14 Risa's Sanity!
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In the depths of a shadowy cave, where the air was thick with despair, Dick faced Risa, his birth mother a forest elf with lustrous blond hair and delicately pointed ears, restored back to her ethereal beauty from her previous self trapped in the clutches of captivity.
Dick stood, a picture of helplessness. Risa's mental clarity, although sometimes lucid, was often marred by confusion, leading her to utter perplexing statements.
"Risa, my dear," Dick spoke gently, cradling her in his arms. "Once you're well, I promise to free you from this place."
Risa nestled into his embrace, her voice a soft murmur, "My baby... you will take me away from here, won't you?"
In the cave's dim corners, three human women watched with longing eyes. Despite the month's passing, their ordeal continued—forced into motherhood for goblin offspring, their health declining irreversibly. They appeared aged beyond their years, resembling weary village women more than captives.
Upon seeing Dick, intelligent and seemingly humane, they pleaded for salvation, a glimpse of hope in their dire circumstance. Yet, Dick remained impassive to their pleas.
"Stay here, Risa. I'll return to you soon," he reassured her, gently setting her aside.
Dick's gaze then shifted to the three newly captured female adventurers. His next task loomed—overseeing their transformation into goblin mothers. For him, these prisoners were mere numbers, a means to an end. Efficiency was key.
The cave soon echoed with their cries, a chilling testament to their plight.
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After concluding the grim task, Dick returned to the stone seat in the main chamber of the nest, lost in thought. The simulation's duration weighed on him. His efforts had yielded scant evolution points; a paltry sum insufficient for his return to reality and subsequent evolution.
As a form of compensation, the system offered two tasks—completion of either would grant a thousand evolution points and a rare evolutionary template. This template, Dick surmised, was likely for advancing to a higher-tier goblin.
He pondered the possibilities—Big Goblin, Goblin Shaman, Goblin Cavalry, Goblin Hero, Goblin King, Goblin Paladin... High-level goblins were rare, often emerging through overwhelming reproduction or exceptional circumstances.
A high-level goblin's emergence signified the lair's leader ascending, marking a new era of growth and power. Dick was intrigued by the potential template he might acquire.
Resolved, he knew the mission was essential—for evolution, gain, and skill.
Releasing magical plant growth, plants sprang from the earth in a mere second and a half. He then utilized life absorption, drawing energy from the plants to rejuvenate his weary form. These skills, gleaned from the forest elves, held the promise of simultaneous use—a discovery he chanced upon.
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In the heart of an enchanted forest, where the air was thick with the scent of damp earth and the whisper of leaves, Dick's mastery over the vibrant flora was unparalleled. Experimentation had led him to a remarkable discovery; the plants he conjured through his 'Plant Growth' spell possessed an extraordinary vitality. If he ever found himself weakened by excessive blood loss, a simple application of 'Life Absorption' on these plants would rejuvenate him instantly.
The process was invigorating yet draining, compelling Dick to draw vitality from the plants, healing himself through arcane techniques. Yet, he harbored an ambition, an idea he was eager to explore. Could this power of 'Life Absorption', which he used selfishly, be elevated to heal others?
This limitation irked him. In every simulation he conducted, the birth mother's vitality was fragile, teetering on the brink of death. If only he could harness this ability to heal, it could be a tool for benevolence or a powerful weapon for personal gain.
Such a skill, he mused, would be akin to wielding potent magic. Thus, whenever time permitted, Dick immersed himself in rigorous training, hoping to trigger an evolution in his 'Life Absorption' ability.
However, magic had its cost – the depletion of energy, commonly known as the 'blue bar'. Dick calculated he could sustain this magic only twenty times a day. Patience was key; like water slowly eroding stone, he had to be persistent.
During one such training session, a disturbance broke his concentration. A group of adult goblins, urgency etched in their movements, burst into the clearing. They knelt, breathless, before Dick, their king.
"King! The Black Wolf Tribe, as feared, is encroaching near our domain!" one of the scouts, appointed by Dick, reported with grave concern.
Dick ceased his training, his eyes narrowing with a fierce determination. "So, the Black Wolves have set their sights on us," he muttered.
In the past month, various monster races had stirred within the forest ridge, including the notorious Black Wolves. These creatures, once a threat to Dick himself, were now a menace to the goblins under his command. Dick had anticipated this and dispatched scouts to monitor any potential threat. The scouts' timely report proved his foresight was correct.
"Alert the hunting parties. Return to the lair immediately. We must prepare to repel the Black Wolf invasion," Dick commanded with a calm, authoritative tone. The goblin scouts, agile and observant though not particularly strong in combat, swiftly relayed his orders.
The goblin lair, usually a hive of cunning and greed, was now a scene of unrest. The goblins, despite their sly nature, were visibly unnerved at the prospect of confronting the Black Wolves, creatures of monstrous strength and ferocity.
Dick, however, did not offer false comfort to the anxious goblins. He understood the Black Wolves' capabilities and was already formulating a strategy. A curious thought crossed his mind – what if he could breed the Black Wolves with the goblins? The outcome of such an experiment intrigued him. Would their offspring inherit the cunning of the goblins or the ferocity of the wolves? The possibilities sparked a dark fascination within him as he prepared for the impending confrontation.
