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

The lead infiltrator lay on the floor with his severed ankle tendon, hands bound, unable to walk but still alive. The arrow in his shoulder had been removed and the wound bandaged to prevent him bleeding out.

The second infiltrator was similarly bound, the spear wound in his side treated just enough to keep him breathing. He’d lost enough blood to be weak but not enough to be dying.

Settlement casualties from the warehouse trap:

Eight dead:

Two killed by the lead infiltrator’s poisoned knivesTwo killed by crossbow boltsOne killed by blade strikeOne killed during the second infiltrator’s final struggleTwo killed by flash-bang induced confusion, struck by friendly weapons in the chaos

Four wounded:

One with a poisoned bolt in the shoulder (treated immediately to counteract venom)One with slash wounds from the lead infiltrator’s bladeTwo with injuries from the flash-bang confusion

"One captured alive, two dead, one suicide," Kelvin reported through Seraphina’s network. "Wait, correction—two captured alive. We lost eight defenders dead, four wounded."

Lyra felt the weight of those eight deaths but pushed the grief down. Tactical assessment first. Mourning later.

"Get both prisoners to interrogation immediately," Lyra commanded. "Seraphina, I want your corruption specialists questioning them. Use whatever methods extract information fastest. I need to know what Elric knows about our defenses, what other operations he’s planning, everything."

"Understood. My specialists are skilled at extracting truth from unwilling subjects."

"And someone check that incendiary device the lead infiltrator dropped. How long until it detonates?"

A defender examined the device cautiously. "It’s disarmed. The flash-bang explosion disrupted the timing mechanism. Won’t detonate now." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"Good. Secure it and the other incendiaries. We might be able to use their own alchemical compounds against them."

Kelvin wiped blood from his blades and looked at the eight covered bodies of settlement defenders who’d died in the trap. Eight people who’d been alive ten minutes ago. Eight people who’d believed in Satou’s vision enough to fight for it.

"We stopped the infiltration," he reported, keeping his voice steady. "The warehouse is secure. Food supplies intact. But it cost us."

"Everything costs us," Lyra replied quietly. "The question is whether the cost bought something valuable. And catching infiltrators who can tell us Elric’s plans? That’s valuable. You did well."

Kelvin nodded, accepting the assessment. In war, eight deaths to prevent the loss of the entire food supply was acceptable mathematics.

But it still hurt.

Hour Nineteen (Concurrent): First Settlement Raid

While the warehouse trap was springing, the settlement’s own raiding parties were hitting human positions across multiple locations.

Twelve serpentfolk warriors approached the human supply dump designated "Alpha" on Elric’s tactical maps. The dump was a large concentration of grain sacks, weapon racks, spare armor, and medical supplies positioned a quarter-mile behind the First Line positions to support ongoing operations.

It was guarded by eight human soldiers with torches—adequate for deterring casual theft or wild animals, inadequate for stopping trained infiltrators who’d been hunting in darkness for generations.

Squad leader Sseth and his eleven warriors approached from downwind, using the night breeze to carry away any scent that might alert guards. They moved through tall grass that provided concealment, their naturally mottled scales blending perfectly with shadows and vegetation.

Sseth observed the guards for five minutes through slitted eyes adapted to darkness, learning their patrol patterns, identifying which ones were alert and which were tired from the day’s fighting.

Four guards paced the perimeter with reasonable attention. Two stood at fixed posts, occasionally scanning the darkness but mostly just trying to stay awake. Two more sat near the supplies, playing some dice game by torchlight, their weapons leaning against crates within arm’s reach but not held ready.

"Four targets," Sseth hissed mentally through the network. "The alert guards first. Kill them before they can raise alarm. The tired ones will panic, giving us seconds to eliminate them before they organize."

Mental confirmations from his team.

"Archers ready. On my mark..."

Four serpentfolk with short bows nocked arrows, their scales perfectly still as they drew and aimed. In darkness, the human guards would never see the arrows coming.

"Mark."

Four arrows flew with whisper-quiet release. The serpentfolk bows were designed for silence—no loud twang of bowstring, just soft whisper of fletching cutting air.

The four alert guards dropped simultaneously, each with an arrow through the throat. The precision was surgical—not chest shots that might give victims seconds to scream, but throat shots that destroyed vocal cords instantly.

Four bodies hit the ground with soft thuds that might have been mistaken for equipment being moved.

The two guards at fixed posts realized something was wrong in the half-second before serpentfolk warriors erupted from the darkness with blades drawn.

One guard opened his mouth to shout. A serpentfolk blade took him through the throat before sound emerged. He gurgled and fell.

The second guard managed to get his hand on his weapon and actually drew it halfway before three serpentfolk were on him. Blades struck from three angles. He went down in a spray of blood, dead before he understood what killed him.

The two guards playing dice heard the sounds of combat and scrambled for their weapons.

Too slow.

Serpentfolk moved with inhuman speed when striking from ambush. Both dice-playing guards died with blades in their backs before their hands touched their spears.

Eight dead guards in less than fifteen seconds. Zero serpentfolk casualties. Professional execution of a planned raid.

"Burn the supplies," Sseth commanded.

His warriors pulled out prepared materials—oil flasks designed to ignite grain, alchemical accelerants that would make the fire spread too fast to extinguish. They moved with practiced efficiency, having rehearsed this exact operation during the day.

Pour oil over grain sacks. Splash accelerant on weapon racks and spare armor. Distribute fire sources throughout the dump so it would burn from multiple points simultaneously, making it impossible to contain.

Light the torches—ironically using the same torches the dead guards had been holding.

Within two minutes, Supply Dump Alpha was a roaring inferno. Flames leaped twenty feet into the air, creating a beacon of failure visible for miles.