Chapter 51: Goblin Dungeon (2)

Yes, he didn't get a skill book but a skill. This was the second one he had gained so far, and his luck was exceptional.

Normally, killed beasts would drop skills in the form of skill books, but that obviously didn't apply to him. Instead of finding books, the skills were directly transmitted to his mind, allowing him to learn them instantly.

His first skill was called Goblin's Intuition. While the name sounded unimpressive and the effects seemed weak at first glance, Leon, being an experienced assassin, recognized its potential. It would prove to be extremely useful in the future.

┏━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┓

GOBLIN'S INTUITION

A skill imbued with the keen survival instincts of a goblin, allowing you to sense the true power of your adversaries.

•────⋅☾ Effects ☽⋅────•

- Power Level Assessment: Instantly gauge the relative strength of any enemy, determining if they are stronger, weaker, or equal to you.

- Danger Sense: Identify specific threats, including hidden weapons and deadly abilities of your opponent.

- Aura Recognition: Sense the aura of powerful beings from a distance, providing early warnings of potential threats.

- Adaptive Learning: Slightly improve the accuracy and detail of your power assessments with each use.

- Instant Reflex Boost: Temporarily enhance reflexes and reaction speed when sensing an overwhelming threat.

- Emotional Insight: Perceive the emotional state and resolve of your opponent, useful for detecting bluffs and overconfidence.

•──────────────────•

┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛

The second skill he was lucky to get boosts his attack power, and with the level in it, he knew he'd got the chance to level it to a higher level.

┏━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┓

BLADE MASTER'S EDGE

A skill that hones your proficiency with bladed weapons, granting you increased combat effectiveness.

Lvl 1

•────⋅☾ Effects ☽⋅────•

- Dagger Mastery: Gain a 2% increase in damage and precision (Attack power) when using daggers.

- Blade Proficiency: Gain a 1% increase in damage and precision (Attack power) when using any other bladed weapons.

•──────────────────•

┗━━━━━━༻❁༺━━━━━━┛

'The dagger mastery would have been good, but too bad I don't use daggers,' he mused with a sigh. He stored all the weapons of the goblins in his spatial ring. Then he thought of something and smiled.

Initially, he planned to sell these weapons, but upon second thought, he decided against it. These weapons could prove useful in a big way in the future. With his newfound skills, Leon felt a surge of confidence. He knew that the combination of Goblin's Intuition and Blade Master's Edge would give him a significant advantage in the challenges ahead.

The forest remained quiet, the silence almost unnerving. Leon knew he had to stay alert. He continued his stealthy advance, moving from tree to tree with the grace and precision of a seasoned assassin.

As he moved deeper into the dungeon, the whispers and murmurs grew louder. He could make out the guttural language of the goblins more clearly now. The forest was denser here, the trees towering above him and casting long, dark shadows on the ground. He knew he was getting closer to the center.

'Time is ticking,' he reminded himself. 'I need to clear this dungeon before nightfall.'

Leon had carefully circled the center of the dungeon, ensuring that all the goblins in the outer ring had been dealt with. He did this to avoid being overwhelmed once he ventured deeper. Now, with his path clear, it was time to press on.

The two skills he had acquired—Goblin's Intuition and Blade Master's Edge—were passive, meaning their effects were always active. Leon didn't feel an immediate difference, but he knew the change was subtle. His strength had increased, even if it wasn't obvious.

He checked his Valor points: [30 Valor points accumulated]

It was a respectable number, but Leon knew he would need more to truly capitalize on the benefits they could provide. Sighing, he resumed his stealthy advance, moving from tree to tree with practiced ease.

As he progressed, the forest seemed to grow darker, the trees denser. The whispers of the goblins grew fainter, replaced by an eerie silence that made his skin prickle. He kept his senses sharp, every rustle of leaves or snap of a twig putting him on high alert.

He moved cautiously, his katana ready at his side. The deeper he went, the more he felt the weight of the dungeon's oppressive atmosphere. His thoughts briefly drifted to Amelia and his promise to return by nightfall. He couldn't afford to waste time.

Leon realized that the closer he advanced to the center, the fewer trees there were. Signs of civilization began to appear—clearings, crude paths, and even structures. This was bad news for him, indicating that the dungeon would be far more challenging to clear than a typical one.

'This must mean there's a group or civilization at the center,' he speculated, noting the change in the environment. It was only a guess, but the signs were unmistakable.

After walking at a fast pace for almost an hour, he was certain of it. He heard sounds of interaction and, from a distance, saw more goblin guards. These goblin guards were different—equipped with leather armor and wielding short swords instead of the crude bone, rusty daggers he had encountered before.

They were also taller, more robust, and appeared more disciplined than the goblins he had met formerly.

Behind the goblin guards, Leon noticed fences crafted from wood, rough and short, barely concealing the primitive roofs of the houses within. From his hiding position, he couldn't see the roofs clearly, but the presence of such structures confirmed his suspicions.

"A village?" he whispered to himself, his eyes narrowing as he assessed the situation.

He remained still for a few moments, observing the guards. They stood at their posts, unmoving, their eyes scanning the surroundings with a vigilance that suggested a well-trained defense. Leon knew he had to be careful; a direct assault could quickly turn into a disaster if more goblins were alerted.

He needed a plan, charging in blindly wasn't an option.

At that moment, a genius plan formulated in his mind. He smiled, knowing this plan would slowly reduce their numbers and allow him to infiltrate the village without alerting the goblins inside.

He picked a relatively large stone from the ground and threw it to the right, a few meters away from his hiding spot.

The goblins looked at each other, but remained where they stood. Leon sighed when he saw this and picked another stone, throwing it at the branch of a nearby tree, determined to make more noise to lure a few of them over.

The goblins exchanged glances again, then one of them, on high alert, silently moved in the direction of the noise, its eyes scanning the surroundings warily. It soon moved beyond the view of the rest of the group.

Leon, who had been unmoving and holding his breath all this time, finally moved. He silently approached the back of the goblin, whose eyes widened and mouth opened to shriek loudly. But Leon was prepared.

He immediately covered the goblin's mouth with his palm, his katana appearing in his other hand. The cold blade pressed against its neck from the front, slicing cleanly through. Sёarᴄh the ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

[Valor points +4]

Green blood sprayed briefly as the goblin's head detached and fell. Leon swiftly laid the body on the ground to avoid any noise.

'A feral level beast?' he sighed, even though it was because they were assassinated, Leon was dumbfounded that they were this simple to kill.

He stopped thinking about it and repeated this tactic with the next few goblins, each time using a distraction to lure them away from the group and dispatching them silently. One by one, they fell to his blade, until only one remained.

This last goblin, however, was more cautious. Despite Leon's attempts to lure it away with thrown stones, it remained steadfast, its eyes darting around suspiciously, it clearly wanted Leon to reveal himself, if Leon didn't reveal himself it would stay were it stood, it got wise after the other Goblins didn't return.

Realizing he had no other choice, Leon prepared for a direct confrontation.

As he moved in, the goblin turned, and with a sudden movement, it pulled out a hidden bell. Leon's eyes widened in surprise as the goblin began to ring it, the sound piercing through the quiet village.

Ding-!

Ding-!!

Ding-!!!

Ding-!!!!

"Dammit," Leon cursed, his eyes gleaming dangerously. In a split second, a dagger appeared in his hand. He threw it with great accuracy, the blade piercing the middle of the goblin's throat. The goblin's eyes widened in shock, life quickly draining from them as blood seeped out around the dagger.

The goblin fell to its knees, the bell dropping from its left hand with a final ding. From its kneeling position, it slumped forward, hitting the ground completely.

The echo of the bell had undoubtedly alerted the entire village. Leon knew he had to act fast. He quickly retrieved his dagger, wiping it clean before storing it away. The village was now on high alert, and he had to be more cautious than ever.

He quickly return to the trees hiding swiftly, his eyes on the primitive gate the guards were guarding