He woke up in a pool of his own... goo.
It had been hours since he'd absorbed the core. The pain was gone, replaced by a strange, thrumming energy. He felt... solid. The [Chitinous Buds] under his skin were no longer an "itch"; they were a fact. They felt like a dozen small, hard pebbles embedded beneath his shoulder blades, at his joints, and along his forearms. It was a constant, subtle reminder that he was becoming less goblin and more something else.
He got up. His hovel, once a safe-zone, now felt... cramped. His 15 Agility and 15 Stamina craved movement.
He stood in the center of his small, blue-lit cave and, with his 24 Intelligence, decided to test the new "hardware."
"Okay," he rasped, his voice still feeling strange. "System. Skill. [Acid Spit]."
He focused his 8/12 Mana, drawing it from his gut. He felt the new, internal [Acid Gland]—a small, warm sac in his throat—clench.
He puckered his lips and spat at the cave wall.
P-HTOO!
A glob of viscous, glowing-green liquid shot out and hit the stone.
TSSSSSSSSSS...
A wisp of acrid smoke, smelling sharply of unripe lemons and batteries, rose as the acid ate into the rock, leaving a small, bubbling, fist-sized pockmark.
His 12 Mana was instantly down by 3.
"Huh." He stared at the hole. "That is... gross. And awesome. And grossly awesome."
He was a walking, talking piece of artillery. His [Junk Tossing] was for physical damage. This was for... melting things.
He was Lvl 11. He was armed. He was armored (sort of). He was, he felt, more than ready to deal with the Lvl 7 [Tribe Bully] who was, by all accounts, just a big, mean piece of F-Rank trash.
He strode to the fissure overlooking the main goblin cavern, his [Colony-Killer] title radiating a confidence he'd never felt before. He looked down.
The Bully was there, on his throne, gnawing on a bone.
The goblin raised his chin, ready to [Appraise] his nemesis and plan the assassination.
'Appraisal.'
[System: Mana Cost: 1. Target acquired. Current Mana: 5/12]
[Analyzing... Target is high-level...]
[Appraisal (Lesser) (Lvl 1) is insufficient for a full scan.]
Race: Goblin (???)
Level: 7
Rank: F-Rank (Peak)
Title: [Tribe Bully]
State: (???)
Equipment: [Crude Bone-Plate (Poor)], [Nail-Studded Club (Poor)]
Note: (???)
He stared. He was Lvl 11. The target was Lvl 7. And his [Appraisal] skill still couldn't get a full reading.
He looked at his Class: [Field Scavenger (F-Rank) (Lvl 2 -> 95% EXP)].
"Ah," he grumbled. "There's the bottleneck."
His main level was skyrocketing, but his class was still stuck in the tutorial. His skills—[Appraisal], [Scavenge], [Improvise]—were all tied to his class level. He was a Lvl 11 powerhouse with Lvl 2 software. It was inefficient. It was stupid.
"You can't just grind combat, you idiot," he berated himself. "You're a Scavenger. You have to do your job."
His 24 Intelligence, now augmented by the +2 from his title, processed the problem. He needed to level his class. He needed to [Scavenge], [Appraise], and, most importantly, [Improvise].
He looked at his hovel. He had a pile of E-Rank materials from the Queen.
This wasn't a chore. This was an opportunity.
He was a Lvl 11 goblin with 24 INT and E-Rank parts. It was time to craft.
He returned to his alcove, which he was now officially re-designating as his "Workshop."
He laid out his treasures from the Queen's corpse:
[Warped E-Rank Chitin Plate (Poor)] x 3
[Volatile Acid Gland (Damaged)] x 1
[Queen's Jelly (Tainted - Fire)] x 2
He picked up the [Warped Chitin Plate]. It was the size of his torso, blackened and twisted by the fire, but it was impossibly hard. His [Chitin-Edged Dagger] couldn't even scratch it.
He tried 'Improvise' on it.
[Improvise (Lvl 1) Check (Int 24) vs. Difficulty (15)... Failure!]
[Your tools are insufficient. You cannot shape this material.]
"Right." He couldn't make armor. But... he could use it.
His eyes landed on his [Sharp-Edged Rock (Chert)]. He began to grind the edge of the E-Rank plate against the rock, not to shape it, but to sharpen it.
It took thirty minutes of grueling, tedious work, but he managed to flake off a small, razor-sharp, obsidian-like sliver of the E-Rank chitin.
He then took a new [Goblin Bone Shard] and began to work, his [Improvise] skill guiding his hands.
[Improvise (Lvl 1) Check (Int 24) vs. Difficulty (12)... Success!]
[Your skill [Improvise (Passive)] has gained 50% EXP!]
[You have created a [E-Rank Chitin-Shiv (Common)]!]
It was... lethal. Just a simple, 4-inch bone hilt, but the blade was a sliver of the Queen's own warped, black chitin. It was minimalist, practical, and terrifying.
'Appraisal.'
[E-Rank Chitin-Shiv (Common) (Weapon)]
Rank: E-Rank (Lower)
Description: A crude bone-hilt, socketed with a razor-sharp, fire-warped fragment of an E-Rank Matriarch's shell. It's more shiv than dagger, but it's a true E-Rank weapon.
Effect: Inflicts high [Piercing] damage. Possesses [Minor Armor Penetration] (Can pierce F-Rank armor).
He held it. He now had a weapon that could pierce the [Tribe Bully]'s [Crude Bone-Plate].
Next. The [Volatile Acid Gland (Damaged)]. It was a shriveled, grapefruit-sized sac.
He didn't [Improvise]. He [Scavenged]. His Lvl 3 skill was for finding things.
'Scavenge!'
[Scavenge (Lvl 3) Check (Per 19) vs. Difficulty (10)... Great Success!]
[You have activated the [Hidden Properties] search!]
[You have bypassed the damaged tissue and extracted the core-component!]
[You have obtained [Potent Acid Catalyst (Common)] x 1]
It was a small, crystallized-yellow "seed." He [Appraised] it. It was a catalyst. It stabilized and enhanced other acids.
He looked at his [Vials of Roach Pus (Poor)].
'Improvise.'
He took one of the vials, popped the membrane, and dropped the tiny yellow seed in.
It didn't explode. It just... dissolved. The pus, once a murky green-yellow, turned a vibrant, toxic, almost glowing green.
[Improvise (Lvl 1) Check (Int 24) vs. Difficulty (11)... Success!]
[Your skill [Improvise (Passive)] has gained 100% EXP!]
[Skill: [Improvise (Lvl 1)] -> [Improvise (Lvl 2)]]
[Success rate increased. You can now attempt more complex two-part combinations.]
[You have created a [Concentrated Acid-Vial (Common)]!]
'Appraisal.'
[Concentrated Acid-Vial (Common) (Ammo)]
Rank: E-Rank (Lower)
Description: A [Roach Pus] vial, hyper-catalyzed by a [Matriarch's Gland]. This is no longer just an irritant; it's a weapon.
Effect: Shatters on impact. Inflicts [Acid (Moderate)] damage over time. Highly effective against F-Rank armor and flesh.
He now had an E-Rank dagger and an E-Rank acid-bomb.
And his Class...
[Your Class [Field Scavenger (F-Rank)] has gained 100% proficiency!]
[CLASS LEVELED UP!]
[Class Level 2 -> Class Level 3]
[Intelligence +1, Perception +1]
[You have learned a new Class Skill!]
[Trap Crafting (Lesser) - Lvl 1 (Active)]:Your [Improvise] and [Analysis] skills combine, allowing you to create simple, non-magical traps from 'Junk'. (e.g., [Snare (Junk)], [Tripwire (Junk)], [Caltrops (Junk)]). Requires 2 Mana per trap.
His stats, again, went up.
Intelligence: 25.
Perception: 20.
He felt... transcendent. His mind was a razor. The cave wasn't just a cave; it was a schematic.
He was Lvl 11. He had E-Rank gear. He had a Lvl 3 Class.
He went back to the fissure, his new [E-Rank Chitin-Shiv] in his hand. He looked down at the Lvl 7 brute.
'Appraisal.'
The skill, now backed by a Lvl 3 Class and 25 INT, slammed into the target.
[System: Mana Cost: 1. Target acquired. Current Mana: 11/12]
[Scanning... Bypassing F-Rank resistance...]
[Appraisal (Lesser) (Lvl 3) - Full Scan Complete!]
Race: Goblin (Brute-Type)
Level: 7
Rank: F-Rank (Peak)
Name: Gruk
Title: [Tribe Bully]
State: Sated, Lazy, Bored
Attributes:
STR: 14
AGI: 5
STA: 12
INT: 3
PER: 6
MANA: 1
Abilities: [Bully's Roar (F)], [Power-Strike (F)]
Equipment:
[Crude Bone-Plate (Poor)]: (5 Physical Defense)
[Nail-Studded Club (Poor)]: (8-10 Physical Damage)
Note:This creature is a glass cannon. It hits hard, but its 5 Agility and 3 Intelligence make it a slow, stupid target. It has maintained its position as 'leader' through sheer, brutish strength, hoarding food and culling any who challenge it.
He stared at the stats.
STR 14. That... was higher than his 13. The Bully was stronger.
But... Agility 5. Intelligence 3.
He, the Llvl 11 goblin, had 15 Agility and 25 Intelligence.
This wasn't a fight. This wasn't even an assassination.
This was, he thought, as he uncorked his [Concentrated Acid-Vial], pest control.