Chapter 15

Chapter 15 : Goblins and an Omen

Crackle, crackle.

Along with the sound of burning firewood, a fishy, rank stench drifted on the wind.

I hid behind a bush and held my breath as I watched the front.

At the center of the clearing, green-skinned Monsters were giggling as they surrounded a campfire.

‘Goblins.’

A staple Monster of fantasy worlds.

In ordinary games, they were treated as small fry and swept away with a single swing of the sword, but in Velheim, which boasted atrocious difficulty, the story was different.

Because of their unusually high intelligence and ability to cooperate, the moment you let your guard down, they would sneak up behind you and stab a knife into your back.

How troublesome had it been whenever I had to clear out a Goblin den, with feces-smeared arrows and traps pouring in from every direction?

There were enough characters I had lost to those bastards that I could have made a business selling their tombstones.

Normally, avoiding them would have been the wisest choice, but things were a little different now.

‘This is perfect timing.’

I quietly smacked my lips.

Now that I had arrived in Verastin, I had to join the Adventurer Guild in order to hunt Monsters and earn money smoothly.

But there was no way the Guild would welcome a country bumpkin with no accomplishments and an unclear identity.

In cases like this, the Guild usually demanded that the applicant prove their ability.

And at such times, the easiest and most reliable proof was Monster Spoils.

‘If I hunt those bastards and bring them in, it should be just right. I can gain experience while I am at it.’

The problem was my combat power.

Malton, who had reliably guarded my side, was not with me right now.

There was no one else nearby either. 

This would be my first real battle against Monsters that I had to fight entirely alone.

However, for a beginner to pick a fight with a group of Goblins would be foolish.

Besides, was I not in a state where I was not even properly wearing cloth armor?

If I charged in with a straightforward method, it was obvious I would be torn apart and become the ingredients for the Goblins’ stew tomorrow morning.

In that case, there was only one method.

‘I have no choice but to borrow Antagon’s power once more.’

After learning the side effects of [Disguise], I was reluctant to immediately turn into an Undead, but there happened to be a creature well suited for use in this situation.

One of the Monsters I had hunted while crossing the grassland over the past few days.

“What was Kobold's way of thinking like again?”

Drawing from my vast game knowledge, I recalled the traits of Kobolds.

Their tendency to prefer dark and narrow places, and their strong possessiveness toward their own belongings.

And yet, the moment they stood before someone stronger, they tucked their tails between their legs and fled in a servile manner, a kind of cowardice unique to Monsters at the very bottom of the ecosystem.

The paranoid tendencies that bloomed from that. The persecution complex.

Instinctively, I spoke aloud the phrase that surfaced in my mind.

“Candles! Candles!! Pain is bad! Do not take it away! It is mine!”

As I murmured the incantation, my bones twisted with a cracking sound.

My back hunched, my arms and legs shortened, and stiff fur sprouted over my skin.

My field of vision dropped, and the hood I had been wearing over my head slipped down.

｢You have disguised yourself as one of the lowest-ranking Monsters, a [Kobold]!｣

｢It is a Monster that hides and lives in dark, narrow places! It has a natural predator relationship with Goblins, but when cornered, it will sometimes struggle desperately!｣

─Ngh... Nggh....

After rummaging through my backpack and making a few preparations, I packed a bundle, deliberately acted injured, and walked toward the campfire.

When I saw the Goblins, fear rushed over me, perhaps because of the Kobold’s instincts, but I whipped my trembling arms and legs onward, step by step.

‘They are only low-ranking Monsters....’

The Goblins sensed my presence and sprang up, pointing their clubs at me.

─Who goes there, gob!!

─Kikik? What is this? It is just a cowardly Kobold. Kyahaha!

When they confirmed that the one who had emerged through the bushes was nothing more than a shabby Kobold, their expressions instantly twisted with vulgar delight.

One Goblin approached and lightly struck my head with his club.

─You there! Hand over everything you have!

I flattened myself against the ground and trembled.

─Do not hit me! Do not hit me! I was wrong! I was wrong! Please, just do not kill me, great Goblins!

At my servile attitude, the Goblins clutched their bellies and giggled.

The largest one, probably the leader, spat and threatened me.

─You dare step into the territory of the great Goblins and still try to live...? Hand over everything you have! Then I will let you live.

─Wh-What I have! This is everything!! Not my life!

With my face completely pale, I threw the bundle onto the ground.

The Goblins snickered and began rummaging through it.

─This is... old human knives, metal scraps, a fork...? You had some fairly good things. Did you catch some sick Adventurer somewhere? Oh! There is meat too!!

It was the leftover Lesser Rat skewer I had shared with Malton.

The Goblin leader snatched up the meat with suspicious eyes, smelled it, then took a bite and exclaimed in admiration.

─Mm... Chew, chew. What an amazing taste! You all should try it too!

The bastard lowered his guard, turned his back, and gestured to his companions.

The Goblins, unaware of the future that would soon arrive, focused on their last supper.

─This tastes good enough that if two eat it, one will die, gob!

─This skewer is deathly delicious! What meat is it?

I changed my attitude in an instant and announced in a cold voice.

─You do not need to know.

STAB─!

When I drove the Monster dismantling dagger I had hidden behind my back into the nape of his neck, I felt a definite sensation.

His artery was severed, and crimson blood gushed out like a fountain.

The Goblin leader collapsed without even managing to scream, still holding the skewer in his mouth.

｢You have defeated a Goblin Leader-Shaman individual!｣

｢[Goblin] has been added to the list of possible disguises!｣

｢The Goblin group has fallen into confusion! Due to the passive skill [Chaos], Agility temporarily increases by 2!｣

─Wh-What?!

─Kobold killed the boss! It is a rebellion!

The remaining Goblins were horrified and grabbed their weapons.

I quickly retrieved the dagger and thrust it at the nearest one.

However.

‘Damn it, my arms are too short!’

The dagger I swung grazed the Goblin’s chest and missed.

Kobold's physical ability was far worse than I had expected.

Its Strength was weak, and above all, its arms and legs were short, putting it at an overwhelming disadvantage in a reach contest.

It was the moment I painfully realized why Kobolds were always robbed blind by Goblins.

Moreover, with a body transformed through [Antagon’s Rune], if one’s proficiency was low, it could not properly display its original power.

─Keeeeek!!

When a Goblin’s club struck my shoulder hard, I tumbled gracelessly across the grass.

Pain shot through me as though my bones were about to break!

The bastards seized the momentum and rushed at me in a swarm.

I hastily got up and ran.

‘As expected, overturning the compatibility between Monsters is impossible...!’

In this state, I had no chance of victory.

Still, with this, I had achieved my initial goal.

I had made them lower their guard by making them think I was a weak, pathetic Kobold.

And while their guard was down, I had killed their leader.

In that case.

─Cancel Disguise!

WHOOOOSH─!

In an instant, the Kobold’s skin peeled away with black smoke, and my original form was revealed.

When a human who had suddenly doubled in size burst out, the Goblins charging at me were horrified and froze.

｢You have canceled the [Disguise] skill!｣

｢The enemies are greatly flustered by the sudden change! The [Chaos] skill activates!｣

｢Strength has temporarily increased by 3!｣

─Naked%$^ human@&*!

─Hairless&*# monkey human#$ thing!!

“Get lost!!”

BANG─!

I kicked the bewildered Goblin in the solar plexus with all my strength.

Thanks to my Strength enhanced by [Chaos], the bastard became a ball and crashed into the campfire.

─Kyaaaaak!! H-Ho*%$!!

While the bastards hesitated, I did not miss the opening. I ran over and picked up the cutlass that had fallen on the ground.

The familiar sensation wrapped around my hand.

Now this was starting to feel like a fight.

─Kill human*#$!!

─Surround%^! Right side!!

The Goblins’ shrieks pierced my ears.

Strangely enough, perhaps because I had been transformed into a Monster until just a moment ago, I could hear the Goblins’ language being translated in fragments.

‘Right side!’

Having understood their plan, I twisted my body in advance and avoided the incoming thrown stones.

Then I rushed in and swung my sword.

SLASH!

Blood surged from the body of the Goblin whose head had been cut off and soaked my face.

The fishy scent of blood pierced my nose, but there was no time to stop.

“Die, you little rats!!”

The remaining bastards attacked from both sides at once.

I kicked a burning piece of firewood from the campfire.

WHOOSH─ THWACK!

When the ball of fire flew at him, one bastard was horrified and covered his face.

I seized that opening and drove my sword down into the crown of his head, while I raised my arm to block the club swung by the remaining one.

THUD!

“Urgh...!”

When the club struck my bare skin, a bone-ringing pain spread through me, but thanks to the adrenaline, it was bearable.

I gritted my teeth, grabbed the bastard by the collar, and slammed him straight into the ground.

Then came the finishing blow.

STAB!

Immediately afterward, I felt something creeping up behind me, but I knew the Goblins’ behavior patterns inside and out.

“Ambushes will not work!”

Without hesitation, I turned and cut the approaching Goblin’s neck.

Thud- Once the severed head rolled away, only rough breathing lingered in the forest.

Covered in blood, I looked down at the Goblin corpses sprawled around me.

Standing alone, naked, and drenched in blood in the windy forest left me with a strange feeling.

A savage and primal victory, far removed from anything civilized.

But I survived.

“Phew... First, let us put some clothes on.”

I roughly wiped off the blood with leaves, then picked up the clothes I had hidden in the bushes, put them on, and approached the corpses again.

‘The Goblin subjugation proof was the right ear, was it not?’

I felt nauseated, but I held it in and cut off the ears with my dagger.

However, while I was trying to remove the leader Goblin’s ear, I suddenly paused.

“The shape of the ear is much sharper... Was this bastard a Goblin Shaman?”

Among Goblins, it was a fairly strong individual. No wonder it had looked a little powerful.

I had failed to recognize it because it did not have body paint or feather ornaments.

From the look of things, had it only recently changed class?

If I had failed to instantly kill it while it was off guard, I might have been the one to suffer badly.

“In any case, this settles the Guild joining condition....”

But while I was searching through the Goblins’ belongings one last time, a strange powder stuck to my fingertips.

“What is this...?”

Inside the bundle, in a crudely stitched pouch, was green powder.

I carefully smelled it and frowned.

“Green Moth’s wing scales?”

It was a powder that could be extracted from the wings of a large moth Monster.

It was usually used as an alchemy material or medicine ingredient, but because it had slight hallucinogenic properties and toxicity, it was also used among Monsters as a drug or a luxury item.

A Monster possessing this was not particularly strange in itself.

Goblins were intelligent enough to barter among themselves or run crude monetary economies.

Another Adventurer might have simply brushed it off, thinking, ‘Looks like these guys were even using drugs,’ but they could not deceive my eyes.

‘This is strange.’

I rubbed the powder between my fingers.

Judging by the fact that it was dry and the particles were fine, it had been harvested only a few days ago.

But as far as I knew, Green Moths did not live in the forests around here.

Because I had come to the past, there might have been differences in the regional distribution of Monsters, but Green Moths could only live in places where mana had gathered densely.

And the only place nearby that satisfied such conditions.

Dungeon.

The puzzle pieces fit together in my mind.

“These Goblins... crawled out of a Dungeon.”

At first, Dungeons had been regarded as blessings.

Lands of opportunity where one could catch Monsters to raise levels and obtain byproducts to earn money.

But as time passed, those places became the source of disasters.

In Velheim’s past history, there was a record of a ‘Great Flood,’ where Monsters poured out of Dungeons, devastated nearby cities, and occupied entire regions.

‘But I never heard any rumors about a Dungeon in the village or the inn.’

Come to think of it, was it not around two to three years before the game’s starting point that the Dungeon near this area was discovered, roughly coinciding with the current time?

‘Is this a sign that the Dungeon entrance is about to open?’

It might be a sign that the Great Disasters carved into Velheim’s bloodstained history were slowly beginning to stir.

Lastly, I unfolded the crude map the Goblin had been carrying.

In one corner of the map, drawn in crooked pictures, there was a place marked with a red X.

It was a point that matched exactly with the Dungeon’s location in my memory.

“...In that case, it is only a matter of time before the Dungeon awakens and is discovered by people.”

A Dungeon opening was an enormous threat to the people of this world, but honestly, it was none of my concern.

There was no way an ordinary single person like me could stop a disaster, and I did not feel any need to risk my life and devote myself to the people of this world.

Had I not resolved this from the beginning? In this life, I would cast aside altruism and live solely for myself.

However, this was also an enormous opportunity at the same time as a crisis.

If I hunted various Monsters in the Dungeon, I would be able to grow faster than through any other method.

And if I quickly escaped and ran far away before the Monster Wave overflowed, I might be able to take only the profits.

“In that case... I will need to level up in advance and prepare so I can challenge the Dungeon. To raise my specs as much as possible, I will also have to awaken the greaves I stole from the Ghost Ship....”

After cleaning up, I took the sack containing the Goblin ears and stood up.

But as I looked at the cloth pouch dripping blood, I suddenly remembered information from my Newbie days.

‘A Goblin Shaman is a fairly tough Monster for a beginner to catch... The Guild will not say anything about this, will they?’

Well, surely nothing will happen. It is not as if there are no rookies who bring in a Monster of this level from their very first subjugation.

In the past, I had even caught an Ogre as my initiation into the Guild.

I turned my steps toward the Adventurer Guild.