[Day 5]
The next morning, Rou and Kichi set out to hunt for more prey again. Due to the experience they had gained from yesterday's hunt, their stride were filled with more confidence.
They pushed farther north than before, deeper into the forest where the shadows grew thicker. They encountered a few new species of monsters, far stronger and trickier to deal with than the rabbits and tanuki they had hunted the day prior.
The first monster they encounter was called Stamp Boar by his system's identification. It tore through the underbrush, jutting tusks glinting under the sunlight.
Its sheer momentum could have gutted them both if not for Rou's quick shout. He baited the beast into charging straight at him, then leapt aside at the last possible moment.
The boar slammed headfirst into a tree, stars spinning above its head the impact. Kichi wasted no time, he sprang onto the boar's back, hacking at its neck with a horn in each hand until it collapsed. Rou delivered the finishing blow with his butcher knife.
[Killed Stamp Boar (F) - You have earned 25 Coins]
[Skill Acquired: Reckless Charge (F)]
[Enhances attack power when rushing toward a target at the cost of defense.]
Later, a Night Viper, a venomous snake covered in tough black scales with a speckled pattern, slithered stealthily through the undergrowth, the faint hiss of its breath warning of danger.
It lunged at Rou unexpectedly, baring fangs glazed in toxins. Rou immediately hacked it with his butcher knife but due to the surprise attack, he had not enough force to slice through its thick scales.
Still, the force was enough to divert its strike and disorient the night viper. Meanwhile, Kichi rushed in with a stomp, crushing its body against the roots of a tree, pinning it long enough for Rou to drive his butcher knife through its skull, splitting it into half instead of severing its head.
Snake was notoriously resilient. Even if the head was severed, it could still potentially bite you. He had seen it in happen in a video in his past life.
[Killed Night Viper (D) - You have earned 100 Coins]
Along the gains from his system from killing the night viper, it also yielded several skills in one go after he ate it.
[Skill Acquired: Generate: Venom (D)]
[Allows the production of venom. The venom can be applied to natural weaponry, tools, or parts of the body.]
[Skill Acquired: Poison Resistance (D)]
[Provides resistance to poisonous substances.]
[Skill Acquired: Heat Sight (F)]
[Allows a basic perception of heat emitted from objects.]
[Skill Acquired: Sense Presence (E)]
[Allows the detection of nearby living beings.]
[Skill Acquired: Evil Eye (D)]
[Allows the infliction of strain on a target through a hostile gaze]
Deeper, a Demon Spider lurked, eight massive black legs with lance-like tips stretched across the trees as it spun threads of sticky, durable silk.
One misstep left Kichi's arm caught fast, the silk clinging with unnatural strength. Rou quickly opened the system, opting to buy a flamethrower (-100), generating a massive tongue of fire through the nozzle.
The webbing was much tougher than Rou expected, the flame couldn't burn through it all but the threads had shriveled and became soft enough for Kichi to break free. And although the threads was quite resistant to heat, the same couldn't be said for the demon spider as it got engulfed in flame until cooked to perfection.
[Killed Demon Spider (E) - You have earned 30 Coins]
Beneath its charred shell, the demon spider's flesh was crab-like in texture and a flavor somewhere between chicken and shrimp.
[Skill Acquired: Generate: Thread (E)]
[Allows the production of durable and sticky thread.]
[Skill Acquired: Thread Wielding (E)]
[Allows the manipulation of produced threads for offense, defense, and utility purposes.]
In the wreckage of the web, they found a Messenger Locust, a grey-shelled giant bug trapped and singed half to charcoal but otherwise alive. Rou ended its life quickly with a single stab to the thorax. A fortunate bonus.
[Killed Messenger Locust (F) - You have earned 4 Coins!]
[Skill Acquired: Jump (F)]
[Enhances leaping ability.]
The rest of their hunt yielded familiar foes, horned rabbits and armored tanukis. Judging from their numbers, these two seemed to be the most populous monsters within the forest.
[Killed Horned Rabbit (F) - You have earned 11 Coins]
[Killed Horned Rabbit (F) - You have earned 9 Coins]
.
.
.
[Killed Armored Tanuki (F) - You have earned 7 Coins]
[Skill Acquired: Horn Strike (F)]
[Enhances piercing power when attacking with a horn.]
[Skill Acquired: Shell Defense (F)]
[Enhances defense when using a shell as protection.]
[Skill Acquired: Generate: Shell Armor (F)]
[Allows the formation of a hardened shell to cover a part of the body.]
By the time they returned, their haul was more than enough to feed the entire tribe. The goblins in tribe eyed the pile of fresh meat with greedy stares, drool glistening on their lips, but Rou only offered a sharp grin.
A goblin from the younger generation tried to snatch a rabbit only to be pummeled to the ground, giving an example to the others who had had thoughts about stealing.
Though Rou had the intention to build his army starting from this goblin tribe, he had no intention of handing out food for free. They must learn about merit and that might makes right.
Still, he wasn't without gratitude. A small portion was set aside for Gobuji, the elder who had fed him during his earliest, most vulnerable days, as a quiet gesture of thanks.
...
Later that night, Rou gathered the twenty young goblins of his generation. Kichi stood firmly at Rou's side, while the rest of the nineteen goblins sat cross-legged on the cold cavern floor.
Looking at the attentive young goblins, Rou smiled faintly and began, "Tonight, I will taught you how to hunt."
Rou explained in plain words, breaking down everything from spotting tracks in the dirt, to reading the wind, to luring enemies into terrain traps. He explained which monsters were easiest to kill such as horned rabbits and armored tanuki.
Half an hour passed in this manner. When he finished, he folded his arms and looked over the eager faces before him.
"So," he asked, "is there anything you want to ask?"
"Me! Me, Goburou, I have a question!" A voice rang out before anyone else could speak.
An unusually energetic and bright-eyed female goblin shot her hands into the air. There were only seven female goblins in the younger generation and this one was called Mi.
"Mi, ask away," Rou said with a small smile.
"Goburou, can I join you hunting tomorrow? I also want to get stronger!"
Her words struck a spark in the crowd.
"Eh? You can ask that? Me too, Goburou, I want to join you!"
"Me too!"
"I want to get stronger too!"
One after another, the cavern erupted with voices, each goblin clamoring to join Rou's hunts. Rou rubbed his chin, pretending to ponder deeply, before clapping his hands sharply.
"Alright, quiet down everyone!"
He proposed, "If you all want to come, then let's make it fair. We'll decide who can go with me and Kichi… through a game of quiz."
The young goblins tilted their heads in confusion.
"Goburou, what is quiz?" one of them asked.
"It's a simple game," Rou replied.
"I'll ask you questions about the lesson I just taught. The one who gives the most correct answers out of ten questions will be the one to join me."
Murmurs rippled through the group. Some looked nervous, others confident. The quiz was straightforward, questions about identifying prey tracks, when to attack, and how to use terrain to your advantage.
To no one's surprise, Mi answered almost everything correctly, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction every time Rou nodded at her answer.
By the end, she had far outpaced the others. In second place was Ji, a soft-spoken male goblin whose calm demeanor stood out among the rowdy lot.
Still, the victor was clear. For now, only Mi would be allowed to join Rou's hunting party.
"Alright," Rou said, his voice carrying authority, "Mi will come with us tomorrow."
Mi beamed, practically bouncing in place. The others, though disappointed, didn't dare protest.
But Rou wasn't done yet.
"Now then, a bonus question. Whoever answers this correctly will get a rabbit!"
At once, every goblin's eyes lit up, and they leaned in with sharp attention.
"What," Rou asked slowly, letting the suspense hang in the air, "is the most important thing for hunting?"
"Big branch!" one shouted.
"Loud voice!" cried another.
"Power!" yelled a third, flexing his twig-thin arms.
Rou only shook his head at each answer.
"Me, Goburou! I know!"
It was Mi again. Her hand shot up with absolute confidence.
Rou's gaze softened. "What is it, Mi?"
"Other goblins!" she declared proudly.
The cavern fell quiet. Rou nodded once, firmly. "That's correct, Mi. We need other goblins, in other words, teamwork for hunting. Alone, we are weak. But together, we become strong. Remember to always rely on each other."
His words settled into the hearts of the young goblins. Even the noisiest among them became quiet, their faces showed a thoughtfulness akin to enlightenment. That night, the seeds of something new had been planted among them, a sense of pride, purpose, and the faintest glimmer of unity.
Even Rou was taken aback, he hadn't expected such plain and simple words of encouragement to stir the goblins so deeply.
Keeping his promise, Rou handed Mi a portion of rabbit meat. Not just raw, either, he roasted it over the fire until it sizzled, the savory smell filling the cavern. When he finally gave it to her, her eyes shone with joy, and the others looked on with a mixture of envy and determination.
...
[Status ∆] [Shop] [Community]
[Existence Level: 036/100]
[Species: Goblin]
[Age: 5 Days]
[Parameters]
[Strength: F+]
[Endurance: F+]
[Agility: F+]
[Mana Pool: F]
[Magic Power: F]
[Abilities]
[Absorption (Unrated)]
[Racial Skills]
[Aspect of Demon (D)]
[Precocious (D)]
[Cunning (F)]
[Crossbreeding (F)]
[Night Vision (F)]
[Acquired Skills]
[Evil Eye (D)] NEW!
[Generate: Venom (D)] NEW!
[Poison Resistance (D)] NEW!
[Generate: Thread (E)] NEW!
[Sense Presence (E)] NEW!
[Thread Wielding (E)] NEW!
[Endurance (F)]
[Escape (F)]
[Generate: Shell Armor (F)] NEW!
[Heat Sight (F)] NEW!
[Horn Strike (F)] NEW!
[Jump (F)] NEW!
[Reckless Charge (F)] NEW!
[Shell Defense (F)] NEW!
[Status] [Shop ∆] [Community]
[Coins: 169]
[Purchased]
[Butcher Knife - 4 Coins]
[Lighter 10ml - 1 Coins]
[Flamethrower - 100 Coins]