Chapter 5: Do I Really Have to Eat a Goblin?

I’m truly a failed monkey, Mamadou thought.

The reason was simple.

Unlike the monkeys that could swing effortlessly from tree to tree, he struggled to do something as basic as climbing one.

He would need more time to learn.

But he did not allow himself to become discouraged.

He still did not have complete control over his body.

In fact, one could say that he was doing fairly well so far.

After all, not long ago he had been a perfectly ordinary human with a perfectly ordinary job.

He therefore decided to go hunting.

Since he was new to the area, he chose not to venture too far from his cave.

Even though he left markers here and there, there was always the possibility of getting lost.

Mamadou thus began wandering through the forest while leaving landmarks behind.

He had not forgotten to bring his wooden axe and several roots he had previously braided together.

Unfortunately for him, he was unable to find any prey despite spending hours searching.

If this activity continues to be unproductive, not only will I fail to gain new skills, but I might end up starving once again.

Mamadou confirmed once more that his senses seemed sharper—or at least different from when he had still been human.

He suddenly felt as though something was moving in the distance.

He immediately held his breath and advanced carefully.

Approaching cautiously, he thought there was nothing left capable of shocking him.

He was wrong.

How could something so ugly exist?

Mamadou positioned himself behind a tree and peeked out.

"What were the odds of encountering a fantasy creature again?"

Without even using the Evaluation skill, which he considered mostly useless, he could already guess what that abomination was.

It was roughly twice his size.

Bipedal.

Green-skinned.

With an ugly and pronounced face.

It’s a goblin.

Since he did not know the conditions required to improve his Evaluation skill, he decided to use it anyway.

Perhaps it would level up.

[Goblin]

Mamadou’s brain worked as fast as it could while he weighed the pros and cons.

If I follow fantasy lore, goblins are creatures that live in groups.

The presence of one means there is likely a colony nearby.

We’re far enough from my cave, so they probably won’t cause me any immediate problems.

But I still need information.

Where is their colony located?

How many are there?

If possible, I need exact numbers.

Since they’re an invasive species, they could become a serious problem very quickly.

Regardless, what do I do with this one?

"Studying a goblin will allow me to know what to expect from the others."

"Killing it therefore seems like the best option."

"Besides, I haven’t encountered any prey until now."

Mamadou tightened his grip around his makeshift axe.

He also disliked the resemblance, grotesque as it was, between goblins and humans.

This parody of humanity was not amusing in the slightest.

He wondered what degenerate had originally created the concept of goblins in books, and who the creator was that had brought such a creature into existence here.

He quickly chased those distracting thoughts away and took position.

It’s twice my size.

Mamadou regulated his breathing.

If I fail, it’s over.

He fixed his eyes on the goblin, which seemed to be wandering around in search of something.

The distance was reasonable.

The goblin had not noticed him yet.

Everything has to happen in an instant...

He advanced slowly.

Carefully.

He made sure that his footsteps produced as little vibration as possible.

However, the goblin possessed a keen sense of smell.

Mamadou had already entered its territory.

The goblin’s ears perked up as it sniffed the air.

It immediately turned around.

Mamadou understood that he could not get any closer.

It was too late.

Before the goblin could react, Mamadou swung his axe at its knee with all his strength.

The blow shattered the joint.

The goblin lost its balance and crashed to the ground.

Before it could scream, Mamadou charged toward it.

But he wasn’t fast enough.

The goblin let out a howl of pain.

Its knee had just been broken.

Blood sprayed everywhere as it rolled across the ground.

Mamadou jumped onto its back and bit into its throat to stop it from screaming further.

That bought him enough time to retrieve his axe.

This time, he smashed it directly into the goblin’s mouth, rendering its cries inaudible.

The goblin was twice his size.

He could not exactly drag it back to his hideout unless he wanted to leave a trail behind.

He decided to move the body first.

In its current state, it would attract the attention of its kin, and he was not confident he could deal with them without traps or the advantage of surprise.

Mamadou began dragging the goblin’s body along a route different from the one he had taken to arrive.

At the same time, he carefully placed markers.

To him, most trees and corners looked frustratingly identical.

He was terrified of getting lost and having to start everything from zero.

As he dragged the goblin along, his emotions became mixed.

Did I commit a crime?

No one could answer that question except himself.

In the end, he chose to ignore it.

He had already experienced so much in such a short amount of time.

If killing monsters and fantasy creatures was what would allow him to become strong enough to survive until tomorrow, then why should he refrain from doing it?

I’ve already crossed the line where remorse matters.

No matter the cost, I’ll return.

And when I do, I’ll make every one of them pay.

Once he was far enough away, he stopped dragging the body and set it down.

He made sure to position himself between the trees at all times so that he would have as few blind spots as possible.

Mamadou examined the goblin’s body more closely.

It was still alive.

These creatures have remarkable vitality, he thought.

But then another question came to mind.

Did he really have to eat this thing?

After all, it resembled a human.

On top of that, it was filthy and smelled terrible.

"The more closely I look at it, the more disgusting it becomes."

"But I couldn’t find any other prey, and it’s time to head back."

"So what do I do?"