A Feast
I STALKED THE GOBLIN GRASSLANDS by night, running through the grass. The
second I found a goblin asleep amongst the reeds, I lopped its head off.
Gluttony Skill activated. Stats increased: Vitality +30, Strength +40, Magic
+10, Spirit +10, Agility +30
I heard the metallic voice I had heard many times before. But it wasn't
enough. I needed more. These piddling goblins weren't going to satisfy my
hunger. However, I had run all the way here from the kingdom, so I took a
moment to catch my breath.
Not a cloud crossed the night sky, and a full moon hung in the middle of it,
shining its light on the goblin I had just slaughtered. On a regular hunt,
adventurers took the ears of these goblins to cash in for rewards. My hunger
didn't afford me the luxury of time to harvest, so when I caught my breath, I
stepped over the dead goblin in search of my next prey.
Footsteps sprinted through the grass, following me, except they weren't just
coming from behind. They were all around, from the front and sides, trampling
the grass as they neared. Many, many. So many.
It seemed my prior hunt had been something of a small ecological disaster for
these goblins. Those who had not yet been slain knew I was a dire threat to
them all, and so they banded together to get rid of me.
I felt their gazes as I took position at a section of low grass and stood in place.
Little by little, their footsteps came to a halt. My gaze flitted between the
goblins now surrounding me. There were around fifty, but it could have been
more. With my vision heightened, I saw their every move.
With Greed in hand, the goblins' swords and shields would split under my
blade. Even if they called for reinforcements and launched themselves at me in
the vast numbers they were known for, in my starvation state, these goblins
were nothing.
Under the weight of my red-eyed gaze, the low-level goblins froze. I swung
my stare, holding each goblin in place as I stalked and evaluated them one by
one. A few goblins realized something strange was going on and tried to run,
but by then, it was too late.
They had intended to surround, crowd, and kill me, but by coming so close
together, they had only made my hunt simpler. I slaughtered them down to the
last, and the final monster fell into the pile with all the others.
Gluttony skill activated. Stats increased: Vitality +40, Strength +20, Magic
+10, Spirit +10, Agility +10
A calm fell. I looked into Greed's polished black blade at my own reflection.
My eyes were still red.
"I've consumed no small number of souls," I murmured, "but I'm still hungry."
I had killed more than a hundred goblins, and yet still I was famished.
"How long will it take?" I asked. "How many to satisfy the hunger?"
"Hm. At this rate, it seems goblins won't meet your appetite. You must turn
your sights to something more powerful. Say, a hobgoblin."
At Greed's suggestion, I left the grasslands and headed into the western
forest, known as Hobgoblin Forest. It was said that when goblins developed
enough power, they evolved into hobgoblins, at which point they took up new
lives among the trees.
There were three hobgoblin types: fighters, guards, and archers. I could
handle the fighters and guards in much the same way as I handled their lower
level goblin counterparts. The problem would be the archers. They were fewer
in number, but they attacked from a distance, letting loose arrows as they hid in
the brush. What made them truly problematic was that they covered their
arrowheads in their own fecal waste. A hit from those arrows was toxic. They
were extremely dangerous, and though Seifort's adventurers called these
archers "shitslingers," they did so in fear.
I had learned all this from an old servant at Hart Manor who, in his prime, had
been an adventurer. At dinner, he often regaled me with tall tales and
exaggerated stories of his past adventures, but I enjoyed them all the same. As I
cautiously entered the forest, I realized I owed him thanks.
Hobgoblins were like regular goblins in that they weren't nocturnal, so as long
as I didn't make too much noise, they would go on sleeping. Like the regular
goblins before them, I could kill them as they slept.
I found one hobgoblin slumped against a big tree, sound asleep. It stood
about the same height as I did, but unlike me, it was thick-waisted and muscled
all over. It was difficult to make out its color in the darkness, but I could tell it
was the murky green of a higher level goblin.
I used Identify.
Hobgoblin Fighter, Lv 12
Vitality: 230
Strength: 340
Magic: 110
Spirit: 110
Agility: 230
Skill: Two-Handed Sword Technique A hobgoblin fighter. That explained the
giant sword by its feet, which it surely used in battle. The monster also had
the perfect skill to go with the weapon. However, its stats were nothing for
me to worry about.
As I edged closer, I noticed another hobgoblin on the other side of the tree. I
knew it by the shield planted on the ground by its side, but still I used Identify,
just to be certain.
Hobgoblin Guard, Lv 12
Vitality: 440
Strength: 220
Magic: 110
Spirit: 110
Agility: 110
Skill: Vitality Boost (Medium) Vitality Boost. Medium. That confirmed my
hypothesis from earlier: status boosts had levels. If there was a "low" and a
"medium,
" that meant somewhere in the world was a "high."
I took the head of the hobgoblin guard first. The monster was so deep in
slumber that it died just like that. Not a worry in the world.
Gluttony skill activated. Stats increased: Vitality +440, Strength +220, Magic
+110, Spirit +110, Agility +110. New skill added: Vitality Boost (Medium) I
turned toward the remaining hobgoblin to find it had woken, alerted by the
sound of its companion's beheading. The monster opened its mouth to call for
reinforcements. I plunged Greed deep into the hobgoblin's throat, straight
through its mouth.
Gluttony skill activated. Stats increased: Vitality +230, Strength +340, Magic
+110, Spirit +110, Agility +230. Skill added: Two-Handed Sword Technique The
difference was instantly clear; hobgoblins answered my hunger more deeply
than their lower level counterparts. If I had known that earlier, I would have
skipped the grasslands and come here directly.
Even still, I ravened.
I used Identify to analyze my current stats.
Fate Graphite, Lv 1
Vitality: 8,041
Strength: 8,011
Magic: 2,501
Spirit: 2,501
Agility: 5,591
Skills: Gluttony, Identify, Telepathy, Conceal, One-Handed Sword Technique,
Two-Handed Sword Technique, Strength Boost (Low), Vitality Boost (Low),
Vitality Boost (Medium) I pressed into the forest in search of my next prey. The
night was young.