"I can't let myself get hungry anymore," Bane muttered to himself.
Finally having his tummy full of human flesh, sanity had returned back to him.
Bane could only hold his head in worry.
"I felt like I wasn't myself anymore."
It wasn't something that he describe in weird words.
But when Bane had glanced towards his mother he was naturally drawn towards her. It was like his body was moving on its own.
A man struck in a desert would have naturally drawn to an oasis, no matter what the nature of the oasis was. The oasis might have been just a hallucination but he would move nonetheless.
Bane had been the same or a more fitting explaination would be that his goblin body had took hold control over his mind.
"No, anyone but a comrade."
Bane stole glances at his mother from time to time as he gritted his teeth.
He couldn't let something like this to happen again.
He couldn't let his hunger take over.
If it was any other human he wouldn't bat an eye.
But he couldn't let his priorities mixed up and hurt someone he considered a comrade.
Even if he hated humans as a whole but that was no reason for him to kill his mother. Not because she was the one who gave him birth but simply because he declared her as a comrade.
"I hate this."
He hated humans.
Then he hated deities.
And now he began to hate his whole body.
But all he could do was hate.
And, there was nothing that he could do.
"Tch"
He could only click his tongue as he hung onto his head.
But he hadn't yet reached the end of the tunnel yet.
It was faint light and all he could do was hope but the hope was still there.
"Will reaching higher levels really help me?"
Even though Bane was moving in a daze, he hadn't forgot the system message that had popped out when he tried to eat a goblin.
He could make changes to his body if only he was meeting certain requirements.
Most of these requirements was a high level.
"Thus higher the level, the more likely I would be able to get rid of this annoying body that is driven by hunger alone."
But that was only a possibility. Bane could do nothing do but hope and in the mean time avoid getting into any sort of troubles.
"In the end, what I have to do doesn't change. But I wonder what I should do now? There is no way out of this fuck nest isn't it? The only option is to naturally grow like the others."
Every living being naturally gain levels the more time passes. But this process is incredibly slow but new born babies like himself who are prey to others have no other way but to rely on it.
Bane flopped back on his back as he stared at the dark ceiling with a small hole.
The sky above was bluer than he had ever seen. Perhaps living in a dark hole had changed his perspective on colors.
"Well, as long as I stay here, I will be protected by the goblins. I should be safe for the time being at least. That is until hunters are dispatched for goblin extermination."
Hunters are dispatched for goblin extermination from time to time.
Some just come to kill goblins for the exp alone. While others for money.
Bane himself had been part of many such exterminations.
They are mostly been done in groups as normally who could solo such a nest wouldn't be wasting time here anyway.
"If such a thing were to happen my chances would be 50-50."
It totally depended on how formidable these group of goblins were.
Would the hunters lose and fall back?
Or will the goblins lose and die?
That was a variable in such a scenario.
He lifted his little index finger and checked out the silver ring he had just acquired.
"If such a thing happens, at least this should protect me as long as I am still a baby."
***
Name: Emergency Magic Shield.
Description: One use item. Upon use the ring is destroyed and a magic shield of tier C surrounding the user is cast. The shield persists for an hour protecting the user from outside dangers.
***
It was something that he had picked up from amongst his food.
Though it wasn't the only thing he had found but all the others were just junk. Decorative accessories that women wear with no magical properties.
As the description foretold it was a shield that would be handy in sticky situations.
"A tier C means no goblin hunter should be able to break it."
Bane knew how humans worked.
All they had was but greed.
Since they came here mostly for the greed of exp, they wouldn't certainly wait an hour to kill an infant who wouldn't be giving them any accountable exp upon death.
What's more? Most hunters who come to hunt goblins aren't strong enough to break such a magic shield by force.
Thus, even if the whole goblin nest were to die... Bane alone had the chance of emerging out of it alive if he played his cards right.
The item itself wasn't much of a cheat but depending on the situation it is used it could turn things for his favor.
"Though for the first time, I hope that those bastards ignore the goblins like they usually do."
In the end it all comes down to greed.
Not everyone can pay for a goblin extermination squad.
Unless too many settlements gets affected or some big shot ends up having his lover fucked by goblins there was no hope to raise such funds.
Now the question was... how far had the adult goblins gone?
"I hope its not too far fetched."
Bane certainly wouldn't want to go packless as soon as he is born. Moving with the pack is the best to ensure his safety.
If the pack is exterminated it would be as good as him becoming an orphan in the wild world.
On top of that, it was already a given that he would be losing his mother soon enough.
"There is already no hope of mother making it out of here alive."
Bane had observed around the fuck nest a bit.
With the traces of blood and pile of bones, it was clear that the women were gradually being killed to feed their children.
Their flesh added with some kind of unknown additive was supposed to be what drew the infant goblins like bees to flowers.
Otherwise the infants seemed to be clueless even in regards to their hunger unlike Bane.
"Surely mother's turn would also come."
Leaving a comrade to die would surely leave a bad after taste.
But as he was Bane couldn't be carve out a burial ground for her.
"What can I do? There is nothing for me to do."
She and Bane had shared their thoughts for months at least.
Bane knew of her inner fears and desires.
"Perhaps?"
He walked up to his mother again with firm steps.
This time he wasn't tumbling like a broken beast hungry for flesh.
'I have to test something.'