The goblin in that estranged group that was with the protagonist when he defeated an orc. He is currently a noble class, the highest amongst the protagonistās subordinates. He prefers to use the spear.
[Goblin] Gi Gu
The former leader of the village. He was pressured by the protagonist in his goblin noble form, and was added to his subordinates. He uses the long sword, and is relatively smart for a goblin rare.
[Goblin] Gi Gi
Known as a beast warrior, a goblin with the ability to tame beasts.
He evolved while hunting spear deer with the protagonist.
He prefers to use the axe. His goblin class is rare.
[Goblin] Gi Go
A goblin with many wounds on his body. The food of his horde was stolen by the gray wolves, so he made a decision to follow the protagonist. He is the most experienced amongst the goblin rares. His weapon is a curved katana.
[Divine Protection] Goddess of the Underworld (Altesia)
[Attributes] Darkness; Death
[Subordinate Beasts] High Kobold (Lv1) Gray Wolf (Lv1) x2
[Abnormal Status] <>
Lili came to inform me of the humansā response to my proposal.
Their answer? A yes.
The humans will work to improve this village under the condition that this village will be handed over to them in the future. And since, theyāll be living in this village in the future as well, I doubt theyād cut corners in the villageās renovation.
With the monitoring of the east and the renovation of the village settled. Moreover, with the plans to eventually develop the village into a fortress in place, Iāve finally reached a point where I can start planning for the west.
Regarding that, there are only two things I know. One, the goblinsā home, the Fortress of the Abyss, lie in the west. And two, we need to pass through the region controlled by the orcs.
I should send some scouts first.
Following that train of thought, I had a scouting party formed with Gi Gu, who is from this village, and Gi Gi, the beast warrior, as the core.
Incidentally, I decided to go myself as well.
Gi Gu will be heading northwest. Gi Gi, southwest. And Iāll be heading directly west. Weāll each be scouting for half the day in our respective areas. I also ordered them to retreat immediately in case they happen to meet an orc.
But of course, Iāll be killing the orcs without question if I ever meet one along the way.
Unfortunately, thatās still impossible for Gi Gu and Gi Gi.
I had each of them take 5 goblins. And when night came, we set out.
Iāll be going with 3 goblins myself, but Iām not having them take the goblins along just for scouting. The other reason is that I want to increase the goblin rares in the army.
So 5 goblins each since there are 10 goblins whose levels are over 60 from the interview.
Weāll study the ecosystem of the area as we go.
Our goal in this mission is to find a place nearer to the Fortress of the Abyss that we can use as a base.
Itās a 10-day distance from the village; thatās not something to make light of. There might be other threats aside from the orc raids as well.
Thatās why I want to find a place that we can use as a base.
A village held by the orcs, or perhaps a fortress. If possible, Iād like to find a place that has excellent defenses and plenty of stocks. If thatās not possible, then at least a place where we can sleep at.
The orcs tend to dwell in areas that have plenty of open space. Itās an orc trait. So I should be able to find orc settlements in those kind of areas.
We diligently continued onwards as we cut down the sparse trees and vegetation.
Along the way, we came across giant hornworms that had horns growing out of them. I used <>, and I found out that it was called Arrow Caterpillar. We hunted them as we went along.
The only thing we needed to pay attention to were the horns growing from their head along their back. Aside from that, they were nothing special.
We cut off their abdomen, and tasted their meat. It had a heavy taste, but was surprisingly popular even amongst the goblins.
We might be able to use these as provisions in our expedition.
Incidentally, we also came across some giant ants along the wayā¦ unfortunately we couldnāt eat them. Then there were those giant, double-neck lizards known as Lizard Double. These ones we could eat. Lastly, we came across some giant snails with thorns growing out of their shells known as Pickle Snap. We couldnāt eat them either.
Iām well aware that the monsters we will come across as we head west will change, so I want to ascertain beforehand which ones we can eat and which ones we canāt.
As expected though, there werenāt any monsters stronger than orcs. The orcs are definitely the ones in control of this region. Yet for some reason, I canāt find them no matter how much I try.
Or could it be? That Iām mistaken and the orcs actually only passed through the west?
As suspicion started to cloud my thoughts, I noticed that the sun was high up the sky.
I shouldnāt go too deep yet. The ringing bells in my chest, warning me of danger, said that, and I decided to put off the area I suspect the orcs to be living at for later.
As we went back, I had the goblins train by fighting the lizard doubles and giant ants as much as possible. When the other scouting parties, Gi Gu and Gi Ga, came back, we ended our reconnaissance.
The other scouting parties didnāt find any orcs either.
Why? The north west is one thing as the gray wolves were there, but there being no orcs in the west and south west as well? Whatās going on?
Could there be something going on in the background?
If there isā¦ then thereās only one question. That is: whether that change is good for us or bad for us.
āāā
The next dayćI left Gi Za and Gi Ga in charge of protecting the village and hunting for our food while I took the remaining goblin rares with me, and headed northwest.
When I left the village, Gi Za asked me if there was anything that needed to be done, and so I asked him to have a path open toward the hunting grounds of the spear deer. After all, it wouldnāt be very efficient to have to struggle just to bring back the spoils, so having the route cleared would be best.
I couldnāt find any trace of the orcs, so weāre heading back to whateverās left of Gi Goās village to use as a base for our reconnaissance. From there, Iām going to send my subordinates to all four directions to scout.
And so, with two goblins under every goblin rare, we headed northwest.
We already knew the path this time around, so we were able to get to Gi Goās village much faster. We left in the morning, and by night time, we were already at the ruins of Gi Goās village.
Itās already nighttime, so weāll retire for the day, and scout tomorrow.
Only, thereās a little problem. I canāt fit into the entrance of the caveā¦ Sigh, well thereās nothing else to it. Iāll just have to spend the night out in the fields. Itās only one night, so it should be fine.
I had the goblins alternate keeping watch, then I hunted some preys at my leisure. After that, I went to sleep.
āāā
The next day, we went out to scout.
I instructed the goblins to return immediately should they sense danger. Then I went to the nest of the gray wolves thatās near the village.
This cave coupled with Gi Goās cave should be able to house approximately 100 goblins.
Thereās danger in living in two different places, but itās not bad considering weāll only be using them temporarily.
If thereāre any problems, it would have to be my feelings. After all, this is the same cave where I killed the gray wolves and picked up their pups.
When I entered the cave, the only thing remaining there was the lifeless corpse of a gray wolf thatās now only pelt and bones.
I wonāt ask for forgiveness for killing your spouse.
But in exchange, I will raise your pups healthy.
I gathered the bones, and dug a hole. There, I buried the lifeless corpse of the gray wolf. As for its pelt, it could be useful, so I took it with me.
You will let me use this peltā¦ For the sake of furthering my dream.
I looked around every corner of the cave until my subordinatesā return.
The cave was big, but it seemed to have only been inhabited by the gray wolves.
āThatās convenient,ā I muttered to myself.
I waited for my subordinates as I pondered on the candidates for our base.
When dusk came, my goblin subordinates returned, and I received their report.
There were no orcs in the surrounding area.
āWhatās the meaning of this?ā I muttered.
I ate as I listened to my goblin subordinatesā reports, then I thought of the course we will be taking to myself.
There are no orcs a dayās distance around the settlement. Normally, thatās something I would be happy about. But for some reason, I donāt know why, thereās something tugging at me, and I canāt settle down.
Weāve searched so much. Weāve gone here and there, looking for any signs of orc, and yet we canāt find anyā¦
āIs anything the matter?ā asked Gi Gu as he observed my pondering face.
āā¦Tomorrow, weāll look for a route toward the west,ā I replied.
Thereās no point in racking my head over the orcs forever. Tomorrow, weāll go deep into the orcsā territory, and look for their homes.
āGi Go,ā I called.
āYes,ā he responded.
āAre there any areas a dayās distance from here where a hundred goblins can sleep at?ā
Gi Go thought for a while, and then he nodded.
āThere is the rock mountain that we used before,ā he said.
I asked for the details, and apparently, when Gi Go was still a normal goblin, they lived at a rock mountain. But the orcs took over that rock mountain, so they left.
I wonderā¦ is it too early to attack the orcs now? Should I keep on scouting?
I suppose we could take a look first, and then retreat when their numbers are too many.
With those thoughts, I decided.
āGood. Weāll prioritize that area in our reconnaissance tomorrow. Gi Go, Iāll rely on you to lead the way.ā
āUnderstood,ā nodded Gi Go.
After that, we retired for the day.
āāā
The next day, as soon as we finished gathering food, we headed toward the rock mountain with Gi Go leading the way.
We walked through the thickets, carefully paying attention to our surroundings. But as expected, there were no orcs.
The rock mountain, though called a mountain, isnāt very tall. Itās at most around 4 meters high. About a head taller than the taller trees. Many holes could be seen on the rock, making it look like heaps of bedrocks piled on top of another. The area surrounding that rock mountain showed proof of the orcsā habitation as the area was cut clean.
āThis wayā¦ā said Gi Go, who appeared to be puzzled at the orcsā disappearance.
We continued to observe the rock mountain from a distance while hidden in the thickets, but no orcs ever came.
āAs expected, no orcs,ā I muttered.
Night drew close, and still, no orcs came.
āLetās climb it,ā I said.
With Gi Go and the rest in tow, we climbed the mountain. No orcs were there either.
āWhatās going on?ā
Those puzzled words echoed at the darkness, unanswered.
There, at the apex of the mountain where the land could be seen, I looked west.
The forest extended throughout the whole land, but there were spots on it where little trees could be seen. Then from a distance, a mountain that was so tall it appeared to reach the heavens could be seen.
Something is happening.
That premonition tugged at me, and when we descended the mountain, I ended the reconnaissance, and headed home.
āāāāāāāā
Gray wolf pelt acquired.
āāāāāāāā
Authorās note:
Describing topography is so difficult. Sad :(.
The reason why the cave of the gray wolves isnāt inhabited by any other creature is because the gray wolvesā stench there is thick. That smell prevents other creatures from entering.
By the way, the pelt and the bones being left behind sure feels like an item drop, huh?