*** The new routine
Over the next few days, I slipped into a comfortable routine. Wake up, run through my usual workout in my human body, grab breakfast, then head straight into the Goblin Forest. Each trip, I picked off about three shamans—making sure to deal with the scouts first. No way was I letting another full-scale goblin swarm happen again.
I still had the occasional mishap, mostly thanks to my tail.
I've gotten better at controlling it, but every now and then a goblin still manages to grab the darn thing. It's basically like getting your hair yanked—painful, distracting, and infuriating. I really need to toughen it up before it becomes a serious liability… So, I've started training it. Nothing complicated. I just stay in my succubus form and use my tail to lift weights while I do other things.
After a few days, I could lift a 5-kg dumbbell without worry of dropping it. Still nowhere near enough to break a goblin's grip, but hey—progress is progress.
Everything else was going great. I was raking in cash, leveled up again, picked up a few more skill points, and my mana reserves got another boost. I'm not sure what to do with the skill points, though. Most of the succubus skills are exactly what you'd expect—charm, allure… Mind-influence stuff. Definitely not my style. So for now, I'm sticking with body-strengthening and saving the points. I mean, it's not like I need a new skill against these goblins.
Then… I meet the fat goblin.
By pure chance, really. I was just roaming the forest when I stumbled across a sizable cluster of goblins—around two dozen—and at the center was the fat one. He's easily twice the height of a normal goblin and at least four times as wide, with tiny legs and rolls upon rolls of fat. He's sprawled on the ground, resting, a skull-shaped crown perched on his head and a massive stone sword within arm's reach. No question about it—this is the goblin king.
So this thing is supposed to be strong enough to give Bronn and his group trouble? I can't help but smile. I've been wanting to fight it ever since I heard of it.
But first, I have to clear the minions—I don't want them ruining the main fight. Scanning the camp, I count three archers, four shield-bearers, and the rest are the usual club-and-stone-axe grunts. Plenty of bodies, but no one standing guard; most are lounging or doing whatever. Amateurs. I could probably slip in and neutralize half of them before they notice. One complication: a horn hangs from the goblin king's neck. The same kind I've seen shamans use to call reinforcements—if he sounds it, I'll get overrun, no doubt. Got to avoid that!
I scan the camp again and map out a route in my head. First move: take out the archers. I'll ignore the shield-bearers for now—they're easy to handle. I pick out a few lone goblins who'll be easy to drop; I could quietly put them down and leave them looking like they're just taking a nap—no need to hide the bodies. Then, I can rush the king, smash that horn before it can call reinforcements, and finish the rest in a proper brawl. I'm already revving up just thinking about it.
The next few moments feel straight out of my black-ops days—slipping through enemy territory and taking people down without raising the alarm.
I quietly pick off the archers and six more goblins. Everything's going smoothly; they haven't noticed me yet, but I know it's only a matter of time before someone realizes their companions aren't just sleeping. So before I lose the element of surprise…
I glance at the goblin king still sprawled on the ground and grin. This is going to be fun. I crank body-strengthening up, feel my muscles swell, and charge.
Before the big guy can react, I drive a solid blow into its chest. It barely flinches from the blow, the layers of fat acting like armor. I didn't expect that, but it's okay. I hit my target. The shattered remains of the horn clatter to the ground. Upon seeing that, the goblin king goes enraged. It grabs the massive stone sword and roars. "GEE!!!" Moving with shocking speed for something its size.
I dodge the blade, but the other goblins are starting to rally. That's fine. I just got a great idea for dealing with them.
"Try to keep up, big guy!" I call out, darting toward a cluster of shield-bearers. In its fury, the king barrels after me and swings its sword straight into its own underlings.
"Try again!" I taunt, already moving toward the next group.
I manage to take out four more goblins before the rest wise up, but by then their numbers aren't much of a threat, and since they're keeping their distance, I can focus on the main fight. Good thing, because this big bastard's a handful, swinging that massive blade like it weighs nothing. I need to be careful. One hit from that thing and I'm toast. This is going to be fun.
I dodge another swing from the goblin king, close the gap, and drive a heavy punch into its gut. My fist sinks into its belly, but the beast barely flinches. Damn it! I pull back and dodge a follow-up slash. All that fat's preventing me from doing any real damage. What do I do? Head strikes are out—too tall. Feet? Too fast to reach. I circle, landing blow after blow, but it's like punching a stress ball. This isn't working.
No choice. I crank body-strengthening to the max. My clothes protest as I bulk up even more, but I ignore it for now. Focus on the fight. The king raises its stone sword; I take the chance, plant my feet, and throw everything I have into a strike to the gut.
This time it reacts. "Gee?" it yelps, surprised and staggered by the pain. Good—it's working. It swings wildly, desperate. I slip under the blade, delivering another crushing hit. "Gee!" it howls again, the sound raw, but it keeps coming, lashing out with frantic blows. I'm doing real damage now, but I'm burning away at my magic fast. I have to finish this—quickly. I evade one more attack and land two thunderous strikes in a row.
*** The Aftermath
"RRRAAAAGH!" I roar as I reappear in my human form back home. I can't believe I actually got taken out by that overstuffed goblin. Seriously—that thing? If it wasn't for that… fat, I would've crushed it!
And the thing was a total amateur—swinging that massive sword like a kid flailing a stick. I could've dodged those sloppy swings all day… if I hadn't been drained from holding body-strengthening at full power for so long. Ugh. If I'd had just a bit more time.
No. Who am I kidding? I wasn't even close. I hate admitting it, but I never stood a chance. Ugh. My first death… taken out by an overgrown novice whose only real advantage is being fat. The worst part was that smug look it made as it brought the blade down. Ugh. Let's just check the loot.
I try to bring up my inventory screen, but all I get is static.
Right. The death penalty. No access to system functions until my avatar's restored. Ugh. So what now? I've never been the type to just sit around doing nothing. Maybe… research. Yeah. I'll look into the goblin king—see if it has any weaknesses.
I sit down at my computer and look for an awakener forum. I find a thread about the Goblin Forest, make an account under the name "Violet," and start reading.
Most posts talk about the usual hazards—the terrible visibility, poison arrows, and how teams should bring a tamer with a night-adapted beast or a mage who can produce light. They also warn not to rely on antidote potions because the poison acts too fast and goblins rarely give you enough breathing room to use one. Good advice… just not something I personally need. There's also mention of a goblin assassin that hides under moss and stabs people with a poisoned dagger. I think I've run into one before. Annoying, but manageable.
Then I find a thread on goblin shamans. Pretty standard stuff: clear the scouts before engaging, watch out for long-range fire spells, and expect them to be guarded by four or five shield bearers.
I add my own experience to the discussion—warning people that shamans often have an archer waiting in a tree for an ambush. I get a few replies almost instantly, confirming it and thanking me for the heads-up.
Then I get to the section on the goblin king. They warn to be extremely careful—apparently the king can summon not only scouts but shamans as well, turning the fight into a nightmare. Knew that horn was bad news. They also mention that the king is absurdly fast for its size and ridiculously tough—able to soak up a huge amount of damage. Yeah… no argument there. Unfortunately, it seems there's no easy way to beat it. The goblin king is widely considered the toughest opponent you can encounter in the lower realms.
I lean back in my chair. Toughest opponent? That actually makes me smile. Not because losing to a strong enemy makes me feel any better—no. But because taking it down will feel that much sweeter.
*** Preparations
The next day, I wake up, go through my usual routine—breakfast, workout, the whole deal—then flop onto the couch and try pulling up my status screen. To my relief, it actually appears. Good. The death penalty's over.
First stop: inventory. A few goblin crystals, some poison vials, and two fire staves—yep, all the loot from my last run is still there. Now for the real task. I swipe over to the skill menu and scroll through the available options. There has to be something here that can help me turn the tables on that oversized blob of a goblin.
Charm magic… Absolutely not. Sleep magic… I could put the goblin king to sleep, but any hit would wake it right back up. Useless. Illusion magic… could help for feints, but if my punches aren't doing any real damage anyway, what's the point?
I keep scrolling until—Allure Magic. A skill meant to reshape the body to deceive opponents. Normally I'd skip it without a second thought, but… reshape the body?
Hold on.
I tap the description. From what I understand, the skill basically lets me alter my avatar's physique—kind of like adjusting the amount of air in a balloon to change its shape. But the change is purely cosmetic. Still… if I think back to how body-strengthening works…
Maybe I can use allure to make my muscles bigger before using body-strengthening to pump them full of magic. With the increased size, I should be able to push my strength even further without straining my body.
It definitely seems like something worth trying. And it's not like the rest of the skills available are any good.
With my mind made up, I select Allure Magic. Just like before, a rush of knowledge floods into my head—every nuance of the allure skill.
Time to test it.
"Awaken on!" I shout, shifting into my succubus form. I'm still wearing the clothes from my last raid—a yellow sweater and black mini-skirt—both practically ruined. Half the sweater's gone, exposing my waist, and the seams are stretched from pushing body-strengthening too far. Whatever. I'll change later. For now, trying out this new skill comes first.
I close my eyes, focus, and activate allure, pushing my body to grow as large as the skill allows. The sensation is bizarre—like being inside one of those inflatable suits as it fills up.
Then I trigger body-strengthening.
Magic rushes into my muscles, expanding them. No… not expanding. It feels more like… I'm turning the false bulk allure created into real muscles. Just as I hoped! Now, let's see just how far I can push body-strengthening.
I'm already at three times my usual limit and still feel no strain or magic seeping out like when I push body-strengthening too far. Four times—still fine. Five—my body feels massive, powerful. I keep going. Six… seven… My muscles start to swell thicker. Eight!
I open my eyes, glance at the mirror, and… Yeah, I look absolutely ridiculous. My body's a tank on steroids, but my head is still the same cute, dainty shape as before. The contrast is wild. But ignoring that—wow. I have to be at least two meters tall now. And my muscles… I flex an arm, and the damn thing bulges wider than my head.
This is amazing. I feel stronger than ever, and the magic drain isn't even that bad. I could probably maintain this for… eight minutes, give or take. Definitely usable in a real fight.
I'm still admiring my new physique when a notification suddenly pings in my mind—like a thought that isn't mine. It urges me to check my skill window. Weird. I pull it up anyway, and to my surprise, there's a brand-new skill waiting for me: Overpower magic, an original skill created by combining allure and body-strengthening magic, so says the description.
… Huh. So I can create new magic? Good to know. I'll have to experiment with that later. But for now—overpower magic. My very own original skill. I want to test it, maybe throw a few punches, but… I walk over to my bench press, grab the 150-kilo bar with one hand, and lift it like it's nothing.
Yeah. Definitely not testing this strength inside the house.
I think about heading straight to the Goblin Forest, but there's the issue of my clothes. My body grew so massive they were torn to shreds, barely clinging on. At least the succubus armor kept up with the change. Still… I should really remember to unequip anything I don't want destroyed before activating overpower.
I deactivate the magic, my body shrinking back down to its usual petite size, and go get changed out of the shredded remains of my outfit.