Morning in the swamp.
I woke up to:
[Notice: Pregnancy Progress – 5 Confirmed]
[New Skill: Amphibious Intimidation Lv.2]
At this rate, I was going to be the only goblin in history to father half a village before hitting Level 5.
System: New Title Earned — 'Swamp Casanova'
I sighed.
The Boomtoad was still alive.
Still glaring.
Then came the shriek.
The Problem
A mosquito.
No. Not a regular mosquito.
A mosquito the size of a dog.
It buzzed over the swamp, slurping goblin blood like it was happy hour.
One goblin screamed, another passed out.
Splorp got carried off by three smaller ones.
Ma Grugga waddled over, waving a stick.
"Frog Prophet! Kill bug queen!"
"…why me?"
"Because you Frog Prophet."
At this point, I stopped asking.
System Quest
[Quest: Defeat the Great Mosquito Queen]
[Reward: 400 EXP + Random Swamp Relic]
Alright.
Time to commit bugicide.
Battle Preparation
I armed myself with:
A stick.
A Boomtoad (still alive, still pissed).
A rope.
And blind confidence.
I tied the Boomtoad to the stick like a bomb on a spear.
This was a dumb plan.
So obviously it was perfect.
The Final Boss
I reached the big clearing.
The Mosquito Queen hovered over a nest the size of a hut, surrounded by bloated mosquito minions.
She locked eyes with me.
I locked eyes with her.
System pinged.
[Skill Activated: Amphibious Intimidation Lv.2]
Every frog croaked at once.
I puffed out my chest.
The Queen shrieked.
Battle time.
The Fight
I charged.
She swooped down.
I threw mud in her face.
Missed.
Hit myself.
She bit my arm.
I bit her back.
Goblin style.
Then I lit the Boomtoad-fused stick and hurled it like a javelin.
It bonked her on the head.
BOOM
Huge explosion.
Mosquito guts rained from the trees.
System pinged.
[Quest Complete: Defeat the Great Mosquito Queen]
[+400 EXP]
[EXP: 630/1000]
[Random Swamp Relic Obtained: Mysterious Sludge Jar]
I picked it up.
The label read:
'Do not drink.'
I pocketed it immediately.
Aftermath
The swamp was quiet.
The mosquito menace was over.
Ma Grugga declared me hero of the day.
Mudnut tried to pick a fight, saw my Boomtoad club, and backed off.
System pinged.
[Notice: Pregnancy Progress – 6 Confirmed]
At this point I didn't even ask who anymore.
System: It was Groba the Tree Hugger. Swamp juice party.
Goddammit.
Nightfall
I sat on my moss bed.
The Boomtoad croaked softly.
I named him Plop.
"Plop," I said, "one day we'll leave this swamp. Find a fireball skill. Conquer a mountain. Or at least a village with proper plumbing."
Plop blinked.
We understood each other.