2 Just A Couple Of Bones
The Skeleton cautiously walked deeper down the path.
'So I'm supposed to just stay here and survive? I wasn't given information beyond-'
[Congratulations!]
[You have developed a new Skill.]
[You have developed the Passive Skill "Quiet Steps[G]".]
'Mm. My first Skill, huh? Let's see... It allows me to move without making too much noise. Useful. So, Skills have Ranks too. Good to know.'
[Correct.]
[Skills are Ranked by the same standards as Monsters.]
[If Skills are used enough, they can be upgraded.]
'Is that so? Nice then. This is a Passive Skill, so I'll be using it a ton.'
The Skeleton kept walking silently.
After a bit, it found something on the ground.
A knife.
It was very rusty, but that didn't matter. Rusty, yes. But a weapon nevertheless, and, therefore, a welcomed addition.
'Can I get info on it?'
[ Rusty Knife: [G-] Weapon.]
'That's it? No Attack Power or anything?'
The System did not respond.
'Maybe it's too low to even have a value... Or I guess, there's no reason for it to have such a value. It's a rusty knife. That's all. Nothing more, nothing less-'
Kweek-
The Skeleton stopped walking forward and moved closer to the wall instead.
Unmoving and doing its best not to produce one sound, the Skeleton focused on its hearing.
Slowly but surely, the sound of footsteps became clearer.
[Congratulations!]
[You have developed a new Skill.]
[You have developed the Passive Skill "Curious Ears[G]".]
'That's a weird name but cool... Oh. I can hear the footsteps a lot better now. Three small Monsters are approaching...'
After a bit, the Skeleton could see the incoming Monsters.
Three Goblins.
'The two at the front look the same as the one from before. The one behind them though is... Different.'
Indeed, the third Goblin's musculature was a lot more defined.
Unlike the other Goblins, it also did not have a bulging belly.
Its skin looked tougher, but perhaps it simply looked that way because it was a deeper shade of green.
'What is it?'
[Muscular Goblin: [F] Rank Monster.]
'How about the other ones? What's their Rank?'
[Goblins: [F-] Rank Monsters.]
The Skeleton had its back against the wall as the group of Goblins got closer.
'Three of them is too much for me. Let's leave them alone...'
The group of Goblins did not notice the unmoving Skeleton.
After all, it was just a collection of bones.
As soon as the group walked passed it, the Skeleton sighed internally.
It stared at the Muscular Goblin, which was walking at the group's rear.
The Skeleton stared at its muscular neck and arms.
An intense feeling, that would have made the Skeleton drool if it could, turned it into a puppet.
The Skeleton's mind shut down.
Before even realizing it, it had already started walking.
After matching the Goblins' pace for a bit, the Skeleton raised the Rusty Knife it had previously found.
Stab-
The Muscular Goblin's neck was pierced repeatedly.
SHRIEK-
Green blood flowed everywhere, and the Muscular Goblin collapsed to the ground.
The Skeleton stepped back, as the two remaining Goblins turned towards it.
'Shit... Can I defeat these two? If I can, it'll be a real feast...'
The next second,
[You have defeated one Muscular Goblin. 10 Gold Coins and 20 Experience Points earned.]
[You have leveled up!]
[1 Stat Point has been added to every Stat.]
The Skeleton stood with its arms raised defensively.
'Fight... I need to fight!'
One of the Goblins shrieked loudly!
The next second, its feet kicked the ground.
The Goblin ran towards the Skeleton, determined to avenge its brethren.
The Skeleton tried to stab the incoming enemy, but the little Monster was nimble enough to dodge the attack.
'Fast...!'
Once it stood in front of the Skeleton's body, the Goblin opened its mouth!
Clink-
It tried digging its teeth inside the Skeleton's thigh bone.
While the Skeleton had prepared itself for incoming pain, none was felt.
The Goblin tried its best to injure the Skeleton, but to no avail.
'Looks like those broken yellow teeth can't penetrate my bones... Perfect!'
The next second, the Goblin's neck was stabbed.
[You have defeated one Goblin. 5 Gold Coins and 10 Experience Points earned.]
The remaining Goblin looked at the standing Skeleton with fear.
It was a foe that had, now, defeated its leader and its brother. A great foe. A fearsome foe.
The Goblin took a step back.
The Skeleton took a step forward.
The next instant, the Goblin took off while shrieking loudly.
It ran away as fast as it could.
'Look at you! An [F-] Rank Monster running away for me...ME! A [G] RANK MONSTER!' The Skeleton proudly thought as it followed its prey.
[You are no longer a [G] Rank Monster.]
[After Leveling Up twice, you are now an [F-] Rank Monster.]
'Doesn't matter! Haha!'
The Goblin started out faster. But after a bit, the distance between the two slowly started decreasing.
'Behold! The Endurance of a Skeleton!'
The two were back on the spot where the Skeleton had defeated its very first Goblin.
'Alright! Come to me!'
In front of them, the way split into three distinct paths.
But before the Goblin could choose which way to go,
Stomp-
A huge Monster appeared from one of those paths!
It stood in the Goblin's way. The Goblin recognized that Monster right away.
Or rather, that Monster Species.
The Goblin stopped running. Its body trembled violently.
The next second, it fell to the ground, frozen by its own fear.
The Skeleton had stuck its body to the wall as soon as it had seen the new Monster.
It was much, much bigger than a Goblin.
The Monster's skin was greenish, just like that of the Goblins, although of a much, much deeper shade.
It stood on two huge and muscular legs. In its hand, a large pouch of sorts.
At the sight of such a Monster, the Skeleton's sense of hunger immediately vanished.
'How didn't I hear it approach? Does it have a Skill like my Silent Steps? What is it?'
[An Orc: [E-] Rank Monster.]
'What? WHAT? SERIOUSLY? SUCH A JUMP IN RANK??'
The Skeleton would have trembled if it had nerves or muscles that could react to stress or fear.
But since it had neither of those things, it quietly stayed next to the wall, silent and unmoving.
'I shouldn't have followed. It was shouting all the way here! I should have eaten those two damn Goblins and called it a day. I was too greedy!'
The Orc must have been two meters tall, while the Skeleton stood at about 150 centimeters.
The Goblins were a lot smaller, barely a meter tall.
The Orc took heavy steps towards the Goblin.
'How the hell didn't I hear those loud steps??'
The Goblin was shrieking weakly on the ground.
It had already lost all will to fight or even run away.
The Orc stood in front of the Goblin.
After looking at it for a bit, the Orc raised one of its feet.
Green blood spurted, tainting the ground.
The Skeleton would have felt chills and cold sweat if it could.
The Goblin's head had been crushed by the Orc's head so easily!!
A second later, the Goblin's bloody body was lifted off the ground.
The Orc proceeded to put the Goblin inside its pouch.
'Just take it and go!'
The Orc walked towards the Skeleton.
'No. No, no, no!'
It stared at the bones in front of it.
The Orc brought its face closer to the Skeleton's skull and started smelling it.
Moist air enveloped the Skeleton's head.
'Don't... Move... Don't move...' The Skeleton told itself again and again.
After a bit, the Orc raised its head and looked at the way the Skeleton and the Goblin had come from.
Finally, it grabbed the Skeleton.
'Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!' The Skeleton cursed internally as it was lifted and put inside the pouch.
With its pouch, now, a bit fuller, the Orc continued its journey.
'What the hell?'
Below the Skeleton, was the Goblin's carcass.
'Why is it taking me?'
The Skeleton's speed was inferior to that of a Goblin.
And yet, even the latter thought that running away from an Orc was futile and meaningless.
'Shit!'
Seconds later, two carcasses were thrown on top of the Skeleton.
The carcasses of the two Monsters it had previously defeated.
'Let's wait for now. There's not much I can do anyway. Can't move, or it'll know that I'm...'
All the Skeleton could do was focus on its sense of hearing.
After being carried around for about twenty minutes, the pouch was put down.
'Please don't eat me... Please don't eat me...'
The next instant, the pouch was turned upside down.
The Orc shook it violently.
Three Goblin corpses and some yellowish bones fell to the ground.
The Orc found it strange that the bones stuck together, but it didn't think about it too much.
The Orc walked away.
Once it was far enough, the Skeleton sat up.
'Thank god I'm only made of bones...'
[You can thank the System for that. ]
'Yeah, whatever. I guess. Yeah...' The Skeleton looked around.
A dark room.
There was one big hole in one of the walls.
The Skeleton could pass through that hole if it bent its body just a tad.
Stare-
The next instant, a boulder was pushed.
'What the hell? No! NO!' The Skeleton's only means of escaping had disappeared!
The boulder perfectly covered the hole in the wall.
The Skeleton stood up and examined the room carefully.
'Yep. That was the only exit!'
A second later, the Skeleton lowered its gaze.
'Huh?'
Only then, did the Skeleton notice that, other than the defeated Goblins, multiple dead Monsters covered the ground.
Gray Wolves, small creatures with wings, a Monster that looked like a Muscular Goblin except much taller, and others.
The Skeleton's hunger awakened once more.
'Fuck. I can't go out for now. Therefore, until I can...'
And it was stronger than ever.
'It's a feast!'
The Skeleton started munching on the Goblins it had previously fought.
The more it ate, the stronger its hunger became.
[You have gained 5 Evolution Points.]
[You have gained 5 Evolution Points.]
The Skeleton turned towards the Muscular Goblin's body.
It was unclear how the Skeleton could eat.
After all, it didn't have anything like a stomach where the food would go after being eaten.
Still, the Skeleton didn't worry about it.
It felt great to eat. It made it stronger.
That was enough.
A minute later, the Skeleton had swallowed the whole Muscular Goblin.
[You have gained 30 Evolution Points.]
The Skeleton turned towards the other dead Monsters.
'What are the other Monsters? What are their ranks?'
[ Three Gray Wolves: [F] Rank Monsters.
Three Poisonous Bats: [F-] Rank Monsters.
One Hobgoblin: [F+] Rank Monster.
Two Black Wolves: [F+] Rank Monster.
One Paralyzing Centipede: [F] Rank Monster.
One Orc: [E-] Rank Monster.
Eight Stone Lizards: [F-] Rank Monsters.
]
'Some are hidden under other corpses... Some are half-eaten... This must be where that Orc keeps its food, huh?' The Skeleton asked itself as it started devouring a lizard whose scales looked like stones.
After devouring two Stone Lizards and a half-eaten Orc,
[You have gained 10 Evolution Points.]
[You have gained 10 Evolution Points.]
[You have gained 45 Evolution Points.]
[Evolution is available.]
'Evolution... Huh...'
[Would you like to Evolve now?]
'No. It'll be better if I Evolve after eating all of these, right?'
The System ignored the question.
[You can already check the available Evolutions.]
[Would you like to?]
'Check them? EvolutionS... Plural. So I get to choose, huh? Sure, I'll check them.'
[You can Evolve into:
1) Skeleton Soldier.
2) Goblin.
3) Muscular Goblin.
]
'Will I get more choices after eating these?'
[The number of possible Evolutions depends on how many Evolution Points you possess and on the variety of Monsters Devoured.]
