Chapter: 238
Goblin.
The most commonly found monster in the world, along with Slime.
However, unlike the usually harmless slime, goblins are hostile monsters towards other creatures.
Due to the unique green skin of the original goblin species, goblins and their derived monsters are referred to as ‘greenskins,’ and even now, they cause many problems around the world.
Goblins, with a height and strength resembling that of a child in their early teens, aren’t particularly strong individually; however, their tendency to form groups and their aggression towards other creatures make them monsters that must be eliminated as soon as they are discovered.
If we were to pick the most notable characteristic of these goblins, it would be their indiscriminate evolution and adaptation.
Goblins adapt and change according to their surroundings, acquiring different abilities, which leads to incomprehensibly diverse changes and evolutions.
For example, goblins that live by the sea.
While regular goblins have green skin and camouflage in bushes, those living along the coast possess dark blue skin and move between the sea and land, an adaptation thought to be necessary to evade natural predators on both terrains.
In addition to such ecological changes, they exhibit transformations like the development of thin membranes between their fingers and toes for swimming in the sea, or enhanced lung capacity to endure prolonged periods underwater.
These changes are not exclusively seen in coastal goblins; those appearing in the cold, snowy areas tend to develop more body hair or grow larger to retain body heat.
Despite adapting to such varied environments and exhibiting distinctive transformations, the one aspect that has stubbornly remained unchanged is their nature.
Their inclination to appear all around the world, form primitive villages, and attack other creatures is a habit that remains steadfast irrespective of other changes they undergo.
Eradicating these goblins is the first step for adventurers, alongside the elimination of the large hordes of slimes, marking a crucial experience in grasping the weight of life. Thus, it is an essential task that novice adventurers must undertake.
Among these goblins, those that meet certain conditions undergo even more special evolutions, and among this evolved generation of goblins…
– Monster Encyclopedia. (1). Goblin Edition.
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Green skin completely covered in thick fur, thin limbs, and an unappealing visage.
These ugly creatures wielding tree branches as weapons are beings that absolutely fit the description of a goblin.
At this point, perhaps it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to drop the (presumed) from goblin (presumed)?
They are small, display the intelligence necessary only to use primitive tools, and show a tendency to gather in groups.
These were goblins with a completely different ecological niche compared to existing monsters.
Existing monsters do not form groups, and even when they do, they are not socialized like humans but rather like wolves, making them entirely different from the goblins.
So, where do these goblins appear from? Are they mutations of animals, similar to the existing monsters?
Observing their simultaneous appearance all over the world, they don’t seem to be generated from mutated creatures like ordinary monsters…
They’re bizarre creatures so difficult to comprehend, that it feels as if they simply sprang up from the ground itself.
Groups of dozens of goblins living together, hunting in cooperation, and sharing food initially give an impression of a subhuman tribe rather than monsters… But alas, they remain monsters.
The fierce aggression exhibited when facing other creatures is apparent. Though diminutive and wielding items like branches, they charge forward, eager to attack with savage intensity.
When faced with this, one realizes that despite possessing intelligence, monsters are still monsters.
Hmm… But is it really fine to leave them be? Each individual is as frail as a child, and they don’t appear particularly threatening even when armed with crude tools.
To humans, weary from constant conflicts with others, these primitive-looking goblins likely wouldn’t pose much of a threat.
So perhaps it’s best to just let them be. Yeah.
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Though I thought that, my perception of goblins quickly transformed.
As time passed, the goblins began to change.
Wait, rather than change, it’s more accurate to say they started evolving.
Goblins began gathering berries, hunting animals, continuing to swell in numbers.
Since each goblin’s food requirement is minimal, they can rapidly multiply even with scarce resources.
Goblins grow to adulthood a few days after birth, further increasing their packs.
Once the number of goblins reaches a certain threshold, they maintain balance by expelling some individuals from the group.
Perhaps due to the brisk cycle of generational shifts, various mutations started emerging among the newborn goblins.
Adapted to their environments and enemies, surviving goblins are exhibiting even more intense evolutions than pre-existing creatures.
Well, it stands to reason that without such evolution, survival would be unlikely.
Among the goblins that undergo such changes… oddly enough, some existing goblins might experience rapid evolution without the need for generational progression.
To be precise… it’s akin to existing animals morphing into monsters.
They were clearly individuals not remarkably different from conventional goblins yet grew at a surprising rate.
It was quite peculiar—a goblin who had once appeared child-sized suddenly grew to just shy of an adult size.
An evolution akin to those seen in animation, difficult to comprehend and even harder to accept as reality.
Of course, such phenomena were exceedingly rare, often observed in a frequency of about one in a group of several dozen goblins… Such transformed goblins, temporarily dubbed hobgoblins, bore stark contrasts to regular goblins.
First off, there’s strength. Their physical power rivaled that of an adult human.
And then there’s intelligence. Unlike primitive goblins, hobgoblins engaged with more sophisticated tools.
In particular, it was quite shocking to witness a hobgoblin, having acquired human tools, exploring and using them with remarkable deftness.
Yet another notable change.
Hobgoblins possess the ability to assess situations and respond accordingly.
While normal goblins charge indiscriminately at humans or other creatures, hobgoblins exhibit caution.
Upon spotting humans, they quietly observe, perhaps realizing the futility of confrontation, and hide away instead of revealing themselves.
Unlike those goblins, who were barely surpassed beasts, hobgoblins had learned how to employ their advanced intelligence.
And this, perhaps, signaled the emergence of a formidable threat towards humanity.
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“Mom. Is that why you came to see me?”
Sagarmatha gently stroked my worry-filled hair.
The room made during my time with Sagarmatha remained pristine, surprisingly as clean as the day it was created, despite the passage of time.
Do you clean it frequently? Or do you have some secret method to keep dust at bay?
“Hmm. Yep, that’s right. I have quite a few worries on my mind.”
While I don’t have pressing concerns regarding humans anymore, the stability brought by the Knight King’s rule has helped Romania emerge as a pretty pleasant place to live.
Relations with the surrounding nations remain amicable too.
“What’s on your mind?”
“The newly appearing monsters have become a problem.”
If only goblins were the issue, I wouldn’t be stressing like this.
Hobgoblin. Yes, that’s the crux of my anxiety.
Of course, hobgoblins aren’t typically abundant among monsters. When a pack of a few dozen forms, generally only one evolves.
That thought makes it somewhat concerning. Goblins can gather in sizeable numbers rapidly. Hmm…
Ah! Maybe… is there a prerequisite involving the number of goblins in a group for a goblin to evolve into a hobgoblin?
Now that’s intriguing. If that theory holds, how does the size of a goblin pack influence the evolution into hobgoblins?
It definitely seems worth investigating further.
“Those green-skinned dwarves?”
“Yup. Those guys.”
Your dwarves count as dwarves too, you know.
“Why are they concerning you?”
“They’re constantly evolving, contrary to the existing monsters.”
“Evolving?”
Sagarmatha tilted her head at my words.
“Is that type of evolution so threatening?”
“Currently, it isn’t a major threat, but who knows what could happen as time marches on.”
“Time marches on…?”
“Exactly.”
Right now, even evolved hobgoblins are merely adult-sized.
If, and this is a big ‘if,’ hobgoblins were to evolve again… wouldn’t they pose an even greater threat to humanity?
That was a genuine concern.
“Um… I’m not too sure. Is there really a need for you to worry about it, Mom?”
“Hmm?”
“Just like in the past, you don’t have to handle everything on your own. In the old days, powerful monsters might have been an issue for humans… But what can humans do about those green dwarves now?”
Sagarmatha’s words did resonate.
Even though goblins are numerous and breed rapidly, each individual is still like a child.
If just two or three adults armed up, wiping out a goblin group wouldn’t be too hard.
“Let’s leave it to the other kids. It would just waste your valuable time for you to fret over these trivial things.”
“Um… do you really think that’s okay?”
“Absolutely. You have to cherish your time, especially with us. Particularly, the time you spend with me.”
Sagarmatha said that with such confidence that I couldn’t help but chuckle softly.
That’s a fair point. I can’t manage everything indefinitely.
So, let’s leave the goblins to the humans.
Sure, I’ll share what I know about goblins through the Church of Life, but for the nitty-gritty details, let’s let the humans handle it.
Woof… Bbaembaa… Renewa… Gaebbaa… Bbaembaa…
Have a happy day today!
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