I can't tell for sure, but it was something between forty and fifty goblins intertwined with each other while mating.
Examining the surroundings carefully, I noticed something that I had ignored until now, there are no baby goblins anywhere.
Hmmm, come to think of it, that's quite strange, I've killed dozens of goblins and even during the battle with the wolves, I didn't see a single goblin that was young. In fact, they are all pretty much the same even in size and physical form. If they don't remove their thongs from their waists, it is impossible to distinguish a male from a female.
Wanting to satisfy my curiosity, I did a quick look in the glossary and although I expected them to mature quickly, the information I acquired is still surprising.
Once pregnant, female goblins can give birth within a month, baby goblins take about one more month to reach the height of an adult goblin. When they are about two months old, they fully enter the adult stage, where they can mate.
The mating cycle occurs every three months and each pregnancy can produce four to seven goblins. Despite the large number, there is not always food for all the babies, so sometimes they end up eating each other.
Even when mating with other races, the duration of gestation and the maturation period of the offspring is the same and they will always be one hundred percent goblins
While I was busy reading to the distant sounds of goblins making 'Guiihiii~', Rin started rubbing her head against me.
That reminds me, how old is she?
Curious to know if Rin had ever been a mother, I opened the system interface, opened the tab for my tamed monsters and looked at the information about her.
---
Name: Rin
Age: 59 Days
Race: Variant Goblin
Gender: Female
Level: 14
Affinity: N\A
Skills: Heavy Blow, Sprint, Cry of Intimidation
---
Oh, she is younger than I expected.
She has an astonishing fifty-nine days of life.
Goblins are really amazing creatures, even with such a short time, they can get considerably strong.
How strong are they compared to the base level of humans?
Unfortunately, before I could do this research, Rin started rubbing up against me even more.
Being more clear, she leaned over my body while hugging me.
"Hey, stop it, you perverted goblin!"
I pushed her head away, but keeping her grip firm, she began to rub her waist against me.
"Stop it, you dumb goblin, or else I'll leave you without food!"
Showing its effectiveness, my threat made Rin loosen her grip and I managed to push her away.
Staring at me, she pointed at the goblins while conveying to me that she wanted to do the same.
"No! Negative! Never!"
I told her as I crossed my arms in the shape of an x.
From the look on her face, her dissatisfaction is clear. Well, all right, after we're done with these goblins, I'll make some food to improve her mood.
Now I need to concentrate on how to eliminate all these goblins.
I carefully scanned the surroundings, and apart from the ones in the lair, there are no others around.
Even though I have become strong, I am not so self-confident that I think I can eliminate more than forty goblins at the same time. In any case, if we run into trouble, we still can escape by running. But since goblins are dumb and easily fooled creatures, I don't think we will need to run away.
Placing my hand on Rin's shoulder, I said, "Rin, do as you did last time and use your charm to lure some suitors here so we can kill them."
"Gui!"
Throwing a tantrum, she turned her face away stubbornly.
"Don't play hard to get, I'll give you plenty of food later."
Although she seemed to falter momentarily, she still ignored me.
Damn, looks like I'll have to use my last resort.
"I didn't want to have to do that," I sighed, "but you leave me no choice."
Slowly approaching her, I put both hands on her shoulders and slowly bring my face closer to hers.
Bringing my lips to his ears, I murmured, "If you do it, I will give you lots of food, it will be as much as you can eat."
Normally, she would give in instantly, but despite the tempting offer, Rin maintained a firm attitude in being dissatisfied with my proposal. In return, she shot me an intense look.
As it turns out, simple food is no longer enough to bribe her, she wants more, much more.
Through our connection, I could feel her excitement rising.
She wants me to be the meal…
Shit, it seems that her getting smarter wasn't as good as I thought.
"Hey, you're my tamed monster and you still dare to bargain with me?! Don't doubt me when I say I'll leave you without food for a whole day!"
Due to my response, Rin turned her face away again and did not look at me.
It seems I have no choice left, I need to play even dirtier. Even if dissatisfied, I must be strong for the sake of XP!
Massaging her shoulders, I walked around her slowly until I was on her back as I continued massaging her shoulders.
From her receptive reaction, it seems that I am going in the right direction, but it is still not enough.
I gently put my arms around her neck and hugged her.
"Wouldn't you do this for me?" I murmured again in her ear. "If you do that, I will serve you food for the rest of your life."
"Gui?"
Looking at me with an inquisitive look, Rin was asking if I was serious.
"Of course I'm," I replied, "I have no reason to lie to you."
"Guii! Guii!" She said as she confidently nodded her head in acceptance of my request.
As I expected, Rin's motivation went from 0 to 100 in an instant.
Considering that I already make her food daily and would always continue to do so, I didn't think it would be such an affective proposition. It seems that her intelligence is still quite limited.
Leaping out of the bush, Rin puffed out her chest and shouted in the direction of the goblins.
It's time to get ready!
Or so I thought.
Although some goblins looked in Rin's direction, there was no movement on their part. In fact, they didn't even stop what they were doing.
Is it because Rin is now a variant goblin? Or are there more females than males there?
"GUUUUIIIIIII!"
Annoyed at being ignored, Rin let out her Cry of Intimidation and hurled her club in the direction of the goblins.
Although it would normally be impossible due to the distance, because she used a heavy blow, the club quickly made its way through. Showing the force of her throw, the club hit the rib of a goblin who let out a miserable scream.
As a consequence, they all stopped what they were doing and looked in the same direction.
All the noises coming from there have stopped…
With a second that seemed like an eternity, the goblins finally moved.
To my misfortune, everyone grabbed their clubs and started running over at the same time.
"Shit!"
Turning to Kurama, I said, "Go and attract the attention of as many goblins as you can, run between the trees, go around their lair, and then come back."
Without leaving the bush, I watched as Kurama went towards the goblins. Since he was fast, there was no chance that the goblins could catch him.
Passing right next to the goblins, he began to run around them. At first, only a few chased him, but the more he ran around them, the more goblins were attracted.
In the end, almost all of them were chasing Kurama into the forest. Meanwhile, only six did not chase him and kept running towards Rin while shouting.
Jumping out of the bush, I prepared to intercept our opponents.
With Rin by my side, we can take them all down in a matter of seconds.
"Get ready, Rin."
Before I could hand Rin a new club, she advanced against the nearest goblin, and with her bare fists, she punched him.
Even if the punch didn't kill the goblin, it was enough to make him fall to the ground. Due to the force of the blow, she almost lost her balance, but managed to keep her feet steady and without wasting the opportunity, Rin stole the goblin's club and smashed his head.
Looking full of energy, Rin shouted and advanced against the rest as I followed her.
With a combo of two blows in a row, she hit the head of the second and third, who immediately fell to the ground. But due to the force of her own blow, she lost her balance again, but this time, she ended up going face-first into the ground.
Taking advantage that she had fallen, the fourth goblin advanced on her, but before he could get close, I slashed his neck.
In that split second, Rin had already stood up and advanced against the last two and knocked them down.
It seems that with the right motivation, she gets even more efficient, but also more sloppy.
In the meantime, while we were taking down the six goblins, Kurama was following my instructions. He was running in a zigzag pattern through the forest while making the goblins gradually disperse.
Even if they were not separated by a long distance, that was enough.
Taking advantage of the short waiting time we had, I approached Rin.
"Even though it wasn't as I expected, you did a good job."
To ensure its efficiency, I caressed her head.
"I'm counting on you for us to eliminate these goblins, but don't be careless."
As expected, Rin puffed out her chest confidently, as if to say, 'You can leave it to me'.
Following the plan, a short time later, Kurama had already completed the lap around the lair and was coming towards us.
All the goblins were still on his trail, but there were four that were far ahead of the other goblins and they will be the next victims of our hunt.
In a matter of seconds, Kurama passed us by.
"Let's get them!" I shouted.
With the strength gathered in my legs, I dashed towards the four goblins. In one swift and steady swing, my One-Cut Sword lived up to its name and easily separated the heads of the two goblins behind each other in a single blow.
Taking advantage of my acceleration, I landed another downward blow that cut the third one, starting from the shoulder up to his ribs.
As for the fourth, Rin got to it first.
With no time to rest, we set about intercepting the next ones.
***
After looking around to confirm that no goblin was alive, I sheathed the One-Cut Sword.
As I figured, with them dispersed, even if only a little, it gave us time to pull ourselves together after each cull.
In the end, we killed forty-seven goblins.
Fighting side by side, Rin, Kurama and I had plenty of leeway.
Moreover, if I ignore Rin's moments of tantrums, the two are becoming increasingly capable and competent.
Even Kurama, the one I was most worried about, did very well in the end. His bite on the goblins' jugular is a deadly blow.
It seems that with opponents who don't have some sort of protection against his teeth, he can manage just fine.
"Even if we have killed everyone, don't let your guard down."
To be completely honest, I am quite excited. Will I get any treasure after all that effort?
With that thought, I anxiously made my way to the goblin's lair of vines.