Earth Spike Technique Lv.2

Night receded from the horizon.

The air in Plint Town was thick with the stench of blood mingled with the distinctive foul odor of goblins. It lingered for a long time.

The purge of the goblins continued.

Ever since the purple-skinned shaman had been pinned to the ground and killed, the remaining goblins had completely lost their leader. Like cockroaches whose nest had been destroyed, they scattered and fled through the town.

Baron Ul and Captain Kadan were directing the guards and townsfolk as they split into groups to hunt them down.

He Xi hadn't joined the main force. Instead, he and Bruce were weaving through the alleys, searching for stragglers.

At that moment, he was leaning against a wall, breathing lightly as he recovered his stamina and mana.

Suddenly, Bruce's ears twitched, and his nostrils flared rapidly. "He Xi! Front left! Beyond that wall! Something's moving!"

He Xi's gaze sharpened as he looked in the direction Bruce indicated.

A goblin with a broken leg was dragging its battered body, trying to hide behind the wall.

He Xi's expression was calm as he raised his hand.

[Earth Spike Technique]!

A slight movement of his mind!

Pfft!

A stone spike shot up from the ground beneath the goblin!

A "Gah!" escaped the goblin's throat. It twitched a few times, then went still.

He Xi frowned slightly. "As I thought... killing something doesn't always grant proficiency."

He recalled the battles he'd fought earlier. "Killing that giant goblin and the shaman raised my proficiency by six points! Killing ordinary goblins... I've killed twelve in total, including that one just now, and only the earlier one gave me a point."

"Looks like if I want to level up my skills quickly, I need to find stronger opponents."

"But... what about traits? I didn't draw a single trait from that giant goblin, the shaman, or even the ordinary goblins!"

"Was drawing [Swarm Leader] from the Blood Mosquito pure dumb luck?"

"Sigh..." He Xi was a little frustrated. "I wasn't expecting to get any good traits from these green skins, but coming away empty-handed still feels lousy!"

"My mana's almost recovered, and my stamina's fine, but I'm a little sleepy..." He Xi yawned. "Though I probably wouldn't be able to sleep even if I went back now. I'll kill a few more! I refuse to believe I won't draw a single trait tonight!"

He continued searching through the various alleys with Bruce.

Several hours passed.

The first light of dawn appeared.

He Xi killed another six goblins that had been hiding.

His proficiency hadn't changed, and the traits... were still nowhere to be found.

He Xi rubbed his sore eyes and looked at the pale light spreading across the horizon, ready to call it quits.

"Forget it... I'll go back and sleep. Looks like I used up all my luck tonight."

Just as he turned to leave, Bruce suddenly sniffed hard. "He Xi! There's a 'big one' hiding behind that haystack up ahead."

He Xi's spirits lifted!

"A big one?"

He immediately circled around with Bruce, moving quietly along the side.

Sure enough!

Behind a haystack, a very large green rump was sticking out, completely unaware of its surroundings.

Its whole body was tucked into the hay, leaving only half of one thick calf and a huge foot exposed.

Going by the size of its rump and its thick calf... this goblin wasn't as terrifying as last night's giant goblin, but it was definitely a size larger than an ordinary goblin! You could call it an "elite monster"!

"Well, I'll be! You're hiding pretty well."

[Earth Spike Technique]

He locked onto that plump, raised rump!

Pfft—

A one-meter-long stone spike shot diagonally up from the ground!

At a tricky angle!

"Guwaaaaaaaaaah—!!!!!"

A piercing, distorted scream erupted at once.

The cry was full of pain.

Bruce's ears twitched at the shriek. "He Xi, there's something wrong with you! But this is definitely the loudest scream of the night... It even broke its voice!"

The goblin with its backside impaled suddenly sprang out of the haystack.

It clutched its rear with both hands, landing on the ground with its legs turned inward.

The thick stone spike had pierced diagonally through its crotch.

Green blood gushed down the spike...

It lay on the ground with its rump sticking up, screaming nonstop. Before long, it fell silent.

[Earth Spike Technique proficiency +1, Lv.2 (0/20)]

He Xi: "..."

He looked at the horrific sight, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"Uh... that angle..."

"Was it because I 'aimed' that it gave me proficiency?"

But the next notification instantly replaced his embarrassment with delight!

[You have mastered the skill: Earth Spike Technique Lv.2!]

[Wisdom +1!]

A cool sensation flowed into his mind, refreshing his spirits.

"Wisdom +1!"

"I gained a point of Wisdom?"

He Xi was overjoyed.

"I was so focused on getting Earth Spike Technique to Lv.2 that I almost forgot what Teacher Edwin said—mastering a skill itself can train your attributes!"

"I wonder if more powerful and complex skills will raise them by more?"

"I'll find out when I learn them! First, let's see what's changed with Earth Spike Technique Lv.2!"

He eagerly began experimenting.

Same position, same target, same length.

[Earth Spike Technique]!

Pfft!

A stone spike formed in an instant, once again piercing the target that was still sticking its rump up on the ground.

"The mana cost... is noticeably lower!" He Xi's eyes lit up. "And it forms faster! The Earth Element responds more quickly and gathers more densely! It feels much easier to control!"

He began trying to guide more Earth Elements at once!

A slight movement of his mind!

This time, he didn't focus on a single point!

But... three!

[Earth Spike Technique]!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Three muffled thuds rang out almost together!

Three sharp stone spikes burst from the ground in the open space ahead, forming a triangle.

"Success!" He Xi was delighted!

"Before, if I wanted to release three spikes, I had to cast the skill three times in succession! Now... I can do it all at once!"

"The total mana cost is lower than casting it three times in a row! And it saves time!"

"This improvement is so practical!"

With his goal accomplished, He Xi returned to the cabin with Bruce, satisfied.

After washing the blood and dust from himself, he collapsed into bed and fell asleep.

He slept deeply.

It wasn't until the next morning, when glaring sunlight shone through the old window onto his face, that he slowly woke.

After waking, He Xi began packing his things in an orderly fashion.

He changed into a clean set of coarse hemp clothes and put David's notes and the few bottles of potion into his backpack.

He hung the oddly shaped dagger from his waist.

As he was packing his bag, Bruce seemed to remember something.

"He Xi! I almost forgot! When I bit that Mud Doll last night, I smelled something!"

"What did you smell?"

"The black hair on that doll's head wasn't a wig. I could tell. It was human hair! It had a smell like soil buried for a long time mixed with blood!"

He Xi's movements froze. A chill crept up from the soles of his feet.

Real human hair?!

That creepy Mud Doll... was it made with real human hair?!