Chapter 26

Luke wiped the sweat from his brow, the heat from the furnace already making the air in the workshop area stifling. The goblins were busy preparing charcoal, their small hands moving quickly as they stacked wood and covered it with soil. The process was labor-intensive, but Luke knew it was essential for what came next.

He opened his inventory panel, the glowing screen appearing before him. With a few taps, he poured out the ores he had gathered from the cave, separating them into neat piles—iron, copper, and tin. The goblins paused, their eyes wide with curiosity as the materials materialized before them.

"Lok make magic?" one of them asked, tilting its head.

Luke chuckled. "Not magic. Just… efficient storage. Now, back to work. We've got a lot to do."

He then navigated to the Items Shop, quickly purchasing a set of tongs, an iron hammer, and an anvil. The items materialized in his hands, their weight reassuring. He handed out leather aprons to the goblins, which he had made days ago in anticipation of this moment.

"Wear these," Luke instructed, demonstrating how to tie the apron. "They'll protect you from the heat."

The goblins fumbled with the straps, their confusion evident. Luke took the time to explain, showing them how the aprons would shield them from sparks and hot metal. Tog, the young goblin who had been watching from the sidelines, stepped closer, his eyes wide with fascination.

"Tog help?" the little goblin asked, his voice tinged with excitement.

Luke smiled, patting Tog's head. "Not yet, kid. But one day, you'll be the main force of my future production line. Rifles, cannons, maybe even more. You'll be the master of it all."

Tog's eyes sparkled, though he clearly didn't understand half of what Luke was saying. He's just a kid, Luke thought, but if he grows up in this environment, he'll be unstoppable. The thought made him laugh evilly, though he quickly dismissed it. Sulfur's another problem, though. Not rare, but mining it will be a challenge. For now, let's focus on iron.

Luke turned his attention back to the furnace. The goblins had finished preparing the charcoal, and the fire was roaring. He pumped the blower, the flames growing hotter and brighter, their light casting long shadows across the workshop. The goblins stepped back, their eyes wide with awe.

"Alright," Luke said, his voice steady. "Time to make some iron."

He began the process, alternating layers of charcoal and iron ore in the furnace. The goblins watched intently, their curiosity outweighing their fear of the heat. Luke covered the mouth of the furnace with clay and soil, sealing it tightly.

"Now we wait," he explained. "It'll take between four to ten hours for the iron to separate from the slag. Once it's ready, we'll tap the slag from the bottom and refine the iron."

The goblins nodded, though their expressions suggested they didn't fully understand. Luke didn't mind. They'll see the results soon enough. That's what matters.

Hours later, Luke checked the furnace by poking a clay stick inside. The iron was soft and malleable, ready to be hammered and refined. He carefully tapped the slag from the bottom of the furnace, the molten waste flowing out in a glowing stream. The goblins gasped, their eyes wide with wonder.

Then another 50 minutes later, "Now comes the fun part," Luke said, grinning. He destroyed the disposable furnace shaft, extracting the glowing lump of iron. The goblins stepped back as he carried it to a tree stump, where he began hammering it to remove any remaining slag.

The rhythmic clang of hammer on metal filled the air, each strike shaping the iron into something usable. Luke reheated the metal, folding it repeatedly to strengthen it. The goblins watched in silence, their earlier chatter replaced by a sense of reverence.

Finally, Luke shaped the iron into a crude machete, its weight slightly distributed toward the top for more vertical power. He held it up, the blade glinting in the firelight. "This," he said, turning to the goblins, "is what we've been working toward. A tool. A weapon. Something that will make us stronger."

The goblins erupted into cheers, their excitement palpable. Grut stepped forward, his eyes gleaming. "Luke, will you make more?"

"You bet," Luke said, handing him the machete. "But first, we need to make more tools. Another hammer head, for starters. Then we'll see what else we can create."

Seven days had passed since Luke and the goblins began their iron-smelting and forging operations. The workshop area was now a hive of activity, with goblins scurrying about, their hands busy with charcoal, ores, and molten metal. Luke had spent the week teaching them the intricacies of the process, from smelting iron ore to hammering it into usable tools and weapons. The results were impressive—three iron hammers, another cast anvil, seven crude machetes, and three iron breastplates now lay neatly arranged on a workbench.

The notification panel had chimed repeatedly over the days, rewarding Luke with Tech Points for each successful forge. He checked his balance, a satisfied smile spreading across his face.

[ Tech Points: 2164 ]

Not bad, he thought, scrolling through the list of achievements. We've come a long way in just a week.

Luke gathered the newly forged items and presented them to Shiki, the chief. The other goblins crowded around, their eyes wide with awe as they examined the gleaming metal tools and armor.

"Lok make these?" one of them asked, his voice tinged with disbelief.

"Yeah," Luke said, handing a machete to Shiki. "With a little help from all of you."

Shiki tested the weight of the machete, swinging it experimentally. The blade cut through the air with a satisfying whoosh, and the chief nodded in approval. "Good. Strong. But we need more."

Luke sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'd love to make more, Chief, but we're limited by manpower. With only a few of us working, it's hard to increase production."

Shiki's expression grew thoughtful. "There is another village to the east. Their chief was my close friend long ago, before we were driven from our old fort by humans. But he is… different. Brutal. Untrusting. He may attack outsiders on sight."

Luke raised an eyebrow. "So how do we get him to cooperate?"

"You must defeat him in a duel," Shiki said, his tone serious. "But he is twice as strong as me. It will not be easy."

Luke frowned, his mind racing. Twice as strong as Shiki? That's a tall order. He glanced at the chief, who was watching him with a knowing smile.

"I'll think about it, Shiki," Luke said finally. "For now, I can't risk it. There's no one here who's twice as strong as you."

Shiki chuckled, clapping Luke on the shoulder. "I know you have something up your sleeve, Lok. But I'm not pushing you beyond our limits. Do what you can."

As the chief walked away, Luke's thoughts turned to the caves. If I can level up, maybe I'll unlock my evolution function. That could give me the edge I need. He pulled up his status panel, scanning the details.

[ Name: Luke Rodriguez

Age: 7

Species: Goblin

Evolutionary Path: Locked (Required: Level 20)

Level: 12

Tech Points: 2164

Skills:

Blueprint Creation and Analysis (Level 1)

Scrap Salvage (Level 1)

Elemental Affinity

Heal

...

System Tools and Functions:

Shop (Tier 3)

Codex (Tier 1)

Goblin Village Management (Tier 2)

Map

Attributes:

STR: 10

AGI: 10

PER: 10

VIT: 10

RES: 10

INT: 10

MAG: 10

Attribute Points: 4

Goblin Village Attribute Points: 35

Limit: 10 Attribute Usage Per Day ]

I still need eight more levels to unlock evolution, Luke thought, his jaw tightening. I'll have to prepare myself. Tonight, I'll head to the caves.

He stored one breastplate, one machete, a bow, and thirty wooden arrows in his inventory, the items disintegrating in a flash of light. As he did, he noticed the Goblin Village Attribute Points in his status panel. That's it. I can boost my stats. It might be selfish, but it's an investment in the village's future.

Luke hesitated, then asked the system, "Can I buy more attribute points using Tech Points?"

[ Yes, you can unlock the Attribute Shop in Tier 3. However, you are limited to 15 attribute purchases for personal use per day, with a total capacity of 50 attribute purchases per day. ]

Luke frowned. "Sounds sensible enough. Is there any way to increase that limit?"

[ Level up the Shop Tier. ]

He sighed. "Fine. I'll upgrade the shop."

Luke navigated to the Shop interface and tapped on the Upgrade option, spending 700 Tech Points.

[ Shop Tier Upgraded: T2 → T3

New Additions:

Items Shop: Equipment added (ranging from Stone Age to Early Medieval Period).

System Function Shop: 2 new items added.

Skills Shop: UI overhaul, categories added, Magic Spells category added, more skills added.

Attribute Shop: Added. ]

Luke's eyes lit up as he explored the new options. This changes everything. He quickly opened the Attribute Shop, scanning the available upgrades.

[ Attribute Shop

Goblin Village Attribute Point(Stock 50): 50 Tech Points per attribute point. ]

Fifty Tech Points per attribute point? That's steep, but worth it. Luke bought 15 points and allocated 15 attribute points to himself, boosting his stats significantly.

[ Attributes Updated:

STR: 15

AGI: 15

PER: 12

VIT: 10

RES: 13

INT: 10

MAG: 10 ]

He felt the changes immediately, his body surging with newfound strength and clarity. This is just the beginning. With these upgrades, hopefully, I'll be ready for the spiders in those caves.