2.
With my guidance, the goblins were able to safely escape.
-Kerr! Keru!
-Kekerkker!
The goblins all jumped for joy. They looked just like little green chimpanzees. If they were to shout 'ukeekee' instead of 'kerk', people might actually mistake them for monkeys.
'These guys. How cute.'
-You think these things are cute…? Huh?
Bae Huryeong, who appeared behind me, shivered as he said those words.
-Zombie, something is really wrong with you, huh?
'Mr. Sword Emperor, look at them objectively. I can already see what the goblins can become in the future. It's such a noble and beautiful sight. I can already see what the future holds even though it's still far away.'
-Ugh, I can't deal with this bastard anymore… I'm so helpless and powerless that I feel like I'll lose my mind every time this bastard opens his mouth….
At that time, other races had also succeeded in escaping.
The Black Dragon Master had chosen to become an elegant black swan as she guided the vampires. Since I left the forest first, I was able to see them exit. Fwoosh! A large group of bats flapped their wings as they flew across the sky, chasing after the black swan in a triangular formation.
'Oh. That's pretty cool.'
As the black swan flew by, our eyes met for a moment. Within the swan's dark eyes wasn't the ferocity of a wild beast but the sharp intelligence of the Black Dragon Master. Flap! The swan spread its wings again.
Then, the black swan disappeared over the horizon in an instant.
It seemed that all my companions had managed to transform into various animals and lead their races to safety.
[Quest Clear!]
[You have successfully evacuated your race from the Great Forest of Origin.]
[You have received 300 race points as a reward for clearing the quest!]
[You currently have 855 race points.]
The rewards were satisfactory.
'500 race points for being the first to create a primitive religion or whatever and 300 points as the quest reward. That's not bad at all.'
-Hmm. Is that a lot?
'It's a good start. I don't want to use up all of my points at the start.'
-If you say so. After all, you are the Great Goblin God, Kim Gongja.
'Yep. Now, all we need to do is find a new place to live.'
I mentally chose the next item I wanted to buy from the store. I was still able to use the Civilization Store even while possessing the white lion.
[Are you sure you wish to purchase 'Search for a Bronze-Ranked Settlement'?]
I agreed to the purchase without hesitation.
'Yes.'
Messages popped up one after the other.
[Purchased 'Search for a Bronze-Ranked Settlement'?]
[80 points have been deducted!]
[You currently have 775 race points.]
Whoosh!
An image appeared in my mind. Across a river and three streams from our location was a settlement suitable for goblins.
'Appropriate moisture and suitable hunting ground… it's just fine.'
Good. Now, all I had to do was guide them to it.
"Gork! Gorr, krr, gor!"
'Good! Follow me!'
I gallantly put one of my lion paws forward. Like baby ducklings, the goblins didn't think about anything and simply followed me jollily.
Six days later.
We finally arrived at the settlement I saw in the image.
-Kerrr!
The goblins threw themselves into a nearby stream while expressing how much they liked this place.
[The Goblin Race likes this place very much!]
[The sorrow of losing their old home within the Goblins is beginning to fade.]
The goblins rolled around in the stream and covered themselves with mud. This appeared to be their hobby.
The mothers dug up the sticky mud with their claws before rubbing it on the backs of their children. The little ones all happily shouted 'Kerr! Kerr!' as they were covered. Did the mud bath feel that good?
-Maybe they're trying to get rid of that horrid stench. The goblins reek, don't they? It's a bit better now that they've covered themselves with mud, though.
'Hoh. I guess you could say that.'
-Do you not agree, Great Goblin God, Kim Gongja?
'God doesn't care about every little thing. Only about the great plans in mind.'
-Psycho….
I didn't pay attention to what he was saying.
Instead, I simply lay down and watched the little mud festival unfold in front of me.
As I watched on happily, I suddenly heard the voice of the Tower.
[Would you like to make this the new settlement of the Goblin Tribe?]
'Yep.'
[You have pioneered a new settlement!]
[Please choose a name for the new settlement.]
'A name… I want to call it the Temple of Raviel, but I doubt they'd be able to pronounce that. No, they definitely can't pronounce it.'
I scratched at the ground with a sullen expression. Mm. This, this, this sensation of scratching at the ground and the squishy feeling as it gave under my claws was really soothing….
-Hey. Aren't you acting more and more like a beast…?
'You're just imagining things.'
Suddenly, a fly began to buzz around me. Ah, for clarity's sake, I suppose I should add that the animal I was currently possessing only looked kind of like a lion, but it wasn't actually a lion. I just called it that since it was more convenient.
I swung my tail. Tak! And with a soft sound, my tail hit the fly's body accurately. The fly couldn't withstand my strike and fell to the ground, dead.
Fly hunts like this one had become my hobby during this task.
It was pretty fun.
-As I thought, you really are becoming more like a beast, aren't you, you bastard…?
'If it means I can have the manly charms of a beast, then I'd gladly accept it. In any case, I'll call this place [Guru].'
And so I roared.
"Guru-!"
The Tower responded to my roar.
[The name of this settlement has been designated as 'Guru'.]
[The Goblin Race is no longer at risk of extinction!]
[You can now declare this stage cleared.]
[Would you like to declare this stage as cleared?]
-Wow, you finally cleared it! I can finally get out of this disgusting gork gork zone! Hey, what are you waiting for?! Hurry up and declare the stage clear!
'Ah, what are you talking about? Don't you know the Tower well?'
-I know! I know! I just want to get out of this damn place as soon as possible!
'I'm going to reject it.'
Race War.
From the 31st to the 40th floors, this theme would continue. If the 31st Floor was the Old Stone Age*, then the 32nd Floor might be the New Stone Age*. That was how it worked. (*: Also known as the Paleolithic and Neolithic Ages)
If I were to declare the clear now, on the next floor, I might meet the goblins hundreds or even thousands of years from now.
'I have to do everything I can before I move on.'
I calmly looked over the Goblin Race's status window.
This was something I'd done many times since the race selection.
'The goblins' traits were [Victims of Racial Discrimination], [Tribal Consciousness], and [Greed].'
I read the information about these traits in turn.
+
[Victims of Racial Discrimination]
Rank: F
Effect: The Goblin Race is extremely ugly! So much so that it invokes the hatred of anyone looking at them. As a result, the Goblin Race suffers from all kinds of prejudices and misunderstandings and has great difficulty forming healthy relationships with other races.
Beware! Within the hearts of those discriminated against burn the flames of hatred. The greater the hatred of the Goblin Race, the more hostile they are to other races. This is a problem that must be solved before it reaches the point of no return.
※However, this trait can change depending on how history progresses.
+
'This will be a problem.'
What if I went to the next floor and found that the goblins were already hostile to all the other races? So much so that the goblins would be declared [public enemies] just like in a normal fantasy world.
That would be horrible.
To do so much only to become the public enemy.
'This one must be resolved before I leave… next is [Tribal Consciousness].'
+
[Tribal Consciousness]
Rank: C
Effect: The Goblin Race has a strong sense of kinship. When a Goblin dies, no other race in this world will shed as many tears as a Goblin. Instead, they would rejoice, cheerfully yelling, 'The monster is dead! We did it!' as they toasted.
Goblins are Goblins.
It's an inevitable fate.
With this thought, there is only one race in the world they can believe in—their own. The most taboo things in Goblin society are as follows: betraying another Goblin, killing another Goblin, etc.
Unless there is some kind of misfortune, there is no way the Goblin Race would attack each other!
※However, this trait can change depending on how history progresses.
+
I've seen it several times, and I still think it's a good trait.
This showed that even if they were goblins, they still had at least one good trait.
-I don't think this trait is that good….
'Huh? Really?'
-Nevermind. I was just rambling. Hurry up and look at the next trait.
'Are you finally starting to see the charm of the goblins?'
-I just want you to get this over with….
That wasn't a truthful response. It was obvious that he was beginning to see the cute side of this little race I was raising.
-I don't…
Side by side, a lion and a spirit sat beside each other as they looked at the last trait window.
+
[Greed]
Rank: B
Effect: The Goblin Race is filled with greed. Perhaps it is because of their shame for being too ugly. Or maybe the Goblin Race wants to be recognized for their possessions instead of themselves.
'Kerk! I just put on warm mud!'
'Kerk! I just covered myself with premium mud from the head of the stream!'
They desire to be the most distinguished.
The long to be even greater.
In the hearts of the Goblin Race, their inferiority complexes, low self-esteem, and desires for greatness combine to create a powerful form of greed. Maybe the Goblin Race will crave shiny treasures. Or maybe they'll catch slaves and brag about whose slaves are prettier. The Goblin Race is greedy, and with this greed comes potential.
How their 'greed' develops depends on you.
※However, this trait can change depending on how history progresses.
+
"...."
I fell into deep thought.
'As expected, they're just like me.'
-Huh? What was that?
'Nothing. I was just talking to myself. Mm.'
I slowly lifted my heavy lion body.
As I slowly approached the stream, the mud covered goblins noticed and they all began to crowd around me.
-Kerrr.
–Kekerkker?!
Goblins had fewer facial muscles compared to humans. This was because their mouths were too large. As a result, it was difficult to recognize their facial expressions.
"Krrr."
I lifted my front paw and smashed it against one of the rocks beside the stream. The goblins shrank back in surprise. But I continued to swing my foot forward without caring about them.
It wasn't long after that all my claws were broken.
-Hey. What are you doing?
'Wait.'
I pressed down into the mud with my wounded foot. Like a brush, my fur soaked up the mud like ink.
The goblins continued to watch my actions with clear confusion.
"Krrng."
I walked towards the goblin closest to me. The little goblin flinched as my giant shadow covered it, but it didn't run away or hide.
"Gor. Krrng. Krr, Gorrrk."
'That's right. Good boy. Stay there. It won't be long.'
Puk.
I gently rubbed my paw along the little goblin's stomach. As if cleaning a window, I drew curves with my paw. Every time I put mud on it, the little goblin flinched, but it still didn't run.
-Uhhh….
Bae Huryeong muttered.
-By chance, are you trying to draw a tattoo?
That was right.
'Yeah.'
I drew a swirl pattern on the goblin's stomach with my paw.
It wasn't just this one. After I finished my swirl pattern, I began to draw other things on the other goblins as well.
"Gooorr."
Because I drew it with a lion's paw instead of my human hands, it was a bit clumsy and ugly. It was also very messy since I painted it with mud instead of any conventional paints. But if I had been able to use paint, it definitely would've looked better.
After a while, all of the goblins had tattoos.
-Kerr? Ker?
The goblins looked at themselves and at each other as if they were amazed. After a while, like children who had been given a new toy, they began to rub mud on each other.
-Kerk! Kerrp, kerker.
-Kerker!
The goblins splashed around happily in the stream. And when their patterns washed off, they could simply draw new ones. Seeing that, the goblins became joyful again.
[The Goblin Race has awakened its 'sense of beauty'!]
[The Goblin Race is mesmerized by the beauty of their bodies.]
The Tower's voice echoed in my head.
[The Goblin Race trait 'Victims of Racial Discrimination' has changed!]
[The Goblin Race has gained a new trait 'Primitive Fashionista'!]
Windows appeared before me one after the other.
+
[Primitive Fashionista]
Rank: E
Effect: The Goblin Race is extremely ugly! So much so that it invokes the hatred of anyone looking at them. As a result, the Goblin Race suffers from all kinds of prejudices and misunderstandings, and has great difficulty forming healthy relationships with other races.
'Kerk! We are ugly!' In response to this, the Goblin Race created a special culture. 'Then why don't we wear nice things?' That was to cover their appearances with something fashionable.
The Goblin Race began to draw various tattoos on their green skin. The more beautiful the tattoo, the more fashionable the Goblin is in the eyes of the Goblin Race. Congratulations. The Goblin Race now has a culture called fashion.
Long live the Primitive Fashionistas!
'No matter how you decorate it, a Goblin is still a Goblin'
Of course, whether this fashion is recognized by other races or not is a different matter entirely.
※However, this trait can change depending on how history progresses.
+
Okay.
The mouth on my lion face spread into a satisfied smile.
"Krrr."
It didn't matter if this was a Race War or a chance to experience being a guardian Constellation.
To put it simply, I just had to raise these kids to the best of my ability.
"Krrng, krrrr, gorp, grrrng!"
'Hey, I'm going to make your race soar to the heavens!'
I let out a powerful roar.
Kekerkker!
-Kekerkker! Kekerkker!
Goblins covered in mud danced all around me.
I was touched.
After witnessing this scene, Bae Huryeong muttered softly.
-No… I think they're all crazy… Don't tell me they're all going to be little Kim Gongjas. An entire race wouldn't become crazy like Kim Gongja… would they? Yeah, that's impossible. Absolutely not. Such a hellish fantasy could never turn into reality….
-Kerrrrh!
The majestic cry of the goblins echoed throughout the settlement.