Dark caves, damp corridors.
Microbes clung to the walls, pulsing with a faint glow, as if breathing together with the stone. As one moved through the narrow passage, the view suddenly opened into an enormous karst cavern.
Hundreds of small beings with greenish skin and yellow eyes moved in every direction—chaotic and noisy.
Goblins.
Hundreds of small goblins with greenish skin and yellow eyes wandered back and forth in disorder.
Creatures barely a meter tall, with green skin and yellow eyes bearing rectangular pupils, similar to a goat's. Their teeth, sharp as blades, jutted out when they smiled; elongated noses with warped protrusions twisted their faces. They had no hair, and their long, pointed ears swayed with every movement. They were scarcely clothed—tiny scraps of hide and leaves covered only what was necessary.
The goblin nursery.
"Jie, jie, jie~"
Shrill laughter filled the cavern.
The loud noise and a few shoves snapped César out of his daze.
He had been living as a goblin for several days now, but even so, every time he looked at that sea of green creatures, his pupils involuntarily contracted. Seeing them—ugly, pot-bellied, grotesque—was enough to send chills down his spine.
He tried to ignore them and focus on his brothers. It was useless. One was excessively fat, another skinny to the point of looking sickly, and the last had a broad, crude build. César twisted his mouth in disgust.
César's Point of View
'If I traveled to another world… why the hell did I have to turn into a goblin?'
He still remembered clearly the first thing he saw upon reincarnating: his mother's beautiful face. In that instant, he had been happy. Unlike other travelers who woke up in unfamiliar worlds, he knew exactly where he was.
He had been sent into one of the novels he had read just days before Truck-kun sent him straight to Rob.
And Rob, in his infinite mercy—or irony—had granted him a "gift."
It wasn't a system. It was a hypnotic ability: a mix of mental compulsion and brainwashing.
At the time, he had believed he'd reincarnated as a human, since that was what his mother appeared to be.
The truth hit like a brutal blow.
He wasn't human.
He was a goblin.
Cannon fodder.
It was a harsh shock to discover that he hadn't reincarnated as a human at all, but as a simple, miserable goblin.
The only advantages goblins had were these: they reproduced quickly and grew even faster. Mothers gestated for seven days, gave birth to between one and seven goblins, and in another seven days they were already adults. Nothing more.
But looking on the bright side, if he wanted to form a clan, it wouldn't be difficult.
He sighed.
The tricks Rob had given him were almost useless in his current situation. The brainwashing ability was powerful, yes, but it came with cruel limitations: the target had to be incapacitated and could not surpass his level. And right now, he didn't even have the strength to knock out an ordinary goblin.
He rested his chin on his hand and observed his companions. Little by little, a twisted smile spread across his face.
Malicious.
He had spent all that time terrified of the idea of living as a goblin… but he hadn't been wasting it.
The first ones to "wash"—ahem… to help return to the right path—were my dear brothers, and now those three are under my command.
It would be best to take advantage of this time to bring the entire new generation of goblins under my control.
At first, I'd been afraid the adult goblins would stop me when I knocked my brothers unconscious, but I noticed they didn't care about our situation at all; their only interaction with us was when they fed us, tossing us scraps of food.
Well, all I can say is that it was exactly what one would expect from goblins.
I straightened up, my expression calm and indifferent, and began planning my next steps.
I must prepare myself for my new journey in this world, now that I live as a goblin.
"My first step is to bring all these goblins under my command, with me as their leader. I'll take them to the very top of this world," I murmured with determination.