Re:Monster Vol.1 (Day 1 - Day 60)

Day 16

Today, the other Goblins of our generation begged to me something like: "Please teach us the art of killing" while prostrating themselves. The Goblins inside the cave were in a row alongside each other prostrating themselves. It was quite the surreal scene to watch.

You see, the Goblins that brought me food had managed to survive by killing Horned Rabbits, as expected. However, they also had Night Vipers to fight as opponents. Since we've been able to kill them, the Goblins want us, or I should say me, to teach them how to survive against the Night Vipers.

"What do we gain from this?" We asked, and when we told them that they said that they'd give us tribute for it.

Well, it's no great loss for us, so before the sun had reached its zenith, most of the surviving Goblins, together with Gobukichi and Gobumi, had a combined practice session.

It's a dog eat dog world. So, from the start, I'm thoroughly going to drill into their bodies that I'm superior to them. No matter if the trainee is male or female. Also, since dealing with insurrections is troublesome, I'm going to make obeying me an instinct, by endless repetition if I have to. I aim to stop training at the last moment to ensure they don't have any spare energy, while preventing their bodies and minds from breaking.

The result was that everyone, including Gobumi and Gobukichi, had no strength left to move.

For the Goblins who trained and worked to the point of collapsing, I planned on using the tribute they've gathered to make something for them.

I had the motivation to do something, but it's probably better if I didn't do anything absurd.

It's the end once you die.

Gobumi lays exhausted and trembling among the other females, with extreme pride showcasing her armor and necklace, but let's pretend I didn't see that. In the afternoon, I went hunting alone for the first time since my reincarnation.

I don't know how it was in the beginning, but now I can move around this forest like it's my home turf. When I somehow managed to procure enough for the ones who couldn't move, I concluded that days hunting.

That evening, I went into the inner parts of the cave, where the human women were held captive. Since I turned into a Hobgoblin, I've become closer in appearance to a human, so I thought having a conversation might be possible.

Well, the outcome was – I couldn't have a conversation with them. They were completely broken. Their eyes were utterly dead, and they were drooling uncontrollably. There was a faint smell of corpses around them.

Compared to how they were the last time I saw them, they were a lot worse off this time.

Also, in this short period of time, the youngest of the girls had gotten pregnant. It was an inevitable event, but I still felt a lot of pity for her. I couldn't help but think that a girl this cute would have married into a nice family, yet she ended up here only to be repeatedly violated.

I didn't want this to continue, and so I asked, "Do you want to die?"

If it was the me from before, I'd end up pressing my hands together to offer a prayer, but now that I've ranked up into a Hobgoblin, I asked. The way I am now, I'd be able to kill or help these girls if they asked me to. Since even if I was found out, my safety was guaranteed.

However, my question was left unanswered. There was some movement; her small, weak lips moved slightly, and as if she just remembered how to, a tear fell from her eye. Having understood the women's intentions, I took from my pouch a small, liquid filled bottle that I had obtained from hunting the Kobolds, which I left behind. After I handed it to them, I walked back to the cave bedroom. I didn't look back.