There are no bad bastards in this world.
Leap—acceleration—bite.
That chain of actions was incredibly fast.
A collaboration of skill sets—no, a combination, maybe.
Either way, the sequence flowed so quickly it felt like using a single skill.
An ordinary goblin would have their heart devoured in the blink of an eye.
But Ayutar the Skull Crusher was no ordinary goblin.
And unlike the others, he wore armor covering his upper body.
Naturally, I had no choice but to aim for an exposed part.
Hands—or the neck.
I chose the neck.
The sparks revealing my form lasted only a moment.
When intense light fades, even deeper darkness follows.
And darkness was my stage.
Without making a sound, I slipped toward the back of his neck.
I'd sink my fangs into that foul-smelling flesh—
"UOOOO!"
At that moment—
Ayutar let out a roar and changed the trajectory of his club.
At the same time, he swung his arm and struck me.
I was sent flying through the air.
Damn… he noticed.
He had realized I would aim for his neck.
Even if you can't see, if you know where the attack will come from, you can block it.
Being small really sucks.
I flew quite a distance before landing—
on a goblin's shoulder.
"WAAAAAH!"
Something cold and slick latched onto him in the darkness.
The Krok goblin screamed like he'd seen a ghost.
Fair enough.
"Get away, you ghost!"
He really thought a ghost was strangling him.
With my night vision, I could see everything clearly.
He spun around wildly, slashing his blade in every direction.
It's okay! It's! o! kay!
I calmed him down—
by biting into his back and tightening around his neck.
"Gghk—!"
With a final gasp—
[Level has increased.]
As expected, goblins give great experience efficiency.
I dropped lightly to the ground.
The battlefield was complete chaos.
Goblins could see better in the dark than humans—
but night was still night.
The Krok goblins, who had been carrying torches until recently, hadn't fully adjusted to the darkness yet.
They had no choice but to rely on starlight.
Pipipiping—
Meanwhile, arrows flew from the forests on both sides.
The Runga goblins shooting them couldn't see clearly either—
but if you shoot enough, some will hit.
Dozens of goblins had already been killed by arrows or crushed under carts.
"Shield-bearers, group up! Wolf riders, enter the forest!"
Even in the chaos, some tried to maintain command.
In the first place, there weren't that many arrows—goblin metallurgy wasn't very advanced.
Which meant it would come down to close combat.
From the forest—
a flock of ostriches burst out.
Runga goblins riding them charged across the night field.
The Red Crow ostriches were nocturnal. They ran well even in darkness.
And they weren't ordinary ostriches—
their claws were like blades.
"GRAAAH!"
Heart-rending ostriches!
The goblins struck screamed as blood sprayed everywhere.
Their claws were white, so I wondered why they were called Red Crow—
now I knew. They were dyed red with blood.
"Grrh!"
Then wolves leapt onto them.
The wolf riders were already dead, arrows lodged in their heads, dangling lifelessly—
yet the wolves, tasting blood, kept tearing and biting.
It was a melee.
No matter how effective my "Serpent Zhuge Liang" strategy was, bloodshed was unavoidable.
Runga and Krok goblins clashed together in a chaotic brawl.
But—
—This is practically your stage.
A pitch-black night without a single torch.
Grass reaching up to the shins.
The sounds of grass being brushed aside drowned by screams and shouts.
This was the perfect environment for a Serpent to run wild.
Srrrk—
I simply passed by—
and bit an ankle.
[Deadly Venom: Neurotoxin proficiency has increased.]
It's true that a white Serpent looks cooler than a black one.
But a black Serpent is harder to see.
It's more practical.
I have to admit that.
[Stealth Lv.6 has become Stealth Lv.7.]
Everywhere I passed—
a goblin fell.
Thud. Thud. And thud.
[Level has increased.]
The neurotoxin proficiency I had struggled to raise before began climbing rapidly.
[Deadly Venom: Neurotoxin Lv.4 has become Lv.5.][Level has increased.]
Once I had taken down more than ten goblins—
the Krok goblins began to notice me.
Death was slithering beside them.
"Watch out, it's a Serpent!"
"Damn it—Aaaagh!"
Some even mistook rustling grass in the wind for me.
They slashed wildly, panicking—
but I was already gone.
Clang! Bang!
In the midst of it all—
two hobgoblins fought fiercely, ignoring everything around them.
Nanaruk and Ayutar.
The strongest two were still clashing, sparks flying.
[Uses Beginner Elemental Magic: Sun Lv.5.]
I bound Ayutar's feet, making him stagger.
Nanaruk's blade slammed into his shoulder.
Clang!
His crude armor blocked the blade—
but it must have hurt like his shoulder was about to tear apart.
And once again, I leapt.
I bit into his exposed left hand—
and injected every last drop of venom I had.
"GRAAAAH!"
The neurotoxin would spread through his entire body in an instant.
Victory is mine.
Ayutar's eyes met mine.
The Skull Crusher hadn't earned that title for nothing.
He had spirit.
"UOOOOOO!"
He threw away his club and drew the machete at his waist.
"Y-you viper—!"
And with that blade—
he cut off his own left arm.
Slash!
"Haah… haah… I'm alive!"
This goblin—
just how afraid of Serpents are you?
Blood gushed from his severed arm.
And through that fountain of blood—
a sharp axe sliced through.
It was Nanaruk.
Slice!
She had aimed for his neck.
But Ayutar raised his right hand in that instant to block.
What fell was not his head—
but his right hand.
With both hands gone, defeat was certain.
Yet even now, Ayutar did not give up.
Using his larger body, he lunged and grabbed Nanaruk.
Then he bit into her neck.
"AAH!"
Even Nanaruk, a seasoned warrior, couldn't help but be shocked.
This insane goblin—why is his fighting spirit so strong?
The idea that goblins were mere fodder enemies had been completely shattered.
Nanaruk tried to push him away, jerking her head back to escape.
This is bad!
I climbed up Ayutar's leg.
I couldn't pry him off with strength alone.
Then there was only one option—
cut off his life directly.
Climbing up, I slipped into the gap in his dangling armor.
Ugh… sweat stench.
But I've got a strong stomach.
I bit into his abdomen repeatedly.
"AAAAAAH!"
He screamed at the top of his lungs.
Lucky for him—
if I were still my smaller size, I would've gone in through his navel and come out his mouth.
In the end, he couldn't endure it and tried to flee.
I could feel his body tilting.
With a heavy crash, gravity shifted—
Ayutar collapsed.
The Skull Crusher no longer moved.
Then—
a thrilling chain of level-ups began.
[Level has increased.][Level has increased.][Level has increased.]
A whopping three level-ups.
My level had surpassed 10.
A thrilling sensation spread through my entire body.
Saying it like that makes me sound a bit like a pervert, huh.
Let's just call it a refreshing, pleasant feeling.
Let me rest for a moment like this.
I'm covered in armor anyway—I should recover some stamina.
Just like when I was inside the chimera and the soul jaguar, this situation felt oddly comfortable.
But I didn't stay long.
Ugh… the smell.
Honestly, it's better than inside a chimera's stomach, but still unpleasant.
I turned my head to crawl out, but the blood everywhere made it difficult.
So I decided to break through from the front.
Ayutar's armor was crude, made by tying together pieces of iron.
If I slowly widened the gaps in the fibers, I could make a hole and escape.
So I did.
Forcing my head through—
light greeted me.
It seemed the battle was over; torches had been lit again.
Naturally, it must be our victory.
Rip—
I finally burst out through Ayutar's chest.
The goblins… didn't exactly greet me with bright smiles.
Well, Nanaruk was smiling—but the Krok goblins weren't.
Captured and kneeling, they stared in shock.
"He ate Ayutar's heart!"
"The heart-devouring Serpent—it's real!"
Ah… I guess it looked that way.
This time, I wasn't even specifically trying to eat his heart.
But a Serpent with blood-red jaws bursting out of their leader's chest—
yeah, I can see why they'd think that.
[Title 'Heart-Devouring Serpent' spreads further.][Title rank has increased.]
What?!
I still haven't even gotten the title "Ulumulrulu," yet the heart-devouring Serpent title has ranked up?!
I quickly understood what that meant.
[Heart-Devouring Serpent]
A terror of the Krok tribe dwelling in the great forest.
A Serpent that grows by devouring hearts; it consumed the heart of Ayutar, the Krok war leader.
It is said to possess a special technique for eating hearts.
By consuming the enemy's heart, it gains more demonic power.
Oh, the description definitely changed.
More elaborate—and it clearly recorded my actions.
Though I'm a bit bothered by this "special technique for eating hearts," which I don't actually have.
So what kind of achievement do I need to earn the title "Ululkurulu"?
Do I really have to spit lightning and kill that headless red Serpent or whatever?
Not easy.
"What happened?"
Nanaruk had the warriors organize the situation.
The bite wound on her neck had disappeared.
Thanks to a potion.
"We captured fifteen prisoners."
"And the dead and wounded?"
"Six dead. Five with severed limbs."
Out of about eighty goblins, around ten were no longer combat-capable.
But seventy remained in fighting condition.
This could definitely be called a great victory.
—Thanks to me.
Thanks to Pelerian's potions.
We had gathered nearly twenty bottles, and more than half were used on the goblins.
The effect was remarkable—unless limbs were severed, most injuries were healed enough to keep fighting.
"Will we negotiate using these prisoners, Chieftain?"
Zadiram asked Nanaruk.
Tsk tsk… such a naive mindset.
"No."
That wasn't our plan.
"We strike the Krok as they are."
The Krok had sent all their warriors to their deaths.
We would crush them—and reclaim my dungeon.
—More precisely, my dungeon.
Anyway—
***
"Chieftain! Chieftain!"
A Krok subordinate came running, out of breath.
"Come out and see!"
"What is it?"
Krok glared fiercely.
For the past few days, he had been staying at the excavation site.
There had finally been major progress.
They had discovered the main entrance.
The countless traps confirmed it.
Because of that, they had already used up all their prisoners.
Now they were sending in old and sick goblins from their own tribe as substitutes.
Morale in the tribe had worsened—but it didn't matter.
They couldn't oppose Krok anyway.
Still, why summon him at such a crucial moment?
"Ayutar and all the warriors… are dead."
"What?!"
How could that be possible?
He had sent wolf riders with them!
And Ayutar was the second strongest hobgoblin after Krok himself.
When Krok stepped outside, a hobgoblin with a severed arm collapsed before him.
One of the warriors who had gone with Ayutar.
"S-sorry… Chieftain…"
"…Did other tribes form an alliance?"
Otherwise, there was no way they could lose to the weak Runga.
"No… we were ambushed…"
Crack.
Krok's teeth ground together.
"And the Runga casualties? Did you kill them all?"
That was all that mattered.
After all, the strongest warrior in the tribe was not Ayutar—but Krok himself.
"Out of a hundred… maybe twenty…"
"What nonsense!"
He was about to kick the survivor—
Deng deng deng deng—
A bell rang.
A goblin on a makeshift watchtower was ringing it frantically.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
The shout echoed loudly.
There wasn't even a proper defensive palisade at Elephant Rock.
"About sixty… no, seventy warriors! Many ostrich riders!"
"Gah—!"
The surviving subordinate of Ayutar collapsed in terror.
The fear had already been carved into him.
Krok's subordinate shouted urgently:
"Chieftain! We'll gather the warriors!"
"Go stop them."
"And you…?"
Krok spoke coldly.
"I'll stay at the excavation site."
The subordinate was shocked.
The chieftain wasn't going to fight?
"Th-then…!"
"Call the tamer, Melchi!"
"…Ah."
"Hold them off. I don't care if all of you die!"
With that, Krok turned and walked inside without hesitation.
The tribe's fate?
Something more important lay below.
A mysterious man who had once appeared before him.
The man who made him evolve into a Hobgoblin King—and showed him the path beyond.
He said a certain "legacy of a transcendent mage" was hidden here at Elephant Rock.
***
We ran for half a day with Nanaruk.
And finally arrived at Elephant Rock.
—That's it! That's the place! Those rat bastards!
Below the rock, the excavation site remained intact.
It didn't seem to have collapsed yet—so it hadn't been looted.
Pelerian urged me to hurry inside.
I was planning to anyway.
"Thank you."
Nanaruk winked at me.
From here on, we would act separately from the goblins.
Once the battle broke out, I would immediately search for the dungeon and enter it.
Since I had been riding the ostrich, my stamina was fully restored.
The remaining Krok goblins rang bells and prepared defenses.
Warriors rushed out in a panic.
The battle was about to begin.
Then—
the Krok goblins suddenly smiled brightly.
"The tamer, Melchi, has arrived!"
Some goblin called Melchi appeared.
A thin, gaunt goblin shaman, wrapped in black cloth instead of armor.
"Kill them all, Melchi!"
There was an obvious reason why the Krok warriors were so excited.
"…Damn. This could be dangerous."
Even Nanaruk tensed up.
The title "Tamer" wasn't given for nothing.
He controlled a monster.
A very large—
"King centipede."
A massive king centipede.
With crimson, venomous claws, it blocked the path of the Runga warriors.
[Crimson Teeth Giant Centipede Lv.31]
No—giant centipede.
"Everyone, prepare to scatter…!"
Everyone looked terrified.
I, on the other hand, didn't understand the situation.
Why is everyone so tense?
Isn't it common knowledge that centipedes are gentle?
[Crimson Teeth Giant Centipede Lv.31]
[Trait]
[Gentle]
…
See?!