Nanaluk, the Cat-like Beauty Warrior

"What nonsense!"

Why is this old man like this?

I simply conveyed the goblin's words accurately, and he gets upset.

My relationship with Pelerian was peculiar.

He had once betrayed me, and I had re-established our relationship by extracting another oath from him.

Although I learn magic from him and receive his help, we're not in a master-disciple relationship.

I usually speak casually to him, but having grown up in the country of Eastern etiquette, I occasionally use formal speech, especially when learning magic from him or when I notice his wrinkles.

Of course, respect is something that should be mutual.

When he acts so rudely, polite words don't come out of my mouth either.

"Pretending to understand goblin language! It's obvious."

'What nonsense.'

The surprising fact is that Pelerian doesn't seem to care much whether I use formal or casual speech.

I thought he was an old man obsessed with authority, but why is this?

Considering he initially called me a "lowly creature," it didn't seem like he respected me.

After conversing with him for a few days, I discovered the reason.

It was truly surprising.

Unexpectedly, he didn't look down on monsters.

No, he seemed to prefer monsters over humans and dwarves.

If I were to represent Pelerian's level of respect for each race with inequality signs, it would look like this:

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Elves > Monsters >>>>> Poop! LOL > Humans and other miscellaneous 'people' races

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If I were a human instead of a monster, Pelerian would have treated me even more poorly.

The shock when I realized this.

'It's not strange that I understand Elvish, but it's strange that I understand Goblin?'

"Well, Elvish is understandable. There are blessings that allow one to comprehend languages. But that doesn't work for Goblin."

I could clearly understand what the goblin was saying.

Pelerian had his reasons for stating this so firmly.

"Goblins don't have a unified nation and haven't formed large-scale civilizations. They live scattered about, and their languages are all different. Like dialects."

'I understand what you're saying. But you roughly understood it too, old man.'

"That's because I've acquired the unified root through long-term research. Even I wouldn't be able to understand goblin languages from places other than this great forest."

Meanwhile, the goblin struggling inside the pelican's beak continued to shout.

"Save me!"

Yes, from my perspective, I could understand well regardless of what Pelerian said.

"So it's impossible to perfectly understand goblin language..."

'What can I do? I can understand it.'

"..."

Pelerian closed his mouth.

Well, what can you do if I can hear it?

"But if what you say is true, can we just let that goblin die?"

'Ah.'

The goblin shouted that it needed to return to the river.

That means it knows where the river is, right?

The pelican had already completely swallowed the goblin.

'Ack!'

Is it already dead?

I sprang out from the bushes.

Surprised by my appearance, the pelican flapped its wings.

It seemed to try to fly away, but perhaps due to its heavy body, it stumbled and fell.

As expected of birds.

They're ferocious and greedy.

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[Mischievous Pelican lv7]

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Seeing a goblin fall prey to such a weak monster, it seems goblins aren't much either.

I bit the pelican's neck.

It had no poison resistance, so it couldn't even withstand for a moment.

It died with a squawk, not even giving me any experience points.

Fortunately, the goblin was still alive.

As I opened the pelican's beak, a murky green hand suddenly popped out.

The goblin crawled out, completely exhausted.

"Huff!"

Then it was startled upon seeing me.

Somehow, it seems small.

I thought it was natural because it's a goblin, but it looks young, like a goblin boy.

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[Goblin Boy lv11]

[Traits]

[Goblin], [Curiosity]

[Skills]

[Stealth lv3], [Stone Throwing lv4], [Running lv6], [Pathfinding lv2]

[Status]

[Exhausted], [Injured], [Frightened]

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It's weak!

Wow, it's really pathetic.

The only useful skill for fighting seems to be Stone Throwing.

Is Running a lower-tier skill of Acceleration? It looks similar to Quick Crawling that I once had.

I'm surprised it can be this weak even at level 11.

I envy that one Pathfinding skill.

It would be good to learn it with Billy's Horn, but I'm already borrowing the Heavenly Thunder Spirit skill.

I'll have to seal Billy's Horn until I acquire that skill.

"Please save me! Please spare my life!"

What a cowardly goblin.

The goblin boy knelt before me and begged.

Well, the pelican looks much tastier than the goblin, so I have no intention of eating it.

It probably won't give me any experience points either.

Forget it, just guide me to where the river is!

"Just don't eat me!"

But I had no means to convey my words.

I gave Pelerian a meaningful look.

'Old man, you say it.'

"...I can't."

'What? You said you could speak Goblin.'

"It's not a language problem. This fellow probably can't see or hear me."

'But I can see you?'

"If there was magical power, it would be possible to convey my voice. But right now, only you can see my appearance."

Shocking.

He's really more useless than I thought.

Did he notice my thoughts? A faint sense of defeat crossed Pelerian's face.

I patted the goblin's shoulder with my tail, as if trying to reassure it.

The goblin boy trembled and shook in response.

"Hee, heeek!"

I won't eat you, so go.

I wagged my tail. It means go.

"Can, can I really go?"

Now we're communicating a bit better.

The boy slowly backed away.

I kept wagging my tail without getting too close.

And suddenly remembering the past, I slightly lowered my head.

Just like the centipede couple did.

The goblin looked puzzled but then mimicked my posture.

Yes, exchange begins with greetings.

The goblin boy smiled faintly.

He was about to carefully move beyond the bushes when he suddenly turned back to look at me.

"...Ulluullullu?"

And then he disappeared.

What was that?

What does Ulluullullu mean?

Even I, who had mastered the language, couldn't understand the meaning of this word.

'Did he just curse at me?'

"He most certainly did."

Hmm, Pelerian seemed upset.

It wasn't just out of compassion that I let the goblin go.

"Your mind is working. Now we just need to follow that goblin."

He said he needed to return to the river. So if we track that goblin, we should be able to reach the river.

'I'll just have a bite before we go.'

I wonder what pelican meat tastes like.

I hurriedly had my meal.

The goblin boy was small but his feet were quick.

Secretly following him was quite a laborious task.

==

Goblins are monsters.

Monsters evolve.

When a young goblin that hasn't yet become an adult grows to a certain extent and meets the level requirements, it grows into an adult goblin.

And as that goblin grows and finds its aptitude, it becomes a warrior, shaman, hunter, or gatherer.

A small number of goblins evolve once more.

That's what a hobgoblin is.

It can be considered a higher species of goblin.

They grow taller, their skin turns red, and their strength increases.

They possess excellent combat abilities and lead groups of goblins.

There is a hobgoblin named Nanaluk.

She is the best warrior of the Lunga tribe settled in the old river basin.

When she ties her hair tightly and runs through the forest, she's as nimble as a fairy.

Nanaluk's cat-like golden eyes were fixed on a large rubber tree.

More precisely, on the lizard skin attached to the trunk of that rubber tree.

It was fixed to the tree with a sharp arrowhead.

A smile spread across her lips, revealing prettily pointed fangs.

The well-dried lizard skin serves as paper.

Indeed, there were lines of text written on it.

This skin was a letter.

A letter left behind by Nanaluk's lover.

"Chandal..."

Nanaluk, who carefully murmured her lover's name, read the letter.

However, despite reading a love letter, Nanaluk's expression gradually darkened.

'...Nana, I'm sorry. But I couldn't stop our father. I carefully said one word and got beaten terribly! The war between tribes will be unavoidable.

To be honest, I wish you would run away. I'll try to talk to my father. Maybe we can save you and your siblings. Your father, being the chieftain, probably can't be helped.

I love you, Nana.

Write your reply below this. If you tell me the place and date, I'll bring warriors to escort you and your siblings.

Chandal, who loves you more than anyone in the world.'

The letter was short because space had to be left for a reply.

That empty space felt hollow.

Instead of writing a reply.

Rip.

Nanaluk tore the lizard skin.

She tore it into pieces and scattered them.

Her heart seemed to be tearing as well.

Chandal's father, Croc, was the chieftain of a neighboring tribe.

They used to get along well. There had even been talks of marriage between Chandal and Nanaluk for a long time.

But everything changed after Croc, who was a hobgoblin, succeeded in evolving once more.

Croc's tribe began to invade and absorb other surrounding goblin tribes.

Now that they had become stronger than even the Lunga, the oldest and largest tribe.

They were now baring their fangs at the Lunga tribe as well.

She had hoped that Chandal would persuade his father...

Run away?

She could never do that. For the sake of her siblings, for her father.

Nanaluk was a warrior of the Lunga.

Just as her complexion darkened with a sorrowful heart.

"Sister, sister!"

Her younger sibling appeared.

Color returned to Nanaluk's face.

"Why are you so late! I was worried!"

"I, Ulluullullu saved me!"

Children's explanations tend to skip over important details.

"Ulluullullu?"

"Yes, I was almost eaten by a pelican, but Ulluullullu saved me!"

Ulluullullu is a legendary snake.

After hearing the gist of the story, she smacked her younger sibling's back.

"Ouch!"

"What Ulluullullu, you almost died!"

"No... it's true."

"To begin with, a white snake and Ulluullullu are different colors."

"That's true, but it definitely saved me... We could even communicate."

"It probably let you go because there was a pelican nearby."

The young goblin tried to argue, but Nanaluk wouldn't listen anymore.

"We're late. At this rate, the boat will leave."

"Ah, right."

"Get on my back!"

Nanaluk swiftly picked up her sibling.

And she started running like the wind.

==

The wind is refreshing.

The fact that I lost track of the young goblin while following him.

It's an embarrassing matter, but neither Pelerian nor I blamed each other for it.

Fortunately, from the moment we lost the goblin's trail, there was a scent.

It was the smell of water.

We ran following that scent.

And finally, I was able to encounter the Medeira River that Pelerian had emphasized so many times.

"Sha-ah!"

It meant 'Wow-'.

The fishy smell was unpleasant, but the river was truly magnificent.

Well, honestly, it wasn't as big as the Han River, more similar in size to the lower reaches of Cheonggyecheon.

The water was between black and brown.

Rather than being dirty, it seemed mixed with muddy water.

'Where do we go now? Are we almost there?'

"Hmm."

Pelerian had said that once we found the Medeira River, we'd be at his dungeon.

That's why we've been desperately searching for the river until now.

So where is the dungeon?

"Hmm."

Pelerian was just looking at distant mountains.

There's a noticeable rocky mountain beyond that river.

A rocky mountain that gleams orange in the sunlight, like a burning sweet potato.

"It should be behind that."

'Really?'

"We just need to cross the river."

'That should work then.'

Yes, let's cross the river.

Well, since we can't ride a boat or fly, if we follow the river, we should come across a bridge.

...For a moment, I thought with the common sense of a South Korean citizen.

There was no way a bridge would be installed on this deep, tropical rainforest river.

'How do we cross?'

"..."

'You said we could find it right away once we reached the river.'

"Did I say it was this side? I thought it was that side..."

Pelerian cleared his throat.

"Can't you just swim across?"

'I can't swim...'

Swimming is something I dislike even more than flying.

Even though it's a tropical rainforest, wouldn't the river water be cold and dangerous?

"A snake that can't swim!"

That could be the case.

And it's not just because I dislike swimming that I'm hesitating.

Look at those alligators floating there.

I'm not confident in underwater combat yet.

"Then... hmm."

Pelerian also closed his mouth tightly.

We're doomed.

The only expression that came to mind was that we're doomed.

If we go upstream, will the river narrow enough for me to jump across?

How long would we have to go upstream with such an uncertain hope?

"There, look there!"

I turned my head dully at Pelerian's excited voice.

The riverbank was quite open to view.

Thanks to that, we could see.

Goblins trying to launch a boat on the river.