CHAPTER 37: PREPARATIONS
Goblin Name Cheat Sheet:
The [Goblin] is to make it easier to CTRL+F.
[Goblin] Gi Ga
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 protagonist’s 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. He acts like a samurai.
[Goblin] Gi Za
The druid goblin rare that recently joined them.
Chapter 37: Preparations
[Race] Goblin
[Level] 61
[Class] Duke; Horde Chief
[Possessed Skills] <<Horde Commander>> <<Insurgent Will>> <<Overpowering Howl>> <<Swordsmanship B->> <<Insatiable Desire>> <<King’s Soul>> <<Ruler’s Wisdom I>> <<Eyes of the Blue Snake>> <<Dance at Death’s Border>> <<Red Snake’s Eye>> <<Magic Manipulation>> <<Soul of a Crazed Warrior>> <<Third Impact (The Third Chant)>>
[Divine Protection] Goddess of the Underworld (Altesia)
[Attributes] Darkness; Death
[Subordinate Beasts] High Kobold (Lv1) Gastra (Lv1) Cynthia (Lv1)
[Abnormal Status] <<Charm of the Saint>>
The orcs could attack us at any time, and yet the situation inside the village isn’t favorable. Many in the village are dissatisfied and even the goblins themselves are in a shaky situation. But still… I can’t give up here.
I asked Lili and Reshia to investigate Gi Ga’s recent report. From their investigation, I found out that Gi Za was telling the truth.
That incident isn’t something to scoff at however. Its effect can be visibly seen in the humans. The fear that had once been stilled has once again risen in their hearts. The eyes they look at me, brimming with fear. But with the bad comes the good, and I now see Gi Za with a stronger sense of security. Not only is the goblin’s visage close to that of humans, but he also handled the previous situation excellently. Surely, I can rely on him more.
From now on I’ll most likely be relying on Gi Za’s horde of druids whenever I leave, but I still need to make more goblin rares. I’ll be needing them to achieve my goals.
Goblins get smarter as they evolve. A single class up can make a huge difference. You could liken it to the dispersing of a great, thick fog within the mind of the goblins, freeing them from a rabid thirst. The more goblin rares I have, the less chances there will be of such incidents as the one before from occurring. Moreover, in this way, I can also strengthen my army.
As for the village, Gi Za’s proven that I can rely on him, so I’ll be leaving the protection of the village in his and his druids’ hands. If possible, I’d like to avoid any friction in the village as there’s a pressing issue that needs to be addressed: How do I deal with the maddened orcs?
I need men working to solve this problem. I can’t afford an internal dispute now.
I had gone out to scout before, so I had to put a stop to it, but now that I’m here again, I’ll have to start that training again. The goblins tend to think of dumb things when they don’t know who’s in charge. So once every five days, I’ll have the goblins stand before me, and I will subdue them with my strength. If they know who’s boss, they won’t dare cause trouble.
A lot of problems come up when I personally go out to scout, so this time I had a scouting party made with Gi Gu, the former leader of the village, as the center along with Gi Gi and Gi Go. They are to head northwest of the village.
Then I ordered Gi Ga to take out the goblins that are close to levelling up to hunt the spear deer. It’s imperative that we bolster our forces as soon as possible.
Then I had the remaining goblins dig holes around the village, creating pitfalls and ditches. I did this until the sun was high up the sky. At which point, I then left the command of the trap-making squad to Gi Za. And I scurried off to begin the goblins’ so-called “Day of Fear”.
When that ended, I took the gray wolf pups, Cynthia and Gastra, out to hunt.
I wonder if I could use these two to keep watch around the village. Fortunately, thanks to Reshia and Lili, they’re not scared of humans. In fact, they’ve even taken a liking to them. But liking’s just liking. As for whether I’ll be able to use them in that way, that’s left to be seen.
With the two gray wolf pups in tow, we ran through the forest. I know little of the ways the gray wolves hunt, but the pups would by themselves try to kill any prey we would come across, saving me the headache of instructing.
Unfortunately, they still have a long way to go as even rabbits could outrun them. So I caught an armor rabbit, broke its legs, and then rolled it over toward the two.
Like this they should naturally understand where they need to bite to kill the rabbit. I suppose this should count as one way of studying hunting.
After I had ascertained that the gray wolf pups had stuffed themselves full, we went back to the village.
The ditches and pitfalls were still only 33% done by the time we had returned.
◇◇◆
Evening came and Gi Ga’s hunting squad returned. There, I saw an unfamiliar goblin rare.
“King,” said Gi Ga. “A new goblin rare has joined our ranks.”
At that introduction, the goblin rare kneeled, and I took a look at the new goblin rare with the <<Red Snake’s Eye>>. Its status floated up.
[Race] Goblin
[Level] 1
[Class] Rare]
[Possessed Skills] <<Throw Projectile>> <<Overpowering Howl>> <<Spearmanship C->> <<Meld>>
[Divine Protection] None
[Attributes] None
I took a look at the description for the new skill <<Meld>>.
<<Meld>>
Allows one to meld with the surrounding, making himself harder for the enemy to spot.
Come to think of it, I have been employing stealth tactics lately. Concealing ourselves and quietly closing in on our enemies. It’s probably because of that that this goblin learned this skill.
I thought that to myself, then fixing my glance back at the goblin, I spoke.
“I’ll give you a name,” I said.
“Yes,” the goblin nodded exaggeratedly.
“Your name shall be Gi Ji.”
I gave the best of the spoils amongst the meat hunted today to the new goblin rare whose head was still deeply bowed, Gi Ji. His eyes sparkled as he received the meat, and then he withdrew himself from my presence and enjoyed his meal.
Meanwhile, Gastra and Cynthia slept peacefully atop my shin guards that were built with the pelt of the gray wolves. I caressed the pups as they slept, thinking to myself, I need to train the goblins how to fight as a horde as well.
Gi Go, Gi Gu, and Gi Za are all former leaders of their respective villages. As such, they have plenty of experience leading their subordinates.
But Gi Ga, Gi Gi, and the new goblin rare, Gi Ji, are different. They have always been living under another goblin’s rule. They don’t know how to lead.
Although, Gi Ga and Gi Gi, I have to say, aren’t too bad at it. After all, they have been hunting along with their horde for some time now. They have already accumulated some experience. But Gi Ji on the other hand…
Hmm… I suppose I could have them do a mock battle. No, I probably should. After all, I don’t think I’ll be able to laugh if the goblins can’t coordinate with each other when the orcs attack. Not even their clumsiness would put a smile to my face at such an unfavorable predicament.
The goblins should also keep up their hunt to level up into goblin rares as soon as possible. Although whether that’ll be enough experience depends on the situation at hand.
Right now, we have far too little time. And in this short time, I must build a horde strong enough to fight. We can’t take our time. We must go with haste before the orcs’ forces become a wave, and crashes itself against us.
The goblins shouldn’t be able to do anything foolish while I’m around. And with Lili and the other two warriors around, we should also be able to train how to fight against humans.
Regardless, there are many problems. Many things that need to be addressed. Realizing that, I couldn’t help but smile wryly to myself.
Amongst those problems, there are some that I simply cannot do anything about. I can only wait and hope for Gi Gu’s return. Hopefully he finds a route to the west.
◆◇◇
When it comes to waiting, patience is a must.
Or in Reshia’s words, she would laugh and say, “Good! You finally understand what it’s like to be me, always being made to wait by you!”
Although, I do think this is more of a problem of character. Goblins, you see, prefer striking to waiting.
Yesterday, I thought of having the goblins do a mock battle. After much pondering, I finally thought of how to do it. And so I ordered Gi Ji and the druid, Gi Za, to partake in my new training.
Each of them are to take five groups of three man cells under them, totaling to 15 goblins under each of their lead.
They are to be equipped with wooden swords and spears, while I made sure to instruct Gi Za to hold back on the magic. After all, I wouldn’t want anyone to die. That’d be troubling.
When the goblins finished their “Day of Fear”, I had them line up, and when I counted 30 goblins, I had them prepare. Mock battle on this scale is extremely rare amongst goblins. When the old goblin saw it along with the other goblins, they were alarmed. But shortly after, they quieted down and only watched attentively. Lili, Reshia, and the other humans also watched with interest.
In order to differentiate the two groups, I had the goblins on Gi Za’s side paint their arms red, while the other group was left colorless.
Then after confirming that the goblins were ready, I gave the signal to start.
“Start!”
At that, the colorless group led by Gi Ji gathered into a lump as they ran.
The goblins prefer striking over defending. That fact was truly embodied in Gi Ji’s decision to charge madly.
“Go!” Yelled Gi Ji. “Win and the king will reward us!”
Spurred by the prospect of being rewarded, Gi Ji lead his horde as he charged toward his foe.
“Spear!”
But in response, Gi Za only had his horde raise their spears forward.
Being able to instruct them with such few words, it seems he’s been training his goblins well.
“Raise your spears!”
At Gi Za’s command, the goblins under Gi Za all uniformly raised their spears toward the sky.
“Strike!”
Did he calculate the distance? I thought to myself. And as if responding to that question, the raised spears all struck down toward the incoming horde.
Pained cries rose, and many goblins fell, but still the colorless horde charged.
“Again! Swords!”
At Gi Za’s command, the red horde raised their spears once more. And at his command, the goblins wielding wooden swords went around the colorless horde, and attacked them from their flanks.
“Onwards!”
Gi Ji grappled with the spearmen of the red horde, unfazed by the strikes of the wooden spears. He swung his sword as he pleased, and no one could stop him. But the red horde struck from the flanks, and the frontline was pushed.
“Surround them!”
The red horde allowed the colorless horde to take their distance, but meeting them at the back was the red horde’s swordsmen. With his horde surrounded, Gi Ji lost the fight.
“That’s enough!”
At my command, the goblins kneeled and their heads bowed.
Just as expected, the gap between a goblin rare like Gi Za who has had experience as a chief of a horde and someone like Gi Ji who has just become a goblin rare is big.
I want to lead a horde of goblins to fight against a goblin that’s above the goblin rare class, so I need to train these goblins and produce some results.
It doesn’t matter whether it’s hunting or fighting. When it comes to teaching, the best way it to take a step yourself.