Chương 31: It's better to have a dignified first epithet
There's no need to rush to find a dungeon.
Instead, I'll grow steadily here.
Perhaps I should level up and achieve the evolution conditions to evolve into something like a Big White Double-horn Python.
No, that won't do!
First of all, I've become a body that can't be satisfied with just evolving with a single "Big" modifier.
I want to undergo special evolutions in the future, like growing more horns or having my pattern become holographic.
And there was an even more important reason.
"I can't waste time here."
Pelerian told me.
That I'd be completely marked by the elves.
The psycho elf woman who tried to step on me and even slashed at me with a sword was none other than a "Golden Leaf Investigator."
When I asked what that was,
It's a role where a recognized fairy hunter is given full authority for investigation.
So it's like a one-person or small-scale wide-area investigation team, a special investigation headquarters, something like that.
And the one currently appointed as the Golden Leaf Investigator trying to kill me is a fairy named Iris Selena.
She's said to have a terribly vicious personality and never lets go once she bites, like a mad dog.
I asked if Pelerian knew her, but he hesitated to answer.
When I pressed him, saying he promised to be honest, he said it was a personal matter, so I let it go.
That elf will chase me.
What did I do wrong?
I just killed a few chimeras and wore Pelerian's ring.
I wondered how she could find me in such a vast forest.
When I said that, Pelerian stated without laughing:
She will find me.
She'll find me, torture me, and experiment to see what kind of monster I am in detail.
Isn't that too Pelerian-like thinking?
But considering the inhumanity of the fairies I've met so far, it was enough to be afraid.
For that, I needed to change and become stronger.
Either evolve and change so much that she couldn't recognize me.
Or become strong enough that even fairies couldn't capture me.
Preferably the latter.
"Kissit, quiik. Chering Nanaluk!"
"Nanalukmi chwiit kissit- teng."
This is roughly how Goblin language sounds. It's quite a spitty language.
I hid behind a rock and eavesdropped on what the goblins were saying.
They seem to be waiting for a goblin named Nanaluk.
They had a ferry boat by the riverbank that could easily carry ten people.
It was a primitive boat that they would push into the water, board, and row.
And it was also the tool I needed to cross the river.
'They wouldn't let me ride if I asked, would they?'
"Go ask them."
Pelerian seems to be joking too.
"I'm not joking."
They would attack immediately if a snake appeared.
What's the next best option?
I asked my advisor for a strategy.
"Let's kill them all."
A strategy of annihilation.
It's a shame we can't use fire tactics. If the boat burns, it's all over.
However, the annihilation strategy also has a problem.
'But then who will row? I don't have hands.'
"Leave one alive. Have that one row."
Genius.
Instead of answering right away, I observed the goblins.
Six goblins.
They had diverse appearances.
There was a goblin who looked like a grandmother, and there were those who looked like young warriors.
One of them stands out.
It was a goblin with uniquely red skin.
It was quite tall and muscular. Looks like a warrior.
──────────────
[Hob Goblin lv10]
[Traits]
[Goblin], [Warrior], [Cautiousness]
[Skills]
[Spearmanship lv7], [Archery lv3], [Shield Technique lv3], [Running lv10], [Shouting lv10]
[Status]
[Anxious]
──────────────
Hmm.
Spearmanship, archery, and even shield technique.
It certainly seems like a combatant.
If we fight, I'd probably win.
But.
'Let's try persuasion instead of the annihilation strategy. I think it would be better to hitch a ride.'
The problem is that the others are also carrying swords and bows.
I've fought one-on-one several times, but I've never experienced fighting multiple opponents, so it's burdensome.
I don't know if this goblin named Nanaluk is strong or weak, and they might join in the meantime.
"Yes, that would be better."
Surprisingly, Pelerian also affirmed my choice.
Then there's a problem.
How should I approach them so they don't get startled and attack?
It's troublesome for a terrifying-looking snake like me.
This world is looks-ist too.
"..."
I came up with a method.
==
"S-Snake!"
One goblin shouted in surprise.
Immediately, everyone except the grandmother goblin stood up.
Some drew weapons and aimed their bows.
As expected, just the appearance of a snake draws a lot of aggro.
But I had already made my move.
"Wait..."
Indeed, the goblins hesitated.
"It's holding a flower in its mouth."
I was holding a flower in my mouth.
Not only that, I had also placed a flower between my horns.
The goblins were shocked by this striking visual.
The fact that they didn't immediately shoot their arrows showed it.
"Is there a snake that carries flowers?"
"It's suspicious."
The reaction wasn't as favorable as I had thought.
"This is embarrassing to death."
I'm fine with it, but Pelerian is making a fuss instead.
As I got closer to them, they hesitated and raised their swords again.
Yeah, I haven't broken down their mental walls yet.
But I learned things from meeting the centipede couple.
Thud.
I wasn't just holding a flower in my mouth.
I had just caught a squirrel that was climbing a tree.
I put it down along with the flower.
"It's a squirrel..."
"It seems to be giving it to us."
Yeah, there was a goblin with a bit of a brain.
I bowed my head in greeting.
The moment the other party returns the greeting, that's when the 'exchange' begins.
A few goblins awkwardly tried to bow their heads.
That's when one of them spoke up.
"What are you doing! It's a monster!"
It was the red-skinned Hob Goblin.
You goblins are monsters too.
"Pick up your bows! Why are you trying to greet it!"
I don't like this one.
Because of that Hob Goblin, the atmosphere became chilly again.
Some were drawing their bowstrings.
"Hehe, it's not going well."
Can't be helped.
Should I sweep them all away?
I could slaughter them all.
"Jadiram!"
At that moment, another Hob Goblin appeared, sliding down the mountain ridge.
It was a female goblin with her hair tied tightly.
She was carrying a familiar boy goblin on her back.
"What's going on."
"Nanaluk, a snake appeared."
"A snake? Oh my."
She noticed the flower stuck on my head.
"It brought a flower."
"Are you going to be like that too? Snakes are dangerous."
"No..."
Then my eyes met with the boy goblin's.
"It's Ulluullullu! Sis, it's that snake. The snake that saved me!"
Ah, so good deeds are rewarded after all?
The boy I saved from Pelican's clutches has now saved the lives of others.
Of course, I'm talking about the goblins in front of me, not myself.
"It saved Retch?"
"Oh my, it seems to be true. How interesting."
The goblin sister called Nanaluk approached me.
"Is there something you want?"
Yeah, you asked well.
I raised my tail, tapped the boat repeatedly, and then pointed to the other side of the river.
They should understand this.
"It wants to ride the boat with us to cross the river?"
"Absolutely not! What if that snake goes berserk on the boat?"
"Isn't it fine?"
An argument broke out among the goblins.
They're saying nonsense like being enchanted by the snake.
Nanaluk and the boy goblin were favorable towards me, but the other goblins seemed quite scared.
I was worried if the conversation would go well, but then...
"Cough, cough, cough!"
It wasn't Goblin language, but coughing.
The one coughing as if about to die was the old grandmother goblin.
Terrifyingly, the grandmother goblin's entire body was covered in tattoos.
"Jadiram, Nana-luk."
"Yes, grandmother."
The two Hob Goblins who were arguing became quiet.
"Since ancient times, snakes have been mystical animals. Don't you understand even after seeing it understand our words? Cough!"
Well said, grandmother.
"Let it ride. The boat isn't that small..."
That grandmother was just a goblin, and the other two were Hob Goblins.
It seems that being a Hob Goblin doesn't necessarily mean higher status.
The goblin who was yelling at me shut his mouth.
"That's great. Everyone get on board. Let's cross!"
Nanaluk said in a bright voice.
I quickly climbed onto the boat.
I immediately took the best seat.
At the front, between the kind grandmother and the goblin called Nanaluk.
"Heave-ho!"
As they pushed the boat from the riverbank, it started to sway with a splash.
Water is splashing around.
The grandmother goblin looked at me, put her hands together, and bowed her head.
I bowed my head back.
Thank you.
The river wasn't very wide, but the current was faster than I thought.
The young Hob Goblin rowed hard.
"Goblins are despised monsters, but they're not as unintelligent as you might think."
'It seems so.'
"Of course, their level of civilization varies greatly between tribes, but this one seems quite advanced. They respect their elders, and the relationships seem quite equal."
I thought goblins were just mobs that hid and shot poison darts.
I reflect once again on my shallow prejudice.
"Hey."
It was the Hob Goblin sister called Nanaluk.
Her cat-like golden eyes were distinctive.
Come to think of it, my prejudice about appearance was also broken.
The common goblins looked similar to my prejudice.
Small build, pointed ears, green skin, not exactly handsome features.
But the Hob Goblins were quite good-looking even by human aesthetic standards.
Except for their slightly reddish skin and slightly larger eyes, that is.
"What's your name?"
My name?
Well.
I can't say the three-syllable name I used in Korea.
Let me think of a cool name.
Jegal Yuryong, Namgung Cheonma, something like that.
Ah, I am White Double-horn Python Hwangbo Baeksa.
"Don't answer!"
Suddenly, Pelerian intervened.
You startled me.
"You don't have a name yet, snake. A name is imbued with important power. Don't make one up carelessly."
'How am I supposed to speak anyway?'
"..."
Come to think of it, Pelerian can be quite foolish too.
Aside from not having a name, I can't speak.
I just flickered my tongue.
Nanaluk didn't seem to expect an answer anyway.
"Look at this."
She dipped her hand in the river water.
And when she pulled it out, surprisingly, there was a fish biting her finger.
Nanaluk laughed "Ahaha" and threw the fish to me.
I caught it in my mouth and swallowed it in one gulp.
"You did well to get on the boat. If you had tried to swim across, you would have been reduced to bones in an instant."
That's right.
It was a brutal river.
The fish had sharp teeth, so Nanaluk's finger was bleeding.
But she just sucked her finger once and grinned.
I almost fell for her.
She's a goblin, and I'm a snake!
It didn't take long to cross the river.
On the opposite bank, tall bushes were growing.
The bushes, grown to about chest height, swaying in the wind looked like a summer field of silver grass.
"We're here!"
The boy goblin stood up excitedly.
This caused the boat to sway.
An adult goblin pulled the boy down and scolded him.
"Stay still until the boat stops, you brat."
Just as he was about to jump off the boat first...
Oh.
Something shot out from the silver grass field.
Thwack!
An arrow pierced deeply into the eye of the goblin who had just scolded the boy.
He stiffened and fell.
Splash!
Water splashed.
And I felt a stinging sensation on my back.
Thwack!
"Oh, an arrow."
Even without Pelerian's commentary, I could tell.
An arrow had pierced my body.
It hurts! A lot!
"Arrows. It's an ambush!"
Nanaluk shouted loudly while pushing down the boy's head.
Except for the grandmother and the boy, all the goblins jumped off the boat.
Ah, why did the arrow hit me of all people!
I was sticking close to the bottom of the boat, so I should have had the lowest chance of being hit.
I thought my luck had been good lately, but misfortune has struck again.
"Get them, those crazy bastards ambushed us!"
"Jadiram! Don't go in alone! They're trying to lure us into the bushes!"
The arrow didn't pierce very deep.
My skin has become much tougher as I evolved.
But the wound in my heart fueled my anger.
"Go."
I too jumped off the boat.
The bushes sway back and forth. The arrows were shot from inside there.
Arrows flew out sporadically, but it doesn't seem like they're trying to hit.
"Enter in a line together!"
Nanaluk was an excellent commander.
Goblins are small in stature, it wouldn't be easy to find and kill those hiding in the bushes.
Of course, this was an exception for me.
'Old man, can you see from above?'
"Me? Hmm, I can see."
Pelerian could float within a 2m radius around the ring.
In other words, it meant he could see the movement of the bushes from a higher place than me.
'Then please tell me the direction.'
"No problem. Go straight ahead."
I enter the bushes.
Unlike the goblins, the bushes didn't sway when I burrowed through.
"More, a little to the right. There are ten in total."
It's common sense to be careful of snakes when passing through bushes, isn't it?
Moreover, if it's an extremely angry venomous snake...
"Two are gathered together."
As I pushed through the bushes, there were two goblins holding bows.
It was you guys.
Leap.
Acceleration.
And, on the goblin's bare chest...
Biting.
Crunch!
As I landed on the ground, blood spurted from the fallen goblin's chest.
And the remaining one who witnessed this screamed.
"Aaaah! It's a heart-eating snake!"
'Heart-eating snake'.
Who knew that would become my first epithet?
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