In the well.
Once I settle down and catch my breath, I pick up the four daggers, spear and shield, and take them back to my room. Then I return and, though I don't want to, I open the spear goblin's chest to look for a beast core. Finding none, I drag the goblin corpses into the pit room and throw them on top of the pile of bones.
I return to the room to check it one last time; I even run my hands along the walls to check for illusions. Once I'm sure the room is empty, I return to the closed door in the hallway and sit down. I take out my lock picks and start feeling around the inside of the lock with them to try to figure out how to open it.
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩.
- Congratulations, you've acquired the passive skill Picking Locks!
√ Picking Locks
√ Level 1
- Agility +1
- You can attempt to pick a lock without a key.
My good mood from acquiring the skill disappears moments later when the picks break. With a sigh, I toss the broken picks aside and get up again. Before returning to my room, I decide to check the storage room. I quickly sort through the piles of junk, separating the wood and stacking it by the door. I'm disappointed, but not too surprised, to find nothing useful other than wood.
I gather a pile of firewood and return to my room. After dropping off the firewood, I update the map and sit down to take a look at the weapons I took from the goblins. As expected, all the daggers are dull and rusty, so I set about cleaning and sharpening them first.
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩⟩
- Congratulations, the Repair skill has advanced to level 3!
√ Repair
√ Level 3.
- Strength +3, Intelligence +3
- You can repair common objects without damaging them.
When I turn back to the spear, I'm surprised to see that it's not rusted, and that all I have to do is sharpen it a bit. That done, I take a dagger and some bone, and start carving ten sets of lock picks.
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩⟩
- Congratulations, the Ivory Carving skill has advanced to level 3!
√ Ivory carving
√ Level 3
- Agility +3.
- You can carve normal bones and turn them into basic items.
Once I finished using the picks, I picked them up and headed back to the locked door to try again. I sat down in front of the door again and began to learn how to pick a lock by trial and error. From the shape of the hole, I deduced that I needed to manipulate the bottom of the lock and turn it somehow.
Three broken lock pick sets later....
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩⟩
- Congratulations, the Picking Locks skill has advanced to level 2!
√ Lock picking
√ Level 2
- Agility +2
- You can attempt to pick a lock without a key.
After breaking five more sets of lock picks....
"CLIK" "CLIK"
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩⟩
- Congratulations, the Lock picking skill has advanced to level 3!
√ Lock picking
√ Level 3
- Agility +3
- You can attempt to pick a lock without a key.
"Finally!!! That took forever!"
I tuck the two remaining sets of lock picks into my belt and get up. As I had been warned, I close my eyes until they are half-open before opening the door so as not to be blinded. Once my eyes adjust to the light, I find myself in a very small room. A small desk, a single chair and a small bookshelf with six books greet me as I look around.
My attention is immediately drawn to the books, as I still know nothing about the world I have been summoned to. I pick up the first one and open it, but am disappointed to discover that I cannot read the language it is written in. I quickly check the other five books, but they are all in the same language.
Since I can't read them, I take the books to my room and then go back to look for the furniture. Once the room is empty, I carefully check the walls for illusions and find none. The last thing I do is reach out and take the light stone. As I return to my room with the stone, I am amazed at the details I miss when I use my dark vision.
Looking at the walls in the bright light, I get an idea of how old this place must be. I go back to my room and try to sit in the chair, but it seems too small and doesn't fit my legs. So I break it into kindling and add it to the pile. Then I try to crouch down in front of the desk, but it's too low and not comfortable, so I add it to the firewood as well.
Since I'm hungry, I decide to make a soup with the last of the mushrooms and the wolf meat. While it's cooking, I sit on the floor and open one of the books to try to decipher the language. It's a slow and difficult task, but by the time the soup is ready, I've deciphered a few letters.
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩.
- Congratulations, you've acquired the language skill!
√ Linguistics
√ Level 1
- Intelligence +2
- You can try to decipher other languages.
While I eat a bowl of soup, I continue to study the strange letters. When I manage to decipher the next letter, the soup runs out. I continue for hours deciphering one letter at a time until I can start translating simple words.
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩.
- Congratulations, the Linguistic skill has advanced to level 2!
√ Linguistics
√ Level 2
- Intelligence +4
- You can try to decipher other languages.
I spend all night on this and by morning I'm able to read the titles of books: History of the Empire I, II and III, Basic Spellcasting, Theory of Magic and Diary of an Archmage. Once I identify the books, I start with History of the Empire I, reading it from the beginning. At first, it takes me an hour to read just one sentence, but it gets easier as I go along.
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩.
Congratulations, Linguistic Ability has advanced to level 3!
√ Linguistics
√ Level 3
- Intelligence +6
- You can try to decipher other languages.
Will it be easier because the skill is increasing or because my intelligence has improved? I guess it could be both. After reading the first chapter, I decide to put the book down for a while.
I meditate for two hours, then return to the warehouse and finish carrying the wood to my room. After that, I go through my usual exercise routine and then work on the weapons. I take the spear and shield and start training with them.
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩.
- Congratulations, you have acquired the combat skill Fundamentals of the spear!
√ Basics of the spear.
√ Level 1
- Strength +1 Agility +1
- You cause 5% additional damage with spears.
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩⟩
- Congratulations, you have acquired the combat skill Fundamentals of the shield!
√ Shield basics
√ Level 1
- Strength +1 Resistance +1
- You gain Defense +1 when you use a shield.
I like the feel of using the spear and shield, so I decide to adopt them as my primary weapons for now. I hang the mace from my belt and still have two daggers with me. Once ready, I decide to head out and explore the next passageway.
Crossing the shaft room, everything is as I left it. But not far away, in the new passage, I see something new: a door guarded by two goblins. There are no detours before the door, so this is the only way to go.
Both goblins are armed with daggers, so I decide to be a bit reckless. Instead of sneaking up on them, I'll attack them openly. I step out of the shadows and run down the hallway straight towards them, laughing at the look on their faces. However, that doesn't stop me from piercing the one on the right with the spear and hitting the other one with the shield.
- Objective: Kill goblins 8/20
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩⟩
- Congratulations, you've acquired the "Charge" combat skill!
√ Charge
√ Level 1
- Strength +1
- When you charge into battle, you cause double damage with your first hit.
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩⟩
- Congratulations, you have acquired the active skill Shield Strike!
√ Shield Strike
√ Level 1
- MP cost 5
- When you hit an enemy with your shield, you have a 25% chance to stun them.
I must step on the first goblin to release the spear, and then it is easy for me to dispatch the second one.
- Objective: Kill goblins 9/20
I kick the goblin bodies aside and try the door. Opening it, what I see inside horrifies and enrages me. There are five human women, all clearly tortured and abused. What's worse, three of them appear to be pregnant. I hate what has been done to them and even more what I must do for them. I pull out a dagger and slowly approach the first woman. She looks terrified, so I try to reassure her.
"Shhh... I won't hurt you. I'm going to put you out of your misery."
She seems to understand my intention, closes her eyes and nods. I do it as quickly and painlessly as possible before moving on to the second woman.
"Thank you."
"I'm sorry this happened to you, I promise I'll kill all the goblins."
Again, I do it quickly and painlessly. The third woman doesn't seem able to speak, but she gestures to me to indicate that she understands what I'm about to do. The last two are already unconscious, and I make sure they don't wake up. At that moment I hate myself, and I want nothing more than to kill everything down here, climb down the shaft, and finish off everyone in the castle.
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩.
- Congratulations, you've won a title!
√ Title: The Merciful One.
- Effect: Charm +5 when interacting with women.
The title makes me feel like they understood my intentions a bit, but it still takes me a while to suppress the anger and bottle it up. Why oh why couldn't I have that title in my last life? I guess it will be like this.
It will come in handy when I get out of here, I've never been good at dealing with women.
I remove the daggers and rope from the goblins and then toss their corpses onto the pile of bones. I carry the five women one by one into the hallway outside my room. I gather more bones and sit down to whittle a rudimentary shovel and pickaxe.
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩.
- Congratulations, the Ivory Carving skill has advanced to level 4!
√ Ivory carving
√ Level 4
- Agility +4.
- You can carve bones to make basic items.
For once, the sound of the skill upgrade doesn't make me smile. I proceed to use the new tools to dig in the dirt behind the broken wall. I wish I had more room for separate graves, but I can only place one.
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩.
- Congratulations, the Mining skill has advanced to level 3!
√ Mining
√ Level 3
- Strength +3 stamina +1
- You can try to mine normal ore.
"Oh, shut up!"
I proceed to bury the five unfortunate women. I then return to my room, clean myself up and grab a bowl of soup. After a while, I hear angry shouting echoing down the hallways, which makes me smile. Then, for the first time, I hear the goblins actively moving. Well, now it's my turn to hunt them down - I have some rage to share with you monsters!