The gruff goblin made to follow Slib, but Kaden wasn’t about to let that happen.

With a swift charge, he slammed his shoulder bone into the goblin, knocking it back. He drew the rusted knife from his cloth belt and, with a leap, pinned the creature beneath him.

The goblin squirmed and hissed, its yellow eyes wide with terror, but Kaden’s weight pinned it down. In a single brutal motion, he drove the blade through its mouth, silencing its garbled cries in an instant. Dark blood pooled beneath its head, spreading out in a slick, shining puddle.

A wet cough and a sharp shout broke his focus. Kaden turned, his glowing eye sockets locking onto Slib, who was gazing into the air with eyes wide as saucers. The goblin seemed almost to vibrate with excitement, its entire body quivering.

“Slib level two! Slib level two!” it cried, bouncing off the ground and hopping around in glee.

Level two? It had leveled up? Kaden glanced at the dead goblin lying in a pool of its own blood. Could Slib have received a share of the experience? It seemed so. It was the only explanation that made any sense. Quickly, he checked his own notifications.

They confirmed his suspicions. Comparing the numbers from the first and last kills, he noticed something unusual: the two goblins were the same level, but he received different amounts of experience.

─ Level 6 Goblin slain.

─ Reward: 273 Experience Points

─ Level 4 Goblin slain.

─ Reward: 165 Experience Points

─ Level 5 Goblin slain.

─ Reward: 223 Experience Points

─ Level 6 Goblin slain.

─ Reward: 190 Experience Points

It wasn’t a huge difference. Definitely not enough to outweigh the benefits the little goblin had brought him. He had to admit, the goblin had proven useful so far.

Wait…

He eyed Slib, who was still staring at nothing with a grin that stretched almost ear to ear. Having grown up among all the other goblins, surely Slib knew something useful about the system?

“Hey Slib, do you know—“

He was in the middle of asking when the goblin cut him off.

Before he could finish, Slib interrupted, face scrunched in concentration. “Agilamati?” It tried the word out, frowning harder. “Agielatu?”

Yeah, never mind.

Kaden snorted, the sound a strange, hollow rattle, seemingly produced by nothing. What had he been thinking? Of course, it didn’t know anything. Kaden shook his head and laughed—a laugh that grew louder and louder, echoing around them. It wasn’t even that funny, but he just couldn’t stop.

He tousled the little goblin’s hair, his facial bones shifting into a grin.

Slib stared up at him, clearly puzzled, its large eyes blinking rapidly. “Master Skeleton?”

“Nothing,” Kaden replied, still chuckling. “Good job bringing them here, Slib.”

The goblin’s face brightened instantly. “Ahh!” it exclaimed, waving its hands in front of him like a child embarrassed by praise. “No, no! Slib just do job! Slib obey Master Skeleton!”

“Right, and you did well. But it took you long enough. I was beginning to think you weren’t coming back. What were you doing?” He was still interested in the delay.

Slib’s face scrunched up again, deep in thought. “What Slib did? Hm? Why Slib make Master Skeleton wait?”

Kaden watched, slightly bewildered by the goblin’s exaggerated theatrics. Could it really not remember?

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Then, as if a light bulb had flicked on, Slib’s face lit up. “Oh! Slib know! Slib brought this!” It dug into the layers of dirty cloth it wore and produced a small, shiny object—a ring. Made of some gray metal, it had strange, interwoven runes etched into its surface.

“What is this?” Kaden leaned in closer, and as he focused on the ring, a box appeared in his vision.

─ Ring of Strength (Basic)

─ Equip Bonus: +2 Strength

His soul shook, blinding desire filling him. What was it? A piece of magical equipment? He wanted it—no, he needed it. Without him even realizing, his fingers reached for it.

Slib didn’t resist, letting him take the ring. Kaden studied it for a moment, staring intensely at the curious runes, then slid it onto his middle finger. The cool metal settled against his bone, and instantly, a surge of power coursed through him like a jolt of electricity.

He checked his status window to confirm the change, finding an extra number next to the one displaying his strength.

─ Status

─ Kaden (Solid Skeleton)

─ Level 6 Slayer (Rare)

─ Health: 26/26 ─ Stamina: 14/26 ─ Mana: 8/8

─ Experience: 1636/2800

─ Stats

─ Strength: 17 (19) ─ Agility: 10 ─ Vitality: 6 ─ Endurance: 6 ─ Mana Core: 4 ─ Mana Flow: 4

─ Free Stat Points: 0

─ Unique Abilities

─ Bone Essence Absorption

It really worked. The bonus from the ring reflected in his stats, a small but significant increase in his strength. He clenched his fist, feeling the newfound power coursing through his bones. He needed more of them.

“Where did you get it?” Kaden demanded, the light in his eye sockets flaring bright.

“Uh, uh!” Slib flinched back in fright, shaking and stammering, “S-Slib stole it! Is belong to Grulak!”

“Grulak, huh?” Kaden muttered, still fixated on the mysterious ring. The little goblin was more daring than he thought. “Does he have more?”

“Uh, Slib not know. Slib no think so.”

Damn it.

Kaden’s grip tightened involuntarily, frustration gnawing at him. His gaze bore into Slib, who cowered, eyes darting nervously between Kaden’s face and the ring now gleaming on his bony finger. He felt the power pulsing through him again, a small thrill dancing up his spine. For a fleeting moment, he was tempted to rip the goblin apart, demanding it find more. He forced himself to calm down. What even were those thoughts? They were dangerous, Slib had proven more than useful.

Kaden exhaled, his voice lowering to a calm but commanding tone. “Alright, Slib. You did good bringing this to me. But listen carefully.” He leaned down, his skeletal face inches from Slib's, his empty eye sockets aglow with a deep red light. “I want more. Anything like this—anything magical or useful—you bring to me. Understood?”

Slib nodded vigorously, its head bobbing like a small, eager bird. “Yes, yes! Slib find! Slib bring for Master Skeleton!”

“Good… also, what are you? Man, woman?” He was tired of thinking of it as an ‘it.’ If he was going to keep the goblin around, he needed to know.

Slib blinked, confused. “Man?… Woemen?”

Kaden sighed, rubbing his forehead with his fingers, though they clicked hollowly against his skull. “Are you male or female?” he clarified, hoping for a clearer answer.

Slib paused, looking up at Kaden with furrowed brows, clearly trying to process the question. After a long moment, it seemed to come to a conclusion. "Slib… is male?" it answered, though it sounded more like a question than a statement.

Kaden tilted his head. “You’re… not sure?”

Slib shrugged, a gesture that seemed oddly human for a goblin. “Slib just… Slib.”

“Right. Male it is then.” There was no way he was going to check for himself.

Slib seemed satisfied with that, his toothy grin returning as he gave a small hop of joy. "Yes, Slib is male!"

Kaden gave a small nod. “Good. Now, we’re not done. I’ll finish things up here. Meanwhile, you go bring more goblins, and keep them around the same level.”

Slib’s grin stretched even wider, and he bounced on his toes, brimming with excitement. “Yes, Master Skeleton! Slib bring more goblins!” He spun around and scampered off, his small, green form quickly disappearing into the darkness of the tunnel.

Kaden watched him go, his bony fingers flexing unconsciously, still tingling with the surge of power from the ring. The idea of sending Slib out again was risky; he wasn’t sure if the goblin would come back or wander off in confusion, but it was a chance he had to take. The little creature had surprised him once already today, and that was enough for now.

He turned back to the corpses of the slain goblins, considering them for a moment. They were still fresh, the scent of blood sharp in the damp air. His hunger remained dormant, but he needed to keep eating and increasing his power. More, more more.

He crouched beside the body of the goblin whose life he had ended with a swift strike to the mouth, eyeing the jagged, rusty blade it had dropped.

Gripping it in his skeletal hand, he weighed it experimentally. It was crude, more of a shard of metal than a true weapon, but it might have its uses. As for the other weapons? They looked even worse. Still, they might save him in a pinch, so he gathered up a battered axe, a chipped sword and a… rock.

The real treasure was the ring, though. He could feel the difference it made; all the strength he had gained over time adding up and making every movement stronger, every step more stable. He could feel himself edging toward something greater, and it was making him impatient.

With the power came endless obsession. He had felt it growing since his awakening, an insatiable need for more strength, more experience, more… everything. He didn’t understand it completely, but he knew he had to follow it, had to feed it. The feeling was strange, foreign, but also exhilarating.