Chapter 6: Goblins and Dire Wolves
I looked around for the so-called great one they were referring to, expecting some ancient spirit or overpowered monster to descend from the sky at any second.
Unfortunately, every pair of eyes remained locked onto me.
"They mean you," Ryu whispered beside my ear, sounding far too amused.
My brain took a while to process
"Nani?! W-Wait, you guys mean me?" I pointed at myself awkwardly.
The entire goblin army nodded at once.
Ah. Fantastic.
"Y-Your presence cannot be ignored, Great One," the goblin standing at the front said. He tried to sound authoritative, but his entire body was trembling like a wet cat caught in a storm. "Please state your business!"
Despite their fear, none of them ran away.
Honestly… that alone deserved some respect.
I raised both hands slowly, trying not to look threatening.
"Okay, first of all, we come in peace. We're actually looking for a human settlement nearby. If possible, could you point us toward the closest village?" I explained
I even forced a gentle smile, hoping it would calm them down. Instead, they stared at me with even more shock.
Did I say something weird?
The leader quickly lowered his head.
"If it is a village you seek… then please, come with us."
My brows lifted slightly.
That was unexpected.
The goblins escorted us through the forest toward their home.
Calling it a village felt generous. Most of the huts looked like they would collapse if the wind blew too hard. The fences were crooked, the ground muddy, and the residents wore patched-up rags that barely counted as clothing. Several goblin children peeked from behind broken barrels while the adults watched us cautiously.
The atmosphere wasn't hostile.
Just desperate.
I suddenly felt painfully overdressed.
Why do I suddenly feel like I'm an aristocrat walking around the slums
The goblin leader eventually guided us toward one of the sturdier huts near the center of the settlement. Inside sat an elderly goblin with wrinkled green skin and tired eyes.
The moment he saw me, he stiffened.
We entered awkwardly before sitting across from him. A few moments later, two female goblins nervously brought over wooden bowls filled with berries and cloudy water.
"Apologies," the old goblin said with embarrassment. "We do not have much to offer."
I waved my hand immediately.
"No, this is fine. Honestly, you didn't even need to prepare anything."
The old goblin smiled weakly. "You are kind, Great One. I am Kabu, chief of this village. This is my son, Lute."
"I'm Shiori Koromi," I introduced myself while pointing beside me. "That's Ryuchi, and this is Haruna."
"We are honored someone of your stature agreed to visit our ruined village," Kabu said politely.
"What do you mean by 'someone of my stature'?" I asked confused
Kabu gave a dry chuckle.
"Your aura is impossible to ignore."
"Aura?"
Before I could ask further, the holographic screen appeared before me.
{Aura: the natural manifestation of mana and spiritual pressure within the body}
So basically… everyone could somehow sense my mana?
"Can you show me mine?" I asked internally.
{Very well}
The next second, dark purple energy erupted around me like smoke spilling from a cracked container. It spread across the floor in waves, dense enough to distort the air itself.
My eyes widened.
THIS is what people were seeing?! No wonder everyone kept treating me like some disaster-class monster.
The goblins immediately lowered their heads further. Even Kabu looked pale.
"And your people still approached me despite this?" I asked honestly.
That's either brave or unbelievably reckless.
Kabu suddenly sighed in relief. "So it truly was a test."
"…Huh?"
"You wished to evaluate whether we would flee from fear." he said trying to make sense of it
Wait.
What?
"O-Of course!" I laughed nervously. "Definitely a test."
Ryu and Haruna stared at me with identical deadpan expressions.
I coughed into my fist and changed the subject."So why exactly did you bring me here?"
The mood instantly became heavy.
Kabu and Lute exchanged worried glances before the old chief suddenly dropped onto all fours.
"Please, Great One! Save our village!"
"Huh?!"
"Recently, dire wolves have begun attacking us," Kabu explained desperately. "We tried resisting them, but we are too weak. Many of our warriors have died. Others are badly injured. At this rate… our village will be exterminated."
Silence filled the hut.
They wanted me to fight monsters for them?
"Of course she'll help!" Ryu declared enthusiastically.
I snapped toward him in disbelief.
"Excuse me?!"
Ryu immediately sat back down. "My apologies."
"You can't volunteer me for life-threatening battles!" I hissed before turning back toward the goblins. "So let me get this straight, You want me to defend your village from dire wolves?"
Lute dropped to his knees too."Please! We have nowhere else to go!"
I leaned back quietly, thinking. Logically speaking, helping them made little too no sense.
I barely understood this world. I didn't know the political situation, the dangers, or even my own limits yet. immediately picking a fight with some random monster was usually how fantasy protagonists ended up dead. Plus I have no reason to play hero for these people.
Still…
My eyes drifted toward the goblin children peeking through cracks in the hut walls.
Fear.
Exhaustion.
Hunger.
None of them looked evil.
And if this world really functioned like fantasy Anime and RPGs, then monsters could probably evolve over time, under the right master that is... meaning Stronger subordinates, allies, manpower, information gathering…
There were some good advantages here so Helping them wasn't entirely charity.
"What's in it for me?" I asked calmly. The two goblins froze.
"I'm not asking for money, I can obviously tell that your barley surviving financially as it is..." I continued practically. "But if I'm risking my life fighting monsters, I need a reason beyond goodwill. I don't work for free."
"Master…" Ryu muttered softly. i ignored him.
Kindness ruins the lives of good people. I'm not going to risk my life on creatures that would probably ditch and panic me the moment things go south.
"If you have nothing to offer, then honestly, it would be smarter for us to leave." I said bluntly
Kabu clenched his fists before bowing again.
"If you save us… then our village shall offer you absolute loyalty." he said
I stared at him silently. He really meant that.
Damn. This situation was more serious than I thought.
"Fine," I finally sighed while standing up.
"I'll help."The relief on their faces was almost painful to watch. Outside, the villagers immediately gathered around nervously.
I looked over the exhausted goblins before speaking clearly.
"My name is Shiori Koromi. From today onward, I will protect this village. In return, I expect your loyalty and cooperation. Understood?"
There was a brief moment of silence. Then every goblin bowed deeply.
"Thank you, Great One!"
"You can thank me after we survive," I replied turning to face lute. "First, take me to the injured."
Lute guided us toward a large tent near the edge of the village. The moment I stepped inside, my expression darkened.
Rows of wounded goblins lay across the floor wrapped in bloodstained bandages. Some had deep claw marks across their chests while others were missing chunks of flesh entirely.
Several should have been dead already.
"I'm surprised they're still alive," I muttered honestly.
I knelt beside the nearest injured goblin.
{Healing Master activated}
Blue liquid-like mana flowed from my palms and spread gently across the goblin's wounds. The torn flesh stitched itself back together almost instantly. Gasps filled the tent.
The healing goblin slowly opened his eyes.
"Are… you an angel?"
I blinked. I know I'm cute and have white hair but angel is a bit of a stretch.
"No. Definitely not." I said
I moved on to the next patient before the villagers could start a religion around me.
One after another, wounds disappeared.
Broken bones repaired themselves. Pain faded.
The atmosphere slowly shifted from despair to disbelief.
"Amazing…" Kabu whispered. "A true great mage…"
Honestly, I was more surprised than they were.This healing ability was absurdly overpowered despite it draining a lot of mana, lucky me I ate a lot of cuta fruit on the way here
I need to improve my stamina
Then—
"THE WOLVES ARE BACK!"
A terrified scream echoed from outside.
Instant chaos erupted. Villagers panicked while others grabbed crude weapons.
I frowned immediately. Panic during an attack was the fastest route to dying horribly.
"There much scarier up close…" I muttered under my breath after stepping outside and seeing the approaching pack.
Large black wolves emerged from the forest with glowing eyes and exposed fangs. The biggest among them had a massive scar across one eye.
Definitely the alpha.
"Great Mage, what do we do?!" Lute asked desperately.
"First, calm everyone down," I ordered immediately. "Gather the civilians together and place the children in the center. Anyone capable of fighting should form a perimeter instead of running around uselessly."
Lute immediately nodded.
Finally.
Someone listening logically.
"Ryu, barrier support. Haruna, backup and evacuation if things go wrong."
"Right!"they said in unison
The wolves growled aggressively as they approached.
{Insight activated}
{Species: Dire Wolves}
{Level: 25}
{Rank: Intermediate}
{Strengths: speed, coordinated hunting, enhanced senses, sharp claws and fangs}
{Weaknesses: dependent on alpha leadership, highly territorial, instinct-driven}
Okay. That was manageable.Probably.
I stepped forward alone.
"Listen carefully!" I shouted toward the wolves. "We don't want unnecessary conflict. Turn around and leave peacefully!"
The alpha responded with a hostile growl.
…Yeah, diplomacy wasn't working.
Several wolves lunged simultaneously.
I dodged quickly, barely slipping past snapping jaws.
Thankfully, training with Ryu during our travels had improved my reflexes. I still wasn't some combat genius, but at least I could move properly now than before.
I struck one wolf across the head hard enough to knock it aside without killing it.
"I said LEAVE!"
Suddenly—
BOOM!
An energy blast exploded beside me.
"What the hell?!" I was shocked
The alpha lowered its head aggressively.
So it could use magic too.Fantastic.
Seeing the situation escalating, I quickly made a decision.
"Ryu! Protect the village!" Before anyone could question me, I sprinted deeper into the forest.As expected, the wolves chased after me.
Good
Fighting inside the village would only get civilians killed. Once far enough away, I stopped.
{Radar activated}
{Nearby area temporarily clear of additional threats}
Perfect.
The wolves surrounded me cautiously.
I continued dodging while waiting for an opening, though several attacks still landed.
"Ah—!"
One wolf bit directly into my arm. Pain exploded through my body. I immediately slammed it away while clutching the bleeding wound.
Fortunately, the injury wasn't fatal as it was already healing slowly. The wolves froze after smelling my blood.
Their eyes became sharper.
Hungrier.
The alpha suddenly charged personally.
"Foolish human!"
Right on cue
I smirked slightly.
The alpha leapt—
—and instantly froze midair.
Strong, thin, sharp webs wrapped around its body from every direction. The wolves panicked.
The goblins gasped behind the barrier.
"How is this possible?!" the alpha snarled while struggling violently
I exhaled slowly.
"Last chance. Leave peacefully."
"Why protect weak creatures?!" the alpha barked. "Only the strong deserve to rule this forest!"
I stared at it flatly. "I honestly don't care about your philosophy speech."
The alpha snarled harder.
"As long as I live, weak species will be exterminated! This is survival of the fittest!"
I sighed tiredly. "Then this negotiation is over."
I tightened the webs.The alpha's body split apart instantly. Blood splattered across the forest floor.
Silence.
Every remaining wolf froze in horror.
I slowly turned toward them while releasing my mana intentionally.
"I am Shiori Koromi," I declared coldly.
"Protector of this village. Your leader is dead. Leave. Now."
The pressure in the air intensified violently.
Even Ryu's barrier trembled. The wolves immediately lowered themselves to the ground.
"WE SUBMIT TO THE GREAT ONE!"
"…What?" I paused
I blinked.
That worked?
A notification appeared immediately.
{New Achievement unlocked}
{Saved endangered goblin settlement}
{Reward: Title — Goblin Queen}
{New Achievement unlocked}
{Defeated Alpha Dire Wolf}
{Reward: Alpha Authority acquired}
Wait.
Hold on.
So I could gain abilities without eating monsters? That changed literally everything.
"Um… did we win?" Lute asked nervously. I looked at the kneeling wolves.
Then at the celebrating goblins.
"…Yeah," I said slowly. "I think we did."
" they said in unison before running ahead.
The Pack was being led by a larger one with a large scar across its eye. That must be the leader. I stood at the village entrance as the pack stood before me, growling and glaring menacingly.
{Insight activated}
{Species: dire wolves}
{Lv: 25}
{Rank: intermediate}
{Strategy: biting, slashing, intimidating prey}
{Strength: razor sharp teeth and claws, night vision, Sharp senses}
{Weaknesses: they're vulnerable to fresh meat, easily distracted, depends on alpha male for orders}
"Look we don't want any trouble, just please go back to where you came from!" I yelled, my voice carrying across
They growled menacely as a few ran forward to attack. I dodged each attack swiftly using my agility.
During our walks, I'd managed to get used to this body, even trained with Ryu a bit. I might not be op level but I can still land a hit.
I leapt forward hitting a few wolves, just enough to knock them out instead of killing them like the thunder bear incident.
"I wouldn't ask again, please leave!" My eyes widenedas an energy blast came out of nowhere.
"What the hell?!....."I frowned at the alpha but had no time to think as his pack was already a pain to deal with.
Just then I had an idea, I ran deeper into a forest to which they stupidly followed as I to be expected. Once far enough I turned to face them with a smirk.
{Radar activated}
Thanks to my aura, the area was clear of any other monsters for the time being.
Prefect. It was easy dodging their attack thanks to my agility by they managed to get some hits as well.
"Ahhh!" I cried as one of them bit in my arm. I shook it off as I clenched my now bleeding armthat was now healing thanks to the healing properties of my blood. The dire wolves grinned, licking the blood on it's lips.
"Master your arm!" Haruna stated horrified as well as Ryu
"Don't worry, everything is going according to plan..." I smiled at them before facing the remaining pack, there mouths drooling from the scent of my blood, the alpha finally took initiative and ran in my direction.
"Foolish mortal!" Alpha scorwled.
I stood my ground unfazed as it bared it's fangs, lunging at me.
Only to stop midair...
Thedire wolf was confused as he was now retrained by my strong webs. The goblins gasped in surprise whereas the dire wolves froze with disbelief.
"How can this be?!" The alpha barked unable to believe his situation
"Look, we don't want any trouble, kindly tell your pack to leave at once..." I said
"Why bother protecting such weak monsters?! We're trying to make a new era of strong beasts to rule this forest!" The alpha barked unapologetic.
"I don't care for you goals, I'm here to make peace so quit all this pointless fighting"
"Foolish mortal!-"
"Are you willing to work with us or not?" I asked getting impatient and tired of his self-righteous bullshit.
"I would never agree to such a pathetic idea, as long as I draw a breath I will do everything it takes to eradicate weaklings species in this forest!" he growled. The goblinshorrified as they shook in fear.
"Then you leave me nochoice " I sighed in disappointwith that I, tighted my webbing around the alpha as it sliced in to pieces.
Blood splattered everywhere as I stood, glaring at the rest of the pack with a menacing stare.
"I am she shiori koromi! Protectors of the goblins, your leader is no more! So just LEAVE ALREADY!"
The air shifted as intended my mana emitted from my body. The barrier Ryu was holding was barely holding it together even with Haruna supporting him. The wolves slowly crawled there way through the intense wind and towards me.
Just leave already, I sweatdropped.
"WE OFFER OUR LOYALTY! OH GREAT ONE!" the bowed there heads at me.
What the heck?! I blinked stopping the tormoil.
{New Achievement unlocked}
{saved endangered goblins}
{Reward: you've been giving the title of goblin Queen}
{New Achievement unlocked}
{slain alpha dire wolf}
{Reward: dire wolf pelt, bite attack+3, title of new alpha}
What?! I stared at the holographic screen dumbfounded. So even if I don't eat the prey, I can still gain some cool stuff, this is a total game changer!
"Um did we win?" Luke asked waryly
"Yeah. I think we did" I smiled
The goblins celebrated as the wolves sat there like good little pups.
..............
After a few hours. I sat before both species on a make shift throne as Haruna and Ryu stood beside me.
"Listen up! I am your new master and now that the feud between your species is now resolved, you'll all be living together inmy spiritual space, under my leadership. Therefore, rules would be put in place to ensure a peaceful coexistence." I announced as Haruna and Ryu stood forward.
Rule 1: no attack humans!
Rule 2: any disagreement should be settled by a game! Or the new coming counsel!
Rule 3: belittling any race is strictly prohibited
Rule 4: betrayal is a capital offence, once caught you'll be exiled immediately.
Rule 5: any form of violence unless necessary is prohibited.
Ryu and Haruna stated respectively.
"Other rules would be added as time goes on, any questions?" I said with an unreadable expression.
A goblin rose his head,
"Yes, Lute?" I pointed at the goblin.
"What do you mean by living in your spiritual space?" He asked
"I am building a kingdom of different species, in a my spiritual space.You my dear subjects would be my first residents" I explained. Lute took back his hands as another rose theirs
"Yes?"
"What's a spiritual space?, great one"
"It's basically my own personal dimension, based on my knowledge and mana information, you'll understand once you're in there" I explained
Another rose their hands
"What's our new kingdom going to be called?
I grinned "it's called-.." I grinned
"Ethereal city!" Ryu stated, proudly cutting me off. Everyone awed at the name. Just then a hand was rised.
"What's this about a counsel?"
"Well, I wouldn't be around often, neither would my companions, that's why a counsel would be installed to run things while we're gone."
"And who would be on this counsel?" The goblin asked.
"For now, your goblin chief, lute and the previous second in command dire wolf, but as time goes on, new species as well as their leaders would be joining"
"Ok"
"Why can't we attack humans?"
"Humans are simply creatures, though they believe their complex due to the knowledge they hold. When they see a creature that's more stronger, they attack without hesitation due to there fears. most cities and kingdoms scattered across the world are pupolated by humans, I just don't want our kingdom to be considered a threat, hence don't attack humans "
"Um ok, I understand " they nodded
"Um great mage! Why must all disagreement be solved by games if not the counsel?" Kabu asked.
"Because kabu-san, games are a fun as well as creative way to solve a problem, violence is pointless and messy so I'm mostly against it, unless necessary."he nodded.
"Are there any other questions?" No one answered.
"I guess that's a no. Our main goal right now is to settle the situations involving food, clothing and shelter. once inside my domain, you'll be given a job based on your skills of expertise. But first let's start with introductions" i pointed at a random goblin as he stared back confused.
"Um, great mage I'm afraid besides me and my son none of our village has names" kabu interjected
Say what? He must have read my thoughts because he nodded.
"Were monsters my grace so we're supposedly nameless, we usually just communicate through our thoughts" he explained.
"Well that simply won't do." I sighed at the inconvenience
"I'll just have to give you guys names then" everyone's eyes widened with shock and surprise.
"Is that okay?" I wonder why there so shocked. The goblins and dire wolves celebrated joyfully, even kabu whose old was acting like a kid whose parents offered to take them on vacation. I sweatdropped at all there excitement.
All the goblins lined up into rows of two, male and female. Kabu was up first. he practically oozing with joy
"So have any suggestions for your name?" I asked wanting to get his opinions first.
He shook his head "whatever name you give me would do" he replied smiling.
My servants are practically my kin so I guess japanese style names would suite.
"Very well, from this day on, you name shall be, Dayama!" I announced, kabu's eyes watered with grateful tears as I internally panicked.
"Is there something wrong with it?!"
"No my grace I'm just so happy!" His body started glowing faintly.
"What's going on?!" I asked. I didn't form a contract so why the heck is he glowing?!
"Master, forming contract is basically owning the souls of you contractees whereas naming a monster is giving them a bit of you mana, in order words they aren't bound to you like I and Haruna" Ryu explained.
"I see " I nodded while stroking my imaginary beard. Up next was lute,
"Since families have a similar pattern in their members names, yours would be yamada!" I announced.
"I accept, great mage!" He bowed as he stared glowing before skipping to the father for a happy dance.
"Um ok~ let's name the rest of you!"
....
"And yours is mika!" I said naming the final goblin. I felt super drained but tried not to let it show.
"Next up, the dire wolves" I turned to the monsters in question.
"Um pardon me my grace but are you sure you want to name everyone today?" Dayama asked worriedly.
"Why not, the sooner were done with this, the better, right?" I said staring ahead.
"I ... Suppose " he frowned a bit.
"Ok, let's begin" I stood before the previous second in command dire wolf, it had grey fur while the others were navy blue, I also noticed the star sharped birthmark near it's right ear"
I wonder if he's upset that I killed his father, I hope his not hostile about it and bro doesn't begin his villain arc.
I pointed at him.
"I shall name you, Fang. suddenly, my head felt really woozy.
{⚠️⚠️ Warning! Warning! Mana has been depleted to the minimum capacity!⚠️⚠️}
{MandatoryMana recovery period: 3 days}
"Master!" I heard Ryu's panicked voice as he caught me before I could fall.
Damn, you should have told me about this first, yamada!
Then, everything went black. The last thing I Heard was haruna 's and Ryuchi's panicked voice.