Chapter 5: VS Goblin
It was only a few minutes after I started walking through the forest.
“Gi.”
“Gigii.”
I heard an unpleasant scraping-like cry, so I hid behind a tree and peeked.
There, I saw a mysterious creature with dark green skin, almost black, and a medium build.
But even without confirming it directly, I could already guess what it was.
âA goblin.
Yeah, a goblin.
The kind often portrayed as weak enemies or early-game fodder in games.
But it was different from the weak goblins I imagined.
Was it because of the difference between this world and mine⌠or something else?
Its muscles were refined and flexible, clearly developed for survival.
The spear and sword it carried, likely made from animal fangs and claws, were worn from use, showing they had endured countless battles.
And from its sharp gaze, I could sense experience from many battlefields.
Is this really the presence of a âweak enemyââŚ?
For now, Iâll use appraisal.
“[Appraisal]”
War Goblin â Level 322
Race: Goblin
Skills:
Instant Movement â Level 10
One-Slash Kill â Level 3
Swordsmanship â Level 14
Environmental Adaptation â Level 20
Hunger Resistance â Level 11
War Goblin â Level 388
Race: Goblin
Skills:
Ice Magic â Level 9
Fire Magic â Level 9
Fortification â Level 5
Environmental Adaptation â Level 20
Hunger Resistance â Level 11
I swallowed hard.
The sound alone could give me away, but I couldnât stop myself.
Theyâre way too strong.
No good.
Thereâs no way I can win.
My level is only 1, while those goblins are over 300.
I donât know how reliable levels are in this world, but their battle-hardened presence is undeniable.
Theyâre dangerous.
Who the hell decided goblins are weak?
I quickly turned to retreatâ
And froze again at what I saw.
Becauseâ
“Gi⌔
There was another goblin coming from behind.
It hasnât noticed me yet.
But unlike the ones deeper in the trees, thereâs nothing blocking its view of me.
Itâs only a matter of time before Iâm discovered.
What do I do?
Run?
Where?
How?
A faint breeze flowed from behind and brushed against me.
And with that windâ
“Gi.”
I heard a goblinâs voice.
Right behind me.
So close that I could feel its breath.
Without even turning around, I rolled forward.
At that exact moment, I caught a glimpse of a leaf being cleanly split in two midair.
It was a leaf that had been right where I was standing.
Did the goblin cut it?
I couldnât be sure.
I never saw the blade.
Using the momentum from my roll, I ran.
But I chose the worst direction.
There was a goblin aheadâthe one approaching earlier.
The goblin noticed me.
Our eyes met, and I froze for a moment.
That moment was fatal.
The goblin behind me didnât miss it.
A sword pierced straight into my throat.
“GYAAAAAAAHHHH!!!”
An ugly scream echoed through the forest.
Blood gushed out from between the sword and my throat.
I could even hear air passing through the wound.
I struggled desperately, trying to pull the sword out.
But the goblin lifted me up, preventing me from gaining footing.
The goblin felt the resistance in its hand weaken and realized the hunt was over.
When the vibrations stopped, the goblin felt a sense of accomplishment.
It stared at its prey, now lifeless, still with a pained expression frozen on its face.
âItâs been a while since Iâve had a catch like this⌠I can brag to the others.
Just as that thought crossed its mindâ
Its vision wavered.
Without looking away, it focused harder on the corpse.
Then slowlyâ
As if waking from a dreamâ
The preyâs form changed into a goblin.
Shock overtook it.
But not because the prey wasnât actually dead.
Noâ
Because the corpse was its own companion.
The goblin it had gone hunting with.
Soon after, goblin cries echoed through the forest.
Whether it was grief or anger, it was unclear.
But it was filled with an overwhelming emotion.
“Haa⌠haa⌔
I caught my breath and sat at the base of a tree.
“I somehow managed to escape⌔
[Trickster God] is incredibly useful.
It requires some creativity, but when it comes to deception, itâs extremely reliable.
Iâm glad I chose it.
When I ran toward the goblins earlier, it was intentional.
The goblin in front of me had its back turned.
I positioned myself so that I overlapped with it from the perspective of the goblin chasing me.
At the exact moment we aligned, I activated [Trickster God]â
I reinforced the goblinâs preconceived notion that âthe creature in front is prey.â
After that, I simply rolled sideways out of its line of sight.
Without realizing it, it mistook the goblin in front of me for meâ
And stabbed it.
It must have been excited from finally getting prey, which made the suggestion easier to implant.
A few minutes after I settled downâ
I started hearing heavy footsteps in the distance.
The sound grew louder.
It was coming this way.
Sensing something ominous, I stood up and looked in that direction.
Far away, I could see a cloud of dust rising.
At its base was a mass of black shapes.
A black massâŚ
Is that whatâs causing the dust?
Noâ
ThatâsâŚ
Damn it, this is bad!
A group of goblins!
Are they chasing me!?
I immediately ran perpendicular to their direction.
If I ran along their path, theyâd catch me eventually.
And if they werenât chasing me, they might pass by.
But when I glanced backâ
I saw something I didnât want to believe.
The goblin group was gradually changing direction.
Toward me.
As if they knew exactly where I was.
Their target is definitely me.
Revenge?
But I didnât kill him!
More importantlyâ
“How do they know⌠my location!?”
Damn it.
Are they tracking me with something?
If so, [Trickster God] might not work.
It could be seen through.
Using it now would be a mistake.
I ran with everything I had.
I had never run this seriously, even as a student.
“There has to be something⌔
“A skill, magic, anything!”
“Something that can turn this situation around!”
While running, I glanced back again.
The goblins were already close enough to see their expressions.
And even without knowing anything about goblinsâ
I could clearly see the rage on their faces.
Theyâre too fast.
Iâm running at full speed, but I canât shake them.
There has to be something.
[Material Transfer] wonât work.
It only sends objects.
I canât transfer myself.
And I donât have anything to send anyway.
Another skillâŚ
“Thatâs it!”
“[Dark Summoning]!”
Hoping this would somehow become the move that could turn the situation around, I activated my unique skill [Dark Summoning] while running.
My hand began to glow brightly, and some kind of âpowerâ started gathering at the point I raised.
Then, the next momentâ
With a pop, something appeared where that power had gathered.
It was something I recognized.
Something rainbow-colored.
The strawberry pumpkin burdock melon bread.
The so-called âdark breadâ that was so disgusting it made you throw up just remembering it was summoned into the air and rolled along the ground.
âŚThatâs it?
“Are you kidding me!?”
A flood of dark emotions surged within me, but I ignored them.
This was not the time for that.
“Damn it⌠something⌔
“GIââ!!!”
A goblinâs furious scream echoed.
It seemed I was already within its range.
Judging by the sound, it was right behind me.
“Something⌠some unused âskillâ⌔
âSkillââŚ?
No.
Thatâs right.
Thereâs still something I havenât used.
Not a skillâ
An âability.â
I still have an ability.
“GIIIII!!!”
They were only seconds away from catching me.
The fastest one was already at my right rear, about to swing its weapon.
“This is really the last one!”
“[Room Creation]!”
A few seconds passed after activation as I continued running.
But nothing happened.
âŚItâs over.
An image of myself being skewered by goblins flashed through my mind.
Am I going to die?
If I had any regrets, there was only one.
My father and mother.
The two who raised me.
The two I respected.
Their faces came to mind.
Ever since I knew Iâd be going to another world, I regretted not being able to say anything to them.
At the very least, I wanted to say goodbye.
Because I loved them.
“Father⌠Mother⌠Iâm sorry⌔
Just as despair began to consume meâ
Something unbelievable happened.
Noâ
Rather than unbelievable, it would be more accurate to call it absurd.
A âdoorâ appeared.
Yesâa door.
A door is something used to enter somewhere.
An entrance.
It can only exist as a âdoorâ if there is somewhere to go beyond it.
But the âdoorâ that appeared thereâ
Was not attached to any building or structure.
It was simply a standalone, outward-opening door, standing alone on the ground.
And that doorâ
Began to slowly open with a creaking sound.
The moment I saw it, I understood instinctively.
Thatâs it.
If I can reach thatâ
I win.
Iâll bet everything on that as my last hope.
“UOOOOOOOOOOOOâââ!!!”
I forced my muscles to their limits, accelerating my body as if they were about to tear apart.
Thenâ
A sharp pain like an electric shock ran through my body.
A blade had pierced through my shoulder.
It seemed the goblin behind me had thrown a spear.
But I didnât care.
I wouldnât stop.
If you want to stop me, aim for my heart.
“GIIIIIIII!!!”
Just a few steps away from the doorâ
Something passed over my head.
And thenâ
That âsomethingâ landed between me and the door, blocking my path.
What is that?
“GIIIII!!!”
It slowly stood up.
“Youâve got to be kidding me⌔
A goblin stood in my way.
Did they just throw another goblin?
But I couldnât slow down now.
The moment I did, the goblins behind me would catch up.
Stopping would mean defeat.
I had no choice but to keep moving at full speed.
“[Material Transfer]!”
The moment my foot left the groundâ
I instantly transferred the soil that had been touching my toes to right in front of me.
As much as I could.
A large hole opened in the ground beneath me.
At the same time, a mound of earth formed between me and the goblin.
A fairly large moundâabout the size of a person.
Maintaining my top speed, I ran up the mound.
At the very topâ
With the momentum of my ascent, I jumped with everything I had.
The goblin passed beneath me.
It was the reverse of earlier.
This time, I leaped over the goblin.
The goblin, momentarily shocked, thrust its spear at me in reflex.
It sliced through my pant leg and grazed my shin.
But I didnât stop.
I rolled straight into the door.
Immediately afterâ
A swarm of goblins rushed toward the door.
âŚWait.
If they get in, Iâm done, arenât I?
“Donât come in!”
“Donât you dare come inââ!!”
“Acknowledged. Setting âRoom Rules.â Please note that this will consume 3000 RP.”
A womanâs voice suddenly echoed behind me.
“Room Rules set.”
“Rule One: Entry of those with hostile intent is forbidden.”
As her voice finishedâ
The goblin stepping into the doorway lost its legs.
Did it die?
Noâ
It couldnât pass through the door.
Its legs kept appearing outside the door and disappearing again as it tried to force its way in.
“Did I⌠make it?”
“You are safe, my master.”
I turned toward the voice.
There stood a beautiful woman with gray hair, standing politely.