I could immediately feel my very self changing, a kind of repulsive energy forming deep in my core that I could access with my will, spreading it throughout the rest of my body and taking on a toxic and dangerous quality with my whole being in a single moment. I did not yet know whether there would be any consequences of doing so, however, it was now another ability I had access to.
Just as before, the evolution was accompanied by an ecstatic feeling that made me feel more whole, and in a way more substantial than I had previously been. It felt as if my existence suddenly carried a greater weight, but I did not yet comprehend the deeper meaning behind that.
My color had changed slightly once again, the pure blue had mixed with the toxicity within me and resulted in an ugly greenish color that stood out in this world much more than it would have in my previous one. 'I wonder what gives the leaves their color?' I didn't dwell on it for long, as the newfound strength flooding my body provided me with the basis I needed to make sure the last survivors make it out of here alive in one way or another.
"System, invest 10 of my points into Dexterity, and the rest into Strength." I immediately felt the power flooding my being, bringing me to greater heights than before. I didn't bother with Constitution this time, since I invested quite a bit in it earlier, instead opting to balance my stats as best as I could. I still hadn't figured out the optimal way of going about this, so I figured that keeping it balanced for now would be my best bet until I truly figured out which stat has the most meaningful impact on the situations I am bound to find myself in. With the point investment out of the way, it was time to do what I swore to do earlier, declare war on goblinkind and make them regret existing so close to my starting point.
I called forth the toxic energy resting at my core, spreading it throughout my body and I immediately felt the effects as the corpse below me started sizzling and melting away from barely being in contact with me. I had already kind of forgotten I was still essentially sitting on the corpse of my former archenemy, which made for poor sportsmanship, I reckoned. Moving off the corpse left a snail trail of disintegration over his bald head, before it spread to the grass below me as well, and probably the ground on which it grew. I felt each individual blade drying out in seconds before it blackened and turned to unrecognizable dust that clung onto me for a faint breath before even that was returned to pure nothingness. I also acknowledged that my helmet, which I grew quite fond of at this point, had changed color as well as I did, adopting the same properties as the rest of my body and being invulnerable to my own toxicity. 'Being Toxic only ever hurts others, huh? I wonder whether this is much more potent than I expected for a first evolution, or if there is another reason the grass was hopeless against it. Either way, I better not stick around too long to experiment, unless I want to make sure no farmer can ever use this soil again…'
I flattened my body once again, launching myself in the opposite direction that the mother took to escape, hoping to draw more attention away with that gesture. I also hoped there would be more goblins in that direction, as there weren't many along their escape route. My clever decision-making paid off almost immediately, as I located the goblins which discovered their dead leader in the last iteration of his defeat very soon, including the hobgoblin I didn't categorize as easily last time due to my less-than-stellar mental state. His pristine dagger gave me the blob equivalent goosebumps as I leapt through the air and rapidly approached their current position, surrounding what seemed to be a male farmer who had already breathed his last, yet the desire for revenge kept me leaping with conviction.
Their unnatural cackling and barbarous language flooded the surroundings, assured of their clear victory, which made me wonder whether they were aware of their Ogre reinforcement or whether it was just as much a surprise to them as it was to the humans with its sudden appearance in the fray of battle. Alas, I would not be asking these questions of them now even if I did have the ability to do so, I was much too preoccupied with deciding how I could murder them as flashily as possible and attract the rest of them to this corner of the smoldering village. As I impacted the ground and demanded their attention with my glorious arrival I had already decided on giving their screams a new genre…
The hobgoblin was once again the first to turn to my current position, however, I was already flattened and ready to pounce on his unsuspecting figure, he was much too engrossed in his previous prey to notice my approach before it was too late, no matter how loud it was. As he uttered his commands to the lowly goblins surrounding him, I had already reached the arm holding on to the magical dagger and constricted around it like a poor, more slimy imitation of an anaconda. Luckily, what I lacked for in pure strength and fangs, I made up for with a corrosive outside that melted his very skin, although at a much slower pace then the grass I impacted earlier. That did not matter as much, it turned out, as having once skin dissolved appears to be incredibly painful regardless of how fast going it was. His screams filled the burning and smoldering surroundings with a new sound that his compatriots had not expected to this degree. With each layer of skin I took from the goblin his screams intensified, his grotesque face deforming with the pain I caused with my mere presence on his arm, and only grew more intense as each of his attempts of removing me simply got his opposite hand wounded further, whilst I took minimal damage. His compatriots looked on in horror as I decided that he had enough, elongating in one smooth, rapid motion towards his chest where I hardened my body and easily pierced his heart to cease his unnecessary suffering, this should have brought enough attention to my little show for the time being.
[Level up!]
The other goblins looked on in horror, but not for long as I soon repeated my little routine with each of them, resulting in three goblins and one hobgoblin corpse laying partially dissolved on the floor surrounding my ghostly-helmet-self. Giving me a brief reprieve to catch my breath before the rest of them zero-in on my current location.
[Ghost Helmet Level Up!]
[Shaping Level Up!]
[Level up!]
[Level up!]
The strength I gathered from the slain goblins once again filled my body, letting me know that I have stat points to spend before I had to do battle with those disgusting murderous creatures again in a couple of moments. With a single thought I invested ten of them into my Constitution, making sure I live more than I single big attack, while the other five were graciously donated to my ever growing stack of Dexterity. I recognized that my build might not be entirely optimal right now, since Dexterity and Constitution are usually stats that contrast each other rather than synergize, but it has been working pretty well so far, and plays to both the strength of my race and the skill I got at the beginning of this life. 'I still feel like there is something more to Smoke Helmet'
"Status."
Name: Blobby
Level: 10
Evolutionary stage: Venomous Blob
Active Title:
Stats:
Strength: 10
Dexterity: 25
Constitution: 22
Intelligence: 15
Wisdom: 8
Luck: 2
Available Points: 0
Available skills:
Slot 1: [Ouroboros 1]
Slot 2: [Shaping 5]
Slot 3: [Smoke Helmet 2]
…
Slot 10: [Empty]
Unused skills:
None
Racial Traits:
Innate potential
Ember of Toxicity
'Another new racial trait, huh?' I figured I might as well figure out what this one actually does, although I had a pretty good idea already. Focusing on it brought forth a detailed explanation.
An Ember of Toxicity blooms within your soul! By calling forth this Ember you may flood your being with toxic energy that you yourself are immune from, however, the same does not go for your enemies. Spread rot and decay with a simple swipe and guarantee the demise of any being with weaker Will than you yourself. The stronger your Will is than that of the target of your attacks, the more effective your attacks will be. Twist the rules of The Games in your favor just enough that it hurts others, but not you. Being Toxic only ever hurts others, so long as they are weaker.
'That last line was new…' Just as I thought about that peculiarity, the goblins came rushing at me.