I looked around. The other Goblin was behind me in the corner, looking fearful. He wasn’t as injured as I remembered.

  “You killed all three,” he said in fear and admiration.

  “Are you okay?” I questioned.

  “Yes, I am healing myself,” the Goblin answered.

  “You have Life Magic?”

  "Yes," the Goblin said, casting his gaze to his feet. “Goblins look down on healers. They say it doesn’t make you a good warrior.”

  “Well, you survived two guards because you had your Life Magic,” I remarked.

  “But it didn’t help me kill them.” He was embarrassed, unable to see my point.

  It was hard to get into the Goblin mindset. He was clearly stuck in his ways, and while I could see the logic in his thinking, it missed the bigger picture. The Goblins' primary issue was their tendency to prioritize dominance over cooperation.

  I took a slow step toward the Goblin on my side. His eyes bulged, but he didn’t move away. I needed to tread carefully. If I said too much too directly, I risked making him recoil from my words. “Listen. We did it together.” I doubted any other Goblin would give someone else credit for a kill because of how their structure worked. “Can you do me a favor?”

  He looked confused. I realized that Goblins usually order people around rather than ask for cooperation.

  “Can you teach me Life Magic? That way, I can help heal you.”

  He narrowed his eyes at me and replied, "If I teach you and you can't learn it, will you let me live?"

  I wasn’t sure what he meant, but it felt like he thought I was trying to trick him. It was as if he thought I couldn’t learn Life Magic and assumed I would use that failure as an excuse to kill him when it didn’t work.

  “I won’t kill you whether you choose to teach me or not,” I replied. “You don’t have to do it. I just figured you have a cooldown and would like the extra help before the other Goblins get here. The lights are now brighter, so I assume that is an alarm that got triggered when I killed the leader.”

  The Goblin looked more baffled than before. “There was no alarm,” he said cautiously, as if I was crazy and couldn’t figure it out. “The lights haven’t changed.”

  The assertion felt like an outright lie. Earlier, the room had been completely shrouded in darkness, and I could barely see anything. At that moment, it wasn’t exactly bright, but it resembled the dim lighting of an office space.

  I couldn’t understand why he would lie about something so trivial. Was he trying to deceive me, hoping to slow me down so the other Goblins could catch up? That didn’t make sense either.

  If they saw him, they’d know he was involved and wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate him along with me. In reality, it would be more advantageous for him if we hurried out of this place to ensure his own survival.

  This situation perplexed me so much that I asked Rabbit. “The light is clearly brighter in here. What is he talking about?”

  “I thought the same before I checked everything, then I ran through your prompts and found something interesting. When you killed the Goblin leader, and you received that last prompt.”

  Rabbit pulled up my prompts. He usually kept them minimized during a battle because seeing a message in the middle of a fight could kill me as fast as a sword.

  Experience:

  One level 34 Goblin. You have gained 82,467 experience points.

  One level 22 Goblin. You have gained 22,314 experience points.

  Congratulations, you have leveled up! As a Grey Elf, you received 1 ability point in Agility, 1 in Intelligence, 2 in Constitution, and an additional 2 points to distribute each level in any category. You have reached level 28 and received a total of 2 freely distributable ability points.

  You have gained the Ability of Night Vision.

  “I guess you absorbed not only experience with your soul absorption, but also the leader’s Ability Night Vision,” Rabbit continued.

  “What? No. I had absorbed a lot of souls and never received a single Ability before,” I contested, trying to make sense of it.

  “That is what I thought, but you also absorbed that soul fragment that allowed your soul to be unbound. What if Abilities are like skills or anything else we have seen here? What if they aren't random, but tailored to specific races and individuals? Think about it. I bet every single Goblin you have met has the Night Vision Ability, but I doubt any Humans do. Now that your soul is unbound, you may have the Ability of any of the races. Before, you might have been only able to receive the abilities from your own race,” Rabbit finished.

  “This could be even bigger than my skills.”

  "That's what I'm thinking," Rabbit said. "People can train their skills but not their Abilities. Most likely, they are born with them. Who knows what they could be? In fact, your greatest strength is one of these abilities. Your healing comes from your First Learner Ability, combined with your race's natural Ability to heal."

  “Wait. My healing wasn’t an Ability at first, but a secondary attribute. Wouldn’t their eyesight be something like that?” I asked.

  “Yes and no. If you look at their eyes, you will notice they have giant pupils. My guess is that they have a natural evolution to see in the dark, but also possess a magical Ability. Remember that the corridors you saw before were almost black, but they had an easy time seeing in them? I think if we went back into those tunnels, you wouldn’t be able to see nearly as well as the Goblins. I think there is a combination of biological and magical gifts,” Rabbit explained his theory. “You only have the magical gift, so while you may see better in the dark than any other Elf, I doubt you will be better than the Goblins you got your Ability from. Additionally, remember that your healing Ability wasn’t that strong until you got the magical aspect of it, as well as the physical aspect of healing. You used to be able to heal in a couple of days, but now you can recover within twenty minutes for most injuries.”

  If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  I glanced back at the Goblin, who still regarded me with apprehension. He didn't dare interrupt my thoughts, but I realized I had already spent a considerable amount of time conversing with Rabbit. Even though my improved time-shifting spell made our conversations more efficient, I couldn't ignore that I had been lost in thought for quite a while. I considered taking a moment to allocate my attribute points, but decided it would be prudent to assess how much time I had left.

  “How long do you think we have before the other guards get here?” I asked, trying not to show my nerves.

  “It is almost sunset, and I’m certain that the guard shift will happen anytime. I’m not sure when, but we need to leave soon. Like I said, I can try to teach you Life Magic, but I can’t guarantee it will help,” the Goblin said with his hand outstretched.

  I nodded, and his hands moved closer to my body. He placed them on my shoulders and looked deeply into my eyes. In Goblin, he said, “My knowledge is yours.” It struck me as odd because the Humans I met would say, “I give freely unto you my knowledge.”

  Even with the Goblin words, the meaning wouldn’t be the same if translated exactly. Perhaps it was more about the intention than the precise words. In a moment, I felt the magic moving.

  Something stirred deep within me, an elusive truth just out of reach. The sensation was perplexing, and as I focused, two vivid images from my life surfaced, resonating powerfully with this mysterious feeling. The first was the sight of a mother holding her child close, their faces touching as they shared an intimate, unspoken moment. The second was of bees moving gracefully from flower to flower, collecting nectar in a delicate dance with the blossoms.

  What were these visions trying to tell me? Was it about birth? No, that didn't seem to capture it. The circle of life, perhaps? That also felt wrong. This feeling was different from the clarity I'd experienced with Light and Fire magic. Could exploring multiple magics be causing the confusion others had warned me about? Or was there a more profound message here that I couldn't grasp?

  When the feeling receded, I received a prompt.

  Congratulations, you have learned Life Magic Level 1. "You have finally done what everyone has suggested, and got a life."

  Skill points earned: 5

  Total Skill points: 495

  You have learned the spell: Minor Heal. Cost: 50 Mana. Cast Time: 1 second. Cooldown: 2.5 minutes. Range: Self or Target on Touch.

  Minor Heal: A weak spell that heals up to 10% of a target plus 0.2% per level of the underlying skill.

  I was ecstatic. Not only had I acquired a new spell, but also an entirely new spell school.

  “I learned the skill and the spell Minor Heal. Is there anything I need to know before casting it on you?” I asked, anxious to try this new magic.

  He seemed surprised for a moment, but then said, “I figured an Elf of your age would have already learned it by now, if you could. To cast the spell, you need to not only think of your target but also focus on the specific part you want to heal. If you cast it without specifying, it will just begin healing all damage equally. I used the spell twice on my abdomen because I didn’t want to die, but if you could heal my leg, I could leave without leaving a trail.” He gestured downward to his bloody pants.

  With unwavering focus, I directed my attention to the gash on his leg and uttered the incantation. As the words of power resonated in the air, I watched his leg begin to mend itself before my very eyes.

  I couldn't cast the spell on him again due to the cooldown, even though my mana reserves were sufficient. Glancing at my mana pool, I noticed its regeneration had slowed due to the active Time Magic. As I weighed the need for more mana against the benefit of additional time, I resolved to maintain the spell's effect while I remained in this place. I would reassess my mana reserves afterward to determine the best course of action.

  “Thank you,” he said as he bowed. He then went to the servant’s door to escape. Before he left the room, he said, “You should take Rock’s head and get out of here. They will be here any moment.”

  In the heat of the moment, I nearly forgot that I needed to shoulder responsibility for this chaotic event rather than simply fleeing. As the ash continued to settle, I moved forward, back into the effective radius, and held my breath. I thought I would be mostly fine, but I didn’t want to take the chance.

  I first approached the wounded Goblin, still clinging to life. I employed my soul absorption Ability on him, quickly retrieved his sword and coin pouch, and stowed them in my spatial bag.

  The short sword, while modest in size, would slice as effectively as any other sharp weapon. As for his armor, it held little value for me other than as a potential item to sell to Goblins due to its diminutive size, rendering it practically useless.

  After approaching the Goblin leader, Rock, I attempted to sever his head from his body. The experience was nothing like the swift, clean beheadings shown in movies. Instead, it took half a dozen laborious hacks with the sword to cut through the neck, despite Rock's small stature. The task was undeniably brutal, made all the more challenging as I struggled to hold my breath.

  Once the head was finally detached, I picked up Rock's weapon and noticed a chest at the foot of his bed. Tempting as it was, I knew taking it would slow me down. Rock didn't carry a purse, as he was in his own home and dressed for bed. The sword felt unexpectedly well-balanced in my hands, but I was unsure how good it actually was. I put it in my pouch and moved out with his head in my hands.

  I made it to the door and checked my mana levels. It was the moment of truth. I had to run through the city while avoiding being caught, but also giving enough attention to make it clear that I had killed their leader.

  This was suicide.

  As part of the plan Rabbit and I had devised, I needed to put on one of the Biodium chainmail armors. It was the same set we had discovered in the spider’s lair after Bass pulled it from the webs. At the time, I had stored it away, unsure if I would ever need it.

  Using that chainmail entailed taking an enormous risk, as it required removing my current armor and clothes to achieve this. The first danger lay in the possibility that someone might stumble upon me while I was in the process of changing.

  In games, switching in and out of armor took merely an instant. If only reality were that convenient. Changing out of my current attire and into unfamiliar armor would require time. Since I had never worn this particular equipment before, I couldn't accurately estimate how long it would take to complete.

  In bygone eras, chainmail was a unified suit composed of interlocking chains. This material, however, was different. It appeared to be an amalgamation of spandex and chainmail, separated into individual components. As I donned the gloves, they molded to the contours of my hand, allowing me to experience tactile sensations even through the metal. It was akin to having a thin layer of fabric between my skin and the surface.

  The weight of the armor was akin to that of authentic battle gear, and as I put on each piece, I couldn't help but feel strange. My new armor was heavier than my usual equipment and offered less protection. Had it not been for Rabbit's clever plan, I wouldn't have even considered wearing it. The added weight would slow me down and leave me more exposed to danger. The sensation of being unclothed beneath this protective layer was also quite bizarre.

  However, the one silver lining was the armor was less reflective than my previous set. The Biodium not only hugged my body like a second skin, but it also provided a surprisingly authentic sense of touch. Additionally, it reacted to my skin by subtly altering its color from bright white to a more muted gray-white. While it didn't perfectly mimic my skin tone, it made a reasonable attempt. Fortunately, it didn't try to replicate every detail beneath the armor, but instead adopted a general light grayish hue.

  Once fully equipped, the armor's weight would indeed slow me down. However, its ability to contour perfectly to my body offered some significant advantages. It allowed me to move without the noisy clanking of armor pieces and provided slightly more ease in my movements, although this was relative to its weight. It remained heavy and less protective compared to my regular armor.

  With every piece in place, the only exposed part of me was my face. As in ancient times, no one had seemingly developed a method to create see-through metal. They didn't have the same knowledge of glass, plastics, and polymers that we did, but that was another matter altogether.

  Right then, I had to make a choice that could make an enormous difference. Did I want more speed or more defense? I could put my regular armor over my Biodium chainmail. It would significantly slow me down, but would give me some real protection in a fight.

  I was putting on my shoes over the chainmail when the door swung open, forcing my decision.

  A Goblin strode in, saying, “Where is Rock? The women are acting...”

  He froze mid-sentence. His eyes swept across the room, first the dead bodies, then me.

  His mouth dropped open, almost comically wide, but no words came out.