The temperature in the cave dropped quickly, chill piercing the bone and breath frosting to mist, I thought to myself, 'What now?'.
I looked around the cave, and slowly my vision adjusted thanks to the goblin's innate night vision. The world was perceived completely differently than human eyes. Night vision was monochrome and I could see power, the flow of energy in all things. It made sense considering goblins hunted the weak and enslaved the potential.
It was an odd and intense experience. A stranger in my own skin, unfamiliar with abilities and potential. But this wasn't my first experience with strange. I got my wits together quickly and performed as I always did after clearing a mission.
I scavenged the cave for gear and treasures. Amongst the corpses and bits of flesh, there wasn't anything worth much.
When I finally looked over the mush remains of my previous body, I picked up my scorched storage ring and placed it on my finger. Such a treasure couldn't be abandoned so easily in this world. Storage rings were as rare as they were expensive. But not as expensive as purchasing a storage space within the system. So, I was relieved to find that my life's savings hadn't been blown to shit.
The most notable items besides my own storage ring and its content was the Staff of Dumas, Shaman's cloak, and an odd jade skull relic adorned with complex golden etchings of arcanum far beyond my knowledge.
Pulling my haul into my storage ring, I began to look for another way out of the cave, but there wasn't one. The only way out was to move the blockage. For that, I needed strength.
As a level 4 bottom of the barrel goblin, I did the only thing I could to increase my strength. Exercise and force generate skills.
Like all of life, everything one does accumulates to experience, in system terms. Speaking with the natives, it was simply Accumulation, a term used to describe the process of building vital energy through practice. As for skills, they are generated by daily activity, be it combat-related or support skills like cleaning and cooking, to sword fighting and archery. For natives, they learned from teachers or manuals to acquire barely half of what the system could generate.
Taking one final look into my storage ring, I noticed that I only had a month worth of rations. In that moment time had become my enemy.
'One month….will that even be enough?' I wonder as I calculated the possible amount of experience I could generate based on my past experience when I first arrived in Astoria.
'Not only did I have to make it out of the cave, but I also had to survive. That meant I needed the highest level possible before I left this subterranean prison. Without the Adventures Guild as a backing, resources will be hard pressed and I would have to rely on my own strength in every aspect of life.'
There was only one solution to topple my worries. Ruthlessness, not just when dealing with the world but with myself.
Let me take the time to explain the cruelty of Astoria. As I said before, it's located in the Cosmic Sea. Think of the Cosmic Sea as one giant planet with billions of continents. Some are more developed than others. Naturally, there are more seas than continents. The Sea is the most dangerous area of the Cosmic Sea. If you aren't level 100, don't even think about exploring the sea, it'll only bring death. Even then, level 100 isn't guaranteed to make it back alive.
Astoria is one of the less developed continents, with its most substantial existence being level 100 warriors and mages, making up the Council of Emperors. Astoria is split into twelve Kingdoms, a wasteland, and the Demon Region.
Across Astoria, except for the Demon Region, the Adventure Guild, the Merchant Guild, Elixir Pavilion, and the Council of Emperors are the four big powers. But everyone knows that the head of each power holds a seat on the Council of Emperors, making the Council the number one power that holds the world together.
But the Council of Emperor's could be rivaled by one power, the only independent power in Astoria, the Hero's Alliance. Of course, heroes die all of the time and a large number are officially sworn to various organizations or doing the bidding of their summoning Kingdom. Those who survive and walk alone enjoy the full benefits of the Hero's Alliance, making it to level 100, joining the Council of Emperors, and are given the choice to leave the continent.
However, the Hero Alliance's great value doesn't lie in its combat forces, but for its vast knowledge available only to Heros. Knowledge hubs are located throughout the continent.
Finally, the Demon Region is ruled by four demon lords and their deacons. The Demons are constantly fighting with humans but never an all-out war because the continent is composed of more than demons and humans. Like demihumans and beast folks.
Beneath all of those overseers is the cruel cold world filled with monsters and every race looking to kill you for even the slightest chance to level up and make it to the Council of Emperors. You'll be labeled a rogue without proper backing and treated unfairly without limitations.
Right now, I'm a rogue at level four. And worst of all, I'm a race hated more than demons, a goblin.
With a heavy sigh I started my routine. Upper and lower body exercises are followed by core exercises. Next was combat forms. But I kept it simple by practicing Muay Thai and Filipino Martial Arts, two martial arts practiced during my first and second life. It returned to me naturally.
As for my forced skills, I knew exactly what I wanted and how to generate it thanks to the Hero's Alliance Library.
I used the cave walls and the occasional boulder as a sparring partner to temper my body. It was excruciating and slow as consuming food restores health and heals the body, albeit slower than potions and without the numbing effect.
After a week, my stats increased by leaps and bounds, and I received four new skills, Flash Step, Martial Arts, Pain Tolerance, and Stone Body. All level 1 skills except for pain tolerance at level 2.
I could have generated more. But mastering skills yields experience, and experience is how a hero levels up. Focusing on four skills while two were passive is better than working on all the countless skills that I had stored in my mind. And there was always the case of using skills without the proper foundation.
This routine continued and intensified over the days. It was damn near monotonous if it wasn't for the urge to escape the stone hell. In the second week, I received the 'Focused Mind' and 'Overactive Warrior' skills generated due to my dedication to training and minimal food and sleep, born from the desperation to survive.
The mental pressure was so burdensome that a 'Focused Mind' was generated.
Overactive Warrior allowed the activity to replace sleep. The more I moved, the more I combated the effects of sleep deprivation and muscle exhaustion. It was similar to the berserk skill that allowed berserkers to enter a rage and power enhanced mode to overcome tall obstacles and deplete power.
As my skills and stats progressed, I my accumulation of experince at a rapid rate. In the fourth and final week, my Stone Body and Martial Arts was strong enough that I worked on generating 'Knife Hand,' a skill focused on penetration --a single hand as deadly as a blade is the intent.
At the end of the month, my food supply had finally withered to nothingness. I walked to the collapsed entrance of the chamber of my earthen prison and moved rocks one by one. When I encountered a large boulder. I activated the Knife Hand. My hand held firm and palm facing the ground. A colorless power covered the hand as if ejected from the tips of the fingers like a thruster. The Stone Body is a passive skill, active all of the time which only serves to reinforce the Knife Hand and propel the effectiveness.
Driving my hand into the boulder, I flexed my hand, forming a claw. With a good hold, I pulled a chunk from the boulder and continued until I was free. This process continued several more times as many sections of the cave had collapsed while other areas held up and allowed me to take a brief rest.
I broke through and the fresh night air rushed into the cave and caused my sweat to become cold, creating a chill. Spreading my small gray-skinned muscle-defined arms, I accepted the breeze and took several deep breaths.
"Finally." I exhaled, taking a break to enjoy my hard earned freedom.
"Now there's twelve months left to level up for Dragon Hunt. The world will also be training hard, and the competition for resources will intensify."
I then caressed the ring on my finger.
"The supplies in my ring can help, but they'll need real treasures to bond with to make a substantial difference." I continued to speak to myself, "Status. Open."
-Status-
Name: Kane Forrest
Classification: Cave Goblin LVL 6
Bloodline: Goblin -Uhnok Descendant
Exp: 250/6000
STR:76
DEX:62
INT:70
WIS:72
CON:74
CHA:60
-Skills-
Stone Body Lvl 3/10
Martial Arts Lvl 4/10
Knife Hand Lvl 2/10
Pain Tolerance Lvl 5
Flash Step Lvl 3
Focused Mind Lvl 5
Overactive Warrior Lvl 6
Night Vision
Magic Immunity Lvl 1
'Pretty good for secluded training without monster hunting or quests.' I thought in my heart.
The stats are easy to understand. There are six characteristics starting with strength, followed by, dexterity, intelligence, wisdom, constitution, and charisma.
Every stat characteristic gains ten stat points with every one level up. At level 6, my average stat is 60 across the board, and anything higher is a sign of extra training or resources and separates me from the rest. With that being said, there are people at level 40 with level 50 base stats, but it's hard to do. It can be considered uncommon but not rare.
As for the skills, each skill can be upgraded if there is a level next to it. If a skill has a level cap, it's an evolutionary skill, but requirements have to be met, usually drastic or effortless. Knife Hand will become Thrust and eventually Sword Arm, and Martial Arts will become Battle Arts then become War Set. The higher up the evolutionary tree, the more resources and pressure it takes to upgrade.
"What I need now is security. A place to breathe easily from time to time."
I closed the system and pulled a small shaman's cloak from my storage ring. After putting on the cloak, my identity and strength was hidden to those below level 20.
"Rock Lands, prepare yourselves for this goblin."
In the Kingdom of the Moon, near the Rock Lands, just outside Ismellia's Forest, is Goblin Territory. The only known clan in the Kingdom. It's 500 miles away from my current location, and every step will be even more dangerous than the last as I have to pass through the central forest to make it to the other side.
[Quest Alert: New Alliance]
The system chimed in my head.
[Make it to the Rock Lands and join a **** in King Uhnok's territory.]
"Join what?" I asked.
[Error! Information unavailable.]
"Haiz! And who is King Uhnok?"
[Goblin King of the Rock Lands]
"It seems we don't actually know shit about the goblin race," I sighed, "Even the Hero's Alliance didn't say much but the basics."
An active goblin area would be an excellent place to train. Killing adventures, goblins, and monsters, and everything was fair game. And even without personal goals, a quest will be generated due to group affiliation. Especially so if there's really a King Goblin, and if I get lucky enough to get connected to him, a world of opportunities will open up.
That means that the goals and struggles of my associated group will be offered to me as quests to complete as a member of the group.
I rushed through the woods throughout the night. When the sun rose, I became vigilant, but I did not stop. Around mid-day on the second sun, the shouts of adventures coupled with the growls of monsters filled the immediate area.
I stopped immediately. Something new had ignited within me. I quickly changed directions and went to the source of the commotion. At the bottom of a cliff, a group of adventurers were surrounded by Shadow Panthers.
"How interesting." I hummed.
One man was already down with destroyed armor and black veins signifying that he had been struck by a shadow panther and corrupted by its shadow.
Sitting on a tree limb, I watched as the adventures fought the monsters off with all they had. But fighting monsters with a phantom ability was never easy. Without the proper abilities, it was like fighting smoke.
A veiled woman was then struck during the show, and her black veil took to the wind and revealed a mature sensual beauty. Her auburn hair in the wind was like dancing flames. My heart thumped.
This feeling…my blood in me stirred, and my cock grew big and stiff. My mind blurred as the hormones raged and pushed me to capture her in every and anyway I could manage.