But then, moments later...
Bonk!
BONK!
BONK!
Well, for some reason, it barely even tickled!
I knew those big goblins were putting all their strength into those attacks, but... it was futile. It felt more like someone repeatedly tapping your leg with a spoon. More annoying than painful.
The muscular goblins certainly looked terrifying, but that was only compared to the smaller ones, who were about the size of human children.
In truth, the two giants were little more than average dudes who had spent a bit too much time at the gym. Sure, their muscles were bulky, and their baldy heads were scary, but they were still far too weak to threaten me. Their attacks couldn’t even leave a scratch on my sturdy iron gate.
With that realization, all my worries vanished in an instant.
Haha! Looks like I was scared for nothing!
My walls were thick and sturdy, and my gate was made of solid iron. It wasn’t something a mere bunch of angry goblins could break so easily.
But damn...
These goblins were persistent!
Even when their attacks failed to leave so much as a scratch, they kept hammering away at the gate without giving up.
BONK! BONK!
CLANG! CLANG!
Some of them even tried committing arson.
They hurled burning torches over my walls, apparently hoping to set my castle ablaze.
But...
Well, I was an empty castle!
It wasn’t like I had much inside that could actually catch fire!
At worst, they could burn a little grass in my overgrown courtyard.
Still, I didn’t want to take any chances. So, before the torches could even touch the ground, I activated my Inventory skill.
[Ding!]
[Obtained: 1 Torch]
[Obtained: 1 Torch]
[Obtained: 1 Torch]
[Obtained: 1 Torch]
[Obtained: 1 Torch]
[Obtained: 1 Torch]
...
Yoink!
Any torch that entered my Inventory’s designated area, which basically covered my entire territory, was instantly absorbed!
But the stupid goblins just kept throwing them.
Again.
And again.
And again.
Until they had nothing left.
In just a few minutes, they’d practically handed me thirty free torches.
Thirty!
If I sold them later, that was another three easy Points!
Soon enough, the goblins were absolutely bewildered when they realized their torches were mysteriously disappearing into thin air. And that only made them angrier.
Meanwhile, I was laughing internally.
"Muahaha! Let me see what else you’ve got!"
Eventually, some of them decided to climb over my walls.
This time, however, unlike their previous attempts, they had brought ladders! If they used them properly, they could actually climb over the walls with relative ease.
I had to admit, these guys knew how to make basic tools. So they clearly possessed at least some level of civilization.
Anyway, several goblins propped their ladders against my outer walls and began climbing. And before long, five of them had made it into my courtyard, including the two big, muscular ones.
The moment they landed, they immediately marched toward my main wooden door.
That door was made of thick wood, so it obviously wasn’t nearly as sturdy as my iron gate. If those two giants started smashing it with their stone hammers, there was a real chance they could eventually break through.
I couldn’t let that happen.
So I did what I had to do.
A massive block of stone, which I’d purchased from the shop earlier, suddenly dropped from above and landed directly in front of them.
BAM!
The goblins shrieked and jumped backward in panic.
Then I dropped another block.
BOOM!
That got the message across.
Come any closer, and I’ll crush the lot of you with these rocks!
"YARAA!"
The goblins finally seemed to realize that invading my castle was a terrible idea. Fear spread rapidly through the group, and they began retreating.
Everyone was in complete panic now.
They hurried back toward the ladders.
But then... another evil idea popped into my mind.
Well... now that there’s a perfectly good ladder sitting inside my territory...
Muehehehe...
It’s mine!
[Ding!]
[Obtained: 1 Ladder!]
"YAAAAAAAAARRRR!!!"
The moment the ladder mysteriously disappeared, the five trapped goblins screamed in pure terror!
They ran around wildly, jumping desperately at the walls and searching for another way out.
But there was none.
They were now trapped like rats in a cage!
"Muahahaha!"
I couldn’t help laughing internally as I watched them scramble around in panic. For some reason, this was incredibly amusing!
I could have dropped my spears and eliminated those goblins right then and there. But after thinking it over, I decided against it.
The other goblins outside were watching everything.
They were already terrified.
The goblins trapped inside were screaming for help, while the others could do nothing but watch.
If I killed them now, it might completely destroy whatever impression I’d managed to make on the group.
And with my long-term plan of eventually turning a goblin into one of my citizens, that could be a disaster.
Then, to my surprise, the goblins outside suddenly dropped to their knees. They began bowing and pleading with me to spare their companions.
Huh?
I was genuinely surprised.
They actually care about each other?
That somehow contrasted deeply with how I had always been viewing these guys. After all, the ones I killed were all willing to kill their own kin over a tiny piece of steak.
Well... in that case, I decided to be a merciful castle.
I opened the gate and released the trapped goblins.
The moment they were free, they scrambled back to their companions, some of them embracing one another in obvious relief.
The leader then stepped forward and bowed deeply toward me.
Even though I couldn’t understand a single word of Goblish, the gesture was impossible to misunderstand.
It was gratitude.
And perhaps an apology for attacking me in the first place.
Yep.
I’d shown them mercy.
I sincerely hoped this would lead to a better future. A future where I could finally gain my first goblin citizens.
But then... I suddenly realized something.
I fucked up.
As the group regrouped, the elder goblin walked up to my gate and placed a wooden stick in the ground.
The stick was decorated with crude skull carvings and strange markings.
After placing it there, the goblin turned around and shouted something to the others.
Then the entire group left.
At the time, I had absolutely no idea what it meant.
But soon... I figured it out.
It was a warning sign. A message to every goblin who might wander into this territory.
It basically said:
"Fellow goblins, DO NOT ENTER THIS CASTLE!"