Luka grabbed Luvia’s arm as the pair dashed through the forest. He could feel the searing heat of Miasma travelling through his body. It spread like blood through small vein-like channels, allowing the Sin Energy to flow to his muscles, bones, organs, and skin.

Though he could kill more—that wouldn’t benefit his future archers. He yanked her into his arms before pushing off the ground with explosive strides.

A searing heat flooded his system.

The burning slowly faded, as if his insides adapted to and accepted this heat as natural, like a heartbeat, becoming just another organic function.

This was his Miasma joining the cycle.

Each thump of his heart squeezed both Miasma and Blood through his entire body.

’Is this a Mana circuit?’

He hadn’t felt this feeling before because Divine Aura didn’t need to form a circuit.

Those with Prana could manifest Divine Miracles, which created something from nothing.

The only limit was the size of a person’s container.

Those who used Prana could never increase the amount.

From the moment of birth, their Prana amount remains static, stored in their soul.

Humanity created magic using these circuits, infusing their bodies with the corrupted energy of Mana and allowing it to flow through them much like blood.

This image seemed to allow them to focus and understand faster.

Then, with a chant to improve their focus and imagining the spell they wished to cast.

Allowed them to create pseudo-divine miracles.

"Don’t bite your tongue, Luvia."

The fake oblivion sank into his gauntlet.

He grabbed her tight, wrapping both hands under her buttocks as he clenched his abdomen, the sudden pressure from his muscles pushed the excess sin energy in his veins towards his thighs, the energy soon flooding every muscle, bone and fibre of his legs with dense Miasma.

He just cast a pseudo spell.

’Faster, Higher... Jump!’

[Miasma -15]

With a simple chant in his mind, the Miasma condensed the moment he jumped, then exploded, causing his body to fly through the air, reaching three metres in the air.

He grabbed a thick branch and swung further.

The pair managed to cover ten metres in the blink of an eye.

Behind them, over three dozen naked little wild goblins squeaked and howled at them with sharp bone clubs in their hands.

Compared to the corrupted goblins formed from other races.

The wild goblins were smaller, especially their genitals.

However, they didn’t use them for anything other than urination. Luka remembered something from his past life.

A few scholars believed wild goblins were not impotent but instead mated only among themselves, rather than seeking other races.

The Wild Goblins seemed to reject the notion of mixing their blood, unlike those born from pure sin, filled with lust, greed and envy.

’A weak person filled with envy or greed will become a goblin or kobold.’

With that greed and envy, they sought all women, gold, and treasures.

That’s why millions of them existed. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

...

Thud!

The pair landed.

Luvia hopped from Luka’s arms, spinning along the ground.

Luka skid across the muddy ground, his boots covered in a pretty purple pulp from the squeezed petals beneath his feet.

When he crushed the pods and seeds, the sweet scent of Mana oozed from inside and lingered in the air.

"Okay, we’re good!"

He glared into the distance, seeing them rush from almost thirty metres away, taking this chance to catch his breath.

"Brea."

"We’re Ready." She called from behind him, creating a faint rustle in the bushes.

’Really?’

Luka couldn’t help but smirk.

The hunters may lack skill as warriors or combat personnel, but thanks to decades of hunting, they’ve developed a single beneficial skill.

It was the precursor to stealth.

[Hide]

Though it couldn’t mask your scent, sound and figure like Luvia’s stealth. It would limit others’ ability to notice your existence.

’I can smell them, but...’

If not for the slight movements that made the grass beneath their feet squeak.

"Prepare yourselves, there are a few more than expected."

He quickly switched gears, the small orange goblins rushing through the narrow passage of trees, almost getting stuck in the process.

"Vaun, I leave it to you."

When his voice faded, he pointed towards the goblins, small blazing magenta orbs forming at the tips of his fingers. The flow of Miasma with a circuit became comfortable enough to cast the spell in less than a second.

The efficiency of the spell even cut the total cost.

Da-Da-Dan!

[Miasma -15]

[You Absorbed Three Wild Goblin Souls]

[EXP: +3]

[Desire: +30]

"Draw," Vaun whispered.

Luka backed off, almost sensing the cold arrowheads behind him, along with the slight twang when the hunters drew their bowstrings to fire.

Brea stood to the left of the archers, Luvia just ahead of her, while Luka stood in the centre, holding oblivion in one hand with Zack to his right.

"Luvia, Zack, Brea! Prepare to rush them, once the first volley!"

"Yes, My Lord!"

"Sure!"

"Heh!"

His heart pounded, a strange sense of elation as he watched the group of wild goblins rushing at him, faster, enraged in a frenzy after losing nine of their kin.

The moment they reached a few metres distance, a soft voice sounded.

It wasn’t the gruff voice of Vaun.

But her elegant and lovely elven voice.

"Loose!"

Wooooooosh!

A series of nine arrows lanced through the air in a beautiful arc.

The volley is a pure testament to the hard work these hunters put in over their lifetimes to hone their abilities.

Nine goblins dropped to the ground, their throats, chests or eyes pierced.

[You Absorbed Nine Wild Goblin Souls]

[EXP: +9]

[Desire: +90]

A healthy stream of Miasma leaking from their bodies flowed into Luka’s body, his evolved eyes able to see the faintly purple glow of Miasma and the blue hue of Mana dancing in the air.

The Mana flowed towards the hunters and Brea.

While the Miasma enveloped the bodies of Luvia, Zack, Vaun and himself.

"UOOOOOH!" Zack screamed, his sword and shield primed as he charged into the group of fifteen or so goblins. "For Babylon!"

He slammed into a goblin, sending it flying to the ground.

Then quickly stabbed its throat.

"Tsk, this kid is acting all excited." Brea spat before dashing after him. She held her huge war axe, with a hammer affixed to the counterweight over her head, with both arms. Despite exposing her tight abs and muscular figure, she showed no fear.

"Watch me, daughter of the gods and bless my weapon with righteous fury! JUDGEMENT!"

A golden ripple of lightning arced around the blade of her axe as she slammed it down in a rough, diagonal arc, tearing through three goblins.

The lightning shredded their flesh with a flash of light.

Hidden within that flash of light, Luvia’s elven blades sliced through the necks of four goblins, twirling and dancing amongst them.

The goblins swung and stabbed the air as if aiming at her lingering scent.

After fluttering through them like a squall, her body oozed a dense mist of emerald aura.

Luka watched the events with wide eyes, unable to calm the beat of his racing heart as he witnessed the abilities of Brea, Zack, and then Luvia.

In a matter of seconds, the remaining goblins dwindled to less than five.

"Hey, leave some for me!?" He shouted.

However, a soft voice with a faint giggling whispered in the wind.

"Loose."

Swiiiiish!

And like that, with the chance to enjoy the fight, the archers behind him culled the remaining goblins with a few missing. Two long black arrows shot by Vaun, protruding from two goblins’ chests, were obvious to anyone, showing the difference in skill.

[You Absorbed Fifteen Wild Goblin Souls]

[EXP: +15]

[Desire: +150]

[Miasma/Sin Energy Increased by 1]

[Sin Energy: 370/370]

——

After the battle, the hunters, Luvia and Brea, squatted over the goblins with small daggers. Though not used to fighting those goblins, the hunters understood this part well. They all knew well how to cut and butcher animals and monsters.

Mana Crystals, or Motes of Mana.

Luvia squatted with her legs wide, hanging over the goblin as she stabbed its chest, twisting the dagger and gouging a small, fingernail-sized blue crystal from the messy pulp of the goblin’s heart.

"I got one!" She jumped up and down, cheering.

"Heh, me too!" Brea held the crystal stained with blood and flesh between her fingers and thumb.

Zack looked up at them, then back to the goblin corpse beneath him, kneeling beside it and carefully cutting the chest open.

However, he didn’t have a crystal.

Luka watched the hunters while rubbing his chin. The motes from a low, tierless creature wouldn’t offer that much money, and thanks to the goblins rushing their outpost, the stock of the camps’ Tier One crystals reached fifty.

’A tierless crystal only earns around a week’s worth of coins...’

His eyes traced along the young men and a few women cutting up the goblins until Vaun, who remained in her masculine form, rushed up to him. She held a brown cloth holding the dark blue crystals.

"Master, we have found a total of twenty-two shards!"

"Okay, then take one for each of your men, and two for yourself."

After she took eleven, there were quite a few left.

’I don’t need these small shards, there are four warriors, Zack, Brea and Luvia...’

"Luvia, here, take two shards." He tossed the two largest, most pristine crystals to his woman, wanting her to at least get something.

Then he took the three largest pairs remaining and tossed them to the Templar. "Brea, you take three. Zack and the warrior trainees all take one each."

The last shard, he took for himself.

He noticed their gazes at the remaining shard.

For the hunters and trainees, this was a huge boon, so Luka’s lips curved upward.

’I can use this!’

"I don’t know how many monsters we will face, but from now on, trainees and hunters will gain one. Zack, Brea, Luvia and Vaun will gain one for each monster they slay. If there are any left over, I will hold them."

He waited for them to calm down before placing Oblivion across his shoulder, holding the small shard.

"Wow... I can feed my wife for a week!" A hunter beamed.

"Normally, the Lord would take them all... is this okay?" The youngest trainee warrior mumbled.

Knights received a normal wage, but for hunters and trainees, wages and earnings could vary widely day to day, season to season, or month to month.

Luka’s mind raced as he formulated a plan.

He combined the common Mercenary system with the usual army system.

A single shard for their wages.

He would then use bonus shards for those who help their fellow soldiers and perform well.

"The Trainees and Hunters who perform well, this doesn’t mean those who kill the most, but those who protect their allies, follow orders and take actions to support their fellow Babylonians will get a share of the shards that remain with me."

"Yes, My Lord!"

Almost instantly, the slightly growing smiles became radiant like torches, and a shout roared through the eastern forest as the knights, warriors and hunters all performed the Babylonian Salute.

One hand placed on their heart, the other clenched against their lower back.