Two ogres — powerful and towering — had been slain with terrifying ease.
The goblin watched in horror as the human slowly approached him, twin swords in hand.
Each time the human swung his blades, a violent gust of wind ripped through the air, stinging the goblin's cheeks with its force.
Run.
The goblin's cowardly nature, ingrained into his very blood, surged up uncontrollably.Fear of death overwhelmed everything else.
Instinct screamed at him to flee.
—
Yet—
If he had simply stayed prone, motionless among the brush, he might have survived.The surrounding area was heavily damaged.It was possible, just barely, that the human would overlook him.
But the moment he moved—
The camouflage magic cloaking his body faltered, colors shifting wildly, making him stand out like a beacon against the green jungle backdrop.
—
"I see you."
Minori's voice was cold and low.
He paused, turning his head toward the shifting patch of color.A faint smile touched his lips — sharp and predatory.
—
The goblin scrambled away, but Minori's keen eyes never left him.
Fast.Even in this tangled wilderness, the goblin fled as if running across open ground, effortlessly slipping past roots and thorns.
—
Minori's gaze sharpened.
What kind of ability is that?
For an ordinary goblin, this was abnormal.
Yet he wasted no time wondering.
Instead, with practiced precision, Minori reversed his grip on one of his iron swords —and hurled it like a spear.
—
Whoosh!
The blade cut through the air with a whistling cry.
In the next instant, it struck the color-shifting creature dead center.
—
"Gyaaaah!!"
A shriek of agony echoed through the jungle.
The goblin collapsed, writhing on the ground, the iron sword buried deep in his back.
Minori approached calmly, footsteps silent despite the dead leaves underfoot.
The impact had shattered the goblin's camouflage magic.
Its true form lay exposed.
—
Minori narrowed his eyes.
Unlike the typical dark green goblins he had seen before, this one's skin was noticeably lighter.Two sharp tusks jutted from its lower jaw, and its body was stocky—far larger than a normal goblin's child-sized frame.
Nearly dwarf-sized.
"I'm going to die!""It hurts! I'm dying!"
The goblin rolled on the ground, sobbing miserably.
Minori watched without expression.
At first, he had assumed it might be a mutated goblin—a rare but plausible monster variant.
But hearing the creature speak in coherent, desperate words corrected that assumption.
Minori's voice was flat, almost bored.
"A big goblin."
—
Big goblins.
A subrace of goblins—stronger, smarter, and larger than their lesser kin.Physically comparable to weaker humans, and often acting as leaders among goblin tribes.
They were rare.
Their numbers were few because, unlike ordinary goblins who bred explosively, big goblins bred slowly—and could even reproduce with normal goblins.
Thus, they often lived among regular goblins, commanding them.
Minori stepped forward and planted his boot firmly on the back of the big goblin's head.
With a wet crack of bone against dirt, the goblin's wailing was abruptly cut off.
Minori reached down and yanked the embedded iron sword free.
Splurt!
Green blood sprayed out in a fine mist.
—
"Gyaaahhh!!"
The big goblin shrieked again, writhing.
Fear made him beg incoherently:
"S-Spare me, human! If you kill me, the ogre-lords will—Ahhh!"
—
Bang!
Minori's boot stomped down harder, slamming the goblin's face deep into the soil, muffling its words.
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
"So noisy."
Ogre-lords.
Minori's mind turned sharply at the words.
If memory served, there was indeed a big goblin tribe — the Jike Tribe — living under the rule of a powerful ogre in this forest.
They had even been mentioned briefly in Nazarick's reports.
After Ainz Ooal Gown personally slew the "Eastern Giant" ogre Gu, the Jike Tribe had been liberated and integrated into Kahn Village, eventually becoming subordinates of Nazarick.
—
But—
They should have been deep within the ogre-controlled territories.
What was one doing here, on the forest's outer edge?
Minori studied the struggling goblin beneath his foot.
Strong.
An ordinary goblin would have died instantly from that sword strike.This one, though grievously wounded, clung stubbornly to life.
The resilience was notable.
A glimmer of calculation entered Minori's eyes.
—
With a flick of his hand, he pointed at the goblin's gaping wound.
"Minor Heal."
A soft white light bathed the goblin's torn back.
The bleeding slowed. The wound began knitting itself together, sluggishly but surely.
A low-level healing spell couldn't fully restore such a grave injury, but it would keep the goblin alive — barely.
—
The big goblin gasped, confusion and disbelief flickering in his mud-caked face.
Slowly, Minori pulled the goblin's head out of the dirt, making him look up.
Their eyes met.
—
"Human—"
The big goblin trembled and quickly clambered to his knees, groveling low.
"I-If you let me go, I swear the ogre-lords won't seek revenge! You have my word!"