LIGHTNOVELONLINE 8. Goblins, goblins, everywhere
Chapter 8 – Goblins, goblins, everywhere!
For the next two days, Aenon followed the group discreetly. Like a shadow, he haunted them throughout the day and night, undetected. He studied their behavior, their patterns, their fighting styles. They almost caught him the first day when one of them caught his scent.
He backtracked a mile before covering himself with mud to mask himself. He noticed they barely acted like a unit, following their leader more out of fear than respect or camaraderie. Any disputes were settled with brawls, and on more than one occasion the highest-level goblin had to intervene and bash both the brawling parties into submission.
The second highest leveled goblin, a level 5, was the least brutish of the bunch. Opting to play around with small bones he collected from their dead prey. Aenon had no idea what the goblin was doing till the third day, when he detected something from the bones.
He was not sure what it was exactly, but it felt familiar to the itching sensation he had when using Stealth. He had gotten more proficient in avoiding the annoying feeling by improvising various camouflage techniques. When he finally realized that this maybe what mana was supposed to feel like, he felt something snap within him.
System Notification
By studying the behavior of your target, you have obtained sufficient info to unlock more details. Identify Skill can now identify the following goblin types – Goblin, Goblin Scout, Goblin Warrior, and Goblin Shaman.
Goblin – A primitive humanoid race with low intelligence and green skin. Often associated with their barbaric and brutish practices, they do not present any significant threat, unless faced against in large numbers. Will easily overwhelm much mightier foes by simply dogpiling onto them.
Goblin Scout – A specialized variant of goblin, well versed with tracking. It has a very acute sense of smell but can be easily fooled with mundane stealth techniques.
Goblin Warrior – A physically stronger variant of goblin, making an effective pack leader for smaller hunting parties. They rudimentary knowledge of bone weapons.
Goblin Shaman – A slightly smarter variant of goblin, less brutish by nature. Having the most trivial mana sense, it has a rudimentary knowledge of tracking mana fluctuations and can cast basic spells such as Heal.
Title upgraded: Planetary Forerunner (4)
Title achieved: Mana Hound (1)
Title upgraded: Planetary Forerunner (5)
Planetary Forerunner 3/4:
Be the first to Identify details of an unknown species without the help of a compendium or information crystal.
Be the first to identify mana without System assistance.
+25 all stats
+30 all stats
Mana Hound (Level 1): Identify the feel of mana without System assistance.
+5 perception
This was the first time he got a Title that did not give an all stats boost, which meant it was not that valuable, yet. But he did get two more planetary firsts, which was good. He decided not to review his status yet, since he was still on a covert mission.
Harley seemed to be pleased though, if her glow was anything to go by. But she too kept quiet given the circumstances. He could now breakdown the party into categories using his Identify Skill – One warrior, two scouts, one shaman, and 3 generic goblins.
It must have been the scouts that caught his scent earlier, but the most dangerous of the group was the shaman. He was still not aware of its capabilities, but just the healing ability was enough to raise its threat level. He had observed the shaman poking and prodding a minor cut on the warrior, which had miraculously healed. Now he knew how.
But still, his mission had been going smoothly so far. He was especially proud of the dagger he now wielded. It was of decent quality, and he finally felt whole again. It too had a strange feeling about it, meaning it had some mana interaction to it. He had been testing it on various trees as they navigated the forest. The dulled edge always seemed to repair itself by the next day. And his moves were fluid when he practiced fighting imaginary opponents. As he observed yet another goblin battle royale, he decided to ask Harley a few questions.
“Hey Harl, how exactly does the damage calculation work? Do I do a flat damage number based on some complex calculation involving my weapon’s damage rating vs the opponent’s armor?”
Well, there is no damage or armor rating involved. In fact, there is no damage indicator whatsoever. You can use the most powerful weapon in existence, but if you inflict a glancing blow, it will do minimal damage. Whereas if you manage to hit your opponent with a toothpick in one of their vital spots, you may kill them outright.
The trick is to find the weak point and get past the armor, or thick skin, of your opponents. Health points are just a relative measure of health. A papercut to a human would maybe inflict 0.2 points of bleed damage per second till the healing kicks in, but to an insect with 2 HP in total, it can be a death sentence.
The System modifies the bodies of all integrated creatures. Which means natural healing is accelerated using mana. That is why you heal faster and can survive wounds you normally wouldn’t.
“That makes sense. But then how exactly is XP decided? Do I need to do most of the damage myself or go for the last hit?”
Neither. The System judges your role in the demise of a creature. This can be direct combat damage, traps, or even pitting one foe against another. If your actions brought about the death, you gain XP from it. Although the XP will be reduced for kills via indirect actions.
And before you ask, only monsters give XP, and not all creatures are classified as such. Simplest way to check if something is a monster, cast Identify. If the level indicator is red, it is a monster. If it is green, it is not a monster, and you get no XP for the kill.
You can still get resources though, for example from domesticated cattle. The level indicator being grey signifies the monster is too low a level to give you any XP. And if you see question marks for the level, do not engage or at least be careful. It means the level difference is too high.
Aenon digested these facts as he made his plans. He contemplated his next move while witnessing another end to an epic goblin on goblin action. The shaman was called out by the warrior to tend to the broken bodies of the four clumsy participants. It took about an hour for the wounds to heal, by the end of which the shaman looked haggard and about ready to collapse. Another tidbit to be filed away for future use – mana expenditure causes weakness.
He continued his pursuit of the goblin camp when they were ready for travel. They seemed to be heading in an almost straight line now. On day 4, they merged up with another party of 8 goblins. This group had one extra shaman in their ranks. The warriors from each group had a showdown to decide the new leader, with the new group’s warrior being the victor. And so, the march continued.
Finally on day 7, they reached the mouth of a cave with increased goblin activity. What he found was impressive. Goblins, hundreds of them. This was also the first time he saw the last type of goblin from the contract – Goblin Leaders. They were the bigger and much uglier versions of their cousins, and by the looks of it, much smarter too. After observing them for a few more hours, he got the notification he was waiting for.
System Notification
By studying the behavior of your target, you have obtained sufficient info to unlock more details. Identify Skill can now identify the following goblin types – Goblin Leader
Goblin Leader – The strongest variant of the goblin species. They are both physically and mentally superior to their counterparts and have rudimentary leadership and planning abilities. A group with a leader is many times more dangerous in battle. Proceed with caution.
He might have felt bad for what he was about to do, if not for the pile of corpses, some of them human-looking, just outside the cave. They were being butchered using crude stone tools by a group led by a goblin leader.
Aenon had run out of bread two days ago and was now surviving on whatever fruits and nuts he came across while stalking his prey. He supplemented his diet with some protein in the form of bugs, which elicited a gagging sound from Harley. He had gotten over any squeamishness towards ill tasting or weird looking food sources a while ago. He was not sure why an entity that had never tasted food was disgusted by his eating habits.
There were shamans and scouts patrolling around the entrance of the cave, with regular raiding parties going in and out. He settled down on top of a tree, which gave him an excellent view of the proceedings without much hindrance. He kept a mental note of their patrol patterns, their interpersonal relations, and even their bathroom schedule.
He found that the scouts didn’t get along with the shamans much, with the latter too busy playing around with their bones. If a scout and shaman were left unattended, a brawl always broke out, with the shaman doing something (he was still not sure what) to bring down the scout. The leaders were apparently aware of this and rarely let them out of sight.
He continued his vigil throughout the night, with the patrols getting a bit lax around midnight, that is, till a leader showed up and banged up the guards on duty a few times. The patrols were airtight after that. Sneaking past was possible, but very risky as he did not know what was within the depths of the cave. He was not able to see what was inside, since the entrance curved to the right, thereby blocking a visual inspection from outside. He was just about to try infiltrating into the cave when a notification popped up.
Title achieved: Predator (1)
Predator (1): Stalk someone or something undetected for 7 days.
+5 Dexterity
Ughh. This is sooooo boring. When will you start slicing and dicing? I have seen you do nothing but sit on this branch for the last few days. There are only so many K-dramas I can binge watch. Maybe it’s my inexperience speaking, but aren’t MMORPGs about grand adventures and epic quests?
The sudden notification and Harley’s mental outburst startled him, making him almost fall off the branch. He steadied himself before scowling at the floating crystal next to his face.
“Those are stories and games people indulge in to escape reality. This is real life, and even with the fantasy elements, it has long-lasting consequences. And this is fun for me. I once spent 2 hours on a rogue quest that people finished in 10 minutes using their guild mates,” he complained. “And I must be doing something right if I am getting Titles for it.”
Hmph. I know all about your rogue quest. As if that is something to be proud…
The shard started vibrating and pulsing erratically again before continuing as though nothing happened.
You do realize, it’s been more than a week since we all got here. Most humans are at least level 10 by now and they have been accumulating far more Titles. There are Titles for crafting, exploring, and even training.
“True. But I don’t really care. I am going to walk my own path, at my own pace. I don’t care if it takes me 100 times longer to reach where I want as long as I enjoy the journey. And right now, this is what I enjoy. So quit ruining it. Go stream some of the anime I recommended,” he snapped back while ignoring the weird behavior. He had a good idea why this was happening but decided to go with it for now.
Harley could access all the data from the internet before the collapse while in his soul space. Which is what he preferred while he was laser focused on his current objective. The notification had given him a new idea, which meant it was time to modify his plan. If Titles could be upgraded by doing something harder, he wanted to see what would happen if he successfully stalked the entire camp without being noticed for a week or maybe even longer.
With practiced ease, and some guidance from his Stealth Skill, he broke past the patrol line and entered the cave. He matched his footsteps with one of the scouts who was going in for his regular break. As he snuck in, he found himself inside a large underground cavern. Before he could be noticed, he creeped away into the comfort of shadows along the ragged walls, gently shifting some of the animal carcasses lying around the edges.
There were stalactites forming on the roof and floor of the place, which he used as a cover to blend into his surroundings. With his enhanced strength, he gripped the mineral protrusions and scaled the walls and ceiling like a spider. After some impressive gymnastics, he climbed into an out of reach crevice near the very top of the cavern roof.
The view almost made him question his foolhardy plan. There were at least 1500 goblins in here that he could see from his perch. They were spread all over the place with no rhyme or reason, using animal hides and leaves for bedding. The only exception was a central tent at the very end of the cavern, which was being served by a bunch of goblins, holding crude trays, running back and forth in a panic.
There was a stone pillar next to it, like the dungeon he came across earlier. Under the tent was the biggest and most disgusting goblin specimen he had come across yet. It was easily 7 feet tall and had grotesque bulging muscles all over. Its eyes betrayed a hint of superior intellect as it swept its gaze along the mini city it ruled over. There were a bunch of wooden chests next to what Aenon assumed was the throne of the thing. If his contract was accurate, this must be the hobgoblin.
Ewww. If I had eyes, I would wash them with bleach. Thanks for scarring my memories with this monstrosity.
Harley was whispering, even though only Aenon could hear her. He could feel the sarcasm dripping from her words along with strong disgust, which he shared. He had seldom seen anything as repulsive as this creature, and he had seen his fair share of appalling sights while he was in foster care before running away.
His entire plan was thrown out the window when he cast Identify on the creature. Its level only displayed two question marks. “On a scale of 1 to 10, how screwed am I?” he asked his companion.
If you don’t get out of here right now, I would say a 9.
The moment Harley finished speaking, a shaman ran up to its chief and started animatedly screeching something. The hobgoblin stared at the tiny underling, and before anyone could react, grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up to eye level. With a vicious roar, he crushed the poor creature’s neck and tossed the body aside.
Hearing their leader’s angry shout, all goblins cowered and ran off to hide at the edges of the cavern. Only a brave few ran for the only exit, but contrary to Aenon’s expectations, formed a goblin chain to block the tunnel.
Ummm, make that a 20. We are so dead.
“How did they realize I am here? I am not using mana, so the shamans couldn’t have picked up on it, and none of the scouts heard or smelled me?” he nervously whispered in his mind.
Did you trigger a ward? Based on their level, maybe some bones?
He remembered the carcass he had shifted to move around noiselessly. That must have been more than just a random dead rodent. He took a deep breath and analyzed his situation. The goblins were running around like headless chickens trying to find him. He was glad he moved up here as soon as he made it inside.
As though the situation wasn’t bad enough, he felt something slithery move up his leg. With slow and deliberate movements, he turned to his leg and found a dark snake wrapping around his left leg. He ignored the snake for now and focused on the goblins instead.
How can you be so calm when there is literally a snake about to enter your pants?
“Not helping, Harley. I need to be stationary to avoid detection. Panic is just going to cause further problems. I have covered myself with enough mud to camouflage against this background. But if I move, my cover will be blown,” he stated calmly. “If you really want to be helpful, explain to me how these wards work. And how can I get around them?”
It is very primitive what these goblins are doing. Mana is in every living entity. Being saturated with mana all its life, corpses and even bones become very good conductors of mana and can store it. They seem to be flooding tiny bones with their own mana and storing some of it.
With time it dissipates into the air, although very slowly. The moment another lifeform touches them, it discharges faster than normal. They are merely sensing that. Nothing fancy, it’s just pure instinct.
“Can they track the discharged mana to my location?”
Not really. If you were in contact with the ward for an extended duration of time, or if the ward was more complex, then maybe. You must have already released the mana that entered your body since it was not controlled externally. But let this be a lesson. Don’t. Touch. Things.
He took a mental note of that. Thanking his luck, he decided to finally overcome his greatest weakness right now – his lack of sense and control of mana. He pulled up the description for his Perception stat.
Perception: Increases awareness and improves the six senses.
Six senses, not five. Mana sense must be the sixth, he deduced. If this was true, he had enough stats to be able to sense mana. The only reason he could think of why he wasn’t sensing it was because he had never used it before. Like an unused muscle that atrophies from lack of use.
He had spied the goblin shamans playing with bones for a week now, and he had the mental itch he had gotten accustomed to. He started meditating while pondering these things. He tried to mentally picture what mana would look like, while trying to focus on the feeling he got when he used his Stealth Skill. He slowed his breathing and closed his eyes. He even tuned out the snake nestled around his ankle.
He could feel like he was on the edge of something, something important. Like trying to remember a name that was at the tip of your tongue, yet out of reach. He spent the next hour focused on this feeling, while the goblins scoured every inch of the cave. His Skill mastery had ensured he left no physical traces behind, and the goblin’s magical sense had nothing to pick on since he never used any mana enhancement for Stealth. And so, the impasse continued. The goblins with their elusive intruder, and Aenon with his mana sense.
The goblins continued their dogged pursuit for another two hours before finally giving up. The hobgoblin smashed a few more of his brethren, before calming down and retreating to his throne. All this while, Aenon continued his fruitless attempt at picking up mana sense.
That’s when he had an epiphany. He was trying to sense his own mana. That was like trying to feel your internal organs. What he needed right now was an external stimulus. Like the shamans used bones for their experiments, he needed an external source. He immediately latched all his concentration onto the snake, which thankfully was yet to move. He felt its touch on his exposed ankle, its cold scales, its texture. He surmised that if all living things had mana, then it should have some too. And that is when it all fell into place, like a jigsaw puzzle whose final piece was found.
System Notification
By studying the Goblin Shaman’s crude use of mana, and adding your own observations of mana theory, you have successfully internalized the principles of mana sense. This Skill will not consume a slot but cannot be upgraded by the System either. Moreover, for successfully doing it with minimal guidance, additional Titles and rewards will be granted.
A bunch of notifications were demanding his attention this instant. But he was completely overwhelmed. His body was paralyzed from the extrasensory inputs he was receiving from everywhere. He briefly opened his eyes before shutting them off again. It was like he was staring at the sun directly.
Everything looked so bright and vivid, like he was seeing color for the first time, even though it was a dark cavern. Even his sense of hearing was picking up subtle vibrations that he never noticed before. His own heartbeat was pounding like a drum in his ears. And Harley chose this moment to scream at him.
What the hell did you do now? Why is our soul space doing weird things? And what is all this noise?
“Not now Harley,” he mentally said with gritted teeth. If the goblins noticed, he was toast. He tried breathing slowly to calm himself. Luckily the goblins went about their regular activities and paid him no heed. Although, something was wrong, he could feel it. It felt as though he was being sucked in through a vacuum cleaner nozzle, the feeling started at his ankle and spread all over his body.
“Will, damn,” was the last thing Aenon remembered saying before he was yanked back to his soul space, yet again.