The Cave Boars were formidable, but they were also predictable. The larger one, the male, cultivated for long stretches, its rocky hide glowing faintly with absorbed essence. The smaller one, likely the female, would occasionally stir, foraging for mushrooms or roots in the darker corners of the cavern. He observed them from his high perch, a tiny, green shadow.
He needed the Earth Essence from those glowing patches. His pathetic 0.001 units of absorbed essence felt like a joke. The air here practically sang with it.
A thought, cold and cunning, formed in his mind. He couldn't fight them. But he could outwit them.
His focus returned to the male boar. Its cultivation cycles were long, almost meditative. That was its weakness. While it was absorbed in drawing in essence, it was vulnerable, at least to minor disturbances.
He activated [Earth Sense (F)]. The faint currents of essence were strongest around the glowing patches. He imagined the vast, untouched energy beneath the male boar. He could practically feel his own weak core yearning for it.
He waited. Hours crawled by. The cavern remained still, save for the occasional snort from the female boar or the soft hum of the male's cultivation. His own stomach rumbled, a dull ache, but he ignored it. Survival demanded patience.
Finally, the female boar wandered off into a side tunnel, presumably to forage deeper. The male remained, eyes closed, completely absorbed. This was his chance.
He began his descent, moving with exaggerated slowness, his claws barely scraping the rock. Every nerve ending was alert. He was a shadow within the shadows.
He reached the cavern floor, closer to the glowing patches than he'd ever dared. The raw power emanating from them made his skin prickle. He edged towards the nearest patch, a small, vibrant growth not far from the male boar's tail.
His original intention was simply to absorb essence. But as he got closer, another thought sparked. He noticed small, loose rocks near the boar's hooves. An idea, devious and risky, took root.
With agonizing slowness, he picked up a pebble. It was tiny in his three-fingered claw. He took aim, not at the boar, but at a cluster of pebbles just beyond it, where they would clatter loudly.
He threw the pebble. It flew, a pathetic arc, and landed with a surprisingly loud clink against the other rocks.
The male boar's head snapped up. Its beady eyes, normally dull, were now sharp with irritation. It snorted, glancing around the cavern, then fixed its gaze on the source of the sound, away from the goblin.
This was his moment. While the boar was distracted, he pressed himself against the glowing patch of essence. He focused everything, drawing in as much as his weak body could handle. It rushed into him, warm and invigorating, a thousand times stronger than the essence in the tunnels.
[Cultivation Progress]: Earth Essence absorbed: 0.05 units.
A massive jump! More than he'd gathered in the entire previous day. The warmth spread, not just in his core, but subtly strengthening his limbs.
The boar, finding nothing, grunted in annoyance and settled back down, but its cultivation was clearly disrupted. It might take time to re-enter its deep meditative state.
He scurried back, retreating into the deeper shadows. He had gained valuable essence, and more importantly, a valuable lesson. He might be weak, but he had cunning. He had a human mind in a goblin body, a mind that could scheme and adapt.
The boar might own this cavern, but he would learn its patterns. He would steal its essence, bit by bit, until he was strong enough to take it all. This cavern was just the beginning of his climb.