Chapter 7

After parting ways with the villagers, I proceeded straight into the forest. My destination was a grove deep within, where I had discovered a village of about thirty goblins using the magic card "Far Sight" to survey the area from above. This "Far Sight" allows me to move my viewpoint to any location within its effective range. I found a village nearby by chance and tried to move my viewpoint inside a house to see if I could, and it worked, so I assumed it was correct.

Then, out of curiosity, I started moving my viewpoint around, and I ended up seeing a green child—presumably a goblin—up close, which made me feel slightly nauseous. To vent my frustration—rather, as a form of combat training—I decided to head towards the goblin village.

Thanks to "Far Sight," I was able to grasp the surrounding terrain and confirmed that there were no obstacles on the shortest path. The sensation of having only my vision far away was quite strange, but it was very convenient. However, it could be dangerous if I wasn't in the shadows. Since I only had one card left, I needed to use it carefully.

But to think that goblins actually exist just as they are depicted—this is truly a fantasy world. Moreover, they are incredibly ugly and extremely dirty. Flies are swarming around them; how unclean can they be? At this rate, there must be orcs and kobolds around too. I hope I don't encounter anything as strong as griffins or dragons.

Now, with the distance closing, it's time to confirm my tactics. This time, I will use attack magic cards for combat. I will approach from the shadows and launch a surprise attack with long-range attacks. After that, I will hide in the shadows again, observe the situation, and attack again from a distance with magic cards when the opportunity arises.

This will also serve as a test of the magic cards' power and range. I will use them as a test subject to see how effective they are. The problem is that I don't really know how strong goblins are in this world. They are generally considered weak, but they can be troublesome in large numbers. I will gradually increase the difficulty to obtain precise verification results.

Also, magic cards are activated by thinking "use" rather than saying the magic name aloud. When I first used a card in the treasure room, I wondered how to use it, and it activated. The "Far Sight" I used earlier also activated when I thought "use," so I can be confident that this is the correct method.

But I would like to use them by name. No, I will definitely use them by name someday.

While imagining myself as a mage, I saw the open area where the village was. Moving through the shadows is indeed fast.

I stepped out of the shadows and, with my back to a thick tree to avoid being seen from the village, I checked the cards I would use.

Ice Arrow × 3

Wind Arrow × 3

Earth Arrow × 3

Thunderbolt × 2

Earth Bolt × 2

Aqua Shot × 2

Earth Shot × 2

Aqua Ball × 2

Wind Ball × 2

Since we are in the forest, I will avoid using fire. I won't use any shield-type cards this time because I plan to attack from the shadows. As a precaution, I will prepare Thunderstorm and Ice Lance. I still have silver cards, but using them recklessly because they are less effective is not a good idea. I will use gold cards as insurance for the experiment.

Preparations complete. It's time to start the battle. The distance to the village is about 200 meters. Watch as I display my sniper skills, honed from playing FPS games.

With cards in both hands, I stepped out from behind the tree where I was hiding, only to find a group of goblins staring at me.

What? How did they know my position?

Is it because they detected my presence by smell or sound?

I immediately returned to the shadows and regrouped. The goblins were getting noisy, probably searching for me, but of course, they couldn't find me. I decided to try again, this time from the top of a tree where I could see the village.

I moved to the top of a tree with a good view of the village, took out Ice Arrow from the stack of cards, and prepared to use it as I stepped out of the shadows.

The moment I did, the goblins turned to face me all at once.

What's going on?

To confirm, I went back into the shadows, and the goblins started looking around, having lost sight of me. When I stepped out of the shadows again, they all turned to face me once more.

Could it be that some sound or magic is emitted when I step out of the shadows, something that humans can't hear but other creatures can?

Although I couldn't feel anything, and no one in the town or the village reacted, it seems that when I step out of the shadows, something that other creatures can sense is emitted.

While I don't know the specifics, it seems that I can only surprise certain opponents when I step out of the shadows. I thought it was a powerful ability, but I've found an unexpected flaw. However, it's fortunate that I discovered this with goblins.

Despite the unexpected turn of events, I decided to start the battle. The goblins, seeing me from a height, drew their bows. The distance is too far for their arrows to reach, but this is a fantasy world. I stuck to my original plan and entered the shadows to change my position before attacking. Even if my location is immediately revealed, it's better than doing nothing.

This time, I stepped out of the shadows on the ground and used Ice Arrow. As expected, I was asked to specify the target. These attack cards apparently require a target to be specified, and the target must be valid for the card to activate. I tried to test it on a nearby tree, but it didn't work. I also tried to use "Unlock" and "Detox" on a rock, but they failed.

When I specified the nearest goblin as the target, the card turned into particles of light and disappeared. Then, in an instant, a 30 cm ice arrow appeared in the air.

A perfect ice spike sprouted from the goblin's forehead.

The goblin, not even realizing what had happened, collapsed with an ice arrow through its head. The other goblins panicked at the sight. It was clear that the ice arrow had penetrated the goblin's head, as a spike also protruded from the back of its head.

I was more surprised by the speed of the arrow than by the fact that it flew on its own. It reached a distance of about 200 meters in an instant, clearly exceeding the speed of sound. The kinetic energy must have been enormous.

It's obvious. These magic cards are incredibly powerful.

With this realization, I wanted to try the other cards immediately.

If silver cards are this strong, what about gold cards? What about platinum cards?

To be honest, I was getting carried away. I lost my fighting spirit and continued to attack the fleeing goblins from behind with magic, ignoring my original plan and using cards without entering the shadows.

Using Arrows, they would pierce the goblins' heads; using Bolts, they would pierce their chests and damage other goblins. Shots would fire three or four balls at once, turning the goblins' bodies into a mass of holes. The goblins were slow, and only a few managed to escape into the forest. Even those were torn apart by the small water explosions caused by the continuous release of Aqua Balls upon impact.

It was carried out as calmly as leveling up in an RPG. The initial excitement of my first battle and the power of the cards quickly faded. The goblins were so weak that it no longer felt like a battle. The vast difference in strength turned the "battle" into a "task."

In just a few minutes, I approached the village, which I assumed was completely wiped out, and looked around. The smell was terrible.

The goblins' body odor was probably part of it, but the village, covered in blood and flesh, smelled even worse.

"Ah, no level up, huh... Well, there are no stats, so it's to be expected."

I muttered to mask my discomfort. The result was too anticlimactic, and I didn't even get to properly verify anything.

What was the point of combat training?

I peeked into the buildings, which looked like pit houses made of wood and straw, but found nothing. I headed to the largest building, thinking it might have something.

I wanted to finish quickly before the smell stuck to my clothes. I felt like I should just leave, but since I had eliminated the goblins, I thought there might be some treasure. I didn't want to miss out on something valuable because I didn't search. It's like knowing there are traps in a game but still stepping on them to map the area. I laughed at myself for this trait.

I hurried to the largest building and entered through the entrance without a door.

There, I found a group of goblin children, trembling in fear, with an adult goblin standing protectively in front of them.

What is this situation?

It was obvious. The adult was protecting the children. I realized I had overlooked a possibility.

The possibility that goblins live like humans and are not enemies of humans.

I knew that there were non-human races called "sub-humans." I learned this when I found out that the theocratic nation of Shirendi did not recognize sub-humans as human. At the time, I thought of sub-humans as dwarves or elves, but goblins might also be classified as sub-humans.

Then, what are sub-humans?

A general term for non-human races with their own civilizations?

If so, what have I done?

It's unclear whether they have a civilization worth the name. From the way they live, it doesn't seem like they do. But there were only about forty goblins here. If we compare them to humans, this is like a rural area.

Then, are there goblin cities?

I have no way of knowing. I've only been here for a short time, so I can't know the details.

What should I do?

Should I ask the goblins?

Then I realized I was wearing a "Translation Ring," which means I can communicate with goblins. With this in mind, I decided to speak to them.

"Hey, I have a question..."

"Human scum!" The goblin swung a stone-tipped club at me before I could finish my question.

Caught off guard by this unexpected action, I inadvertently used the card I was holding. Before I could think "Oops," it had already activated.

"Thunderstorm"... It was the gold card I had kept as insurance.

With a deafening "BOOM," a raging storm of lightning instantly engulfed the goblins. The thunder continued to roar, and lightning struck the surrounding area. The straw and wooden buildings, along with the goblins, were quickly charred black, and the damage even reached the forest.

Fortunately, the trees in the forest did not catch fire, so there was no risk of a fire.

However, I failed to confirm the goblins' nature. They called me "human scum," so do they look down on humans?

I felt I had done something wrong, but if they look down on humans, then conflict is inevitable. If it comes to a fight, whether they have a civilization or not, it's a matter of survival. They can curse their bad luck for meeting me.

With this realization, my mood became much lighter. There was no need to worry. Now that I know the magic cards are powerful, I can solve any trouble with force.

Yes, I will resolve any trouble that comes my way in an instant. Physically!

With renewed confidence, I walked through the area that was once the goblin village. There was nothing at the previous location, but I decided to search another large building.

There, I found a person.

A dirty, naked girl was bound with rope-like restraints, with cuts and bruises all over her body. Most disturbingly, there was blood trickling from between her legs, and a strange white lump on the ground, along with the worst smell, told me what had happened.

Unable to bear the sight and the smell, I almost vomited, but then—

I made eye contact with the girl.

I'm sorry, please cancel my previous statement.