I had just taken the lives of three goblins, but at that moment I wasn't thinking about it.
In truth, my focus was entirely on the fight itself.
It had been truly thrilling, this wasn't just the first life I had taken, it was my first real battle.
And I couldn't help but think: how much easier would it have been if I had used illusions?
I felt a bit frustrated that I couldn't use my element openly.
I could only imagine all the ways I could have deceived my opponents, maybe even made them fight each other.
Just the thought excited me. Unconsciously, a smile appeared on my face as I walked back to my spot.
I snapped out of my thoughts and looked at Victor: on the surface he seemed calm and ready for his turn, but I could see his hands trembling slightly.
I walked over and gave him a harmless pat on the shoulder.
He looked at me and smiled, gratitude in his eyes.
"Thanks, number 33."
I returned his smile, blinking innocently.
"What are you thanking me for, number 12? I should be the one thanking you, I needed somewhere to wipe the blood off my hand."
My grin widened as I finished speaking.
Victor, caught off guard, glanced at his shoulder, now stained with monster blood, and his gratitude melted away like ice in the desert.
"You…"
"Number 12! Step forward!"
He couldn't finish his sentence, but I could see that his earlier fear had been replaced by strong hostility toward me.
I wasn't offended that he hadn't thanked me.
In the end, I had a great and noble heart.
Besides, I didn't understand what he was worried about.
At that moment, I only felt pity for the goblins that would have to face him.
Now that everything was over, I could clearly see how unfair it had been, in my case, to face multiple enemies in an open field.
I had been an archer for a few months, but only now, in a real battle, did I realize how disadvantageous it was to fight alone.
It was true that my opponents had no cover, but neither did I.
I would have preferred to keep my distance and strike from a safe position, maybe from a tree or a boulder, gaining an advantage in positioning as well.
I could only imagine how convenient it would be for an archer to have an affinity with elements like earth or nature, to control the battlefield.
This experience had given me many ideas for future strategies, but for now I set them aside to watch Victor's performance.
"Begin!"
A new cage opened in front of my companion.
From within came not one, not three, but five goblins.
Small, with dirty green skin and hungry eyes, they moved in jerks, emitting guttural sounds that made the air feel even heavier.
Each little green creature carried a weapon: three had short swords, while the other two wielded wooden clubs.
Maybe Victor was still annoyed by my earlier prank, because he didn't hesitate for a second and charged his opponents fearlessly, holding his greatsword back.
The first goblin in his path didn't manage to defend itself in time and was split in two before it could even react.
Of the remaining four, two immediately tried to attack him with their swords, but Victor used the flat of his blade to parry their strikes.
As the three swords clashed in the center, a surge of electricity burst from Victor's hands, traveling through his blade and into the goblins' weapons by contact.
The goblins, shocked by the current, instinctively let go of their weapons.
Victor, having already anticipated their reaction, killed both of them with a single sweeping slash.
Only the two goblins with clubs remained, and they even seemed slightly weaker than the ones with swords.
Nevertheless, the hunger in their eyes hadn't faded despite the death of their companions.
They approached their enemy, only to realize too late that a small fireball had formed in Victor's hand, hidden behind his back.
When the goblins got close enough, Victor threw the sphere at one of them, hitting it. The creature began to scream, rolling on the ground in an attempt to extinguish the flames.
The other goblin, now alone, was killed almost immediately.
Victor first cut off the arm holding the club and then, with a second strike, decapitated the goblin.
To finish, he approached the one still lying on the ground and killed it with a final blow.
Just as I expected, the goblins were slaughtered.
To me, it was the only possible outcome, since I was Victor's training partner and knew his strength.
Everyone around me was amazed by the display of power from the strongest member of our group.
I was surprised too,but for a completely different reason.
Had that bastard grown taller again?
"Attention!"
Ronald said, lingering his gaze longer on certain faces.
"Starting tomorrow, numbers 12, 33, 7, and 1 will begin participating in base guard duty."
He paused for a moment, this time focusing only on the four of us.
"You'll be divided into pairs: 12 and 33, and 7 and 1. I'll now give you more details. The rest of you may leave."
As everyone else walked away, the four of us remained in the training field with the two instructors.
I turned briefly to look at number 1.
He was neither tall nor short, had red hair and red eyes, and his element, perhaps as a twist of fate, was water.
He seemed calm… too calm.
I had never spoken to him, partly because he wasn't my roommate at the beginning, and partly because Victor and I were generally avoided.
I turned back toward Ronald, waiting for his words in the silence of the training field.
"As I said, starting tomorrow, once a week, you will take part in guard duty on this floor…"
I didn't show it, but inside I was disappointed.
I knew they wouldn't give us the chance to explore the other levels of the base so soon, and yet a man had the right to dream.
Unfortunately, my hope was crushed immediately, but this was only the beginning, so I forced myself to listen to the rest.
"You'll be accompanied by a guard who will show you the route. From the next time onward, you'll be on your own. No mistakes are allowed."
We'd probably be monitored as well, so I wouldn't be able to do anything.
While I was distracted, Instructor Jin reached into a pouch at his waist and spoke for the first time that day.
"Additionally, every half hour you must use your mana to activate these artifacts."
From the pouch, he pulled out two cubes.
He tossed one to Victor and the other to number 7.
"They are used to confirm that there are no anomalies or intruders in your sector, so you must be precise. Your shift will begin immediately after afternoon training and will last a total of eight hours. You will eat after you finish, and there will be no changes to your schedule. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!"
Instructor Jin nodded at our response.
"Good. You may go now."
After Ronald dismissed us, we left our weapons behind and followed the usual path to the mess hall.
As I walked, I found myself smiling at the thought of everything I would uncover once we started guarding the other levels.
My happiness was cut short when Victor wiped his hand on my face.
"Disgusting! Wait, I watched you fight. When did your hand even get covered in blood?"
Victor looked at me, smiling.
"No idea."
"Son of a giant."
"…you do realize that's not actually an insult, right?"