I woke up early the other day. Took a shower with the White Wolf and trained my body and spear technique a bit. I could already see some muscles forming where there was nothing before.
Yesterday had been glorious. The total points received from the confrontation were sensational for the stage I was at.
I could easily increase my power several times, but I restrained myself. After all, the pregnant goblins would soon give birth.
This alone would already increase my strength. With that in mind, I decided not to spend points on buying more goblins.
Furthermore, after yesterday's fight, new things became available.
❂❂❂
[Goblin | Rarity: Common | Points: 50]
[Horned Rabbit | Rarity: Common | Points: 50]
[Skeleton | Rarity: Common | Points: 50]
[Magic Goblin | Rarity: Common | Points: 100]
[Wolf | Rarity: Common | Points: 150]
[Hobgoblin | Rarity: Uncommon | Points: 500]
[Goblin Champion | Rarity: Common | Points: 3000]
❂❂❂
I need to organize this better. I think I will organize it by rarity and price, from lowest to highest.
I ordered the champion's death, as it would be much more productive to have him available as an invocation. Besides, apparently, there was a magic goblin among the dead.
Unlike normal goblins, magic goblins had talent for magic since birth. A characteristic that most would never come to use.
Being at the mercy of the world, few of them could discover this talent. And, besides, they were physically, just a little, weaker than normal goblins.
I sighed and looked at the next screen.
❂❂❂
Dungeon
Name: None | Type: Tower
Rarity: Unique | Grade: 1
Servants: 11
Floors: 2 | Subsidiary Floors: 0
Points: 11100
Requirement for Next Grade: 1000 Points | Uncommon Monster | Monster Grade: 2
[Bonus]
Tamed and Dominated Monsters have a chance to receive the Calm Mind ability
❂❂❂
The amount of points almost doubled from one day to the next, something sensational, I must say. A delightful feeling sprouted in my chest.
I am advancing little by little.
A smile spread across my face as I looked at all the good spoils I received. Seeing the spoils was one of the best, if not the best, thing about my class.
Finished examining this, I got up from the throne and called the White Wolf.
"Call Gleen and tell him I'm ready for the trial," I said.
Hearing my words, he let out a low howl and ran off. I sat back down and waited. Soon, he returned, but not alone.
After the wolf came, ten little goblins followed, and behind them, Gleen. They were all tied up with ropes and looked at me as they trembled and pushed each other.
There was only one of them who walked with his head down and calmly followed to me. It seemed he had accepted his fate.
Gleen took the lead and started giving me his report.
"Master, as you requested, I have completed the task that was given to me..." He continued explaining all the details of the battle, how he dealt with everything, and that there were no injuries on our side. "Well, that's all, Master Kayn. Here are the prisoners."
Throughout the process, I maintained an expressionless face and a quiet voice. I wanted to instill a somber tone; pure acting. It was just to impose dominance.
"Thank you, Gleen," I said, and he nodded as I continued. "My name is Kayn, the master of this dungeon. You dared to invade my territory and, as expected, were completely eliminated!"
At the word "eliminated," most of them went white. Their legs trembled, and despair overtook the small, dumb creatures.
"But!" My shout caught their attention, including the one who had his head down. "I will give you a chance to redeem yourselves. I will give you a chance to continue living. All you need to do is serve me as your one and only true master."
The goblins stopped trembling for a second. They looked at each other for a confused moment. Suddenly, the one who had his head down fell to his knees and extended his arms to the ground.
Then the others did the same thing. With a cynical smile, I stood up from my throne and proclaimed to the group:
"Tame!"
One by one, I used my ability. In the end, all ten survivors became my servants. The wolf led them to the first floor, and only Gleen and I remained.
I sat back down, took a deep breath, and looked at the Hobgoblin.
"Gleen, you did very well yesterday."
"It was nothing, master. Just serving you pleases me."
He was loyal, too loyal.
"I want to reward you for what you did."
The hobgoblin opened a huge smile. Apparently, he still had the intuitive greed of the time he was a goblin.
"Thank you, master."
❂❂❂
Points: 11100
❂❂❂
I had a good amount of points, so I bought him some things. I bought three healing potions, a tunic, and a magic staff.
They were all common grade 1 items, but they would serve as a good reward for now.
"You have magical talent, so I wish for you to use these things to become stronger and continue serving me."
"Yes, master Kayn!" He kneeled. Then he took his things, and I sent him back to his tasks. He seemed happier than usual.
After the audience ended, I returned to my plans. The threat had passed, so it was of the utmost importance to go back to patrolling the surroundings, looking for other threats, and mapping the region.
Gleen also reported that the cave where the goblins lived was not far away, and there were still some living there.
The wolf soon returned. I called him and we went out to the first floor. Gleen returned to work building the small village they had previously made on the first floor, now with a little more manpower.
"Wolf, call that goblin," I ordered.
The wolf obeyed my command and called the first invader. He quickly kneeled and bowed his head submissively.
"I want you to lead us to the cave where you lived."
He replied with a nod and gestured for us to follow him. We followed him to the northeast. We walked for about thirty minutes until we reached a hidden cave.
"I'll go first, wolf," I gave the wolf a look. I sent a message that meant he had to keep an eye on the goblin.
The goblin seemed to notice this, but didn't do anything. Although he had surrendered, I still had to be cautious. I kept my wooden spear in my hand and entered the cave.
It was dark, the air was dense and damp. Rocks and dark passages could hide enemies, so I kept my attention at its peak. I walked through the darkness, walked calmly, and suddenly heard a sound.
I swung my lance forward, but the low ceiling of the dungeon prevented my attack and bounced me back. I faced the source of the sound and sighed, knowing that I had missed.
It was a small baby goblin. It must have been a newborn. After a few hours, they were already able to wander around.
The little creature looked at me and I looked at it.
Ugly little baby.
"We're almost there. Keep moving," the invading goblin said, picking up the baby and carrying it as we walked. We finally reached the back of the cave, which opened up into a larger area.
A dozen female goblins were huddled in the back, looking at me with fear and hostility in their eyes. Several babies were being protected by them.
"Are there any more?" I asked the invader. He shook his head. "Where did he keep his things?"
I was talking about the Champion. The goblin thought for a moment and pointed to a hole in the back where no light touched.
I approached and pulled out a cloth sack that was larger than me. Just that was a surprise; cloth. Inside was full of useless things.
Remains of broken weapons, bones, and shiny stones that were worthless. Among the junk, there were some interesting things. Two books, some silver and bronze coins, a pair of daggers made of some good material, and some smaller things.
I threw away the junk and put the rest on my back.
"Bring the babies and goblins. We're taking them all to the dungeon."
We all returned to the dungeon. I used Dominate on the goblins and babies. The number came out to be over 50, so I was exhausted.
Gleen dealt with the rest while I returned to the throne room. A message made me happy.
❂❂❂
[Dominate Skill has Leveled Up]
❂❂❂
The feeling of growth was sensational.
❂❂❂
Dungeon
Name: None | Type: Tower
Rarity: Unique | Grade: 1
Servants: 74
Floors: 2 | Subsidiary Floors: 0
Points: 11350
Requirement for Next Grade: 1000 Points | Uncommon Monster | Monster Grade: 2
[Bonus]
Dominate and Tamed Monsters have a chance to receive the Calm Mind Skill
❂❂❂
I sat on the throne and looked at my rewards. First, the two books. One was a book of accounts, goods, and prices; the other, a fairy tale about a Hero who defeated a Demon King.
To my surprise, both were extremely interesting.
With the book of accounts, I found out how the currency of this world worked, what the price of products was, how the market worked, and interactions between traders.
The fairy tale was even more interesting. It was clearly made for children, but told a story that I found strangely familiar.
The hero was irrelevant, an empty archetype, almost as if the author had put himself in the character's place, ridiculous.
The villain wasn't much better. Evil just to be evil and with no personality other than pathological lack of empathy.
There was no loss, no interesting conflicts, or character development. It was a childish tale, in fact.
But what caught my attention was how the villain came to be. In the book, it was said that he appeared in a forest out of nowhere. But the detail was that he commanded an army of monsters and lived in a castle.
"A castle was one of the dungeon options and an army of monsters..."
In Vangloria I was the only dungeon master. There was no other player or monster like what I could do. However, in this world, things seemed to be different.
"So there are others like me?"
I put the tale aside and returned to the ledger. Through the notes, I could learn more and more details. So I spent the rest of the day in my investigation.
I discovered the names of three cities and probably what had happened to the previous owner of this book.
Apparently, he left a county called Wave, entered the forest through the Ferros barony, trying to reach the Edyard county.
On the way, he suffered an attack from monsters and perished. There were bloodstains and a last request for rare wine delivery.
"That explains the bones and the trash..." I commented.
From the state of the book, a considerable amount of time had passed. That book had been there for a long time. From the distance and the way he kept the products, the trip would take at least 5 days.
"By carriage, it should be about twice as fast... estimating the size of the forest..."
I estimated the size of the trip and was surprised by several factors.
"This forest must be really huge."
I concluded my studies, trained a little more with the spear, and rested. I always kept my eyes on the wolf. He was practically my bodyguard.
"I think it's time..." I still had enough mana, so I made a decision. "Call Gleen and these four here."
The wolf followed my orders and, after a few minutes, returned. With him were Gleen, the invading goblin, the goblin who fought brutally with the rabbit, the one who was injured, and the only skeleton I summoned.
They were all in front of me.
I calmly got up from the throne. They knelt. I took a few turns and proclaimed:
"You have shown intelligence, strength, resilience, and power, but above all; loyalty. Above all, I ask for loyalty," I spoke with pure truth. "That's why I'll show you that your loyalty won't be empty."
First, the skeleton. He was practically a puppet controlled by Gleen. As a simple skeleton, he was limited to grade 1 for eternity. But there was still the option of growth in case of evolution.
For now, he had no feelings, but he could come to have them. So I decided to name him, almost as if I wished to make him obtain those feelings.
"Aaron," I named him.
❂❂❂
[You named a Monster]
[The Skeleton will assume the name: Aaron]
❂❂❂
The energy left my body and penetrated the skeleton. He didn't absorb it gradually like the goblin who sucked like a black hole.
It was instantaneous.
Another difference was how he evolved. The bones didn't change. An energy started to come out of the bones and become a black miasma with purple beams of light.
It then covered the skeleton from head to toe. When it descended, the skeleton was in a simple armor and a spear, both made of bone.
Hm. It's not a big deal, but it'll do.
❂❂❂
[Skeleton evolved to Bone Soldier]
❂❂❂
The difference in appearance was very slight, but he was clearly stronger. I could feel it.
The Skeleton moved more naturally and was no longer just a simple puppet. Bone soldiers could become stronger and had good abilities, so it was a good thing he became one.
[Information]
Name: Aaron
Race: Bone Soldier | Level 1/10
Rarity: Uncommon | Grade: 2
Emblem: Undead | Bestial
[Statistics]
Strength: 10/41 | Speed 10/40 | Endurance 10/41
Dexterity: 10/40 | Intelligence 5/40 | Mana 10/40
[Abilities]
[Active]
Bone Manipulation | Miasma
[Passive]
Calm Mind | Enhanced Bones
[Special]
Bone Absorption
❂❂❂
With evolution, he received a series of abilities. I recognized all of them and would look at their details another time, but for now, I needed to finish what I started.
I smiled with satisfaction and moved on to the next.
The next was the injured Goblin, and I decided to give him a normal name. He was super dedicated but didn't have as much potential.
— Ian — I named him.
❂❂❂
[You named a Monster]
[The Goblin will assume the name: Ian]
❂❂❂
He absorbed some energy, but there was no noticeable change. However, the system still notified me.
❂❂❂
[Goblin has risen in grade to Goblin Elite Grade 2]
❂❂❂
He received a skill called Enhanced Strength and a slight increase in stats, and that was it.
The next was the brute Goblin. He had completely destroyed the rabbit and had used the bow and arrow during the fight against the invaders.
— Kaio — I named him.
❂❂❂
[You named a Monster]
[The Goblin will assume the name: Kaio]
❂❂❂
To my surprise, this little guy devoured my energy. I even felt a little dizzy in the process.
❂❂❂
[Goblin has risen in grade to Goblin Hunter Grade 2]
❂❂❂
— Oh! — I exclaimed in surprise, not knowing about this grade of evolution.
[Information]
Name: Kaio
Race: Goblin Hunter | Level 3/20
Rarity: Common | Grade: 2
Emblem: Bestial
[Statistics]
Strength 5/21 | Speed 4/20 | Endurance 5/20
Dexterity 4/21 | Intelligence 3/20 | Mana 3/20
[Abilities]
[Active]
Enhanced Attack
[Passive]
Reproduction | Calm Mind | Enhanced Senses | Enhanced Strength | Bow Mastery
[Special]
None
❂❂❂
He was by far the most talented goblin in combat. Although not as intelligent as Gleen, he had excellent abilities.
The two could act together in the future...
I put these thoughts aside and looked at the last one: the invader. As a way to gain the trust of the new goblins, I decided to name this one.
He was skilled, intelligent, and cunning. He had also pledged loyalty to me, so I wasn't worried about retaliation.
— Orates — I named him.
❂❂❂
[You named a Monster]
[The Goblin will be named: Orates]
❂❂❂
It was as I had imagined. As soon as I named him, he fell to the ground, holding onto the throne to keep from collapsing. He had absorbed more than the other three combined.
His body grew to be slightly larger than me and smaller than Gleen. He became more human-like, with gray skin and black hair.
His eyes turned black, but his pupils became red.
[Magical Goblin evolved into Ghoul]
He looked at his new body, raising his arms and gaping. Then he looked at me.
I immediately sent a look to Gleen. That's why I brought him here, in case something went wrong.
And, to break my expectations, the Ghoul just smiled with sharp teeth and shook his head in gratitude.
"Can you speak?" I asked.
He cleared his throat a bit, tried hard, but nothing. Not a single sound came out.
Maybe he's mute?
There was that option.
[Information]
Name: Orates
Race: Ghoul | Level 1/30
Rarity: Uncommon | Grade: 3
Emblem: Bestial | Undead
[Statistics]
Strength 9/62 | Speed 8/60 | Stamina 10/60
Dexterity 10/60 | Intelligence 7/60 | Mana 10/60
[Abilities]
[Active]
Enhanced Attack | Stealth | Superior Strength
[Passive]
Dagger Mastery | Enhanced Strength
Enhanced Senses | Poisonous Blood
Breeding
[Special]
Infection
❂❂❂
Ghouls were a dangerous race. Due to their poisonous blood, they were extremely deadly. They also had a talent for a special type of hypnosis magic.
They were lethal assassins, and Orates had a predisposition for assassination with his stealth ability.
In addition to everything, they were also capable of awakening a superhuman strength that could make them incredible warriors.
However, what made them so dangerous was the Infection ability that came from the Undead emblem.
The ability to turn other beings into Ghouls.
Being able to live for almost triple the lifespan of a human, they always maintained a youthful appearance. Sometimes the differences between the two races were imperceptible.
In Orates' case, he evolved from a goblin, so it was a bit more apparent, but if a human became a ghoul, only their teeth and eyes would have a great change.
The skin would become a more grayish tone, but this could go unnoticed as a paleness due to illness.
"I expect great things from all of you. Especially from you, Orates. You're dismissed. Soon, I will give orders," I concluded the meeting.
Most of them left, except the white wolf and Gleen.
"I haven't forgotten about you." He wagged his tail.
I stopped for a moment to think. A matching name was necessary and couldn't be taken lightly, just like the others.
I hit my head a bit and decided on a strong name from a powerful dragon I had never been able to defeat.
"Morbidus..." I named, but nothing happened.
❂❂❂
[White Wolf refused the name]
❂❂❂
Was that possible?
I felt almost offended. But from the wolf's irritated expression, I realized I had made a mistake.
"If I may speak, Master Kayn," Gleen began. "I think 'she' would prefer a more beautiful name."
"Uh-huh." I paused for a moment to think. They were both staring at me and Gleen looked like he was sweating bullets. Suddenly, it dawned on me and I remembered the emphasis he put on "she."
My glances gave everything away and Gleen's expression relaxed. Quickly, I switched to another name.
"Crystal," I named.
❂❂❂
[You have named a Monster]
[The White Wolf will take on the name: Crystal]
❂❂❂