My Goblin System : Levelling up with my SSS Class Devouring skill

The first infiltrator moved to the eastern side of the warehouse, positioning flasks among grain sacks.

The second infiltrator headed toward the western side, finding barrels of preserved food and placing incendiaries for maximum damage.

The third—the lead—stayed near the center, pulling out the largest of the incendiary devices. This one was designed to create a fireball that would ignite everything else, creating a self-sustaining inferno that couldn’t be extinguished in time to save the supplies.

He armed the device with practiced hands, setting a thirty-second delay that would give them time to exit before the explosion.

Twenty-nine... twenty-eight... twenty-seven...

"They’re inside," Seraphina reported mentally, her corruption magic sensing the infiltrators’ positions with perfect clarity. "Three targets. They’re preparing incendiary devices. The lead has activated a timed device—approximately twenty-five seconds until it detonates."

"Spring the trap," Lyra commanded without hesitation. "I want them alive if possible. Dead if necessary. But I want to send Elric a message that our warehouse is not vulnerable."

Kelvin received the command and blew three sharp blasts on his whistle.

The warehouse defenders moved with coordinated precision.

It started with Seraphina’s corruption specialists. Dark energy erupted from concealed positions throughout the warehouse, forming barriers that blocked all exits. Not solid walls—more like curtains of solidified shadow that prevented movement. Anyone touching them would find their body refusing to obey commands to cross.

The three infiltrators realized their mistake in the half-second it took for the corruption barriers to manifest.

The lead infiltrator’s combat training took over instantly. He dropped the primed incendiary device—now with fifteen seconds until detonation—and drew dual blades coated in fast-acting poison.

"Trap! Combat formation!" he shouted to his team, abandoning stealth for survival.

The other two infiltrators responded with professional speed, drawing weapons and positioning back-to-back-to-back in a defensive triangle that prevented anyone attacking from behind.

Twenty elite warriors emerged from concealment throughout the warehouse.

From behind grain sacks, goblin and orc warriors appeared with weapons drawn. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

From overhead rafters, serpentfolk defenders dropped down with spears ready.

From false-bottom storage containers, more fighters erupted with the advantage of surprise.

The warehouse that had seemed empty now revealed itself as a kill box packed with hidden defenders.

"Surrender," Kelvin called out, stepping forward from his concealed position with dual short swords drawn. His goblin features were set in grim determination. "You’re trapped. No exits. No escape. Surrender and live. Fight and die."

The lead infiltrator’s response was immediate and professional.

He hurled a flash-bang alchemical device—a glass sphere that exploded in blinding white light and deafening thunder designed to disorient enemies in close quarters.

The warehouse erupted in chaos.

The flash-bang detonated with devastating effect. Defenders who’d been watching the infiltrators directly were blinded by the intense light. The thunderous sound in the enclosed space stunned several warriors whose ears weren’t protected.

In the two seconds of confusion, the infiltrators acted with lethal efficiency.

The lead infiltrator threw three poisoned knives in rapid succession. The first took a goblin defender in the throat—he dropped instantly, poison working faster than he could scream. The second knife caught an orc warrior in the eye—dead before he hit the ground. The third missed as its target ducked, but forced that defender to take cover instead of attacking.

The second infiltrator produced a small crossbow and fired two bolts in the span of a heartbeat. Both found targets—a serpentfolk defender took a bolt in the chest and went down thrashing. An elite warrior took one in the shoulder and fell back, the poison on the bolt working to paralyze his arm.

The third infiltrator drew a vial of alchemical acid and hurled it at the corruption barrier blocking the nearest exit. The acid splashed against the shadow curtain, creating a chemical reaction that ate through the magical construct, opening a temporary gap.

"Break out!" the lead infiltrator commanded, and all three charged toward the gap with desperate speed.

But Kelvin had been waiting for exactly this kind of professional response.

"Pattern Delta!" he shouted to his defenders.

The settlement warriors had trained for chaotic close-quarters combat. Pattern Delta was a pre-planned response to enemies attempting to break through a surrounded position.

Defenders on the flanks didn’t chase the infiltrators directly—they moved to block the escape route with interlocking shields and weapons. Defenders behind used ranged attacks to harry the infiltrators’ retreat. Defenders who’d been stunned by the flash-bang stayed down and out of the way rather than stumbling into friendly fire.

The lead infiltrator reached the acid-opened gap in the corruption barrier with a serpentfolk spear-wielder blocking his path. He didn’t slow—he slid under the spear thrust with professional footwork and came up slashing. His poisoned blade opened the serpentfolk’s thigh in a spray of blood. The defender went down screaming.

But before the infiltrator could dash through the gap, three more defenders filled it—two orcs with tower shields and a goblin archer with an arrow nocked.

The goblin fired. The lead infiltrator twisted, taking the arrow in his shoulder instead of his chest. Pain exploded through his arm, but he’d fought through worse.

He grabbed the wounded serpentfolk defender and hauled the thrashing body in front of him as a living shield.

"Back!" he roared at the orc shield-bearers. "Back or I cut his throat!"

The orcs hesitated.

That half-second of hesitation was what the infiltrator needed. He hurled the serpentfolk at the orcs—a desperate throw that didn’t need to hurt them, just create space.

Both orcs instinctively moved to catch their falling comrade rather than let him be trampled.

The gap opened.

The lead infiltrator lunged through and Kelvin was there, having anticipated this exact move.

Kelvin’s dual short swords moved in a coordinated pattern that forced his opponent into impossible defensive choices: block high and fall to the low cut, block low and fall to the high cut, or try to block both and fail at each.

The lead infiltrator chose a fourth option—he didn’t block. He counterattacked.

His poisoned blade snapped toward Kelvin’s throat in a strike that would kill if it landed.