Ch.15Ep.15 The Goblin Clan

Who could have ever imagined?

That a human could set foot in a goblin village.

I wouldn’t have known even if I died and came back to life.

Honestly, I still feel dazed.

Being invited to the village of monsters that I’ve always considered beasts.

At this point, they should be called a different species rather than monsters.

The amazement at such an unusual sight didn’t last long.

When the goblins came rushing out of their homes in droves,

Radios and Arsia felt like animals in a zoo.

And for good reason.

‘Holy crap…! These are goblins?!’

‘I’m glad I didn’t blindly attack them…’

I called them calamities for convenience, but they truly lived up to that name.

The goblins possessed power of a completely different dimension, worthy of being called calamities.

Trying to fight them… I can only say it would have been absolute madness.

Do they even understand the emotions we feel?

“Humans? Why are humans here…”

“Chief. Did you bring them here for us to eat?”

“Wait a minute… Isn’t that face Arsia Cromwell?”

“Oh, you’re right? Wasn’t she called the Best Guardian?”

“But she’s weak. I thought she wasn’t supposed to be this weak?”

The goblins whispered among themselves while observing Radios and Arsia.

The emotions they gave off were mostly curiosity or interest.

I wonder if they know how grateful we are that we don’t sense any killing intent from them.

After an awkward moment of being the goblins’ spectacle,

Kraud clapped his hands to get the goblins’ attention.

“Everyone, quiet. These humans are the leaders of a group called Guardian Spirits. So I proposed a deal.”

“A deal?”

“Yes. This one seems to be the owner of a fragment that has the energy of an Outer God.”

When the words “Outer God’s energy” were mentioned, the atmosphere among the goblins became noticeably tense.

It was just the lively mood disappearing.

Yet it sent chills down our spines.

Because of this, Radios and Arsia were nearly driven mad with fear.

Fortunately, Kraud quickly continued.

“It’s time to leave the Demonic Prison.”

“..!”

“C-can we finally go outside?”

“Yes!! I’ve been waiting for this day!”

“Woohoooo!!”

The goblins each showed comical reactions to the news of leaving the Demonic Prison.

But these creatures showing such joy at the mention of leaving…

‘They can’t leave because of the nocebo effect? That doesn’t make sense?’

As if noticing this thought, Kraud immediately explained.

“Though we have quite unique personalities… the nocebo effect is mostly caused by Cronos’s energy.”

“Ah, I see.”

So they absorbed Cronos’s power in the Demonic Prison and couldn’t leave.

And to counteract this Cronos’s energy, they needed the energy of an Outer God.

Because Outer Gods and Olympus have opposing powers.

“But wait a moment. Why didn’t you contact the otherworlders?”

Here, Arsia pointed out a good question.

If they needed the energy of an Outer God, why didn’t they reach out to the otherworlders?

But Kraud gave an appropriate answer to the question.

“Because they never came near the Demonic Prison. Even I can’t go too far from it. Cronos is also an Olympian god after all.”

“This seems quite complicated.”

“Complicated indeed. Let me simplify it for you.”

The Demonic Prison doesn’t physically restrain the goblins.

Since the nocebo effect is a mental constraint.

To break this constraint, they needed the energy of an Outer God, which opposes Cronos’s energy.

But the otherworlders never came near this place, probably because they were afraid of the Demonic Prison.

In other words, if Radios hadn’t come, the goblins might have been bound to the Demonic Prison forever.

Conversely, if circumstances had allowed, they might have made a deal with the otherworlders.

“But there’s a problem. I still don’t know how to properly handle the Outer God’s energy.”

“No need to worry about that. You just need to activate it, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

“…Understood.”

This situation feels exactly like leaving fish with a cat.

But Radios knows that fragments choose their owners directly.

Even if Kraud tried to steal it, he wouldn’t be able to use the fragment’s power.

After contemplating until the last moment, he finally took out the fragment.

“This is… the fragment containing the power of an Outer God…”

Kraud looked at the fragment, closed his eyes, and muttered something at a speed too fast to understand.

Rumble rumble rumble.

Simultaneously, an earthquake began throughout the Demonic Prison.

“F-finally!”

“Chief, I believed in you!!”

“Oi oi, tell the humans! Behave yourselves, kekeke.”

“When I get out of the Demonic Prison, first thing I’m doing is getting a haircut…”

“There’s absolutely!!! No such thing as not being able to leave the Demonic Prison!!!”

“Such a thing doesn’t exist!!!! Gay!!!!”

“Can’t leave the Demonic Prison? Nah~ Just escape and that’s it~”

The goblins celebrated in their own ways as they felt the invisible force binding them disappear.

Among them, some were saying things too strange to understand, but anyway!

As Kraud closed his mouth, the earthquake subsided.

And the goblins simultaneously fell silent as if on cue.

“After our goblin race was born in the Demonic Prison so long ago! Today we have succeeded in fulfilling our ancestors’ wish to leave this place!”

“Woooooah!!”

“May eternal glory be upon the Guardian Spirits who gave us freedom!”

Kraud made a fist-to-palm salute, an ancient human greeting.

The other goblins did the same.

Radios and Arsia returned the gesture, accepting their thanks.

Just when it seemed the deal was concluding, Kraud scratched his head and continued.

“Actually, ending the deal like this makes us seem too opportunistic.”

“Not at all. The help of the goblin clan is… more valuable than any gift.”

“No. I just remembered I have something to give you two.”

“..?”

He rummaged through his pockets and handed Radios and Arsia each a stone that emitted a mysterious glow.

Text began to appear on the stones.

[Skill Stone: Goblin Mask]

[When the skill is used, temporarily transforms the user into a goblin body. The duration varies depending on the user’s magical power.]

[Skill: Goblin Fire]

[When the skill is used, goblin fire is formed. The number of goblin fires formed varies depending on the user’s magical power.]

“Skill Stone? What is this?”

“I borrowed the method otherworlders use to learn skills. If you channel magic into this stone and destroy it, you’ll acquire the skill.”

“..!”

Radios was shocked to learn this was how they acquired skills.

In Kadinant, a skill is…

Something that requires tremendous effort and dedication to create.

But here, they just break a stone and get a skill?

Of course, breaking a stone to get a skill doesn’t improve martial arts skills.

But they would have more time to focus on training rather than skipping it to create skills like Kadinant people.

Now he understood why otherworlders could overwhelm with quantity.

Why skills given by gods could be inferior to those made by humans.

It all made sense now.

The otherworlders were mass-produced.

They were like dolls repeatedly stamped out in a factory.

Using these absurdly efficient items called Skill Stones as lubricant.

“You don’t look pleased. Is it what I think it is?”

“…Yes. I never expected skills could be obtained this way.”

“I understand. I was also dumbfounded when I first saw the theory of Skill Stones.”

The difference between someone who became strong through shortcuts and someone who became strong through training is clear.

But what if that shortcut is so overpowered that it crushes traditional training?

Naturally, people would seek the shortcut.

In that sense, Skill Stones were like rain during a drought for the current Radios.

He could train properly to avoid harming his body.

And wait for the seal to gradually break.

“Thank you so much. I’ve received incredible help that I never expected.”

If there’s such a thing as fate, this would be it.

When he first met the goblins in the Demonic Prison’s territory, he was worried about preparing his own funeral.

Who would have thought he’d gain such excellent allies?

‘The goblins will be a tremendous force. I should call on them when absolutely necessary.’

He didn’t know what they would do once they left the Demonic Prison.

But they seemed cheerful, so they probably wouldn’t commit atrocities like mass slaughter.

Of course, if they did clash with anyone, it would likely be the otherworlders.

From Radios’s perspective, who needed to reclaim Kadinant,

It might actually be more convenient if the goblins ran wild.

Still, just to be sure, he asked.

“What do you plan to do once you leave?”

“Hmm? First, we plan to wander rather than settle in one place.”

“Do you know the geography of Kadinant?”

“No.”

“Ah, then…”

Radios picked up a wooden stick lying nearby and began drawing a rough map on the ground.

“Kadinant is divided into five regions.”

Eastret in the east.

Westret in the west.

Southret in the south.

Northret in the north.

And finally, Midret in the center.

“Midret will probably have the highest concentration of otherworlders… so please avoid heading there if possible. And the Demonic Prison is located around here.”

“Thanks for the useful information.”

Kraud tapped the map drawn on the ground with his staff, nodded in appreciation, and expressed his gratitude.

Just as the deal was about to conclude,

Kraud called someone, and a female goblin appeared.

“Let me introduce you. This is my daughter, Brina.”

“Ah, hello… I’m Brina. Nice to meet you.”

Looking at the young girl who appeared to be in her mid-teens,

Radios realized that Kraud intended to send her with them.

‘Her power feels like a vice-commander level… if she’s too strong, she might attract attention.’

She seemed like the perfect companion for their current situation, which required discretion.

Radios welcomed her with a bright smile.

“I’m Radios Magnum. It seems I’ll be working with Miss Brina from now on.”

“I’m Arsia Cromwell. Looking forward to working with you.”

“I-I’m looking forward to it too!”

After briefly exchanging greetings with Arsia, Brina looked at Kraud.

She seemed to be waiting for his words.

“Brina. We will always listen to what you have to say. So go with them and see the world.”

“Yes, Dad! I’ll be back!”

“Good.”

Kraud stroked his daughter’s head with a fond smile.

Then he looked up and said,

“Take good care of my daughter.”

“Don’t worry.”

When Radios answered with a confident face, Kraud nodded with satisfaction.

Rising to his feet, Kraud raised his staff to activate a teleportation magic circle.

As the time for farewell approached, many goblins offered their goodbyes.

“Thank you, humans!”

“Next time we meet, I’ll treat you to a drink!”

“Take good care of the princess! Or I’ll kill you!!”

“Let’s meet again sometime!!”

Thinking about it again, they really are people with unique personalities.

Radios had already abandoned the idea that goblins were monsters.

He waved goodbye to them.

“It was nice meeting you. See you next time.”

“I’m really grateful too!”

“Uncles! Aunties! See you later!!”

With Brina’s farewell, the goblin clan departed from the Demonic Prison.

However, Radios couldn’t have known at this point.

Just how much chaos the freed goblins would cause…