Chương 89: Chapter 055 Pseudo Goblin Skills Unlocked (Part 2)

The next goblin attack came fast. A trio this time. Cain spotted the movement first.

"Left!" Jack felt a single instance of [Assassin's Intuition] trigger. Two goblins sprang from a tree hollow while another burst from behind a rotting log. They moved like feral cats, two armed with rusty blades, the other a miner's broken pick. Cain dismounted mid-turn and unsheathed his sword as the goblin with the pick leapt at him. His blade split its chest and face like paper, sending it flailing to the ground in a gurgling heap. The second goblin clawed up his side, slashing with its rusty kitchen knife.

He grunted as the jagged blade scraped across his ribs. He elbowed it in the face, then hacked down, severing its forearm. The goblin snarled and turned to run, but Cain kicked its legs out and drove his sword into its back and through the loamy soil. The third, a dagger-waving goblin, went for Jack. It shrieked as it jumped onto a tree stump and threw a rock. Jack drew his bow as the rock bounced off his pseudo [Shield]. He aimed at the creature's chest and released. The arrow tore through the goblin's thigh.

It grunted and stumbled, but then recovered. Jack dropped from the horse with his bow still in hand. He drew his dagger as the goblin slashed with an old, rusty dagger, catching his forearm and producing a shallow cut. The new wound burned like fire.

"Fuck!" He gritted his teeth, dodged the next swing, then plunged the dagger into the goblin's armpit. It shrieked, frothing at the mouth. His palm itched as the blade took its toll on the creature's life. He twisted the blade, and hot blood splashed against his cheek as the goblin fell twitching. Another pulse of power, and another pseudo skill, but he felt something shift as some of his fatigue was washed away. Instinctual knowledge surfaced for a moment as a new assassin skill formed.

Jack hissed as he pressed a pseudo [Heal] into the cut on his forearm.

"Damn! It got me where the arm guard didn't cover," he complained as the wound sealed with a rough scab. Cain approached, breathing hard.

"You alright?"

"Still here, thanks to this healing skill." Jack flexed his hand to test his forearm.

"You?" Cain looked down at the slice along his ribs.

"Bastard nicked me with a rusty kitchen knife." Jack chuckled and used pseudo [Heal] on Cain's ribs.

"Thanks." Cain remounted with a tired groan.

"You'd make a great adventurer with all your different skills." The seasoned adventurer was aware of most of Jack's combat skills. Jack had told him he'd gained multiple pseudo skills from killing the blood mages. Jack remounted his horse.

"Got a feeling I wouldn't last very long if I revealed all my skills to a group." He recast pseudo [Shield]; the blue glow surrounded him. He chuckled.

"And this is my scribe shield because the quill is mightier than the sword." They both laughed as they continued through the forest. They both understood that as a blood mage, Jack should be killed on sight by the Inquisition. All it would take was one party member to report him. Though, with the Inquisition apparently in the pocket of Viscount Tides, perhaps he'd be handed over to the nobles instead. Jack checked his new skills.

[Class Screen-Internal View] Class: Novice Assassin (0) Compatibility: 59% Novice Secondary Skills —Pierce Armpit (0) Class: Novice Blood Mage (0) Compatibility: 84% ——Pseudo Goblin: Iron Gut (0) ——Pseudo Goblin: Scramble Reflex (0) He first focused on the new Secondary Novice Assassin skill, [Pierce Armpit]. It was as the name suggested, a skill for piercing an enemy via the armpit. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

How did I unlock a skill so easily? Jack shook his head. It made no sense. Of course, Secondary skills could be unlocked by all classes. He had sixteen Secondary Novice Scribe skills that he'd unlocked during his first life. However, they took weeks, and sometimes months of practise and study to understand the technique enough for the System to recognise the effort as a skill. Jack had only used an armpit strike once. Could it be a blood mage thing? No. That doesn't make any sense.

Having no answers, he turned his attention to the new pseudo skill.

"Now that would've been useful over the past two weeks."

"New skill?" Cain guessed. Jack nodded.

"[Scramble Reflex]. I now have a chance of instinctively dodging a first attack even before I'm aware of it." Cain's eyes widened.

"Damn, that's a good skill… and explains why I've seen goblins dodge an attack when there was no way they knew it was coming."

"Hmm…" Jack frowned.

"Goblins have some fantastic skills. I've never read anything about them even having skills. With them having so many, you'd think someone would've noticed." Cain nodded in agreement. Jack had gained five goblin skills, and despite being wary of pseudo goblin [Enrage] and dissing [Iron Gut], they were all good skills.

"Do you think the nobles will be having trouble with goblins?" Cain guided his horse around a fallen tree.

"Yes, but they've dozens of guards, so they won't be slowing down." The sound of the horns was farther away now, so they had gained some distance. Cain and Jack continued their trek through the forest, but before they'd gone another few hundred metres, [Assassin's Intuition] flared as they rode into another ambush of six goblins. They came in a pack, howling, bounding through the trees, swinging cleavers, crude clubs, and axes. Cain's horse whinnied and tried to bolt; he held it steady.

Jack's horse reared and almost threw him off. He steadied his horse and pulled his bow. He loosed a quick arrow into a fast-approaching goblin; the arrow sank into its chest. It still kept coming. Cain was already in motion with his sword flashing like silver fire. He killed one goblin, taking its head with the backswing of his sword. I can't handle multiple goblins, Jack thought while activating a [Chronos Sphere] scroll.

The world slowed as he jumped from his slow-moving horse and ran towards a goblin that was lunging at his ride. He planted his [Assassinate] empowered dagger through its throat, and its warm blood oozed down his arm. As his palm itched, he twisted the dagger; he felt the blade scrape on vertebrae before dragging the weapon free. More power, a pseudo skill, and another memory of the female assassin slicing the hamstrings of an orcneas. Jack pushed the goblin away and turned.

Another goblin was swinging a club down in slow motion at where he'd been. Ducking under the crude club, he activated [Assassinate] and stabbed up, the blade piercing through the jaw and into the creature's brain. His palm itched as he twisted, and time snapped back as more blood spilt. More power… another pseudo skill from a goblin followed by more instinctive knowledge. What the hell is going on? He didn't have time to check, but he could feel he'd unlocked another Secondary assassin skill.

Cain sliced through another attacker's knee, then kicked it off the path into a gulch. The creature's scream ended in a distant crack. The final two goblins turned to flee. Jack loosed one last arrow, and the shot hit one of the goblins in the thigh. It limped away. The last one got away unharmed with an instance of [Assassin's Mark]. Malnourished, fearful, no protections. Both men stood panting with minor wounds, but nothing too deep. Jack leaned on his knees.

"That's what… over a dozen we've killed now?"

"I stopped counting at five." Cain wiped sweat and gore off his face.

"Do you think there might be a new dungeon nearby?" Jack winced as he climbed back on his horse. Cain nodded as he remounted.

"Could be. Let's hope the bastards get a few of the guards." The hunting dogs could still be heard in the background; they were drawing closer as the goblin attacks delayed them. The pair paused only to heal what they could. Jack's mana reserves were running low. He had maybe five [Pseudo Healer: Heal] spells left in him… If he was lucky. No more shields; I'll save my mana for healing. He checked his two new skills.

[Class Screen-Internal View] Class: Novice Assassin (0) Compatibility: 59% Novice Secondary Skills —Pierce Armpit (0) —Pierce Jaw (0) Class: Novice Blood Mage (0) Compatibility: 84% ——Pseudo Goblin: Scramble Reflex (0) ——Pseudo Goblin: Haemorrhage (0) ——Pseudo Goblin: Quick Stab (0) Confused, Jack stared at the new assassin skill. How the fuck did I unlock [Pierce Jaw] after using the technique only once?

Like the skill [Pierce Armpit], the new skill inflicted significantly increased damage when striking an enemy through the specific body part. This makes no sense. He kept the knowledge to himself. He focused on the [Pseudo Goblin: Haemorrhage] skill.

"I got a skill called [Haemorrhage], my claw and bite attacks release something that speeds up bleeding." He looked at his fingernails.

"I just have to grow some claws first."

"And sharper teeth," Cain added. They chuckled as they kept moving. Next, he focused on [Pseudo Goblin: Quick Stab].

"Hmm… this one's useful. [Quick Stab], when aiming for joints, my strikes with a blade will be faster."

"Where do I sign up to be a blood mage?" Cain asked with a big grin. Jack smiled.

"I'm sure the dozen-plus blood mages chasing us will be able to answer your query." They laughed as they kept riding, the banter helping them get through the exhaustion of the chase.