Chapter 6

The feast was in full swing, the air filled with the smell of roasted meat and the sound of goblin laughter. Luke sat by the fire, enjoying the celebration, when the chief approached him. The hobgoblin's massive frame loomed over him, his sharp eyes glinting in the firelight.

"Lok," the chief said, his deep voice cutting through the noise. "Come. We talk."

Luke nodded, standing up and following the chief to his personal hut. It was the largest hut in the village, its walls adorned with bones and trophies from past hunts. Above the small wooden throne hung the head of the boar Luke had killed, its tusks gleaming in the dim light. Behind the throne was a doorway, likely leading to the chief's private quarters.

The chief sat on his throne, gesturing for Luke to stand before him. "Lok," he began, his tone serious. "You do good. Village strong now. Goblins happy. Chief happy."

Luke nodded, feeling a swell of pride. "Thanks, Chief. I'm just trying to help."

The chief leaned forward, his expression growing more intense. "But village not safe. Wolves… humans… danger. Chief think. Why wolves not attack? Why humans not come?"

Luke frowned, considering the question. "Maybe we've just been lucky so far. But luck won't last forever."

The chief grunted in agreement. "Chief want wall. Strong wall. Protect village."

Luke thought for a moment, his mind racing. He opened the Goblin Village Management panel to check the requirements for building a wall.

**[Goblin Village Management

Population: 47

Morale: High

Resources: Low

Defenses: Minimal

Upgrades Available:

Basic Wall - 30 Tech Points to Unlock

Resources Needed:

9 Wooden Logs

15 Vines

Watchtower - 40 Tech Points to Unlock

Resources Needed:

24 Wooden Logs

40 Vines

Storage Pit - 15 Tech Points to Unlock

Resources Needed: None]**

Luke scanned the information, his mind working quickly. "A wall is a good idea, Chief, but it'll take time to gather the materials. We'll need wooden logs and vines. In the meantime, we should build spike traps around the village. They're faster to make and can slow down any attackers."

The chief's eyes narrowed as he considered Luke's suggestion. "Spike traps… good. But wall?"

"We'll build the wall too," Luke assured him. "But the spike traps will give us some protection while we work on it. I'll do my best to build a defensive perimeter."

The chief nodded, his expression softening. "Lok smart. Chief trust Lok. Make village safe."

Luke felt a surge of determination. "I will, Chief. I promise."

The chief leaned back on his throne, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. "Good. Lok honored. Lok respected. Lok… family."

Luke felt a lump in his throat. The chief's words meant more than he expected. "Thank you, Chief. I won't let you down."

As Luke left the hut, his mind was already racing with plans. He gathered Grut, Rok, Zog, and a few other goblins, explaining the plan to build spike traps around the village. The goblins listened intently, their sharp eyes focused on Luke as he demonstrated how to craft and place the traps.

As they worked, a notification popped up.

[Spike Trap Crafted!

+2 Tech Points Earned.]

Luke dismissed the notification, focusing on the task at hand. By the time the sun began to set, the village was surrounded by a ring of spike traps, their sharp points glinting in the fading light.

Luke stood at the edge of the village, surveying their work. It wasn't much, but it was a start. He opened the Goblin Village Management panel again, checking the resource requirements for the Basic Wall.

"Alright," he muttered. "We'll need wooden logs and vines. Grut, Rok, Zog—tomorrow, we're going logging."

The goblins nodded eagerly, their sharp teeth gleaming in the firelight. Luke felt a sense of determination. With the chief's trust and the goblins' support, he felt like they might actually have a chance at surviving in this dangerous world.

"Alright, Lok," he said to himself, a determined smile on his face. "Let's keep this village safe."

Luke stood at the edge of the village, the spike traps now in place and the goblins busy preparing for the next day's tasks. He opened his Attribute Points panel, scanning his available points.

[Attribute Points: 15]

"Alright," he muttered, rubbing his hands together. "Time to get stronger."

He assigned the points carefully, focusing on areas that would give him the most immediate benefit.

[+3 PER (Perception)

+4 INT (Intelligence)

+5 VIT (Vitality)

+3 AGI (Agility)]

As the points were allocated, Luke felt a surge of energy. His senses sharpened, his mind felt clearer, and his body felt more resilient. He flexed his small green hands, grinning. "Not bad. Now, let's see what I can do with my Tech Points."

He opened the Tech Points panel, his eyes widening at the number.

[Tech Points: 188]

"First things first," Luke said, unlocking the Basic Wall upgrade in the Goblin Village Management system.

**[Basic Wall Unlocked!

-30 Tech Points

Resources Needed:

9 Wooden Logs

15 Vines]**

"Alright, that leaves me with 158 points," Luke said, rubbing his hands together. "Let's go shopping," he said with a grin, scrolling through the Skills Shop. The list of available skills was extensive, and Luke's eyes lit up as he read through the options.

**[Skills Shop

Survival Skills

Foraging (10 Tech Points)

Fire Starting (10 Tech Points)

Shelter Building (10 Tech Points)

Combat Skills

Melee Proficiency (15 Tech Points)

Archery Basics (15 Tech Points)

Dodge and Roll (15 Tech Points)

Crafting Skills

Tool Crafting (Inferior Skill)

Weapon Crafting (Inferior Skill)

Repair (10 Tech Points)

Stealth and Scouting Skills

Sneak (15 Tech Points)

Hide (15 Tech Points)

Pickpocket (15 Tech Points)

Leadership and Social Skills

Inspire (10 Tech Points)

Negotiate (10 Tech Points)

Command (10 Tech Points)

Magic and Special Skills

Elemental Affinity (20 Tech Points)

Healing Touch (20 Tech Points)

Light Spell (20 Tech Points)

Utility Skills

Fast Travel (10 Tech Points)

Inventory Management (10 Tech Points)

Night Vision (10 Tech Points)

Scanning Skills

Scan Person (15 Tech Points)

Scan Enemy (15 Tech Points)

Scan Environment (10 Tech Points)

Appraisal Skills

Appraise Item (10 Tech Points)

Appraise Weapon (15 Tech Points)

Appraise Armor (15 Tech Points)]**

"Ooohh, now that's a list of skills," Luke said, his excitement growing. He began selecting the ones he thought would be most useful.

[Night Vision - 10 Tech Points

Scan Person - 15 Tech Points

Scan Enemy - 15 Tech Points

Appraise Item - 10 Tech Points

Appraise Weapon - 15 Tech Points]

As he was about to purchase Elemental Affinity, a notification popped up.

[MAG STAT: 10 Required]

"What? Oh, man," Luke groaned. "I guess that can wait."

He moved on, selecting a few more skills.

[Sneak - 15 Tech Points

Hide - 15 Tech Points

Melee Proficiency - 15 Tech Points

Archery Basics - 15 Tech Points

Repair - 10 Tech Points]

As he finalized his purchases, a flood of data and energy surged through him. His mind filled with knowledge—how to move silently, how to blend into the shadows, how to wield a weapon with precision. His body felt lighter, more agile, as if it had been fine-tuned for combat.

"Niceee," Luke said, grinning as he stretched his arms. "This is gonna be fun."

From a distance, Grut, Rok, and Zog watched him with confused expressions. To them, Luke was just waving his hands in the air, touching invisible things. They exchanged puzzled looks.

"Maybe Lok crazy?" Grut said, scratching his head.

"Too smart crazy," Rok added, nodding sagely.

"Me no be Lok," Zog muttered, shaking his head.

The three goblins shrugged and wandered back to the village, leaving Luke to his strange behavior.

Luke walked back to the village, his newly enhanced senses sharpening the world around him. The smell of roasted meat and the crackling of the fire were pleasant, but then something else hit him—a foul, pungent odor that made his stomach churn. He gagged, covering his mouth as he fought back the urge to vomit.

"What the hell is that smell?" he muttered, his nose wrinkling in disgust.

He traced the source of the stench, his sharp eyes scanning the village. It didn't take long to find the culprit: goblin feces, scattered haphazardly around the outskirts of the village. Luke's stomach turned again, and this time he couldn't hold it back. He doubled over, retching.

"Ohhh, shiiiit," he groaned, wiping his mouth. "I forgot these guys lack common sense about cleanliness."

As if to emphasize his point, he spotted a goblin in the distance, casually squatting behind a bush to relieve itself. Luke groaned again, louder this time. "Oh, no, dude. Not cool."

He walked back toward the village, his mind racing. "I've got to build a toilet sooner or later. But how do I explain to these guys that having a toilet is beneficial to their health and overall cleanliness? Unlike humans, these guys just take dumps everywhere."

As he approached the huts, he saw a young goblin squatting behind one of them, doing its business. An adult goblin noticed and scolded the kid, pointing toward the forest. "Go dump far away!" the adult growled.

The kid scampered off, but Luke's concern only deepened. "Sooner or later, a lack of sanitary management is going to cause health problems. I don't want to see that. I have to consult and convince the chief on this."

Luke made his way to the chief's hut, where the hobgoblin was seated on his bone-adorned throne. The chief looked up as Luke entered, his sharp eyes narrowing. "Lok. What you want?"

Luke took a deep breath, trying to find the right words. "Chief, I've noticed something… concerning. The village lacks proper sanitation. Goblins are… uh, dumping everywhere. This could lead to sickness and disease. I think we should build a toilet."

The chief tilted his head, his expression unreadable. "Toi..let?"

"Yes," Luke said, nodding eagerly. "A place where everyone can… uh, take a dump. It'll keep the village clean and healthy."

The chief grunted, leaning back on his throne. "Village safe first. Wall first. Then… toi..let."

Luke sighed, realizing the chief had a point. Safety was the top priority. "Alright, Chief. Wall first. But after that, we really need to address this."

The chief nodded. "Lok smart. Lok build wall first."

Luke left the hut, his mind already shifting gears. "Alright, one step at a time. Let's design a stone axe blueprint first. We'll need better tools to gather materials for the wall."

He opened his Blueprint Creation and Analysis skill, dragging a wooden branch and a stone into the workspace. Using the system's guidance, he shaped the branch into a handle and the stone into a sharp, wedge-shaped head. He then combined the two, creating a functional stone axe.

[Stone Axe Blueprint Created!

+5 Tech Points Earned.]

Luke grinned, holding up the finished blueprint. "Not bad. Now, let's gather the materials and start crafting."

As he worked, he couldn't help but think about the long road ahead. The wall, the toilet, the village's defenses—it was a lot to handle. But for now, he focused on the task at hand, taking it one step at a time.

"Alright, Lok," he muttered to himself. "Let's get to work."