Kapitel 4: A new friend

As much as I was shocked and pleased about suddenly gaining a new ultimate skill, I felt a bit offended. It was the second time the world had outright called me greedy.

"I don't think I'm that greedy, right?" I asked my partner in my head.

{...}

But all I got in response was a long, awkward silence.

I wanted to ponder over it and explore my new ultimate skill, but there were more pressing matters to attend to. As I stood there, a pompous-sounding voice rang in my head.

"To think a mere goblin would dare to enter my domain... How amusing."

I looked at the dragon trapped in the translucent, shimmering sphere.

"Want me to leave?" I spoke nonchalantly, pretending to walk away and turning my back on the massive dragon.

As much as I wanted to recruit him, I had to play my cards carefully. Knowing his character, I didn't think it would be hard. Even with my back turned, I could still sense the dragon's expression through my Magic Sense, and he seemed at a loss for words.

"Wait! Wait! Don't leave!" a panicked voice rang in my head.

"Huh?" I turned back, feigning surprise.

"I, the great Storm Dragon, one of the four True Dragons, give you, a mere goblin, permission to.... stay a little longer in my great presence."

As much as I hated his cockiness, I could see he had to squeeze those words out. With his strength, I was not much more than a weak bug to him.

"Well, if you say so," I shrugged my shoulders and sat down on the stone cave floor just in front of the transparent sphere.

Seeing me return, I could sense the dragon was pleased, though he tried hard to hide it.

"Very impressive for a goblin to be so close to me and not be afraid," the dragon said.

"I'm not here to hear you insult me," I replied, clearly annoyed. Since my reincarnation as a goblin, I had come to terms with my new race, but being looked down upon still irritated me. No one else had treated me this way since everyone around was the same, but this guy...

"No! No! No, don't misunderstand me. It's not like that. It's just... Ahem, very surprising. No monster has come close to approaching my domain in the past three hundred years." The dragon spoke again in a panicked voice fearing I might leave.

"Okay, I'll forgive you this time," I said, trying to sound magnanimous.

I could tell he wanted to retort but held back.

"So, how did you get here? I know the cave is filled with strong monsters, and your chances of making it here are slim. Are you perhaps a named monster? Or a unique monster?" the dragon asked curiously.

"I don't have a name yet, but I don't know about being unique," I replied.

"Yeah, now that I look at you, you don't seem like a named monster. Typically, goblins would evolve into hobgoblins... And you certainly don't look like a unique monster," he said, studying my fragile-looking body.

Before I could reply, he continued, "...But you seem pretty strong. What I can guess is you have some kind of special skills."

"Yeah, something like that," I admitted.

"Anyway, why is a mighty dragon like you trapped in a place like this?" I asked, my tone dripping with sarcasm. I was genuinely curious, though; I needed to hear the story firsthand to see if it matched what I knew from the canon.

The dragon let out a deep, rumbling sigh. "Mm? Ah, yes. I perhaps underestimated my opponent slightly. I eventually began fighting with, shall we say, more urgency, but…well, it was rather too late by then!" He tried to sound nonchalant, but it came off as a bit of an excuse.two.Was it a hero?"

"Yeah, she was... quite strong," Veldora admitted, his tone a mix of respect and irritation. "She had this so-called divine protection. Pale skin, bright red lips, long silver hair in a ponytail. She was slim, not that tall, quite small for a human, actually..." He continued describing her, clearly still sore about the encounter.

I zoned out a bit, my thoughts racing. So far, everything lined up with the story I knew. That was a big relief.

After that, Veldora and I talked for a long time. The dragon sure loved to talk—can't blame him, being trapped in a cave for 300 years with no one to chat with. He was surprisingly knowledgeable, too, which was beneficial for me.

One thing that stood out was his fascination with humans. He seemed genuinely interested in how they operated and behaved.

"So, what are you going to do next? Like, your future plans?" I asked.

"Future plans? Well... wait here till my magicules are exhausted and then die, I guess," the dragon replied in a bored tone, not fazed by the prospect. He was just bored, knowing he'd just be reborn in a month or two.

"Well, that's sad."

"Yeah."

"But what if I find a way to get you free? What would you do then?"

"Wait! You can do that?!" The dragon's eyes lit up with hope, surprising me. I thought he might laugh it off, but he seemed genuinely interested. Before answering, I decided to finally check out my new ultimate skill.

'Wicked One, tell me about Mammon.'

{『Mammon, Lord of Greed』:

- Absorb Life: Allows the user to absorb various types of energies from a target and make them their own.

- Control Heart: Allows the user to stimulate the target's emotions and even memories, dominating them upon contact. It boasts greater potency than [Desire].

- Multilayer Barrier: Multiple ranged barriers are linked with various resistances to create a multilayer barrier. It's a thin, colorless, invisible coating covering the body. It's so thin that only Mana Perception can barely spot it.

- Skill Steal: Allows the user to steal the skills of their opponent. However, skills engraved into the Heart Core, such as Ultimate skills, cannot be stolen, except for unstable ones.}

I looked over the skills, impressed. Then I panicked, not finding my most reliable OP skill, [Death Desire], until Wicked One reassured me that it was part of the sub-skill [Control Heart].

She explained that [Death Desire] was essentially a part of my previous [Desire] skill, converting any living being's will to live into a desire to die. Now, with the upgraded version [Control Heart], it was more potent. And what's even more outrageous is that no one without an Ultimate skill can resist it, except for some broken Unique skills out there.

'So can you do anything about it?' I asked inwardly, placing my hand on the transparent prison.

{It's possible to break the Unlimited Imprisonment with the Ultimate skill Greed.}

'Huh! You can do it?' That was a surprise.

Before proceeding, I wanted to know how long it would take. {It will take 30 days to undo the seal on Unlimited Imprisonment.}

Now that I knew I could free him, the real question was whether I should. Freeing Veldora right away would undoubtedly attract attention. I thought it best to wait until the Slime arrived before taking any action. Veldora's mental maturity hadn't fully developed yet. Though I knew he would listen to me to some extent, I couldn't fully control him.

"Hey! Don't ignore me! Can you free me?" Veldora's voice interrupted my thoughts.

"About that, Veldora. I can't do it right now, but I think I may be able to do something if I analyze your cage. But it will take some time," I said, making an excuse.

"So, are you going to leave? You could stay a little longer if you want. Not that I'd be lonely or anything," he added, trying to sound indifferent.

What a tsundere, I thought, amused.

"I won't leave right away," I said with a grin. "I have something to discuss with you."

Veldora's eyes brightened a bit, though he tried to hide it. "Very well! Take your time, I suppose," he huffed, trying to sound nonchalant.

I chuckled at his attempt to play it cool. He was like a giant, overgrown tsundere.

I laid out my grand vision to Veldora, explaining how I planned to establish a kingdom in the Jura Forest, uniting all the monsters under one banner. As I spoke, Veldora listened intently, occasionally interjecting with questions and suggestions. He seemed genuinely intrigued by the idea, which was encouraging.

Finally, I got to the crux of my plan. "And then, I aim to evolve into a demon lord. With that power, I'll be able to upgrade my abilities, and that's when I'll be able to free you."

I crossed my arms with a smug grin, feeling pretty pleased with myself. Veldora, however, was silent for a moment, clearly processing everything I'd said. He seemed to be waiting for more, but I let the silence hang, just to see how he'd react.

He finally lost patience and asked, almost bouncing with excitement, "So, what are you going to do after that?"

I leaned in, lowering my voice dramatically, "Take over the world."

There was a pause, then Veldora's eyes widened in what could only be described as childlike excitement. "Take over the world? That's... that's fantastic! A plan truly worthy of a mighty dragon like myself!" He looked genuinely thrilled, like a kid who'd just been told he could have all the candy in the world.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, I thought you'd like that."

Veldora nodded enthusiastically. "Absolutely! It's a perfect plan! Together, we'll be unstoppable!—it's brilliant!"

Veldora's eyes widened in surprise, his excitement momentarily giving way to stunned silence. "W-Wait, really? Me? A warlord?"

"You don't like it?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Like it? I love it! It's perfect for a majestic dragon like me!" Veldora boomed with a dramatic flair. "Kuhahahahaha! This is absolutely fitting for my grandeur! I'll lead your forces with unparalleled might!"

He struck a pose, his chest puffed out and his wings slightly unfurled. "You've chosen wisely, little goblin! With me as your warlord, we'll sweep across the world like a storm!"

Though I didn't show it on the outside, from my point of view, the dragon in front of me looked absolutely majestic, like nothing I had ever seen before. He was already as large as a mountain, with his four wings spread wide. If not for his goofy personality, I wouldn't even dare to look straight into those piercing golden eyes.

"Wait... Now that we are friends, it feels odd to call you 'little goblin.' I think we should give each other names," Veldora said, pondering as he looked at me.

"Are you sure?" I asked, seeking confirmation.

I was planning to ask him to name me anyway, so it was good that he brought it up first.

"Yes, my friend. I am going to give you a name that befits the person who is going to conquer the world," he said with a majestic tone.

"Okay." I nodded in agreement.

"From today, you shall be known as 'GOBTA'," he declared with a grand flourish.

'What the!! That's the majestic name he came up with!!' I thought, stunned.

Before I could voice any complaints, I felt the name "Gobta" being engraved into my very soul.

I felt a surge of magicules flowing into my body, followed by a notification.

{Notice: Evolution to a hobgoblin has been started}

Despite the notification, I didn't feel anything out of the ordinary—just a gradual increase in my strength. It might take a day for me to fully evolve.

Although I wasn't thrilled with the name "Gobta," I was satisfied with the little power boost.

"Now, you give me a name. That will be our family name," Veldora said.

"Okay, how about Tempest?" I suggested.

"Tempest? That's awesome! As expected of Gobta," Veldora replied with enthusiasm.

"So, from today on, I will be known as Veldora Tempest, and you will be Gobta Tempest," he declared proudly.

After that, Veldora extended his massive draconic hand for a fist bump. I extended my tiny hand in return, and as our fists touched—just the thin layer of the transparent prison between us—I felt a strange connection forming. It was as if a bond was being established, one that tied our fates together.

Stones?

Comment if anybody is still reading this shit.