Goblins were practically a symbol of weakness. At least, the ordinary ones.

  But give them a weapon, the appropriate skill and bam, they become goblin elites. Goblin Swordsman, Goblin Archer, Goblin Assassin, extremely annoying enemies, who, dangerous individually, became even more troublesome once they form a group. It wouldn’t be too much to call them the ‘Noob Nightmares’. And as things stand, I am the very personification of a noob.

  The three goblins distanced themselves from me, understanding that they had accomplished their role, but I couldn’t care less about them, as the goblin swordsman was already rushing in, swinging his sword at me. As I swung my sword in response, trying to deflect the attack, his sword suddenly changed its trajectory and grazed my thigh.

  Goblin Paralysis Poison is affecting you

  As I tried to put some distance between us, the goblin archer made himself known, firing an arrow at my escape route, forcing me to stay in close quarters with the swordsman, who, exploiting the opportunity, managed to inflict shallow cuts on my waist and right arm. If he wasn’t purposely limiting himself, these small cuts would have been gaping wounds; This couldn’t be even called a battle.

  Goblin Paralysis Poison is affecting you

  The continuation of the battle was predictable: The swordsman expertly dodged or blocked my attacks, while the goblin archer stopped any attempt to step away from him. Even dirty tricks like suddenly kicking turned out to be useless, counterproductive, even, as all they seemed to do was create openings for him. It was unbelievable how much of a difference a basic swordsmanship skill could make in battle, considering the physical strength of a goblin elite isn’t higher than that of a normal goblin.

  A few minutes ter, I was down on the ground, my whole body numb from the poison that seeped in through the tens of small cuts on my body.

  Special Condition: Paralysis(Poison)

  The goblin swordsman proceeded to say something to the three goblins, vividly gesticuting and pointing at me and the girl, who seemed to have also received a dose of paralysis poison, while I occupied by the fight. The goblins, nodding, split up, two of them going towards the girl and lifting her up, her attempts at struggling doing nothing to stop them, while the other one helped the swordsman carry me.

  Just like that, I got myself a free escort to civilisation, the question of whether I would like it being goblin civilisation not seeming to bother my guards too much. And I also wasn’t too bothered by it, already having drawn an outline of my pn after joining the goblins. Firstly, get their trust(easy), secondly, get into a retionship with one of the goblins(very easy), thirdly, somehow get him to become the goblin leader(moderately hard), fourthly, profit!

  Contrary to me, who had a personality that the system described as “Modesty: 0, Adaptability: 9”, the girl was noticeably disturbed by the perspective of living with goblins.

  “What is your name?”, deciding that being friendly didn’t cost anything, I addressed her, once the goblins decided to stop walking for a moment and rest to recover their energy, putting us down on the ground, which provided a chance to talk. Carrying something about twice your weight was pretty taxing, unsurprisingly.

  “I am Karin.”, after hesitating for an instant, she added, “And you?”

  “Amelia.”

  “How are you so calm?”, she asked, partly curious and partly looking for support; Going through something with someone to accompany you is always easier than going through it alone.

  “What is there to worry about? You know they won’t kill you, right?”, I asked in return. The fact I had the ‘Cycle’ was also pying a big role in my unshakable calmness, but there was no need for her to know that.

  “Em, but, that.”, she seemed to not have expected such a response, taking a few seconds to organise her thoughts. Then, blushing, she expressed her thoughts in words, “But, goblins b-breed with captured women…”, her voice getting quieter each word she said.

  “And?”, it wasn’t that I didn’t understand her, but I really didn’t know what to say, unable to rete to her worries.

  “Em?”, she short-circuited for a moment, dumbfounded by my reply. “But goblins…”, she tried finding an answer, but seemed unable to, as with most other ideas imposed by society, but not really backed by solid reasons. Well, there actually was a good reason for her to be afraid of goblins, but she didn’t seem to know about it, so her worries could be said to be baseless.

  “Are adapted to not harm women, as they are necessary for them to reproduce, since they are a species composed of only males.”, I finished her sentence for her. “So, what are you afraid of?”

  “I…Thank you.”, she now sounded less tense and did thank me, so, even though I’m not too sure on what her brain cooked up, it seems like I’ve got myself a potential friend.

  After that small episode, the journey continued without any unexpected events and we arrived to our destination, a cave, after about two hours.