章 32: Pelerian's Thinking
"Cry, you weak goblins. Your terror has arrived. It's the heart-eating snake!"
The goblin who shouted this fell on his behind with a thud.
It seems like goblins have a passive fear of snakes.
No, come to think of it, it's natural to be scared when a snake suddenly appears and eats a comrade's heart.
I was going to take care of them cleanly if they just stayed still.
"You evil snake. Incarnation of the devil. Begone!"
The goblin spat and pulled out his necklace.
"Begone, ugly creature!"
This hurts my feelings a little.
The heart-eating snake had no choice but to live up to its name.
Of course, there was no reason to be afraid of such a necklace.
When I didn't retreat, the goblin swung his rusty sword.
Oops.
The sword struck the ground where I had been just moments ago.
But it was a terrible sword strike.
Compared to the elf's sharp swordsmanship, it was unbearably slow.
Instead, I climbed up the goblin's rusty sword, up his wrist.
You should have worn armor.
Crunch!
「The proficiency of 'Biting' has increased.」
「'Biting lv9' has become 'Biting lv10'.」
That's right.
Now Biting has also reached lv10.
The goblin attackers gave a decent amount of experience points.
But none of them had any magic stones.
"He-heart-eating, snake...!"
Did you call me?
Those were the last words of the goblin with a hole punched in his chest.
The Pelerian navigation watched me with satisfaction and smiled.
He turned his head slightly and said,
"Another one is coming."
Even the goblins who ambushed us seem to have comradeship.
To come running after hearing such a terrible scream.
A goblin with a sword burst out of the underbrush.
He looked alternately at his comrade's corpse and me, then shouted,
"Snake... Heart-eating!"
Is that all these guys can say?
He charged at me with his sword.
A similar situation to before unfolded.
"Ugh, gak!"
The goblin with a hole in his chest fell, spewing blood.
"Two more are coming."
Dealing with two at once isn't easy.
I prepared earth magic.
Let's knock one down and deal with the other one first.
Soon, two goblins jumped out simultaneously.
But this time, there wasn't an immediate scuffle.
"Really, there really was a heart-eating... snake."
"Ru-run away!"
They lost their will to fight as soon as they saw the corpses of their three comrades.
The goblins immediately fled into the underbrush.
I was about to chase after them but stopped.
It wasn't because compassion welled up.
「You've gained the title 'Heart-eating Snake'.」
Title? It surely wasn't the ringing sound in the ears.
Could it be a nickname like 'Steel' Gunter or 'Heaven Defier' Pelerian?
"What are you doing? Go after them and hold a blood festival."
When Pelerian looked puzzled, I told him the content of the voice.
"You got a title!"
He laughed heartily.
"In all my days, this is the first time I've seen a monster not even two months old gain a title. What kind of title is it, Heart-eating Snake!"
What kind of title could it be? I was curious too.
As I focused my mind, my status window appeared.
──────────────
[White Double Horn Python lv3]
[Title]Heart-eating Snake
──────────────
Oh, a title has been attached below my name.
I've gained the brutal nickname of Heart-eating Snake.
What's the principle behind suddenly gaining a title?
"A title is a name other than one's real name. And a name comes into existence because there are those who call you by it."
Roughly speaking, it means I got this title because the goblins called me 'Heart-eating Snake'.
I couldn't help but wonder here.
'So if people call me Whitey or Snakey, does that become my title?'
Whitey.
If such a title gets attached, my dignity would be greatly damaged. It's terrible just imagining it.
Pelerian denied it.
"A title doesn't appear just because a few people call you that. At least hundreds of people need to call you by that name for it to become a title."
'Then what just happened?'
"Probably, the concept of 'Heart-eating Snake' is universal to those goblins. Like an oral tradition or an old tale."
Ah, so in terms of folk tales, my title is like 'The Tiger Who Won't Eat You If You Give It a Rice Cake'.
"I don't know what that is. Also, you need to show actions befitting that title."
Come to think of it, this wasn't the only time I ate hearts.
Didn't I defeat the Horn Jaguar and Chimera by eating their hearts too?
Then what about Steel or Heaven Defier?
"I was the great magician who defied the laws of heaven."
'Ah, I see.'
"Titles have power imbued in them. The more powerful the title, the more people call you by that title, the stronger the power becomes."
That's why Pelerian said names have power and so on.
I looked at my new name more closely.
──────────────
[Heart-eating Snake]
A snake of terror passed down in the Croc tribe of Palamu Rainforest.
Its infamy hasn't spread widely yet.
Your fangs become sharper.
You can gain more magic power by devouring the hearts of your prey.
──────────────
Pelerian's words were true.
Moreover, there were additional effects.
The description says my teeth become sharper and I can gain more experience points.
Both were effects I needed.
I'm glad to have gained such an unexpected benefit.
"Another one is coming."
I prepared to fight again.
These guys are more persistent than I thought.
"No, it's not."
I could tell what wasn't coming.
What burst out of the underbrush was Nanaluk.
She alternately looked at the fallen goblins and me, then exclaimed in surprise,
"Whitey!"
Whitey?
Is she calling this Heart-eating Snake that?
"Did you take care of all of them?"
I nodded.
Then Nanaluk rejoiced and marveled.
"That's amazing. To clean up the warriors so neatly."
Well, this much is a simple task.
Nanaluk's sword was also thickly stained with blood.
She didn't have a single wound.
It seems she took care of quite a few on her own.
Ah, checking Nanaluk's status window. This hobgoblin was quite strong.
Of course, she couldn't be compared to the elf or Gunter, but at least she was far above the level of goblins I had imagined.
"An arrow is stuck in you. We need to treat this."
She said worriedly, looking at my wound.
The arrow shaft had broken off at some point, leaving only the arrowhead embedded.
"Stay still for a moment."
It's fine, I'll just drink the remaining potion and it'll heal.
But she pulled out the arrowhead.
Blood spurts out with a splat.
She took out a bamboo tube from her bosom and thickly applied the green ointment it contained.
Amazingly, the bleeding stopped.
"This is a temporary measure. I'll take you to the village for treatment."
Hmm, that doesn't sound bad.
It'll save some potion too.
"To think I'd get to infiltrate a goblin village. Such an amazing experience..."
Looking at Pelerian, he seems pleased too.
Nanaluk suddenly picked me up.
And she draped me around her shoulders like a scarf.
This position is comfortable.
"Let's go."
One poor goblin who died from an arrow to the head.
Except for him, there were no casualties.
I arrived at their tribe along with the goblins.
==
The idea that goblins live in caves or.
That they live like primitives in huts was a prejudice.
Of course, there might be goblin tribes that actually live like that, but not the Lunga tribe of this Palamu Rainforest.
It's been about three hundred years since they migrated to this rainforest.
The Lunga tribe's village had proper wooden buildings.
Because it rains so much, the houses were elevated 50cm from the ground.
Goblin children ran between the houses supported by wooden pillars.
And they watched the returning warriors with curious eyes.
"It's a white snake."
"Looks like Nanaluk brought it."
"It seems to be alive!"
"Wow."
The children excitedly circled around.
They don't dare come close to me. They seem to be afraid of snakes.
Among the returning goblins was a boy of their age.
"Retch, what's that snake?"
The boy whose life I saved somehow looked proud.
"It might be Ulluullullu."
"Ulluullullu?"
"Yeah, it saved me. And it took care of the Croc goblins. By eating their hearts."
"Gasp. Their hearts..."
"They called it the heart-eating snake."
"Wow..."
That's right, little one.
Spread my fame even further.
By the way, what on earth does Ulluullullu mean?
The name sounds too ridiculous.
Looking at what Pelerian was doing, he was busy floating around and observing the surroundings.
"Wow, this goblin tribe has developed tremendously."
'Weren't they here before?'
"When I saw them before, they were a primitive tribe living in caves. I considered wiping them out, but I'm glad I left them alone."
He seemed very interested in the goblin village.
At times like this, he shows a scholarly side. The problem is that it's more of a mad scientist side.
"I'll treat you."
Nanaluk said so.
I wondered if there might even be a hospital, but that wasn't the case.
The place she took me was where the shamans gathered.
There were shamans wearing flashy ornaments and covered in tattoos.
They greeted us.
"Great Shaman."
I wondered who the Great Shaman was.
Surprising fact.
It was the old lady who had told them to put me on the boat.
She seems to be a high-ranking person.
The shamans put a crown on the old goblin lady and hung a bone necklace on her.
In an instant, she became a dangerous-looking old lady.
"This snake..."
When the shamans asked about me, the old lady answered.
"I think I've encountered a miraculous snake."
"A miraculous snake..."
"Bring the healing ointment and bandages. I must treat it."
The shamans' attitude changed completely.
They carefully moved me as if serving a master.
Why suddenly like this?
The shamans disinfected my wound and wrapped it with bandages.
There were mysterious murals on the walls of the shamans' shrine.
And among them, something caught my eye.
It was a picture of a black snake with wings.
Lightning was striking around the black snake, and below it, a red snake lay dead.
What a cool brother.
Nanaluk whispered to me.
"That's Ulluullullu."
Ah, so that's who it is.
But to mistake me for a black snake when white and black are so different.
Honestly, I admit black looks cool, but I prefer white.
Black snakes look too evil.
"By the way, what's this ring?"
Nanaluk asked, pointing at my ring.
I couldn't answer her, so I just slowly waved my tail.
"To be honest, it's not great. It's tacky. The way it looks."
I think so too.
Pelerian asked,
"What did she say? She seemed to ask about my ring."
'She says the ring looks incredibly stylish.'
"Hoho, even goblins have aesthetic sense. It's a signet I designed myself."
Making your own signet. As expected of a fairy with excessive self-awareness.
Nanaluk didn't leave my side, as if she had nothing else to do.
Then, something caught my eye.
I had a bright idea and told Pelerian about it, and he liked it too.
I tapped Nanaluk's back of the hand with my tail.
And pointed to an object.
"Paint? You want me to bring that?"
As expected, it's nice when someone understands immediately.
There were many tools for sorcery in this shrine.
Among them were primitive forms of paint.
When I requested something similar to ink, the shamans brought a wooden board and paint with interest.
I dipped my tail in black paint.
"Now, it's an elephant-shaped rock. Draw it like this."
The idea I came up with was this:
To ask for directions by drawing the rock near my destination.
If I just followed Pelerian's words to find the dungeon, who knows how long it would take.
However, the act of asking for directions caused a bigger ripple than I had anticipated.
"Oh, it's drawing a picture!"
"It's truly miraculous, Great Shaman."
"Could it be... Oh!"
All the shamans gathered around me.
For some reason, my tail is trembling slightly from nervousness.
It's as if they're watching a prodigy solve a math problem.
I managed to draw the elephant-shaped rock splendidly.
And fortunately, Nanaluk recognized it.
"This is the elephant rock!"
Yes!
The dungeon is said to be hidden right below the elephant rock.
As it's where the magic stones are stored, Pelerian says he designed it with very strong security.
Of course, it's built sturdy enough not to collapse even in an earthquake.
"Fortunately, it seems to be safe."
'Couldn't the fairies have found it first and emptied it?'
"That's impossible."
When I asked why he was so confident,
"I made it so that if anyone tries to force their way in, the entire rock would collapse."
'...'
"Kekeke, arrogant intruders would be buried alive along with the magic stones."
Before, I had happily entered dungeons without knowing anything. It's chilling.
I tapped the elephant rock.
"You want to go here?"
I nodded vigorously to Nanaluk's question.
But her expression wasn't bright.
"The Croc tribe has occupied this place for a year now."
What?
Wasn't that the tribe of goblins I had dealt with?
"It was originally our tribe's land. The Croc chieftain invaded and made it his base. They seem to be digging under the rock... but the security is tight, so it's hard to get close."
Shock!
Could the goblins have found the dungeon?
It doesn't seem like they've entered it yet, though.
However, Pelerian's anger was tremendous.
"Those rat bastards!"
The old fairy general, about a hand span tall, was furious.
"Go, snake! Go and eat all their hearts-!"
No, it's easy for you to say.
But I was just as angry.
'How dare they aim for my magic stones!'
"I'll kill them all and turn them into taxidermy!
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