He sat in his glowing blue alcove, his tiny, 6-point Stamina bar now full, his Mana regenerated. The hunger was gone, replaced by the cold, calculating focus of his human mind.
He was in a death trap. A single Lvl 2 diseased goblin had almost killed him. Out in that tunnel, there were dozens of his kind, all starving, all desperate, ruled by... what? A Lvl 5? A Lvl 10?
He looked at the [Core Fragment (Tainted)] in his hand.
'Appraisal.'
[Core Fragment (Tainted)]
Use: Can be consumed for a small, rapid boost of EXP (Risk: Disease).
[System Note]: Consuming this item has a 35% chance of inflicting [Cave Rot (Disease)].
A 35% chance. His human mind, a mind that had read thousands of chapters, knew what that really meant in a novel simulation. It was a 100% chance of getting the disease, followed by a desperate side-quest to find a cure.
He was not a hero. He was a goblin. There would be no side-quest. There would only be a slow, agonizing death as his skin sloughed off.
He put the fragment away. The grind would be slow, as he'd requested. Not too fast, not too slow.
He needed ammo.
He gathered the [Broken Bone Shards] and the [Cracked Goblin Tooth]. He sat on the floor and, using the [Sharp-Edged Rock] he'd found, began to patiently grind the bone shards against it, sharpening their points. It was a slow, tedious process, but his 12 Intelligence understood the value of preparation.
[Your actions demonstrate basic tool-crafting logic.]
[Due to your Class [Field Scavenger], you have gained a new related Skill!]
[Improvise (Passive) - Lvl 1]:You have an intuitive understanding of 'Junk'. You can identify and execute basic modifications to [Junk] items to improve their utility. Success rate based on Intelligence.
His green lips pulled back in that sharp, humorless grin. This was the synergy he'd been hoping for.
He looked at a [Broken Bone Shard].
'Improvise.'
His mind instantly saw the flaws in the bone, the grain, the optimal angle to chip it. He went back to work.
[Improvise (Lvl 1) Check (Int 12) vs. Difficulty (2)... Great Success!]
[You have created [Sharpened Bone Shard (Poor)] x 3]
'Appraisal.'
[Sharpened Bone Shard (Poor) (Ammo/Tool)]
Rank: F-rank
Description: A piece of junk that has been crudely sharpened. It's not a weapon, but it's better than a rock.
Note: Can be used as a [Junk Tossing] projectile or a basic cutting tool. Inflicts minor [Piercing] damage.
It wasn't much, but it was his. He was armed.
He ate the last piece of [Goblin Meat (Poor)], forcing the rank flesh down. He checked his status. Level 2 (8/20 EXP). He needed 12 more EXP just to hit Level 3. The Rot-Skin had given him 8. He'd need to kill two more.
The thought of fighting another goblin, even a sick one, sent a jolt of terror through him. The [Cowardice] passive made his hands shake.
No. You are not a warrior. You are a scavenger. A scavenger doesn't fight fair. A scavenger doesn't fight... at all, if possible.
His gaze turned to the tunnel. To the skittering.
Goblins were a threat. But the skittering... that was an unknown. And unknowns were a Scavenger's specialty.
He tucked his three [Sharpened Bone Shards] into his new loincloth-belt. He picked up the [Sharp-Edged Rock]—a decent, heavy piece of junk. He left his glowing alcove, his tiny "home," and slipped into the oppressive, narrow darkness of the tunnel.
The air was fouler here, thick with ammonia and decay. He moved slowly, his 6 Agility feeling sluggish. He was crawling. The tunnel was barely a meter high, forcing him onto his hands and knees. This was not a main thoroughfare. This was a side passage. A crawlspace.
The skittering was louder now. It wasn't just one sound. It was many, echoing from tiny, fist-sized holes in the walls.
He froze. Something moved in the darkness ahead.
It was a beetle. A beetle the size of his foot.
Its shell was a dull, mottled brown, covered in what looked like weeping scabs. It had too many legs, and its antennae twitched frantically, tasting the air. It was moving slowly, aimlessly.
His [Cowardice] passive didn't even activate. This thing... it didn't register as a threat. It registered as prey.
His hand was already on a [Sharpened Bone Shard]. He waited. Not yet. Information first.
'Appraisal.'
[System: Mana Cost: 1. Target acquired. Current Mana: 2/3]
Race: Cave Roach (Bloated)
Level: 1
Rank: F-rank (Nuisance)
State: Scavenging
Description: A large, chitinous insect that feeds on filth, rot, and diseased flesh. It is slow and weak, but its bloated abdomen is filled with a mildly acidic, infectious pus.
Note: Goblins consider them a delicacy.
His eyes snapped to the note. Delicacy.
His gaze snapped to the description. Mildly acidic, infectious pus.
A plan, beautiful in its simplicity, bloomed in his mind.
This was not just prey. This was a resource node. This was food, EXP, and a new type of ammo all in one.
The roach was 10 feet away, its back to him.
He didn't hesitate. He drew his arm back, his 4 Strength feeling pitiful.
'Junk Tossing!'
He put his will into the skill, focusing not on power, but on the point of the [Sharpened Bone Shard].
Fwip!
The shard flew with a mana-fueled zip that was far faster than his arm should have been able to produce. It struck the roach directly in its abdomen.
SQUELCH!
The creature's shell offered no resistance. The shard buried itself to the hilt. The roach convulsed, its legs kicking, and a foul, greenish-yellow liquid spurted from the wound.
[You have slain a [Cave Roach (Bloated) (Lvl 1)]!]
[Experience Gained: 2 EXP.]
He blinked. Two.
Level 2 (10/20 EXP).
He needed to kill five of these just to get close to leveling.
Not too fast, not too slow. He gritted his teeth. This was the grind.
He crawled forward, his hand moving to his last [Sharpened Bone Shard], just in case. But the roach was dead. He stood over it, the smell of its pus stinging his nostrils.
'Scavenge.'
[Activating Skill: Scavenge (Lvl 1). Target: [Cave Roach (Corpse)].]
[Perception Check (8) vs. Target Difficulty (2)... Great Success!]
[Your skill [Scavenge] has gained 15% EXP.]
[You have obtained the following:]
[Chitin Fragment (Junk)] x 2
[Roach Meat (Tainted)] x 1
[Vial of Roach Pus (Poor)] x 1
His eyes widened. The System was... convenient. The "vial" wasn't a glass vial. The [Scavenge] skill had somehow encased the acidic pus in a small, tough membrane from the roach's own innards, creating a small, throwable bag.
This... this was a game-changer.
He had a projectile that could splash. A primitive acid grenade.
He hunted for another hour. The crawlspace was a maze, but his 8 Perception and 12 Intelligence kept him from getting lost. He found and killed three more roaches, his [Junk Tossing] skill becoming more accurate with each throw.
[Your Skill [Junk Tossing (Lvl 1)] has gained proficiency.]
[Level 2 (16/20 EXP)]
[Skill: [Scavenge (Lvl 1)] -> 60% EXP]
He now had:
[Roach Meat (Tainted)] x 4
[Vial of Roach Pus (Poor)] x 3
[Chitin Fragment (Junk)] x 8
[Sharp-Edged Rock (Junk)] x 1
[Sharpened Bone Shard (Poor)] x 0 (He'd lost his ammo)
He needed his shards back. He used his rock to dig them out of the roach corpses. They were coated in acidic filth.
[Due to [Improvise (Passive)], you notice the [Roach Pus] is corroding the bone.]
[Opportunity Detected: Combine [Sharpened Bone Shard] with [Roach Pus]?]
[Y/N]
His mind raced. 'Yes!'
He carefully dipped the tip of a bone shard into one of his new vials. The pus sizzled, but the [Improvise] skill guided his hand, showing him how to coat it without dissolving it.
[Improvise (Lvl 1) Check (Int 12) vs. Difficulty (5)... Success!]
[You have created [Corroded Bone Shard (Poor)] x 1]
'Appraisal.'
[Corroded Bone Shard (Poor) (Ammo)]
Rank: F-rank
Description: A bone shard coated in mildly acidic pus. It will dissolve after one use.
Effect: Inflicts minor [Piercing] damage + minor [Acid] damage over time.
He grinned. This was it. This was the loop.
Hunt roaches -> Get EXP, Meat, Pus -> Use Pus to upgrade bone shards -> Hunt more efficiently.
He was about to hunt for another roach when he reached the end of the crawlspace.
It didn't open into another tunnel. It was a crack, a narrow fissure in the rock, overlooking a much larger cavern.
He peered through.
The cavern was vast. A hundred meters across, at least. The ceiling was lost in shadows, but a faint, sickly green light filtered down from... somewhere.
And the cavern was full of them.
Goblins.
There were at least thirty, maybe forty.
They were a miserable sight. Most were skeletal, their green skin stretched tight over their bones. They huddled in small, shivering groups. He saw several [Rot-Skin Goblins], their flesh weeping, actively shunned by the others.
But in the center of the cavern, on a raised platform of refuse and bones, sat a leader.
This goblin was different. It was still a 1st Evolution monster, but it was big. At least a foot taller than the others, with thick, corded muscles. It wore crude armor made of leather scraps and giant bones. And it held a massive, nail-studded club.
It was eating. Tearing into a piece of [Goblin Meat] while the rest of the tribe starved.
The [Cowardice] passive hit him like a physical blow. His breath hitched, and he felt an overwhelming urge to flee, to hide in his alcove and never come out.
That... that was a real threat.
He forced his shaking hand to point. He focused all his will.
'Appraisal.'
[System: Mana Cost: 1. Target acquired. Current Mana: 2/3]
[Analyzing... Target is high-level...]
[Appraisal (Lesser) (Lvl 1) is insufficient for a full scan.]
Race: Goblin (???)
Level: 7
Rank: F-Rank (Peak)
Name: (???)
Title: [Tribe Bully]
State: Hoarding, Aggressive
Equipment: [Crude Bone-Plate (Poor)], [Nail-Studded Club (Poor)]
Note: This creature is significantly stronger than you. Engage at your own peril.
Level 7.
He was Level 2.
This thing would kill him in a single hit from that [Nail-Studded Club].
As he watched, one of the skeletal goblins, driven mad by hunger, made a dash for the leader's food pile.
The Level 7 goblin didn't even stand. It backhanded the starving goblin, a casual swipe that sent the smaller creature flying. It hit the cave wall with a sickening crack and didn't move.
The leader grabbed the new corpse, tore off a leg, and threw it to a nearby [Rot-Skin Goblin], who began to eat it with desperate, animalistic sounds.
He's feeding the diseased ones... he realized. He's culling the weak and turning them into food for his... 'pets'.
This was not a tribe. This was a charnel house.
He backed away from the fissure, his heart hammering. He crawled backward, as fast as his small limbs would carry him, all the way back to his dark, safe, glowing-blue alcove.
He slid into his hovel and sat there, shaking, for a full minute.
He was not a warrior. He was not a hero. He was a Level 2 scavenger.
And he was surrounded.
He looked at his inventory.
[Roach Meat (Tainted)]. [Vial of Roach Pus]. [Corroded Bone Shards].
It was pathetic. It was nothing against a Level 7 brute.
But it was his.
He would not fight the tribe. He would not engage the leader.
He would live in the margins. He would hunt the roaches. He would level his skills. He would become a rat in the walls of this dungeon, too small and too smart to catch.
And he would find a way out.