Chapter 50: Past echoes (2)

With each second and day that pass, third-order energy enters his portal and becomes his to use. Normally, this energy would be directly used to fuel his own growth. But since he is currently dealing with a crisis that could be a potential danger to his own life, the child cannot be worried about how he grows for the time being. As most, if not all, of his energy would be needed to deal with the coming threat.

Now the real question in this case would be, "How exactly should he distribute his energy use?

The most concerning part that got him thinking was troop creation. As the day goes by, the child could create a few goblins if he so pleases. To be exact, he could create close to eight, if not seven, goblins in a single day. If we assume that the kobolds and the guardian will attack in the next week, then he could take this week to amass up to 50 goblins.

Mixed with the current 20 goblins, they would total up to 70 goblins. Which is a staggering number compared to the meager number of 30 or so kobolds.

Of course, in a frontal clash, the kobolds would win. Still, if the methods were right and these 70 goblins were used correctly, with the power of quantity, he could win over quality.

He could do that, or he could do something opposite of that. Rather than making 50 goblins, he could make 14 goblins. which, when added up with the current 8, would total up to 22.

A number that barely reaches up to the current kobold amount. But unlike making goblins, which would focus on quantity, it would be more focused on quality instead.

'Which one is better, quantity or quality?'

After thinking about it for a little while, the child made his decision.

'I guess it doesn't really matter which one is better; what's important is which one is most suitable for this situation. And the way I see it, quantity seems like it would not be useful here.'

If it was only the kobolds the child was going to deal with, maybe he could have considered quantity. And that's a big maybe. Considering that the goblins have almost nothing other than better weaponry than the kobolds, having more of them wouldn't be much help. Even more so considering how cowardly the race can be.

The slightly braver and much stronger hobgoblin would be much better. more so when considering that they could use the giant crossbow currently being made. The biggest problem with the hobgoblins would be their stamina. As they were not made for long-term battle, it wouldn't be a good idea to count on them to last long in battle.

'Should I go back to developing the light-weight metal?'

It did not seem like a bad idea to the child. The only problem was that it would cost third-order energy to try and develop. There was not even a perfect guarantee of success.

'How should I distribute the energy use?'

'Should I gamble and try to see if I could develop the light-weight metal?'

'Play it safe and just create as many hobgoblins as I can?'

'Or should I try to develop a lot of goblins and drown the enemy in goblins? But how am I going to deal with equipment costs that way?'

'How should I take down the guardian? Would it even be a good idea to antagonize a world guardian?'

The child felt as if his head was starting to hurt. Even though he actually had no head. Multiple ideas and thoughts came to his head, but he did not know exactly which one would be best in his current situation.

'Maybe I should just pack up and go. It would not be funny if I were to die accidentally on a low-level world like this. I should wait until I am stronger.

'No, what I've done is too much to just leave now. Plus, it will take too long for me to actually close the portal. By the time I do..."

'What If we try and use my magic to conceal or lock the portal, they can't hurt what they can't reach, right?

'Or we could make a bomb...'

'We should hide, and they won't."

'Let's just...'

For some reason, he suddenly felt it hard to choose, as if he had multiple people whispering in his ears. Ideas and thoughts of how to go forward came to mind. Each was true, but none was telling the truth.

The thoughts kept getting louder and louder, but as they grew louder, the more unfamiliar the voices became.

'Why did we come here in the first place?"

'We are going to die!'

'What's going on? What's happening here?"

'What is that thing?'

'Noo, I do not want to die, save me!'

As the voices continued, they trailed off from the topic.

'Is this the end?'

'Commander, the monsters have already breached our walls!'

'It was nice knowing you, soldier."

'Mommy, what's going on?'

'Close your eyes, dear; it'll all be over soon."

'What have we done to deserve this?'

As the foreign voices echoed in his head, it was a single sigh that broke all the commotion. Bringing silence to the child's mind.

'sigh.'

As the child finally calmed down. His senses spread far and wide. Checking everything in hopes of at least understanding a little bit of what just happened.

"What was that?"

The child asked himself, but even as she searched his own memories and all parts of his body, he still could not understand what exactly happened to him.

At that moment, as his thoughts were driving off, he felt as if his mind was literally being split into millions of different parts.

"No, it was almost as if I was collapsing."

The child then thought of the many voices that echoed in his mind. The many voices were all so unfamiliar to him. Yet he somehow thought of them at that moment. Why?

"Does this have something to do with my past?"

Although thrown aside, the matter of his past was never forgotten. Even though he was now in a dungeon, his mind was still human. It was only because there was no use or need to look further.

But now that this topic has cropped up, the child could not help but have questions about his past.

Questions like, 'How did I become a dungeon?' and 'How did I die?" came to his mind. But like before, his quarries were left unanswered. As no one was there to tell, and his memories were but a blank page that wrote nothing of what he looked for.

So once again, these questions were left unanswered as more pressing matters stood before him.

"I'll have to investigate my past more actively once I am done with this. They say ignorance is bliss, but it could also spell disaster."

So just like that, the child let go of the mysteries of his past life and focused on his current one. In order to not go into that weird state once more, the child instantly made a decision on how to use his energy.

"I'll use all my energy to make as many hobgoblins as possible. But if I do have spare energy, I will try and develop the light-weight metal."

It was not a solid plan, but it was good enough for the current problem. So for the next few days, things went on just like that.

The goblin builders coated the walls and made them smooth, while the hobgoblins brought in some tools to create weapons. Of course, due to the child's plan, most of the hobgoblins ended up being idle as their jobs ended. But the child, being the type of person he was, could not let them just sit around. So he ordered them to do the old and traditional training. Push-ups, squats, or runs As long as the child saw value in doing it, the hobgoblins have done it.

As the week passed, the goblin builders completed their coating job, and the gremlins were done setting up traps not only within the walls but outside as well. It seemed like all that needed to be done was done, and all that should be done was done.

At that point, the only thing the child took the time to do was create new arrows and make new hobgoblins. And as more than a week passed, a total of 28 hobgoblins finally crowded within the walls.

Wearing light armor and weapons in hand, the hobgoblins trained as each day passed. But as the week came to an end, the child no longer ordered them to train. As each day could be fated when the drum of war played, he ordered them to always be ready and not waste their energy on something that would not have immediate effects, like training.

"When will these kobolds be attacking?"

The child asked himself All the necessary things were done. All that was left was for an actual attack to happen.

"Although it would technically be a bad thing if they attacked, I do wish they would do it now."

And boy, did the child wish he had not said those words. On a certain night, when the full moon rose from the east and sat in the sky, weird noises sounded in the forest.

Grrrr!

Gunch!

Awooo!

It was the sound of the kobolds growling and howling. As the kobolds had never been this loud in the night, the child tensed up and got all the goblins ready.

A few minutes later, the howling and growling stopped. And at that moment, the child knew that it was time.

But as the enemy slowly came out of the forest, the child couldn't help but say, "Oh no."

From the darkened canopy of the forest, the first kobold stepped into the light of the full moon.

"I should have known. The signs were so obvious."

...

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