Ch.4242. Outlaws of the Level 0 Biome

The goblins were busy.

“The rat bastards are nowhere to be seen. Kik kik.”

“I checked the sewers too, but they don’t seem to be there.”

“Did they go somewhere else?”

“Maybe they’re dead. There’s no smell either.”

The goblin village east of the Big Rats’ territory was quite large.

Though large, the goblins’ territory itself wasn’t very extensive.

It couldn’t be helped.

To the east was territory the goblins couldn’t cross, as they couldn’t risk disturbing the predator living there, and above and below lived other predators as well.

In the end, the only manageable area was the Big Rats’ territory to the west, though if it had been possible, they would have expanded into the Big Rats’ territory long ago.

The Big Rats themselves weren’t difficult for goblins to handle.

They were large and fast, making them tricky opponents, but the Big Rats were stupid, so they could be lured into traps or hunted cleverly.

The problem was the Big Rat Mom.

On days when goblins hunted Big Rats, the Big Rat Mom would come out with the Big Rats to hunt goblins.

In truth, the Big Rats weren’t smart and often attacked crops or went for food instead of attacking goblins, but in a direct confrontation, goblins couldn’t defeat the Big Rats.

That’s why, despite their numbers, they had been living cautiously in a small territory.

But then one day, the Big Rats suddenly disappeared overnight.

This could only be good news for the goblins.

Could it be a trap?

The Big Rats weren’t intelligent enough for that, but it never hurts to be careful, so they cautiously scouted the area.

As a result, they couldn’t find any Big Rats or even the Big Rat Mom anywhere in the sewers or the Big Rats’ territory.

The goblins reached a conclusion.

“The Big Rats have disappeared.”

This naturally meant that the Big Rats’ territory was now vacant.

It was like a festival atmosphere.

But they couldn’t celebrate prematurely.

Nature’s law is cold.

If predators disappear from a territory where they were thriving, there must be a reason.

There might be something that eliminated the Big Rats.

The goblins found something strange in a hut in the Big Rats’ territory.

“There are traces here. Keuruk.”

“Humans… I think.”

“Humans got the Big Rats?”

“It’s a field. Kerek.”

There were signs of habitation and farming, but no people were visible.

Even when they checked occasionally, nothing particular was seen.

So for now, the goblins took over the Big Rats’ territory.

If anything changed, they could respond then.

The goblins, enjoying their days in the expanded land, finally discovered humans making an appearance.

“As expected. Keruruk. Humans.”

“Kill them. Kill them.”

“They don’t look very strong.”

The goblins were tense about the numbers.

If there were more humans than goblins, they would be difficult to deal with.

But there were only two humans visible.

There was also a small fairy, but it didn’t look particularly strong.

Compared to the Big Rats, whose large bodies made them merely scratch when hit by goblin spit, these were much easier targets.

Pshuk!

The spit flies and lodges precisely in the human’s back.

“Kererel. Got him.”

“Human. Pain.”

One human grimaces in pain while the other hurriedly flees into the hut.

This is hunting.

The goblins swallowed their tears, remembering years of oppression surrounded by predators on all sides.

As if to release that resentment, they excitedly hide in the weeds.

Goblins are smart.

Even when excited and facing fewer opponents, they don’t charge recklessly.

They hunt with what they’re good at.

They were confident that no one was better at slowly wearing down and killing prey than goblins.

“Keke. Human. Angry.”

The angry human, frustrated at not being able to catch the goblins, began cutting down the weeds.

To the goblins, it looked like the human was just venting anger in the wrong place.

The goblins avoided the weeds the human was cutting, and though the human didn’t know it, ten goblins had surrounded them at a distance, ready to attack at any moment.

How should they hunt?

The goblins were excited to hunt a weak target after so long.

Let’s slowly close in on the trembling human.

But the strangeness began after that.

“Kieek? Human. Fast.”

“What’s this? When did they get there… keke…”

The speed at which the human cut down the weeds with the sword was too fast for the goblins to follow.

Wherever the human passed, the weeds fell as if blown by the wind.

The problem didn’t end there.

“Keuruk!”

One part of the encirclement surrounding the human was broken.

“Huk! The human discovered us!”

“We’ve been spotted!”

The goblins’ hunting method is thoroughly planned.

No matter how advantageous the situation, they don’t rush out to fight the enemy head-on.

In that sense, this weed field was an extremely favorable battlefield for the goblins.

But that advantage became meaningless.

The human perfectly sensed where the goblins were hiding and pretended not to notice as they approached and cut them down.

“This is bad!”

“We need to run!”

“Kieek! Don’t panic! It could be coincidence. Kieek!”

The panicked goblins still didn’t flee.

The human was just one.

They might have been caught off guard by chance.

“Hide well, or your hair will show~”

The goblins couldn’t understand what the human was saying as they moved around, but they felt fear from the tone and voice.

“Human… scary.”

The goblins, nearly the lowest predators in this rift dimension.

They may not have strong power, but they have the instinct to survive in this harsh dimension.

Something feels off.

The human looks small and weak, but somehow feels more frightening than the predators living nearby.

“Kieeek!”

The fear became reality with each goblin.

Goblin screams echoed with each one that fell.

“Hide well~ get caught and die~ still there? Please be there.”

—————–

At first it was annoying, but after spending all day cutting weeds and playing hide-and-seek with goblins, I’ve grown fond of them.

I’m developing a liking for them and keep wanting to see their faces.

Actually, when I logged in this morning, I planned to pack up, teach Kim Sujeong about farming, and then find a village to get quests.

Anyway, I don’t have grand plans yet, but I do have my own goals for this rift dimension, and using time efficiently is important for that.

What’s causing delays and what’s not getting done.

In a farming world, there’s no worse habit than postponing planned goals like this.

That’s why the goblin variable was an unfavorable situation delaying my plans.

Even if getting a quest to eliminate the goblin village would offer good rewards, my main focus should have been the village restoration quest.

But with goblins directly attacking and pressuring us, I couldn’t just leave Kim Sujeong and Lulu cooped up in the hut while I wandered around alone.

I need to secure at least a minimum range of activity, so I’ll spend a day clearing the surrounding weeds.

That way, Kim Sujeong can at least attack when goblins are visible.

So I started, but after killing a goblin, this weed cutting became more than just cleaning to improve visibility around the house.

I practice finding hidden goblins.

Is that even possible? At first, I could barely sense attacks coming from blind spots.

But after doing it for hours, that sense, or whatever it is…

I’m becoming clearly familiar with how I perceive my surroundings.

I can’t sense very far, but now I can feel goblins within about a 10-meter radius.

Of course, I’m not detecting heat signatures like an ultraviolet camera when they’re holding their breath, but rather responding to the sounds they make when they move.

That was really fun.

“So this is combat.”

Combat isn’t just about hitting and being hit.

Searching for opponents, understanding them, exploiting weaknesses.

The SSS+ passive skill “Master of Close Combat Weapons” seemed to be teaching me that fighting while knowing nothing and relying only on the farming world’s system wasn’t real combat.

So I had to keep searching eagerly.

“They’re not all gone, right? I still need more practice.”

Unfortunately, after killing about ten of them, no more were visible.

Even when I deliberately kept my leaping slash distance far and searched only for goblins, none could be found, suggesting I’d dealt with all of them.

“I hope they come back.”

The experience points were quite substantial, and I reached level 8.

“Master!”

When I returned to the hut, the front yard had become much wider.

“This should be enough, right?”

I instructed Kim Sujeong and Lulu:

“We’re going to the village tomorrow. Farm and if goblins come while you’re outside, pretend to get hit, even take a few spits if you can. Give them some hope. I beat them badly today, so I’m not sure if they’ll come back.”

“Goblins are very dangerous, Master. Be careful.”

“That’s right. The more dangerous, the tastier.”

“…?”

“Oppa, I made food.”

Inside the hut, Kim Sujeong had prepared instant rice with ham and kimchi stew. With a fried egg on top.

“How is it? Pretty good, right?”

“Why are you working so hard?”

“I think I’ve really found my calling? I’m serious.”

She showed her determination by even doing the dishes.