Border City, a secluded alley.
Even in the bright light of day, the alley seemed dim and damp. Discarded trash was scattered about, and a drunkard slumped on the decidedly uncomfortable and dirty ground, mumbling incoherently in his sleep.
His body reeked of alcohol, repelling anyone who got close.
Passersby would occasionally walk by, only to wrinkle their brows at the sight of the squalid, filthy drunkard and quickly depart.
But nobody noticed the shadows under the drunkard unnaturally rippling, like ripples on water, seemingly leading to a secret realm hidden deep within.
The Nightmare Sage was curled up in this rare reprieve of dreamscape, grasping at every moment to catch its breath.
That day, in just half a night's time, it encountered two painful failures; one of Wisdom, where its cunning plans were seen through by the Count, who then set a trap in return; another of Strength, where it was no match for the Sergeant, resulting in a desperate escape after suffering a heavy cost.
Although it lay dormant these past few days, to the point where the Hero nearly forgot about it, neither the Count, the Sergeant, nor the Church which it directly invaded, would let this Magic Creature off easily.
The entire city maintained martial law during this period, with soldiers patrolling twice as densely as usual, significantly reducing the crime rate in Border City. The city administration even distributed Dreamcatchers to every household, reminding residents to hang them above their beds to be wary of nightmares' invasion.
Mages utilized the Arcane Nexus to monitor the city's fluctuations of Magic Power, and the Magic Barrier on the city walls was maintained at all costs. The city gates were set with layers of checkpoints, clearly stipulating that no one in a sleeping state shall be allowed to pass.
Led by the now-recovered Cruising Bishop, the Church's Demon Hunting Unit was relentlessly tracking the Nightmare's traces day and night, vowing to eradicate it completely as recompense for past humiliations.
The Nightmare is the sovereign of dreams, yet also a prisoner of the dreamscape; mysterious in the eyes of humankind, it thrives within dreams. But conversely, once outside the realm of dreams, it's like a fish out of water, only able to flounder in agony.
Moreover, ancient prophecies revealed that even the dreamscape itself could potentially become a threat to them.
For this reason, the Nightmare race has long harbored an obsession with Human Transformation, as having a physical body means breaking free from the bonds of illusion and embracing a new evolution.
The Nightmare Sage originally believed that this city was the key to unlocking the doors to evolution, like a treasure chest brimming with jewels, hard to crack open but promising endless strength and rebirth upon success.
But now this treasure chest had turned into a Mimic – not only did it fail to obtain the prophesized treasures, but it was also swallowed by the city, which sought to digest it completely.
"We can't go on ," the Nightmare Sage whispered anxiously.
[The Nightmare Sage's next actions—]
2. Summoning Ceremony♛
10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure
It knew time was still passing, and the space it had left to survive was being squeezed tighter and tighter.
Its Strength had yet to recover, and the situation was extremely unfavorable. Continuing to delay would only lead to being completely surrounded by humankind, ultimately leading to a merciless annihilation.
It must find reinforcements, create chaos, and carve out an opportunity to escape.
Having lost the chance at that time, seizing upon the Hero had become an impossibility, and filled with regret, the Nightmare Sage made its decision—now, survival had become the primary goal, no longer prophecies or Magic Potions.
But although a king among Nightmares, even it found it exceedingly difficult to penetrate the human city. In this dire situation, it couldn't expect help from its kin, leaving only itself to find a glimmer of vitality.
However, as a Nightmare crowned with the title of "Sage," although it was indeed in a Weak State and had lost most of its Strength, it still possessed profound Secret Techniques and Knowledge.
"So, what to do now…"
[The taboo level of the Summoning Ceremony(70+ requires Blood Sacrifice, 100+ attracts Hunting Knowledge)]
D100+30=d100(40)+30=70
[The Nightmare Sage is summoning—(LV43 R4 Colony)]
5. Alice's Rabbit Hole
7. Secret Desire Little Demon
8. Dragon Might Beetle
10. Critical Success/Extreme Failure
Magic Creature Ecology Academic Report - Goblin Nesting Phenomena Study:
First of all, it must be said that even in the reason-praising Capital, where the pursuit of the truth about all things is the hallmark of the Knowledge Hall, researching Goblins is nothing to boast about.
These Magic Creatures are so weak that even a Professional Apprentice who has not yet Reincarnated can effortlessly take down multiple individuals.
They have neither civilization nor societal organization, do not engage in Forging weapons, and their most commonly used Equipment is a stick. A fully-armed Professional could stand still and completely ignore a Goblin's Attack.
Moreover, Goblins are filthy, ugly, despicable, and their stench is unbearable... in short, something to be avoided at all costs.
But what also must be said is that research on Goblins is necessary.
In every Arcane Surge, especially the ones of significant scale, Goblins often constitute the main force of secondary disasters. According to models, if not eradicated, the number of Goblins during the average duration of a massive Arcane Surge could potentially exceed the total current population of the Kingdom.
While such a disaster has not historically occurred, the data and formulas do not lie - although individually extremely weak, when they form a Goblin Group, the threat they become should not be taken lightly.
And the root of this threat is the most significant Trait of Goblins as Magic Creatures - their abnormal reproductive prowess.
Ordinary beasts do not even regard Goblins as prey, not even a brown bear about to hibernate would deign to eat them. However, they are classified as Magic Creatures for good reason.
As everyone knows, there are no female Goblins.
So, can we simply define them as Male?
In terms of Appearance, Goblins exhibit male characteristics, and their behavior is also more akin to that of Males, especially when choosing Attack targets, displaying a strong fixation on females.
However, actual research has shown that in environments rich with Magic Power, Goblins can reproduce without distinguishing between genders. Their pursuit of females seems more like an instinctual preference, just as I personally prefer to eat [], but if really hungry, another taste isn't out of the question either.
Let's take this hypothesis a step further: suppose there was an epidemic that typically infects a specific gender, while the other gender has immunity, can we define such a virus as 'Male' or 'Female'?
Clearly, such a definition would not be suitable.
Although we are currently still unable to provide a precise definition for Goblin reproductive traits,
I have yet to successfully collect samples of Goblin offspring for direct comparison with Humankind - this task is frankly a huge challenge for me,
but one thing is certain: their reproduction is not simply parasitic, nor is it traditional procreation, but closer to "copying".
The most compelling evidence is the Mutant phenomenon observed only during Arcane Surges in Goblins Groups, which leads to their explosive reproduction, known as "Nesting".
In the Arcane Surge environment filled with Chaotic Magic Power, when Goblins are under the pressure of other powerful Magic Creatures and unable to find an outlet, they turn their sights on their own kind.
The specific process of Mutation, for the mental and physical health of the readers, is not appropriate to detail here, but the final outcome is that hundreds or thousands of Goblins come together to form a sticky, fleshy mountain.
In this process, their limbs, torso, and even some heads dissolve into a semi-solid substance, retaining only interlinked male-like organs, and the orifices previously used for excretion.
Subsequently, this flesh mountain, through absorbing free Magic Power from the air, produces adult Goblins at an astonishing rate of 1~2 minutes per individual, and may even produce Big Goblins or higher-ranking individuals directly.
This creature, completely composed of Goblins and producing only Goblins, is the "Hive Mother," the only existence within the Goblin species that can be considered 'female'.
This phenomenon of split reproduction that occurs under special magical conditions, without the need for the flesh of external organisms as reproduction hosts, further proves that Goblins indeed do not have gender differentiation; their so-called 'male' characteristics are merely superficial resemblance.
Nevertheless, due to scarce samples and numerous difficulties in actual analysis, our current research on the "Nesting" phenomenon and the essence of Goblins has yet to reach an authoritative conclusion.
Although the Kingdom can now protect itself during Arcane Surges, our understanding of this world is still shallow.
Even the weakest Magic Creatures hold mysteries that have yet to be unraveled.
For a scholar, this is both disheartening and inspiring.
But in the end, it must be said that researching Goblins is truly not a pleasant affair; I never want to see these green-skins again in my lifetime.
[Goblin Hive Mother VL43]
Corrupting Strike LV5: Ranged Attack, considered to have 50 Agility when aiming, inflicts =Charm pollution damage.
Desire Nest: Produces =LV number of Goblins every hour and uses D100 to determine special individuals.
Near - Death Craving: Produces one Goblin for every 1 point of damage received.
Annihilation Dissolution: Captures the target within its body, deals 2D Strength+Constitution mental Break the Void damage, and dissolves those killed into special raw material for Goblins.