*Boom!*

Oscar did like any goblins were doing at this moment, hiding behind the strong meat shield/The Chief. 

"GHAAaaaaaa!"

Which was a mistake. As the dirt settled down, the chief bellowed with a guttural roar before stomping the ground with his stone hammer raised, marking himself the biggest target on its own. 

'This idiot!' 

Standing behind the broad back of the self-appointed chief, Oscar cursed him for being too proud of himself. 

'Anybody can tell that Rocky snake is bigger and stronger than you!'

Seeing the Rocky Snake swallowing the two goblins, who were chewing his tail earlier, Oscar shuddered involuntarily. While taking several steps back unconsciously, wanting to run away from that monster as fast as possible. 

"Gwaaa!"

With another shout, the chief pounced on the monster with the hammer raised. Causing all the goblins to scurry away with a frantic look, wanting no part in their chief's suicidal brawl. 

The brave Chief finally gets near the Rocky snake, only to be whipped out of existence with a flick of its tail. 

*Bang!*

Crashing against the cavern wall, the chief made a cookie-cutter-shaped hole. 

"Wwwwhhhhaa!"

Undauntingly emerging back with a thunderous roar, the Chief taunted the snake monster by drumming the wall with its hammer. 

"Hissss!" 

Annoyed. The Rocky snake turned to his direction while licking air, letting away the crying goblin under its jaw. 

'Somehow the chief looks cool… a hobgoblin?' 

Standing from a safe distance, Oscar hypothesized, while watching the chaos with the other, fearful yet curious, goblins. All the while smacking away the ones climbing on top of his head. 

"Ghiii!" 

Behind Oscar, some goblins got scared just by watching the brutal brawl before running away firstly. Knowing well, who will be the next target should the big guy falls. 

'Should I also run?' Oscar contemplated, seeing the three goblins running in opposite directions, without turning back.

'But I don't even know this place, only a guess of being somewhere underground like a dungeon, which in itself is a dangerous enough of a place. I wouldn't even know when I stumbled upon yet another behemoth next. Sticking to your tribe is the basic rule of survival for any goblin, I suppose' with a nod, he agreed to his own suggestion. 

'But isn't it plain stupidity, watching them fight while doing nothing but hoping my side would win? Better be ready... Just in case'

Oscar slowly moves back from the jeering and cheering crowd of goblins. Some are even throwing rocks in that snake's direction, only to hit the goblins standing in front, making them hiss back with indignation- who's that bastard!

"Hissss!" Coming back to the ongoing fight. 

Opening his mouth wide, a long stone spear-like tongue sprang forth, stabbing at the spot the chief was standing a moment ago. 

*Bang!*

"Whoosh!"

With a swing, the hammer chipped away some of the stone-scales. But it didn't even make the snake whimper a little, instead, it let out a scoffing noise from its widened nostrils. 

*Tang!*

Like a stone hitting a boulder, the snake whipped at the chief's hammer, making him retreat tens of steps back in an instant. Fortunately, he didn't disappear inside the wall unlike before. But the next moment Chief looks ahead, 

"Hisss!" The Rocky Snake's jaw snapped at his head, quick as lightning. Sprawling a cloud of dust with the impact. 

"Ghaaa!" All the watching goblins recoiled back in fear as if they were the ones getting eaten. 

*Bang!*

The view gets cleared. The crowd gasped, and saw the chief gripping the monster's gaping maw atop of him with both hands drawn wide apart. Effectively stopping it in its place. 

"Ghaaa!" 

Cheering for the chief, more rocks were thrown by the jumping jacks at the back, causing some bumps over the frontmost newborn's head.

'Great chief!... Or not...' 

Standing at the backmost corner, Oscar also cheered only to frown a second later, noticing the shift of the monster's two eyes. As if it was smirking… 

*Puchi!*

A tongue-shaped stone spear sprang forth from its mouth, stabbing the Hob-Goblin's heart accurately in an instant, making its victim spit copious amounts of blood. And no sooner than that, the chief started to lose its grip over the upcoming doom. 

*Crunch!*

With a disgusting noise of bones and flesh grinding against the teeth, the Rocky-snake snapped away the upper half of the Hob-Goblin's torso, leaving behind a fountain of blood flowing through the severed part of the lower body which dropped dead with a thud! Followed by a gulping noise from the snake, and the deathly silence of the previously cheering naked newborn goblins. 

                                                          

"KKHHHAAAA!"

Oscar didn't even wait for the Snake to make a triumphant hiss/roar of victory, he was all focused on his race against the time. Sprinting alongside him, were the scant few smart goblins who had a much bigger brain than their counterparts watching the show behind. 

'Guess I wasn't the only one with a backup plan' with this thought, he felt less guilty about abandoning his one-day tribe 

'But hey! at least I waited for the chief's death... Right' 

*Bang!*

"Ghiiiiii!" 

Wherever the Gigantic Snake takes a turn, the haunting screams of frightened goblins follow. Accompanied by two or three flying naked goblins into the air only to land back in the extended jaws of hunger that snapped at them, crushing their little bones or skinny flesh, ending their short life of some hours. 

*Grrrr!*

As the Snake's hard rock body slithered/grinds against the floor, It leaves behind the bloody splashes of its carnage. 

'Fuck!' 

Without even Oscar's notice, the snake monster had started targeting the run-away goblins first. Rushing past the goblins in the middle, it makes sure that no prey should be left behind. 

*Boom!*

As Oscar saw another goblin fall inside the jaws of death, five times their body size, he squeezes every last bit of strength his stubby legs could provide, making his short leg muscles throb in pain. But ignoring it all Oscar continued his race, hoping to outrun his peers, at least.

"Aaahhhh!"

Feeling the dreadful tickling, monster's scoffing, and the blowing wind causing behind his back, he knows right away that the Rocky snake was now out for his ass. 

His ears flattened, feeling a cold shiver coursing through his back. The goblins only thought was to 'Run! Run! Run! Oscar!'

'Which… Which skill have I?' His thought process became twice as fast as his running. 

'Bite? Already seen the result of biting its tail, demonstrated by those stupid runts.

Iron stomach? No, I'm an idiot for even considering it!'

"Huh?!"

"Ghiiiiaaaaa!" 

In the middle of his MCQ over the most useless skill he has, Oscar saw the Rock-Hard-Snake doing his favorite move. Diving its monstrous head straight into the earth, it propped itself up with an ear-ringing bang! a few meters away, just below the nearby goblin. Propelling that unlucky newborn goblin up into the air, it waited for its meal to drop dead in its snapping jaws in a playful manner. 

Oscar would have appreciated this great show only if it was done by a cute dolphin instead of a Monster of a Snake, and more importantly... That unlucky goblin hadn't caught the hands of Oscar, making him experience his first and most probably the last flight experience without a parachute. 

"Ghaaaaaaa!" 

'Bastard!' Curses flew forth from his mouth as Oscar's vision rolled tirelessly; like a go-pro camera thrown with a kick. 

Hands flailing, legs dangling aimlessly, Oscar did everything to find some semblance of balance before kicking that damned goblin in the face. 

'Damn you!'

And before he could realize it, his hand touched something he could… grip? 

Feeling perplexed yet extremely relieved, he quickly extended his [Sharp nails] and dug straight into whatever surface his hands caught at first. It wasn't difficult to pierce using his nails, they're harder than human bones, it's the lack of total fingers he was accustomed to that makes him a little weird. 

*Clang!*

'Few!' Moving his eyes, the hanging goblin saw that his hand was digging into one of the many large stalactites hanging through the ceiling. 

'Good, that bastard uses too much force in throwing us up here huh?'

The surviving goblins didn't amount to much, while the enormous tunnel-like cavern was littered with bits and pieces of the dead goblins or soon-to-be-dead goblins up in the air. 

Below, the snake monster stood still with its jaw wide open, waiting for its prey to fall… 

*Screech!*

But before Oscar could think further about how to save himself from that hungry snake, his nails screeched as he slid down a little, making him notice that damned goblin was hanging through his legs down below. 

'Urgh! not again you idiot' 

He kicks his ugly face with anger and growing anxiety, feeling his grip loosening and sliding further down with yet another screech. 

"HISSS!"

The snake was quick to notice his mistake, he had thrown his prey all the way to the top, making him hiss in annoyance. It quickly slithered towards an enormous stalactite, that connects the floor and the ceiling like a pillar, before coiling around it and swiftly climbing up slowly; effectively moving towards the two hanging prey in his four vision. 

'Oh Satan!' 

Already tired of screaming gods name, Oscar tried another telephone number only to hear more silence and the grinding of stones in the background. 

'You all are shit!' 

Finally decided to shake that goblin off him at all cost, Oscar gives a final glance at that flailing goblin below before he slashes with his knife-like nails at that hand clutching onto him. 

"Khaaaa!" 

With a scream, the unlucky goblin falls down, while splashing the blood on Oscar's visage. 

*Grrrr!*

He didn't even get to enjoy the skill upgrade, nor was he able to grieve for the fallen comrade by his own hands, not that he was planning to do so. When he heard the grating of stones, announcing the arrival of that Rocky snake towards him. 

"Ghaaa" With a shout, he started his rock climbing as falling from here wasn't an option, and staying here was like asking for death. The nails dig the solid surface easily, making him climb the stalactite more comfortably. 

'If only my legs have the same functionality as my hands, it wouldn't be this taxing' 

Complaining, he puts all his body weight on his two weak-looking hands, while trying not to move his legs as much as possible, lest he falls from imbalance.

'It's good that my body is short and light or I would be dropping down with this hanging tile'

Quickly, he approached the base of it and saw a crack-like opening near another cone-like stalactite. 

*Tang!*

His plan was simple and clear, hide inside that small fissure, presented in between some of the stalactites, until the snake goes away. 

"Hisss!" 

'Ah uh!' 

But the Snake didn't even give him a single breath, it hissed and coiled its body around dozens of stalactites on the ceiling for grip before it stretched its neck in his direction like a springboard, preparing to catch him in a go. 

"SHAAAA!"

'For My Future!' With a fearful gulp and getting blessings of his own. Oscar swings his body, back and forth twice to build momentum, and lets go of his hands just when he saw the Snake was about to shoot ahead. 

"Ahhhhhh!"

His body dodged the upcoming assault by a narrow margin, being closer to the ceiling than the Snake's upper jaw helps a lot, and landed with swift rolling on top of its "running" Body. 

*thud!* 

Without delaying a second, Oscar runs ahead stretching his legs to the limit, making him what feels like running in the opposite direction on an escalator. 

'Jump… Jump... Now!' 

With a frantic thumping heartbeat, Oscar's stubby legs stomp heavily against the monster's stoney skin. His viscous yellow eyes are fixed at the targeted deep cave-like crack in the ceiling, and as soon as he feels like it's enough, he puts force in his leg muscle and lunges forward with all his might. 

"Ohhhhhhh!"

*Bang!*Just then, the snake also banged his head against the empty place, eating dirt instead of Goblin's blood. 

Meanwhile, Oscar pulls his short body up and rolls inside the empty dark fissure at last. The strength leaves his body as he listens to the angry growls and hisses of that nightmare hanging just below him. 

"Haa~" He slowly puts his hand against his chest, fearing his heart will pop out at anytime. 

"Khe!... Khe!... Khaa! Khe!" Oscar laughed while coughing, wheezing for air at some point. 

'That was... Great!' At this time Oscar learned, that nothing's better than living and laughing after fighting/running from a giant monster. 

'Hmm?' After a moment, he felt the downstream air flow from above. 

'Is there a passage there?' Curious. He picks himself up, but his legs gave out the second he tried to stand back. 

'Sigh... Looks like rest is well needed huh' he thought with a heavy mind before closing his eyes.