Chapter 10

### Chapter 10: New Adventurer Bern (8) – Plans and Reality Are Different

Bern looked around.

The number of goblins was approximately eighty.

Most of them wore makeshift armor woven from animal hides, and about one in ten had armor tailored to fit their bodies.

Their weapons were mostly made of wood or stone rather than metal, but even so, the edges gleamed oddly, indicating they might have been coated with poison.

This force was enough to threaten an ordinary village and potentially even a small fief.

Ordinarily, one knight and a mage piggybacking on that knight wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Rest assured. Chopping off your heads is simple, but I’ll give you one last chance.”

The enemy seemed to understand this as well. The Goblin Lord spoke confidently, as if the outcome was already decided.

On the surface, at least.

“…He’s stalling for time, waiting for the hunting party to return.”

At first glance, the Goblin Lord appeared to be relaxed, leaving openings, but Bern realized he was actually ready to act at any moment.

This much strength should be sufficient. However, there’s always the possibility of an unforeseen event. Bern wanted to increase their chances of success.

The calculations and tactics executed so naturally by this Goblin Lord were impressive.

“Good that we found you quickly.”

Bern acknowledged that this Goblin was a very extraordinary being.

He wasn’t just intelligent and physically strong, but also cautious, courageous, and ambitious.

If more time was given and this horde managed to raid a fief, learning advanced metallurgy, tactics, and especially magic… without a doubt, it would become a catastrophe.

“Surrender, humans.”

After discerning the enemy’s intentions, Bern knew there was no need to waste time.

But even knowing this, Bern decided to engage in conversation for now.

Originally, he had planned to settle things quickly, but the situation had changed.

After analyzing the size of the cavern, the single entrance, and the arrangement of the enemies, Bern believed it might be possible to eliminate them without chasing them one by one.

“Signal, don’t forget.”

“…”

Bern murmured quietly enough for only Blanka, who was piggybacking on him, to hear, then turned his attention back to the Goblin Lord.

“Surrender? You expect us to become your prey without even fighting?”

“The weak and useless are the ones we eat. Both humans and goblins are no exception.”

“Not us?”

“Didn’t you destroy my territory and prove your strength?”

“Which makes you our target, doesn’t it?”

“Killing you won’t bring my fallen soldiers back. But if I could recruit you, my power would grow even stronger.”

“That sounds tempting, but even so, living as slaves in a cave doesn’t appeal to me.”

“While we may be here now, things will change soon. Rest assured, I don’t intend to treat you like worthless slaves.”

“Hmm.”

Bern feigned consideration.

To an outside observer, it might seem like he was genuinely considering the Goblin Lord’s offer, enough to make even Blanka, who was on his back, suspicious.

If not for the earlier whisper from Bern, she might have fled already.

The Goblin Lord, perhaps believing he had Bern hooked, his golden eyes gleamed with excitement.

“Think carefully, human. From the time of my birth to building this force, it took less than half a year.”

“Hooh.”

To the Goblin Lord, Bern’s ‘Hooh’ seemed like an expression of pure admiration as he leaned back arrogantly and continued.

“What about my kingdom’s strength in one year, three years, or even ten years from now? What kind of power, wealth, and honor could you acquire from that?”

“Ugh… It is tempting indeed.”

“You’ll only face death if you refuse. Accept, and you’ll gain glory. What is there to hesitate about?”

It was then that Bern heard commotion from behind.

“Grick!”

“Griluk!”

The sound of many creatures scurrying indicated the return of the hunting party, likely alerted to the disturbance at the base.

Though their equipment was cruder than those who had remained with the Goblin Lord, their numbers were significantly greater.

They all exuded an aura of anger, having likely been annoyed by the Green Hunter’s scent placed at the entrance.

Bern was slowly pushed toward the center of the cavern and surrounded by the mass of goblins.

“Tsk, tsk. Your hesitation has cost you. If you had sworn allegiance earlier, you could have been treated well as a loyal subject.”

With a tone of mock regret, the Goblin Lord spoke.

“Was stalling for time your objective from the beginning?”

“Hmm. Is that important now?”

“What if you swear allegiance now? Would you accept?”

“Yes, I will. However, the treatment will be less favorable than before. What will you do? This is your last chance.”

In response to the Goblin Lord’s words, dozens of goblins surrounded Bern, weapons drawn.

Behind him, Blanka clenched his clothes tightly.

Bern replied—not with words but with an action.

“Whoosh!”

The softball-sized cotton bundle in Bern’s right hand flew toward the Goblin Lord, emitting a menacing sound despite its fluffy appearance.

The Goblin Lord instinctively sensed danger and swiftly rolled to the side.

The cotton bundle hit the chair he had been sitting on, and it disintegrated instantly as if struck by a giant iron ball.

The Goblin Lord rolled on the ground and shouted.

“Kill him!!”

“Gruiiik!”

The goblins charged toward Bern en masse.

Blanka, who had remained silent till then, finally shouted.

“What now?!”

“We’ll do this!”

Bern leaped forward.

Ahead of him, the goblins were tightly packed, weapon in hand, yet Bern didn’t flinch.

“Taatt!”

“Grik!”

Bern jumped into the air, and the goblin whose face his boot stepped on screamed.

With that, Bern used the heads of the goblins as stepping stones and hurtled himself toward the cavern wall.

Blanka, riding on Bern’s back, was now somewhat accustomed to the movement but still found the situation absurd.

If one of the goblins’ weapons were to graze him, it could sever his foot or leg.

Even if it didn’t cut him, losing balance on such unstable stepping stones would easily bury him in the enemy ranks.

But Bern showed no hesitation, advancing confidently and without restraint.

Finally, Bern’s foot landed on something other than a goblin’s head.

Simultaneously, Blanka’s view spun around.

It was inevitable.

Bern wasn’t stepping on the ground but the wall of the cavern itself.

The vast cavern that the Goblin Lord had chosen as his grand setting was wide not only to the sides but also upward.

Running diagonally up the uneven and rugged wall, Bern called out to Blanka.

“The center! Fire at it! Full power!”

“Are you sane?!”

“An adventurer should be able to handle this!”

There’s no adventurer in the world that crazy!!

Blanka wanted to scream this but, even as she did, her hands moved without hesitation toward the ground.

Most of the magic power she had left flowed out of her instantly, manifesting into a tremendous surge of fire.

Indeed, the previous chaotic roaming had paid off as aiming was surprisingly easy.

“The Magic of Burning Stones”

“Hwoooosh!”

The intense heat felt above made the Goblin Lord’s eyes tremble.

But, he was no ordinary goblin.

“Such a size of fire… It won’t be enough to annihilate us all!”

Even though roughly ten might be killed, probably more considering the tight ranks, most of the forces would surely survive.

He resolved to kill them all afterward. Grabbing the two nearest goblins to use as shields, his calculations proved correct.

That is, if only the massive greasy cotton bundle wedged in his throne hadn’t absorbed the equivalent of a giant orc-sized amount of oil.

The limits of a young Goblin Lord, who despite innate intelligence and talent, had limited experience with the world beyond.

The flames Blanka shot hit the chair and quickly ignited the surface of the cotton bundle.

The moment the compressed oil sprayed out and touched the flames…

“Kuaaaawaaaaaang!”

Light, heat, shockwave.

An overwhelming firepower that even the two men, who were almost at the ceiling, could feel.

Blanca, who barely opened her eyes, found herself gawking at the scene below.

The green army, equipped with fine gear and exhibiting military discipline uncharacteristic of goblins, had all been incinerated.

The goblins near the center were charred black and instantly dead, while those a little farther were writhing in agony, their bodies ablaze.

Among the survivors was the Goblin Lord as well.

“Chuhk, nghh, gyaAAAAaaaak…!!”

Thanks to his naturally stronger physique compared to other goblins and his quick-witted use of others as shields, his condition was the best among those who had been scorched by the fire.

However, this very fact exacerbated his pain and prolonged it.

Suffering from the oil that refused to extinguish and stuck to his skin, the Goblin Lord wriggled on the ground like a worm.

He couldn’t comprehend this situation.

Or rather, he didn’t want to understand.

He was a being born with special destiny.

He was someone destined to transcend the limits of goblins and elevate his race.

Could this really be it? Could this be the meaningless end without fulfilling any of his ambitions?

Faced with Bern, who approached with a composed expression, the Goblin Lord spat out a curse.

“Ughh, don’t, be so… smug. If only you had… given me, just a little… more time! Then someone like… YOU!!”

To this, Bern momentarily furrowed his brow.

Then, in a tone that betrayed his lack of understanding, he said.

“…Isn’t it exactly you who shortened your own time?”

“What?”

“If you needed more time, you should have been careful not to expose yourself. If you had strengthened your forces gradually and carefully instead of expanding recklessly, it would have taken much longer for anyone to notice the changes.”

Bern pronounced his verdict calmly, albeit cruelly.

“You didn’t fail because of bad luck but due to your own mistakes.”

The corners of the Goblin Lord’s eyes quivered.

Without hesitation, Bern cleaved through the Goblin Lord’s fallen head, retrieving the trophy.

And then he said to Blanka.

“This is quite a good result for a first mission, wouldn’t you say?”

Blanka stared silently at Bern.

Her gaze was like that of a cat observing the universe.