Hunter in the Shadows

A jolt of raw power surged through him. He was Mid-Grade Mortal Realm. The designation hummed in his very bones. His goblin body, once a source of utter despair, now felt like a vessel of burgeoning strength. His claws twitched with newfound energy. His eyes, naturally adapted to the dim light, now seemed to pierce the darkness with unnerving clarity.

The first thing he did was test his new skill: [Minor Earth Manipulation (E)]. He focused on a small, loose pebble at his feet. A pulse of Mana, a mere 0.5 units, flowed from his core. The pebble vibrated, then lifted a centimeter off the ground before clattering back down. It was crude, almost comical, but it was power. He tried again, focusing harder. This time, the pebble rose, hovered for a breath, and then moved an inch to the left.

He grinned, a sharp-toothed, feral expression. It was weak, yes, but it was a beginning. He could move things. He could reshape his immediate environment. This wasn't about brute force; this was about subtlety, about turning his cunning into physical advantage.

His thoughts immediately went to the Cave Boars. They occupied the prime Earth Essence cultivation spots in the cavern, those glowing patches that pulsed with life. He had been a thief, a scavenger. Now, he was a potential disruptor. He was no longer content with just snatching scraps. He wanted control. He wanted the entire cavern.

He observed the boars. The larger male still spent most of its time in deep cultivation near the brightest patch. The female, more restless, continued her foraging trips into the side tunnels. His mind, honed by his past human life and now supercharged by the System, began to weave a strategy.

He couldn't fight them head-on. Not yet. Their bulk alone would crush him. But he could make their lives… inconvenient. He could make them leave.

He activated [Earth Sense (F)], letting the mana flow freely. The cavern's layout, the subtle air currents, the vibrations of the boars' breathing – it all became a rich tapestry of information. He could feel the strong pull of the Mana Vein in his hidden chamber, a stable source to fuel his manipulations.

His first target: the female boar's foraging path. While she was deep in a side tunnel, he carefully descended to the cavern floor. He moved with a new confidence, his steps lighter, quieter. He reached a point where the female often rooted around for mushrooms.

He focused his [Minor Earth Manipulation]. Instead of just lifting pebbles, he tried to shift the ground itself. He channeled Mana, envisioning a small, shallow pit. The earth groaned faintly. A tiny depression, barely an inch deep, formed. It was almost invisible, but he knew where it was. He spent precious mana and time creating several such depressions along her usual route, strategically placed where they would catch her hooves. He even buried a few sharp, but small, stones beneath loose soil, just enough to be a minor nuisance.

His mana quickly dwindled. He retreated to his Mana Vein chamber, devouring Mana Moths until his pool was full again. The instant replenishment was crucial. This cycle repeated: observe, plan, execute small manipulations, retreat, replenish.

When the female boar returned, the results were almost comical, if not for the underlying threat. She snorted, stumbled over a hidden depression, grunted in annoyance, and pawed at the ground. She rooted up a few of the buried stones, sniffing suspiciously. Her foraging became erratic, less productive. She spent more time agitated, less time actually finding food.

The male boar, deep in its cultivation, barely stirred, but the female's growing agitation would eventually disturb it. This was part of his plan.

Next, he targeted the immediate area around the male boar's prime cultivation spot. He couldn't risk directly affecting the glowing patches. Instead, he subtly shifted the loose debris around it, causing small, irritating trickles of gravel to cascade down near its head. He'd even try to dislodge loose rocks from the ceiling, letting them drop with faint clinks just outside the boar's immediate range.

The male boar, after a few such incidents, would twitch. Its ears would swivel. Its cultivation would falter, its focus broken by these inexplicable disturbances. It would snort, glare at empty air, and then try to re-enter its meditative state. But the interruptions grew more frequent, more frustrating.

One instance, bolder than before, he used [Minor Earth Manipulation] to subtly shift a patch of loose dirt directly beneath the male boar's front hoof. Not enough to hurt it, but enough to make it lose balance for a split second. The massive boar roared, a sound that vibrated through the cavern, filled with frustrated anger. Its red eyes scanned the cavern, searching for a visible enemy.

He was long gone, scurrying back to his hidden Mana Vein. He watched from his vantage point as the male boar paced, snorting, its cultivation completely ruined. It was agitated, confused.

This was working. He was a phantom, an unseen tormentor. He was using his cunning, his human intelligence, to exploit the simple-mindedness of the beasts. He wasn't just surviving anymore; he was asserting his presence, his will, even from the shadows.

He was building his empire, one small manipulation, one stolen essence, one agitated boar at a time. The cavern that once felt like a death trap was slowly becoming his hunting ground, his territory. The boars, once formidable obstacles, were now merely overgrown, stubborn obstacles in his path to true power. He would drive them out, or worse, make them serve. The very thought of controlling such creatures sent a shiver of dark ambition down his spine. This was the true nature of his goblin rebirth: not just survival, but absolute domination.