Chapter: 239
Among those goblins, certain individuals that meet specific conditions will undergo even more extraordinary changes, altering their very bodies.
Unlike the typical goblins, who are roughly the size of children when fully grown, these goblins display a remarkable increase in size, nearing that of human adults. These are physically evolved goblins.
Commonly referred to as hobgoblins, these entities were initially thought to be adult goblins that had reached their final growth stage, but extensive research has revealed that they are not adult goblins at all.
Through the examination, dissection, and comparative analysis of the captured hobgoblin’s body with that of ordinary goblins, it became evident that the positions of bones and muscles, as well as the physical structure of the body itself, are distinctly different from existing goblins.
Strictly speaking, the relationship between hobgoblins and goblins is more akin to that between a monsterized wolf and a regular wolf.
Just as animals can transform into monsters by absorbing vast amounts of magical power into their bodies, it can be asserted that goblins have mutated due to an excess of magical power.
Various hypotheses have been proposed regarding why such changes occur, but many who investigated goblin ecology concluded that for hobgoblins to emerge, an environment with abundant food and a group of about 20 goblins is required.
If food is scarce, the goblin horde will simply chase away any newly matured goblins before they can grow larger, and even if food is plentiful, a small goblin group will not yield hobgoblins.
When a sufficient number of goblins maintain their group size over a certain period, one among them will suddenly undergo mutation and evolve into a hobgoblin.
Why do these changes happen? The cause wasn’t easily identifiable, but thanks to the suggestion of a wizard who helped with my research for many years, I managed to find a breakthrough.
The wizard’s proposal was nothing less than creating a giant magic circle surrounding the goblin horde, allowing for a visual depiction of the magical flow.
The reason ordinary creatures mutate into monsters is due to an excess of magical power, so it seemed plausible that the transformation of goblins into hobgoblins is similarly driven by magical power.
Accepting this seemingly sensible idea, I decided to proceed with the wizard’s suggestion.
After investing significant time and money to set up the magic circle and observe the goblins’ ecology, I discovered the cause of such evolution.
Surprisingly, a magical connection existed among the nearby goblin group.
Though their bodies are separate, they inherently behave like one living organism. Their magical powers are interconnected.
Of course, the concentration of magical power was quite weak compared to that within a living creature, but the connection itself was definitively present.
Through this connection, as the goblins shared their magical power, the larger their group became, the more magical power was shared, and once it exceeded a certain amount, one of the goblins would undergo transformation due to that shared magical power.
It’s as if a meticulous mechanism was orchestrated to allow hobgoblins to manifest naturally when environmental richness is achieved.
If this goblin was created by someone, that someone must be an extraordinary entity.
… …
Once the evolutionary conditions for hobgoblins came to light, the explanation for further evolution became somewhat clearer.
As the size of the horde increases, it’s only natural for stronger goblin subspecies to emerge.
In hordes featuring several dozen hobgoblins, even more evolved goblin subspecies began to appear.
Amidst all this, a question arose.
If a hobgoblin appears from a gathering of dozens of goblins, just how many goblins must have amassed to give rise to the legendary giant greenskins that are said to have competed against the knight king?
– Monster Encyclopedia. (1). Goblin Edition.
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The newly termed goblin monsters were merely a trivial issue for humans.
They caused disturbances across the world, but due to their diminutive size, they rarely posed serious problems. The worst they did was mess up some crops or cause the disappearance of a livestock or two.
Of course, if hobgoblins emerged, it became an issue… But even then, a couple of hobgoblins could effortlessly be fended off by village guards or adventurers.
It was a tad bothersome how they adapt and multiply at breakneck speed… Um… what’s this sense of familiarity…?
They’re small, agile, adept at hiding, and their numbers multiply rapidly…
If one gets spotted, it’s reasonable to assume there’d be at least ten others lurking nearby… um…
Bzzzt!
Cockroaches?
Thinking of it sends a chill down my spine. Ugh, cockroaches!
No matter how much you eradicate them, they keep appearing out of nowhere, ruining your mood… Yikes. I really despise them.
It’d be one thing if they at least looked decent. Big heads, limbs so thin they seem fragile, and a protruding belly like a goblin?! Sigh.
Regardless, those goblins popped up everywhere, causing minor mischief, and were dispatched by numerous folk.
The goblins that got taken out… Well, they weren’t particularly beneficial for sustaining life.
Their hides were flimsy and oily, and the meat… no one would dare to eat it.
It seemed possible to grind the bones and flesh into fertilizer, but even that was hardly worth the effort.
Apparently, it’s more effective to use other materials for composting or something along those lines.
In any case, goblins are undesirable quarry for adventurers, simply pests ruining crops for villagers… To many, they’re nothing but an annoyance.
Even if hobgoblins show up, two or three of them together could be easily dealt with.
Hence, perhaps humans became complacent.
What becomes of the goblins when their numbers escalate?
What kind of monster might emerge from goblins sprouting like mold all over the place?
If goblins are like fungi, can we say that the monster resembles a mushroom?
Well, ecologically speaking, they aren’t too different.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Goblins were animals.
At the same time, they possessed plant-like traits.
The basic green skin of a goblin… could photosynthesize, though not as efficiently as plants do.
In a food-scarce environment, provided with water and light, they could carry out minimal life activities—almost akin to a plant’s function.
Certainly, it was merely enough photosynthesis to scrape by… thanks to that, they could survive even in extreme conditions devoid of food.
They could adapt to both heat and cold, persisting even when food was scarce… in essence, they were organisms fine-tuned for survival.
And they showed an instinctive tendency to gather in groups.
I captured one of those goblins and started observing it in an isolated environment.
A kind of terrarium-like space where tree fruits, insects, and herbivores might coexist.
What kind of life would a goblin lead in such a place?
In an environment devoid of other goblins or predators. In a peaceful setting… could goblins suppress their monstrous instincts?
Like the bee-shaped monster that was tamed by the King of Arcadia. Just like Killer Queen. Could they stifle their monstrous nature?
Just as Killer Queen, endowed with considerable intelligence, managed to contain her monster instincts, wouldn’t a goblin with intelligence too be able to suppress its inherent nature?
Such hopes found themselves utterly dashed.
There was undeniably only one goblin confined in the terrarium, yet at some point, it seemed as though something had sprouted from the ground— a tiny baby goblin was trailing behind it.
What kind of creature was this to appear out of the blue? Are you telling me it emerges spontaneously?
This mystery could only be unraveled by rewinding time and following the tiny goblin’s trail.
The wee baby goblin quietly appeared from a corner of the cave where the goblin resided.
Like a mold thriving in an adequate environment, or like a clump of mold forming a mushroom.
A goblin that strikingly resembled the one dwelling in the terrarium had come forth.
The moment I laid eyes on it, I was left speechless at the incomprehensible sight.
Is it possible that goblins are neither animals nor plants but rather mycelium? Photosynthesizing? Intelligent? And giving birth?
Are you kidding me? Where on Earth do you find such a ridiculous creature!? It’s as if a child concocted it out of their imagination!!!
Suppressing my burgeoning rage, I scrutinized the area where the baby goblin had emerged, enhancing my vision to observe it closely.
What I saw was rather peculiar.
Tiny mold-like entities scattered around the goblin’s vicinity— these seem to thrive on the magical power exuded by the goblin.
That conglomerate of mold… must be a goblin in essence.
In other words, goblins are mycelia possessing traits from both animals and plants.
Seriously… what the heck is this…? To be fair, in some tabletop games, orcs are often depicted as mushroom-like creatures, but even they don’t breed!!!
But these critters even manage to reproduce between males and females? This is utterly absurd!
What’s even more absurd happened afterward.
The baby goblin, born that way, initially bore a striking resemblance to the original goblin, but at some point, its body began to alter.
The appearance wasn’t much different, yet the most crucial part of its anatomy had transformed into that of a female. I have no idea how it happened, but it appears the gender was switched to balance the sex ratio.
What on Earth is this goblin creature?
No, I do know that some species can change sex based on conditions. For instance, the protagonist clownfish from an anime, which changes the sex of the largest male when the dominant female dies.
But this is a bit much, don’t you think? There was only one goblin contained in the terrarium! And suddenly, a clone appears like mold! And it switched genders too!!!
Seriously, what on earth are these goblins!? They can photosynthesize to carry out the bare minimum of life tasks! They even adapt to their surroundings, so if given enough time, they would simply engulf the Earth!!!
If we don’t completely eradicate the mold that spawned these goblins… they could keep materializing anywhere! This is a disaster!!!
Honestly, it’s fortunate that each individual goblin isn’t particularly strong. If these goblins were as strong as or even stronger than adults…
The planet could have transformed into a goblin world. Really.
Ah! Hobgoblin!!
Oh dear. What a mess.
Cha-ching!
I’m home. Woohoo… Bbaengbbaeng…
I squeezed this out somehow. Oh my goodness.
I’ve had that extracted image stored for ages, so I figured now is a good time to upload it.
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