Gobta's POV
He had only just split off from Gob'emon and Gobzo when he heard shouting in the distance. At first, he assumed it was fellow goblins in trouble. Without hesitating, he activated [Shadow Motion], slipping through darkness and reappearing in quick bursts as he rushed toward the source of the noise.
But the moment he arrived and peeked through the trees—
He regretted it.
Four unfamiliar humans were sprinting through the forest, panic written all over their faces. Behind them surged a horde of giant ants, easily dozens strong, their massive bodies crashing through brush and earth alike.
Gobta's stomach sank.
Giant ants weren't normally like this. They were territorial, yes—but not relentless. Even if provoked, they usually gave up pursuit after a certain distance.
Looking at the sheer number chasing these humans, Gobta could only imagine what kind of stupidity had triggered that nest.
The ants were closing in fast. The humans were exhausted. From what Gobta could see, there was no way they could defeat that many at once.
For a brief moment, he considered helping.
But he wasn't reckless.
There's no way I can take that many… I'm not even sure I can beat one head-on.
Rimuru-sama had said he wanted to build friendly relations with humans. Gobta remembered that clearly.
Still—
He wasn't about to throw his life away for strangers.
If there was a chance to help without dying? Sure.
But charging into that swarm blindly? No way.
So he crouched low inside a thick bush, observing carefully.
The humans suddenly stopped running.
One of them—a woman with a mysterious mask—turned to face the incoming horde.
Gobta grimaced.
She's going to die…
But then— as she unseethed her sword from the crimson hilt,
An inferno erupted around her, roaring upward like a pillar connecting earth and sky. The heat struck Gobta even from his hiding spot. Leaves near him shriveled instantly. The air shimmered violently.
The giant ants didn't even have time to react.
They ignited.
Their thick exoskeletons glowed red, cracked, and disintegrated into ash within seconds.
Gobta's jaw dropped so hard it nearly hit the forest floor.
W-What kind of monster is that?!
He had seen strong monsters before.
He had seen Rimuru-sama.
But a human that could do that?
The flames slowly died down, revealing the woman standing untouched at the center of scorched earth.
Gobta swallowed.
Yeah… definitely not normal.
For a moment, he considered retreating quietly. This situation was far beyond his patrol pay grade.
But then—
Through the smoke, he noticed something.
One ant remained.
And it had circled around behind her.
Gobta's body moved before his brain could catch up.
"Ah—wait—no—this is a bad idea—!"
Too late.
Using [Shadow Motion], he slipped into his own shadow and burst out from the woman's shadow a split second later.
Light flooded his vision as he launched upward. Still airborne, he swung his newly acquired kodachi in a desperate arc. He hadn't adjusted to its balance. His grip was rushed. His timing was worse.
He almost missed.
The blade clipped the giant ant at an awkward angle—
And sliced clean through one of its legs.
Gobta felt almost no resistance.
The severed limb crashed to the ground.
He landed triumphantly—
And immediately regretted it.
The earth was still scorching from the inferno.
Burning pain shot through his bare feet.
"Ow! Ow! Hot! Hot hot hot!" he yelped, hopping in frantic circles.
Each time his feet touched the ground, pain flared again. Even the air itself shimmered with heat, stinging his exposed skin. The kodachi's hilt had grown warm, forcing him to loosen his grip.
The wounded ant shrieked and lunged.
Gobta flailed backward.
The mandibles snapped inches from his face.
He stumbled sideways and barely avoided being skewered by sheer luck rather than skill.
The world narrowed to survival.
Then—
A faint voice echoed inside his mind.
<< Skill: Minor Environment Tolerance activated >>
<< Acquired Skill: [Heat Resistance] >>
Gobta, currently too busy not dying, failed to notice the notification entirely.
The surrounding heat stopped worsening. The air no longer scorched his skin. But the earlier burns still throbbed painfully, masking the change.
The ant charged again.
Gobta ducked clumsily.
He could not win this head-on.
Run! Run now!
As he prepared to dive back into the shadows, his eyes flicked toward the masked woman.
She stood upright, blade in hand.
Ready.
But—
Something felt off.
Her posture—slightly strained.
It wasn't logic.
It wasn't analysis.
Just instinct.
'She's hurt.'
Without thinking further, Gobta made another reckless decision.
He dashed toward her.
Before she could react, he wrapped his arms around her waist and tackled her backward—
Straight into her shadow.
The world inverted for a heartbeat.
Sound muffled and light vanished.
Then they burst out from the shade of a distant tree nearly fifty meters away, leaving the enraged giant ant slashing at empty air.
.....…....
"Is… that a goblin?"
"Did it just save Shizu-san?"
"Yeah—and it jumped out of her shadow!"
The three humans stared in disbelief as they hurried toward the tree where Shizu and the goblin had reappeared. Their boots skidded slightly on loose soil as they closed the distance, weapons still half-raised out of reflex.
Shizu was seated upright now, steadying her breath.
Gobta, however, was still clutching her around the waist.
"…Um," she said gently, a faint smile forming despite the situation, "are you all right, Goblin-san?"
Gobta blinked.
He slowly became aware that he was still hugging her.
He sprang backward so fast he nearly tripped again, scratching the back of his head with an awkward laugh, "Y-Yeah! I'm good! Totally fine! And—uh—my name's Gobta!"
The three humans stared.
"You… have a name?" The yellow-haired Girl asked in surprise.
Gobta puffed up slightly despite the lingering embarrassment. "Of course I have a name."
Shizu brushed soot from her sleeve. Her mask had fallen during the fight, revealing calm features framed by dark hair.
"I'm Shizu," she replied warmly.
The others followed quickly.
The brown-haired young man stepped forward, trying to regain some composure. "Kabal. I'm… more or less the leader of this group. That's Elen," he gestured to the energetic girl, "and that's Gido. We're B-ranked adventurers."
"Hi! Elen here!" she chimed brightly, waving as if they hadn't just been running for their lives.
"Gido, sir. Thank you for the assistance," the third added with a polite bow.
"Shizu is a temporary addition to our team for this mission," Kabal clarified.
Gobta tilted his head. "Mission? Why are you here? And why were that many giant ants chasing you?"
The moment he asked, all three of Shizu's companions slowly turned to stare at Kabal.
Accusingly.
"Hey, hey—don't look at me like that," Kabal protested defensively. "You've got to respect your leader, you know?"
"You haven't earned mine," Elen shot back immediately.
Gido sighed.
Gobta watched the exchange, increasingly confused.
After a brief bout of bickering, Kabal cleared his throat and tried to sound serious.
"Our guild master sent us to investigate the area around a certain cave. Said to check for anything 'suspicious.'"
He grimaced.
"But what does 'suspicious' even mean? That's the whole instruction! We've been wandering around trying to guess what that could possibly be."
"Exactly!" Elen added. "He could've at least said, 'Look for this thing,' or 'Check for that sign.' But nooo, just 'suspicious.'"
"We're scouts, not mind readers," Gido muttered.
Apparently feeling safer now that the ants were gone, the trio began openly complaining about their guild master with impressive boldness.
Gobta followed about half of it. The rest dissolved into overlapping arguments.
Eventually, Gido summarized the disaster.
"While searching, we found a large, suspicious-looking boulder with a hole in it."
"It really looked suspicious!" Elen insisted.
"So naturally," Kabal said defensively, "we poked it a little."
Gobta stared at them.
"You… stabbed a giant ant nest."
'What kind of idiot does that' Gobta thought inwardly but didn't say anything.
The trio had barely escaped the initial wave and had spent the next three days running continuously. Along the way, they'd dropped supplies, gear—almost everything.
"It's honestly a miracle we're still alive," Eren admitted.
Gobta didn't understand half the interruptions and side arguments, but one thing was clear: these humans didn't have malicious intent.
Maybe a little stupid.
He scratched his cheek thoughtfully.
"Well… I don't know about anything suspicious," Gobta admitted. "But Rimuru-sama might."
"Rimuru…?" Shizu repeated.
"Our leader," Gobta said proudly. "Why don't you come to our village and talk to him?"
"Your… village?" Kabal echoed.
The three adventurers looked at each other in confusion.
"…All right," Elen said brightly, clapping her hands together as if the decision had already been finalized. "We'll follow you."
"Hey! Don't just agree without my decision!" Kabal protested immediately. "I'm the leader here, you know!"
Neither Elen nor Gido paid him the slightest attention.
Gido simply adjusted the strap of what little equipment he had left. "With all due respect, Leader, we currently have no supplies, no rations, and no clear direction."
"And I'd rather not get chased by another nest of something," Elen added.
Kabal opened his mouth—
Closed it.
"…Fine. But I'm still the leader."
"Yes, yes," Elen waved dismissively.
Gobta watched the exchange with poorly hidden amusement.
He grinned widely. "Great! This way."
Turning confidently, he stepped toward the narrow forest path that led back to the village.