The effect of the new ability didn't take long to appear.
The group hadn't walked far when a smaller goblin emerged among the low stones of the field. It was fast, thin, wielding a short blade. An enemy that, the day before, still required too much attention for something so small.
– Look there – Sienna commented. – One of those.
Jay was already moving forward out of habit, but Marcus raised his hand, asking for calm.
– Leave it to me.
The goblin noticed the group and charged with a sharp scream, running in a straight line, too confident for its own good.
Marcus took two steps forward.
The sword rose.
The runes along the blade began to glow — not explosively, but steady, continuous — as if responding to his decision.
He didn't run.Didn't force his body.
He executed the movement.
The cut sliced through the air with precision.
The goblin didn't even get to scream.
The body fell to the ground in two parts almost at the same time, as if it had only understood what happened after it was already dead.
The glow of the sword faded slowly.
Silence weighed for a moment.
Jay was the first to react.
– …ok.
Sienna kept looking at the body on the ground.
– Yesterday that thing was trouble.
Elenya stepped a little closer, observing the clean cut.
– There wasn't even a fight.
Marcus took a deep breath, still feeling the slight vibration in the hand holding the sword.
– I made the same movement as always – he said. – But it felt… different.
The interface appeared.
Class Sigils obtained: 6Automatic distribution: +1 to each member
No one commented on the numbers.
The group moved on.
Shortly after, a large goblin appeared behind an elevation. Taller, broader, with improvised armor on its chest and a heavy club resting on its shoulder.
This one didn't advance immediately.
It observed.
– Now this is a different story – Sienna murmured.
Jay took position without waiting for an order. The goblin charged with force, and the impact came heavy. The shield absorbed everything, the buildup rising fast, just like the day before.
Marcus moved along the flank.
The sword glowed again.
The first strike hit the goblin's shoulder, tearing through the armor and opening flesh. The monster roared loudly and stepped back two steps, clearly surprised.
– That was fast – Elenya commented.
The goblin tried to respond, raising the club, but Marcus was already moving again.
The second strike came diagonally — shorter, more direct. It didn't bring the enemy down, but it made it lose its balance.
Jay advanced, pressing with the shield. The metallic protrusions extended for an instant, striking the goblin's torso and forcing it even further back.
Sienna summoned a spirit wolf, which lunged at the creature's leg, halting its advance.
Marcus finished with another precise movement.
The goblin fell heavily to the ground.
The fight had been short. Much shorter than the day before.
The interface appeared.
Class Sigils obtained: 12Automatic distribution: +2 to each member
Jay rested the shield on the ground and exhaled slowly.
– That… made a difference.
Sienna tilted her head, evaluating Marcus.
– Alright. Now I get the hype.
Marcus wiped the blade through the air, feeling the familiar weight of the sword.
– Before, I just kept hitting until it worked – he said. – Now it feels like… it works when I hit right.
They continued hunting.
The pattern began to form naturally.
Smaller goblins fell with a single attack, as long as Marcus didn't rush.The larger ones still required attention, but didn't drain the group like before.
Jay rarely got close to overload.Sienna could maintain stronger summons.Emanueru barely needed to intervene.
The time between fights decreased.
Fatigue still existed, but now it came slowly — not in bursts.
– Yesterday – Sienna commented as they walked – it felt like the floor was trying to exhaust us until we gave up.
– Today – Jay replied – it feels like it just wants to see how far we can go.
Another large goblin appeared near a rocky formation.
The fight was direct.
Marcus opened with the ability.The goblin resisted, but no longer advanced with the same confidence.
Jay held the counterattack.Sienna summoned only one wolf.Elenya found the opening and fired.
The enemy fell.
Class Sigils obtained: 12Automatic distribution: +2 to each member
Sienna smiled slightly.
– It's officially easier.
No one disagreed.
They kept moving forward.
They weren't strong.They weren't safe.
But now it no longer felt like they were being slowly crushed.
The ability hadn't turned Marcus into something absurd.
It had turned the group into something functional.
And that, on that floor, was worth more than brute strength.