HARD TO SAY WHAT HAD KILLED me — the fragments, probably. I doubted anyone would dare to launch a missile at us, so a bomb was the most likely option. Bombs, rather. It also seemed unlikely that the explosion occurred right beside me or I would have been torn to pieces. While my clothes had turned into rags, they remained intact. The bag looked the worse for wear, but it still worked, despite all the damage.
However, losing it would have been upsetting but not critical, for I had recently moved all the System items into the Ring, including the ghost and the raven figurine. So my old repository contained only firearms, armor, equipment, and such. It’s unpleasant to lose the things you’ve picked out for yourself, but it wouldn’t be difficult to find a replacement. Oh, the bag also contained our purchases, so if she wanted to, Eva could strut about here in a red dress and high heels, flicking away cockroaches and luring rats greedy for human flesh. Although how they could develop such tastes when their diet consisted mostly of moss and cockroaches was beyond me.
Who had organized the terrorist attack? This was hardly the work of alien enemies — unless they had wormed themselves into our society much deeper than I thought. An action like this required informants, saboteurs, and explosives. Let’s say you could obtain something similar on other worlds, but you also needed the means of delivery, activation, and so on.
To blow up a diplomatic plane… To sneak into a guarded hangar, plant explosives and leave unnoticed... Naturally, suspicion would fall on the host country, since this would be easiest for the residents of Hong Kong. But what would be the point? Qing Long and his government had guaranteed our security, so they wouldn’t put themselves in such a position without a good reason. They could have sent a killer after me once I was far from their jurisdiction. The local opposition? It didn’t seem convincing...
Who was next, the Americans? Blaming all the world problems on the United States was stupid, although my elimination would be welcomed by certain people overseas. Clinton had been actively looking for healers recently, and three candidates who had tried to meddle in politics had already died or gone missing. Still, healers were too valuable a resource to waste, so I only knew of one death for sure. This was probably what Michigan had warned me about back in Japan, hinting that I ought to stay away from Washington. He probably remained neutral, otherwise he would have solved this problem long ago, one way or another. Players at our level could heal or finish off the president with equal ease. If there had been behind-the-scenes negotiations about my intervention, it could have served as the reason. At this stage, this was all conspiracy theories.
Who could possibly want me dead? Inti? I’d crossed paths with Lisa several times in recent days, and she didn’t look like she was mad at me. Nevertheless, MI6 had an impressive presence in the region, and the British could have technically pulled off such a thing.
Another god? My confession wouldn’t have pleased the seven, while my premature death would have saved them from having to get their hands dirty. Or from damage to their reputation. Nevertheless, there was nothing to support this theory.
The faces of the other members of the Circle flashed before my eyes, but they had no reasons to eliminate me. Although it was tempting to suspect my “own people” first in such situations. It was all a matter of motivation and evidence. No point in sowing discord and throwing around accusations if I couldn’t prove anything. As a result, I came back to where I’d started: anyone could be a suspect, but I didn’t have enough information.
Another problem loomed as I thought about this. Communication. It just so happened that there were no goblins left on the other side, through whom I could send a message to the capital. They all took the opportunity to visit their native caves and entered the portal. I had intended to call some of them back before jumping after them, but... this was no longer possible. Stupid. I was probably considered missing at the moment, and declared tragically dead after a while. Unless the gods decided to clarify the situation — the meeting quest was still active, so it wasn’t like I could trick them in this way.
My premature and spectacular appearance naturally raised questions, but I didn’t keep what happened a secret. Information about the terrorist attack and my miraculous rescue didn’t cause much of a stir. Most of the expedition participants lacked the full information, and therefore didn’t understand what they had avoided. If the main card had found its way to the bottom of the ocean, sooner or later, one of the backup ones would have replaced it. It was only a question of when. In a week? A month? A year? Twenty years? On the other hand, the five holders of the Backup Key were already in the Dungeon, so they couldn’t open the return portal even if they took my place. We had to rely on the Backup Key kept in the department precisely for this situation. But we still needed a holder who wouldn’t die prematurely. The chances of the expedition returning safely weren’t particularly high in such circumstances. This was the result of my decision. Initially, analysts suggested keeping the Main Key in special storage and taking it out only for direct use. They were morons, of course, but they were right in some respect.
“Hmm.”
One of my first jobs was to restore the defenses of the False Heart — I had disabled it last time, and there had been no time to experiment with the settings. So cockroaches and the ubiquitous moss had spread into the once clean zone.
Activate External Formation? (10 SP)
Yes/No
Although humans were excluded from the list, I still made the guards leave the potentially dangerous area. Confirm. A wall appeared in the air, but the fauna beyond the perimeter didn’t disappear, and had to be dealt with by hand.
Reserve: 8,107/10,000.
“Go on, check!” I spoke wordlessly to the Heart, replenishing the balance on the card. The additional reserve had somehow grown by 42 points.
Reserve: 10,000/10,000.
Additional Reserve: 93,149/1,000,000.
The situation was slightly annoying, but I hoped nothing terrible would happen to our world in two weeks. I would be able to return to Moscow thanks to the beacon. Otherwise, I would have to wait for the portal cooldown, which meant I would miss the meeting with the gods. A tempting thought, actually. But running away from meetings like this was like ignoring a deadly disease. You could die a little later than after an unsuccessful operation, but there would be no chance of recovery.
* * *
Although the expedition had arrived relatively recently, they had achieved a lot, including expanding the tunnel and removing most of the equipment from it. A checkpoint was erected near the Heart, but the main base was in one of the caves of the goblin “Fortress”.
Furthermore, they had put up several frame buildings — light, but sufficiently sturdy and comfortable. Nevertheless, most of the personnel lived in tents and vans. Water supply came from a shallow lake, while waste disposal… Well, waste was supposed to be pumped out and used to increase the fertile earth layer. The goblins had several caves where they grew plants imported from other worlds. There was no need to worry about invasive species: they couldn’t compete with the all-pervasive moss and wouldn’t last long without proper care.
I myself had a decent house in the Fortress, as judged by medieval standards, which was passed from one Ruler to another. The previous owner never visited it, apparently, so it was quite bare. Or had the goblins plundered it as soon as they learned about the change of power? I ought to clarify this point…
The house was an impressive one-story stone building with a warm water pool in the center, supplied by a tiny stream. It was a real hot spring, but there were several more in the vicinity, so I doubted the goblins suffered much from its loss. The tables and furniture were made of carved stone and there was a decent bed. If you liked to sleep on rat skins, that is.
Negotiations between the goblin elders and the expedition leadership were quite tricky, so it was nice to laze about for a change. I spread my arms out and gazed at the ceiling, where several large spiritual stones were glowing. It wasn’t enough for proper lighting, but at least I wouldn’t trip in the dark.
“Yuck,” Eve grimaced, putting a lamp on the table. “Looks like I’m sleeping on the floor tonight. Is there an extra sleeping bag in here?”
“There is, but don’t worry. I think we should turn this place into the official residence. Put in a generator, hang up a flag, and house the administration.”
“How long will we stay in the settlement?”
“A couple of days, no more. You’ve heard my plan, haven’t you?”
“You’re a cheater.” There was approval in her voice, though. “Are you going to share?”
“Later. Don’t worry, no one will leave dissatisfied…”
Eva walked over to the bed and thoughtfully ran her hand over the skins. In truth, they had been masterfully tanned and sewn together. Plus, the bedding was made of white rats, so it looked quite unusual.
“You know, I can’t stand rats since I was a child — the sight of them makes me shudder. I wouldn’t have been able to touch this skin only a few months ago. Now I’m planning to go and kill these creatures, yet I feel more anticipation than disgust.”
“It does you credit, one should fight phobias. Do you want to lie down? The skins are soft.”
“All in good time. The hot spring first. I doubt we’ll get many chances to rest in the next two weeks… Training is what your enemy is doing while you are sleeping.”
I decided not to correct Eva, although if it all worked out, our journey to the surface of this planet would be much easier and more comfortable than originally expected.
* * *
A “pocket” appeared in front of my hand, which is how I mentally referred to the window through which I could withdraw items from the Ring.
Activate access to the Server? (1 hour/1 SP)
Yes (109/300)/No
I confirmed the decision and plunged into the list of skills, trying to find the best option. There was no point in rushing, so I spent almost the entire allotted time.
Attention! Would you like to learn the Taking Hand skill? (100 SP)
Yes (9/300)/No
The Taking Hand
Rank: E-.
Level: 1/1.
Description:
— Allows you to gather SP from other sapient beings if there is available experience.
— Hand contact is required.
— Confirmation from the donor is required.
— Efficiency — 100%.
Cost: 10 mana units.
Proper experience transfer skills had Rank D or higher, but unilateral absorption was possible at a lower step. However, most skills of this kind had significant drawbacks. In my case, the fact that it was voluntary and required close contact. Luckily, I needed to use my hand, and not my lips — I’d actually seen this option. I wasn’t quite ready to kiss the goblins.
Nevertheless, there were thousands of vassal goblins living in the Dungeon, and even if they leveled up extremely slowly, most had some “surplus” experience. Which I could collect… It was a strikingly simple thought that didn’t come to me at once. No, I wasn’t going to rob anyone — even if the goblins didn’t dare to start a riot, I could forget about a true alliance. But there was no need to use the stick when your pockets were full of carrots. I was going to buy the goblins again. Sell them what they have been dreaming about for many decades: System weapons. Well, not to sell — that would be harmful, but to hire out...
* * *
I sat on an impressive throne, with two flags hanging behind me: the Russian Federation and Mordor. That is, Shard number something-something… The silver cloth with the huge red-gold eye was not only a reference to that fictional universe, but also inspired awe in my subjects. I had royal clothes suitable for such an occasion, but they had remained on the other side for “technical reasons”. Which was okay, the goblins should respect me no matter how I looked.
“Next!”
The day had barely begun, and the crowd of goblins inspired not only optimism, but also an understanding of how much work I had to do.
“But I can suffer for the sake of crystals…”
“There are no crystals here!”
I scratched the beak of the raven perched on the back of my throne. He had missed all the fun last time, but he seemed to be enjoying the Dungeon. He gobbled up the cockroaches with great enthusiasm, although he glared at spiritual stones with resentment. They looked almost like the real thing but didn’t spark joy.
“The Hunter Lu,” Uli introduced yet another goblin, “has two wives and... how many young children do you have?”
Not that I cared, but, among other things, we were using the event to conduct a population census. Based on rough estimates, there were between five and ten thousand goblins in the Dungeon, and I wasn’t happy with such a vague number.
“Seven, my chief!” The goblin smacked himself in the chest. “Four sons and three beautiful daughters! Two of them are ready to become women!”
The mentioned wives and daughters stood a little way behind him. The former to share her experience, and he was probably hoping to get the latter into a human man’s bed. Although I doubted the hunter would mind if someone was tempted by one of the older women. The goblin community was quite small, and fresh blood was always welcome. Especially when it came to hobgoblins. Two people were already sitting in makeshift military detention for this reason, and we were just at the beginning.
“Are you sure?” Hun chuckled. “Didn’t your youngest die of the fever two months ago?”
Another problem that the doctors were working on. Once they identified the cause of the disease, it would be easier to find the right medicine. So far, I suspected the high background level of spiritual energy, which meant that a Qi Circulation System card could help. Although it wouldn’t do much good if there was “minor spiritual deviation”.
“Really?” The goblin scratched his head in embarrassment. “Then I have six!”
“Caw! Let me peck out his eyes!” the raven announced his food preferences, aloud, for a change. “Liars have especially delicious eyes!”
“The hunter Lu has a bad memory,” Uli interrupted respectfully. “May the Lord forgive him...”
Right, and problems with math. Of course, the issue wasn’t forgetfulness. There was a belief among the goblins that the quality of the humanitarian aid box depended on the number of children. Even if the contents of the “loot boxes” were generally the same.
“I understand, it’s fine,” I smiled. Bri flew behind the hunter’s back and sucked out some energy, causing him to stagger and turn pale. Just for a second, as a quick lesson. “Come closer. Do you agree to give me your free experience?”
Overcoming a moment of turmoil, the goblin approached and extended his arm. At least I didn’t need to explain the procedure.
“Yes, my Lord. I would also like to join the ranks of your warriors.”
I squeezed his hand and sent a request. After receiving confirmation, I mentally yanked, activating the skill. It was a pleasant enough procedure for me, but not so much for the donors.
Attention! You have gained 7 SP! (56/300)
“Seven points,” I announced the result. “Thank you for your significant contribution. You will be given a weapon and you can go up a level. As for a place among the Immortals, speak to the lieutenants. If they approve your candidacy, we’ll talk again.”
There were now sixty-four goblins in my guard, and intense competition for the remaining places, as I’d predicted. Which hunter Lu, given his lies, was unlikely to win. Not because he had lied, but because he got caught.
“Thank you! My wives also have a little power that they are happy to donate.”
I nodded and shook their hands, receiving a modest one point from each one. Just like their husband, they managed to hide the unpleasantness of the procedure by gripping my hand harder. Slightly, but I would have to repeat this process about three thousand more times. If I didn’t have Healing, my hand would have been rubbed down to the bone by the end of the day. Goblins probably didn’t care which limb they were squeezing, so I would switch to the left one from time to time.
“Good. You can take the box over there.” I pointed.
The soldiers handed the goblins a box of humanitarian aid. We had planned to distribute them from the start but postponed the event until my arrival. Vassals should know and see the hand that feeds them. Now it served as additional payment, causing the goblins to literally fight for a place in the queue.
I opened my pocket and mentally contacted the altar. It was very convenient since I wasn’t planning to show my vulnerable point even to my closest allies.
Would you like to buy a Beginner’s Kit? (50 SP)
Yes/No
A bag (8/300) fell to the ground. The third one today, out of the 147 bags that I needed to create a Slaver’s Bag. The bag contained the same set I’d once received myself. Weapon card, flask, clothes, shoes… Moreover, as experiments have shown, the size depended on who opened the bag first.
Eva picked the bag up and took it inside the tent so as not to embarrass the audience. The clothes would go to my guard first, while the cards would remain in the treasury and be rented out. Well, their contents. I planned to keep the scabbard, so I could track the weapon. This way, the goblins could neither lose nor hide it.
Professionals would activate the cards the first time, since most goblins had never held a normal weapon in their hands. If I wasn’t careful, our arsenal would be filled with dozens of stone axes and clubs. At least, the Immortal on whom we conducted the experiment got exactly that.
“Next!”
I looked longingly at the timer. I still had a great deal of work to do.
* * *
The mountain of bags grew steadily, and at some point, there were enough of them that I could stop. I had four Smuggler’s Bags in my possession, one of which I’d returned to my personal room, and two of which I had taken back from my allies. So I only needed to create three. Seven and a half thousand experience points... Someone would say that I should have invested this experience in my own development, but I considered it a profitable investment and certainly not a waste. The first hunting squads had already ventured outside after receiving their weapons. The goblins will quickly make up for the losses and return with even more.
Importantly, I had to make sure that the goblins didn’t kill all the animals on the lower tiers. Their enthusiasm was a little disturbing, while most elders sincerely believed that “rats could never end.” However, as human history showed, anything could be driven to extinction, it was only a matter of time and profit. Take the passenger pigeon as an example, once the most abundant bird on the planet. Therefore, I immediately forbade killing very young individuals or abandoning prey. Even with regular supplies coming from Earth, such System materials would always come in handy.
Nevertheless, there were still quite a few donors left, so I proceeded to level up myself.
Attention! Would you like to raise the Archery skill to Level 4? (60 SP)
Yes/No
The skill that had once started my ascent. It became relevant again with the appearance of divine protection in monsters. It would also come in useful against the rats, since I had plenty of arrows. And if they ran out, I could buy another “quiver” through the altar.
“Next!”
Healing… I waved my hand in the air. I had refused to partake in the dance last time, but I was now ready to take a break and hold a little performance.
Attention! Would you like to raise the Archery skill to Level 5? (80 SP)
Yes/No
The goblins hadn’t gone anywhere, but I didn’t hesitate and started moving, hitting the targets again and again. Not bad, not bad at all.
Attention! Your Archery skill (F) has been upgraded to Bow Master (E). You must choose a specialization.
Attention! You are a follower of the Spear School!
An additional School cannot be selected!
Choose a specialized skill:
— Spiritual Thread (E, 1/5). Creates a connection between the user and the arrow. Allows you to remotely absorb experience, and later on, partly control the flight of the projectile.
— Explosion (E, 1/5). Allows you to fill the projectiles with energy that explodes on impact.
I returned to my throne, sending the weapon into the Ring as I walked. Both options sounded interesting, but I settled on the first one. I didn’t have enough arrows to sacrifice them each time I activated the skill. Not needing to run after them after every shot had impressed me more.
“Next!”
A succession of goblin faces again. If someone was holding a grudge against me, this would be the time to strike. I must have shaken more hands today than in my entire life, and the goblins were starting to blur together.
Attention! You have reached Level 16! (0/320)
“Break!” I didn’t mull over it for too long and invested both free points in Perception to get it up to ten.
Congratulations! Your Perception attribute has reached the limit for your race.
Connecting to the Server… Select a bonus skill from the list:
— Lie Detector (active, default). Allows you to perceive the smallest details of a speaker’s behavior and facial expression.
— Emotional Enhancement (active, accidental). Allows you to temporarily enhance an existing feeling.
The Lie Detector looked more interesting at first glance, but I remembered what happened to the late Jack. And understood the reasons. It wasn’t enough to read facial expressions and movements, you also had to interpret them correctly, and there was no way to do so reliably. It was why lie detector readings weren’t admissible in court in most countries. According to the experts, its only function was to put pressure on the suspect, in the hope that they’d watched enough crime drama and spilled the beans. You might as well flip a coin and judge someone’s guilt by the result. The second option was also a dubious bonus, but it could come in handy.
“That’s enough for today. We’ll continue tomorrow.”
* * *
I stroked the Slaver’s Bag (C) hanging over my shoulder: the night had passed quickly, but very fruitfully. I hadn’t bound the bag to me just yet, but it had a significant role to play in future events. Again, handshakes, handshakes, and more handshakes. I would say that I’d never go into politics but, apparently, it was too late for that.
“Break!”
Attention! Would you like to upgrade your Moderate Magical Ability to Level 2?
Yes/No
Wisdom +3 (15/15)
Attention! You are the first from your world to reach the Second Limit of Wisdom.
Cost of unlocking the limit: 300 SP
You have received the Innate Mana Control ability!
Allows you to better sense and control the flow of energy inside you.
The changes took about five minutes this time, during which I sat, trying not to betray my emotions. Pain, pain, pain... Innate Control required a serious restructuring of my body. A person wouldn’t be able to endure such pain motionlessly, but could I still be considered human? Pfft. More yes than no.
“Next! Next! Next!”
The crowd has shrunk noticeably, as had the mound of boxes with humanitarian aid. I had spoken a little to the first goblins, but the longer this continued, the fewer unnecessary gestures I made.
“Break!”
Would you like to upgrade your Spear Master skill to Level 2? (200 SP)
Yes/No
I got up again and started moving. After the time spent on the throne, this warm-up was a joy. Plus, the admiring stares of my audience warmed the heart. A picture flashed before my eyes…
The master approached a second boulder and struck again, but this time, it didn’t just split, instead exploding in a shower of shrapnel.
“Move aside! Keep your distance!” Could I do that too? At a certain point, I felt the energy inside me flowing in a different way and struck the nearest cobblestone. The spear pierced it easily, as if it was a drill, and the energy burst out, tearing my target into pieces. And I hadn’t even activated Kinetic Field.
Attention! You have obtained the Rank E skill, Shattered Stone!
I didn’t much like the name, and the System readily responded.
Would you like to rename the skill to Shrapnel?
Yes/No
I had no strength left to rejoice, especially as I still wasn’t done yet.
“Next! Next! Next!”
This time, I used the opportunity to purchase Minor Magical Ability or Qi Circulation System cards for all the members of the expedition who didn’t have them. And there were still plenty of goblins left. A Regeneration card — I couldn’t make a copy my own, but my income allowed me to be generous.
“We’re done.”
I nodded, activating Healing one last time. I had pretty much gotten used to my hands aching constantly. During this time, I’d received about ten thousand experience points, and had immediately spent them on certain needs. I had only 140 units left. It was enough for one more skill.
Attention! Would you like the learn the Flight ability?
Yes/No
I didn’t like flying but doing it of my own free will would be much better than obeying gravity. That wasn’t even the reason, but rather the dramatically increased mobility. I didn’t have to walk around walls when I could fly over them. Although it was a voracious skill, my mana reserve would be enough for a minute of unhurried flight. I just had to avoid getting hit by air defense, but nothing like that had been invented in the goblin world yet. Finally, the last task for today…
Attention! Would you like to upgrade the Sword Fighting skill to Level 3? (40 SP)
Yes/No
This time, I concentrated on one-and-a-half blades, which included my sword of Heresy, and finally stopped an hour later. Phew. Well, it was definitely worth it.
“My Lord?” Uli asked, having patiently waited for me to finish.
“You did a good job. Is everything ready for the crusade? We leave tomorrow morning.”
“The warriors are looking forward to it with great impatience, my Lord. The whole Dungeon will soon belong to you.”
“To us. It will belong to us, my friend.” I stood up. “By the way, please make sure these flags are hung over the residence.”
Even if the goblins from distant settlements hadn’t arrived in time, it no longer mattered. We could gather the remaining fighters later. It was time to move on.