After twenty or so minutes of traversing the forest we run into another goblin scout party. This time there are five of them, each dressed in their trademark loincloth and carrying very crude, crumbling weapons.
I use the term 'scout party' very generously because two of these degenerates are currently busy chewing at tree barks with their ugly yellow teeth while one is laying the pipe in a nearby bush and screeching loudly at the same time. The last two are… enjoying each other's company despite both being males. Well, one of them is enjoying it, the stronger one, the weaker not so much, evidenced by his shrieks and flailing limbs.
I feel a strange mixture of utter disgust and morbid fascination at the sight of these hopeless tards.
I didn't know goblins swung this way, but whatever floats your boat. I'm not one to judge. Freedom of speech and all that fancy-mancy 21st-century stuff.
I whisper into Ayame's ear, "let me have a go at these rejects. Please circle around to the other side to cut off their escape route should I fail to get all of them."
She doesn't object and replies positively with a single nod of her head.
I wait a few minutes to give her enough time to find the right position and then begin my silent assault.
First I crouch sneak towards the shitting goblin. He is alone so he should make the perfect first prey. To my utter dismay just as I get close I hear him lay another pipe, accompanied by the foulest smell my nostrils ever had the displeasure of inhaling. It takes all of my sheer willpower to not make gagging sounds, but somehow I manage to persevere, though my eyes are tearing up quite vehemently.
Before he can continue his musical composition made up of farting and moaning sounds I lunge at him.
Midway I activate [Power Strike]. At first I was considering showing my spear up his ass but when I realized that doing so would curse me to carry the smell of his filthy insides around with me I changed my target to the back of his neck.
The spear pierced his skin, muscles and spine with little difficulty, making him go limp without a fight. I can hear faint gurgling sounds as he is silently choking on his blood for a few seconds before going radio silent.
[You've slain goblin (Level 2). You've gained 17 XP]
[New Class Unlocked: Assassin]
Oh! Seems like sneak attacking was the requirement to unlock this class. I quickly equip it as a Secondary Class in Merchant's place.
For good measure I spit on the corpse for making me smell that horrible stench before going back into my stealth mode.
I don't activate the Thief class's [Lesser Stealth] because I'm trying to conserve mana for the dozens of goblins that I might have to face soon.
I look around to observe the two goblin duos to decide on my next target. The bark munchers seem to be in pure ecstasy, I honestly don't think they have much brain power left in their heads to recognize sounds of fighting, so I go for the 'procreating' duo first.
I wait for the spell's cooldown before stabbing the goblin that does the pounding in the back, but to my surprise it survives an attack from my Power Strike. He screeches and turns around confused and pained. He is bleeding profusely from his wound so I believe that he will succumb to his wound fast, but I don't wish to leave things to time nor fate, so before he can reach for his weapon I plunge my spear into his chest for good measure.
[You've slain goblin (Level 3). You've gained 29 XP]
I swiftly pull out of the by-now dead goblin and look at the other one. I feel a sense of pity towards his unwilling partner who is lying on the ground on all fours, foaming from his mouth while being half-conscious at best, but knowing what these creatures do to kidnapped women, such thoughts are replaced with complete indifference as I stab him twice in quick succession.
[You've slain goblin (Level 2). You've gained 17 XP]
So that's why he was overwhelmed so easily. The previous goblin was higher level.
Seems like level 2 goblins are simple throwaway scouts while level 3 goblins are scout leaders.
I glance towards the bark munchers and my disappointment in this species reaches a new high when I finally realize that there's a slight bulge in their loincloths.
Yep, they are getting aroused from eating tree bark.
What absolute degenerates.
I let out a defeated sigh at the image of my enemies, but I can't help myself when in the next moment I let out an amused laugh.
This world is just so much damn fun! I went from being a depressive office worker to a goblin exterminator!
I wait for the cooldown to end once more and I pierce one of the munchers from behind with a Power Strike, who falls to the ground instantly.
[You've slain goblin (Level 2). You've gained 17 XP]
The last one wakes from his ecstasy induced stupor and cries out in surprise.
Seriously, are they getting high from tree bark or what?
He lunges towards his bone knife which is resting on the ground nearby but before he can reach it I thrust my spear and impale his right thigh. He lets out a pained cry but doesn't give up. In the next moment his arm reaches the crude dagger and he swings it around, attempting to slash me.
The reach difference is so enormous between the two of us that his desperate swings aren't even close to hitting me. Before he gets all smart and realizes that he should throw the blade at me I pull the spear back and thrust it into his chest, using my full body strength to press him down onto the ground.
I can see his eyes widen in horror, and I watch with interest as life slowly leaves his gaze until his head falls to the side unceremoniously and remains motionless.
[You've slain goblin (Level 2). You've gained 17 XP]
Scout party number two was eliminated, making it so that I've slain 8 goblins. Our pace is swift and our ambushes just as deadly. So far we've not been exposed to the main camp.
[You've reached Primordial Level 3.]
[Warrior lvl 3 → 4]
[Assassin lvl 1 → 2]