Attempts

"But if my special ability let me take on monster bloodlines, then the identical image in the second slot was obviously another Goblin Bloodline."

"Wouldn't that be a duplicate?" The question suddenly struck Rain.

"Unless..."

Rain focused his attention on the second slot.

When he selected it, a system prompt appeared:

[Cannot equip two identical bloodlines of the same tier. Fuse them? Yes/No]

"Two identical bloodlines of the same tier? What a mouthful!"

"Does that mean I can equip identical bloodlines of different tiers?"

Rain pondered it.

"But I can't equip these..."

"Fuse them?"

Rain frowned, then his brow smoothed. He selected "Yes."

Combining two identical things was common enough in games from his previous life.

And the result was usually stronger, or gained the best traits of both.

That could only be good.

[Fusion failed. Insufficient quantity to advance to the next tier.]

The somewhat mechanical system notification made Rain pause.

"Insufficient quantity?"

He wasn't particularly disappointed. In fact, he felt a flicker of excitement.

The prompt suggested he was on the right track, and that fusion was possible.

"If two Goblin Bloodlines aren't enough, does that mean I need three? Or even four?"

Rain looked at the four slots and quickly formed a guess.

The system's mention of a "next tier" raised his hopes even further.

"What would the next tier be?"

He should find out once he killed two more Goblins.

Rain stood and looked around. Golden rice stretched in every direction, its heavy heads rustling in the light breeze.

He saw no other Goblins anywhere within sight.

At eighteen, he recovered quickly. After that short rest, most of his strength had already returned.

"Just two more..."

Rain's gaze settled on a tall haystack.

He was about to climb it for a better look when—

A familiar scream suddenly came from somewhere to his left.

"That's Uncle Gates!"

Rain remembered that Uncle Gates's field bordered his family's.

If a Goblin had attacked him, Gates might well have been ambushed while working too.

Rain didn't hesitate. Gripping his pitchfork, he sprinted toward the scream.

Seven or eight seconds later, just before he cleared the rice field, he slowed and began creeping forward.

He carefully parted the stalks and saw Uncle Gates lying on the ground, desperately swinging his sickle to defend himself.

Gates clutched a blood-soaked wound on the right side of his lower back with one hand and swung the sickle with the other, terror on his face.

Two dagger-wielding Goblins darted around him, excitedly dodging his swings and making feints that left him even more frightened.

From the look of things, the little green creatures had caught Gates by surprise while he worked.

Only two?

Rain narrowed his eyes and lunged forward!

Just as the Goblins thought they had won, a pitchfork drove into one of their backs!

Thud!

All four iron tines pierced the Goblin's back and burst through its belly, leaving four holes straight through its body.

The other Goblin shrieked in panic. It glanced at Rain, then turned and ran for the golden rice field.

Rain yanked out the pitchfork and gave chase, but after two steps he realized how fast it was. Once it vanished among the dense stalks, he would never catch it.

Without stopping to think, Rain skidded to a halt, swung his arm, and hurled the pitchfork with all his strength!

Whoosh!

Perhaps it was the +1 agility, or perhaps the distance was simply short, but his throw was remarkably accurate.

Thud!

The pitchfork flew seven or eight meters and buried itself in the fleeing Goblin's back!

Elated, Rain rushed over, pulled the pitchfork free, and thrust it down again, killing the still-struggling Goblin.

"Uncle Gates, how bad is your wound?" Before checking his special ability, Rain hurried to Gates's side and examined his injury.

"Rain, thank goodness! If you hadn't arrived when you did, I'd be dead!" Gates thanked him profusely.

"Uncle Gates, let's talk later. We need to get back to the village first."

Then Rain thought of something. He strode to the haystack and drove the pitchfork deep into it.

Using the shaft jutting from the hay as a step, he climbed to the top.

From more than two meters up, he had a much better view.

He soon spotted rice stalks moving in the golden fields on both sides, over a hundred meters away. He could just make out green figures among them.

His heart tightened.

There were clearly more Goblins nearby, though he couldn't tell how many.

Killing two Goblins with ease didn't mean he could defeat three or four.

"Uncle Gates, we need to go!"

Rain supported Gates with one hand and held the pitchfork in the other as they hurried toward Oak Village.

As they approached, Rain saw thin trails of cooking smoke rising from the village. He could also hear women and children crying.

They quickened their pace.

In the small cobblestone square at the village center, dozens of villagers stood with clubs, pitchforks, and sickles, arguing among themselves.

"Ruth and Lori are both missing! Those green monsters must have taken them!"

"If we keep hesitating, it'll be too late!"

"But it'll be dark soon. I don't think we can fight those monsters at night..."

"Right. Those little green creatures can see better at night, and we can barely see at all. Village chief, hasn't Barry returned from Mill Town with the Adventurers yet?"

Two girls had gone missing?

Having inherited the memories of his former self, who had lived in Oak Village, Rain immediately recalled what Ruth and Lori looked like.

Both were fifteen or sixteen. Ruth had faint freckles and often wore a sweet smile.

Lori had blond hair that she usually tied in a ponytail. She was quieter, and baking bread was her favorite thing to do.

"Gates, did those green monsters ambush you too?" Village chief Kyle came over as soon as he spotted Rain and the injured Gates.

"Yes. If Rain hadn't been there, I wouldn't have made it back."

As the villagers continued their discussion, Rain found an empty spot, sat down, and checked the system.

All four slots beneath the attributes panel were now full, each displaying a Goblin icon.

Without hesitation, Rain focused on the other three Goblin icons, which had yet to light up.

The system prompt appeared again:

[Cannot equip four identical bloodlines of the same tier. Fuse them? Yes/No]

"Yes!"

His heart beating a little faster, Rain quickly selected "Yes."

The next instant, the four identical Goblin icons twisted and blurred. Then three of them vanished.

At the same time, the first icon changed dramatically.

The frail-looking Goblin was replaced by a muscular one wearing leather armor and a Shoulder Guard.

"What is this...?"

Rain's eyes lit up, and he focused on the new icon.