CHAPTER 70: GOBLIN VILLAGE (2)

After taking a deep breath, he looked down at the village.

He was more than twenty meters up the tree and could climb even higher if there was a need for it, so he was confident he would be able to gather enough information.

Leon was not your normal human being—every part of his body had been enhanced with each level up. So even though everything below should have looked small and distant from such a height, his enhanced eyesight allowed him to see the figures clearly as if they were right in front of him.

As he looked down, what caught his eye immediately was the king’s palace. It was larger than all the other houses and built with stronger materials. Thick bamboo formed its walls, while the roof was made from a leaf he had neither seen nor heard of before. Just by the thickness and firmness of its surface, Leon could tell it could withstand even the heaviest rainfall. The leaf resembled that of a banana plant, only far thicker and tougher, making it impossible to tear easily.

Because of that, it was perfectly suited for primitive roofing. Leon marveled at the intelligence of the goblin monsters. He realized that this time, he was no longer dealing with mindless beasts like mutant wolves, creatures still at the early stage of evolution toward humanoid werewolves. Instead, he was dealing with goblins, who had already attained their humanoid form and possessed a high degree of intelligence.

Their intelligence might not compare to humans, but it was nothing to scoff at.

These beings were vile and cunning—trickier than anything he had faced so far. From what he knew back in his homeland, goblins were also extremely lustful creatures, known for doing anything to satisfy their desires.

Leon clenched his fists. He knew from the beginning this would not be easy—far from it.

He tore his gaze away from the Goblin King’s palace and continued to survey the rest of the village.

Male and female goblins wandered the place freely. The village itself was around 300 meters wide with a breadth of 200 meters. Compared to human settlements, it was quite small. But to Leon, who had been given the task of sneaking through it, the size was more than enough to give him a headache.

At the very center of the village, he spotted what looked like a small market.

’It looks like these goblins are a little civilized... they even do trade. From what I can see, they use bronze and silver. As for gold, I haven’t seen that yet... but I’m pretty sure the king must have some gold coins on him. Hah... what would it feel like if I looted them of all their money?’ Leon thought dreamily.

He couldn’t help himself. Poverty had haunted him all his life, and before he got the system—barely thirty-one hours ago—getting even a single bronze coin had been as hard as hell itself. The thought of wealth stirred his hunger for more.

At the far end of the village was farmland, and Leon noticed there was also a smaller farm within the king’s palace grounds. There, goblins cultivated crops unlike anything he had ever seen before.

Yet one particular plant caught his eye—it bore fruit that looked strikingly similar to berries from his world.

Right at that moment, his stomach growled loudly, reminding him he had not eaten in more than twenty-six hours.

As much as he wanted to go down there and taste those berries, he knew now was not the time. He needed to complete the mission first, and he needed to do it flawlessly.

That was when he noticed something... and an idea struck him.

An idea crucial to his current mission.

Beside the marketplace was a structure made of wooden posts tied together with twigs, roofed with that same thick banana-like leaf. It was simple—four sticks driven into the ground to form a square base, with another four holding up the top, providing shelter to a massive bamboo at the center. This bamboo had a small opening, and right beside it leaned a strong, thin stick.

Leon instantly knew what it was used for.

That bamboo was no decoration—it was a drum. By striking the thin stick against the hollow bamboo, the goblins could create a booming sound that echoed across the entire village. It was a call—a way to summon every goblin for an urgent gathering.

A grin spread across Leon’s face. He had figured it out. He would use it to trick them. Only with such a diversion could he safely make his move to kill the king.

With his plan already forming, Leon prepared to act.

He leapt from the tree—not recklessly, but deliberately, moving to the farthest branches before throwing himself off, ensuring the fall wouldn’t be broken awkwardly by leaves and branches.

’What a pain in the ass! I have to go through all this just because of one goblin! ...But considering the rewards, it’s worth it!!!’

Climbing down slowly would only waste time, and he knew even a fall from more than twenty meters wouldn’t shatter his legs. His body had become far too strong for that.

As he descended, the rushing wind whipped against his body, tearing through his silver hair and sending it flying wildly in all directions.

The ground rushed up fast. The impact when he landed was hard, sending tremors through his body, but his reinforced bones absorbed the shock.

"Ugh!!" he grunted in pain, staggering slightly as he tried to steady himself.

His stomach churned. The nauseating wave rising inside him made it feel like he could vomit any second. But before he could focus on it, a faint sound reached his ears. Whispers.

Suppressing the nausea instinctively, he turned sharply toward the direction of the sound.

But then—

’...’

Everything went silent. Even the faint rustling of leaves above seemed to vanish.

"Ugh! I thought I heard something!" Leon muttered, doubt creeping into his voice.

’Was it really whispers I heard... or was it just the sound of the wind brushing through the leaves?’ He rubbed his chin, frowning.

Whoosh!!!

Just then, Leon’s instincts screamed—an impending danger from behind—while at the same time he sensed something slicing through the air at high speed.

He immediately dodged, and the object turned out to be an arrow.

’Is this their official way of welcoming me whenever we meet?’ he thought with a wry grin. He instantly knew who the owner of that arrow was the moment he saw it streak past him.

After evading the arrow, he turned and scanned his surroundings, but there was no one in sight.

’Hmm... are they playing hide and seek? I’m sorry, but I’m not in the mood!’

He deliberately began walking toward the village.

He knew doing so would drag them out. They were hiding, waiting to launch a sneak attack when he wasn’t paying attention.

But Leon wasn’t about to waste energy hunting them out of their hiding places.

’If you don’t stop me from destroying your village, then you’re not worthy of being called goblins. But I’m sure you’re patriotic enough. You wouldn’t just let me stroll in and wreck your home, would you?’ Leon’s lips curved into a devilish grin at his own devious plan.

He didn’t even realize he was thinking exactly like the vilest of villains.

His steps were slow and deliberate, claws flexing with each movement—an unspoken message to any hidden eyes that he was not approaching their village with peace in mind.

Another arrow suddenly whistled toward his side, but this time Leon swiped his clawed weapon. With a sharp metallic screech, the steel claw sliced the arrow cleanly into four pieces.

When he had climbed the tree earlier, he had retracted the steel blade claws into their sheath. The sheath itself was part of the glove above his palms, making it easy for him to climb.

But whenever he wanted to use them, all he had to do was clench his fist. The blades would snap out instantly, accompanied by a fierce noise—like steel scraping against steel—that sent shivers down any who heard it.

[Check out this paragraph’s comment for weapon’s illustrations]

Leon continued toward the village, fully expecting a response from the hunter goblins.

And the response came.

Another arrow shot toward him, aimed at his back with killing intent, meant to pierce deep and cripple him. Without even turning to look, Leon followed his instincts, swiping his weapon behind him.

The steel claw met the arrow mid-flight, shredding it into splinters. Wood was no match for steel. No matter how hard the arrow, it could never outmatch his claws.

"%#$@@$-$"

Just after the arrow split apart, he began to hear those familiar incomprehensible whispers again.

He knew they were forming a plan, but Leon didn’t care. He was confident he could handle them—even if they came at him in numbers.

So he pressed forward. But before he could take another step toward the village, thirteen goblins suddenly burst from their hiding places, surrounding him on all sides.