Text colour red

O.o it works

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Run.

Faster.

Ahead of me, there was a goblin.

Screw you! Can’t you see that I’m in a hurry?

I cut it to pieces and continued.

《EXP Threshold reached, Human LV15 > LV16》

Cool.

Four more levels before I *probably* get something!

As I keep running, I hear a slight buzzing in my ear.

*swat*

I look at my hand.

It’s a mosquito.

What the fuck?

Why are there mosquitoes here?

Where’s the DEET when you need it?

I hear more buzzing and so I look around.

But I see nothing.

Something lands on my arm.

I look at it and a mosquito seems to fade into existence.

What this fuck is this?

「Augmentation System Analysis (ASA): Mosquito, blazing fast insect capable of injecting weak poison and cloaking. Best in swarms, heals after consuming blood. In high enough doses, the poison will paralyze and dull judgement.」

Special… Forces… Mosquito?

Hahahaha, and here I was thinking that I would get swarmed by a thousand elite goblins or something.

The poison will paralyze?

Dull judgement?

I suddenly drop everything and begin swatting wildly.

fuckfuckfuckFUCKFUCKFUCK

Wait, calm down

Calmness

Not dying yet

I’m calm… probably.

Can I detect the mosquitos with domain?

…

Hello? ASA?

WHAT TRIGGERS ASA DAMMIT!

「Augmentation System Analysis (ASA):

What command syntax - what [reference pointer]

Identifies [reference pointer]

Additional details available depending on [reference pointer]

Activation prerequisites: query intention and Domain-Level privilege」

Oh.

That’s dumb.

I knew that.

I was close…

…

What is Domain?

「Augmentation System Analysis (ASA):

Domain ability summary -

Implements a personal Access Control List (ACL) to control use of the Augmentation System Commands (ASCs) while within the radius. Grants Domain-Level Privileges to the domain owner.

Personal commands and scripted passives can be created. Full API available here.

The strength of Domain weakens exponentially with distance from the source owner.」

…

So what I’m seeing is that it’s useless.

Maybe if I knew how to script?

That would be overpowered.

But I don’t. So it’s worthless.

Sometimes in hollywood, some characters claim to have ‘written their own code’ to ‘hack some computer.’

Those are all lies. They downloaded the software off the internet and then they pretend they wrote it.

Besides, no one would waste time writing software if there’s free versions widely available…

Only idiots would do that.

Google, I need you!

…

Sadly, google is not there to answer my pleas for help.

I have to rely on myself.

Yosh!

I redouble my swatting efforts.

You may be invisible…

But I can still swat randomly!

I feel stinging pains in my crippled arm and my legs.

I hate this place.

True to my word, more than a hundred dead mosquitoes lie scattered in my wake in a matter of minutes.

《EXP Threshold reached, Human LV16 > LV17》

Oh, I get EXP from killing mosquitos?

Well they are Special Forces.

Considering I killed more than a hundred to gain a level, the efficiency is not high.

Ha~ I really thought there was going to be a thousand goblins...

I guess I was wrong about being wrong that god was useless.

All he can summon are mosquitos.

Send more free levels please!

I suddenly feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.

My instincts are screaming, why?

Footsteps? Behind me?

I whip around, but nothing is there.

What?

I swing my sword through the air randomly and rush forward.

A rather large-ish goblin suddenly fades out of the shadows screaming bloody murder.

It appears to be holding its stump arm.

What is THAT?

「Augmentation System Analysis (ASA): Mk II Goblin Assassin, lightly armored goblin that attempts to kill distracted targets. Capable of stealth. Mk II grants heightened physical abilities.」

Sneaky Mark II goblin?!

‘Only mosquitos my ass!’

Bamboozled again!

The goblin rapidly retreats and throws a dagger.

I slap the incoming dagger out of the air using my sword.

The shadows on the ground shift around and the goblin vanishes.

I slash through the air to the left of the spot where the goblin disappears.

Luckily, I chose correctly.

The goblin screams shrilly as it dies pathetically.

This god is too crafty for its own good.

It sends a bunch of mosquitos to trick me into thinking its actually a shitty attack, but then a sneaky goblin arrives!

I could have died!

Looking around my body, I suddenly realized that the mosquitoes have landed on me while I was distracted.

I swat wildly again and kill several dozen of the densely packed mosquitoes in seconds.

This combination attack is seriously strong…

The mosquitoes distract and whittle while the--

*twang*

As I was busy analyzing the strategies, a light whistling sound could be heard.

I feel a sharp pain in my back.

I’ve been shot by an arrow!

I furiously search for the perpetrator, but there’s none to be seen.

A sneaky archer?!

What kind of bullshit is this?!

I pick up a rock and hurl it in the general direction from which the arrow came from.

There is a sharp *crack* as the rock smashes into a wall, followed by a light *pit-pat*...

Almost as if something was fleeing…

Motherfucker…

You think you can shoot me in the back and run?

I pick up more rocks and hurl them towards where I hear the footsteps.

*crack*

*crack*

*thud*

The third rock doesn’t hit a wall.

A goblin with half a head and a bow falls out of the shadows and lies on the ground.

A pool of blood rapidly grows around the body.

Lemme guess, a special forces sneaky goblin archer.

Well…

What is it?

「Augmentation System Analysis (ASA): Mk II Goblin Assassin, lightly armored goblin that attempts to kill distracted targets. Capable of stealth. Mk II grants heightened physical abilities.」

Close enough.

I look at the arrow wound.

The arrow has completely penetrated my body. There is both an entry and exit wound.

Well shit.

It kinda hurts when I walk.

Should I pull it out?

The wound might get bigger since there isn’t hospital care nearby.

I carefully try to pull the arrowhead off of the arrow.

Arrowheads are lightly fastened to the arrow shafts with tar or some weakly binding adhesive because arrow shafts are scarce.

After all, there aren’t many plants that grow in a ‘shaft-like’ way.

Thus, for easy reuse of arrow shafts, arrowheads are made expendable.

Unfortunately, the arrowhead appears to be firmly stuck on the shaft.

Who the FUCK MADE THIS?!

I snap the head off and pull the rest of the arrow out from behind.

I turn the rest of my shirt into a bandage.

I’m going to run out of shirt at this rate.

Fuck this place so much.

How much mana do I have?

「Augmentation System Analysis (ASA): You currently have 6.2 units of mana.」

I think I have to get a healing mechanism with my next skill point or I’ll be screwed.

What’s that? Four levels?

Easy peasy. Ish.

At least I got a free bow and arrows…

Hey, I said ‘what,’ but the what command didn’t activate?

That must be the ‘query intention’ prerequisite.

I hear the characteristic footsteps again.

Today’s going to be a very long day.

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Sorry about the late-ish release.

Didn’t like a piece of it so I chopped it off and redid it. Pace seems slightly fast, but direction is correct so therefore there probably isn’t a problem.