C15: No huṁans

How do goblins fight?

Bane would have probably never asked himself such a question.

But faced with his current situation he had to consider it.

After having a heartfelt of who knows which variety of meat... Bane was finally enrolled in one of the hunting groups.

He was taken in as one of the foot soldiers in one of the goblin hunting groups.

But even more than that....

"What part of the continent is this? I have never been here before."

Bane's face turned pale as soon as he understood his situation.

The forest had great canopies that cover the great skies with dangling roots from the branches? But despite all of that vegetation the ground was surprisingly dry.

Even in Bane's carrier of hunting he had never been to such a bizarre place.

'Have I really reincarnated in another world after all? That would be bad...'

Bane had heard such tales. The singing bard would often recite them. Sometimes they would be reincarnation in the same world while sometimes in a different one. Sometimes it wasn't even a reincarnation but a regression instead.

Bane had no idea which party he belonged to.

'Seriously?'

Bane sniffed in the air.

He was really in the state where he couldn't conclude anything at all. The location and surroundings might be new to him but the air and the soil itself seemed all to familiar for him to question so.

'Not to mention its the same goblins and kobolds among the foot soldiers.'

Bane couldn't be mistaken of the races of his world.

Those same long noses and green skin. Nothing was distinctively different about them. Unless he were to believe that some other world has the same races as his, then this world could be nothing but his own.

*Dagger Mastery (LvL 1)*

*Proficiency in using daggers as the main weapon. Skill stacks up with other weapon mastery skills.*

Bane had only picked up a skill recently in hope of preparing himself for hunt or a possible ambush. But he wasn't sure what he was supposed to expect here so he saved up his skill points for emergency.

"Griguek! Griguek!" The foot soldiers murmured among themselves as the kobolds quietly followed.

"Aren't the number of goblins in this too many? How are they even going to hunt like this. All the possible preys would be scared away anyway."

At that moment some goblins returned as they joined the group back. They reported to a goblin quite larger than the foot soldiers.

"So they sent out scouts, huh?"

It might be a good way to avoid chasing away their prey away but it was still too large a group to hunt.

'When we went on quests, our groups had been no more than 6. Any larger than that and we would be having a shortage of food and it would be too stuffy to move.'

"Griguek!"

The goblins moved in unison at the commanders call.

On the way, they stabbed every tree with a sharp stone which they carried, probably to mark the way they were travelling.

But Bane went on in a direction knowing that he won't be able to hunt anything worthwhile being in such a large group. Collecting something edible would be possible alone even with his small strength.

'Well, I have at least adjusted to this body. So I won't be getting lost at least.'

It took some time, but Bane was able to adjust to his short height. Some part of it was thanks to the goblin guard who was kind enough to help him train.

But Bane was stopped on his way.

"Griguek! Where are you going? These parts are dangerous, don't go losing the group just like that."

A fellow goblin not much different that the rest stopped Bane on his path.

"Well..."

Bane hadn't thought that a nobody like him would be paid attention to so closely. Or was it just a stroke of bad luck?

"I felt like I saw some prey in that direction. I am confident that I can hunt it alone."

But to such a response the goblin could only squint his eyes.

"Are you sure you haven't hit your head somewhere? Griguek. Must need to visit the village medic Keuk Keuk."

"That's not it..."

"Griguek. Anyway, it's dangerous here. Let's go back to the group. Until you get yourself checked to the medic you will be sticking along with me. Griguek. I will keep a watch."

Bane was at a loss of words.

If he were to go alone he will not die, or least that was what he thinks as a former hunter who knows the inns and outs.

But with such a situation?

'It looks like even my sanity is being questioned here. Goblins never act alone do they? That's troublesome.'

Killing the women in the fuck nest was the only reason Bane was able to level up ahead of his peers and reach a state where he was already working among the adult goblins despite not a week have being passed since he was born.

But now that he had lost his freedom what was he to do?

'It's no use acting suspicious. I am part of the tribe now.'

Bane pulled back to the group of goblin hunters as he sighed.

Being a tribe as large as they were, they need to hunt to feed them all.

It was not only the babies and the elders that they needed to feed.

'The goblin dwarves who were responsible for making their blunt weapons and arrows were also there to count. They don't hunt for themselves. Then there is also the food that they need to stock up for winter.'

Bane himself had come across this knowledge just recently.

In the winter, the prey around this become very scarce.

The dungeons are active as usual but they are a bit too dangerous to sink one's fangs in.

But even so the number of goblins hunting weren't any less for some odd reason.

There were multiple groups hunting in the wilderness for prey just like there's.

It was too point that Bane had difficulty in understanding how do the goblin's even feed such a huge number of mouths?

'No matter how much they hunt. There is a limit to food source. They have no agriculture or cold storage either. And they can't hunt in winter too.'

Bane was beginning to worry.

Was he going to die of hunger?

Bane shook his head.

'No I absolutely cannot allow myself to be hungry.'

His past experiences were an impetus for him to believe that nothing but trouble would come if he allowed his Stamina points to fall too low.

"Griguek! Speaking of which, what are we hunting for today?" Bane asked to the goblin who was accompanying him all along.

"Griguek, the shaman decides the prey in our group. The scouts would know too, but it would be too much of a pain looking for them in such a large crowd right? Keuk Keuk"

Bane nodded.

The 'Shaman' being referred to here was the goblin shaman which was leading the lot of goblins for the hunt. It was supposed to be an evolved version different from the adult goblin and the dwarven goblins who were definitely of lower rank.

Bane was able to conclude that evolving into a 'higher' race was almost a definitive way to raise one's rank in the tribe of goblins.

'All the more reason for me to level up.'

But the most important reason of why Bane wanted to level up was to change his body altogether and lift those 'restrictions' imposed on his body. Nothing felt worse than not being in complete control's of one's body.

Bane's eyes sparkled up at the possible hunt they could be encountering now.

Needless to say, he was somewhat excited despite himself running away from the group.

"Hey, are there any chances we are hunting for humans? Keuk"

For someone like Bane hunting for humans might be weird.

'But for goblins, it should be common place right? Otherwise there was no way that human women would volunteer themselves to give birth to goblins.'

Bane couldn't help but hold some expectations. He derived his pleasure from killing them after all.

"Griguek, I don't think so. Griguek. Ever since our tribe moved here, we have hardly encountered any humans."

"Eh, why?"

Bane tilted his head.

Bane knew better than anyone else, how adaptable humans were. As long as there was resources available humans will be there to exploit them no matter the time and place. That was just how selfish that race was.

'It doesn't make sense why they wouldn't try to settle in such a lush area as this.'

But the answer came quite quick in counter to Bane's worry.

"Previously our tribe used to hunt any human settlements close by. But there are no human settlements in this area. It's rare to find even adventurers to come this way. Griguek."

"Eh, that's strange... that doesn't make sense."

"Griguek, how would a goblin know what human's think? You should ask a human why they don't come here. Griguek. Although they would kill you and roast your meat before giving you an answer. Griguek."

'Well, I am a former human...' Bane thought but he didn't say it out aloud. Despite that he had no particular answers to his own question.

Should Bane be happy that his previous worry of being attacked by human hunters was unfound here?

Or should he perhaps fear the unknown that was keeping the humans away?