Mark's POV
If I had to describe the experience of passing through the Gate, it would be as if I were being sucked into a void and then suddenly spit out. The feeling made me nauseous. Even though I couldn't see anyone around me, I could feel the wind and hear the leaves and branches rustling. It was surprisingly refreshing, but the noise of the forest was overwhelming. I instinctively covered my ears, realizing that the absolute silence of the Safe Zone had heightened my sensitivity to sound. It took me a while to adjust to the cacophony of this new world.
However, the raw feeling inside me had not yet faded. Before it faded, I wanted to face at least one creature in battle. If I did not find the courage now, I did not know when the next opportunity would come. I consulted the System about the first floor. This was the territory of the Forest Goblins. Although there were various small animals, birds and reptiles, the goblins near the Gate were rare and usually appeared alone. This one fact gave me the final push of courage I needed.
General POV:
Mark moved forward, tapping the forest floor with his staff to check for obstacles. He had somehow managed to maintain his Mana Sense. There are two primary energies in this world: Mana and Ki. Although they are different, they are closely related, yet opposing forces. A skill like Mana Sense can detect both. Normally, all creatures have a certain level of Mana, and goblins are not people who know how to hide their presence. Mark relied on this to sense anything that came within his five-meter detection radius.
As he went deeper, the adrenaline-filled rage that had brought him here began to fade, replaced by a cold, creeping fear.
"Damn it! What am I doing?" Mark thought, his heart beating fast. "Should I go back? No, I promised myself to fight at least one goblin. I can't put it off now."
In the midst of this internal conflict, a terrifying realization gripped him: "How do I get back?" Mark's sense of direction had never been stronger, not even on Earth. Now blind and confused, finding his way back to the Gate seemed impossible. After a moment of panic, he took a deep breath and turned to the only logical solution available. He pulled out his dagger and carved a mark into a nearby tree. Since he had been walking in one direction since leaving the Gate, he made a horizontal cut to show his path. He felt the hollow with his fingers, trying to commit the direction to memory, and looked ahead, marking each tree he passed.
Mark's pov:
After walking a little further, something caught my attention—my nose, to be exact. It was a pungent odor, a foul mixture of unwashed sweat and rotting food. I had never been so sensitive to smells before, but in the darkness my sense of smell seemed to be much more acute. I walked as quietly as possible towards the source of the odor, about four meters, and then I "saw" it.
More precisely, a distinct mana signature had entered my Mana Sense radius. Since this skill was still in its infancy, I could only sense the vague silhouette and rhythmic movement of a living being within five meters. Its presence pulsed with raw, feral energy. My heart pounded in my ribs. Acting on instinct, I quickly ducked behind a nearby tree, trying to stay as still as possible.
I try desperately to calm myself. I try to stay as still as possible, trying to hold my heavy breathing, but my heart won't stop pounding against my ribs. At first, I used my ability to assess the presence within my radius. The system's response was sudden:
[Rating]
Race: Common forest goblin
Status: Hungry but active
Mana: G
Who: None
Skill: Dagger Ability
The goblin is here. Will I really fight? But how? I began to search for Taddei's battle memories, but they were useless to me. When I tried to train Mana Sense based on his memories, nothing worked. The martial arts and weapon skills were the same - nothing like my current state.
When Thaddeus learned or used these skills, he always relied on his eyes. His entire style was based on high-level vision, visual analysis of the enemy, and the use of lightning-fast reactions and agile movements. As a blind person, these methods are almost impossible for me. The imaginary image of the goblin in Thaddeus' memory scared me even more and made my heart beat faster. The cliché goblin — only 1.2 meters tall, green-skinned, long-eared, and grotesque. Seeing them in anime is one thing, but the raw image in my mind evoked real disgust.
I was losing my mind, paralyzed by fear instead of preparing for battle. I should have stopped and made a decision, but I couldn't help myself. Maybe I had moved and made a sound unintentionally, or maybe my heavy breathing had distracted me... whatever it was, the goblin was now rapidly approaching my position!
Sensing the goblin approaching, I froze for a moment, then panicked and tried to run. Suddenly I felt a prick of danger in the back of my head - an imaginary feeling, or perhaps my Mana Senses screaming that this creature was after me. I threw myself violently to the right. As I fell to the ground, I felt a sharp sting in my left arm.
In the chaos, I couldn't hold on to the Blind Staff. I reached out with my left hand and felt the warm liquid—blood. I was cut. The goblin, seeing that he had lost his trail and that I had fallen, began to approach again with renewed fury. I felt him approaching from my left side. Before my brain could process the answer, raw instinct took over. I kicked the creature as hard as I could with my right foot.
Maybe it was the adrenaline rush, or maybe the goblin was just light, but it flew off and crashed hard into a tree two or three meters away. I dug into the ground, found my staff, and used it to pull it up. There was no time to think. I ran towards the fallen creature and began to strike blindly with my stick. I couldn't remember how long I held on, shaking with genuine despair.
I wondered if the Mana Sense would disappear after death. It seemed to be fading away - the energy I felt had diminished dramatically, although a faint trace remained. Nevertheless, I did not stop vibrating until I finally asked for an assessment:
[Evaluation result]
Target: G-level Goblin corpse.
Details: Internal organs are poisonous; bones are very brittle.
Usefulness: The meat is edible.
Loot: Contains a G-rank Monster Core.