Magna had the years of experience an assassin would carry, both in his mind and etched into his entire body.
But that was all he had. He was still stuck in a child’s body, without even a reliable weapon he could use.
The worst part of their situation was the state of the mother goblin’s corpse.
It had already started to rot, and the smell it gave off would likely be the first thing to draw the two creatures’ attention before anything else could.
While he stayed focused on his thoughts and kept his guard up around them, he suddenly flinched, his whole body going rigid at the sound of a growl.
He only relaxed once he realized it was coming from his own stomach.
’Seriously, not the time to be hungry,’ he thought bitterly.
It hadn’t been long since he’d eaten his fill of goblin meat, but he’d used up all that energy gaining the coldblooded assassin option, so his body must have been running on empty again, growling to warn him of it.
"You hungry?" Faye asked kindly, still trembling with fear but looking straight into his eyes.
Without waiting for an answer, she pulled something out from inside her robe, wrapped carefully in white paper.
Magna wanted to refuse, not wanting to let food distract him, but another growl from his stomach, louder this time, forced him to accept it.
"...Thanks." He took it, a little embarrassed.
Until now, he’d thought of Faye as the one who needed help, the one who was more of a burden than anything. But suddenly finding himself on the receiving end of her kindness left him with a small pang of shame.
He slowly unwrapped the white paper and found four perfect, square-shaped pieces inside.
Each piece was small enough to eat in one bite and soft to the touch, almost like jelly.
Their smell was appealing too, carrying a sweet, fruity scent he couldn’t quite place.
"I made these myself. They’re my favorite," Faye said, smiling as if she’d momentarily forgotten the terrifying atmosphere around them, clearly not wanting to miss her chance to brag a little.
After hearing that, Magna gave the squares another look, this time a wary one, wondering if they were even edible now that he knew this girl had made them. Right then, another loud growl rose from his stomach.
He couldn’t remember ever feeling hunger like this before. His stomach was practically screaming at him to stop wasting time and eat it already.
’Is this body turning into a glutton or something?’
He popped one piece into his mouth, not wanting to risk another growl that might catch the lizards’ attention.
The taste was strangely good, and so was the texture.
It was soft like jelly but crunchy at the same time, almost like a cookie, making him wonder what kind of spell had gone into making it.
Up until now, the only things he’d tasted in this world were goblin milk and goblin flesh, so this new flavor turned into something close to ecstasy for him, if only for a moment.
He wanted to chew it slowly and make the taste last, but his body was nearly starving, so he swallowed it after only two bites.
That was when he ran into a real surprise.
[New substance detected... Faye’s homemade jelly cookies...]
[Energy particles detected...]
[Converting nutrients into energy...]
He felt a rising heat spread quickly through his entire body.
The energy coursing through him was even more than what he’d felt after eating goblin meat until he was completely full.
Within seconds, the heat reached its peak, and new text appeared.
[Energy accumulation threshold reached.]
[Please select a method to utilize the gathered energy.]
Magna could only stare in shock, Gaia’s mechanical voice still echoing in his head one message after another.
Just one piece had been enough to fully charge the system.
When he looked down at the three remaining pieces still in his hand, he couldn’t help but glance back up at Faye’s face.
She was still smiling proudly, clearly seeing exactly the reaction she’d been hoping for. "Told you it was good, didn’t I? Hehe."
It was more than good. It was something close to a miracle.
"Yeah, it’s really good." Magna at least gave the girl the praise she deserved, then turned his attention to the new options, hoping one of them would help him get out of the situation he was in.
[Option 1: Expend 100% of accumulated energy to improve poison and toxin tolerance by 10x.]
[Option 2: Expend 100% of accumulated energy to improve regeneration speed by 5x.]
[Option 3: Expend 100% of accumulated energy to improve stamina and endurance by 5x.]
The options this time didn’t look as impressive as the previous ones, but they were still good enough to improve his chances of survival.
While weighing the advantages of each option, he asked in a low voice, "Do you know if those lizards are poisonous?"
Faye, not quite understanding what the sudden question was about, shook her head. "I don’t think so."
Magna crossed out the first option, choosing to trust her answer.
The second option was also solid, since regeneration could mean a number of things.
Regenerating wounds was one thing, but if it turned out to be an all-round regeneration, it could even cover what the first option offered, granting fast recovery from poison and toxins as well.
The same went if it extended to fatigue or the exhaustion building up in his still-unfamiliar body. That alone would make it broad enough to cover at least a small part of what the third option promised.
It was just too bad the option was more of a long-term investment, not something that would give him a big edge in an immediate fight.
So after a few more seconds of careful thought, he decided to go with option 3.
Whether he ended up fighting the lizards or just finding an opening to run, he’d need every bit of extra stamina and endurance he could get for that moment.
Before choosing the option, he knew it would probably come with pain, and maybe even some physical changes. So he had to tell Faye something first, so she wouldn’t be terrified by the sudden change.
"Hey, I’m going to cast a spell."
Faye looked at him with curious, expectant eyes, since this was the first time she’d get to watch her senior sister actually cast a spell.
Standing in front of that eager, focused gaze, Magna gave an awkward smile and started chanting.
"O King of the cheeseburger, sizzling oil summoned by fire, Clown of the finest french fries, grant me your immunity against high cholesterol."
Then, at the same time, he selected the option.
[Option 3 selected. Utilizing gathered energy to improve stamina and endurance by 5x. Prepare for sudden physical pain...]
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