The next morning, I woke to my new pal, the Village Chief inspecting my Candy. MINE! Maybe I'll share a little. Just kidding, it's totally important to me. I made use of my 6 AGI and [Claw Fishing] ability to pounce and swipe my bucket of Candy from his hands, before masterfully making a second jump to retreat back towards my lab coat. Once firmly nuzzled inside, I activated [Shapeshift] and assumed my human form. Quickly, I dressed myself while showing barely any skin to the old Goblin Shaman. I would die of embarrassment if my first friend in a new world saw me nude. This strategy was justified. Yup!
The Village Chief was seemingly shocked to see such proficiency. I'm awesome. Seemingly recollecting his thoughts, he exclaimed:
"I have never before witnessed such items, I apologize if I have offended you; I simply wished to appraise them." [Village Chief]
No. Freaking. Way. Did this guy just casually drop the bomb of having the [Appraisal] ability?! When I was choosing my abilities, the [Appraisal] ability wasn't on my list so I assumed that it might not exist. But maybe it was just that a Halloween Cat can't learn it? Maybe. But even so, to think that a Goblin Village Chief of all people might have it. This is frightening. Just how much does this guy know about me? I have to get to the bottom of this! There's no point endlessly thinking about it. Here goes!
"Village Chief. Would you perhaps know the [Appraisal] ability?" [Nero]
"Why, of course I do! Having [Appraisal] is one of the most important abilities for a leader to possess. It has been passed down from generation to generation in my family." [Village Chief]
My jaw. It dropped. My evaluation of the Village Chief just rose at least 4 levels. I need to be cautious around this guy. He might actually know that I'm from another world. No. I should just assume that he knows everything from here on out. I cant fool this guy. I'm glad that we're on good terms, but the idea of him knowing so much about me... With me barely knowing anything about him or his Village frightens me. I should probably calm down because they're Goblins. Just Goblins. Even so, this Goblin in particular is certainly too strong for me who does not even possess a single combat ability yet, seeing as how I lack a Lantern and followers.
"I see. That's certainly a great ability to possess. This is what I would call a bucket of Candy. For me, Candy is quite valuable so I must apologize for not sharing. For others, it is regarded as a simple treat of food." [Nero]
"Very well, I will inform my guards to leave your belongings alone. Now then, I have prepared some Fish for breakfast if you would like. You already finished your larger Fish last night, so this time you'll be hurting your payment if you choose to eat though." [Village Chief]
"I will accept your offer, there's no need for me to rush things. And besides, I'm a master Fisher; I'll have you know! I can easily re-catch what we eat, no problem. I'll have that deal of ours finalized in no time!" [Nero]
"I would expect nothing less of my new friend!" [Village Chief]
And like that, we ate our fill of Fish. I had 3 small ones. Now, I owe him 13 small Fish for the Lantern. During breakfast, we talked about numerous things regarding the Village. I discovered that this Village actually has no name. Neither the Village, nor the Village Chief even have names. None of the residents do either. I guess names for monsters are hard to come by? I also learned that we are currently within the Lost Kingdom. It's mostly inhabited by monsters, hence the name... Lost. There is a Human Kingdom to our north, a Demon Kingdom to our south, Mountains infested by Dragons to our east, and a Beastkin Kingdom to our west.
In our northwest, there is an Elven City. In our northeast, there are Lizardmen Tribes. In our southwest, there are Mountains infested with Orcs. In our southeast, there's the Fae Forest. I'm feeling kind of claustrophobic. There are other regions past those, but it seems like we're smack dab in the middle of a rather huge continent. Also, we're like the only region that is considered unclaimable. Why do we not get a monarch? There's a Goblin Village, but like... What else? I need to do some investigating. I feel like I'm living in the third world for no apparent reason. LUK 1 seems to be shining bright as ever.
After learning about my precarious position in the world, I decided it was best to focus on the present. So, I used [Disguise] until I came across a pair of sandals. They were simple, but they would do. I didn't find any other pieces of clothes that I would actually replace my current stuff though. None of them were my size. Even the shoes are slightly too big. Even so, I went straight to the River and started to scour for more Fish. I desperately need power if I'm going to be living in the wild lands. I need a Lantern, and I need a Broom. I'll also need to find some 'Halloween Clansmen' monsters. I don't exactly know what constitutes a monster to be considered one of the 'Halloween Clan', but I already figured out that Goblins sadly do not count. I'm exasperated. I feel like Fishing is my new coping mechanism. Shouldn't I belong to the Beastkin Kingdom or the Demon Kingdom? I would at least be safe in the Beastkin Kingdom, but the Demon Kingdom might have Skeletons waiting on me to recruit them to my cause.
While mindlessly scouring for Fish, I came across a rather peculiar Gem in the water. It's red. Maybe Ruby? It's about the size of my palm, so I'm kind of impressed. It might be valuable, so I decided to take it with me. Who knew that simple River Fishers could also side job as rare Gem finders? I find myself praising the brilliant me for choosing [Claw Fishing]. After probably 4 hours of Fishing, I've secured yet another 10 small Fish and 1 extra medium Fish. They're all the same type as yesterday, so maybe this is just a common Fish? The medium one that I caught was the same as the pink one from yesterday.
About 5 minutes after catching my 10th small Fish, it noticed me. And I noticed it. About 20 metres away from me, towards the Village is a large black Bear. It's five times my current size as a small child. It let out a monstrous roar before beginning to charge at me. Just what's with this Bear?! It's probably a monster, and hungry. Flee! My Fish! It's too fast. About 2 minutes into the chase, it's clearly catching up to me. I had no choice, so I grabbed the nearest tree and clawed my way up it. I clawed with all my might, and just barely secured my footing before it swiped it's claws at me in a jump. It missed, and I have secured footing. MWUAHAHAA!~
I'm content. I continue to climb up the tree, only to find that the Bear is considerably pissed off. It's trying to ram into the tree! Each time it hits, the tree shakes considerably. This is not good. Taking notice of my surroundings, I see another tree with branches within reach. I jump for it, and sloppily hoist myself onto the other tree. The Bear doesn't seem to have noticed yet, perhaps due to a self-given concussion. So, I continued this tactic to increase the distance between that ravenous fiend and my intelligent self. After about 8 trees, I decided to take my chances and jump from the tree. I easily landed on my feet, and it barely hurt. Cats are too good. There must be some kind of fall damage buff mixed in with my racial passives. Immediately, I fled. No looking back.
After I had ran for a few minutes, I looped back around towards the Village but at a distance away from my usual path to avoid the River. After having reached the Village, I realized that I still need another 3 small Fish for my Lantern. Preferably at least a few more for my own food, actually. So, I returned to the River. This time I'm moving upstream and not towards the Lake. This way, I can avoid that terror. I set my aims for 7 Fish. 4 for me plus the medium Fish I already have, and 3 plus the 10 small Fish that I already own for the Chief. Yosh!
Gathering the remaining Fish turned out to be quite uneventful. It was a breeze! It only took me 3 hours, and I even caught an additional medium pink Fish. Returning to the Village gave me zero frustration, aside from the daunting Slimes of the nearby tall grass causing me to increase my speed. After returning to the Village Chief's hut, I was greeted by [Cloaked Hunk #1] and allowed in without question. I'm somewhat of a big shot around here, being cozied up with the Village Chief and all. The other Villagers still avoid me like the plague though. I've never been one to aim to be liked by everyone, so it's hardly an issue.
"Welcome back, Nero. How has your day been?" [Village Chief] asked in a rather joyous mood. He's too kind. I need to be careful.
"Thank you, I was able to secure more than the required Fish for our deal and even found a Gem. Though, I was attacked by a Bear near the River." [Nero]
"Very well then~ I will fetch my Lantern now! Though to think that you were attacked by such a monster and defeated it without so much as a weapon… I'm quite impressed." [Village Chief] said as he began shuffling about his belongings and pulled out a rusty Lantern, perhaps made of iron?
"Actually, I fled. I couldn't have possibly defeated it without a Lantern. Even now that I'm finishing this deal, I still can't fight with it yet. I desperately need a Broom, and to go on an adventure first." [Nero]
Humbly, I present the 13 small Fish that I had collected for the Village Chief and exchanged them for his Lantern.
"Oh, I see. Well, I'm glad that you were able to escape and procure these fine Fish. Actually, now that you mention it... I did indeed manage to find a Broom within the Village. Hey!~ Would you please go fetch her and her Broom?" [Village Chief] said as he beckoned one of his cloaked hunks.
This is great, so it seems that the Village Chief is setting up a deal between me and one of the Villagers. I'll be able to sell her Fish for a Broom and then I'll be able to finally set out on an adventure to go find my Clansmen! Viva la Village Chief!
"That's awesome! I can't wait to meet the Villager who owns a Broom. I must thank you for everything that you've done." [Nero]
"It's truly no trouble. These Fish are delicious and since none of our homes even have floors to sweep, there's hardly any need for Brooms in the first place. I should think that the Villager who owns one only owned it by chance and likely regards it as trash." [Village Chief]
Oh. So that's how it is. I see. I guess it's all fine in the end, as it works out for me splendidly. Maybe the asking price will be low? I hope so, but I honestly don't mind living in this Village for the time being anyways. It's definitely third world. I think my biggest problem with it is that there's nowhere to bathe in warm water. Ever since becoming a Cat, it's not that difficult to be comfortable while I sleep, so the lack of beds isn't an issue. My lab coat suits me fine if prepared correctly. I'd probably still prefer a bed, though. Securing the Lantern, I checked my status to ensure that it would be considered a valid weapon; as it's rusted and all.
Name: Unnamed Monster (Nero Miki)
Race: Cat (Halloween)
Weapon: Lantern (Poor Iron Lantern)
Mount: Broom (unarmed)
Class: Halloween Cat (Sub Class: Witch/Tamer)
Level: 1
HP: 5/5
MP: 24/24(+4)
SP: 35/100
FP :61/100
P. DEF: 5
M. DEF: 5
STR: 4
INT: 12(+2)
DEX: 3
LUK: 1
AGI: 6
Titles:
[True Halloween Cat], [From Another World]
Abilities Learned:
[Flying Broom], [Soul Merge], [Clansmen Capture], [Hallowed Gate], [This is Halloween], [Wailing Keep], [Language Comprehension], [Shapeshift], [Barrier], [Daily Candy], [Claw Fishing], [Disguise], [Recovery by Sleep], [Enhanced Meditating]
It seems that I gained 2 INT by equipping the Lantern, and that may have caused my MP to raise by 4. I guess that escaping from the Bear really did a number on my SP and FP. I should definitely eat something soon, but I'll wait until after striking a deal with the Villager. Just in timing it would seem because Cloaked Hunk #2 returned alongside her while holding a wooden, straw Broom. Yosh!
"Hello. My name is Nero, I'm a travelling Cat. I've been Fishing in the nearby River lately, and would like to make a request of you. Would you perhaps be willing to trade your Broom for a number of Fish? Or would you instead prefer this small red Gem?" [Nero] said as he displayed his 7 small Fish, 2 medium Fish, and Gem to the room.
"Haaahh~" [Village Chief] gasped as he witnessed the Gem and began to appraise it before continuing.
"It would seem to be a Rare Ruby!" [Village Chief] proclaimed to the room. Yep, I guess that's that. It's Ruby confirmed!
"Such a beautiful Gem… Are you sure that you would be willing to part with it for my Broom?" [Villager] asked as if stunned by the vibrancy of the Ruby. Sold. Yep, I have succeeded in gaining a one-time cheat to skip through needlessly boring daily living! With this, I can skip the Fishing that would have probably taken me another day or two to attain a Mount. It's a one time bonus that I could probably have saved for a longer time skip in the future, but I can't help feeling excited to finally begin my adventure. So, I'm doing it. We're doing it.
"Yes, of course. Where I come from, there is a saying. One man's junk is another man's treasure. In this case, this Ruby is my junk, while that Broom is your junk. To me that Broom is incredibly valuable, and for you, this Ruby is incredibly valuable. It's a fair trade if I ever saw one!" [Nero]
"...Ah, I see. Very well, I will accept your deal and offer this Broom!" [Villager] quickly accepted the proposal and the transaction carried on swiftly. I couldn't be more happy. Village Chief seems to be giving off a regretful look, it seems he would have rather done a trade back on the Lantern to gain the Ruby instead of my Fish. Sorry sir, our deal has closed!
The Villager left the hut, and I began to have another friendly talk with the Village Chief as we cooked our dinner. He asked about where I intended to go for my adventure, and if I had any plans of returning once finished. I told him that I would be in search of Skeletons, Ghosts, Vampires, Zombies, and Werewolves. They seemed to be the most common monsters that would probably be considered my Clansmen anyways. He was quite shocked that I would be purposely hunting such dangerous monsters for my first adventure and warned me against it, but it couldn't be helped. He told me that I may find some luck with Skeletons, Vampires and Zombies in the Demon Kingdom. He also told me that I might find Werewolves in the Beastkin Kingdom, and that Ghosts would likely be nowhere in particular. No matter how I look at it, I was certainly born in the wrong Kingdom. The Lost Kingdom is not for me!
My conversation with the Village Chief is taking a dangerous turn. He's telling me all about the affairs of the nearby lands so that I know exactly what I'm walking into for my adventure. He's a kind man, but just how does he know all this stuff anyway!? It appears the Demon Kingdom is purposely making the Lost Kingdom an unsettle-able location in order to prevent the Human Kingdom from gaining any ground against the Demon Kingdom. It's like we're in the designated war trench and no one around me seems to care. This might actually be one of the main reasons why everyone in this Village seems so untrusting. They're probably used to tragedy befalling them whenever an outsider arrives. How dreadful. I swear I'm a good Cat! Just a travelling Cat who was randomly born right outside your Village is all!
They know that the Orc Mountains are basically impassable and that the Forest of the Fae may as well be the same. Apparently, there's some mad Queen in that Forest who adds deadly thorns to all the vines and manipulates the vines of the Forest in terrifying manners to repel any and all from entering. She's probably regarded as the Guardian to that Forest for all she protects within it, but she seems more like a Devil to the rest of the world. I suppose that there's a thin line between tyrannical and almighty.
The Fae Forest is guarding the east of the Demon Kingdom. The Orc Mountains guard the west of the Demon Kingdom. This leaves only the north side of the Demon Kingdom to be penetrable by war. The north side of the Demon Kingdom is… The Lost Kingdom. Yup. If the Humans wanted to launch an offensive against the Orc Mountains to get closer to the Demon Kingdom, they would need to cooperate with the Beastkin Kingdom and also march their troops directly through the Lost Kingdom in order to reach the Beastkin Kingdom. Otherwise, they would also need to cooperate with the Elven City to gain safe passage and avoid needing to venture into the Lost Kingdom.
If the Human Kingdom wanted to launch an attack against the Forest of the Fae in order to get closer to the Demon Kingdom, they would need to cooperate with the Dragons of the Mountain, which is already basically impossible. Their only choice is to march around us to get to the Forest of the Fae, but at that point... Why not just march directly through us towards the Demon Kingdom? Otherwise, make friends with the Beastkin Kingdom and potentially the Elves before fighting Orcs. Apparently, the Orcs have long standing hate towards the Human Kingdom, Lizardmen Tribes, and they aren't friendly with the Elves either. They might actually side with the Beastkin Kingdom, but the Beastkin Kingdom is no match for the Demon Kingdom without the support of the Elves and Humans... Nor are they a match with only the help of the Orcs. It's like that. The Orcs wont sully themselves with the Elves and Humans, but they will with the Beastkin. The Beastkin are generally on good terms with everyone, though.
Due to the fact that the Lost Kingdom has no hierarchy, there is no one to coordinate safe passage for the Human Kingdom to pass and face the Demon Kingdom. We're currently like a jungle in their eyes. The Lost Kingdom hierarchy fell due to a war about 300 years ago which was started by the Demon Kingdom. The Demon Kingdom obliterated the Lost Kingdom and then did not take any of the land for themselves, simply leaving it to be wilderness. This is too well structured. I understand why the Village Chief blames the Demon Kingdom for the current state of affairs within the Lost Kingdom. Apparently the Lost Kingdom was a Kingdom made up of Monsters. It was the Monster Kingdom. It was filled with various types of Monsters, holding no discrimination against any Monster race. It was essentially a refuge.
I feel saddened at the current state of this once aspirable Kingdom. The Village Chief tells me that this land will rise again one day, and he's sure that vengeance will be taken against the Demon Kingdom. He told me that before this happens, I should make sure to clear up any ties I hold with the Demon Kingdom first and foremost. That way, I won't wind up caught in any of the crossfire. Does this guy seriously think a revolt of that magnitude is coming anywhere in the near future? I'll take heed of it, but if it were any other Goblin... I'd probably ignore it wholeheartedly. Shortly afterward, we both decided to get some sleep. Before cozying into my lab coat, I made sure to cast [Daily Candy]. Can't have myself forgetting to make use of my starter abilities! Goodnight~