Beneath the shadow of a twisted tree in the middle of a steaming desert, two eyes slowly opened, still dazed.
Grrghhfsgh
Muttering incomprehensible sounds, the small goblin complained about a throbbing pain in its head. It took a few minutes for reality to sink in. Then, in panic, it began patting its green, deformed body, searching for wounds. To its surprise, aside from the pulsing ache in its skull, there wasn't a single scratch. By some miracle, it was alive.
It remembered the massacre. The small human wielding a sharp club. In its miserable life, it had never seen a human capable of overwhelming a horde of its kind. It lacked the knowledge to understand what it had witnessed, but it understood the miracle of still breathing. It must have been mistaken for dead when it passed out and abandoned there.
The goblin grunted, satisfied with its luck, and pushed itself up from the ground. When it looked around, the full scene came into view: the bodies of its companions scattered everywhere, torn apart, green blood soaking into the dry earth.
It felt no anger. No sadness. No remorse.
For goblins, emotions were a luxury. At most, it felt a faint, primitive flicker of fear, a simple survival instinct.
It turned to leave. It needed to return to the village, even knowing how far away it was. Fortunately, its species could survive long periods without water or food, perhaps an evolutionary adaptation to the harsh environment.
With slow steps, it began its journey. Its bare feet didn't protest against the scorching ground, protected by the thick skin of its soles. It walked for hours beneath the boiling sun. The landscape gradually shifted, sand-heavy areas gave way to stretches resembling a savanna of dry, yellowed grass. When the sun was about to set, it finally reached a mountainous region formed by colossal, barren rocks.
It slipped through the crevices, following a single path it knew by heart. The place was an immense labyrinth, darkened by the lack of light. It made dozens of turns in different directions, but after traversing this route so many times, it was etched into its memory.
Goblins could be stupid… but they possessed remarkable memories, capable of remembering an enemy for decades.
At the end of the final turn, it spotted the primitive entrance to the village in the distance, guarded by two goblins holding spears. It almost grunted in relief, almost.
Swoosh.
It didn't see it.
It didn't hear it.
It didn't feel it.
In the next instant, its head simply rolled across the ground like any ordinary stone.
Click.
The soft sound of a katana being sheathed echoed through the rocks as a boy with emerald-green eyes let out a relieved sigh. The fox mask still hung at the side of his head, lightly stained with green blood.
— Huff… that was farther than I expected.
Yes.
I had been following that goblin the entire time.
At first, I considered taking it hostage and forcing it to show me the way. But given how stupid goblins were, it probably wouldn't understand the message anyway. So I gambled on the most basic instinct of any living being: returning to shelter.
And it worked.
But damn… I didn't expect it to be this far.
Even using my breathing technique, I was exhausted after wandering an entire day through a desert pushing fifty degrees in the shade. And on top of that, I still had to cross that stone labyrinth. From here, I could clearly smell the strong stench of the village, but at the foot of the mountain? Absolutely nothing.
With the number of turns that bastard took… I would never have found this place on my own.
After resting for a few minutes, I finally decided to assess what I was dealing with. I now stood in a massive open-air stone corridor. In the distance, at the end of the path, I could make out what looked like a crude wooden gate, guarded by two goblins armed with spears.
If I advanced head-on, I'd definitely draw attention.
With that in mind, I examined the stone wall beside me. It wasn't smooth at all, quite the opposite. Rough, uneven, and riddled with cracks carved by time.
Perfect.
I decided to climb up to get a better view from above. The wall was over ten meters tall, but with my muscle density ability, my grip strength was absurd for someone my size. In just a few minutes, I reached the top.
And from up there… the sight was overwhelming.
A large primitive village spread out below, nestled in a valley within the mountain and surrounded by absurdly tall natural stone walls. The houses were built from wood and bones, carrying that unmistakable goblin barbarism.
And speaking of goblins… I started spotting dozens. Then hundreds. Some eating, others sleeping, others dancing around a massive bonfire at the center of the village.
Roughly estimating, there were at least several hundred of them.
Facing them all head-on would be suicide.
As I analyzed every detail, my eyes landed on something… different.
At the center of the village, seated on a massive throne made of bones, was an unusual presence. It looked like a goblin, but far larger, bulkier, more muscular, nearly the size of an orc. It wore armor made of bone and leather, its body covered in deep scars. Resting atop its head was a golden circlet adorned with shining jewels. Beside it lay a double-bladed axe forged from pure steel.
That thing… was different.
Most likely a boss monster. Defeating it might be possible… but not with hundreds of goblins around. A one-on-one fight here was impossible at the moment.
As I weighed my options, a scream suddenly pierced the air.
Not a grunt.
A human voice.
— NO!
— LET ME GO! LET ME GO!
— I-I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING, PLEASE!
My body turned instinctively toward the sound. A female voice, desperate. I saw a girl, probably around my age, being dragged toward the center of the village by two goblins. Her blond hair was a mess, her body covered in wounds, her face twisted in pure panic, tears and mucus running freely.
She was completely terrified.
The goblins dragged her before the chief's throne, where it stared down at her with contempt and arrogance.
My hand tightened instinctively around the hilt of my sword. I started running toward the edge of the cliff.
— Damn it…
I hadn't planned to fight yet. But I had no idea what those monsters intended to do with the girl. Sacrifice? Torture? Eat her alive? My mind flooded with worst-case scenarios as my legs moved faster.
Then I stopped abruptly.
A deep voice echoed from the center of the village.
— Take her to the dungeon. I'll decide what to do later.
…
I froze.
What…?
That goblin… spoke.
Goblins weren't capable of speaking the human language. Semi-intelligent monsters generally relied on crude, internal communication. As far as I knew, one of them speaking human had never been recorded. But that wasn't even the strangest part.
Goblins don't have dungeons. They kill everything on sight. Dungeons are useless to them. Yet that chief… that goblin was far more intelligent than expected.
Which, coincidentally, was good news.
If they were taking her to a dungeon… they weren't going to kill her right away. That bought me time to act calmly.
I hardened my expression and took a deep breath. Nightfall was approaching.Perfect conditions for a stealth attack.
And given the situation, it was likely that girl wasn't the only one who had been kidnapped.
I had to act.