.'
Without wasting any more time, Arthur bared his fangs and charged at the nearest Goblin.
As he reached it and prepared to bite and tear it apart, a sudden danger appeared—three more Goblins jumped out from the shrubs ahead, thrusting long wooden spears at him.
'Fuck!'
His pupils shrank, and he quickly leapt to the side, narrowly avoiding the unexpected attack.
Before he could catch his breath, the remaining Goblins showered him with another volley of stones, increasing his injuries.
A feral look appeared on his face as he cursed, 'Damned bastards, I'll kill you all.' He hated the Goblins' annoying tricks, feeling as if they were mocking him.
Despite his intense anger, he managed to calm himself. Losing control would only make things worse, and he was certain these monsters couldn't surpass him in intelligence.