17 Progress

Before he could set out to hunt, Kei first needed to take care of a few problems. Since he gained two new subordinates, he had to provide them with weapons and housing. Therefore, preparations would be made until evening.

(It looks like I'll have to make a small investment with these kids. Let's just hope this pays off in the long run…)

He ordered Yujin and Ai to wait at his shed. Since the younger goblins were still too weak, it would be a waste if they somehow died while collecting wood in the forest. He also wanted to save time. After moving to some nearby trees, he made sure that nobody was watching. Kei then activated morphing and switched his arms with claws. He cut down multiple trees into thin pieces of wood. With more than enough to build two sheds, he deactivated morphing, and then carried the wood back to the village.

[Okay! I've brought the materials. You guys can at least build a shed of your own right?]

Yujin: [Kawai, you have already done so much for us! Of course we can build it.]

Ai: [Ai will do her best!]

(Now that they're doing that, I can deal with the other problems…)

Kei headed back towards the forest so he could switch to a rabbit using mimicry. He already knew what he had to do if the goblins even stood a fighting chance of surviving.

(This pain will be worth it… It will pay off in the long term… just endure it!)

He ripped off all three claws from his right hand, one by one. The pain was excruciating. To prevent any severe blood loss, Kei transformed back and forth between his rabbit and goblin forms for each time he pulled off a claw. Hypothetically, Kei could do this to obtain an infinite amount of claws. This is because when he switches between forms, even after losing a body part, the form of the body returns back to its original shape. However, since the pain is still retained, it wouldn't be practical for Kei to do this all the time.

(Finally…done.)

He now had three claw weapons. Two of them were for his younger goblin subordinates. The other one was a back-up, just in case anything happened. These claws were much more durable than a typical spear. They could also deal more damage. With this, his subordinates could potentially become even stronger than most goblins; regardless of the fact that they lacked a spear skill.

(The pain in my hand is annoying, but it'll heal soon enough. Thankfully, I've overcome more dreadful situations. This is nothing compared to what I had to face on the first day.)

Noting this, he decided to test out one more thing before once again returning to the village.

(How do I use my skills in front of those kids without exposing my identity? The barrier, resistances, and venom can be easily hidden. That being said, how should I go about hiding my claws?)

After testing out many forms, Kei finally came up with the best one. It seemed like he could use morphing to grow claws from his forearms. This way, he could maintain his goblin form, while still using the claws as a weapon. If one had to describe how it looked, three claws protruded from the forearms of both of his arms. They looked like very well-made weapons. If his subordinates asked, he'd tell them that it was a weapon he stumbled across through sheer luck. Since they were quite obedient, Ai and Yujin would most likely not probe for more explanations. Having took care of the problem, it was now time to head back.

(Wow, done already… These guys are pretty good! It looks like I made the right decision in choosing them.)

Although less than two hours had passed, Yujin and Ai had both already managed to create a decent living space. Kei was pleased. Including his own, there were now three sheds side-by-side.

(Their house is even bigger than my mine… *sigh*… I'll ask them to renovate it later.)

Content with the preparations, Kei handed them both a claw. He stashed the other one in his shed.

(Oh… here we go again…)

Upon receiving the gift, the younger goblins began to slightly tear up. He could see that they were overjoyed by the fact that someone cared for them. Even more so, they wanted to meet his expectations.

(Enough waterworks… the preparations are made. It's time to go level up.)

Before setting off, Kei had one last command for his subordinates.

[If you guys follow me and listen to exactly what I say, you'll become much stronger. You'll also never have to starve a day in your lives again. Work hard and be cautious…]

Yujin and Ai: [Yes sir!]

They had finally entered the forest. Knowing that the main goal for today was to level up and train his subordinates, Kei decided not to go too far.

(This is a win-win for me. Even from fighting snakes, I can slowly level up. Also, while I'm exhausted, these guys can continue fighting the snakes and getting stronger. They need to be at least somewhat strong if I want to make use of them when we go deeper into the forest.)

After walking for about a half hour, Kei spotted two red dots on his radar. When they approached, he could see two snakes. He slashed one of them and killed it instantly. Surprisingly, he advanced to level 30. This was probably because he was already close to leveling up. Yesterday, after fighting the bat leader, he was level 28. However, after killing many snakes on his way back to the village (after losing to the spider), it seemed like he jumped almost two levels.

(I probably need to kill a couple of snakes just to level up once. It really is tougher the higher my level increases.)

There was now one snake left. He ordered Yujin and Ai to engage it.

(Adult goblins usually have to fight in large groups of five or more just to kill one. But, with their new weapon, I think these kids can manage.)

After almost an hour of fighting, they finally managed to defeat the snake. Right before it died, Kei took the chance to strengthen his venom and poison resistance by stealing its abilities. He also kept his radar activated to avoid any interruptions to the fight.

Yujin: [We did it! *breathes deeply*]

Ai: [Did you see that Kawai! Are you proud of me?]

(These kids are too innocent... Either way, their performance so far has gone beyond my expectations. It looks we'll be able to make progress quickly.)

Kei got them to eat the snake meat they earned in order to recover faster. Until the sun came down, they continued their hunt. By the end of the day, a total of thirty snakes were slain. Yujin and Ai killed five of them, while Kei killed the rest. This was due to echolocation which allowed him to find prey more easily.

(It looks like we've advanced well.)

The younger goblins could now kill a snake with less difficulty. Furthermore, Kei had advanced a few levels. A small bonus was that he also managed to slightly strengthen venom and poison resistance.

(Time to head back.)

They returned to the village with a few snake corpses. After eating, he advised his subordinates to stash the remaining food under some grass. This would prevent any unwanted attention.

(It looks like they're sleep.)

It was already night and most of the goblins were heading back to their sheds. Ai and Yujin were already passed out in their rooms. Since Kei had "Unwavering", he could stay up for however long he wanted. Nevertheless, he was mentally exhausted and didn't want to fight dangerous monsters in the forest.

(I guess I'll train a bit.)

He covered the outside of his shed with the remaining wood from the morning. He didn't want anyone to pass by and see what he was doing. Kei then activated "Spider Silk". Before the sun came up, he'd spend the rest of the night testing it out and practicing his control.