Chapter 51: Internal Meeting of "E-Rantel" | Comprehensive Level 19LV

The city mayor, Panasolei, raised his head and glanced at the sunlight streaming through the window. He squinted briefly before speaking with a tone of mild apology:

"Sorry, the warm sunlight makes it easy to doze off."

Ainzach shook his head slightly. "The matter is rather unusual. I originally intended to notify you personally, but I didn't expect you to come here yourself."

"You should take better care of your health, Mayor," added Rakheshir with a gentle smile.

"You both know me—I've always been lazy," Panasolei chuckled.

The atmosphere among the three was relaxed, clearly indicating their good relationship.

"Alright then... let's discuss business," Panasolei said.

As soon as those words were spoken, Ainzach and Rakheshir both became serious.

Though Panasolei appeared obese and seemingly incompetent, his two friends knew better.

He was not only capable but also a highly intelligent and competent individual.

"E-Rantel" was the most crucial border city of the Re-Estize Kingdom, standing at the frontline against the Baharuth Empire.

A wise king would never appoint an incapable person to oversee such a strategically vital location.

And the current king was far from mediocre.

The fact that he bypassed the noble system to create the "Warrior Captain" position for Gazef Stronoff, a commoner, and allowed him to establish a new army demonstrated his astuteness.

"The situation is as follows," Ainzach began.

"In the past two weeks, the number of goblin attacks on villages and trade caravans has dropped significantly."

"In fact, during this period, there have been no reports of goblin attacks at all."

Rakheshir, the head of the Magician's Guild, looked puzzled. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"Whether it's a good thing isn't determined solely by the immediate situation," Ainzach responded, clasping his hands together on the table.

"Based on past trends, this time of the year should be the peak of goblin breeding, leading to an increase in their attacks."

"This unusual change suggests that something is happening in the Great Forest of Tob that we don't yet understand."

Panasolei, who had been listening attentively, finally spoke in a measured tone:

"What did you find out?"

He didn't bother asking Ainzach if an investigation had been conducted—if they were holding this meeting, it meant Ainzach already had some results.

"Yes," Ainzach nodded. "From the intelligence gathered by several adventurer teams scouting the outskirts of the Great Forest of Tob—"

"The territory of the Eastern Giant Ogres has undergone some kind of upheaval, as there's a noticeable scent of goblin blood throughout the forest."

"There are signs that a large number of goblins have died, but strangely, no mass goblin corpses have been found."

"Based on the available information, we can temporarily rule out the possibility that a powerful adventurer group is responsible. If that were the case, we would expect to find a large number of remains."

Ainzach paused, taking a sip from a silver magical container that emitted a chill, before continuing.

"You suspect that the goblin tribes in the ogre's territory are fighting among themselves?" Rakheshir asked seriously.

"It's also possible that the Wise King of the Forest and the Eastern Giants engaged in some unknown battle," Panasolei added with narrowed eyes.

"Exactly," Ainzach confirmed. "At the very least, for now, this is working in our favor."

"Keep monitoring the situation," Panasolei instructed.

Ainzach: "Understood."

The Great Forest of Tob

Beside a small river—

Lyle was unaware that his actions had triggered an emergency meeting in "E-Rantel."

Even so, he understood that as he continued his large-scale slaughter of goblins, the effects would inevitably extend beyond the forest itself.

During the first two weeks, the number of goblins he killed wasn't too high.

Even if he didn't dispose of the bodies, scavengers and other forest creatures would naturally take care of them.

But now, the sheer number of goblins he had eliminated posed a real problem.

For one, the sheer amount of corpses could attract the ogres—a confrontation he wasn't ready for.

Furthermore, with goblin numbers dwindling, it was inevitable that adventurers from "E-Rantel" would start to notice.

Many low-level adventurers relied on hunting goblins as an easy source of income.

If they ventured into the forest and discovered an excessive number of goblin corpses, they could deduce a great deal about him simply by analyzing the wounds.

That was something Lyle wanted to avoid.

The more information he revealed now, the more intelligence "Nazarick" would gather in the future.

This intelligence battle had already begun the moment Lyle chose to stand against "Nazarick."

So—

Lyle stored all the corpses of the two thousand goblins and thirty or so ogres he had killed into his inventory.

The "Player's" inventory system was truly impressive—it could store everything. And thanks to this, Lyle now had a better idea of its capacity.

The sheer volume of bodies took up about one-third of the available space.

While this seemed like a lot, it was far from sufficient for a level 100 player.

In the anime, Ainz's massive pile of five billion gold coins—used for reviving Shalltear—would have almost filled Lyle's current inventory.

Still—

For now, this was more than enough for him.

The slaughter of over two thousand goblins and thirty ogres—

Not only did it wear out five iron swords, but it also left Lyle feeling somewhat numb. The sheer amount of killing was starting to take a toll on his emotions, making him increasingly indifferent.

That was why, instead of continuing his massacre, he had taken a break at the river—washing up, eating, and taking a moment to rest.

He needed a day to reset his mindset.

Lyle, now refreshed, glanced at his updated status screen.

....

[Status Screen]

Innate Ability: [Player]

Comprehensive Level: 19Lv

Experience: 5893/9500

Professions:

Basic Class: Genius 9Lv (Warrior...) Intermediate Class: Sword Saint 10Lv

Skill Points: 39

Passive Skills:

Item Box, Slash Damage (+10%)

Active Skills:

Warrior Skills: Instant Reflex, Fourfold Slash, Quick Slash, Stealth, Tracking

Magic Skills: Minor Healing (1st Tier), Magic Arrow (1st Tier), Odorless (1st Tier), Camouflage (1st Tier)

Crafting Magic: Heating (2nd Tier), Paper Creation (2nd Tier), Appraisal (2nd Tier)

Professional Abilities:

Alchemy, Pharmacology

....

Since the "Genius" class didn't boost numerical stats, his attribute sheet hadn't changed.

However, his abilities had undergone significant improvements.