I decided to observe and follow the Goblins for a while and noticed one peculiarity in the one of the Hobgoblins.

I think it was one of the Chieftan's Guard -- a tall Goblin with a red bandana wrapped around its eyes in the form of an "X". Long red hair poking out from the top of its head, bracelets latched onto its wrists, long baggy pants that are tightened by the ankles by ropes, and wearing nothing on its feet.

It walks similarly to a drunkard and frequently dances with the other Goblins, I can only assume that its rank is significantly higher than the others that surround him.

It seems extremely intelligent too, way over the average.

Testing for traps whenever it's suspicious, plus... its drunken movements are very purposeful, it's used to disorient enemies and it's similar to what Kobolds do with their long necks and disorienting movements.

Apparently, I missed a group of adventurers coming here, and... well... seeing a girl's unconscious body being dragged away by Goblins made my stomach sink.

I was gonna take action, though there was still some hesitation, but... but, that Hobgoblin came around.

I retreated for a moment to better access the situation, watching as the Hobgoblin shooed the others away, grabbing the girl and throwing her over his shoulder.

After that... I saw the most bizarre sight I've ever seen up to this point.

The Hobgoblin placed the girl down in a safe place, placing pieces of cloth on her and leaving periodically, checking on her frequently.

After a while, the girl and the Goblin became friends.

After a while, the Goblin brought her somewhere and they both disappeared for a while before the Goblin came back, admiring a charm that I'd assume she had given him.

I went to where they went, which was a small cave that sat under a tree, far away from the Goblin camp he came from.

I searched every nook and cranny of that place, finding nothing, so I'm assuming that he had led her out.

Seeing a friendly face like this in this place filled to the brim with enemies only makes this feel even more peculiar.

After further examination of the Goblin site, I realized that they had put their tribe within a humongous ravine that spanned around a few miles out. I reached the end of the ravine, looking down at the blackness below, a few sparks shifting throughout the darkness.

I did a lot of reading on survival tactics so I'm currently thinking of making a makeshift rope. I tried using plant fibers but that plan failed, so then I went looking for plants that I can gather and dry so I can make a rope from them.

After a few hours of walking about and examining the site, I figured it would be good for me to sit down and check the pain in my feet.

After a while, blood had begun pooling in my shoes so I had to switch the shoes and begin medical attention on my feet.

At this point, a couple of days had passed.

My body feels exhausted, especially since I haven't been able to sleep on a real bed in days.

The rope is a work in progress, I've managed to make it decently long at this point.

Let's address the rankings really quickly and how monsters or humans fit into them.

G-Rank: The average person who doesn't know how to use magic. They might be able to find a way to defend themselves, but without magic, they'll stay that Rank for good unless they become strong enough to defy rank. Even then, they'd only be able to reach at least E-Rank.

F-Rank: MMA fighter equivalent. They are decently strong but inexperienced and their mana capacity is either low or non-existent.

E-Rank: MMA fighter who is essentially strong enough to never lose a fight and if they do, it is extremely rare for them to lose. They have a tiny bit of mana but not enough to make a difference by being that special compared to the other ranks.

D-Rank: Has a good amount of mana and is often stronger than the average MMA fighter.

C-Rank: Can be significantly stronger than even the strongest of MMA fighters, has a good amount of mana that can make them become a well-known mage.

B-Rank: Could take a small-scale army by themselves if they are skilled enough and can even blow apart an entire army with a cannon-spell equivalent a few times until they are exhausted.

A-Rank: Could take entire armies up to thousands and even obliterate entire city chunks.

S-Rank: Could last days against multiple D-Ranks up to hundreds of people and even wipe entire cities off the face of the Earth. But, unlike the other ranks, the difference between someone who is close to SS-Rank and a low S-Rank is a massive difference in strength.

SS-Rank: When it comes to the differences in strength, it is very similar to an S-Rank but with an even more significant range and the damage that they can do is around a small country up to an entire country the size of a small continent. An army of C and B-Ranks can be completely wiped out with ease, and this is around the ten thousand range.

SSS-Rank: There are only a few of these that exist in the world and the strength they are capable of is close to a god in comparison to the other ranks. They can wipe out a large group of lower S-Ranks with relative ease due to their experience and on top of that, can take on multiple SS-Ranks if need be -- it would still be difficult for them but the fact that they can do it is insane to think about. Of course, the range between a lower SSS-Rank and a higher SSS-Rank is immensely large compared to the power differences in the other S-Rank categories.

Here is how the monsters fit into these ranks, and where I am at the moment is G-Rank, even though I have a good amount of mana stored in my body so far within the First Stage.

G-Rank: Smaller monsters or animals fit in this category. They're insignificant creatures that nobody goes for.

F-Rank: More beast-like creatures that are of the smaller or human-sized variety, like Higher-Wolves or Lower-Kiros.

E-Rank: Goblins, Kovols, and Gnomes are some of the few examples. Kovols are a lower form of Kobold by the way.

D-Rank: Hobgoblins, Kobolds, Virens, and even Desert Goblins.

C-Rank: Hobgoblin Guards, Goblin Chieftan, Desert Hobgoblin, and Hollow Orcs.

B-Rank: Orcs, Desert Goblin Knights, and Golems.

A-Rank: Orc Lords, High Orcs, Lesser Lichen, Orc Shaman.

S-Rank: High Orc Shaman, High Orc Lord, Higher Lichen, and Chimeras of various kinds.

I don't really know what is above that but I'm sure you get it now. What makes me nervous is both the Hobgoblins and the Guards... so making this rope can allow me the opportunity to ambush them in some way, though this whole setup is already irritating enough.

As I was working on the ropes, something surprising had happened, something that'd instill fear into me within seconds.

That Hobgoblin Guard from before, standing directly behind me.

I tried jumping out of the way, quickly grabbing me by my shirt with a smile, chucking me into a wall, and bashing my head into it.

I fell to the ground, attempting to regain my feeling in my body before he continued hitting me with blows down onto my head until I lost consciousness.