Chapitre 21: Demon King Kyuse Descends! (7)
An extreme tension.
It was the first time I had seen Buril react like this.
He was a native creature of this place. He knew very well what was dangerous and what was safe. Also, he knew what to confront and what to hide from.
ㅡTrembling…!
Buril, tucked beside me, was covering his mouth with his hand, trembling vigorously. His eyes shook with anxiety, and his beak-like nose swayed left and right.
No.
Why was it shaking?
Anyway.
"…!"
I, too, hid in the bushes, on high alert. Should I jump out now? No. No. Buril tried to hide rather than run. I trust Buril's judgment now. He probably decided hiding was better.
But now there was the variable that was me… It was too late to rethink the decision. We had to deal with it.
ㅡRustling.
ㅡFlap flap flap.
Suddenly.
I couldn't help but be surprised.
ㅡFlap flap flap.
A Tinkerbell was flying around.
In military slang, they called a moth bigger than a palm "Tinkerbell". Ahead, a butterfly, even larger than a palm, was flapping its wings.
But… It wasn't an ordinary butterfly!
A dwarf!
A tiny person!
"…!"
It was the real Tinkerbell!
A tiny girl, the size of a palm! She had butterfly wings attached to her back! That wasn't a butterfly! It was a dwarf with butterfly wings. It was Tinkerbell!
ㅡFlap flap flap.
She's wearing something like a dress! Is it a dress?! An off-shoulder dress! It looked like a dress a doll would wear!
Could it be a fairy…!
Was she a fairy!?
Fairy!
"…!"
Buril was afraid of the fairy. Was that little Tinkerbell that dangerous? She was about the size of my palm. Her size was super small.
If I were to fight such a creature… it seemed like I could win with one punch.
But the fact that Buril was afraid indicated that there was definitely something about her. Could it be magic? Did she wield magic because she was a fairy? It was possible.
ㅡFlap flap flap.
As we held our breaths together like that.
Soon, the fairy flew a short distance away and disappeared.
ㅡWhoosh.
Only the scattered, shimmering dust proved that the fairy had been here. But even those particles soon vanished.
"Phew…!"
"Keureuk!"
It felt like my heart was going to burst.
I caught my breath alongside Buril.
"Bu, Buril, is that little thing really that dangerous?"
"Keureuk Keureuk! Keureuk!"
Buril eagerly explained. I wasn't sure, but it seemed like he was saying it was dangerous. It seemed that way to me as well.
This feeling, yes. It was like swimming in the sea and seeing a jellyfish floating right next to me. Jellyfish were small but poisonous. You could get hurt the moment it touched you. It was that kind of fear.
"But still."
Damn it.
"A fairy?"
A winged fairy. Small and blonde-haired. I couldn't see her face clearly, but she seemed as cute as a doll.
But wasn't it a monster?
Why did it resemble humans so much?
Come to think of it, even as a demon, I somewhat resemble humans… I didn't really know why.
"But what's her name?"
"Keureuk Keureuk."
I still couldn't understand.
In fact, names weren't that important. That fairy-like creature probably had a name, but I didn't yet understand the language of the Middle Realm. So, let's just call her 'Fairy' for simplicity.
"Well then, Buril. Let's go somewhere else."
"Keureuk!"
Buril seemed to nod in agreement with what I said.
We went in the opposite direction of where the fairy was heading. Honestly, it seemed dangerous to go that way. I didn't want to encounter that kind of fairy again.
"Hmm."
But could I make it my subordinate if I could subdue and use a domination spell on a creature like that fairy?
Firstly, if it could use magic, it might resist. But having a magic-wielding subordinate would be convenient in various ways. Above all, it was able to fly. It would be undoubtedly useful, similar to a reconnaissance drone.
Well, it was not something to consider now.
Even if it was called a dungeon, in this small pit, my only subordinate was a single goblin. How could I obtain something like that? I couldn't immediately get something good, be it a dungeon or a subordinate. It was about gradual growth.
I needed to grow.
In the end, I managed to find a decent stone.
"Hehehe, hey. Good find. Buril, you have an eye for stones, huh?"
"Keureung!"
"Let's move quickly. Now, I'm going to make a spear with this. But do you know how to use tools? I've seen apes use them."
"Keureuk? Keureuk?"
"Just try to get the hang of it when I demonstrate."
It was a bit frustrating that this guy didn't fully understand me. A proper communication channel was missing. Of course, I was expecting too much. How could one have perfect communication with a goblin?
I was just saying things, that's all.
"Then, let's go."
"Keureuk."
Anyway, I moved the freshly collected stones with Buril to the camp.
Now, I was going to process these into a primitive spearhead. Attach the spearhead to a long, sturdy branch, and we've got a wooden spear.
A spear was fundamentally a very powerful weapon. It could be considered the strongest among cold weapons. How many ancient mammals were slaughtered by primitive humans wielding spears? It was such a lethal weapon.
If I armed myself with this crafted weapon and trained Buril, our combat power would undoubtedly soar.
With this, hunting would become much smoother, and other goblins would be easier to subdue.
"And then I'll use the domination spell on the subdued goblins. Buril, think of them as your juniors."
"Keureuk?"
Buril was the top dog.
The chief senior.
If I dominated and trained a series of goblins to create a sort of goblin army, we could dig a larger cave. Work could proceed more rigorously. It might even be possible to establish a dungeon.
It was almost like becoming a goblin squad leader.
Imagining such a future was incredibly exciting. Wow, really. If I just had a few more goblins, I could order them to collect fruits for me.
"Let's start making the spear. Watch and learn from what I do."
"Keureuk."
I immediately lifted a stone.
Thwoom!
I aimed at another collected stone and threw it. It didn't work in one shot. It must be thrown repeatedly until it shatters.
-Thwoom!
-Thwoom!
-Crack!
"Yes!"
After throwing it a few times, the stone was perfectly chipped. This might be a bit hard for Buril. So, I smashed all the stones to pieces.
"Phew."
It was harder work than I expected. I was even sweating. Anyway, all the stones had been broken down to a reasonable size. I then used another large stone to fine-tune the chipped stones. I needed to shape them roughly before sharpening them.
I sat down right after that.
"Buril, this is the crucial part, so watch closely."
"Keureuk Keureuk."
Buril focused on me.
I grasped a piece of stone that fits perfectly into my palm and then placed it on a flatter, harder stone.
-Scrape scrape scrape scrape.
-Scrape scrape scrape scrape.
-Scrape scrape scrape scrape.
I sharpened it intensely!
"Keureuk?"
"Yeah. You have the water container, right? Pour some gently onto this."
"Keureuk Keureuk."
Buril, holding the water container, carefully poured some water. While he did so, I continued sharpening the stone. Such laborious effort was truly unparalleled.
-Scrape scrape scrape scrape.
-Scrape scrape scrape scrape.
-Scrape scrape scrape scrape.
"I respect you, Neolithic people."
So much sincerity and effort was required even in the simple task of sharpening a small piece of stone. This was survival, and this was the struggle. In the wild, survival wasn't granted for free. It required effort and struggle. Only those who dedicated themselves to these two elements could achieve it.
"Ah, damn it, this isn't working. Buril, try sharpening it yourself."
"Keureuk!"
Perhaps because he had been watching me the entire time, Buril responded with confidence. He immediately grabbed the smaller stone and began to clumsily sharpen it.
-Sssssh.
-Sssssh.
-Sssssh.
"Hmm."
It didn't look particularly impressive. But what could I do? It was the difference between a human and a goblin. Even if it was a little clumsy, it needed to be done.
With that in mind,
I, along with Buril, worked damn hard. We sharpened the stone intensely. Truly, we sharpened it with great effort to craft a spear tip.
"Keureuk…"
But damn it, Buril's hands were so clumsy, it was even more unsatisfactory than I imagined. Perhaps realizing that Buril also looked quite downcast.
"Hey. This won't do, Buril."
"Keureuk…"
"I'll handle this. You know those tree branches, right? The long, outstretched ones. Fetch some from just ahead. And gather some plant stems, too."
I should just have him gather materials.
"Don't go far. Just gather from right in front, okay? Can I trust you?"
"Keureuk!"
Confident in this task, Buril joyfully hopped and ran in that direction. It felt like sending a child on an errand. It was nearby, after all. And Buril had a better sense of things than I did, so he would be fine.
"He's quite an adorable fellow."
I resumed the stone-sharpening work.
-Sssssh.
-Ssssh Ssssh.
-Ssssh Ssssh.
Then,
Suddenly,
-Kereuuuuuuuuuuuk!
Buril's shriek reached my ears.
"No, don't tell me, damn it!"
I immediately sprung up, drawing my hatchet and sprinting! How many minutes had passed? Not even 3 minutes! Could Buril have gotten into trouble in such a short span…!
"No way!!!"
-Papapap!
I raced toward the source of the scream! Dangerous? My mind acknowledged the danger, but my heart felt like it was going to burst!
"Buril! Damn you, Buril!"
"Kyuuussaaaah! Kyussat! Kyussat!"
"What, what?!"
A strange noise was echoing!
The moment I directed my gaze to the scene,
"Kyussat! Kyussat Kyussat!"
"Kyussaaaah!"
"Kereruk! Kererukeruk!"
What?!
"Ah!"
Two small monsters, each with rat-like heads, were violently attacking Buril!!!
"You!!! You damn bastards!!!"
Dare lay hands on my Buril!!!!
"Step back!!!!!!!"
Blinding rage seemed to consume me. With that rage fueling me, I launched myself off the ground and aimed a dropkick at the creatures!
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone