Chapter 5: The Alchemist of Poison and Blood
Location: The Dark Forest, Goblin Territory.
Time: 1:00 AM.
Weather: Freezing Fog.
The forest grew denser the deeper Ren went. The pine trees, tall and straight at the edge, became twisted and gnarled, their roots bursting from the earth like arthritic fingers. The fog had rolled in, thick and white, muffling sound and reducing visibility to a dozen yards.
Ren moved through the mist like a ghost. The [Ring of the False Null] didn't just hide his mana; it seemed to dampen his presence entirely. He was a void in the world's perception.
He found the nest not by sight, but by smell.
It was a stench that cut through the clean scent of pine—the smell of unwashed bodies, rotting meat, and woodsmoke.
Ren stopped behind a massive oak tree covered in moss. He peered around the trunk.
In a clearing ahead, built against the side of a rocky incline, was a crude campsite. A cave mouth gaped like a black maw in the rock face. Outside, a large bonfire crackled, spitting orange sparks into the fog.
Around the fire, Goblins danced and bickered.
Ren narrowed his eyes. [Analytical Eye] activated.
[ Target Group: Goblin Nest ]
[ Count: 12 ]
[ 10 x Goblin Scavengers (Level 2-3) ]
[ 1 x Goblin Archer (Level 4) ]
[ 1 x Goblin Warrior (Level 6 - Leader) ]
"Twelve," Ren calculated silently. "And a Warrior."
A direct assault was suicide. Even with his increased stats, he would be swarmed. If the Archer pinned him down, the Warrior would crush his skull with a club.
He watched them. They were gathered around a large, suspended iron cauldron bubbling over the fire. One goblin was stirring it with a bone ladle, occasionally throwing in unidentifiable chunks of meat.
Ren looked at the pouch at his waist. He had gathered twenty Moon-Shade Mushrooms on his way here.
[ Item: Moon-Shade Mushroom ]
[ Property: Hallucinogenic / Paralytic ]
[ Dosage Note: 1 cap causes dizziness. 5 caps cause paralysis. 10 caps cause cardiac arrest in small organisms. ]
"Alchemical warfare," Ren whispered.
He needed to get to that pot.
He observed their patrol pattern. Two scavengers walked the perimeter, but they were lazy. They stopped frequently to scratch themselves or argue. The Archer sat on a rock above the cave entrance, scanning the treeline. He was the problem.
Ren scanned the ground. He found a fist-sized rock.
He waited for the patrol to turn their backs. He threw the rock hard, aiming for a thick bush on the opposite side of the clearing.
Crash.
The noise was loud in the quiet night.
"Grak?!"
The Archer snapped his head toward the sound. He nocked an arrow. The Goblins around the fire jumped up, grabbing their weapons and rushing toward the noise, chattering excitedly about a potential intruder or a lost deer.
Even the cook left the pot to look.
"Now," Ren commanded himself.
He didn't run; running was loud. He flowed. He sprinted across the ten yards of open ground, his boots barely kissing the dirt.
He reached the cauldron. The smell was revolting—rotten venison and sulfur.
Ren emptied his pouch. Twenty blue mushrooms tumbled into the boiling brown sludge. He grabbed the ladle, gave it one violent stir to submerge the evidence, and dropped the ladle back in.
He turned and sprinted back to the shadow of the oak tree.
The whole operation took four seconds.
He pressed his back against the bark, controlling his breathing. His heart rate remained steady at 60 beats per minute. The Librarian did not panic.
The Goblins returned from the bushes, disappointed.
"Blarg," one grumbled, kicking the dirt.
They returned to the fire. The cook smacked another goblin who tried to dip a finger in the pot, then ladled out servings into cracked wooden bowls.
Ren watched from the darkness, his grey eyes cold and unblinking.
"Eat," he whispered.
The Goblins began to feast. They slurped the stew, chewing greedily. The Leader, a massive Goblin standing five feet tall with muscles like knotted rope, took the biggest bowl. He drained it in one go and burped, demanding more.
Five minutes passed.
The first Goblin dropped its bowl.
It swayed, clutching its head. It let out a high-pitched giggle, then collapsed face-first into the dirt.
"Ghh?" The cook looked down, confused.
Then the Archer fell off his perch. He tumbled down the rocks, landing with a sickening crunch, his limbs twitching but unable to move.
Chaos erupted.
The Goblins started screaming, clutching their stomachs. Some clawed at their throats as their airways constricted. Others hallucinated, swinging their clubs at invisible enemies in the air.
[ Poison Effect Active. ]
[ Enemy Status: Paralyzed / Critical Condition. ]
The Leader—the Goblin Warrior—roared. He was strong enough to resist the cardiac arrest, but he wasn't immune. He stumbled, vomiting onto the fire. He swung his massive spiked club wildly, smashing the skull of one of his own paralyzed underlings.
"Target weakened," Ren said. "Phase Two: Cleanup."
He stepped out from behind the tree.
He walked into the clearing. He didn't sneak this time. There was no need.
A scavenger, foaming at the mouth, crawled toward him, reaching out with a clawed hand.
Ren didn't stop. He flicked his wrist. The black iron shiv flashed.
Splorch.
He severed the Goblin's spine without breaking stride.
[ XP Gained: 30 ]
He moved to the next one. A quick thrust to the temple.
[ XP Gained: 32 ]
It was not a battle. It was an execution. Ren moved through the camp, silencing the dying creatures one by one. He felt no guilt. These were monsters that would eat a human child without hesitation. He was simply closing the book on their lives.
He reached the center of the camp.
Only the Goblin Warrior was left standing.
The Warrior saw Ren. His red eyes were bloodshot, his breathing ragged. The poison was coursing through him, reducing his stats, but his rage was keeping him upright.
[ Monster: Goblin Warrior (Weakened) ]
[ Level: 6 ]
[ Health: 120 / 250 ]
[ Status: Poisoned (Agility -50%, Strength -20%) ]
"Graaaagh!" The Warrior roared, spitting green bile. He charged.
Even weakened, he was fast. He raised his spiked club—a weapon that weighed as much as Ren—and brought it down in a crushing overhead smash.
Ren didn't block. He couldn't block.
[ Agility Check: Passed. ]
Ren sidestepped. The club smashed into the ground where he had been standing a microsecond ago, sending a spray of dirt and sparks into the air. The impact shook the ground.
The Warrior struggled to lift the heavy weapon back up. The poison was making his limbs sluggish.
Ren saw the opening.
Viper's Strike.
Ren lunged. But he didn't aim for the head—the Warrior was too tall. He aimed for the armpit, where the crude leather armor had a gap.
SHUNK.
The shiv sank deep into the shoulder joint, severing the tendon.
The Warrior howled, dropping the club with his right hand. He swung a backhand with his left fist.
Ren ducked under the swing, spinning behind the monster.
"Hamstring," Ren noted.
He slashed the back of the Warrior's knees.
The massive goblin collapsed, falling onto his knees. Now, he was at Ren's eye level.
Ren stood in front of him. The Warrior looked up, fear finally dawning in his drug-hazed eyes. He saw a small human boy with the eyes of a dead fish.
"Close the chapter," Ren whispered.
He drove the black iron shiv through the Warrior's eye socket.
[ Critical Hit! ]
[ Damage: 110! ]
The Warrior stiffened, then slumped forward. Dead.
[ System Alert ]
[ Quest Complete: Clear a Goblin Nest. ]
[ XP Gained: 250 ]
[ Level Up! ]
[ Level Up! ]
[ You are now Level 4. ]
Ren stood amidst the carnage. The fire crackled, casting long, dancing shadows over the bodies.
He took a deep breath. The metallic smell of blood was overwhelming, but he felt... calm.
[ Archive Access Granted. ]
[ Row 1, Section B (Spell Books) is now Open. ]
Ren wiped his blade on the Warrior's loincloth. He didn't celebrate. He looked at the cave mouth.
"Now," he said, staring into the dark tunnel. "Where is the treasure?"
He walked into the cave.
The cave was small, damp, and smelled of wet fur. In the back, on a pile of stolen rags and bones, sat a pile of loot.
Most of it was trash—broken farm tools, rusty pots, shredded clothes. But Ren's Analytical Eye filtered out the garbage.
He saw a small pile of coins (mostly copper, a few silver).
He saw a leather bag of uncut gems (low quality).
And he saw a book.
It wasn't a system book. It was a physical book, bound in blue leather, stolen from some unfortunate mage or merchant.
[ Item: Spell Tome - 'Mana Arrow' ]
[ Rank: Common ]
[ Description: Teaches the user to condense mana into a projectile. ]
Ren grabbed it. I don't need to read it physically, he thought. I can absorb it into the Archive.
He touched the book to his forehead.
[ Scanning... ]
[ Copying to Archive... ]
[ Spell Learned: Mana Arrow (Level 1) ]
[ Cost: 20 Mana ]
[ Damage: 10 + (Intelligence x 2) ]
Ren dropped the empty physical book. He raised his hand, pointing at the cave wall.
He focused his mana.
Condense. Spin. Fire.
A bolt of blue light, the size of a fist, materialized in front of his palm. It shot forward with a hum.
BANG.
It hit the rock wall, blasting a chunk of stone the size of an apple into dust.
"Range," Ren noted. "And impact."
He checked his status.
[ Name: Ren Arken ]
[ Level: 4 ]
[ Free Attribute Points: 3 (From level 2->4) ]
[ Mana: 135 / 155 ]
He had 3 points to spend.
"Intelligence," he decided. "Spell damage scales with Intelligence. And I need more Mana for the higher shelves."
He dumped all 3 points into Intelligence.
[ Intelligence: 15 -> 18 ]
[ Mana Capacity: 155 -> 185 ]
Ren collected the coins (12 Silver, 40 Copper) and the gems. He put them in his pocket.
He walked out of the cave. The fog was lifting slightly. The eastern sky was turning a bruised purple. Dawn was coming.
He had to get back to the gate before Hork realized he was gone—or worse, before the morning shift arrived.
Ren looked at the massacre one last time. He grabbed a Goblin ear from the pile (proof of kill, if needed) and began the run back.
He wasn't just a stable boy anymore. He was a Level 4 Mage-Assassin. And he had a plan for Caelum.
Time: Dawn (6:00 AM).
Location: The North Gate.
Hork the guard was snoring in his chair. He startled awake as a hand slammed onto the wooden table next to him.
"Wha—?!" Hork fumbled for his sword.
He looked up.
Ren stood there. He was covered in mud. His clothes were torn. He smelled of pine and smoke. But he was alive.
"Report complete," Ren said, his voice raspy. "Patrol finished. No wolves."
Hork stared at him. He blinked. "You... you're alive?"
"Barely," Ren lied. "I hid in a tree all night."
Hork let out a breath, half-disappointed, half-impressed. "Lucky little rat. Alright. Get back to the stables. Alfred will be expecting a corpse."
Ren nodded. He turned to leave.
As he walked away, Hork noticed something. The boy walked different. He didn't scurry like a frightened animal anymore. He walked with a strange, silent confidence.
And on the table where Ren had slammed his hand... there was a deep scratch in the wood.
Hork frowned, rubbing his eyes. "Must be imagining things."
Ren walked back toward the stables. The sun crested the horizon, bathing the estate in gold.
He touched the ring on his finger.
"One night," Ren thought. "One level cleared."
He entered the stables.
Gable was there, holding a pitchfork, looking smug. He turned when he heard footsteps, expecting to see a guard coming to report Ren's death.
When he saw Ren walking in, Gable's face went slack.
"You..." Gable stammered.
Ren didn't stop. He picked up his shovel.
"Morning, Gable," Ren said calmly. "Stall 44 needs cleaning. I'll get right on it."
He walked past the stunned man, a small, secret smile playing on his lips.
The game had changed. The sheep had grown fangs.
End of Chapter 5
Summary of Events:
Tactics: Ren uses Moon-Shade Mushrooms to poison the Goblin stew, paralyzing and weakening the camp.
The Slaughter: He systematically eliminates the weakened goblins using stealth and his shiv.
The Boss Fight: Ren defeats the Level 6 Goblin Warrior by using agility and targeting the tendons (hamstring/armpit) before delivering a critical kill.
Loot: Ren gains XP (Levels up to 4), unlocks Spell Books in the Archive, learns [Mana Arrow], and finds money/gems.
Stats: Ren dumps points into Intelligence to boost his magic damage.
The Return: He returns to the estate alive, shocking the guards and staff who expected him to die.