I woke up this morning as usual, and from the moment I did, my intuition was hyperactive. It whispered that I should stay hidden in the cave today or I’d regret it. So, I activated the Assassin job class, which enhanced my intrinsic cloaking abilities, and added Presence Concealment for good measure. I decided to relax deep within the cave where the blacksmith, chef sisters, and alchemist were.
While my main body relaxed, I still wanted to put some time into my new hobby of filling in the gaps in my mental map. So, I sent out one of the miniature clones I had created from my blood the day before. This particular clone stood about as tall as my waist and had about half of my overall attributes and abilities. It could act based on specific rules, with a bit of free will on top of that.
The clone had the Fluid Regeneration ability I’d gotten from the metal slime, which allowed it to restore its body to a certain extent as long as it absorbed the necessary amount of moisture, even if it lost limbs or was impaled. Its current combat ability was significantly lower than mine, but it was still reasonably strong and unlikely to be killed. Plus, it could run away quickly if necessary.
I used Metamorphosis to transform it into a form resembling a giant wolf and watched it dash away. Then, as planned, I retreated deeper into the cave.
Time passed as I helped the blacksmith with something she was working on to make things easier for a goblin from the rear support unit, Pleasure. I also experimented with more new recipes with the sisters and analyzed some ancient potions that had somehow not deteriorated over time with the alchemist.
Then it happened.
The goblins were training in what we called the Great Hall, the largest space in our dwelling, which was directly connected to the entrance to the cave. Gobkichi, Gobei, Redhead Shorty, and the others were diligently practicing with their wooden swords when my Aura Sensing detected hostile targets approaching the entrance.
I identified the species as… “Elf.” Among them was the male elf I had previously driven away. Even I couldn’t have guessed they would come back so soon.
I quickly summoned the goblins to the Great Hall to prepare for the encounter. Fortunately, since they’d been training, they were already equipped, so everyone was soon ready.
After double-checking our equipment, we hid in the trenches we had prepared near the Great Hall, waiting in strategic positions to ambush the intruders. I had Gobei and the others continue mining Spirit Stones to mask our presence with the sound of excavation.
Before long, a group of armed elves entered the cave. Moving swiftly and silently, with weapons drawn and radiating cold murderous intent, twenty-five elves advanced. While hobgoblins like Gobkichi might stand a chance against them, I knew it would be difficult for the goblins to win against such formidable foes even if they outnumbered them three to one.
It was clear that the elves were here for a fight, but I decided it was worth capturing them to hear them out anyway. Leaping from the shadows, I simultaneously activated Intimidating Roar and Cry of the Scaled Horse to stun them with a loud, intimidating sound. I followed up with Intimidating Gaze and Evil Eye to paralyze them momentarily and then bound them with spider silk.
After capturing the elves, I lined them up and began questioning the one who claimed to be the next clan leader, slapping his cheek lightly with my crimson spear. According to him, I had wounded his pride too deeply, and he couldn’t let my rejection stand. After two days, his fear had somewhat faded, and he had calmed down enough to think. He couldn’t tolerate the idea of being looked down on by an Ogre, so he’d decided he had to kill me. Driven by his emotions, he brought his elite warriors to launch an attack, only to be easily defeated.
I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the elves who had to work under such a leader. The two female elves who had been his guards before now stood dejectedly before me. When I talked to them, I learned that the male elf had refused to listen to their advice. Having suffered under incompetent leadership myself, I felt a twinge of sympathy and decided to show some mercy.
First, I told them to consider the aspiring clan leader as already dead. Next, I proposed an exhibition battle against any of the hobgoblins or goblins. Victory would be achieved by rendering the opponent unconscious or forcing them to declare a surrender. However, killing one’s opponent would result in immediate execution—regardless of whose side they were on. Finally, I explained that if the elves won the exhibition battle, they wouldn’t be killed. But if they lost, they would be killed and eaten. In simple terms, that was the deal.
Then I untied all the elves except for the aspiring clan leader.
One particularly loyal elf immediately charged at me with a pre-emptive attack. Still, I swiftly countered by hooking his jaw with my silver arm, shattering the bone and inducing a concussion. As the elf staggered, I grabbed his temple and his broken jaw, then twisted sharply to snap his cervical spine, killing him instantly. With Redhead Shorty and the others sheltering in the back as instructed, I felt free to indulge in the fresh corpse.
[Ability learned: Elven Language Comprehension!]
The remaining elves trembled, frozen with fear. To motivate them, I taunted them, asking if they really wanted to die pathetically here when a conflict with humans was imminent. Didn’t they want to live? Even I wasn’t convinced by my performance, but it seemed to have some effect, in that they reluctantly readied themselves for the battle.
In summary, of the twenty-three elves who participated, only seventeen survived. Those who faced Gobkichi, Gobmi, Hobsei, and the other elite hobgoblins were not so lucky. Usually, an elf would have a high chance of winning against a hobgoblin, but our rigorous training had elevated Gobkichi and the others beyond the typical hobgoblin’s capabilities.
The elves who lost begged for their lives, but I reminded them that they had come here to kill us in the first place. As such, leniency was not an option. This was war, and they had initiated the conflict, so we killed them. There was no room for sympathy.
The six who lost, all of them men—I had adjusted the matchups to avoid killing women unnecessarily—were summarily consumed:
[Ability learned: Resident of the Deep Green!]
[Ability learned: Elemental Manipulation!]
[Ability learned: Archery Mastery!]
[Ability learned: Tracking!]
[Ability learned: Hiding!]
After devouring the losers, I turned to the remaining elves who were watching in a daze with hollow eyes. I ordered them to place all their magic items in one spot and then bound them again with threads. Cries of despair echoed around the hall as they realized they weren’t being released. But I had never promised their release—only that I wouldn’t kill them. If they’d misunderstood that, it was their own mistake.
Unlike with Redhead Shorty and the others, whom I’d helped out of a mix of altruism and calculated strategy, I had no intention of aiding enemies who’d attacked us. In this case, “mercy” meant survival, not freedom.
The group consisted of ten men and seven women who would be put to use to increase our numbers. To avoid any future resentment, I decided to inject them with a libido-enhancing agent made from my bodily fluids; until they sought out companionship on their own, no one was to touch them. I also made sure they were locked in individual cells to prevent them from relieving themselves with each other—though the men couldn’t bear children, they could still serve the female goblins’ needs. Elves were almost universally attractive, after all.
In truth, their timing was fortuitous. The older male goblins had been growing frustrated with the female goblins, no longer finding satisfaction with them. The intense training regimen had provided a distraction, but as they grew accustomed to it, they were reaching their limit. The elves’ attack, while unexpected, proved to be a beneficial turn of events.
If anyone is about to call me cruel, they should remember who exactly initiated this conflict. The elves tried to kill us and lost. Are we expected to release our captives unscathed after being attacked? That’s unreasonable. It’s like being blamed for hitting someone in self-defense after being unjustly struck. In this world, there are no protections for prisoners, so my actions were justified. Any objections could be chalked up to mere personal grievance.
I’m creating relatively humane rules. But elves are just too valuable to be wasted.
So, we injected the remaining elves with the aphrodisiac and watched as they writhed in desire. The elf leader tried to say something, but I ignored him. After leading the seventeen elves to the cells, I was left alone with the leader, on whom I decided to perform some experiments. I used him to practice new torture techniques while giving a lecture on humanoid weak points. Then, naturally, I ate him.
[Ability learned: Sell Price +30%!]
[Ability learned: Buy Price -30%!]
Due to the number of elves I consumed and the unique capabilities they each had, I gained a lot of good abilities. In fact, they were significant enough for me to offer a small prayer to Buddha for their souls.