I didn't have many options, if any at all, after the skirmish with the adventurers. I had to return to the place where I had first awakened in this world and find the rest of the goblins. The spot where everything had begun. Where I'd met the self-proclaimed King Goper and the rest of the goblins.
The strange behavior of the goblin shaman kept replaying in my mind. It was as if he knew something I didn't.
I had to focus on the problem at hand, finding my way back. The other goblins seemed to know the area like the back of their hand, moving through the ruins as if they'd lived there all their lives. But to me, every rock and abandoned building looked exactly the same.
The only sounds guiding me were the distant echo of running water and, from time to time, the rustling of dirt as some small rodent or insect scurried away. I moved between the rocks with my knife in hand, growing more tense with every passing minute.
There shouldn't have been any more enemies around… but the lack of information was eating me alive.
After what felt like an eternity, I finally reached the edge of the village, where tall rocky walls marked its boundary. I couldn't see any obvious openings like the one I'd entered through before, but then something shifted between some rocks close to me.
I spun around sharply.
Knife raised. I advanced slowly toward the crouched figure. That was when I saw two ears sticking out from an improvised hole in the ground.
I sighed. Definitely another goblin.
"Hey! You! What are you doing there?" I shouted.
My voice startled him. He jumped up with a squeak, raising his hands over his head.
"D-Don't hurt me!" he screamed in a high-pitched voice, squeezing his eyes shut.
[Goblin – Lv. 1]
I said nothing and simply observed him.
He looked like the other goblins I'd seen so far, though slightly smaller than me. Without any real experience to judge goblin age, I couldn't tell whether he was younger—or just shorter. He was the same level as I'd had when I started.
After a few seconds passed and nothing happened, the goblin slowly opened one eye… then the other.
"Oooh! You're one of the warriors! You survived!" he said cheerfully, taking a step toward me.
I immediately raised my knife and motioned for him to stop.
"Stay right there," I said firmly.
He froze on the spot and raised his hands again.
"S-Sorry! Sorry!"
"What were you doing hiding there?" I asked coldly.
The goblin shifted nervously, bouncing in place. "King Goper sent me to check if we won the great battle!"
I didn't answer. Instead, I made a small circular motion with my hand, signaling him to continue.
He stared at my hand. "What's that?"
I'd read that goblins were stupid… but this was on another level.
"It means I want you to keep talking," I said, forcing my voice to sound patient.
"About what?" he asked, genuinely confused.
"About why you're here. And why you were hiding."
"I already said it! To see if we won!"
"And…?" I prompted.
"And… that's it?" he asked uncertainly.
I let out a long sigh. "Forget it. What's your name?"
This time, the confusion on his face was impossible to miss.
"Your name," I said louder when it became clear he wasn't going to answer. "What are you called?"
"I don't have one."
"…You don't have a name?"
He shrugged. "No one's ever given me one."
I rubbed my face, trying to calm my growing frustration. This was going to be difficult. Very difficult. But then an idea crossed my mind, and a small smile crept onto my face.
"Congratulations," I said flatly. "Your name is Brick now."
"Huh?"
"Brick," I repeated.
Because he was as smart as a brick. Still, having a name was important. And if I gave it to him myself, it might tie him to me and turn him into a potential ally instead of a liability.
Whether I liked it or not… I was going to need allies in this world.
Brick's face lit up, and he started jumping in place.
"I have a name! I have a name!!"
As I watched that little creature hop, I wondered what the rest of the goblins were like. So far, my interactions with them had been very limited; with the king and the shaman, it had been just a sentence or two, and with the other warriors, not even that.
I would have to join the other goblins and decide what to do from there. Going out on my own in a world I knew nothing about was a very risky gamble.
"Brick, do you know how to get back to the… tribe?"
Brick nodded vigorously, then just stood there, staring at me like he was trying to absorb every word I said.
"And… can you take me to the village?" I tried again.
He nodded again.
And still didn't move.
"Take me to the tribe, damn it!" I snapped.
My tone startled him. "Y-Yes! Of course!" he said quickly and start walking.
I seriously doubted that the rest of the goblins would be as easy to manipulate as this one, but there were already signs that I could handle him and I didn't have the luxury of time to think it through properly.
We walked in silence for several long minutes. Every so often, I noticed Brick glancing back to make sure I was still following him.
We kept moving along the edge of the ruins, following the stone wall, until we finally reached an opening. It was much smaller than the one where I'd awakened earlier that day, just large enough for a goblin to squeeze through. The first one must have been the main entrance, probably used for gatherings and speeches, while this was just a side passage leading directly to the tribe.
The faint light from the previous cave vanished as soon as we passed through. Thankfully, goblins had excellent night vision, and after a brief moment, my eyes adjusted to the darkness.
The only illumination here came from small mushrooms growing along the walls, emitting a dim bluish glow.
We continued forward in silence until, in the distance, I spotted a brighter circular area. A large number of those glowing mushrooms had been placed atop a ring of stones, forming a crude, pitiful excuse for a wall.
When we were only a few steps away, a pair of green ears popped out from behind one of the rocks. Upon realizing we were goblins, the figure quickly ducked back into hiding. Brick didn't seem bothered by it at all and casually motioned for me to keep going.
And then I finally saw it, the goblin tribe I had supposedly been born into.
The sight was… depressing.
The enclosure couldn't have been more than twenty meters across, and it held at most two dozen goblins. Nearly a third of them were much smaller, children, I assumed.
There were only two real structures. One was a tiny hut, or rather, an attempt at one made of sticks and stones, barely large enough to fit one or two goblins. The other was a pile of rocks stacked in one corner of the circle, crudely carved into the vague shape of a chair.
Sitting atop it was the fat figure of King Goper. So that was his throne or his attempt at one.
The goblins wore the same thing as the warriors I'd seen before: torn scraps of cloth barely covering their bodies. Some gathered around the king, while others lingered around the circle sharpening stones, eating something slimy and unidentifiable, or simply sitting idly.
At first, our arrival went completely unnoticed. The only one who seemed aware of us was that first goblin hiding behind the rocks. I sincerely hoped he wasn't a guard. Otherwise, we wouldn't last long here.
As I was observing the miserable state of these small monsters, I sensed movement to my left.
"I see you've returned, great warrior," a sharp, raspy voice said.
I turned slightly and saw the goblin shaman standing beside me.
He wore the same sly smile as before, the one he'd had when he refused to give me the potion, as if he were laughing at a joke only he understood.
I stayed silent, giving him only a sideways glance.
[Shaman Goblin – Lv. 5]
I froze internally when I saw his level.
It was completely different from anything I'd encountered so far. Level five. Every other goblin I'd seen had been level one. How had he gotten so strong? And why did his name have two words? Was that his class?
At the very least, I was gathering more information. And it seemed likely that class selection happened at level five.
That alone made the shaman far more dangerous than he looked.
Seeing that I remained silent, the shaman continued.
"I know what you are…"
That made me turn sharply toward him.
"What do you mean by that?" I asked, feigning innocence.
For a split second, my heart skipped. Was it possible he knew I wasn't a real goblin? My fingers tightened unconsciously around the knife's handle while my mind raced through possibilities.
At this distance, I could stab him quickly. But he was level five. I had no idea what his stats were like. Even if I somehow killed him… what then? Jump the wall, flee, and hope to outrun a dozen goblins? And killing their shaman the moment I returned wouldn't exactly earn me any goodwill.
Before I could act, the shaman smiled wider.
"You are the chosen of our God," he said calmly, almost reverently.
"…The chosen?" I repeated, caught completely off guard.
"Our God has spoken," he continued, his voice filled with certainty. "He told me himself. Fate walks beside you. All you need to do is fight…"
He slowly turned his head, looking toward the center of the tribe.
"…and win."
Before I could ask what in the hell that was supposed to mean, a heavy series of footsteps echoed across the stone floor.
I turned just in time to see King Goper approaching, clapping loudly as he waddled forward, his entourage following closely behind.
[Goblin – Lv. 1]
[Goblin – Lv. 2]
[Goblin – Lv. 1]
[Goblin Warrior – Lv. 5]
My eyes narrowed. So, the king also had a class. That confirmed it, level five really was some kind of milestone. Out of the entire tribe, there were only three goblins above level one: the shaman, the king, apparently a Warrior, and one goblin who stayed glued to his side. His bodyguard, no doubt.
"What a delightful surprise, my great warrior!" King Goper boomed, scratching his enormous belly. "You've successfully repelled the intruders from our kingdom!"
He laughed loudly, clearly pleased with himself.
"You are a true pride of the great Black Hand Tribe!"
Black Hand? I resisted the urge to grimace. What a terrible name. And why "Black Hand"? From what I'd seen, none of these idiots even had black hands.
The king clearly expected a response, but I said nothing. I simply watched him, observing.
He didn't seem bothered.
"It seems our great God has truly blessed us, wouldn't you agree, my shaman?" the king continued, turning his head slightly toward the goblin beside me.
"Indeed, my king," the shaman replied smoothly. "It is clear our God has grand plans for us."
Something about the way he told us sent a chill down my spine. I had the distinct feeling the king wasn't included in that word.
"Exactly!" King Goper exclaimed proudly. "As I have said many times before, under my rule we shall conquer all the surface races!"
He puffed out his chest, clearly imagining himself as some great conqueror.
I stayed silent, knife still in hand, listening.
One thing was becoming painfully clear.
Whatever game the shaman was playing…
I had just been dragged straight into the middle of it.