Fully equipped, I walk through my tunnel and enter the sewers, only to feel a clawed hand clawing at my arm from the right.
- You've suffered a Claw attack! 5 HP damage!
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩.
- You've been poisoned! You've taken 7 points of damage!
HP: 292/304
I turn to the right and raise my shield to block the next attack. I see that my opponent is too close for the sword and I pull the Black Razor from my belt. I block another attack with the shield and then swing the dagger towards the thing's neck.
"REBANADE!"
As it collapses to the ground and rolls over before dying, I get a good look at it for the first time. It looks like a six-foot tall rat with fur and a tail, but from the way it stands upright and struggles, I'm guessing it's bipedal in nature.
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩.
- New missions available!
- Kill the rat men
- Objective: Kill the rat men 1/30.
- Reward: 10 stat points.
Do you accept? Y/N
- Kill the Rat King
- Objective: Kill the Rat King 0/1
- Reward: Lionheart helmet.
Do you accept? Y/N
"Yes, I accept."
-Ah, so it was a rat man? And they have a king? So there are at least thirty of these creatures down here, and who knows what else! I'm glad I took the time to upgrade my armor!
I check the corpse for anything of value and find nothing. I hoist it over my shoulder and walk back to the trash pile and toss it on top. Then I walk back to the sewers and look around carefully before entering this time.
I turn to the right and start to slowly explore. After about thirty feet I see a small passage to the left, but decide to continue down the main tunnel for now. I can already tell that this place is much bigger than the shaft.
I continue for about seventy feet or so before I see a crossroads, the main tunnel goes straight on but there is a passage to the left and to the right. And the passage on the right is guarded by two goblins. I draw my sword slowly so as not to make noise and then use the shadows along the side of the passage to approach.
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩.
- Congratulations, the Stealth skill has advanced to level 4!
√ Stealth
√ Level 4
- MP cost 15 Agility +3
- You can sneak up on average beings.
Once I am close enough, I charge, hit the first goblin with the upward strike as I pass and continue to the second and hit it with the downward strike.
- Objective: kill goblins 27/50
I hear a noise and turn towards the passageway to see a dozen goblins charging towards me. I turn to face them and prepare to charge, I take out the first two with a swing of my sword and a swing of my shield, but the rest quickly surround me.
- Objective: kill goblins 29/50
- You've suffered a stabbing attack! You've taken 1 HP damage!
- You have suffered a stabbing attack! You have taken 3 points of damage!
- You have suffered a stabbing attack! 2 points of damage have been inflicted!
- You have suffered a stabbing attack! You have taken 1 HP damage!
- You have suffered a stabbing attack! You have taken 1 HP damage!
- You have suffered a stabbing attack! You have taken 3 points of damage!
HP: 281/304
I start slashing from left to right as fast as I can and quickly take three more goblins out of play.
- Objective: kill goblins 32/50
- You've suffered a stabbing attack! You've taken 1 HP damage!
- You have suffered a bladed weapon attack! You have taken 2 HP damage!
- You have suffered a stabbing attack! 1 HP has been inflicted!
- You have suffered a stabbing attack! You have taken 3 points of damage!
- You have suffered a stabbing attack! You have taken 1 HP damage!
- You have suffered a stabbing attack! You have taken 2 points of damage!
- You have suffered a stabbing attack! You have been damaged 1 HP!
HP: 270/304
'They barely hurt me? I love this new armor!'
After seeing how little damage they do, I stop trying to block their attacks and start using the shield to attack them as well. Two sword hits and two shield hits and four more die.
- Objective: kill goblins 36/50
- You have suffered a stabbing attack! You have taken 1 HP damage!
- You have suffered a stabbing attack! 2 points of damage have been inflicted!
- You have suffered a stabbing attack! 2 points of damage have been inflicted on you!
HP: 265/304
A few more moves and the last three fall before me.
- Objective: kill goblins 39/50
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩.
- Congratulations, the Sword and shield skill has advanced to level 2!
√ Sword and shield
√ Level 2
- Defense +2 Strength +2
- A style for both offense and defense.
I feel powerful as I step over the corpses and advance through the passageway. The passageway is uneven and broken, with obvious signs of tool marks and, after thirty feet, opens up into what looks like a natural cave.
Inside the cave is obviously the goblin nest and I find six other adult goblins guarding five younger goblins. I don't give them time to react and they attack immediately. All six goblins fall without even being able to hit me.
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩.
- Congratulations, the Sword Fundamentals skill has advanced to level 3!
√ Sword Fundamentals.
√ Level 3
- Strength +3.
- You deal 15% extra damage with swords.
- Objective: kill goblins 45/50
I look at the mission counter and then at the remaining five goblins, normally I'm not a fan of killing the defenseless but I want to finish the mission and I know from the manga that if I leave them alive I might regret it later. So I step forward and it's over with five swipes of my sword.
"DIZ" "DIZ"
- You have completed a mission!
- Kill the Goblins II.
- Objective: kill goblins 50/50
- Reward: 10 stat points.
Once done, I clean my sword and start gathering daggers from the dead. I carry the daggers up to my room to make more spikes later. I then spend an hour going back and forth to move all the bodies to the trash pile.
Once that is done, I decide to call it a day and return to my room. Before dinner, I clean and arrange my clothes and weapons. Then I update the map with the new area. After all that, I sit down to eat my cold dinner and read some more.
With so much talk about the imperial family line and various rebellions, it makes for pretty boring reading, but I think knowing the history of this world might come in handy someday. So, after reading for a few hours, I meditate for six hours.
The next morning I get up and go about my normal routine. After breakfast I go back to the goblin nest to finish cleaning it, all the garbage I return it to the trash pile. I find nothing useful until I examine the cave walls, where I find a couple of metal veins. I take my last two picks and go back and start mining for ore. As soon as I have a piece I check it out to see what it is.
√ ITEM.
- Iron ore.
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩.
- Congratulations, Observing skill has advanced to level 4!
√ Observe
√ Level 4
- Intelligence. +4
- You can identify items with study.
I end up breaking both picks, but manage to extract one hundred and fifty pounds of iron ore. I then spend the next two hours carrying it all back to my room, though I still can't do anything with it. Deciding that the day is not yet over, I return to the sewers and this time turn left to explore the other side.
After about fifty feet there is a passageway to the right, but I pass it by. Thirty feet further on I find a corridor on the left and decide to take a look at it. It stretches for fifteen feet and then opens into a room, it looks like another warehouse full of junk. As usual, I walk through it and carry the trash to the trash pile under the shaft.
As I'm clearing the piles, I discover something: under the pile are a couple of cans, and when I lift them, they move. When I open them, I immediately recognize the smell of oil. I already have a plan in mind for them and take the two cans to my room.
While I'm there, I update the map and, instead of going back down, I look for more bones and start making more spikes with the goblin daggers I got from the nest. I can make another fifteen spikes which I hope will be enough for whatever mining I end up doing there.
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩.
- Congratulations, the Ivory Carving skill has advanced to level 7!
√ Ivory carving
√ Level 7
-Agility +7 Intelligence +3.
- You can carve bones to make objects.
Once I'm done choosing, I sit down to read a bit and eat dinner. After a couple of hours, I finish The Story of Empire II and decide to go to sleep.
⟨⟨-DING-⟩⟩.
- Congratulations, the Linguistics skill has advanced to level 6!
√ Linguistics
√ Level 6
- Intelligence +12
- You can try to decipher other languages.