He sat in his alcove, the blue light glinting off the [Charred Chitin Fragments] piled in the corner. He was, by any reasonable metric, a Lvl 5 king. He was well-fed on [Cooked Roach Meat (Poor)]—a dish he was already, with 16 points of Intelligence, referring to in his head as "Cave-Crackle."
It was crunchy. It was smoky. And most importantly, it didn't try to give him a disease that made his skin weep.
This, he decided, was luxury.
But his victory had come at a cost. He looked at his loincloth-belt. He was out of ammo. No, worse—he was out of accelerant.
His 16 Intelligence, a blessing that allowed him to invent napalm, was also a curse that forced him to see the logistical flaw in his plan.
"You can't burn all the nests, you genius," he muttered to himself, "if you use the components from the nests to make the fire."
The pus-vials from the roaches were the key. He had used his entire starting supply on that first, glorious, foul-smelling inferno.
To get more pus, he had to hunt.
He needed to become a conventional hunter so he could resupply for his unconventional arson.
This was the loop. His [Field Scavenger] brain lit up with the simple, beautiful logic of it.
Hunt roaches 1-on-1 with [Sharpened Bone Shards].
[Scavenge] them for meat, chitin, and [Vials of Roach Pus].
Stockpile the pus.
Find a big nest.
FWOOMPH.
Profit.
He picked up his four [Sharpened Bone Shards]. He was Lvl 5. His Strength was 7, his Agility 9. His Perception was 12.
A [Cave Roach (Lvl 1)] wouldn't even be a fight. It would be an execution.
He slipped back into the crawlspace. The tunnels were his domain now. His 12 Perception wasn't just seeing in the dark; it was mapping. He could smell the faintest trace of roach-musk, hear the skitter-skitter of a single insect from twenty meters away.
He found one. A lone [Cave Roach (Bloated)], ambling aimlessly over a patch of slime.
In his Lvl 2 days, this would have been a cautious, 10-second encounter.
Now?
He didn't even slow down. He drew his arm back, his 7 Strength providing a solid base.
'Junk Tossing!'
His [Sharpened Bone Shard] flew with a thwip that was less "toss" and more "low-caliber bullet."
P-SSHK!
The shard punched straight through the roach's head-segment, pinning it to the floor. It died instantly, its legs giving a final, pathetic quiver.
[You have slain a [Cave Roach (Bloated) (Lvl 1)]!] [Experience Gained: 2 EXP.]
[Your Skill [Junk Tossing (Lvl 1)] has gained proficiency.]
He stalked forward, retrieved his shard, and got to work.
'Scavenge.'
[Scavenge (Lvl 2) Check (Per 12) vs. Difficulty (2)... Great Success!]
[You have obtained [Roach Meat (Tainted)] x 1]
[You have obtained [Vial of Roach Pus (Poor)] x 1]
[You have obtained [Chitin Fragment (Junk)] x 1]
He stashed the pus-vial carefully. The meat... he pocketed it, but with a grimace. He'd cook it later. He was a goblin of culture, after all.
He spent the next hour as the crawlspace's resident bogeyman. He was a silent, green-skinned shadow, an efficient, 9-Agility killing machine.
Thwip. P-sshk. Scavenge.
Thwip. P-sshk. Scavenge.
[Your Skill [Junk Tossing (Lvl 1)] has gained 100% proficiency!]
[Skill: [Junk Tossing (Lvl 1)] -> [Junk Tossing (Lvl 2)]]
[Mana Cost reduced. Damage and projectile velocity increased. You now have a low chance to [Cripple] a target's limb on a successful hit.]
"Oh, now we're talking," he hissed, his grin sharp.
He'd hunted five roaches.
He was at Lvl 5 (43/50 EXP). Just 7 EXP—four more roaches—from Level 6.
He had five [Vials of Roach Pus] sloshing at his belt.
He had five pieces of [Roach Meat (Tainted)] waiting to be barbecued.
It was time for the FWOOMPH.
He crept deeper, following the familiar, buzzing chitter of a large group. He found the second nest he'd bypassed during his mad dash for the Spore-Cluster.
This one was in a hollow, almost spherical chamber, the walls dripping with slime. At least 15 roaches were crawling over each other, clustered around a "leaking" patch of particularly nutrient-rich mildew.
His 16 Intelligence analyzed the setup. It was perfect. One entrance. One big pile of targets.
He didn't bother with a bait-lure this time. They were already grouped.
He lined up his five [Vials of Roach Pus].
He tossed them, one by one, ch-thok, ch-thok, ch-thok, into the writhing mass.
The roaches didn't even notice. They were just... wetter.
He took out his fire-kit. [Chert Rock]. [Iron Pyrite]. [Dessicated Diseased Rag].
CLACK-SKRAK!
A spark. An ember. A gentle puff of goblin-breath.
A small, smoky flame.
He wrapped the burning tinder around a [Chitin Fragment (Junk)].
"Special delivery," he rasped.
He tossed the small, flaming projectile into the center of the pus-drenched nest.
FWOOOOOOOM!
The second firebomb was just as effective as the first. A pillar of greasy, green-yellow flame filled the chamber, the shrieks of the roaches cut off almost instantly.
The smell was... yup, still a war crime. It was the smell of victory and 10,000 burning dumpsters. He backed away, coughing, his 12 Perception deeply offended.
[You have slain a [Cave Roach (Bloated) (Lvl 1)]!] [Experience Gained: 2 EXP.]
[You have slain a [Cave Roach (Bloated) (Lvl 1)]!] [Experience Gained: 2 EXP.]
...
He counted 16 notifications.
[32 EXP Gained!]
[EXP Threshold Reached! YOU HAVE LEVELED UP!]
[Level 5 -> Level 6]
[All Base Attributes +1]
[You have 25 EXP remaining. (43 + 32 = 75. 75 - 50 (to Lvl 6) = 25)]
He strode into the smoking, charred cavern like a conquering hero. A very small, naked, green-skinned, coughing hero.
He looked at his new status, feeling the familiar, pleasant warmth of a level-up.
[STATUS]
Name: (Unnamed)
Race: Goblin (Lesser)
Level: 6 (25/60 EXP)
Class: Field Scavenger (F-Rank) (Lvl 2 -> 65% EXP)
Title: [None]
[ATTRIBUTES]
Strength: 8
Agility: 10
Stamina: 10
Intelligence: 17
Perception: 13
Mana: 7
His stats were becoming... beautiful. His 17 Intelligence was so far beyond the goblin-norm it was laughable. His 10 Agility and 10 Stamina meant he was as fast and tough as a human warrior. His 8 Strength was still his "dump stat," but it was catching up.
He was a Lvl 6 goblin. He was probably, he mused, the most powerful roach-hunter in the entire history of this cave.
He got to work.
'Scavenge.'
The pile was massive.
[Scavenge (Lvl 2) Check (Per 13) vs. Difficulty (5)... Great Success!]
[You have obtained [Cooked Roach Meat (Poor)] x 16]
[You have obtained [Charred Chitin Fragment (Junk)] x 30]
[You have obtained [Ash (Junk)] x 10]
He was stocked. He had a larder. He could feast on smoky "Cave-Crackle" for a week.
He also, critically, had a massive pile of [Charred Chitin Fragments].
He picked one up.
[Passive: [Analysis] activated!]
[Target: [Charred Chitin Fragment (Junk)]]
[Core Properties Identified: [Carbonized Chitin], [Brittle], [Lightweight], [Dull Edge].]
He looked at his [Sharpened Bone Shard].
[Passive: [Analysis] activated!]
[Target: [Sharpened Bone Shard (Poor)]]
[Core Properties Identified: [Calcified Bone], [Brittle], [Sharp Point], [Low Durability].]
His 17 Intelligence connected the dots.
'Improvise.'
He saw it. A new design.
He sat down in the smoldering cavern, pulled out his [Sharp-Edged Rock (Chert)], and got to work. He didn't just sharpen the bone. He began to chip away at it, carving a groove. Then he took the [Charred Chitin Fragments] and, using the [Improvise] skill, began fitting them into the groove.
[Improvise (Lvl 1) Check (Int 17) vs. Difficulty (9)... Success!]
[You have created a [Chitin-Edged Bone Dagger (Poor)] x 1]
His hands trembled as he held it. It was... a real weapon. It was a 6-inch-long bone handle, with dozens of razor-sharp, fire-hardened chitin fragments embedded along the edge, creating a crude, serrated blade.
It was the goblin equivalent of a obsidian-edged macuahuitl.
It was the ugliest, most terrifying, most beautiful thing he had ever made.
'Appraisal!'
[Chitin-Edged Bone Dagger (Poor) (Weapon)]
Rank: F-rank (High)
Description: A crude bone dagger, given a hideously sharp, serrated edge with fire-hardened chitin fragments. A testament to desperation and cleverness.
Effect: Inflicts [Piercing] damage and [Bleeding (Minor)] damage.
Note: It's junk. But it's inspired junk.
He checked his Evolution Log. He'd eaten 5 [Tainted] roaches and 16 [Cooked] ones.
[Progress to 2nd Evolution: 4.5% / 100%
[Insectoid Essence (Chitin)]: 65%
[Fungal Essence (Purifying)]: 15%
[Goblinoid Essence (Cannibalism)]: 15%
[Toxin Essence (Tainted)]: 5%
He was, by a huge margin, becoming a bug.
He looked at his new chitin-dagger. He looked at his full inventory of cooked food. He looked at his Lvl 6 status.
Let them call me a bug, he thought, a sharp, 17-Intelligence grin on his face.
He was a bug that had just invented fire, napalm, and serrated blades.
He was ready to clear the rest of this dungeon.