(Edits and Minor Rewrites)
"Huh? N-no, wait! I-I'm not ready!"
The shy hobgoblin tried to step back, but it was too late. I had already activated [Devour] and added in a bit extra mana. The result was a sizeable black vortex exiting my hand and wrapping around hobgoblin Mi and absorbing her.
She tried to dodge, but within seconds, I had devoured her. Saul quickly went to work and displayed her stats to me as I released Mi.
/-------------------------------------\
Status:
Name: hobu-Mi
Race: Hobgoblin(Monster-tribe)
Lv. 97/100
Parameters:
STR: C[698] (738)
END: D[510] (540)
DEX: A[960] (1060)
AGI: B[823] (917)
MAG: I[90] (190)
Unique Skills: [Innate Magician]
Skills: [Goblin-Language], [Magic Power Perception], [Ranged Combat Specialist], [Archery]
Special notes: A loyal and smart hobgoblin. Mi has a natural talent for magic and an affinity for ice. Recommended to make Mi a subordinate.
\-------------------------------------/
'Hmm... This looks different from my status. What is with the numbers in parenthesis next to her parameters, Saul?'
『The number in parenthesis is her total points for that parameter after adding in her previous evolutions. Hobgoblin-Mi was initially a goblin and evolved into a hobgoblin. After every evolution tier, a monsters stats are reset for that tier of power.』
'Oh, I guess that makes sense. What about her levels?'
『Monsters level themselves instead of their jobs. When a monster reaches the max-level, they can evolve. For humans, they level up their job-class and gain new related job-classes once they reach max level. Compared to humans, though, leveling up doesn't provide much of a boost in their parameters. Instead, monsters receive a significant increase to their parameters when they evolve.
A goblin can become a hobgoblin once it evolves, and similarly, a swordsman job class may open up into a knight job-class. These evolutions may vary based on the actions of each being before their evolution. A goblin might become a ghoul if they eat a large number of rotting corpses while a swordsman may become a spellblade if they also frequently use magic to assist themselves in combat.』
••••••
"Huh? I wasn't eaten, and I'm not all slimy?" she asked as she checked over herself carefully.
"See, not so bad, right?" I smiled and teased the cheerful little hobgoblin. "I've already scanned all your stats and thought up an excellent way to increase your stats too. Let's go! Gobu-E, I'll leave Kishin to you. I'll name you with the others tonight."
Like that, I exited the cave without giving the flustered hobgoblin and goblina time to argue.
"O-Oi! O-Orion w-wait up!" she yelled, running after me.
...One Hour Later...
After traveling a fair distance from the town, I stopped and waited for the heavily breathing hobgoblin. It seemed like hobu-Rou's basic physical training has benefited these goblins quite a bit.
"Hah~hah~hah~ L-Orion, are you trying to get us killed? Don't you know there are all sorts of powerful monsters in this forest? Entire tribes made of powerful monsters like dire wolves and hind bears that roam these areas, and you're just traipsing through like it doesn't matter."
"Hmm? I have sensory abilities that cover the surrounding 2km, so You don't need to worry. The nearest monster is about 1.2 km north of here." I assured her with a smirk. "Anyways, the reason I called you here is that I have a gift to give you, but as I'm not sure how it works, I wanted some privacy."
"A gift?" she asked suspiciously.
"Mmm, since Gobu-Ji negotiated for me to name each of the goblins, naming you doesn't count as the reward I promised the three of you earlier. There is also something I wanted to test with this gift, so I will also benefit. Enough chit-chat, though. Just stand there and wait a moment."
At the same time, as I was talking to hobu-Mi, I was also conversing with Saul and looking through the skills section of the store using my.
'Hey, Saul, is there a way I can share these skills from the store with Mi?'
『You can purchase an ability orb for 3x the cost or manuals for 10x the price of the skill or magic.
The ability orb instantly imprints the user with the necessary ability and essential knowledge on how to improve it, but it is only a single-use item.
The benefit of a manual is that the manual can also be used by people other than yourself and it can also be used by multiple individuals to learn and improve the skill.』
'Hmm... A nine-fold increase in price is a lot, but if I use the manual on several people, then it would be well worth it... Saul, do you have any suggestions on a good spell for Mi to quickly train her MAG parameter?'
『I would suggest buying a basic spell manual such as [Sagitta Magica]. It is a highly flexible spell that can be easily embued with one's elemental affinity to produce varying effects. This spell manual would be useful for any magician and is simple enough to be used by less talented mages or cross-discipline job-classes such as spell blades.』
'Hmm, [Sagitta Magica] seems like a useful spell for both Mi and myself. Its base cost is 1000sp bringing the manual price to 10,000sp, but having a squad of magic archers would be overwhelming for any force that tries to antagonize us... Alright. Let's buy it.'
『10,000sp deducted. Current Balance: 90,000 sp. Skill manual deposited in storage.』
I quickly pulled out the grimoire-looking book from my inventory. Having seen me devour several things and people by, she no longer seemed surprised so much as she was curious about what I had withdrawn.
As soon as I opened the book, the golden penned words exited the pages in streams of light, and wrapped themselves around my head before their information burrowed their way into my mind and proceeded to return to the pages. In an instant, I had had conceptually learned the ins and outs of the spell—a truly remarkable way to share information.
After closing my eyes for a moment to process the new information, I handed the magic manual to hobu-Mi. She looked skeptically at me but opened the book anyway.
Similar to my experience, the golden lights exited the pages and deposited their knowledge within her mind before returning to the book.
"Aaagh!!!" she cried out immediately.
Unfortunately for Mi, the processing of the new knowledge required some time and pain. It only lasted for about ten seconds, but I'm sure it felt longer for the poor hobgoblin.
"You didn't say the present was going to hurt, jerk!" she quickly accused me while holding her head after she finished processing the info about the magic. Even then, I had to praise her since she didn't drop the manual, even while suffering from the pain.
"Hey, hey! I just shared a remarkable new spell with you. With this, you should be able to develop your magical parameter quickly. Not only that, this magic should combine nicely with your [Archery] and [Ranged Combat Specialist] skills. Shouldn't you be grateful?" I stated.
"Alright, that's enough. Let's start practicing before we begin hunting down some dinner." I said, bringing her childish tantrum to an end.
"S-so, how do I begin?" she asked somewhat timidly after realizing what she had done.
"Well, you already have the ability [Magic Power Perception]. Now, you just need to manipulate the mana inside you according to the manual. I suppose the chant would help you with that, but I'm not sure."
After instructing hobu-Mi and stowing the manual, I began focusing on my own training. As expected, Saul made controlling the mana inside myself much more manageable. It only took a few tries before I could summon a single magic arrow. Thankfully Saul also has the instant cast sub-skill so that I don't need to chant those chunibyo incantations.
Although, I was able to successfully cast it after a few minutes, controlling it afterward was much harder. It was already established that my aim requires some work after chopping off all three of hobu-Rou's legs, and that was firing it in a straight line. I would have to improve my perception skills to manipulate the spell even after firing it.
I quickly made a sizable target on a large nearby tree, but when I finished, I was amazed to see hobu-Mi with a fist-sized magic arrow floating beside her as she concentrated with her eyes closed.
A moment later, the magic arrow was released and hit the ground behind the tree she was aiming at. After that, she immediately fell on her butt as she heaved a sigh of exhaustion.
'Saul, is there any technique in the store to allow me to transfer mana to hobu-Mi?'
『There's no need to resort to buying a formal technique. Merely being around beings with higher magic power will allow others to regain their mana faster. The closer one is in proximity to mana rich sources, the faster their mana will regen. Of note, directly consuming mana rich substances such as the host's saliva or bodily fluids will act as a mana potion. Continued exposure to such substances will also purify and enhance the consumer's magical power, thereby elevating their MAG parameter.』
'Wait, are you suggesting I kiss a goblin, Saul?' I asked incredulously.
『A hobgoblin, to be exact. Another viable solution is depositing sexual fluids such as-』
'I've got it, Saul. No need to explain anymore. I just murdered her closest companion and taken over her village. Besides, she reminds me more of a troublesome imouto.
We'll start with head pats to mend the rift and move from there.'
『Understood, Orion. I should mention that after hobu-Mi's MAG parameter reaches C-Rank, the close contact head pats will mostly become ineffectual. To prevent this, purchasing the [God Hand] skill is highly advisable. [God Hand] is a high tiered fusion skill that combines other legendary skills such as [Hands of Nirvana], [Mirage Manipulation], and every other known protagonist's head pat and massage technique. Due to its lack of combat efficacy, it's currently on sale for 50,000sp. Would you like to purchase? [Y/N]』
'... Is that even legal, Saul? Can you really just copy all those abilities and fuse them into something utterly unbelievable like that?'
『Its fine, by combining bits and parts from all of these techniques, my finished product is so different from any specific technique it was taken from that none of the individual abilities can claim any sort of copyright. The system guarantees it.』
'I feel like I've just heard something shady but, I'll ignore it for the benefits—May as well use the sp for something. Purchase the skill, Saul. It may be cheating, but hopefully this helps clear the rift between Mi and myself sooner. I'm sure hobu-Mi looks even cuter with a smile on her face.'
『Sis-con...』
I walked over and knelt near the kaputt hobgoblin. She seemed too exhausted to notice, but then she hollered, "I did it! Hahaha! Did you see, Orion? I can use your stupid spells too! It consumes a bit too much of my mana, though. Are you sure this will improve my Magic parameter?"
"Oh? Good work. Keep working hard, and I'm sure you'll become my number one magic archer." Mi was startled seeing me congratulate her, and embarrassed when she felt me pat her head.
She was about to resist until she felt my mana flowing into her. Hobu-Mi had an unusual blue blush on her cheeks as she bowed her head somewhat frustratedly.
It was clear that she was having a hard time reconciling my past actions with my current behavior, but only time and effort would help to patch up our relationship.
After sensing that Mi's mana had returned to full, I stood and waited for her to recompose herself then started on the next part of the training. "Now that we have gotten a feel for casting the spell, next is to work on our aim. Try aiming your spell at the center of that target. Once you've gotten the hang of that, just keep practicing so that we can steadily increase your MAG parameter. I'll restore you whenever you need it, so don't hold back."
Thinking about the gentle head pats again made hobu-Mi grumble, but she still nodded and started to practice the [Magic Arrow] spell.
In the meantime, I started carving out a new target from another nearby tree while keeping an eye on the monsters in the surrounding areas.
There was a group of three, slow-moving monsters with sparse magical energy moving towards us. It would take about two hours before they were in range to spot us, plenty of time to make a single bolt of [Magic Arrow] a deadly weapon.