4 Day 5

Author's Note:

Here is the next day of in Kou's new life as a goblin. It ended up being a lot longer than I expected. Please tell me if you guys like longer chapters. I am going to try for a chapter every week or every other week. It is to allow me to build up the story with our rushing me to push it out. The reason is that my writing comes out in spurts of inspiration that cause the words to vomit out.

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I continued my thoughts on how to help Jii and my family without affecting the overarching story as I hunted horned rabbits for most of the morning. After what I figured to be the 10th horned rabbit I found and killed, I got another notification:

{Skill [Human Soul] has been activated}

{Class [Hunter] has been updated}

{Class Skill [Tracking Eye] has been acquired}

{Class [Spearman] has been updated}

{Class Skill [Spearmanship] has been acquired}

With that, my eyes burned for a moment and I shut them. I opened my eyes back up and could see and identify the trail of the last rabbit I killed. My movements with my [Makeshift Horned Rabbit Spear] felt more natural and had an innate fluidity that they didn't have before. Granted, I wasn't any more skillful with it. It just felt right to use.

It seems I leveled up those jobs and gained more skills from those jobs. It seems like combat based jobs are easier to level up than craft based jobs since I haven't gained any new skills from my [Carpenter] or [Butcher] classes. I have gotten enough food for my seemingly ever increasing appetite and some for Jii. I also should have enough fur to make some better clothes than this ragged piece of cloth that I am surprised hasn't fallen apart on me.

As I dropped off some fur and meat to Jii, I asked, "Hey Jii. Is there any cloth, thread, or needles of some kind in the cave?" He responds, "There are some in the storage area."

As I walk to the storage area, I grimace at the thought of seeing my mother in this life in the state that the captured women shown in the beginning of the series are in. I wasn't close to my mother in either of my past lives due to her dying during or shortly after childbirth in both of them.

I was able to come across all the stuff I was looking for plus a small dull knife that looked like a cross between a skinning knife and a caping knife in a leather sheath attached to an adjustable belt. I quickly stashed it into my sack I started to carry around. I really wish I had an inventory type skill or a hammer space bag.

I brought all the stuff back to the section of the cave I had taken as my own. I even carved a crude Celtic Shield Knot of protection into the wall by my section which gave me this notification:

{Skill [Human Soul] has been activated}

{Class [Druid] has been updated}

{Class Skill [Runic Language] has been acquired}

With that, all the fuzzy knowledge I remembered about my Celtic and Norse Ancestry and random fantasy knowledge I had from my first life became extremely clear and many misconceptions were corrected. The symbol of protection in fact just produced an aura of aversion to prevent people from trying to enter my area. To prevent my siblings from hurting themselves on anything I make, I also carved a Norse Rune of Illusion to give the appearance of my section not existing.

It is a good thing that I chose my section as the one farthest from the storage area. Using the stuff I picked up, I was able to make a pair of crude shorts with the cloth and a hooded vest that also looked like a Druidic headdress with the bull-horned rabbit pelt.

{Gobukou has acquired [Rough Cloth Shorts] and [Bull-Horned Rabbit Druidic Hooded Vest]}

{Skill [Human Soul] has been activated}

{Class [Tailor] has been unlocked}

{Class Skill [Tailoring] has been acquired}

{Class Skill [Leatherworking] has been acquired}

After doing the finishing touches on my gear, I finally figured out a way to help Jii. I call out to Zelretch in my head while meditating, " Hey, you said you modified my [Shaman] skill, right? How did you modify it? You did tell me that you would say what the changes you made were when I used them. The only parts I didn't use were the two soul summoning aspects. So how did you modify it besides adding a… what did you call it? A "False Throne of Heroes" which I can only guess is an alternate version of the Throne of Heroes of your own design similar to your design of the Class Cards. So how far off am I?"

I opened my eyes to see myself back in Zelretch's observation realm. I see him smirking as he looks at me and he says, "About time you decide to summon somebody. I was getting pretty bored seeing you play lone survivor. It doesn't suit you. You are someone who rules over your subjects, not a lone man but a commander of an army. What was the title they gave you back in your second life during your "clean-up" missions as you called them?" He pauses a moment, which I assumed for dramatic effect, and continues "Ah yes, you were called both "The Reaper" and my personal favorite "The Lich King of Souls". Great names. Much better than your cousin's silly little title of "The All-Eater''. Wouldn't you say so, Little King?"

I paused in my response remembering now how embarrassing those names were. They were so cringey. It was like an 8th grader came up with everyone's nickname. Calming myself, I look back to him and repeat "So how did you change my ability to summon souls?" Zelretch sighs like a child not getting what he wants and says, "Fine. I will tell you how I changed it. I was expecting a little more entertainment out of you but I guess that ship had sailed. Instead of summoning just souls of the recently departed and the souls of historical figures of the world, I removed the historical figures because that would allow you to fix a lot of your future problems easily and who would want that. Not me, that's for sure. Instead you will be able to summon souls from other dimensions that you once saw as fictional characters. However, the allies you summon will be people who I believe were underutilized in their respective tales and they will be bound to this world's rules like you are. But hey, maybe if you get proficient enough with the Kaleidoscope, you may be able to travel with them to their home worlds and right the wrongs in them. Now go on and leave now. My soup opera just started."

With that said, I find myself back in my section. I look at my soul counter and see 5 out of 7 possible charges at the moment. I decide it is better to summon at least two teachers right now instead of any allies since I don't have any fresh bodies to work with right now. I should find one for myself and one to help solve Jii's problem. I think back on my knowledge of skills and powers I can recall from various series that I watched, read, or heard about in my first life. After about a half hour, I decide on the ability of Hamon to help fix Jii's problem.

Hamon, also known as Ripple, is from the early parts of the series Jojo Bizarre Adventure. It is the energy used in the ancient form of martial arts, Sendō. It is similar to Qi and chi from various other worlds but what makes Hamon unique is that any being that breathes can produce it, even if only one in ten thousand can manipulate it. The skill of manipulating it should be able to translate to a skill in this world. The only problem is which user should I try to summon to teach Jii and maybe even myself if I can agree to their demands. The Joestars and the Speedwagons are out because I feel like their demands would be too difficult to do in this world. I think maybe the Grandmaster Tonpetty would be the best choice due to him having the easiest personality to deal with out of all Hamon users that I can recall.

I go to Jii's room and ask, "Hey Jii. I may have figured out a way to help you with your problem but I need you to trust me and follow me to my section where I can assure you nobody will mess with us." He responds with slight trepidation "Alright now. I am trusting you on this Young Kou."

As we arrive at the illusionary wall blocking my room from sight, Jii signs and says "You are just full of surprises, aren't you Kou? Let's just hope that young Sei and young Sato aren't too mad that you took their section as your own." I shiver for a moment at the thought of what those two might do to me if I am weaker than them when they return from the expedition the previous generation of goblins went on. We enter my room and I ask him to sit on one of the pelts in a meditation stance. I sit in front of him facing him.

I focus my breathing and my mind on a single one of my soul charges and call out in my very soul, not noticing I glowed red and blue faintly while doing so, "I call upon the soul of the Grandmaster of Hamon, Tonpetty, to see if you are willing to pass on your knowledge if you deem us worthy." Nothing happens for a few minutes and Jii gets up and says, "I have no idea what you tried to do, but it seems like it didn't work." As he takes a few steps, I feel like we aren't alone anymore and ask him to sit back down. He does and the soul becomes visible in between us.

Tonpetty has the appearance of an older man of medium height and build. He has dark skin and eyes, prominent brow ridges with no eyebrows, pronounced frown lines, and bags under his eyes. He has a bald head and a white chinstrap beard. He is dressed in a light-yellow monk's raiment with brown shoulder armor.

He looks around in slight confusion until he looks into my eyes which allows souls I summoned to gain the basic gist of what they were summoned for. He then asks in a kind but firm tone, "So which of you is the one I should pass the skill of [Hamon] onto?" I ask, "Before we say who of us is to learn it, what is the request the recipient must adhere to?" Tonpetty chuckles and says "I have no difficult trial or rules you must follow. I have only one simple rule: please don't use [Hamon] for the wrong reason like the pillar men have."

Jii then interjects, catching onto what is going on, "I am sorry then, Sir Monk. Neither of us are going to be able to receive your knowledge of this [Hamon] for the simple fact that with how our world works, a truly altruistic individual like yourself can't live a long life. I am sure that Young Kou and I would use your skill for reasons you would deem wrong."

Tonpetty's eyes shine for a moment then he says "Respected Goblin Elder, you have passed my Test of Character by refusing a power you could have easily received by deceiving me but you did not. For that, I shall modify my requirement for you specifically to: only use [Hamon] so that the pillar that you are for your community never falls." Hearing that, Jii responds "I thank you Sir Monk for allowing me to learn from you."

Tonpetty places his hand on Jii's head and a warm golden aura passes from it into Jii.

{Soul Teacher Tonpetty has passed on the skill [Hamon] to Goblin Elder Jii}

The golden aura turns a pale gold like white was mixed into the gold from an outside source. As Jii breathes in utilizing [Hamon] for the first, it looks like he got younger but still retains his appearance as an older man. The feeling I get from him now is similar to how I felt about characters like Muten Roshi from the Dragon Ball franchise.

I turn towards Tonpetty and ask him, "May I call on you again if I find another person I believe to be worthy of learning [Hamon] from you?" Tonpetty responds, "You may call on me again. I will be willing to teach it to you as well when you find yourself worthy of learning it. Goodbye Young King of Souls." He turns to Jii and continues "Goodbye Respected Goblin Elder. Please look after the young king. He is still inexperienced with his gift and needs a guiding hand at times." Jii says "I will look after him like I do all the young of my family and now, I will be able to do a better job thanks to you. Goodbye."

{Soul Teacher Tonpetty has been added to list of registered soul teachers}

Tonpetty faded away as the soul charge I had been focusing on disappeared. I then asked Jii, "How are you feeling, Grandpa Jii? I am sure you have many questions about what just happened and I will share them when I feel it is safe to do so." Jii says, "I feel better than I have felt in years and I will be ready to listen when you are ready to share."

As he walks back to his room and right before he leaves mine, I ask him, "Can you act like none of this happened around the others until you can get a better handle on [Hamon] and not possibly hurt anyone accidentally?" He responds, "I know that is not the actual reason you have but I will keep my mouth shut about all this." He then leaves me with my thoughts on who I should choose for myself to learn from.

My two choices would be to either strengthen what I already have or add a supplemental skill that may enhance what I currently have but would in reality give me more utility in the future. Supplemental skills are dime a dozen in many fictional worlds, be it an energy source like [Hamon] or a martial skill like the breathing methods from Demon Slayer. Which would have the most practicality in my situation right now? I would need something that helps in both long and short range combat. Something with a stunning effect could help me in the long run.

After a fair bit of time, the thought came to me. I am an idiot. How could I forget one of the most popular abilities from one of the biggest mangas that has ever existed? I decided on trying to see if I could learn [Haki] from a character in One Piece. The question was would let me learn from them. I couldn't choose a main character because none of them would be an easy one to agree to a deal with. Very few characters had access to all forms of [Haki]. I would need someone that used all forms and was relatively strong in all of them.

Taking a shot in the dark, I call out in my soul like the last time, "I call upon the soul of the Pirate Emperor, "Red-Hair" Shanks, to see if you are willing to pass on your knowledge if you deem myself worthy." After a minute or so, I hear a voice say, "Well I'll be a monkey's uncle. This isn't something you see everyday. I wonder which devil fruit caused this illusion."

I turn to the voice and see a man about two meters tall with vibrantly crimson hair slicked back out of his face which showed three parallel, linear scars that pass vertically, at an angle over his oddly untouched left eye. Shanks' outfit includes a sweeping long, sleeveless, high-collared black cap and beneath a simple, white shirt half-buttoned up, exposing the middle of his chest and upper abs. Additionally, Shanks wore green-yellow, indiscernible floral pattern pants cut below the knee, collected halfway up the shin. Initially, the pair was a slightly loose, plain-brown one with golden buttons down the outer leg sides, and with a red sash around his waist with his saber tucked in. Finally, his footwear consists of simple brown sandals, their soles gray-studded.

I reply, "You aren't a monkey's uncle but one does view you as an older brother." He chuckles at the thought remembering Luffy who he viewed as a little brother. He looks at me and our eyes meet. He says to no one in particular, "So it wasn't a devil fruit, was it? Though it is similar in a sense to the devil fruit Big Mama uses. Maybe even stronger." He says to me with a slight frown "So little green boy, what can I do for ya since you called me out here out of nowhere? Granted I wasn't doing anything but a little heads up would have been nice."

I gulped thinking he was a little pissed off and would be harder to deal with than I thought. I asked him in the politest tone I could muster "I was hoping that you would teach me the secrets of Haki, oh great Yonko sir." After a very awkward moment of silence, Shanks busts out laughing and then says while trying to suppress his laughter, "Relax kid. I ain't mad. I already knew what I was being called for. Remember this young king: us soul teachers have to agree to be summoned. I was testing an aspect of your personality and so far, I am not impressed. You may have a king's presence but not a king's spirit. You gotta be confident with any request or demand you ask from anyone."

After a brief pause, Shanks continues, "So I ask you again. What can I do for you, little green king?" I take a deep breath and say with a firm look in my eyes, "With all due respect, I must ask what your teaching requirement is before I ask you to teach me [Haki]." He smiles widely at me and says "There it is. There is the spirit of a king you had hiding under that false politeness. I prefer an honest bastard over a fake nice guy. My requirement is a simple two-parter and you have already passed the first part. You already have a King's Spirit. My only other request is that you remain your kind self and face any adversity with your whole self and remain loyal to your "crew", no matter who you find in it."

I respond "I accept your requirement with the condition that I can remove anyone who threatens the sanctity of my family." He reaches out with his one hand and places it on my head.

{Soul Teacher Shanks has passed on the skill group [Haki] to Goblin Kou}

{Skill Group [Haki] has been acquired}

<Skill Group [Haki] includes the following skills: [Armament Haki], [Observation Haki], and [Conqueror Haki]>

{Skill [Conqueror Haki] transforms into [King's Haki] due to Innate Skill [???]}

Shanks smirks at me saying, "Seems like the title "Little King" we teachers are to call you fits so well that our skills will be warped by it. Judging from the change in your aura, the difference between the normal [Conqueror Haki] and your

[King's Haki] is that instead of an aura of fearful conqueror, you would emit an aura of a respected ruler." He begins to fade away. I quickly ask him, "May I call upon you again if I need to?" He says "Sure kid. Any good leader knows that if they have trouble, they should always get advice from an advisor they trust." He then finishes fading away.

{Soul Teacher Shanks has been added to list of registered soul teachers}

I fall to the ground not realizing how tired my new body is after two summonings. I passed out on my pelt bed.