Chapter 74

I increased the number of monsters.

Forty-five orcs. Forty-five goblins.

Combined, that’s ninety.

Adding the ten orcs that were already here, it makes exactly one hundred.

I significantly reinforced them.

I had to, as I realized that without doing so, I wouldn’t be able to complete everything I wanted during my lifetime.

The source, of course, was the teacher’s dungeon cave. Thanks to the excessive gifts Paffa gave me, the teacher kindly allowed me to recruit the monsters.

"I expected you to ask, so I prepared the monsters for the Holy One."

That’s what the teacher said.

"If you have any problems, feel free to ask. I have sworn my loyalty to you, and above all, neighbors should help each other."

I think everything went smoothly not because of the gifts, but because the teacher is a genuinely good Undead King.

Anyway, the group suddenly became much larger.

A total of one hundred monsters, new and old.

Of course, their purpose is agriculture and construction.

Just to be clear, I won’t use them for invasion.

I decided to leave the command and training of the new monsters to the veterans.

Specifically, the five orcs and five goblins led by Oakbo.

Let me introduce them again.

The leader of the orc team is Oakbo, and the leader of the goblin team is Gobkichi.

The other orcs are...

Oakbo (Leader).

Oakra.

Oakma.

Oakinushi.

Oaktoba.

I named them.

I hope you can overlook the lack of creativity after a while.

For the goblins, I couldn’t come up with clever names like I did for the orcs, so I went with...

Gobkichi.

Gobro.

Gobhiko.

Gobsaburo.

Gobshin.

Why does the creativity run out around the fourth one?

By the way, Gobsaburo is known for finishing second in a past sumo tournament.

His famous match against Prince Aruona in the finals is still talked about, and apparently, the prince still plays sumo with him whenever he visits.

I assigned nine new monsters to each of the veteran orcs and goblins. Each team consists of one veteran and nine new members, making ten in total.

The veterans, led by Oakbo, will be the team leaders.

Congratulations.

I hope you take good care of your new subordinates.

This time, I decided not to directly interact with the new orcs and goblins.

When I first met Oakbo and the others, touching them with the "Bearer of the Supreme" gave them self-awareness, which they didn’t have before.

Not only that, but the orcs evolved into Warrior Orcs and the goblins into Spartan Goblins, gaining dozens of times their original strength.

All of this was a result of chance, and while it’s wonderful to have such good companions like Oakbo and the others...

It’s like giving life to artificial beings.

It feels like stepping into the realm of a deity, which is scary.

Anyway, it’s scary to think there are no limits.

To put a stop to it, I decided not to directly interact with the new monsters...

I didn’t use the "Bearer of the Supreme" to give them life.

And then...

About a month passed...

* * *

"You guys! Let’s get to work today!!"

"YEAH!!"

"For our lord!!"

"WORK!!"

"What is the strength of the orcs!?"

"STRENGTH AND TOUGHNESS!!"

"What is the strength of the goblins!?"

"SPEED AND DEXTERITY!!"

"Who can make the best use of these strengths!?"

"OUR LORD, THE HOLY KIDAN!!"

"Alright, let’s work hard today!!"

"YES, SIR!!"

...

Huh?

The new orcs and goblins are talking normally with Oakbo and the others?

Their conversation, though a bit enthusiastic, shows intelligence.

Why?

"A few days ago, they started doing this," Plat told me.

While I was forging mana metal axes and sickles for everyone, including the new orcs and goblins, this was happening?

"Apparently, doing this at the start of the day boosts their morale. It actually improves their work efficiency. Oakra’s team has completed the expansion of the mansion and can now support other teams."

"Wow...!?"

"Also, Gobhiko’s team is almost done, so hurry up and expand the fields. You can leave that to the master."

Everything is going smoothly.

Everything is going smoothly, but...

The new orcs and goblins are developing self-awareness too!?

* * *

"They are mutating," the teacher said after immediately appraising them.

Sure enough, the new monsters had also mutated and become enhanced.

The orcs became Warrior Orcs.

The goblins became Spartan Goblins.

Why!?

I didn’t even interact with them!?

"Even without conscious interaction, being in the same place and occasionally touching them can cause this."

Is that how it works!?

But this means my settlement’s companions are becoming an even more powerful army!?

"But if the new ones mutate, the original Oakbo and the others will be overshadowed..."

Their advantage as team leaders will be reduced to seniority.

"The original Oakbo and the others, however..."

The teacher said something terrifying.

"They are also mutating."

"Huh?"

"Second mutation... I’ve only heard about it, but this is my first time seeing it."

Warrior Orc → Legatus Orc.

Spartan Goblin → Brave Goblin.

...That’s what they’ve become.

Oakbo and Gobkichi and the others.

"The strength of second-mutated monsters is said to be enough to crush an average hero in one hit. Leading a mutated army... It’s a nightmare for humans and demons."

No, no, that’s not true...

...

They’re harmless?

Oakbo and the others are just harmless monsters skilled at development?

Come on, let’s work hard on the development today!