Big Brother Blin Muguo had never heard of such a thing before,but he knew there were rare humans in this world blessed with extraordinary abilities—innate superpowers.
Even so, he understood one thing very clearly:
The young human standing before him must be an exceptionally powerful figure among humans.
Minori, however, paid little attention to Blin Muguo's furtive glances.
Who cared about a dead goblin?
At best, Blin Muguo was a disposable tool—nothing more.
Minori calmly reviewed the various pieces of information he had extracted.
There was no reason to let this goblin survive longer than necessary.
The only reason Blin Muguo was still breathing was simple:He knew the location of nearby goblin settlements.
Once he had served his purpose—
Minori would dispose of him without hesitation.
The Next Day.
Minori continued his plan of efficiently gathering combat experience.
With Blin Muguo slung over his shoulder like a sack of grain, he advanced deeper into the outskirts of the Great Tob Forest.
However—
A problem quickly emerged.
The goblins in the surrounding area had already been largely cleared out by him.
This wasn't YGGDRASIL, where monsters respawned at fixed intervals.
The goblins were real creatures, fully capable of sensing danger.
Even beings as dim-witted as goblins would, after weeks of slaughter, realize that something was hunting them—and would flee or hide.
After an hour of searching, Minori had barely gained two hundred experience points.
It was a stark contrast to the efficient leveling he had enjoyed before.
His expression darkened slightly.
"Are you sure there are no other goblin tribes nearby?"
He threw Blin Muguo roughly to the ground, the goblin landing with a muffled grunt.
Minori's gaze was cold and sharp, like a blade pressed against the skin.
Blin Muguo, trembling all over, immediately prostrated himself.
"No more, Human-sama!All the goblin tribes in this area... you have already destroyed them!"
The goblin's forehead pressed against the dirt as he whimpered out his answer.
After a brief hesitation, he added cautiously:
"There are more goblins... deeper in the jungle..."
Minori remained silent.
He planted his iron sword firmly into the soft earth beside him and tapped the hilt thoughtfully.
Deeper into the jungle?
He considered the idea, but immediately rejected it.
It wasn't fear that held him back.
It was calculation.
Venturing deeper meant encountering ogres.
Ogres weren't mere obstacles.
They were a different class of threat entirely.
Even now, Minori clearly remembered:
In the anime, ogres displayed absurd regenerative abilities.
In the light novel, Ainz Ooal Gown had once smashed half of an ogre's skull in a single blow—only for the monster to fully regenerate moments later.
Even Ainz had stated:
"Even if you crush an ogre into pulp, given enough time, it will heal."
A monster like that was the bane of warrior types.
Minori, whose strongest attacks were still purely physical,knew it would be extremely difficult—almost impossible—to kill an ogre at his current level.
Moreover—
Some of the Eastern Giant Ogres prowling the deeper regions were said to exceed Level 30.
Facing one would be suicide.
"Could the disturbances I've caused already have attracted the attention of the ogres...?"
Minori's thoughts grew solemn.
No—for now, it was better to stay in the outer areas.
If anything unexpected happened, he could still retreat safely.
Grabbing Blin Muguo by the scruff of the neck,Minori resumed his hunt, carefully seeking out remaining goblins and monsters without venturing too deep.
As for supplies—
Despite preparing for a month-long campaign, he had already burned through most of his initial stores.
Yet this was no major concern.
Wild game was plentiful.
Minori had already stored three wild boars in his magic item box.
Water was easily replenished from clean streams.
Food and drink would not be a problem.
He was now only around 3,000 experience points short of reaching his next advancement.
The gain was slow—painfully so—but he estimated it would only delay him by a day or two.
That was acceptable.
Meanwhile — In the Eastern Tob Forest.
In the eastern reaches of the Great Tob Forest,there existed a place known as a "forest crack."
It wasn't a canyon or crevasse—rather, it was an abnormal clearing in the otherwise dense jungle.
Such places often formed due to:
Forest fires,
Widespread tree deaths,
Or natural disasters.
This particular clearing was a hill,an extension of the Angelisia Mountains merging into the jungle.
Strangely—
Despite the terrain being perfectly suitable for tree growth,the entire area was barren.
Only the remains of ruined trees littered the landscape:
Some trunks lay snapped and scattered like discarded matchsticks,
Others were uprooted and hurled,
Still others were reduced to splinters.
There was not a single undamaged tree left standing.
At the base of the hill, partially hidden by the wreckage,yawned the entrance to a massive cave—four to five meters high.
It was the lair of the ogres.
Ogres had few requirements for their homes.
Dark, damp caves suited them perfectly.
As creatures with superior night vision, they found no disadvantage in such environments.
There were no guards outside the cave.
There was no need.
In this domain—
Even the bravest monsters dared not approach.
However, on this day—
Two big goblins, around 1.5 meters tall with pale green skin, stood nervously near the entrance.
Their bodies quivered with tension as they glanced fearfully into the dark cave.
Time passed.
Finally—
A figure emerged from the shadows.
It was a young big goblin.
Barely the height of a human child, his skin tone paler, his pointed ears drooping.
Clearly, he was an underage big goblin.
The two older big goblins rushed forward anxiously.
"Agu, are you alright?!"
Their concern was genuine—and fearful.
This "Agu" was none other than the fourth son of the Gigu Tribe's chief.
Agu forced a stiff, ugly smile.
He looked defeated.
The two older goblins immediately understood.
Their expressions grew even more uneasy, but not surprised.
One goblin spoke in a low, trembling voice:
"Trolls...Trolls don't care about such things.They only see us as food..."
He glanced nervously into the depths of the cave.
His entire body shivered.