Four people were gathered around a campfire. Over the fire hung what appeared to be an abnormally large wild boar by common standards.
"It was a really good hunt, Alsir-san!" exclaimed a woman.
She was young, just out of her teenage years, with golden hair that shimmered in the sun and almost pale skin. Her deep blue eyes reflected an almost naive innocence.
She wore light adventurer's clothing: form-fitting dark leggings, a protective plate over her chest, long brown boots, and elbow-length gloves. A green cloak fluttered in the wind, and at her side rested a dark wooden staff with a bright red gem at its tip.
"Hahaha~ Come on, Merena-sama, you're making me blush!"
A young man, almost the same age as Merena, smiled slightly, his cheeks flushed.
Alsir, the young man, had black hair and a sharp gaze. He was remarkably attractive, with an aura of confidence surrounding him. His feline ears and slightly prominent fangs revealed his genetic heritage.
His build was agile and balanced. He wore a black fur tunic that contrasted with his pale skin and a mole on his lip. Underneath the tunic, he wore shining silver light armor along with fitted black clothing, creating a sleek and formidable appearance.
"Anyway, when you all try it, the credit for preparing it so well will be all Teoran's!"
Upon hearing these words, a man gently scratched his nose with his index finger while sporting a slight smile.
Teoran, nearly two meters tall and muscular, emanated a sense of kindness despite his robust appearance. His short, well-kept hair accentuated his feline ears, and his tanned skin was marked by a scar on his cheek, adding character.
He wore a long-sleeved white shirt, protected by a metal plate. He completed his outfit with wrist-length gloves, brown boots, and matching trousers, enhancing his imposing yet approachable image.
On his back, he carried a battle axe with a wooden handle, while the rest gleamed with precious metal that reflected durability and power.
"Additionally, this boar has more magical power than you would expect for its species," said a childlike yet elegant voice.
The voice came from a girl with a youthful appearance and pale blue hair that fell softly over her shoulders, complementing her large honey-colored eyes.
She wore a purple tunic that covered light leather armor, designed to not restrict her movement. In her hands were two silver gloves, forged with precious metal, each adorned with a red gem at the center.
"Millium-sama is right. Now that I think about it, I feel more magical energy in this beast than usual. As expected, your magical perception is impressive, my lady," Merena said respectfully.
"W-Well, Merena, you don't have to use honorifics with me…"
Millium suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, as if something bad was about to happen. Instinctively, she looked in a specific direction.
The others noticed the change and followed her gaze. Merena tightened her grip on her staff, Alsir discreetly grabbed something under his cloak, Teoran instinctively touched the handle of his axe, and Millium prepared her gloves.
. . .
Valipher walked along a path surrounded by trees, bushes, and grass that swayed in the wind, emitting a soft sound of calm.
His blue pants were somewhat dirty at the edges, and his boots showed signs of having traveled long distances. Even his hair, especially at the back tips, was slightly dirty, but he seemed to care little about it.
Valipher was absorbed in his thoughts.
"I've been thinking about this a lot, and I really don't have a hundred percent logical explanation," he whispered after a long moment of silence.
"I'm not worried in the slightest. I'm in an unknown world, with a ridiculous appearance, I know nothing about this place, and yet I don't feel nervous or concerned."
He closed his eyes and shook his head, unable to comprehend his own mind.
"Have I finally gone crazy?"
"Maybe," he answered himself, slightly confirming his suspicions.
With his hand on his chin, Valipher continued walking along the path.
He wasn't wandering aimlessly; he had a certain notion of where he was, for after descending the mountain, he had seen a city in the distance. One of the few he had designed when he was bored of programming. Therefore, he knew where the nearest dungeon was located.
However, since the beginning of his walk, he uneasily noticed that the entire landscape he saw was, indeed, the one he and his companions had designed over time, albeit with topographical variations attributed to the passage of time.
In other words, this place was probably the future of his own world.
Thinking about it, he wondered if his friends were also in this place, but scattered, just like him, who had awakened in a random location. Some of his friends might be in a similar situation.
If that were the case, his priority would be to find them, and after that, try to resolve his future.
A fleeting thought crossed his mind.
What future? Returning to his world...?
'Returning home?'
Did that mean anything in the first place?
Possibly, for anyone, the answer would be yes.
But for someone who never really felt like he fit in anywhere except with people from his own circle, the answer depended on how he was doing at that moment.
For Valipher, this world was not something that kept him captive. It wasn't a social prison.
It was a fantasy world where someone who was never anything could become something. Admiration, power, wealth, and all the pleasure that could come from it were within his grasp.
Would anyone refuse such an offer?
Without a doubt, there would be many who would.
People with resolved lives or those who are truly content in their world.
The kind of people who have no trouble making friends, being productive, being efficient, or fitting into a mold of expectations because they are capable of expanding beyond.
"I wish it were like that," Valipher's childish voice whispered for a moment.
His heart, which had been agitated by his thoughts, suddenly calmed, as if there were an oppressive force behind him.
Valipher looked at his hands with intrigue.
For some reason, the thought of envy and greed was stronger than anything else, a feeling that almost urged him to do anything to be better.
"Is it because I'm a goblin?" he wondered, recalling a brief description he had been given about goblins when they were designed in this fantasy world.
Still, his thoughts remained on hold.
Sniff! Sniff!
A smell reached the boy's nose, pulling him from his thoughts.
"Roasted meat!" he exclaimed upon perceiving the aroma.
Grrr...!
His stomach growled.
"Well, I finally need to eat something to replenish all the mana I've spent. I think I have only about forty percent left, so I must think carefully before using the console. I could die from exhaustion."
He looked up at the sky and saw a small cloud of smoke rising in the air. Determined, he headed toward the source of the smell, hoping to gain something, whether by begging or stealing.
'Even if they were humans, I could easily handle them.'
The thought was fleeting and almost irrelevant in his mind as he ran.
. . .
FRUSH!
A bush rustled gently, as if someone were inside, trying to hide.
Frush...!
With another movement, two red eyes slowly appeared through the bush, but none of the onlookers seemed to notice.
Valipher, who was hiding, couldn't help but let out a few drops of cold sweat as he observed the scene.
There were fifteen goblins huddled on one side; in front of them, Valipher could discern ten kobolds that he himself had programmed in the early stages of the game.
Kobolds are humanoid creatures that stand between 1.50 and 1.65 meters tall. They have slender bodies covered in rough scales that vary in earthy tones.
Their faces were elongated, with a prominent snout and two tusks that protruded upward, curving slightly like those of a boar, giving them a fierce yet cunning air.
All of them wore lightweight leather armor, and some had metal plates for added protection.
In front of both groups lay a dead kobold that seemed to have been scorched, alongside five goblins that had been impaled by some kind of sword.
'What I smelled wasn't food; it was a roasted kobold...'
"Damn kobolds! We told you, this part of the territory is ours!" shouted a goblin that seemed older than the rest.
He had white eyebrows that fell to the middle of his face, a tunic that looked like it was made from a potato sack, and an old staff to support himself.
"We're sorry, old man; the goblins have not been up to the task of protecting the entrance to the dungeon. Reform is needed," said a kobold threateningly.
This kobold had a scar on his right eye and possessed an intimidating aura that made some of the goblins step back.
Valipher closely observed the goblins. They all shared similarities; for example, their noses fit the hegemonic standard of human beauty: straight and upturned, as did their eyes, which could be considered of the "hunter" type.
As for variations, some had black hair, others blonde, but none had white or gray hair like Valipher's. The pointed ears, like those of elves, were present, but some were drooping, others straighter, and some small and stylized. Just like the eyes, there were some with red eyes, others blue, and some with honey-colored eyes.
But one thing all the goblins had in common was their clothing. They wore worn-out clothes; only a few had lightweight leather armor, but it was also very tattered.
Regarding weaponry, all the kobolds carried spears or swords in hand, but only five out of fifteen goblins had a sword.
It was no surprise to see that these were almost as worn as their clothing and armor.
The only line of defense the goblins had consisted of two of them, whose tunics were nearly torn from the passage of years, as if they had been inherited from generations.
These two goblins wielded a nearly rotten wooden staff that was held with a red stone at the tip, thanks to a miracle or some divine work.
But anyone with a pair of eyes would realize the danger of the situation; undoubtedly, those two goblins were wizards, but both were panting as if they had exhausted all their mana on a simple spell.
The difference was clear.
Two exhausted goblin wizards, almost out of mana, just to eliminate a kobold that had presumably been able to take down five goblins without help.
It was an overwhelming difference in strength.
'It's natural: goblins are enemies that range from level 1 to 5; on the other hand, kobolds range from level 5 to 10. All these goblins are level 2, except for the two wizards, who are level 3.'
The goblins had no chance, leaving Valipher with a strange feeling.
'I feel an inexplicable need inside me to want to help them... It must be the trait of brotherhood and camaraderie that goblins have intrinsically. In any case, I will keep my distance to try to understand the situation.'
A drop of sweat ran down the boy's cheek.
'As much as possible, I should also conserve my mana, so acting rashly will do me no good...'
"They are disrespecting the rules of the dungeon! You kobolds live well in the second phase of the entrance, and yet, do you want to have the first phase too?!" The old goblin couldn't help but shout.
The rules of the dungeon...
To Valipher, they were just a set of rules in the code that prevented one species from invading another's territory to shelter from warriors, even if they were fifty levels above them.
The dungeon wasn't limited to the inside of a place; it also encompassed the outside. The entrance was always guarded by the first line of defense: the goblins. After getting past the goblins, you would face the kobolds to fully enter the dungeon.
'Monsters sense when the enemy is superior to them, and in nature, they instinctively flee to protect themselves, but monsters born in the dungeon are different; they will confront anyone to prevent them from entering or, at the very least, delay their entry.'
Valipher clenched his fist.
'To treat those who give you more time to prepare for the fight like this...'
He felt a strange anger.
When he was creating the game, his favorite monsters were the goblins. He felt a connection for some reason, even something unknown to him.
Now, the feeling of familiarity implanted by the race he belonged to made him see those monsters as more than just a simple race of low-level creatures.
"The rules of the dungeon ceased to be effective years ago when adventurers managed to reach the core of the dungeon. No one wants that to happen again, so there's no choice but to eliminate the obsolete."
"But...!" The elder wanted to refute, but he couldn't.
'They are right; we goblins are obsolete... Weak even compared to humans. But... to exterminate us just for that?'
He clenched his bony hand and trembled with anger.
"God created us all as a family that should protect the core of the dungeon..."
"God abandoned us and chose to prioritize non-monster beings. He gave us a purpose but left us without his guidance. Tell me, Rastre-san, what more can we do to survive?"
"Kuh...!" Rastre, the elder goblin, gritted his teeth in fury.
"Our hope is that by replacing the goblins with us, the kobolds, we will deter adventurers from entering the dungeon so recklessly. We will give enough time to those in the second phase of the entrance to strengthen themselves, and thus, everyone inside the dungeon will also become stronger."
'Yes, they are right. We are too weak. Even if we swapped places with the kobolds, we wouldn't have much room for improvement. Instead of giving others time to get stronger, we would merely be another stone in the adventurers' path.'
'The order in which we would be placed wouldn't change anything at all.' The elder relaxed his grip on his staff and sighed in resignation.
"We can concede our territory, even grant you our lives, but please, I beg you, do not massacre the children. You know they won't become very strong, so they won't be able to take revenge for us. I simply beg you not to massacre them..." The elder knelt down and lowered his head.
The act of not massacring the children was loaded with profound meaning.
At least wait for them to grow and have the option to defend themselves, even if it's a false hope!
'Because life without hope is just suffering.'
"Rastre-sama..." "Rastre-sama..." "Rastre-sama..."
All the goblins began to mumble the name of their ruler.
His order was not absolute, but they could not refuse. They all thought the same. A race that is inferior even to the lowest-level human adventurers.
Were they some kind of clowns?!
The leader of the kobolds lowered his head and nodded with some hesitation.
"Rastre-san... No, Rastre-sama, I regret that it has to be this way. I promise to give them a painless death. The goblins will be remembered as the heroes who sacrificed themselves for the good of the dungeon."
The goblins' eyes became glassy.
'We who have always been underestimated... At least we will shine in a part of history.' It was the collective thought.
It was unfair for everyone.
The mere existence of goblins as the first line of defense for the dungeon was a death sentence for all.
Goblins were seen as pests. Since their life cycle was short and rapid, low-level and even intermediate missions involved going into the dungeons and massacring goblins to prevent an overpopulation that could be dangerous.
Of course, those who went to massacre the goblins rarely stopped there; they always ventured deeper and ended up eliminating the kobolds, then entering the dungeon.
The moment adventurers saw that the dungeon became somewhat dangerous, they simply turned back the way they came, and that was it.
Because of the mere existence of goblins, many species that inhabited the dungeon were hunted down so quickly, with no time to grow strong enough.
In any case, for someone with a clearer vision, it was obvious that this was just a small problem.
In Valipher's eyes, even by massacring the goblins, it would only delay the arrival of the adventurers for a couple more days. Essentially, there wouldn't be much difference.
'...'
All the goblins, following Rastre's example, lowered their heads and set their weapons aside their bodies.
They all closed their eyes, awaiting their end, trusting that their children would not be massacred.
In the end, they knew their eyes would perish, but at least they wouldn't go with them immediately.
Track...!
The kobolds took up arms, and knowing what they were about to do, beads of sweat began to trickle down their foreheads.
'This is wrong... But it's the only way to achieve a prosperous survival for the others!'
It was like a dogma for them.
The goblins, resigned, could only silently pray to their God. The only faith and hope they had had since their birth in this unjust world.
But...
"What a nuisance." A monotonous and distorted voice, somewhere between deep and high-pitched, echoed.
It was almost ethereal; it didn't seem to come from anywhere in particular.
[spell.forge::remove_magic_ocultation {
target: entity::ID[15504];
effect_to_remove: Magic_aura_ocultation;
visual_effect: {
particle_type: burst[violet];
particle_size: 5cm;
particle_lifespan: 1s;
particle_density: 20;
};
on_cast: {
remove_effect(target, Magic_aura_ocultation);
apply_visual_effect(target);
};
on_complete: {
remove_visual_effect(target);
};
}]
WOOSH!
An ominous purple aura began to spread throughout the area.
"T-t-you! How long have you been there?!"
The leader of the kobolds couldn't help but take a step back.
The goblins turned around, only to see one of their own revealing himself!
'This kind of magical power... I could only find it in the advanced levels of the dungeon!' The kobold leader couldn't help but feel fear in the presence of a powerful magical entity.
"I've been here since the beginning of it all!" exclaimed Valipher, extending his hand toward everyone present.
This made them sweat even more, and even the goblins stood up or crawled away from the young goblin.
"S-So the goblins had no intention of surrendering in the first place!" said a kobold.
"No, you're mistaken. It was their determination to surrender that made me act."
Glup...
The leader swallowed, realizing this could be dangerous.
'They seem to be very afraid of me. Upon leaving the cave, I used an aura concealment spell to avoid this very situation. Although my body is different, the amount of mana I have is that of a level forty elf.'
"I've heard all your problems, and they won't be solved just by eliminating the goblins. You'll only delay the inevitable for a couple of days."
"Just think about it carefully: you send low-level adventurers to take care of the goblins, but when those adventurers can't handle the kobolds now guarding the first phase, then you'll send more powerful adventurers. It will be counterproductive."
Everyone present was stunned.
'This is one of the things that worries me about the monsters in this world...'
"None of you can see beyond a couple of days! You have no sense of long-term preservation, given your short life cycle."
With anger, the kobold leader tightened his grip on his spear and couldn't help but shout.
"Then what should we do? Just resign ourselves to live the same way? Even if it's just minutes, if I can delay the death of my kin, I will give them time—time to live, to fight, and to plan for a better future!"
After those words, even the goblins supported the kobold's opinion.
A soft laugh from the boy made the murmurs stop almost instantly.
After a moment of internal contemplation, the young goblin finally spoke.
"Not at all. What I come to offer you is something better than just a few minutes of time."