Now then, weâre approaching the best part of my research.
A two-meter long golden box appeared upon selectingăGoblin Slayeră. I placed the required ingredients inside and infused some magical power as well, upon which I immediately received a book.
Spell Name: ăGoblin SlayerăExplanation: Upon use, obtain the title, Goblin Slayer. However, the grimoire will disappear after use, and you cannot create the same grimoire again.Chant: âRank: Title Bestowment GrimoireProficiency: â
Um, the rank says Title Bestowment Grimoire. So if I use it I can probably acquire a title, but is it really okay calling this a grimoire?
Well, I guess thatâs how it is; I can think about that later. Anyways, I wonât get anywhere if I donât use it.
When I touched the book, it emitted a black haze which rapidly diffused into my body.
I groaned as a pain that warped my vision ran through me. I grit my teeth and somehow endured it before sitting down on the stone chair that the small macho oni had been sitting on before.
After a few minutes, I confirmed that my body was back in working order and began analyzing the title.
Title: ăGoblin SlayerăExplanation: Acquire absolute superiority over the goblin race.Passive EffectâGoblin Slayer: Gain a considerable all-stats up against the goblin race and always crit against them.Special Effect: Usage of ăOni-Slaying Visionăis possible. However, you can only use it once per day and the passive effect of this skill will be lost for the rest of the day.
Unlike my Brain Monster title, I can actually analyze this one. As expected, it grants absolute superiority over the goblin race.
I donât really understand the ăOni-Slaying Visionăspecial effect, but Iâm not fond of losing the passive effect on use. Itâd be dangerous to use it without knowing anything so I should analyze it as well.
In any case, I should be able to fight at least evenly with the monster in the deepest part of this cave.
From here on out is the real deal: a real fight. I should brace myself. But before thatâ.
âCome out. Peeping any more than this would be in bad taste,â I threw out, fixating my gaze around the roomâs entrance.
âOi oi, are you serious?â a voice said. âThatâs the first time Iâve been spotted.â
By the entrance stood a red-haired man in his prime with an unshaven beard.
Iâve got some idea who this man is; the recent goblin attacks and Sebastian observing Tote despite its situation only meant one thing.
âI know who you are. Youâre related to Sebastian, right? An adventurer, perhaps, or some related profession.â
The man was lightly dressed, wearing so-called Light Armor which was extremely easy to move in. Even while he was talking to me, he was always focused on his surroundings and didnât have a single opening. Heâs the first powerful person Iâve seen in this world.
âThatâs a good guess,â he said. âReally, youâre a disgusting brat.â
âI have no interest in your useless impressions. Letâs hear your objective.â
âEven if I donât tell you, donât you already have a good idea?â
âSebastian asked you to investigate the goblins?â
âWhy do you think that?â he amusedly asked.
âNeedless to say, thereâs just too many goblins in this cave,â I began.
Before, Giresse had explained to me in the carriage that the largest a goblin nest would get was 30-40 goblins. Around 10, or 20 at best, was more common. However, the number of goblins that attacked Tote easily surpassed a hundred, and not to mention the several rare goblins that could use magic in the cave, Goblin Mages. Furthermore, it was too unnatural for a Goblin Leader and Gobuzu and Gobura from before to inhabit such a sparse area.
Even an idiot would realize that something weird was happening with this caveâs goblin nest.
âYeah, the goblinsâ boss is probably a Lord-class monster,â he explained. âItâs not very strong right now as itâs still an egg, but even I wouldnât be able to manage if it hatched.â
This man had an average of D+ stats, and he was even C in Strength and Agilityâ unmistakably powerful. The ragtag goblins wouldnât even stand a chance. Basically, a Goblin Lord ruled over the cave, and it was a monster that could even put a man as strong as him on guard.
âSo you want to fight along with me?â I confirmed.
âThatâs right. I know about your strength and abnormality,â he said before pointing at me. âYouâre good at magic, and me, at the sword. How about it? Donât you think thatâs an appropriate division of roles?â
He was a stalker who had been peeping at me until now, so I have some doubts whether he can be trusted, but his strength is probably the real deal. At the very least, even if grouping with him was to my advantage now, it wouldnât become a detriment.
âOkay. I hope to work well with you, if only for a short time, Gloomy Stalker-san,â I mocked.
âYeah, me too, Ruthless Killer-dono,â he said right back, and we shook hands while veins were bulging on both our foreheads.
As we ventured deeper and deeper, the cave soon emerged into a large passageway as the scenery completely changed.
âA pantry, I see,â the red-haired man, Caesar Carlos, knit his brows as he stated the obvious.
âYeah.â
Looking at the mountain of meat stuffed on the shelves, there really wasnât anything else it could be.
âLook at that,â Caesar said as he paled.
I looked over to see,
âWha-?â I let out a dumb sound. I mean, you couldnât even make this up.
âI seeâŠâŠHahaa, so thatâs how it is,â he let out as if he had already given up. The enemy was a goblin. Originally, goblins were known to eat humans, so it was only to be expected.
But it was no use. I absolutely couldnât permit this. I mean, this feeling didnât come from logic, but from a more primal instinct.
âO-oi, Grey! Calm down!â he yelled impatiently, but his voice sounded strangely far away.
âI am calm, Caesar.â
âI aimlessly stared at the heads of children, all lined up systematically.
âI was too late. Sorry.â I patted one of the heads on the front row.
I think my meaning of this fight changed at this very moment.
âLetâs go, Caesar.â
âYeah,â he replied as we went even further into the passageway.
âHey, Grey,â Caesar began.
âWhat?â
âIâm sorry.â
âWhatâs this, out of the blue?â I asked.
âYouâre not a ruthless killer.â
âOf course Iâm not.â
âYeah.â
âThen donât say I am. Look, weâre almost there.â
A large, uncouth stone door towered in front of us.
I kicked it open and entered into a space large enough to fit a classroom, and on a desk in the middle of the room a green-skinned youth was biting into some meat.
I heard a war cry before tens of goblins surrounded us, and I diced them into pieces with ăWhirlwindă. Suddenly, there was only me, Caesar, and the green-skinned youth left.
âI am in the middle of dining. Make yourselves scarce,â the youth said.
He brought another piece of meat to his mouth with a wooden fork and knife, not batting an eye even though I killed all his subordinates.
How composed. Although that wasnât unreasonable.
He was overwhelming. If he attacked the Millard territory, it would be completely destroyed in just a few days.
Not only were his stats higher than mine, his Magical Endurance was C- so he countered me pretty hard.
Good thing that Caesar was here with me.
âI refuse,â I said as I enchanted my dagger with ăWind Enchantăand cut through the table like it was butter.
His meal having been interrupted, the green-skinned goblin, the Snake Oni, finally looked at me in displeasure.
âI have no malice towards you, but youâve broken my unwritten rule. As such, I will hunt you in the worst way possible.â
The Snake Oni stood up and gazed at us in disinterest.
âSo skinny, not delicious at all,â he muttered to himself.
âDie, man-eating goblin!â
Caesar unsheathed his longsword and struck him.
And like that, our battle began.
[1] The Race and Title are actually written differently, but in the end they both translate to Goblin Prince. Iâve decided to not make this distinction in the text but rather in a TL note.