Chapter 36: Slave Master, Thief, Assassin.

I can't help but chuckle inwardly when I see that I'm at exactly 0 XP towards Primordial Level 4. What a strange coincidence that the exact amount of XP packs dropped in front of me before we reached their camp. Is the Goddess on my side? Maybe she prefers bad boys. Why else give me my unique Primordial Villain class? Or maybe it wasn't handcrafted by her… I better not have any disrespectful thoughts in case she can read minds and happens to watch over me… But hey, if you're down, so am I, miss Goddess. I quickly invest my unused attribute points which I've gained from the level up and then inspect my stats; [Name: Quinlan Noir] [Race: Primordial] [Title: -] [Primordial Level: 3. XP 0/169] S~eaʀᴄh the nôvel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality. [Primary Class: Warrior lvl 4] [Secondary Classes: - Slave Master lvl 1 - Assassin lvl 2 - Thief lvl 2] [Vitality: 17] [Strength: 13] [Agility: 17] [Intelligence: 12] [Wisdom: 12] [Unused Skill Points: 5] [Unused Attribute Points: 0] I'm a bit sad that my Secondary Classes are not leveling up besides the newly acquired Assassin, because based on the Primordial race description they should… I can only make the assumption that non-combat classes don't gain XP from killing enemies. I quickly check out my new class in more detail. [Assassin: Basic Evil Class] [Effect: Minor Agility Increase] [Base Skill: Knife Throw] [To level up the Assassin Class, kill specific enemies you've targeted. If the kill is made without getting exposed the XP gain is increased.] The wording makes it sound that simply massacring thousands of people with some OP spell at once won't give me Assassin XP. Leveling this one up seems a bit more of a hassle than Warrior, but at least it works on monsters as well, not just humanoids. With this I have three classes that can be used to fulfill part of the Primordial Villain class's unlock requirements. Slave Master, Thief, Assassin. My parents would be so proud if they could see me right now. … Moving on, I prefer Agility increase over Strength, so I swap it with Warrior as my Primary Class. I sense Ayame approaching me with steady steps. "Good job, Quinlan." She congratulates me. "Thanks. They were… occupied. Made my job a lot easier." I hear her giggle, which is a very rare sight. "That they were." "Hey, Ayame, where are the female goblins? I've not met one yet, and this scout captain was even plowing his subordinate's bum…" "They don't exist. Goblins are conceived by humanoid mothers. As for what the captain was thinking… I'm not an educated scholar regarding goblin psychology and tendencies but my guess is that while they prefer women, 'a hole is a hole' in their minds." She reveals the somewhat disturbing information with disgust on her face. "Honestly, they should just go extinct…" Kinda brutal but I can easily understand where she's coming from, especially as a woman. I can't imagine many fates worse than becoming a goblin tribe's breeding stock. "Well, we can slightly reduce their numbers today, let's be happy about that fact." I attempt to cheer her up. She was in a joyous mood previously but my question pretty much ruined it. She nods and steps forward to examine the gruesome aftermath of the skirmish. Her expression remains stoic, but there's a flicker of contentment in her eyes as she surveys the carnage. The two goblins that I had taken down lay in twisted heaps on the ground. My first thrust had caught one in the gut, spilling its entrails onto the forest floor in a slick, steaming mess. The second goblin, struck through the chest, gurgled on its own blood before collapsing in a fit of spasms. Both corpses were drenched in dark, viscous gore, their eyes glassy and lifeless. Ayame's gaze shifts to the remaining goblins. One of them, the one busy shitting, had his neck broken, the result of a precise and powerful strike. Blood has sprayed in an arc, painting the surrounding foliage in crimson. The body twitches reflexively, muscles contracting even in death. Another goblin lies slumped against a tree, a large gash running diagonally from shoulder to hip. Its organs are partially exposed, and the stench of blood and bile hangs heavy in the air. The last goblin is barely recognizable, its face caved in from a brutal blow that has shattered bone and splattered brain matter across the forest floor. Ayame nods approvingly. "You really did well, Quinlan. Efficient and thorough." This is the first time she praised me for a single deed twice. Gotta write it down for the annals of history. "Thanks once again. I'm debating whether we should wait for nightfall to approach their camp or not…" I steer the conversation to the impending bloody encounter. She remains deep in thought while taking glances around the battlefield for a good few seconds. "We can assume that there's between twenty to forty goblins left in their camp. Neither of us are good at sneaking and we are invading their home territory… I believe that attacking during night would be more beneficial to them. Yes, we might kill a few of them in their sleep, or perhaps even all of them if we are extremely lucky, but if we are caught red handed they will overrun us easier during the night." She pauses to think for a few more seconds before continuing, "you've never fought in the dark and I also much prefer daytime for combat. Furthermore, although goblins are not nocturnal creatures, they can see in the dark quite well." "So you are suggesting a frontal assault?" Ayame shakes her head, "not quite. We should attempt to cull their numbers before that. With this horrendous iron sword and no armor I'm not confident in my ability to defeat the hobgoblins if they are given the chance to prepare." Damn, so we really are risking everything here. I'm getting a bit uncomfortable with the situation but the rewards are simply too tantalizing. I've made more progress in an hour than I would in many days of clearing the first floor of the labyrinth. I can only shrug to myself as we begin to make our way further into the forest towards their supposed camp location.