Chapter 44 - Episode 40: Vs. The Goblins
Of course, it’s exciting. But when my gameplay starts, it’s probably going to die down a lot…
“Well then, let’s connect to the uninhabited island.”
“Let’s go~!”
“Shou-kun, Lupi-chan, hello.”
“I’m Majo Bell. Nice to meet you.”
“Welcome, Mion, Bell-san.”
“Woofun!”
I picked up Lupi and greeted the camera.
Well, if Lupi is on screen, the viewers will probably be satisfied, so I’ll just focus on the game without worrying.
“What kind of gameplay do you have planned for today?”
“I’m thinking of clearing out the goblins deep in the dense forest to the east.”
“By yourself?”
“Yes. I’ve prepared a lot for it, and I have Lupi with me.”
“Woof!”
I put down Lupi, who barked as if to say, “Leave it to me,” and slowly headed east.
“Please don’t push yourself.”
“Got it. Well, if things get bad, I’ll run.”
At worst, I’m prepared to escape, but in the end, it’s a gamble.
“Ah, I might not be able to respond if you ask me anything further ahead. Sorry.”
“Okay. Good luck!”
“I wish you the best of luck.”
This exchange was also something Yata-sensei instructed me to say beforehand. Apparently, I need to make sure to inform the viewers.
I lightly nodded at Yata-sensei’s voice.
“What is Shou-kun’s character level?”
“I heard he’s level 7 right now.”
…Alright, let’s do this…
*
There are three goblins on lookout within sight. About ten goblins are gathered around a bonfire near the center of the plaza.
Beyond that, at the foot of a sheer cliff, there’s a cave that I’ve seen them entering and exiting several times. Is it more accurate to call it a den?
I can’t distinguish individual monsters, so I can’t say for sure, but there should be about 20 in total…
Perhaps because my Presence Concealment skill level has increased, they don’t seem to have noticed me. The sentries are still standing idly.
I gripped a stone in my right hand and threw it with all my might towards the closest sentry goblin.
The stone hit its temporal region, about 20 meters away, squarely.
“Gyaah!”
The goblin let out a short, scream-like sound and collapsed.
“That was a great Throwing skill!”
“A four-seam fastball with great extension. As expected of a first-round rookie.”
Then, the other sentry goblins and the goblins in the plaza noticed the disturbance.
“Gya-gya!?”
“Gya-gya-gya!”
The goblins rushed towards their fallen comrade. Then, looking around, they naturally spotted me and screamed.
“Gyaaaah!”
I hurled a stone forcefully at the goblin pointing at me. I expected it to dodge, but it hit its face squarely, knocking it unconscious.
“Nice!”
“Throwing is surprisingly accurate. Does it have something to do with projectile magic?”
“Alright, Lupi. Let’s go.”
“Woof.”
We intentionally made some noise and turned to flee, showing our backs. Of course, this was to lure them, and the goblins chased us in a comical line.
“What will he do from here?”
“The usual would be to split their forces and defeat them one by one, but quite a few are chasing them.”
First, I need to disperse the dozen or so goblins chasing us. The method is…
“Gya?”
“Gyaaa-gya.”
When I hid and used Presence Concealment, the goblins easily lost sight of me. Then, they probably started arguing, “It’s over there, no, it’s over here.”
“It seems he lost them.”
“Since so many were chasing, perhaps he’s waiting for them to split up to search?”
As I watched Seth (Miki)’s live stream, I also thought that the monster AI was truly lifelike. Then, a loud rustling sound came from beyond the thicket to the southeast.
“Gyaah!”
The goblins, hearing the sound, headed towards it. But, of course, it was a trap.
“Shhhaaargh!”
“Gigy-ahhh!”
A scream rose from one of the goblins searching near the thicket.
“Eh? What happened?”
“It seems there was another monster over there. Was this also part of the plan from the beginning?”
They must have been attacked by a Saloon Lizard. I had caught one in a Snare Trap and left it tied up in that area.
Considering their individual levels, goblins can’t win against a Saloon Lizard unless several of them cooperate. The attacked goblin… probably got eaten?
[Trap Setting/Disarming skill level increased!]
I thought, “Now is a strange time for it to level up,” but oh well. It was unexpected that that also counted for skill experience.
Among the goblins scattering like spiders, I had to take down the ones trying to return to the settlement.
“The goblins have scattered. What would you do, Bell-san?”
“I’d want to take down the ones heading back to the plaza first. Reinforcements would be a pain.”
The others can wait. It would be best if they got caught in other traps I’d set around here.
I moved ahead to check the traps set on the animal path leading back to the plaza. I needed to activate the traps that hadn’t been used when the goblins left.
“Gya, gya-gya.”
I confirmed three goblins running, waited for the right moment, and then… cut the vine.
Swoosh! Thud!!
The Hermit Bamboo, bent to its limit, snapped back straight, sending the goblins in its path flying. This is way more dangerous than I imagined…
“Amazing!”
“That’s utterly ridiculous. Like a three-run home run, I suppose…”
I had no time to gape, so I quickly finished them off before they could recover. Dismantling and collecting loot could wait. For now, I just grabbed the noticeable knives and clubs that had fallen and moved on.
“Woof.”
“Okay.”
Lupi seems to have found the next target. Of course, a wolf’s Presence Detection would be superior.
…
…
…
“Grrr…”
Lupi growled, digging her paws into the ground. Her face, usually so gentle, was now filled with a fighting spirit I’d never imagined, but she was still cute.
“Go, Lupi-chan, go!”
“Her angry face is cute too.”
“Gya…”
I thought it would attack Lupi, but instead, it slowly backed away. Does this mean Lupi is already stronger than the goblin?
“Bow!”
The moment Lupi barked, I pulled the vine laid at the goblin’s feet, entangling both its legs.
“Gugya!?”
I finished it off by stabbing a dagger into the neck of the fallen goblin, ending the fight.
“…This game was an MMORPG, right?”
“Yes.”
“It’s not a game where you hide in cardboard boxes, is it?”
“Huh?”
Phew… That should take care of all 16 goblins I initially lured out.
Two were taken down by the Saloon Lizard, five were caught in Snare Traps, four were finished off after triggering the Hermit Bamboo booby traps, and five were entangled through cooperation with Lupi.
“Phew, now it’s just the ones left in that plaza, right?”
“You did it!”
Mion’s voice suddenly startled me. I was concentrating so hard that I heard but didn’t hear? Oh well…
“Ah, the ones I lured out, you mean. There should still be a few left in that plaza and the cave beyond.”
“Don’t get careless with the rest, okay?”
“Shou-kun will be fine.”
Has it been about 30 minutes? I don’t think they’ve respawned yet, but I should hurry and defeat the goblins in the cave to set the clear flag.
“Just a little more, let’s do our best.”
“Woofun.”
I cut some rabbit meat for Lupi during a short break.
While petting Lupi as she ate deliciously, I mentally switched gears, “From here on, it’s going to be a normal fight.”
Come to think of it, if my HP runs out, I’ll respawn on the Sandy Beach in the Safe Zone, but what about Lupi?
I doubt she’ll be lost, but considering a worst-case scenario, I absolutely can’t push her too hard…