Ch.4545. Sunro Mushroom

The goblins were quite numerous.

There seemed to be almost 100 of them, which made for a different kind of exhaustion compared to catching Big Rats in the sewers.

Even if I could kill 5 at a time, there was a considerable difference between hunting them individually versus fighting against attacks coming from all directions while trying to dodge or take hits.

Still, thanks to the recovery potions, it wasn’t too difficult.

In truth, it might seem a bit cheap, but I knew a foolproof method and didn’t hesitate to use it.

“Keruk? The human disappeared.”

“Keruruk?”

There was no need to put on a show of hiding behind trees to avoid attacks when I ran out of mana. Of course, if there were fewer of them, I’d like to practice dodging goblin spit to get more accustomed to combat, but it’s nearly impossible to dodge dozens of projectiles coming at once.

So when my mana was about to run out, I’d use Leap Slash to create a 150-meter distance and hide.

Once I disappeared from their sight, the goblins would become cautious, looking around, but they’d have a hard time spotting me 150 meters away.

As this temporary lull continued, they’d start searching the area, and by then my mana would be fully recovered, allowing me to return and deliver hell to the goblins once more.

Some might consider this cheap, underhanded, or cowardly, but when facing over a hundred goblins alone, there’s no strategy more wise, intelligent, or excellent than this.

In the Farming World, this hunting method is perfectly normal.

Most solo players simply take a stroll while recovering mana if they can.

Even combat tip guides and videos advise that if you’re not skilled enough, don’t try to fight bare-handed—develop the habit of fighting safely with mana, going “click” as much as possible.

Trying to show off by performing stunts among dozens of goblins without mana, only to die from a stray spit—I’d be the only one to lose.

Even with recovery potions, there were several potentially dangerous moments, which made me even more careful to attack only when I had mana.

Because of this, clearing the goblin village took longer than expected.

When their numbers were reduced by more than half, the goblins began fleeing in terror.

Chasing them down took even more time.

“Easy. Easy.”

The goblin village was chaotic and filthy.

More goblins than I expected had been living in cramped quarters, building flimsy wooden houses clustered together.

Even with the goblins gone, the place still felt disorderly.

I slowly looked around the village.

Since it was a forest with many trees, there wasn’t much to take from the village itself, but nearby was a mushroom field that the goblins had been cultivating.

“Could these be Sunro mushrooms?”

The dark mushrooms growing abundantly on dozens of trees looked familiar somehow.

[Sunro Mushroom]

– Grade: D+

– A rare mushroom that grows only under specific conditions.

– When cooked and consumed, provides +1 grade to Strength for 24 hours (maximum C)

Commonly known as truffles.

The Sunro mushroom could be considered the dungeon version of the truffle.

These are truly rare, with so many people worldwide searching for them that a fist-sized Sunro mushroom typically costs in the hundreds.

They taste and smell like truffles.

But according to gourmets, they’re somehow different.

Deeper in flavor with more umami.

People like me haven’t even tasted regular truffles in our lifetime, let alone these.

I’d seen them so often that I immediately wondered if that’s what they were, and confirmed it.

“What is this map, anyway?”

More than anything, it’s about having faith in the Rift Dimension.

When I see resources that look similar, I immediately think, “Could it be?” and get my hopes up.

“This is insane…”

There are dozens of Sunro mushroom trees right before my eyes.

The sprawling mushroom farm, though belonging to nature, feels more natural and expansive because of it.

“…Wait a minute.”

Did the goblins cultivate these?

Or did they grow naturally?

I wasn’t sure, but I thought I should reconsider killing the remaining goblins.

Let’s complete the quest first and think about it later.

———————-

[Quest Complete!]

When about a dozen goblins remained, the quest was completed.

The goblin village could no longer function as a village, and the remaining goblins were weak creatures with almost no combat ability, trembling in fear and having lost all motivation.

[Map Activated!]

[Settlement Points +10]

[Farming Ability +10]

[Slavery Activated!]

[3,000 Farm Acquired!]

I gathered the remaining 13 goblins in the center of their village and made them kneel.

“Keruk.. Keruruk..”

I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I wasn’t worried.

[13 ‘Goblins’ can be accepted as slaves.]

[Do you want to accept them as slaves?]

The slave system in Farming World is similar to the NPC system.

The difference is that you can use them more freely as you wish.

Typically, the slave system is used for monsters with intelligence rather than NPCs.

The system automatically asks if you want to accept as slaves these monsters who are ready to obey your words out of a desire to live.

“I accept.”

When I accepted, they became my slaves.

[’13 Goblins’ have been accepted as slaves.]

[You can name each of them.]

[Caution) If slaves are not managed well, they may rebel or escape, and if their loyalty decreases, they may not follow orders.]

[Quest Complete!]

In the original map, a tutorial quest would have appeared when the slave system was introduced, explaining how to use it, but since I immediately accepted the slaves, the quest was completed without appearing.

It was just a small 500 Farm and 1 ability point, but every little bit counts.

“Goblin 1 through 13.”

I simply renamed the goblins.

The goblins seemed to have complaints and muttered among themselves, but this time I could hear them.

“Human… scary..”

“He’ll tear us apart.”

“Our kin… all dead already.”

“Don’t want to die.”

“That zombie wants to eat goblin meat.”

One advantage of the slave system is being able to communicate with these monsters.

Although it only applies to monsters accepted as slaves, being able to communicate with intelligent monsters provides convenience in controlling them.

I clapped my hands to get the goblins’ attention.

“Do you want to live?”

“Keruk..”

Goblins 1 through 13 nodded.

“Just listen to me well. Then I’ll let you live, feed you, and grant most of your wishes within reason.”

“Keruruk.”

“Lies..”

“If you don’t listen, I’ll kill you.”

“Master.”

“Keruk. Goblins. Listen well. Keruruk.”

I think the slave system is really well-designed.

Isn’t it quite appealing?

In the vast Farming World map, monsters aren’t just for hunting—you can tame them and use them as slaves.

In Farming World, with its many resource farming methods, you often look at various monsters and think: this one would be good for mining, that one for transportation, another for farming all day. This system lets you realize those thoughts.

Plus, each goblin has [Loyalty: 30] displayed above their head, making them easy to manage.

I immediately gave the goblins a task.

Well, more like questions for investigation first.

“There are Sunro mushroom trees near your village. Did you grow them?”

“Keruruk. Mushroom field! That’s our field!”

“We grow mushrooms to offer, keruk. The predators, keruk, spare our lives.”

“Soon tribute day! Keruk keruk.”

As I thought.

The goblins were growing Sunro mushrooms to offer to other predators in exchange for recognition of their territory.

More precisely, it seemed like a bribe to prevent monsters from other levels from causing trouble in the Level 0 biome.

“Can you grow more mushroom trees?”

“Keruruk? We’ve already planted in all the land where mushroom trees can grow. Keruk! To plant more, we must go to the Black Monkeys’ territory.”

“Is that so?”

The goblins were quite cooperative.

Maybe because they had just been enslaved and I was holding a sword.

Then again, someone who single-handedly massacred their village kin just an hour ago would probably get honest answers.

So that’s how it is…

The already extensive Sunro mushroom farm could be expanded further.

[Sub-Quest]

[Territory-Level 2 Biome]

[You’ve conquered the goblin territory and claimed their specialty Sunro mushroom farm, but to harvest the Sunro mushrooms, you must deal with the Level 2 biome’s Black Monkeys to whom the goblins had been paying tribute.]

[Will you obediently offer Sunro mushrooms and safely protect the territory?]

[Or will you invade the Black Monkeys’ territory to expand the Sunro mushroom farm?]

[Reward: Sunro Mushroom Tree Seedlings x50, Grade C Mushroom Growth Fertilizer x100, Farming Ability +10, 2,000 Farm]

A chain quest appeared.