In one of the clearings of the Machia Forest, a small crowd had gathered. All those present were green-skinned and shorter in stature compared to other creatures.
Twenty-three goblins sat on the ground, watching as two other goblins stood on a wooden platform.
Those two goblins were Rastre and Valipher!
"...And that is how Valipher-sama saved us all in the forest. As the former leader of the goblins, I give him my full support to become our new leader. Does anyone oppose?"
With refined movements, Rastre raised his hands, gesturing toward the crowd.
The young goblins had expressions of disbelief on their faces. Were they really supposed to believe there was a goblin capable of intimidating kobolds with his magical power alone? Apart from them, the fifteen goblins who had witnessed Valipher's arrival remained calm, showing no exaggerated reactions.
There was no opposition from anyone.
After a few seconds of silence, Rastre nodded in satisfaction and looked at Valipher expectantly.
The young goblin stepped forward, thinking of what words to improvise to quickly wrap up the ceremony and move on to his plan.
"It's an honor," Valipher began. "As you've heard from Elder Rastre, I'll be your new leader. My goal will be to guide you in the best possible way so that we are never underestimated again."
Subtly, while he spoke, he placed his left hand on Rastre's shoulder and opened a terminal without drawing any attention.
[Name: Rastre Tsar Ven Machia
ID: 30514
Race: Goblin [4]
Permission_Level: Monster
Ocupation: Goblin Leader]
This time, he accessed more than just Rastre's log. He entered everything that could be considered the script controlling Rastre as an entity.
'Even though he handed me the leadership, his role hasn't changed at all... Let's see if I can forcibly modify it.'
A few seconds later, a message appeared in front of him.
[ERROR: ACCESS DENIED]
Valipher closed his eyes for a moment, reflecting.
'I can't legally acquire the leadership role because I'm not part of this family in the first place. I also can't alter Rastre's settings since I don't have the necessary permissions, just like I can't modify my own configuration. So, the only option left is to do it the other way... How annoying.'
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Valipher continued muttering random words, trying to make them sound somewhat coherent to avoid suspicion.
"Still, just as much as you need me, I also need you for a purpose. I'm not as altruistic as Rastre makes me seem. Also, I want to clarify that I am an outsider who came seeking help. I have no family ties with any of you, and thus, I have no authority over the dungeon's core."
His cheeks flushed slightly as he tried to hide his discomfort.
Cough...!
Valipher avoided making direct eye contact with any particular goblin as he said the following words: "Therefore, I need a volunteer to marry me. I need to adopt the goblin family name Ven Machia. It doesn't really matter if it's male or fe—"
Before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted.
"I volunteer!" shouted a goblin with long, dull black hair, large bulging sapphire-blue eyes, and a visible fang, eagerly raising her right hand.
The goblin was wearing a magical robe. She was one of the two mages who had scorched the kobold with fire the day before.
"O-Oh, I see. Thank you for your cooperation."
The young goblin regretted every second of having programmed the affiliation of external monsters to the dungeon through marriage!
In his mind, it was a great idea that would add more depth to the world and make it feel more alive, but now... it was coming back to bite him!
'I could have designed another, less stupid way!'
Ignoring his frustration with the past, Valipher turned his gaze to Rastre, who, due to his role as the goblin leader, had the authority to officiate marriages in his domain.
"S-Sir, if that was the case, you could have just told me, and we would've gotten married to avoid delays in taking power! I apologize for not thinking of it sooner, please forgive me!" Rastre was about to kneel, but Valipher's hand stopped him.
The young goblin almost felt like coughing up blood after hearing his subordinate's words, but decided to let it slide.
He didn't really care whether he married a man or a woman to obtain the family name; in the end, it would only be a formality without any physical or emotional implications. However, the mere idea of marrying Rastre left a bad taste in his mouth.
"It's fine, Rastre, I forgot about it too."
Ahem...!
The young goblin cleared his throat and looked at the goblin who had volunteered.
"So, do you accept me?"
The young goblin clenched his fist, trying with all his might to avoid blushing.
'This is for my own good, it's for my own good!' he repeated in his mind like a mantra.
"I, Shear Mire Ven Machia, accept you!" she said with determination.
Valipher waited a few seconds, but didn't feel any changes.
'Well, I shouldn't expect anything special to happen, other than this.'
A console opened in his hand, and something began to appear on the screen.
"Rastre, reappoint me as the leader of the goblins."
Huh...!
The elder goblin looked a bit confused but wasn't about to disappoint his new leader, so he once again spoke the words.
"I, Rastre Tsar Ven Machia, name you the new leader of the goblins!" he exclaimed with conviction.
[log.Valipher_Vexaris_Lumnathir[lctr]
Name: Valipher Vexaris Ven Machia
ID: 15504
Race: Goblin [1]
Ocupation: Goblin leader
Afiliation: Machia Forest Dungeon
Marital_Status: Married: [Shear Mire Ven Machia]
Permission_Level: Player]
A mischievous smile formed on the young goblin's lips, and his ruby-red eyes instantly lit up.
"Then, as the new leader of the goblins, I hereby free you all from your chains." Extending his hand with elegance and determination, a console appeared, pointing toward all the goblins present.
In an instant, a list with the IDs of all the members of the goblin family Ven Machia unfolded before Valipher.
[[15504]
[30514]
[15208]
...
...]
Within each ID lay the settings of every single goblin. Naturally, the first goblin Valipher modified was the owner of ID 30514: Rastre!
[Level_cap: 05]
'Now that I'm the goblin leader, I have permission to edit these guys as I please, but I should avoid excesses. In real life, live scripting never existed, so if I change something too critical, they might die... Maybe.'
[Level_cap: 0]
Having made this small adjustment, Valipher proceeded to modify all of his subjects.
Everyone in the clearing looked at their hands and, for some reason, felt as though an invisible but previously palpable weight had completely lifted.
Valipher cast a proud glance at Rastre, wearing a satisfied smile.
"I've removed the limitation imposed by the dungeon core. Now, you can grow without restrictions."
Rastre's eyes gleamed with understanding and welled up with tears.
"Well, Shear, we can consider our—"
Once again, Valipher couldn't finish his sentence, as Rastre interrupted him.
"Thank you so much, my lord! The goblins of this family will never forget the kindness that your name represents. We are willing to give everything for you, Valipher-sama!"
With an awkward smile, the young goblin simply nodded, feeling a bit nervous.
"However, not everything is so positive. While I've removed the dungeon's limitation, this also brings a danger to you as you are now. The dungeon will no longer provide you with mana, nor will you be able to sense intruders in the area. Essentially, you've lost the divine protection that the core granted."
Rastre nodded. Undoubtedly, this was a serious issue, but from his perspective, his new leader, Valipher, wouldn't have taken such a risky move without a plan to compensate for the drawbacks.
"Alright, with that clarified, I'll proceed to give you my first orders."
Valipher moved diligently to one side, revealing several crates behind him.
Thump!
With a light kick, one of the crates fell off the platform and opened.
Swords, staffs, and magic gloves!
The second crate followed, also falling to the ground.
Thump!
Clothes, leather armor, and some metal protection!
"Everyone, arm and protect yourselves. We're going hunting, including the children!"
'Phase one: Evolve into hobgoblins!'