Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Awakening the following day, Vahn immediately set about his final preparations for the quest. Since his inventory had long since been filled with miscellaneous items he had stored many of the non-perishable goods near the back of his home.&nbsp; As a means of self-preservation, he was now filling his inventory with the various traps and gadgets he had been using during his hunts. He figured he could lay them along the path and if things got dicey he would be able to safely retreat. There was also the possibility any goblin chasing him could fall victim to the traps, giving him an edge should things go awry.&nbsp; Leaving the cave, Vahn noticed the sun had yet to rise. The morning was cool and he could feel a refreshing breeze blowing in from the north-west. Confirming the time with Sis, he realized it was only 3:40 AM which would give him ample time to make his preparations and scout the goblin camps.&nbsp; He moved towards the range he had established outside his home. There he had placed several targets at varying ranges between 10 and 50 meters. As a means of experimentation, Vahn decided to use the bone arrows with his older bow. He wanted to see how much damage they were able to do without the enhancements of his new bow.&nbsp; After his experience last night he determined he was able to inject 'source' energy that could increase the damage output of his arrows by around 100 points in both physical and magic attack respectively. Nocking an arrow, Vahn pulled the bow to its maximum allowance while simultaneously observing the changing attack value through the system interface. It seemed as though the conversion was taking longer than the previous night which he assumed was a result of actually trying to fire the arrow instead of just holding it.&nbsp; As the arrow began to approach 1000 attack, Vahn released the arrow at the target 10m away. The arrow seemed to have turned into a beam of light as it tore through the air and pierced the target. It continued to travel unhindered for several meters until it disappeared into the treeline in the distance.&nbsp; Vahn was completely shocked at the penetrating power of the arrow and began to commend himself for his selection the previous night. Without searching for the arrow he had just fired, Vahn inquired with Sis about the time it had taken to charge the arrow to its maximum potential. He learned that instead of the 10 seconds recorded the previous night, it had now taken 17, almost twice the previous amount.&nbsp; Moving on with his experiment, he now decided to use his new bow using his old arrows. He didn't know the safety limits of the bow, but since the attack power of bow was typically much lower than the arrows themselves he decided to limit it to 100 points. The new arrow itself was plenty powerful and he was unwilling to risk breaking what could become the key to completing the upcoming quest.&nbsp; He nocked the arrow into the new bow and began channeling 'source' while observing the change in its stats. He noticed that as the attack value increased it became increasingly difficult to keep the bow fully drawn. Given the increased size, it seemed to take much more energy to increase the strength of the bow so Vahn began to worry about the efficacy of its use.&nbsp; After approximately 7 seconds the value finally reached 100 in both physical and magical attack. Loosing the arrow, it flew silently towards the 20m target (the 10m target got destroyed). Upon contacting the wooden support the arrow penetrated about 3/4 it's length into the log. It was significantly weaker than the previous arrow but had the added benefit of flying almost completely silent. Looking down at the bow in his hands, he noticed the runes on its surface were still emitting light which caused him to investigate it through the system. Though the bow took much longer to supply energy to, it appeared to retain the energy for a longer period of time as Vahn noted the attack values slowly decreasing.&nbsp; Pleased with his discovery, he moved on to his final test using both the 'Runic Tempered Yew Shortbow' and 'Runic Tempered Bone Arrows' together. He noticed that it was impossible to split his focus between both the bow and arrow, so he experimented with channeling 'source' energy into each of them and seeing how fast they lost the charge. The arrow lost energy almost instantly since the runes along the shaft seemed to only serve the purpose of funneling the energy into the arrowhead. As soon as the supply stopped the energy would begin to rapidly disperse. As he had expected, it seemed the complexity of the runes on the bow gave it a far greater ability to store energy as compared to the arrows.&nbsp; He charged the bow to around 110 attack power before switching his focus to the arrow. After about twenty seconds the arrow was fully charged and he noticed the bows' attack had only decayed by eight points.&nbsp; Increasing his focus to the limits, Vahn took aim and loosed the arrow towards the target 50m away. Compared to the first experiment which produced an exceptionally loud sound, the arrow now traveled almost silently which Vahn assumed was a hidden property of the magical bow. Almost immediately after that thought crossed his mind, the arrow made contact with the target and easily pierced it through, continuing its journey unabated into the woods beyond.&nbsp; Traveling through the woods with a practiced pace, any observer that had known the boy previously would be shocked with how smoothly he transitioned through the various obstacles. He kept a steady pace and generated very little sound as he moved unhindered, a far cry compared to the many scratches and abrasions he had acquired on his initial treck through the forest.&nbsp; Satisfied with the result of the three tests Vahn decided to rest and eat breakfast. Though he had only fired three arrows it had begun to cause a dull sensation in his mind which Sis informed him was the result of exhausting a large portion of his internal 'mana'.&nbsp; After breakfast, he finalized his preparations and began heading towards the south-western direction where he could see a river indicated on his map. With any luck, he would be able to scout the area and determine the location of the Chief before making preparations to engage.&nbsp; After about twenty minutes of travel, Vahn had covered a distance greater than the 1km perimeter he had set up around the cave he called home. Shortly thereafter he finally reached the border indicated on the map and began to slow his pace to increase the efficacy of his observation. He decided to scout areas on the map that had clearings or other landmarks as his experience with goblins had shown they prefer to loiter around open spaces.&nbsp; He continued his search for several hours without finding a single mark but wasn't disturbed since he had been using the opportunity to increase the detail in his map. As he progressed continuously towards the river which Sis suspected of housing the Chief, he would move in a zig-zag pattern placing traps and tripwires periodically.&nbsp; Eventually, around 500m from his destination, Vahn finally encountered his first group of goblins. They had established a small camp near the remains of a large tree. Judging by their demeanor Vahn assumed they were acting the role of scouts or an advance guard. Their presence indicated that his thoughts of a 'village' or 'nest' being nearby was highly likely&nbsp; Instead of immediately engaging the goblins, Vahn decided to wait for about half an hour as he slowly scouted the perimeter of their camp. His prior experience with the goblin ambush had left a shadow in his heart, and he wanted to make sure there were no unexpected surprises waiting for him if he failed to kill them quickly.&nbsp; His intuition had proven correct as an additional pair of goblins had shown up twenty minutes later to join the previous three. It almost seemed like they were performing a 'change of the guard' as two of the goblins left the way the others just arrived.&nbsp; He contemplated whether or not he should follow the two, but he didn't want to leave a path of escape that was populated by goblins. He waited for ten or so minutes for the newer goblins to settle in and made his final preparations as their guard began to lax.&nbsp; Using his stealth skill he was able to creep within 15m without drawing their attention. As they were simple goblins he had decided to eliminate them using his normal yew short bow instead of its magical big brother. Lining up his first target Vahn loosed an arrow while immediately using a mental command to nock a second while the first was still in flight. With practiced movements, he drew back the bow and took aim as the first arrow penetrated directly through the eye socket of his initial target.&nbsp; The other two goblins turned towards the direction of their companion and in the short period they were both stunned, a second arrow slammed into the neck of the goblin furthest away.&nbsp; The final goblin, as if being startled awake from a nightmare, immediately turned and ran while howling towards the sky. It seemed as though he was trying to call for aid as he fled the scene of carnage. Unfortunately for it, he just so happened to flee in the direction of one of the tripwires Vahn had previously lain. As the goblin fell and tried to scurry back along the path, a third and final arrow pinned him to the ground.&nbsp; Quickly gathering his spoils, Vahn retreated 100m away from the campsite and tried to find a vantage point to observe the response of any approaching goblins. Ten minutes later a squad of nine goblins came running towards the camp where Vahn had just slain three of their brethren. Finding the camp empty they began to rage and disperse around the area trying to find the perpetrator.&nbsp; Because he had set various traps in the area, Vahn was satisfied to observe the two goblins had sustained heavy injuries when their legs got caught in bear traps. Other than that a few others just tripped over the wires he had spread out before the entire group gave up around an hour later. Leaving behind three members, the remaining four carried the two injured goblins back along the path towards where Vahn assumed their main camp was located.&nbsp; "It took around ten minutes for them to respond, and the entire group came running. Sis, can you analyze the distance a group of goblins could run and try to mark the most likely area in the direction they headed on the map?"&nbsp; (*Certainly Vahn. Analyzing data...please confirm the coordinates on the updated coordinate on your map.*)&nbsp; Confirming a new area had been highlighted on the map, Vahn gathered what traps he could before making his way home. The sun had already risen high in the sky, and he wanted to return before darkness arrived as it would be unwise to engage any patrolling goblins during the night as they possessed some degree of night vision.&nbsp; After retreating about 200m, Vahn had a moment of inspiration as he faced towards the direction of the goblin camp...&nbsp; Equipping his magic bow and arrow, Vahn took aim and channeled a fully charged shot at the distant silhouettes. Loosing the arrow, he turned to flee before confirming if it had hit the intended target.&nbsp; On the goblins' end, they were all on high alert waiting for the reappearance of the enemy that had attacked the camp previously. They had spread out a bit and moved around investigating any sounds or suspicious movement that caught their eye. The largest goblin among them had even climbed the rotting tree to try and get a better vantage point. Looking into the distance he saw a golden sheen which seemed to immediately grow larger within his vision. Before he was able to understand what was going on darkness claimed his mind as the golden light penetrated entirely through his brain...&nbsp;

Vahn continued to scout the area around the marker for the goblins' village/nest. Over the course of three days, he had killed a total of 18 goblins in various different camps causing an increase in their security. Camps began hosting groups of 5-7 goblins instead of the original three. Vahn began to worry as he hadn't expected such a large goblin presence and his strategy to slowly whittle them down began to seem unfeasible&nbsp; Once, when he tried to penetrate through the outer perimeter and scout the location of the Chief he ended up nearly getting killed by a group of patrolling goblins. Though he had avoided several groups up till that point, he was caught off-guard by sentries stationed in various elevated positions. When they had spotted him they raised a cry that caused the patrolling goblins in the vicinity to congregate towards his position.&nbsp; He managed to fight his way out of the encirclement, but it wasn't without a cost. Due to the severity of his injuries, he was forced to eat both of his senzu beans during his retreat. Fortunately, he had acquired several crystals from slaying other goblins which allowed him to purchase an additional three as well as two new pieces of equipment.&nbsp; 'Handloomed Shadowsilk Tunic'&nbsp; Rank:(D)&nbsp; Slots:2&nbsp; P.Def: 1&nbsp; M.Def: 30&nbsp; A tunic that was caringly woven using the silk produced by a special variant of silkworms nurtured in darkness among strong sources of Yin energy. Though it provides little defense, it greatly enhances stealth capabilities. It carries with it the creators' desire that the protector is kept from harm.&nbsp; 'Scout's Ghillie Mantle'&nbsp; Rank:(F)&nbsp; Slots:0&nbsp; P.Def: 2&nbsp; M.Def: 0&nbsp; A special mantle constructed to emulate the varying types of foliage found within the different forested terrains. When the user remains idle they are almost indiscernible from their surroundings.&nbsp; After recouping his supplies, Vahn made his way into the forest using his new equipment. As a means of countering the goblin patrols, he had purchased several anti-personnel mines which he had scattered along their patrol routes. After triggering many of the mines, the goblins ceased their patrolling and began to consolidate their forces towards the river. They had even begun to dig into the area near the treeline exposing the dirt and ground below.&nbsp; Seeing the actions they had taken, Vahn was surprised at the intelligent actions they displayed. Compared to many of the monsters he had seen in the manga, which were mindless creatures that charged endlessly at the protagonist, these goblins displayed caution and tactics. They proved they were capable of adapting to different situations.&nbsp; Vahn ended up refunding some of the mines, though he still buried the majority along the treeline for future use. The main reason he hadn't refunded them all was due to the fact the refund only gave 30% of the spent resources which caused him to abandon the idea.&nbsp; It was on the eve of the fifth day that Vahn finally spotted the Chief. Unlike the majority of goblins who stood less than a meter in height, the Chief was nearly 1.5 meters and had the build of an average adult. The leathery skin of his torso had scale-like protrusions embedded along the epidermal tissue. It had several horns studding its head with two much larger ones above both temples. It's lower body had bristle-like fur compared to the normal thick coat of other goblins. It's two most notable features, however, were its eyes and the staff he wielded...&nbsp; Unlike the ferocious red eyes of normal goblins, the Chief possessed pale yellow eyes that showed signs of rationality and intelligence. He almost had a look of contempt as he ordered the other goblins in the area. Within its right hand, he held a staff that looked to be rigged back together after having been broken. Vahn could see the periodic glow of runes along the body of the staff, and the occasional spark coming from the crack near the top of the staff.&nbsp; Vahn assumed the staff had been taken from an adventurer which implied the Chief was either able to cast magic or was strong enough on its own to fight against mages...&nbsp; The 'village' which the Chief lived in was more of an encampment than anything. They had erected small huts almost as a mockery to humanity and civilized culture. Within the encampment were more than 100 normal goblins, as well as three larger ones which seemed to take turns guarding the Chief and enforcing its order. They were each wielding long flexible clubs which they used to periodically whip the smaller goblins to action.&nbsp; The entire village seemed to have come alive as the goblins scuttled about building soil embankments as a makeshift wall around the encampment. Vahn could tell that the longer he waited, the more difficult it would be to engage the Chief. He knew going head-on would be impossible due to the large disparity in numbers, and there was a high chance even if he tried to attack from a distance the Chief would deploy it's troops while staying in the back.&nbsp; The distance between the treeline and encampment was around 130m, but there was absolutely no cover in that entire gap. Though the open space would provide him an advantage in picking off any goblins within the area, he wouldn't be able to guarantee his accuracy without getting closer which would leave him exposed. The goblins seemed incapable of using bows, but it didn't stop them from throwing small stones with enough force to cause physical harm if they hit the right spot. It had been one of the more annoying things when dealing with the sentries mounted in trees.&nbsp; He began toying with the idea of firing random arrows into the encampment and try to lure out small groups. Kiting them into the forest would give him the terrain advantage making it easy to secure some simple kills. Even if the goblins stopped their pursuit after triggering the mines he would be able to take advantage of their retreat. If he had more time he could slowly whittle them down and turn the engagement into a war of attrition.&nbsp; He looked at the time remaining for the quest: 2D03H17M&nbsp; Two days wasn't enough time to force them out of the encampment. There was also the chance they could start to cannibalize the weaker goblins, as they wouldn't disperse into dust unless a lethal strike was performed.&nbsp; "Sis, do you have any ideas? I can't think of anything that would allow me to fight a group of one-hundred-plus goblins and survive. Not to mention I haven't even identified how strong the Chief himself is..."&nbsp; (*I'm sorry Vahn, all present data indicates you will be unable to break into the encampment with your current status and equipment. If you had more Origin Points there may be a solution in the shop, but your current OP value is only 43. It would be difficult to acquire enough points within the next 50 hours that would give a meaningful advantage in the current situation.*)&nbsp; "It's okay Sis," sighed Vahn. "I suppose I'll have to rely on myself to come up with a solution...please let me know if you think of anything though. At this point, anything could prove helpful."&nbsp; (*Understood. I'll keep running simulations to try and find a solution as you take further action.*)&nbsp; Nodding his head in affirmation, Vahn began to withdraw towards a secondary base camp he had established near the goblin encampment. It was in the same hollowed rotting tree where he engaged the first group of goblins. After the events of the first day, it had become an area the goblins proactively avoided.&nbsp; Blocking off the area near the stumps entrance, Vahn began to rest while trying to come up with a solution to breaking the encampments defense and drawing the Chief out...&nbsp; He began to mull over various ideas and strategies, even revisiting the idea of firing random shots just to reduce their numbers. Anything to change the status quo of the current situation would give him more options to make further plans. He also thought about trying to sneak near the encampment at night to bury some mines, but upon remembering the goblins possessed some degree of night vision he scrapped the idea.&nbsp; As the light began to fade, Vahn started nodding off due to the excessive thoughts plaguing his mind. He was unable to find the solution and figured tackling the idea with a fresh mind would be the most optimal choice.&nbsp; "First thing tomorrow morning I'll try to draw some of the goblins out of the encampment. If I'm lucky I'll be able to reduce their numbers below one-hundred..." he sighed at the thought there would still be more than eighty, including the Chief himself, remaining.&nbsp; As he began to finally slip into unconsciousness, the last thought that passed through Vahn's mind was a method on how to break the embankments the goblins had been building up. As sleep claimed him, he released a small expectant smile.

Vahn spent the remainder of the evening preparing his items and equipment. Maintenance was something he regularly performed on his gear ever since he noticed the physical attack power going down when the blades began to dull.&nbsp; As an experiment, he used a whetstone he acquired from a 'record' called Monster Hunter which allowed him to bring his equipment to maximum sharpness with just a few strokes. Unfortunately, the whetstones were single-use items but he managed to determine that they even worked on his arrows increasing their physical attack by 10% to a total of 165.&nbsp; "Hmmm, I've managed to accumulate 306 points over the last few months. Sis, what do you think I should buy to increase my chances of completing the quest? I was thinking of purchasing some defensive gear, or maybe something to enhance my stealth capabilities."&nbsp; (*At present you aren't strong enough to be able to fight a large number of goblins at the same times. Increases your equipment may offer you more protection against attacks, but it would also restrict your movements and weight you down. Since you don't have any experience moving around in full gear, I would advise purchasing clothes that provide camouflage in the forest. You can also consider upgrading your bow and relying on ranged attacks to eliminate as many goblins as possible without directly engaging them Lastly, you should consider potions that increase your parameters, or items that can instantly recover wounds and stamina.*)&nbsp; "I understand."&nbsp; Vahn focused in his mind and had the system filter for bows that cost under 200 OP. Though there were several options, he couldn't decide on which would be the best as the system couldn't give him information on an item until he purchased it.&nbsp; "Sis, what bow should I buy from this list? Can you tell me any that have unique capabilities, or those that provide high offensive output?"&nbsp; (*I cannot see the stats of the items, but I can use 'The Path' to determine which have positive and negative effects for you Vahn. Give me a moment and I'll use 'The Path' to analyze which options may be most suitable for the current situation...*)&nbsp; After several seconds a *ping* sound could be heard within his head, and the previously extensive list had been reduced to a total of three options: 'Windstryder Shortbow' 200 OP, 'Enforcer Longbow' 180 OP, and lastly 'Runic Tempered Yew Shortbow 200 OP' which should be a direct upgrade for his current equipment if the name was any indicator.&nbsp; After contemplating the three choices, Vahn chose the 'Runic Tempered Yew Shortbow' as it seemed to be the most suited to his current skills. He had never used a longbow and didn't have any confidence in hitting targets beyond 20m, so he was able to eliminate the 'Enforcer Longbow'. As for the 'Windstryder Shortbow', he assumed it had something to do with the wind element which should increase the speed and penetration of the arrows, but he wasn't willing to gamble on it.&nbsp; Confirming his decision within his mind, a small green, almost weightless bow appeared in his hands. It was slightly larger than his previous bow, but the weightlessness made it feel a bit strange within his hands. Observing more closely, he could see dark gold engravings carved along the spine of the bow. The bowstring seemed to have been made of a dark flaxen material that was dyed the same color as the engravings.&nbsp; 'Runic Tempered Yew Shortbow'&nbsp; Rank: (B), Magic&nbsp; Slots: 3&nbsp; P.Atk: 0+0(x30)&nbsp; M.Atk: 0+0(x30)&nbsp; A yew bow bathed within the sap of a sacred tree for 10 years absorbing the essence contained within. The runes engraved upon the bow are a catalyst to allow magic to be imbued with the weapon increasing its output.&nbsp; 'Runic Tempered Bone Arrows'&nbsp; Rank: (B), Magic&nbsp; Slots: 0&nbsp; P.Atk: 0&nbsp; M.Atk: 0&nbsp; Arrows carved from bones that had been soaked within the sap of a sacred tree for 90 days. The engraving along the shaft allowing the wielder to channel energy within the bolt to drastically increase penetrative power.&nbsp; At first, upon seeing that the bow he spent his precious points on had 0 attack value, Vahn was devastated. As he continued reading the description, that devastation quickly turned to exuberance.&nbsp; "THIS THING IS AMAZING," he exclaimed causing an echo to sound within the cavern.&nbsp; He stared blankly at the arrows, trying his hardest to focus on channeling his energy into one of them...&nbsp; After several minutes sweat began to appear on his brow as he eyes began to turn bloodshot from having been kept open for so long. As the frustration began to build within his mind, Vahn experienced a burst of inspiration and decided to inquire with Sis on how to channel his energy.&nbsp; (*Typically, you would learn to channel energy through meditation and diligent practice. Given the time constraints, it's fortunate you had obtained the skill 'Yggdrasil's Favor' upon entering this 'record'. You can channel 'source' energy, which is the highest form of energy in this record, directly into the bow and arrows. You just have to have the intent to use the skill and enough focus to keep it active.*)&nbsp; Exhilarated by the response, Vahn immediately tried doing as instructed. Grabbing one of the arrows he willed himself to activate the skill 'Yggdrasil's Favor'. He could feel a 'sucking' motion similar to having his blood drawn as the 'source' energy was imbued into the arrow. After about two seconds the arrow had begun to glow along the shaft until the energy began to accumulate within the arrowhead. The longer he kept his focus the brighter the arrow seemed to glow, so he looked at its description to confirm. He could see the previously 0 values for both physical and magical attack increasing in value over time. He observed as the initial value, around 100 or so, continued to climb beyond 500 after about five seconds had passed. As he continued channeling more and more energy into the arrow the value began to approach 1000.&nbsp; *sound of an arrow disintegrating*&nbsp; The moment the arrow seemed to break the 1000 attack value it disintegrated into a series of golden particles which caused a small shockwave of air to push Vahn back onto the bed.&nbsp; "It seems like 1000 attack is the limit before it breaks the durability threshold of the arrows. Fortunately, I didn't try the experiment with the bow or else I would have lost 200 points." Vahn began to sweat thinking of the terrifying implications.&nbsp; "At least they are significantly stronger than the previous arrows. I'll need to test their efficacy on the targeting range in the morning before I set out. I'll purchase some more arrows and consumables...any suggestions Sis?"&nbsp; (*There are various healing potions of different grades available from this 'record'. Though my analysis indicates the most reliable healing source amongst the 'records' you know of should be called a 'senzu bean'. They can be purchased for 50 points each within the shop, and can quickly recover both health and stamina within a short period of time. Please be advised they also seem to have a moderate side-effect by over-drafting the bodies natural healing properties so it could cause damage to your growth if overused.*)&nbsp; Vahn was excited at the thought of using the mystical beans from the 'record' of Dragon Ball. He remembered how the heroes often used them to save people on the brink of death, and even as a mild exploit to overcome some difficult situations.&nbsp; Using 100 of his remaining points Vahn purchased two 'senzu beans' and then withdrew one of them from his inventory. It was a relatively large bean similar to the 'fava beans' he had discovered growing within the wilderness north of his cave.&nbsp; Lifting the 'senzu bean' to his nose, he noticed it had a rather pungent odor though it didn't seem to really leave the surface of the bean like most smelly things. He had to bring it really close to his nostrils before the smell hit him, and he began to sweat thinking of how such a thing might taste.&nbsp; Resolving to do his best to never find out, Vahn returned the beat to his inventory and began making preparations for bed. He cleaned the wounds he had sustained earlier using disinfectant he had purchased through the shop. After taking a bath using purified water, he applied medical paste and dressings to the wounds before retiring to his bed. He knew that his blood would prevent any infection from spreading, but didn't want to take the chance of catching some foreign or magical disease unique to this world.&nbsp; He began to count the 'stars' on the ceiling of his cave. It had become one of his routines over the last few months to help fall asleep. By now he had already determined there were exactly 238 'stars' and had even begun to assign various 'records' to them within his mind. Settling his eyes on one of the more unique colored 'stars' which shone red, he assigned the 'record' of 'Naruto' to it. Using that thought as inspiration Vahn allowed himself to fall asleep...imaging what it would have been like if it had been his first world...and what he would be able to do once he visited in the future...

Chapter 13: The Hunt Begins