Chapter 5: Goblin, Dragons and Corporate Strategy
by fnovelpia
Kentaro sat at his obsidian desk, which was still covered in the remnants of the War Division’s chaotic complaints.
The black throne loomed over him, offering no comfort—just a reminder of how out of place he felt in this absurdly evil corporate world.
But his mind was focused on the task ahead: the goblins and dragons.
He had to get them to shape up, and he had to do it fast.
“Well, here we are.”
Kentaro muttered, staring down at the stack of forms he had just pulled from a drawer—complaints, battle reports, motivational plans, and god knows what else.
He had already gone over the War Secretary’s report.
All of Ragnora’s explanations made sense on a primal level—motivate through strength, let the monsters thrive in their chaos—but Kentaro wasn’t running a gladiatorial arena.
He was running a business.
That meant goals, numbers, and, unfortunately, paperwork.
He shuffled the papers aside and glanced up at Balthazar, who had been hovering around the office, clearly enjoying Kentaro’s struggle.
“What’s the plan here, Baalgron?”
Balthazar asked, his bat-like wings flapping lazily behind him.
“I don’t think you’ll get much out of words with these goblins and dragons. You’ve seen them, right? They’re more into… actions.”
Kentaro leaned back in his chair, folding his arms.
“Yeah, I’ve seen them. But that’s the problem. They’re too into actions. No one’s looking at the big picture. They need structure. You can’t just let a goblin run rampant without at least some clear guidelines.”
“I suppose.”
Balthazar said with a mock yawn.
“But where’s the fun in that? A little chaos never hurt anyone. I mean, look at me.”
Kentaro gave him a deadpan stare.
“Right. That’s exactly the problem. The goblins need to perform. They’re not going to do it by just smashing things. Not when they’re being paid in souls.”
Balthazar snorted.
“Somehow, I don’t think souls are the problem here.”
Kentaro ignored him and started filling out a new form.
It was titled: Goblins’ Performance Review and Actionable Steps for Improvement.
He didn’t know what the “actionable steps” would be yet, but he had to start somewhere.
It was time to approach this like he would a company restructuring—get the job done while managing chaos.
After filling out a few more forms, Kentaro turned to Balthazar again.
“I’m scheduling a meeting with both the goblins and dragons tomorrow. Let’s see what they’re really complaining about.”
Balthazar gave him a skeptical look.
“And you think they’ll just sit in a meeting and be all… cooperative?”
Kentaro gave a tight smile.
“I’m going to give them options—structured ones. If they want to continue with their… traditional way of doing things, they can, but there are going to be consequences. And I’ll make sure they understand that. Plus, I’ve got a little surprise planned for them.”
Balthazar raised an eyebrow.
“A surprise? You’re really pulling out all the stops now, aren’t you?”
Kentaro didn’t answer right away.
Instead, he picked up a dusty old scroll from the shelf beside him, one that had been labeled with the ominous words “Employee Incentive Program”.
He unrolled it and scanned the pages, finding a series of suggestions designed to keep Hell’s minions motivated.
Some of it was basic stuff, like bonuses for kills and promotions for “top performers.”
But others?
They were just absurd—soul-powered flame-fests for the best dragon or goblin, rituals for “mind-shattering results,” and even some very questionable reward systems.
“This could work.”
Kentaro muttered under his breath.
“Work for who?”
Balthazar asked with amusement.
Kentaro smirked and stood up, grabbing the “Employee Incentive Program” scroll.
“I’ll show you.”
***
The next day, Kentaro stood in front of a massive conference table, feeling much more uncomfortable than he ever did back in his old office job.
It wasn’t the fact that goblins and dragons were the other attendees, nor the overwhelming stench of smoke and sweat in the room—it was the sheer scale of the meeting.
Goblins were perched on the long benches, their eager faces lit with a mix of curiosity and suspicion.
Dragons, looking like they could easily roast the entire room if they got annoyed, sat across from them, their scales gleaming in the dim light.
Beside him stood Balthazar, still hovering, wings twitching.
It was the perfect setting for an HR disaster.
“Well, this is going to be fun.”
Kentaro said, clearing his throat.
The room was deathly quiet for a moment before the goblins started whispering among themselves.
Their excitement was palpable, like they were waiting for something to explode.
Kentaro straightened his posture, using his Managerial Aura to project authority.
“Alright, everyone, settle down. I’ve been asked to address some concerns about your performance in the War Division.”
A loud goblin voice interrupted him.
“YOU’VE COME TO FIX THE FIRE! WE DEMAND MORE FIRE!”
Kentaro blinked.
“More fire?”
“Yes! MORE FIRE! MORE EXPLOSIONS!”
The goblin was hopping on his seat, and the other goblins around him were getting riled up.
Kentaro took a deep breath.
“Right. Well, more fire might be… one way to address things, but there are other ways to improve overall performance. This isn’t just about making bigger explosions. It’s about measurable results.”
Another goblin raised its hand.
“What about bigger explosions?”
Kentaro was about to respond when a booming voice from across the table cut him off.
“Bah, performance metrics? We dragons don’t deal in numbers. We deal in destruction!”
The dragon that had spoken leaned forward, its enormous head practically taking up half the room.
Its eyes glinted with fiery malice.
Kentaro took a step back but didn’t falter.
“I understand your position, but we have a few concerns that need to be addressed. For instance, some of the dragons have been… underperforming on their fiery expectations.”
The dragon scoffed.
“Underperforming? You must be kidding.”
Kentaro held up the scroll.
“I’ve looked into this. You dragons are clearly powerful, but if we can track performance and reward top scorers based on specific metrics, we can avoid internal conflict and create more productive battle outcomes. I’ve got a plan—one that includes both fire and measurable results.”
A dragon hissed.
“And if we don’t like your plan?”
Kentaro narrowed his eyes, his aura pulsing stronger.
“If you don’t like it, there will be consequences. Professional consequences.”
Balthazar, now sitting on a chair, leaned toward Kentaro.
“You’re really going to do this, huh?”
Kentaro nodded.
“I have to. I’ll make this work. You’ll see.”
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