In the room filled with crystal balls, each one went dark one after another. The Goblin King, seated on his throne, narrowed his eyes. It had been ten years since he unified the various tribes, and now, a long-forgotten tension filled his heart once more.
Although he was worshipped by the goblins, he knew that he was still a frog at the bottom of a well, surrounded by countless threats to his rule.
He had once been an ordinary goblin, struggling to survive in the forest, living like a beast, which was the norm for most goblins. But he thought differently, especially when he saw adventurers in their exquisite armor, thriving as hunters in the forest.
Why do they have such fine weapons? Why can they wear such splendid armor? Why can they freely hunt and kill our kind?
These questions plagued the young Goblin King. One day, he set a trap and turned the tables on the hunters.
Perhaps the adventurers were too careless or too relaxed after their hunt; his first plan succeeded. He not only got their prey but also their equipment, even though it didn’t fit him well, he brought it back.
The goblin tribe living in the cave pounced on the food he brought back, following the unspoken rule of sharing among goblins. But this rule only applied to the strong; the old and weak got just enough to barely survive.
His clever mind required a lot of energy, and as a young goblin, he was often hungry. The small share he received was never enough, and every time he asked for more, the adult goblins would glare at him aggressively.
Fearful of those glares, he spent much of his youth in hunger. He survived thanks to his wits, using his companions to identify edible plants.
Now, watching his kind devour the food greedily, he felt nothing but disgust.
After sharing the food that time, the adult goblins began to see him as a strong one and were willing to share with him, but he viewed them as mere beasts.
He was no longer one of them.
The Goblin King gave his share to the weak and young goblins, knowing the loyalty it would earn him.
Give a dog a bone and train it; it will be loyal to you.
Using his intelligence, he continued to steal food and resources from humans, even learning some of their knowledge and magic. Gradually, his status in the goblin tribe rose.
Conversely, his notoriety among humans grew, and bounties were placed on him.
Due to one such bounty, someone intentionally fell into his trap, setting an ambush.
He almost died in the human onslaught, but he captured a mage and, though injured, managed to escape.
That incident nearly shattered one of his arms.
He knew what happened to crippled goblins in their society.
There was no surplus food even for the landlord’s family.
Human large-scale forest sweeps were partly his fault, leading to many goblin deaths and increasing dissatisfaction among his kind.
Returning would mean, at best, isolation until death, and at worst, being torn apart.
The goblin world was brutal.
He hid, surviving on the jerky he had prepared in advance.
Perhaps fate intervened; during his hiding, he discovered a cave.
It was originally the lair of a giant snake, which had been hunted recently, leaving the cave dark, damp, and mysterious—perfect for hiding.
He took refuge there and, by chance, his magic resonated with a stone inside. Instinctively, he kept striking the unremarkable stone.
Day after day, he persisted until the stone finally cracked open, revealing a radiant red gem.
The gem seemed to call out to him, urging him to swallow it. With even the slimmest chance of survival, he consumed the gem.
A flood of ancient knowledge overwhelmed him.
The gem was an ancient relic from the long-lost Goblin Empire.
In ancient times, goblins had their own glory. His intelligence wasn’t a mere anomaly but a reawakening of ancient royal blood within him.
His life changed course dramatically, and he became a supreme leader among goblins.
Returning to his tribe, he overthrew the current leader with his newfound power and became the new chief, advancing their technology and strength, toppling rival tribes, and establishing himself as the Goblin King.
Yet, he never dared confront humans directly.
He knew humans were cunning and knowledgeable. For a long time, he focused on amassing power.
Infiltrating the human world, guided by relics to find the Goblin Emperor’s legacy, he aimed to become the second Goblin Emperor.
Years passed, and the Goblin King reached a bottleneck. With his tribe strong and resources plentiful, he felt the time was ripe to execute his long-planned strategy.
First, he ordered his minions to raid several villages, creating the illusion of a goblin resurgence to lure adventurers into the forest.
Then, he sent weak and old goblins to maintain the facade of a weak goblin resurgence, drawing more hunters.
Finally, he sprung the trap, capturing new adventurers.
But halfway through, things deviated from the plan.
A boulder fell from the sky, and in a critical moment, the rescue team united, not only surviving but also detecting the eyes he had spent six years setting up in the forest.
Realizing he had underestimated humans, he deployed his elite assassin goblins, enhanced by the gem’s power.
He hadn’t intended to use this invasion force yet, but the situation demanded it. Despite risking this precious unit, he needed to eliminate the adventurers.
But once again, his plan faced unforeseen complications.
He couldn’t afford another failure.
The Goblin King pressed all the buttons on his chair, and the room filled with goblins, all bowing reverently.
“Our King! What are your orders?”
“All units, prepare for the highest level of combat readiness. I will lead the charge myself.”