'System. From now on, show me the Stats of any creature I look at. Any creature for which I haven't seen the Stats yet. Don't wait for me to ask.'
[Your Command has been saved.]
'Good.'
Kin looked around for a bit.
'This forest really isn't as wild as I thought. I feared it would be dangerous, but it's actually way too peaceful.'
[The Goblins are partly the reason for that.]
'Yeah? That's surprising... Wait, partly? What else is there?'
[The Beasts and Monsters sense an ominous energy coming from this area.]
'So they steer clear, huh? Should I do the same?' Kin chuckled. 'Or should I look for the source of this ominous energy?'
[Only creatures with the ability to use Mana can sense the dark energy.]
'That can use Mana... So the Goblin Chief can sense that energy? What are the Goblins still doing here then?'
Kin's eyes widened for a moment.
'Could whatever it is that produces that ominous energy be what he's trying to exchange for the Fox Girl?'
The System went silent.
'Guess you won't share that kind of thing... No matter. For now, I'll just focus on-'
Kin's thoughts were interrupted as a System Window appeared for no apparent reason.
[-Stats:
Strength: 1
Agility: 2
Perception: 15
Endurance: 5
Vigor: 1
]
'Huh?' Kin clicked his tongue, remembering the command that had been saved by the System. 'Don't show me JUST their Stats! Show me everything you got!'
[Your Command has been saved.]
[Species: Disappearing Chameleon[F-Rank]
-Stats:
Strength: 1
Agility: 2
Perception: 15
Endurance: 5
Vigor: 1
]
'Disappearing...' Kin continued staring at the branch. 'This goes beyond camouflage, it's completely invisible!'
He stepped closer carefully, the previously obtained horn in hand.
'Should be... Around here?'
With one hand around the horn and the other pushing on the flat end,
'Hit!' Kin rejoiced internally.
The instant that the horn went through, the Disappearing Chameleon became visible.
'Sick Skill you got.' He chuckled. 'The skin and muscles are soft, only reason the horn managed to pierce through.'
While previously focused on finding another Horned Hare to sharpen his blade, Kin had now found another much more productive task.
'If I can gain a Camouflage or Invisibility Skill... But that's pretty much impossible. I'd have to glance at them randomly and get lucky enough when attacking. Additionally, I don't know how many there are in the forest.; I could spend hours studying every square inch of any area and still not find anything.'
With a sigh, Kin decided that looking for Horned Hare was still the better choice.
'If I can find some Disappearing Chamelons randomly then sure, but...' He shrugged.
The Palm of the Devourer Skill was used.
[The Palm Of The Devourer presents one choice.]
[1-Disappearing Chameleon's Eye(Perception Stat +10).]
'Don't tell me... Can Disappearing Chamaelons see each other? Are they invisible to all when using the Skill, except to other Disappearing Chamaeleons?!'
Kin didn't even wait for the System's answer. After all, it wasn't much of a choice. Either a massive Stat increase that came with the possibility of seeing Disappearing Chameleons or... Nothing.
Kin felt his eyes twitch for a moment.
'Holy...'
He blinked over and over again, both troubled and impressed by the drastic difference.
He could see much more clearly, much further. He could study the tails of the tree bark that stood a dozen steps away without even needing to squint.
"Ha... Hahaha." A certain sense of euphoria rose as his gaze moved from one tree to the other, from one leaf to the other.
The sky, reddened by the approaching dusk, was more beautiful than ever.
"Who would have thought that chameleons had it so good." Kin chuckled to himself.
As if on cue, a lonely Disappearing Chamaelon was noticed climbing up a tree not twenty steps away.
'Disappearing Skill...' Kin smiled. 'Here I come!'
***
"Oh, mushrooms! Yummy!"
"They look... Like the kind that gives a tummy ache."
"Shuddap! You're just jealous 'cause I will get to breed the female first!"
"Y-You're right..." The Goblin muttered, remembering that his hands were completely empty.
"Huh? Wait, what are you-"
The knocked-out Goblin fell to the ground, and so did the mushrooms.
"With this, I have my chances!"
The Goblin quickly lowered his body to pick up the mushrooms. He needed to leave the scene of the crime as soon as possible.
However, as he picked up the last mushroom, his body froze suddenly.
Grrrr!
The Goblin slowly turned around, but its neck was torn before it could see a thing.
[Species: Black Wolf[E-Rank]
-Stats:
Strength: 10
Agility: 15
Perception: 10
Endurance: 9
Vigor: 7
]
***
"Did you really have to do that?" The female Hobgoblin asked.
"What do you mean?"
"There are only eleven of them." She sighed.
"Waiiit what?? Do you mean that my ride somehow set itself free? Oh, noooo! Whatever will those poor Goblins do?!"
"You could whistle and call it back." The female Hobgoblin said, not finding the situation the least bit funny.
"Oh, right, right."
The Hobgoblin brought its fingers to its mouth.
"Huh. I'm trying to call it back but... I can't. Maybe it has to do with the air here. It's not letting me whistle. Maybe it was polluted by these Goblins."
The female Hobgoblin shrugged, looked in the cage's direction, and sighed.
"How many do you think it'll kill before I call it back?" The Hobgoblin asked with a perverted smile.
The female Hobgoblin walked away without answering.
***
The Black Wolf, its pelt tainted by Goblin blood, raised its snout up.
Its eyes opened wide suddenly.
Nine slightly different smells. Nine Goblins waiting to be torn into pieces.
The Black Wolf started salivating and moved as quickly as it could towards the area.
upon getting there, it only took three seconds to judge the situation, before jumping in.
Before the group could notice anything, one of them was already dead.
"A-a Black Wolf?"
"The damned Hobgoblins!"
The Goblins did not run.
Perhaps it was because their fear was keeping them from doing so, or perhaps because they knew that giving their back to such a creature meant certain death.
Two, three, four.
One by one, the Goblins were decimated, completely unable to put up a fight.
The Black Wolf leaped towards the fifth Goblin and,
ARRGGRRRRR!
the Black Wolf froze as the Goblin fell to the ground.
A drop of blood made its way down the Black Wolf's head.
It felt rage like never before, and leaped towards the next Goblin despite having lost its right eye, despite having some kind of sharp object embedded in its head through the eye.
Six, seven, and eight.
All were dead.
An injury had been incurred, but it was worth-
The Black Wolf's brain froze suddenly.
Weren't there nine smells for nine Goblins?
Before the Black Wolf could realize its blunder, a sharpened horn was pushed through its neck, piercing it and rendering the Black Wolf completely unable to breathe.
A whimper exited its mouth as it tried to move away, but it fell to the ground after only a couple of steps.
Its confusion only made the pain worse.
Suddenly, a Goblin appeared out of thin air.
Kin raised his hand, showing his palm.
He opened his hand and closed it.
"Time to eat."