To be honest, even though they're called Goblins, they are truly weak creatures, just as described in novels—green monsters smaller than a child. When they first appeared on this land ten years ago, people were scared, but now they're just annoying pests that show up periodically.
To put it harshly, they're perceived at about the same level as stray cats or mutts in the neighborhood.
"Did a natural dungeon spawn recently? I haven't heard anyone mention seeing one around here yet."
I don't know much about the ecosystem, but most of these Goblins die the moment they set foot on this land, simultaneously with the dungeon's creation.
Unless it's a massive dungeon that spawned in a big city with active Hunter activity, the natural dungeons that appear in the countryside like this are small in size and scale. If you look away for just a moment, they frequently appear and disappear by the next day, like Neungibeoseot mushrooms that someone has already picked.
Their numbers can't even increase enough, and the entrance to the dungeon, which is like their lifeline, disappears, so they naturally become obsolete.
Moreover, even if they miraculously survive for a few days, since their main spawning point is somewhere in the mountains, they naturally have to enter a survival competition with the masters of the local ecosystem.
While fleeing after losing a territorial dispute with a passing wild boar, they get killed by human hands or trampled by roe deer, etc.
In a way, they are a species that disappears in the blink of an eye, just like the Neungibeoseot mushrooms mentioned before.
"But if the master that ruled this area died like this, that's a different story."
Frankly, from a Goblin's perspective, the scariest thing is wild boars. Since the number of wild boars around here has been gradually decreasing recently, it won't be long before the surviving ones somewhere try to expand their territory.
Of course, no one around here is afraid of Goblins.
Even just having one big dog on a farm is enough to scare Goblins away from approaching farmhouses. Also, even if they are on the verge of starvation and have gone crazy-eyed, there are at most three or four of them, so who would be afraid of that?
[But if that's the case, you don't need to go out of your way to find them! The ones that pop out due to the gate's instability die quickly anyway!]
"That's right. But I must have a use for them if I'm searching for them like this, no?"
[…You have a use for Goblins?]
The SD character, bewildered by my overly relaxed demeanor, tilted her head. Just then, Ddongchi began growling softly and adopting a vigilant stance again.
"Well, as expected."
Just as predicted, there were only about three or four green dwarves washing the dirt off the wild boar meat they had dragged along the stream below.
"There probably aren't any caves nearby suitable for them to live in. By the time they've picked that boar clean to the bone, they'll probably come down to our farm on their own."
[…]
Now that I'd confirmed their habitat, I began carefully descending the mountain without being noticed. Just as the farm came into view through the dense trees, the message window, which had remained silent until now, suddenly popped up a screen before my eyes.
[A new quest has arrived!]
"?"
What's this now?
Unlike the always playful tone from before, like during the so-called tutorial, this was an extremely businesslike message.
I casually brought my finger close to the screen window, and the interface, which was in the form of a letter, unfolded before my eyes.
[You! You may not be responsible for the future of this country's livestock industry today, but you who are contributing, however slightly, to the modern diet! If you could save the future of someone living in another world with your pigs, what would you do?]
"...Even if the future is at stake, wouldn't most people save it?"
No matter what, comparing a pig to a person is a bit much, isn't it?
As soon as my answer finished, a new message window appeared.
[Then please prove it! Prove that even though you are an evil person training a female knight into a sow, you are in fact a human who recognizes the preciousness of life in your heart!]
It seems flawed from the start to talk about the 'preciousness of life' to someone who sells pigs, but I immediately tilted my head at the message that appeared before my eyes: [Number of pigs to ship: 0 head [↑/↓]].
"...What is this?"
[As you can see, you set the number of pigs to be shipped to the other world! The more pigs you send, the more lives you can save!]
"Hmm... But still..."
I do this job for money too. Send my source of income for free to someone in another world? Of course, if someone who hadn't eaten for days collapsed right in front of me, I'd gladly open my wallet, but I'm not such a great person as to give away my assets.
But the message window, sensing my psychological state, immediately sent me an additional message.
[It would be unconscionable to ask you to provide them for free for people you've never met! That's why, specially! There is also a reward prepared per head shipped!]
If there's a reward, that's a different story!
With a slightly excited heart, I waited for the message, and soon a message related to the reward appeared before my eyes.
[Reward 1: Compensation amounting to 150% of the pigs' current market price + Free feed provision! Reward 2: ????]
This time, it was my turn to doubt my eyes.
Honestly, the free feed reward is appealing too, but since there was no clear figure for how much that would be, what immediately caught my eye was the message saying they'd buy them for 50% more than the market price.
"Wow..."
My finger wouldn't leave the button increasing the number of pigs to ship, as if stuck by a magnet.
[Hehe, you seem happy! So happy you're speechless! You materialist! You hesitated when no money was offered despite lives being at stake, but look at you now, happy because money is involved!]
I don't care if I'm called a materialist. Frankly, from a merchant's standpoint, selling at a high price is all that matters! Who would feel guilty just because someone criticizes them?!
After setting the number of pigs to ship and pressing the OK button, a final confirmation message appeared: [Do you wish to ship? [YES/NO]].
Just as I was about to press YES as if bewitched, a sense of unease suddenly swept over me. For me, it's just a matter of selling, but the fact that the reward is so generous is suspicious, isn't it?
"Besides, I'm supposed to ship them this week. If the number of pigs in the pen suddenly decreases, wouldn't the buyers find that strange too?"
[Don't worry about that! On our end, through 'slight' perceptual alterations, we will erase all memories of this farm from the memories of those who were scheduled to come here! So you don't need to worry about things like 'the sows being discovered' as you fear! Furthermore, we plan to handle the feed company side similarly. So if you just give your permission, all that's left for you, Breeder, is to sit on a pile of money… Ugh… Is it still suspicious?]
It would be a lie to say it's not suspicious. Frankly, there's no reason to go this far for a pig farmer like me.
No matter if it's the first time or whatever, recklessly reaching for such tempting-looking fruit will lead to great trouble in the future.
My father once said: There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world, and always be suspicious of anyone trying to give you something for nothing.
Should I trust it?
It doesn't seem mandatory; I can do it or not.
"What happens if I refuse this?"
[Since it's not a mandatory quest, there's no problem if you refuse. You can just adapt to your usual daily life—where a sow has intruded into your always routine—and solve other quests…]
"But?"
[…If I may dare offer a personal opinion, I recommend that you, Breeder, accept this.]
I never dreamed that while climbing a mountain trail, discovering Goblin footprints, and tracking them, a choice that could determine my life would appear. But perhaps it's because I already made the choice once to train Eleonora…
"...Yeah, I've already stepped in this far. Pulling out now would be ridiculous too."
At first, I thought I had gotten entangled against my will, but I found myself enjoying the changed daily life over the past few days.
In just a few days, I had completely melted into a new routine of farm work combined with training Eleonora.
The moment I grabbed the pen doorknob that day, I had probably already bid farewell to my old ordinary life long ago. Why am I making a fuss about this now?
"...Let me ask one thing."
[…]
"What is your goal? Why are you going this far?"
As if in answer to my question, a woman with pink hair, reminiscent of a Valkyrie from Norse mythology, wearing armor with wings on her back, appeared before my eyes.
Clearly a woman I was seeing for the first time, but for some reason, her face wasn't unfamiliar; it was very familiar. She nodded and shouted.
"[I cannot yet speak about that, but I can assert this much: all of my existence is for you, Breeder.]"
It's suspicious. But it's not suspicious.
It's incredibly suspicious, but why? Is it because of the influence of an unknown aura that makes me want to kneel just by looking at her, unlike the cute appearance she had while joking and playing around with me until now? All the doubts I had accumulated about her were melting away—a terribly suspicious yet not suspicious, contradictory feeling.
"Sigh… Okay, I've come this far. Let's see where this goes."
I pressed YES to the message asking if I would send exactly 20 heads, no more, no less. After giving the final approval, a large halo of light suddenly began to shine down on the pen where Eleonora was.
It was like the scene in a movie where a UFO sucks something up.
The pure white halo of light, which looked holy and different from the bright sun in the sky, shone down on the pen for several dozen seconds before disappearing.
Simultaneously, a new screen window appeared before my eyes.
[Quest Success! The 'Shipment' function will be added to your interface from now on! The reward for the pigs you shipped is currently being deposited, so please check promptly!]
"Oh."
Along with the ringing alarm sound from my phone, a deposit notification arrived. At the same time, all the contact information and records of transactions with this farm that had been on my phone began disappearing one by one.
I was severing the connections built since my father's time with my own hands. I felt conflicted and terribly sorry towards my father, but as if there was no time for that, messages began appearing before my eyes again.
[Someone in another world is bewildered by your gift!]
[Someone in another world is grateful for your grace!]
[Reward 2: The 'Someone in Another World' window has been added to your interface!]
What's this now?
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