"Hmm..."
A low, guttural growl echoed from the dense underbrush nearby.
The goblin Blin Muguo's long, tattered ears twitched sharply. He hurriedly approached Minori, speaking in a tense, hoarse whisper.
"My lord, something stirs in the thicket."
Minori silently turned toward the source of the sound.Drawing his iron sword, he stepped forward without hesitation and pushed aside the thick grass with its flat side.
Lying there, trembling and whimpering, was a small beast—
A juvenile Demonic Hound.
Its body was covered in coarse black fur.Small horns protruded from its forehead, resembling those of a young goat, and a chain of darkened bone was loosely wrapped around its torso.Aside from these unsettling traits, it resembled the large black warhounds Minori remembered from YGGDRASIL.
The creature shrank back under Minori's gaze, its yellow eyes wide with terror.
It was roughly fifty centimeters long — sizable for a mundane animal, but pitifully small compared to adult Demonic Hounds, which could easily reach three meters in length.
"My lord, it is but a whelp," Blin Muguo said with obvious relief, his tone turning fawning."No wonder the greater ones lingered in hesitation despite your overwhelming might."
Minori regarded the pup dispassionately.
Ugly.That was his first judgment — but it was a practical observation, not an emotional one.It was a creature bred for violence, not aesthetics.
Having assessed no immediate threat, Minori turned away without a second glance.
Rustle.
After walking a few steps, Minori paused.
He heard soft, desperate sounds from behind him.
Turning, he saw the small Demonic Hound crawling out of the grass, its thin body trembling, yet following him cautiously.
Minori stopped and looked down with a blank, unreadable expression.
"Are you attempting to avenge your kin?"His voice was devoid of emotion, cold as steel.
The pup whimpered—
Then, without warning, it rolled onto its back, exposing its vulnerable belly and splaying its limbs helplessly in the dirt.
A clear gesture of submission.
Minori's brow rose slightly.
"...What does this mean?"
"It offers obedience, my lord!" Blin Muguo exclaimed hastily, his voice thick with awe."It seeks to follow you!"
The goblin's greenish face shone with admiration — for the pup's instincts, and far more for the man it had chosen to serve.
Minori studied the little beast silently.
Heh.
He had slaughtered its parents, yet it sought to submit to him.Perhaps, in the hierarchy of monsters, strength was the only law.
Such a mindset was hardly foreign to the New World—or to Nazarick.
Minori exhaled softly through his nose, amused without smiling.
Goblins, Demonic Hounds, humans—it seemed loyalty was a currency cheapened by fear.
He turned away again without another word.
The matter was of little importance now.
Meanwhile—
The stench of blood from the slain adult hounds slowly spread through the forest, carried on the evening breeze.
Ordinarily, such a scent would have attracted numerous wild beasts eager to scavenge.But today—an unnatural fear gripped the jungle.
The beasts had learned.This area reeked not only of blood, but of death itself.
To venture here meant only one thing:
To join the corpses.
Yet not all heeded such warnings.
Rustle. Rustle.
From behind a patch of bushes, three cautious figures emerged.
They were not beasts — but goblins.
Three members of the Gigu Tribe, a relatively organized goblin clan known to haunt the fringes of the Great Tob Forest.
One was short and wiry, while the other two were broad-shouldered and muscular, each carrying a rough woven basket on their back.
They hesitated, scanning the clearing.
No immediate danger.
No human figure.
Only the bloodied remains of two Demonic Hounds.
That was enough.
The small goblin — the leader, Agu — immediately scampered forward and examined the corpses, his clawed fingers probing the wounds.
The two larger goblins followed, their steps heavy and uncertain.
"What is it, Agu?" one of them stammered, eyeing the bloody ground warily."Was it... an ogre that killed them?"
"No."Agu's voice was tight with excitement."The wounds are too clean. And the bone chains are missing.No ogre would bother to strip such things."
He straightened, his beady eyes gleaming.
"It's the human."
Fear flashed across the other goblins' faces.
"Agu... Are you sure we should seek him out?"One asked, his voice trembling."He slew even the Demonic Hounds... We cannot match him."
But Agu was resolute.
"We must.""Our brother carried the treasures of the tribe. If he yet lives—or if his corpse remains—we must recover it."
At the mention of the tribe's treasure, the reluctant goblins stiffened, their fear momentarily forgotten.
Agu crouched, dipped two fingers into a pool of congealed blood, and licked them.
His lips curled in satisfaction.
"Still fresh. He passed through not long ago."
Just then—
Gurgle. Gurgle.
Loud rumbling noises erupted from the stomachs of the two larger goblins.
Agu followed their hungry gazes to the Demonic Hound corpses.
A moment of hesitation.
Then—
"Eat," he commanded.
Instantly, the goblins lunged forward, tearing into the carcasses with feral hunger.
Even Agu joined them after a few heartbeats of restraint.
—
The forest filled with the nauseating sounds of snapping bones and the squelch of flesh torn by sharp teeth.
Evening.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, the forest grew darker, the shadows lengthening and blending together.
Minori moved no further.
He found a tall, sturdy tree and ascended into its branches with practiced ease, securing himself in a concealed perch.
Checking his status panel, he noted his progress:
Experience: 9382 / 9500
A small, cold smile ghosted across his face.
"Only 118 points remain."
"Tomorrow, without incident, I will advance once more."
The faint scent of blood, damp earth, and the looming silence of the Great Tob Forest filled the air.
Minori closed his eyes briefly, focusing his mind.