” (So, this is the Hobgoblin’s lair.)”
Some time had passed since I started tailing them.
The Hobgoblin had arrived at a certain cave.
The cave was located at the bottom of a high cliff, and two iron-clad Hobgoblins stood guard at the entrance.
Were they acting as lookouts?
The guards became wary when they saw the Hobgoblin returning alone.
However, after hearing the situation, they readily let him inside.
“(They even have guards posted…)”
I was planning to charge in head-on… but with guards, it’s hard to just barge in.
My size and abilities have their limits when it comes to sneaking, but I’ll try as much as I can for now.
“(Operation start.)”
With that, I put some distance between us.
Then, I flattened myself out and started moving sideways.
Slinking, slinking.
I’m also using 〖Stealth〗, so it won’t be easy for them to notice me.
After getting far enough away from the guards, I approached the cliff.
I extended my whip to a nearby unevenness and lightly applied some force.
“(Alright, the firmness is perfect. Probably.)”
After confirming, I attached myself to the cliff.
I made my body as thin as possible to reduce the weight per unit area.
“(Do your best, 〖Climbing〗!)”
I carefully climbed, entrusting my wish to the 〖Skill〗 I’ve been with for a long time.
I grabbed onto the protrusions on the cliff, and when there was nothing to grab, I sharpened a part of my body like the tip of a spear and stabbed it in.
“(Phew, phew, I made it to the top…)”
I reached the open space at the top of the cliff and spread myself out on the ground, feeling like I could lie down in a starfish shape.
It was actually pretty tough, so I quickly returned to my cube form.
This form is the most comfortable and relaxing.
“(Time to get to work.)”
After resting enough, I lowered my whip to check the situation below the cliff.
Then, I went above the guards, wrapped my whip around a nearby rock as a lifeline, and slowly descended.
It’s a gamble whether I can completely hide the 〖Dire Beast’s〗 〖Mana〗 with 〖Stealth〗.
I was prepared to react immediately if I was noticed, but I approached above them without any particular incident. The distance was about three meters.
I released the lifeline and jumped down.
I immediately spread my body out horizontally to engulf the two guards.
Gobo-splash.
A vivid splashing sound echoed, and a red stain spread beneath me.
I also used the falling acceleration of 〖Crash〗, and it had considerable power. If I hadn’t been conscious of killing the impact, it might have made a pretty loud noise.
~Unidentified Information Log Area~
…
Fue Toukouya (Jewel Armory Slime) has acquired 〖Skill: Ambush〗.
Acquired 〖Skill: Landing〗.
…
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I absorbed the guard Hobgoblins, stored their equipment in 〖Weapon Storage〗, and turned towards the cave.
If I went down the slope a little, it was already pitch black, and I could almost mistake it for a bottomless pit. That’s how deep the cave seemed.
The width was such that two of me couldn’t walk side by side. It didn’t seem like my body would get stuck, but it was quite cramped.
Well, I can transform, so it’s not a problem.
“(But, aren’t the Hobgoblins inconvenienced by this?)”
I thought so as I looked at the darkness where I couldn’t see an inch ahead.
Maybe Goblin-type Demon Beasts have good vision even in the dark, or maybe they have 〖Skills〗 that allow them to see in the dark.
However, I don’t have such abilities, so I’ll take measures.
I can try to learn a 〖Skill〗 another time.
“(Activate, Lightning Strike – Weak.)”
I activated my 【Unique Skill】 with low power.
A thin lightning bolt extended from my body to the ceiling, and the cave became slightly easier to see with the lightning.
“(Let’s go!)”
I quickly entered the cave. I headed deeper at a brisk pace.
Even though I’ve reduced the output to save consumption, it still uses 〖Mana〗.
I’ve repeatedly 〖Evolved〗 and learned 〖Stockpile〗, so my 〖Mana〗 is 〖825/500〗, but the stockpile is gradually decreasing, so I want to settle this quickly.
After going a little further, there was a small room-like space on the side of the path.
When I peeked in, I saw several Hobgoblins gathered there.
“(〖Thrust〗!)”
“Gugyaaaah!”
Before they could start being wary of the lightning, I pierced the individual on the far left with my spear.
It’s my newly learned 〖Thrust〗, but it’s the easiest to use in a confined space.
While listening to the death cry of the first one, I changed my spear into a whip sword and swung it horizontally.
“(〖Slash〗!)”
“Gigyagyaah!?”
The torsos of nearly half of the Hobgoblins were slashed, and the rest were pressed against the wall.
Depending on their position, it wasn’t a fatal wound, but most of them were seriously injured.
Shortly after, the Hobgoblins in the small room were annihilated.
“(But this place is… like a temporary storage for spoils, or something?)”
Looking around the room, there were parts of Demon Beasts and what looked like weapons carelessly placed.
Some of the Hobgoblins were also picking at the meat, so it’s probably not a far-fetched guess.
I tried my best not to focus on the human heads, and stored all the weapons that were placed there, then left the room.
“(Looks like they’re here.)”
They must have heard the screams of the Hobgoblins I killed in the small room.
Reinforcements had just appeared from the depths.
There weren’t just two or three of them, they kept pouring out of the darkness.
“Slaa!”
I shouted at them as they approached, and activated 〖Throwing〗.
I took out weapons from 〖Weapon Storage〗 and threw them with force, skewering two at once.
“(It’s good that it takes almost no time to take them out.)”
I threw the remaining weapons one after another, trying to push back the Hobgoblins.
However, that’s not enough to annihilate them all.
“(I’ll save the remaining two, but what should I do with the rest of the Hobgoblins…)”
And then, a great idea flashed in my mind.
With this, I can efficiently achieve both movement and annihilation.
To put it into action, I first curled up my body. I became spherical.
“〖Charge〗!”
And then, I powerfully jumped out!
My round body rolled down the slope with great force, running over the enemies along the way.
“Gugyaaaah!?”
“(Gyaaaah!?)”
Incidentally, the sensation of spinning around at high speed in the darkness made me dizzy.