Byung realized it would do him good to improve his social skills while he was still here. They'd promoted him, but it wasn't official yet.
If he didn't learn to communicate effectively with these goblins, it could hinder everything.
It would take at least a week before he officially assumed his new position. In the meantime, Byung wanted to understand how these goblins functioned.
Byung returned to their sleeping quarters. As expected, most were already at work, but a select few were resting.
They all stared at him. He never spoke to anyone, and this was the first time they'd seen him with company.
They stared, but none dared open their mouths. Another observation Byung noted, even if he wasn't fond of what their eyes suggested.
"He with me now. No one touch him," Byung warned.
This place operated like a prison hierarchy. And in this mine, he was the big bad wolf—or so he wanted them to believe. He needed to see what reaction this would get before deciding how to proceed.
Once again, no one said a word. A few even averted their gaze when Byung made eye contact.
Just when it seemed everything was going according to plan, he heard footsteps behind him.
"That so?" a raspy voice said.
Byung turned to see who it was. He had to tilt his head upward—this goblin was noticeably bigger than him, with significantly more muscle mass.
This one clearly had activities outside of mining. Otherwise, such a physique would be impossible. Byung gulped, hoping he wouldn't lose face.
"Think you only want sex?" the goblin asked, implying Byung wanted to keep the boy for himself.
These creatures truly were simple-minded. Even at this age, all they could think about was sex.
"Find someone else," Byung responded.
Truth be told, he was terrified. A single blow from this monster could dislocate or break something. The thought of damaging this body—after living his previous life as a cripple—frightened him more than anything.
The goblin chuckled before shoving Byung, forcing him to stumble to the ground.
"Give me money and you keep boy," the goblin demanded, showing he wasn't intimidated by Byung despite his status as an outstanding worker.
But that was the thing—Byung wasn't the only one who'd impressed the supervisors. This created competition among the high achievers.
"Is this even worth it?" Byung thought, glancing at the timid goblin.
But something about his helplessness reminded Byung of his past life. If he were in this situation, unable to defend himself, he'd want someone to stand up for him.
"Fine... How much you want?" Byung asked, rolling his eyes.
"Silver coin!" the bully exclaimed without hesitation.
Byung sighed. A silver coin was equivalent to ten dollars, and they were paid one copper weekly—about a dollar. This bully was demanding a month's wages.
But Byung would be promoted soon enough. He'd naturally earn more with better opportunities.
"Fine," Byung said.
This shocked the bully, who'd expected resistance. Byung gave in because goblins weren't known for diplomacy. Even the person he was defending had resisted—hence the scars on his body.
Byung didn't know it, but he'd just exhibited highly abnormal behaviour.
He reached into his pocket and handed over the coin.
"T-Thanks...?" The bully's confusion came through in his words.
Byung didn't pay attention because of the sudden ringing in his head.
[Ding!]
A loud noise rang through his skull. Byung clutched his head in pain.
"TURN IT DOWN!" he shouted.
The timid goblin placed a hand on Byung's shoulder, bringing him back to reality.
The others had noticed something—the way Byung just spoke wasn't the broken speech they were used to hearing.
"You okay?" the timid goblin asked.
"You no hear it?" Byung quickly composed himself. Everyone was already looking at him like he was insane.
He heard the murmurs of the other goblins. Then a cyan screen appeared right in front of him—the same one from the cave.
[Requirements for rebate met!]
[Spend 1 silver coin. 5x Critical Hit!]
[5 silver coins received!]
[Spent at least 1 silver on a creature from the same race!]
Byung instantly understood—giving money to this goblin must have triggered something. But no one else could see the screen, judging by their indifferent reactions.
"It's the same as before," Byung thought. This sequence and everything he saw, it was the exact same as the experience he had in the mine earlier.
He needed more information, but this was a problem for later. As far as his vocabulary was concerned, "rebate" meant some kind of return on what he'd spent.
And it couldn't be a coincidence that this appeared right after he'd given money to the goblin.