Agu?
Sakeer's gaze flickered between Muguo and the newly arrived hobgoblin, his brow slightly furrowing.
They knew each other.
Not only that, but the name Agu sounded oddly familiar.
His eyes narrowed as he examined the smaller hobgoblin more closely.
Agu of the "Gigu Tribe"?
That name stirred a faint memory from an anime he had watched. Compared to the other hobgoblins, who were little more than dim-witted brutes, Agu was different.
He wasn't just slightly smarter than the average hobgoblin—he had intelligence on par with a normal human.
For the first time, Sakeer seriously studied the hobgoblin before him.
At a glance, Agu looked no different from the rest of his kind—aside from his younger appearance, there was nothing particularly distinctive about him.
Far less conspicuous or unique than how he had been depicted in the anime.
At least—
To Sakeer, most hobgoblins looked more or less the same.
Rustle… Rustle…
The bushes stirred once more as two more hobgoblins emerged from the undergrowth, stepping cautiously behind Agu.
The moment their eyes met Sakeer's cold, expressionless gaze, an unexplainable chill crept down their spines.
Instinctively, they staggered back a step.
"H-Human…" one of the hobgoblins stammered, his voice trembling with fear.
He couldn't understand it.
The human before them was so thin—
Not even comparable to a young ogre, let alone a troll.
By all logic, he should have been frail and weak.
And yet—
Just standing there, Sakeer exuded an invisible pressure, a presence so overwhelming that the hobgoblin's skin prickled with goosebumps.
It was the same oppressive feeling one might get when locking eyes with a fully grown troll, even if only from a distance.
A suffocating, primal fear.
"M-My lord!"
Muguo, still sprawled on the ground, propped himself up on shaking arms.
His throat bobbed as he swallowed hard, glancing nervously at Sakeer.
"They… They are from my tribe," he stammered quickly. "Not the inferior g-goblins!"
There was a hint of desperation in his voice.
He had seen it before—how Sakeer cut down goblins without a second thought.
And now, he feared Agu and the others would meet the same fate.
Agu, sensing the danger, felt his legs go weak.
He dropped to his knees in an instant, pressing his hands against the damp forest floor, his head bowing low into the decaying leaves.
"L-Lord H-Human…!"
His voice trembled as he spoke.
"We come from the Gigu Tribe, deep in the forest! We… We are not inferior goblins!"
Agu's hands clenched into fists.
He took a deep breath, then forced himself to continue:
"My lord… I beg you… Please spare Brother Muguo's life! W-We are willing to offer you… something precious in return!"
His words sent a jolt of realization through the two hobgoblins standing behind him.
They quickly scrambled into motion, removing the large wooden baskets strapped to their backs and setting them down before kneeling beside Agu.
Their heads, too, pressed against the forest floor in fear.
"Oh?"
Sakeer raised an eyebrow, his amusement barely concealed.
He studied the hobgoblins for a moment, then turned his attention to Muguo, who lay still on the ground.
A knowing smirk crossed his lips.
"It seems your status in your tribe is quite high."
At those words, Muguo's chest swelled with pride.
There was no trace of humility in his expression as he lifted his head slightly, his green face still streaked with dirt and exhaustion.
"Of course, my lord!" he declared.
"I am a hero of the tribe!"
A hero?
Sakeer chuckled.
He stepped forward, his gaze shifting toward the two large baskets placed before Agu.
One was filled with various herbs, their roots still tangled with dry soil, evidence that they had been freshly harvested.
The other—
It contained a strange assortment of mushrooms, most of them a deep blue hue. Their unusual appearance made them look suspiciously poisonous.
Herbs? Mushrooms?
Sakeer arched an eyebrow, a faint smile playing on his lips as his eyes flickered back to Agu.
"You're quite clever," he remarked. "Even smarter than I expected."
He might not have recognized these specific plants, but one thing was certain—
They had been gathered from deep within the Great Forest of Tob.
That alone meant they held considerable value.
Perhaps not to the Gigu Tribe, who lived within the forest and had easy access to such resources.
But to the outside world?
These were precious goods.
This wasn't a desperate attempt to survive.
Far from it.
Agu knew exactly what humans valued most.
And that made him far more dangerous than an ordinary hobgoblin.
For humans, a small tribe struggling to survive deep within the jungle wasn't something particularly noteworthy.
At least, not under normal circumstances.
But the most important thing—
Was the way Agu conducted himself.
Unlike most sub-races, whose interactions were often dictated by instinct or desperation, Agu's approach was strikingly different.
He didn't grovel.
He didn't plead.
Instead, he had initiated a trade—an action that was both surprising and, in its own way, impressive.
This wasn't just a matter of being intelligent.
It was something more.
Hearing Sakeer's unexpected praise, Agu kept his head bowed, not daring to meet the human's gaze.
He didn't understand why this powerful human had acknowledged him so suddenly.
But one thing was clear—
The herbs had pleased him.
Agu exhaled shakily, tension easing from his body.
It had been the right choice.
From the moment he learned that Brother Muguo had been captured—yet not killed—he had begun forming theories.
The goblins who had fled into the depths of the jungle brought back stories of a human warrior who had cut down their kind with ease.
Yet this same warrior had spared a hobgoblin like Muguo?
That meant something.
Agu had guessed that this human harbored no particular hostility toward their kind—only toward lesser goblins.
After all, from the perspective of the Gigu Tribe—
Lesser goblins were an entirely different species.
And if that was true—
Then perhaps, this human could be reasoned with.
Perhaps, if he valued the herbs of the forest, they could be used to establish a connection.
But...
Was he stronger than the trolls?
Agu's mind drifted for a moment, his thoughts uncertain.
Trolls were undeniably powerful—that much was certain.
A sudden voice interrupted his thoughts.
"What do you know about the trolls in the depths of the forest?"
The words sent a shiver down Agu's spine.
His head snapped up instinctively—only to find Sakeer standing before him, arms crossed, staring down at him with calm, piercing eyes.
The sheer presence of the human's tall, imposing figure made Agu's heart tremble.
His breath hitched.
And he immediately lowered his gaze again.
"M-My Lord…" he stammered.
His mind scrambled, trying to grasp the true intent behind the question.
Sakeer's voice remained steady, almost casual.
"With so many goblins dying in the outer areas, and all the commotion I've caused lately…"
He tapped a finger idly against his arm.
"Your kind—the trolls—should be aware of it by now, shouldn't they?"
That was what he wanted to know.
The trolls ruled these forests. Sakeer knew little about them, aside from their arrogance. But Agu might have answers.
Agu's body tensed as he recalled his recent attempt to seek aid from the trolls. A shadow passed over his face, a mix of frustration and bitterness settling in.
"No matter how many goblins die…" Agu murmured.
"It means nothing to the trolls."
Sakeer's expression shifted.
They don't care?
That answer changed everything.
Until now, Sakeer had been cautious, keeping his movements limited to the outermost areas of the forest.
He had been wary of drawing the attention of the trolls.
But if they didn't even care about the slaughter of hobgoblins—
Then perhaps, he had been too careful.
Thinking back—
The trolls had displayed nothing but arrogance, even toward the Bone King, a powerful entity they had twice failed to repel.
And yet, they still failed to recognize the threat he posed.
Shortsighted.
Overconfident.
Complacent.
If they couldn't even see the gap between themselves and the Bone King, then it made sense that the massacre of goblins in the outer regions would hardly register as a concern to them.
I should have been more aggressive.
Sakeer shook his head slightly, a flicker of amusement passing through his eyes.
Then, he looked back at Agu.
"Tell me everything you know about the trolls—their numbers, their territory, their habits."
Agu's ears twitched at the request.
Now, he understood.
This human was planning something.
He wanted information—not about the forest, not about the hobgoblins—but about the trolls.
And for Agu, that was a blessing.
Because if there was one thing he wanted more than anything—
It was to see the trolls destroyed.
Agu didn't hesitate.
He spoke freely, revealing every scrap of knowledge he had about the trolls' hierarchy, their strongholds, their weaknesses.
He didn't withhold anything.
Because if there was even a chance that this human could challenge the trolls—
Then he would do everything in his power to help.
By the time Agu finished speaking, Sakeer's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
A huge gain.
This information would change the way he approached the Great Forest of Tob.
The next time he ventured deeper—
He would be far better prepared.
Casually, Sakeer lifted a hand, gesturing toward the two large wooden baskets at his feet.
With a flick of his wrist—
They vanished.
Stored away instantly into his inventory box.
Agu's head shot up.
His wide, round eyes bulged in shock.
G-Gone?!
The baskets had disappeared into thin air.
What kind of magic was that?!
A treasured artifact? A powerful sorcery?
His breath caught in his throat, his mind racing with disbelief.
This human…
He was even more terrifying than he had thought!
(End of Chapter)