Morning found Ando with the club in his hands. He repeatedly practiced the movements Hop had taught him—block, step to the side, strike. His muscles had already become accustomed to the sequence, his body moving almost without his mind''s involvement.


    "Not bad," Hop observed, leaning against the haven wall. "But remember, a real fight is not training. Everything is faster and more dangerous there."


    "You think I can''t handle it?" Ando stopped, wiping sweat from his forehead.


    "I think we''ll find out today," she unfolded her map and beckoned him over. "Look. Here''s the goblin settlement. I''ve observed them several times and noticed that every morning a large group leaves to hunt, while only the weak and inexperienced remain in the camp."


    "You want to attack when they leave?" Ando felt everything inside him tighten with anticipation and fear.


    "Exactly," Hop pointed to the perimeter of the settlement. "This is a perfect opportunity for your first real training. The goblins are weak enough for you to handle, but there are enough of them to test your skills in actual combat."


    Ando studied the hand-drawn diagram. Small crosses depicted goblin huts, arrows showed possible approach paths.


    "We''ll enter from the northern side," Hop continued. "There are more tall rocks there to hide behind. We''ll start from the edge, gradually moving toward the center. This will give you a chance to get used to combat before we encounter stronger opponents."


    "And if something goes wrong?"


    "Then we''ll use what I taught you, just against a larger number of enemies," Hop smiled, but her eyes remained serious. "But don''t worry. I''ll be nearby and cover you if needed."


    "Can''t wait to take down those nasty freaks," Ando swung his club, mimicking a strike.


    "Good attitude," Hop nodded. "But don''t forget that this is your first real fight. Don''t stick your neck out and stay close to me. Ready?"


    "You bet," Ando tossed the club up and caught it deftly.


    "Then let''s go," Hop put away the map. "And don''t forget that ration—who knows how long we''ll be there."


    Leaving the haven, they moved through thickets of white plants. Hop went first, Ando tried to step carefully, though he wasn''t as concerned about noise as he had been in the first days. The purple sky above them gradually grew brighter, which, according to Hop, meant approaching midday in this strange world.


    After a couple of hours, they reached a height from which they could see the goblin settlement. From this distance, their huts looked like shimmering points in a small depression between hills. Small figures moved around them—some alone, some in groups.


    "Over there," Hop pointed to a path leading from the settlement into the forest. "See, a large group is leaving? Those are the hunters. Now is the perfect time."


    She pulled out her curved-blade dagger, activating the symbol on her arm. In the sunlight, the blade shimmered with strange patterns, as if liquid flowed inside it. Ando gripped his glass club tighter and took a deep breath, trying to calm his pounding heart.


    Carefully descending from the hill, they began to move between tall boulders located around the perimeter of the settlement. Hop often stopped to assess the situation. Ando followed her, anticipating a good fight.


    Suddenly Hop froze and raised her hand, calling for silence. Ahead, just a couple of dozen meters away, two goblins were arguing about something in their strange clicking language, standing at the entrance to one of the huts.


    "They''re yours," Hop mouthed. "Can you handle them?"


    Ando gripped his club tighter and nodded: "Of course."


    "Whenever you''re ready," Hop stepped back, giving him an opportunity to act.


    Ando pressed himself against a boulder, gathering his thoughts. Three days of training. Dozens of hours of exercises. Now he would test what they were worth.


    Taking a deep breath, he slipped out from behind the boulder and in a few quick steps was behind the goblins. They didn''t even have time to turn around when Ando''s club came down on the first one''s head. The creature made a quiet squeak and crumbled into shimmering fragments.


    The second goblin turned around, but Ando was already prepared. Block, dodge, strike—just like in training. Another moment—and the second goblin followed the first, transforming into a cloud of sparkling dust.


    "Excellent," Hop appeared beside him, nodding approvingly. "Shall we continue?"


    Ando felt adrenaline coursing through his body. This was nothing like training—live opponents, real danger, genuine victory.


    "Yes," he smiled. "I''m just warming up."


    They moved deeper into the settlement, destroying goblins they encountered along the way. Hop allowed Ando to handle them himself, intervening only when there were more than three opponents. Her dagger moved with incredible speed, leaving a blurred trail behind it.


    With each new skirmish, Ando felt growing confidence. His movements became more coordinated, his strikes more precise. The world around him seemed to slow down, allowing him to see every movement of his opponents, anticipate every attack.


    They had almost reached the center of the settlement, leaving behind only scattered glittering fragments, when Hop gestured for him to stop.


    "Wait," she said, pointing ahead. "Do you see?"


    In the center of the settlement, near the largest hut, a group of goblins was gathering—no fewer than twenty. They were excitedly clicking and pointing in their direction.


    "This will be great training," Ando tossed his club and caught it. "I can handle it."


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    "Remember to stay close to me," Hop took up a position to his right.


    They cautiously approached the group, keeping behind large boulders. The plan was simple—a sudden attack, break the goblins into small groups, destroy them one by one.


    When they were about fifty meters from the central square, Ando decided to lean against a large round boulder to catch his breath.


    "Whew, we''ve almost made it, hold on," he exhaled, leaning on the stone.


    In that same moment, the boulder under his hand trembled. Ando realized with horror that it wasn''t fixed in the ground. The round stone wobbled, and then, obeying the laws of physics, rolled down a barely noticeable slope—right into the center of the settlement.


    The crash was so loud it sounded as if someone was rolling a huge glass ball over a thousand glass bottles. The stone gathered speed, knocking down small obstacles. Straight through a bunch of goblins, until it crashed into the central hut, collapsing its structure.


    For a moment, absolute silence reigned; the remaining goblins along the edges stared with surprised faces at their companions crushed by the stone. Then alarming clicks and whistles sounded throughout the settlement—from every crack and shelter, goblins began to appear, many more than they had expected to see.


    Ando slowly turned to Hop with a guilty expression and shrugged: "Damn, Hop, I..."


    Hop gave him such a look that he involuntarily shrank back, expecting a torrent of curses. But instead, she just took a deep breath and held her dagger out in front of her.


    "Well, so much for sticking to the plan," she said through clenched teeth. "Alright, let''s go!"


    And with those words, she dashed forward, directly toward the approaching goblins.


    Ando stood frozen for a second, and then, letting out a battle cry that even to himself sounded more like a frightened yell, rushed after her.


    The first goblin appeared right in front of him, waving something resembling a shovel made of glass. Ando remembered his training—block, dodge, strike. His club met the goblin''s weapon with a resounding crack. The creature staggered, and Ando, not giving it time to recover, delivered an upward strike, sending his opponent flying.


    It worked! The thought flashed through his mind, and it filled him with a kind of wild delight.


    From the corner of his eye, he could see Hop dancing among enemies—her movements looked unnaturally fast and precise. The dagger in her hand left a faint trail, and goblins fell one after another, crumbling into shimmering fragments.


    A new opponent rushed at Ando from the left. He barely had time to turn and raise his club, accepting the blow. The force of the collision pushed him back a couple of steps, but he maintained his balance and immediately counterattacked, putting all his strength into a sideways swing.


    Goblins surrounded them from all sides, but Ando and Hop, standing back to back, methodically destroyed one after another. Ando''s club crushed white bodies, Hop''s dagger sliced them with surgical precision.


    "You''re doing great!" Hop shouted, ducking under an attack from another goblin. "But there are too many of them!"


    "I''m just getting started!" Ando struck two opponents at once, sending them flying.


    Suddenly the ground beneath them trembled. The goblins retreated, making way for something large. From behind the destroyed hut appeared a creature resembling a goblin, but much bigger—almost two human heights tall, with a huge club studded with glass spikes.


    "Their leader," Hop exhaled. "Let''s be careful, I think he''s much stronger than the regular ones."


    The giant swung his terrible club, and Ando dove under the strike, rolling across the ground. The gigantic weapon crashed into the earth, raising a fountain of glass shards.


    Jumping to his feet, Ando didn''t wait for the next blow. He rushed forward, aiming his club at the giant''s knee. The strike reached its target, but the creature merely swayed and immediately responded with a fierce swing of its weapon.


    Ando barely managed to jump away, but the edge of the spiked club still grazed him, throwing him to the side. Pain shot through his shoulder, and dark spots danced before his eyes.


    "Ando!" Hop rushed at the giant from the side, her dagger leaving a deep wound on its arm.


    The creature roared in pain and turned sharply, trying to reach Hop. But she was too fast—easily dodging and delivering another strike, this time to the leg.


    Ando rose, ignoring the pain in his shoulder. He saw that Hop was distracting the giant, giving him an opportunity to attack. Without wasting a second, he picked up a sharp fragment from the ground and hurled it with full force into the creature''s back.


    The fragment went deep into the sturdy body, and the giant, turning around, let out a deafening roar. Now its yellow eyes were fixed on Ando, full of hatred.


    Look at me, that''s right, Ando thought, backing away and preparing for an attack.


    The giant rushed forward, swinging its club. Ando waited until the last moment, and then, when the blow almost reached him, dropped to the ground and rolled between the creature''s legs. Finding himself behind it, he jumped up and brought his club down on the giant''s back, right where the fragment was sticking out.


    There was the sound of breaking glass, and bright light poured from the giant''s back. The creature froze, then slowly turned around, still holding its enormous club.


    "Hop! Together!" Ando shouted, preparing for the final blow.


    She instantly understood his plan. They attacked simultaneously, from two sides—Ando''s club and Hop''s dagger met at one point, in the center of the giant''s chest.


    A moment—and the giant crumbled into glittering ash, settling on the ground of the settlement.


    The remaining goblins, seeing the death of their leader, panicked and scattered in all directions, disappearing among the ruins of the settlement.


    Ando stood, breathing heavily, with his club in hand, not believing what had just happened.


    "Are you okay?" Hop approached him, her face smeared with something resembling silvery dust.


    "I think so," Ando winced when he tried to move his shoulder. "Seems like I got a little scratch."


    "It will heal," Hop smiled. "For your first real fight, you did pretty well. Even if the plan went to hell because of your clumsiness."


    "I said it was an accident!" Ando protested, but immediately smiled. "But at least half of them got crushed right away! And I killed their leader!"


    "What?! We killed the leader," Hop corrected him. "And this is just the beginning. Imagine what the artifact''s boss will be like."


    They looked around. The settlement was in ruins, glittering fragments lay everywhere—all that remained of dozens of goblins.


    "We need to leave," said Hop. "The hunters will return soon, and they won''t be thrilled about what we''ve done here."


    Ando nodded, and they headed toward the exit from the settlement, choosing a route that should lead them back to the haven.


    When they climbed a small hill and looked back, the sight of the ravaged settlement gave Ando a strange feeling—a mixture of pride and a kind of childish delight.


    "Come on, admit it was cool," he said, smiling. "When''s the next training session?"


    "First we''ll rest and heal," Hop shook her head. "Don''t rush, we have plenty of time..."


    Suddenly behind them came applause—slow, measured clapping. Hop and Ando turned sharply, preparing for a new danger.


    On the hilltop sat three people—two guys and a girl, all several years older than them. They were dressed in black, like Hop, only their clothing looked more sophisticated, with multiple pockets and strange symbols on the sleeves.


    "Bravo, kids," said one of the guys, tall and thin with shaved temples. "You put on quite a show."


    "Who are you?" Hop held her dagger in front of her, taking a defensive stance.


    "Relax, we''re not enemies," replied the girl with bright purple hair, raising her hands in a conciliatory gesture. "Just... interested observers."


    "You were spying on us?" Ando gripped his club tighter.


    "We were observing," corrected the second guy, stocky with short blond hair. "And, I must say, we''re impressed. Especially with you, kid."


    Hop didn''t lower her weapon, clearly not trusting the strangers: "Who are you? Why were you watching us?"


    The girl with purple hair stood up and took a step forward.


    "My name is Nika," she indicated her companions. "This is Kir and Mark. We''re Seekers, like you. And... we have a proposal that might interest you."


    "We don''t need anything," Hop was still tense.


    "What if I tell you about the Glass Guardian," Nika smiled. "About how to defeat it. Together."


    Ando and Hop exchanged glances. Tension hung in the air, mixed with curiosity.


    "Speak," Ando finally said, lowering his club.


    And from that moment, everything changed.