Gobsa grabbed his flint knife, which he had carved the whole day and now that it was night, it was time for it to be put to good use. Eating slowly leveled him up but he suspected that if he killed one of those great beasts, he would level much faster. He didn't want to stay a weak little goblin for any longer than needed.
So, he snuck forward, eyes locked on a huge ape, which was snoring loudly. Over the noise of it sleeping, it didn't notice the light and nimble goblin approaching.
He had one shot at this… he raised his flint dagger, took a deep breath and swung at the ape's eyes.
It however didn't penetrate deep enough to kill instantaneously. As Gobsa pulled back his flint knife, the ape roared in pain, swinging its long and meaty arms wildly, hitting his torso and sending him flying away. Bones crunched as he landed on the clearing, "fuck… this guy means business"
He rose from the ground, groaning.
But he couldn't afford to show weakness now. He rushed at the ape. Luckily, it couldn't see in the dark like he could, so it didn't see him coming. However, his knife barely penetrated the thick skin of the beast. It swatted at him, one big hand on its eye, the other trying to grab him but he expected this and nimbly dodged. The darkness was his friend. However, no matter how hard he stabbed, he was still a goblin, he didn't have the power to penetrate the skin.
With each stab, he became more desperate and the ape became more aggressive. Sooner or later, it would find him and another hit like that and he would be dead. He would die here… just days after reincarnating, he would die once more, weaker than even before his reincarnation. He wanted to be the strongest but now, he would die the weakest…
No!
He wouldn't die! He couldn't die! He had to achieve his dream. He was reborn, he would not die so easily! He stabbed at the chest of the ape and for a split second, the tip of the blade turned black as night and the knife penetrated the ape like it was nothing. It screeched one last time and the ape fell. The blood tasted… rich, flavourful, heavenly. He ate with passion. It tasted divine, even better than bugs. His goblin taste buds were strange. It was raw meat, he should be gagging and yet, he felt nothing but a full belly.
Level has risen by 45
Spirit has ranked up to F+
New skill: Armament Haki gained
New skill: foraging gained
New skill: herbal medicine gained
New skill: wild swing gained
"Armament Haki?" Gobsa opened his status.
Armament Haki(a layer of both protection and power. As spirit grows, so does the application of this skill)
Foraging(you know how to forage for berries or other useful plants)
Herbal medicine(the medics of the wild, like the apes have perfected natural medicine)
Wild swing(throw your arms around, increasing the force of a hit)
Sure enough, there it was, armament Haki, he hadn't misread… was this the world of one piece?
Excitement filled him. He had plenty of strong opponents to measure himself against now… Shanks, Blackbeard, Kaido… though maybe he should start smaller. He was weak, even compared to earth… on Blue Planet? He wasn't just an extra, he was cannon fodder. Just one more reason to evolve and fast.
If he followed the one piece logic, he should be fine again after resting for a night with a full belly…
Turns out, no, that was only for the freaks of the verse, like Luffy. Gobsa was just a goblin, so his recovery was slower. Thankfully training didn't delay his healing process and he caught plenty of rabbits to eat. Over three weeks, he healed and grew stronger, up to F+ in both strength and endurance. If he was right, that was about the same strength as a random marine grunt with a Doriki of ten.
Not a huge boost but enough to make him confident enough to start another hunt. Again, he used the night to cover his approach. This time, he went not after an ape but after one of the Wild dogs. They weren't as large as the tigers on the island but still bigger than him.
Most of them travelled in groups but there were a few who were on their own. One of those was a grey hound with big ears, having its territory on a hill, overlooking the forest.
This dog was older, greying at the nuzzle and scarred from many battles in the forest. Gobsa approached it with his flint knife drawn, making sure not to make any noise. When he was inches away from the dog's head, he coated the tip of his blade in armament Haki (he couldn't coat anymore than that with his abysmal spirit score) and plunged it into its skull. There was a sickening *crunch*. The dog didn't even have time to wake up. He devoured the animal like he had done the ape, raw. He didn't know how to make a fire out in the woods, he never needed to know and it didn't even matter, his body filtered out anything harmful thanks to absorption.
Level has risen by 27
New skill: Howl gained
New skill: pack tactics gained
That night, when Gobsa went to sleep, he heard a voice, "do you wish to rank up into hobgoblin?"
"Yes…" and everything faded to black.
The next morning, he awoke, taller, no longer fitting in the rags which he had worn. He was about 170 cm tall now, with a much more human appearance. He could also feel he was stronger now, which was confirmed when he checked his, "status?"
Hobsa
Species: hobgoblin
Level: 1/100
Strength: E-
Endurance: E-
Spirit: F+
Skills:
Absorption(This ability allows you to consume anything and gain abilities from it. Toxic substances will be neutralised and otherwise tough objects will be easily destroyed by your teeth)
Night vision(As a monster, the night is your friend, you can see perfectly even in pitch blackness)
Quick growth(You grow quickly, reaching adulthood in but a few days. This has the negative side effect of a short(20 years) life. This skill can be neutralized by evolving into a higher rank species)
Carapace(Grow and shed a hard shell around your body, around the same durability as wood)
Armament Haki(a layer of both protection and power. As spirit grows, so does the application of this skill)
Foraging(you know how to forage for berries or other useful plants)
Herbal medicine(the medics of the wild, like the apes have perfected natural medicine)
Wild swing(throw your arms around, increasing the force of a hit)
Howl(let out a howl to stun an opponent for a second)
Pack tactics(you know how to organise a hunting party)