Chapter 17: 17- Oscar The Smith

After a quick glance at his available skills to purchase. Oscar was able to tell, only these three are useful to him, but as he took notice of the total amount of SP it would cost, combined. He could only curse the dungeon for always forcing him to choose in between them, and not just simply taking them all. 

'I have no comment on the 'Cavemans Aggression' it just looks great; able to increase my strength and defense, sounds too good to be true. But again, I don't know what will happen, if my intellect reduced to half. Will I become a giant walking hulk? Or maybe, the hulk was a goblin, that chooses to max level this skill? Or, will I become 'The Hulk'; with a child like mentality, and may destroy anyone who comes near me, even if it was my ally? But, I don't have any ally to began with. Not to mention, I don't even know, when will a monster at the level of rat king, or a 'giant stony serpent' may appears next. I was able to run-away before, but who can say, I would be able to repeat the same feat again. And any amount of strength counts, when the situation calls for it, even if it may comes at the cost of burning my.what.life? That may even ends, if I couldn't kill the monster before me. Meanwhile, the only condition to activate; is to just hide from the sun. Which may become a problem in the possible future; where I would be running butt-naked under the sun, rather than running butt-naked inside the caverns. While the second condition is to be expected, if goes by the skill description'

Having decided on his first skill. Oscar gets stuck-again, between the next-remaining ones. 

For him, 'Relentless-Hits' is good, and anyone with an ounce of brain can tell; it's a must-have-skill for anyone in his situation. The problem is, he really wanted the 'Trap-Alignment' ; his goblins seventh sense. The sense of how to be lazy, was telling him, that he must get it first. 

Indeed, what's better than to eat your enemy; without having to lift a finger or, working your ass off in a fight, that may cost your life. Of which, the answer was just, plain simple and straightforward. 

Although, the 'Relentless-Hits'  wins against the 'Trap-Alignment' as a combat skill, by a large margin. Oscar knew, it's a skill, he will be needing the most. And to better make use of those magic-stones, he had in hand, without anyone to learn from other than himself. 

'And, it's not like the skill will disappear after this, right, I will definitely purchase you next time bud' with a hardened resolve, he confirmed the prompt. 

Even though, it doesn't show in his outer appearance. Oscar knew that if he desired, he could turn to a true maniac with a greater might. While his hands itched and mind raced with creative ideas, as he glanced at the discarded bones, and the intact spider webs in the cave, trying with the combinations. That might work with the data, he recorded in his recent magic experimentation;  If before, he saw the tables carved at the cave walls, just like a primitives. with the corresponding magic stone in the brackets, as a summary. Now he could tell which combination would work the best, in which situation. 

The wannabe-einstein-goblin glanced at the remaining skill points. As he contemplated, in which skill, should he dump it all, but when he thinks of how he could just raise those skills by his own, and how he could only purchase new skills through SP, he quickly drops the ideas. 

'Better to it save for emergency' 

Done with the skill purchase. Oscar moves his eyes on the list of mutations, which understandably didn't took his much time. He had already prioritized to upgrade his Claws and senses first, before all else, but just when he was about to confirm the upgrades prompt. His eyes caught something that made him rethink again. 

Oscar didn't even contemplated on taking it or not; it was a mutation he needed the most. Getting your skin pierced at every other move in a fight, is definitely not a nice-feeling anyone would like to experience, except masochist, of course, which Oscar is not. 

'Humpfff!!!' 

Following the approval of his. He felt something crawling under his skin with an astonishing speed, causing goosebumps all over his body. From the limbs to his torso, before settling around his chest. Oscar couldn't say it was a painful process, but it was definitely a strange one; like a curtain of unknown-energy brushing against his skin, leaving small, but hardened-bumps in its wake. That quickly mended to each other. Melting back in his skin; like a thick membrane-armor, blended to him as a second-skin. 

The natural green took a turn, to a rougher side of green, with a crude texture. Reflecting less light. It produced much more resistance when pinched by his own -more sharpened- claws. Although, subtle, but he could feel the reduction in sensitivity from his skin. 

'Hmm?' 

The roars coming from outside, stops him from testing his penis skin-resistance, right away 'later' he thought. Wrapping the ripped-out material used for the stolen-bag around his waist; like a loincloth. Oscar walks out of the cave. 

                                                      

Standing at the small platform, jutting out of the caves mouth. The curious goblin saw the vast cavern, with numerous divisions made by the enormous stone spikes, joining the floor and the ceiling, stretching ahead to the other caverns, further ahead. Small specks of green, dotted around the floor unevenly; signifying the water sources, and the dangers of a stronger monster taking it as the residence. 

Among one of these green specks. The mesmerized-goblin heard the roars coming from the west, before it also starts coming from the east. It was hard, even for a goblins ears to pinpoint it from this much distance but, Oscar didn't have to, as he already knows what was happening. 

'Just the average day in a dungeon, I guess' shrugging, he thought. Showing his toothy smile, the now-energized-goblin prepared to get down for his own daily hunt. 

'Gotta fill my belly quick-eh?' He noticed a narrow passage -with a barely one foot walking space- forming around the wall, as it naturally joined to the platform he was standing. 

'Just when I thought this location can't get any better' gleefully, he quickly picks two magic stone and four, carefully-selected magic orbs. Both tied on a make-shift wand, before traversing the path. Although, a little too narrow for his own liking. The-lazyass-goblin was thankful for not having to climb down from this height again. 

                                                            

"Thump!"

With a jump, Oscar came down from the path, that had ended tens of meters before the ground. 

Adjusting his waist belt -also ripped from the adventurer Bags, durable shoulder strap- Oscar fixed his cheap knock-off magic wand, while he focused on his hearing. 

It didn't took him long to pick up on the thumping footsteps coming from a distance. Even though, he knows that the footsteps doesn't belongs to a weak monster, assuming all weak monsters are better in stealth, and won't make this basic mistake. Oscar was still confident on taking whoever it is, as long as he had these magic orbs with him, and the monster isn't a king of rats or snake. 

Stealthily travelling, taking boulders and erected stones as the cover. The sneaky-goblin came across the group of horse-size brown porcupines near the greenery, chewing on the colorful mushrooms: most probably poisonous. Grown over the remains of monsters, buried underground, over the long period of time. And going by the vengeful-glaring eyes of a certain six-handed adult monkey from atop the nearby trees; probably the boss of this green spot, This must be its meal dumping ground. 

Todays course-of-meal has: a curvey stone shell with countless spikes standing erect, guarding it against any unforseen attacks. Considering the hateful-glare of the monkey boss, these spikes are more durable and deadly than anyone thinks. If not, Oscar didn't think, that monkey boss was so friendly to leave these group of sheeps alone, with this close to its hunting ground. 

You are reading story So I’m A Goblin, So What? at novel35.com

Fighting them will be a hassle, and not to mention, the monkey boss is a variable, Oscar would like to avoid if he could. 

'Hmm... The best choice of action, would be to isolate one of these sheep porcupine, before bashing something much harder than its spikey could endure. All the while, hoping the monster would stay still like a tree log' Oscar mused before seriously planning his sneak attack, just like his all the previous fights... 'Hmm... Wait... This might be more do-able than I think' The thought, he was passing as a snide comment, turned out to be an amazing idea, the more he thought. Indeed, he didn't wasted his precious skill points on 'Trap Alignment' for nothing. 

With a quick thought, Oscar let the Mana charge one of the orb through the magic stone directly, before binding it to the wand and storing away the other three orbs safely. After that, the hunting-goblin moved along with his devious-plan, and starts running half a circle away from the perimeter of this small greenery in stealth, carefully planting the traps in his wake. 

The monkey was more perceptive than those bulky sheeps, grazing on poisonous-mushrooms lazily without a care. So to escape its notice, Oscar has to waste half-an-hour on waiting for it to divert its attention on something else; like staring blankly at muddy pond for no good reason. 

'Fuuu~ Now, the most important part' 

Taking a deep breath for a second, and checking if those cactus-sheeps have finished their eating or not; which thankfully, doesn't seems so. Oscar gripped the boney-wand, with a single orange-orb stuffed at the tip of it, before bursting out of his hiding spot with a maniacal laugh, intimidating his looks, domineering his stance, terrifying his presence. 

"Khe! Khe! Khe! Ghak-dhis!"

With a loud cackling, making a dramatic gesture. Oscar spoke the words 'Take this!'; Which apparently didn't sounded well, coming from his monstrous vocal-cords. The goblin-with-a-skrew-loose pointed his magic-wand at the sheep porcupines, before firing a bout of attack blindly, without warning. 

Although, he knows that he could aim perfectly at these monsters individually; by making use of another orb 'Air Influx', but it wasn't even his intention, to hit any one of them in particular. And, even if it did hit them, he highly doubt, it would do them any damage. 

"Boom!"

Leaving behind a bright orange-tail. The blazing attack hits the ground in between those innocent-spikey-sheeps. Seemingly looking like a tiny comet, before blasting and forming a burning crater with a booming noise; harming no-one in particular but, causing enough disruption of sounds-and-vibration, that any weak monster with a right mind to survive, will starts running at first notice. Either to attack the preparator, or to flee the scene. 

"Boom!"

Distraught and anxiety quickly filled among them. As they all strained their necks, at the cackling goblin out for their innocent-blood, while blasting fiery comets, after comets in a blind-maddened-fury. 

Although it hurts when the attack blasted right on top of their shells. It wasn't critical enough for them to panic right away. Instead, they're more worried about the hidden accomplices of that green runt coming at them. In this Echelon, there was rarely a monster or adventurer, who haven't confronted a goblin in their short-expected-life. And the thing they all have learned from their encounters; is to expect a dozen or so goblins, if one such shows up. 

These herbivores-sheep monsters aren't an exception to this. Thus they all hesitated to confront, even though they have clearly outnumbered the oblivious-goblin. Or else, they won't wait even-a-second to taste that green-meat. Doesn't matter how unappetizing it felt; they're herbivores by nature, but won't hesitate to make an exception to their enemies meat,  out of spite. 

Unfortunately, their enemy takes their hesitation as fear, and makes good use of it. Firing more and more blizzards, until their ears gets numb, and mind gets dizzy. As one such blindly-launched blizzard attacks accidentally landed at one of them, before exploding into an intense heat wave that burned its eyes and countless tiny, scorching hot particles snuffed in its nose, causing it to howl in pain and curls down further to raise its defense. But doing so, it only loses its own balance and stumbled with others. Ensuing chaos. 

"Ggrrrrr!"

Many of such lucky hits landed, creating more and more openings. And just before Oscar could think of ways to make himself look more intimidating. The horde-of-sheep decided, he's worth more trouble than they thought. 

"Grrrrr!" 

Taking the first loud gurgling noise as the signal. The first sheep porcupine ran at different direction than the goblin, coming from the east and away from the greenery behind. Their stampede leaves the dungeon walls vibrate. While the happy-goblin fires one last time, before he also starts running behind them, keeping himself close to the right walls as much as possible, to avoid getting trapped in his own pitfall. While also maintaining a good distance from that monkey boss, who was watching the current show unfolding in front of it with a rapturous attention of a predator; waiting for the perfect moment for its entry. 

"Grerere!" 

Suddenly but not surprisingly, the leading herbivore-porcupine gets stuck to the ground, with its legs sinking more than a meter in the clay-like-ground, that gets hardened at a moments notice, true to the spells purpose 

Except, Oscar casted the spell not on himself, but to the ground, and lured the sheeps to run over it. Triggering the spell requirement; the presence of a wearer. Entrapping them like a bear trap, with the exception of it being non lethal. 

The immobile monster sheeps raises their spikes, instinctively. Endangering their own brethren running blindly behind them. As few of their faces transformed to a bloody pinch-cushions, but most of them rolls ahead and let their own shells crash against the other shells, enduring the impact. Followed by the others behind them; like a chain reaction. Of course, not all of them has fallen to the trap as some stopped ahead, sensing the strangness of the ground, or a lucky few passes over the ground, unimpeded, most likely those grounds had already losses the spell effect. 

Passing through the adjacent wall. Oscar crossed over the living monster-sheep-wall, as he proceeds to the next phase of his plan; Killing the helpless lambs with a boney-spear at hand. 

Trapped within the enclosure, the spikey sheeps called for help from their brethrens behind, but the said help didn't even listened to them. The giant monkey loomed over them with its six-hands spreading wide, clutching to the stones before it all rained over them. The already frightened sheeps runs, without thinking; at the only direction they all came from, and without taking a glance behind. Effectively leaving the hungery-goblin to feast on their abandoned brethren. 

"Crack!"

Like an egg finally cracking under the constant pressure at a point. The entrapped sheep wailed in agony, but to the ravenous-goblin in front of them, it was a music that only encourages him. 

'Fuck! That was too hard of a shell you got there huh' Gripping the bone spear. The mastermind thrusted it forward for the nth times, before long-last the shell finally gave in completely. Peircing and puncturing the brain of his prey with a sickening brain matter spraying over him, the cruel-butcherer basked in the sweet blood of its prey. 

'Yuck! Tasts like dried up noodles' before spitting out the brain-matters, disgusted by its taste. 

Apparently, he didn't get the exp out of the victims that got killed by the chaos, he created. But nonetheless, he was happy for killing these helpless lambs, as he never gets an easier kills like these ever before. 

'Finally a good investment... A thousand times better than those scummy-bitcoins' his mood soured at that, but also felt a little nostalgia. It felt like ages ago, since he had tasted the comforts and someones company, which the lone-goblin hopefully felt in his momentarily-comrade; the monkey boss, who had also scored two sheeps with its relentless stone-pelting. It jumps and screeches gleefully at the running horde of sheeps, finally avenging its lost pride, before climbing down to feast on its victims. 

Not surprisingly. The monkey, maintains a respectful distance from the dangerous Goblin, and its equally dangerous Magic stick. Dragging the dead sheeps in the bushes, for post-mortem. Oblivious of the certain lone-goblins feelings. 

'Sigh... Life is still fun in the dungeon' shrugging with a toothy grin. Oscar picks up the bone spear again, to continue killing the second and his countless upcoming-victims to claim his inevitably sweet level-ups. As the wailing sheeps watched him approach with a dreadful gaze, starting their own final struggle, however futile it may. 

You can find story with these keywords: So I’m A Goblin, So What?, Read So I’m A Goblin, So What?, So I’m A Goblin, So What? novel, So I’m A Goblin, So What? book, So I’m A Goblin, So What? story, So I’m A Goblin, So What? full, So I’m A Goblin, So What? Latest Chapter