I stared at the big hut where I felt something— my eyes squinting. Then slowly, I started walking my way toward it.
[Danger Sense] kept telling me that it was dangerous and that I should avoid it. But I didn’t listen.
My curiosity was stronger. And honestly, I didn’t feel even a bit scared of whatever was inside.
Tap-
So confidently, I made my way to the shitty hut.
I reached the entrance. It was just a dirty cloth covering whatever was inside. And as soon as I got there, a familiar scent entered my nose.
It was blood.
The smell was strong and thick.
A frown unconsciously appeared on my face.
I used [Echolocation] and [Vibration Awareness]. And inside, I felt a shape— just one. I couldn’t sense any movement from the ground, so it was probably not moving.
SHHHHK—
I covered my arms and everything from the waist down again with [Black Scales], and with my claws stretched and ready to strike— I entered the hut.
*****
The frown on my face deepened the moment I got inside.
The sight that greeted me was so gruesome that it made my stomach churn. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
Inside the hut were a lot of humans— dead ones. Children, elderly, men, women— their body parts were scattered all around: arms, legs, heads. The entire wooden floor was painted red.
It was a sight I never thought I would ever see in my life.
But when I saw this, instead of disgust and the urge to run— what I felt was anger.
I don’t know why... But I just wanted to beat the shit out of whoever was responsible for this.
-Kiie...?
And I’m guessing it was that fucking bastard at the end of the dark hut. It was a goblin, but unlike the others, it was big— at least as big as my chest.
Not only that, it was wearing some metal armor on its chest, arms, and shoulders. The goblin was also holding a sword— not a short one. This one was properly equipped.
And not long after that—
-KEKEKEKE!!!
The goblin realized my presence as well. It started laughing, and that just made me even more annoyed.
It stood up from being seated and faced me.
-HUMAN. HERE. AGAIN!
Then, to my surprise, that little bastard spoke. It sounded like childish gibberish, but I understood it.
’This one can talk, huh... What a way to make it more obvious that this one’s the boss.’
I thought to myself. This whole thing was just like what I read in stories or saw in games.
In every monster base, there’s bound to be one leader who’s much stronger than everyone else there. It’s usually called a named monster or a special variant.
’Looks like I’m in that kind of situation right now.’
Anyway, I brushed off every unnecessary thought in my head at the moment. Instead, I looked at the goblin and opened my mouth.
"Did you do all this?"
I asked, pertaining to the dead bodies.
-THIS...?
The goblin looked around, slowly scanning the dead bodies scattered all over the place. Then, after a while—
-YES.
It looked at me and declared that with a wide grin on its face.
"..."
I didn’t say anything else after that. I just nodded. That bastard’s answer was everything I needed to hear.
I calmed my mind and concentrated.
BAM—!
Then I kicked off the ground and rushed forward!
-KEKE! DIE! HUMAN!
The goblin exclaimed as it ran toward me as well.
The hut was unnaturally wide for its crude structure, an empty space that made every step echo. We met at the middle of it not long, and as soon as we did— SWISH!
The goblin bastard swung down its sword toward me, it was a straight, practiced slash. I couldn’t believe it.
THUNK-!
I blocked with my left arm. I stretched out the claws on my right hand— SWOOSH! Then I thrust it forward, aiming at the goblin’s head.
In response to that, the goblin donkey rolled to its left, avoiding my attack. The bastard immediately stood up and, without missing a beat— FWISH!
It launched another swift sword strike, horizontal this time, aimed directly at my defenseless right side. I frowned in annoyance.
TINK—!
Then I raised my right foot and stopped the sword with my scaled leg.
FWOOSH!
I quickly transitioned into a kick as a counterattack.
-?!!
The goblin looked surprised, but it managed to jump back in time and dodge it.
TAP- BAM!
I slammed my raised foot back onto the floor and immediately followed after the goblin.
FWISH!
The goblin thrust its sword as I closed in, accurately aiming for my head. I bent my head to the side and avoided the blade.
FWIP—
I grabbed the goblin’s extended arm with my left hand, keeping its sword in the air. Then, clenching my right hand into a fist— BAM!
I pulled the goblin in and smashed my right straight into its chest with all my might.
-KIIIEUK?!!!
The goblin groaned as it was sent flying. The chest armor it was wearing crumpled, becoming basically useless.
BOOM!
The goblin slammed into the wall.
BAM—
I didn’t waste a moment and chased after it. The wall wasn’t far, so I reached the goblin quickly, ready to strike again.
-KIAAAAK!!!
FWOOSH—!
The goblin bastard jumped back out, holding its sword with both hands. While still in the air, it slashed vertically downward with full strength.
I simply stopped in place and took a step back— BAM! The goblin hit nothing but the floor and landed in front of me. I looked down at it. And with my right fist already pulled back—
FWOOSH!
I brought it down with force, aiming for the goblin’s head this time.
But the moment I did— SWISH!
The goblin quickly stood up, holding its sword upward. The tip was pointed straight at my heart. Looks like this was what the goblin was aiming for, seeing the mischivious smile on its face.
The goblin was hoping for a trade— willing to take another punch if it meant killing me.
"Idiot."
I said.
TANG—!
Then [Black Scales] spread across my entire chest. The goblin’s sword just bounced back, its eyes widening as it realized what happened.
Before it could react— BAM!
I planted my fist straight into its ugly face.
PSSSSHHK—!
The goblin’s head exploded from the impact. Blood splashed across the floor as flesh scattered.
Its body fell flat on the ground. And looking down at it—
"I really hate goblins."
I muttered that.
*****
After killing the chief goblin, I drank its blood. I wasn’t expecting much, since I already got [Scavenger’s Instinct] from its kind.
But to my surprise, I received another skill afterward.
[Crude Swordsmanship]
It’s a passive skill... I don’t even know if I can really call it a skill— it felt more like knowledge being implanted into me. I learned some basics of sword usage after drying up the chief goblin, like stances and strikes.
Instinctively, I felt that if I acquired similar skills or trained using this one, it would grow stronger.
A growth-type skill.
That’s news to me.
Anyway, once that was done, I looked around the hut.
Goblins have the innate skill [Scavenger’s Instinct]. I got it from them, after all.
’If that’s the case, they probably have some kind of storage area where they keep their stuff.’
So with that in mind, I searched for it.
...
The hut wasn’t big or complicatedly built, so I found the storage room within seconds. Behind a tall chair that seemed to serve as the goblin chief’s throne was a door.
I entered it, and there— I saw a complete mess.
Bags and random stuff were scattered everywhere. It would take a while to go through all of it, but I didn’t mind. I stepped inside without hesitation.
[Scavenger’s Instinct] was screaming at me.
...
...
After a bit of searching— I found clothes!
They were good quality; smooth, clean, and they didn’t smell like shit!
I immediately wore them.
Everything was black and simple in design. The shirt fit close to my body, the stitching clean and precise. The trousers were flexible without feeling flimsy.
There were boots and a belt to go with it, both dark and barely worn. No symbols, no decorations— just practical, well-made clothes. I didn’t question it. Anything was better than what I had on before, which was nothing for the record.
I immediately felt so much comfortable after wearing clothes for the first time in a while.
Following that, I found a mirror.
I grabbed it and, curiously, took a look at my face.
What I saw was a handsome young man with sharp, striking red eyes. My nose was well-shaped, and my lips fit my features perfectly. I already knew my hair was black— I had plucked a strand back in the cave to check— but it was longer than I expected, falling smoothly down the back of my neck.
I smiled seeing this, and with my lips parting—
"Huh, guess I’m handsome in this life as well."
I said that with a shrug of my shoulders.
Oh, and by the way, I’d gotten taller since arriving in this world. If this body had been worse than my original one at first, then now it was way better. I wasn’t overly muscular, but I wasn’t thin anymore either— there was some muscle building up now.
*****
I continued searching the storage room after that.
I found several things: a bag full of copper and silver coins, some metal armor, and a sword.
I wore the armor on my chest, shoulders, arms, and legs— I just thought it looked cool. Then I sheathed the sword at my waist.
I also found a dark cloak and put it on over everything. It fit me well.
These were the only useful items I found. The rest were weapons I didn’t know how to use and were close to breaking anyway, so taking them would just be a hassle.
There were blankets and other stuff too, but I honestly didn’t need them.
It looked like everything here had been stolen from a human village, travelers, or merchants.
Anyway, I decided this was enough and that it was time to leave. I didn’t want to stay in a place filled with dead bodies. But before leaving, I used [Echolocation] and [Vibration Awareness] just in case I had missed a goblin before.
"Huh?"
But when I did that, I sensed something strange beneath a pile of items behind me. It sounded hollow.
I turned toward it, squinting my eyes as I scratched the back of my head.
"What the hell is it this time?"
I grumbled as I walked over.
I started lifting things and clearing the pile. It was easy, so I didn’t mind.
And when I was done, my eyes widened slightly.
Under that bunch of items... Was a trapdoor leading down.