Chapter 42: Goblish

And just like that, reality hit me like a truck.

Given how terrifying those spider monsters seemed to be, I really shouldn’t get cocky and start thinking I was already overpowered just because I possessed an amazing System and two incredible citizens.

Up until now, I had considered my two goblins fairly strong. After all, they had successfully evolved into the powerful [Super Forest Goblin] variant, received a massive boost to their stats, and even unlocked the ridiculously powerful [Enraged] skill.

But there was one important detail I had been overlooking.

They were still only Level 11.

If they returned to their former tribe now and faced those spiders, they would probably be killed in no time.

And worse...

If those monsters eventually came for my castle, I wasn’t entirely confident that I could stop them either.

Sure, I could keep dropping rocks on them, just like I had done with the giant wolf.

But what if they were strong enough to survive falling rocks and spears?

What if ordinary traps and physical attacks simply weren’t enough to kill them?

And what if there was a giant spider boss among them, one powerful enough to damage or even destroy my entire castle?

That possibility couldn’t be ignored, especially if these monsters continued expanding their territory, multiplying in number, and becoming stronger.

And even if my castle walls proved impossible for them to break through, there was another problem:

They could simply wipe out the goblins and other creatures living throughout the surrounding forest.

And if that happened, where would I get new citizens?

I could end up stuck here forever, surrounded by a forest crawling with creepy giant spiders, with no intelligent creatures left around for me to recruit.

And that... was definitely not something I wanted.

Therefore, my goal was simple:

I had to become stronger. And I had to do it fast!

I needed to unlock more upgrades, acquire more powerful abilities, and raise my goblins’ levels as quickly as possible.

In other words, I needed a massive amount of Points.

That, however, was precisely where the problem lay.

It was a shame that these two couldn’t bring me more citizens. If they had been able to return safely to their tribe, I might have gained a steady stream of new goblins, allowing my population to grow rapidly.

But that option was gone now.

Their tribe had been destroyed, and the surrounding goblin tribes were apparently being attacked one after another.

I couldn’t rely on them to expand my population anymore.

If I wanted to grow stronger, I would have to find another way.

For now, I would simply have to work with what I had.

****

Anyway, I decided to put the spider problem aside for now. There were more immediate things I needed to worry about.

My attention turned to the two goblins standing in my hall.

They looked up at the ceiling, clearly eager to find out what their next task would be. Even though I still couldn’t properly understand their language, I could sense their determination. They wanted to become stronger, strong enough to one day return to their homeland, avenge their fallen tribe, and wipe those spiders off the map.

Perhaps that was why they had been pushing themselves so hard, accepting quest after quest without ever seeming to want a proper break. Even Gopuran had been willing to put herself through that ridiculous punishment just to obtain the [Enraged] skill.

Now then, the question was...

What kind of task should I give them?

Wood gathering came to mind first, but I hesitated.

I wasn’t building anything at the moment, and while Wood could certainly be sold for Points, it didn’t seem like the most efficient way to earn them.

From what I had seen so far, hunting offered far greater returns. That single horned wolf had yielded an absurd amount of valuable materials.

Still, sending them out to hunt right now didn’t sit well with me.

The forest was dangerous, and there was always the possibility that they could encounter the spider monsters that had destroyed their tribe.

I only had two citizens.

Losing even one of them would be a serious blow. Losing both would be catastrophic.

Perhaps I was being overly cautious, but I trusted my instincts. Right now, they were telling me not to take unnecessary risks.

In the end, I settled on the safer option.

I would let them stay near the castle and chop wood, at least until they gained a few more levels and became stronger.

But before that...

I had something else in mind.

If I wanted to properly command my citizens and understand what they needed, there was one problem I absolutely had to solve first.

The language barrier.

I prepared a new quest for Gopuran.

[Ding! Gopuran has accepted your "Goblish Teaching" quest!]

[Ding! Gopuro has accepted your "Goblish Teaching" quest!]

[Quest: Goblish Teaching Lesson 1!]

Prerequisite: None

Quest Info: Your ruler wishes to learn your language so they can communicate with you more easily. You will not receive an immediate reward for this quest. However, if you continue this lesson, you will earn 1 Powerstone for every 3 hours of teaching.

Quest Type: One Time.

Objective: Pronounce the following words in Goblish as slowly, loudly, and clearly as possible. Repeat each word 20 times.

Word List: Hello, goodbye, yes, no, food, water, danger, friend.

****

Once again, both goblins were thrilled to accept the quest.

Gopuran eagerly took on the role of teacher, and within a few minutes, the goblin girl was already pacing back and forth across the stone floor of the hall, pronouncing each word slowly, loudly, and with surprising patience.

Gopuro was doing the same, working through a different word list I had given him.

Meanwhile, I focused as hard as I possibly could, absorbing every sound and subtle nuance they offered.

And slowly, through what could only be described as sheer, absurd effort on all our parts...

I learned.

My first two hundred and thirty Goblish words...

In just twelve freaking hours.

Even when the sun dipped below the horizon, I was still deep into the lesson, continuing without pause.

Both of them turned out to be surprisingly good teachers.

I even able .to learn beautiful phrases like how to say "f*** you" or "big holy titties" in Goblish.

In the end, even I couldn’t believe how quickly I was picking it up.

"Damn... is this the power of having no brain?"

I had never felt this sharp or capable before. It was as if I had become a giant sponge, soaking up every word Gopuran and Gopuro taught me at an absurd rate.

If this had been my past life, trying to learn a new language this quickly would have fried my brain and made me give up in under thirty seconds.

Yeah...

Maybe my mental capabilities had become something else entirely.

After all, I could handle dozens of overlapping visions at once without getting tired. I no longer needed sleep or rest, and I couldn’t even suffer from headaches anymore.

It was almost as if castle life had secretly been training me for this exact moment.

Interestingly, Goblish didn’t have a writing system at all. It was purely a spoken language, passed down orally from generation to generation, with no letters or symbols.

But strangely enough, it was quite easy to learn. The language itself was incredibly straightforward, with simple vocabulary and uncomplicated grammar.

By the end of that first intense day, I even received a surprise notification.

[Ding! Achievement Unlocked: Tongue of the Greenskins!]

[+20 Points!]

[Skill Unlocked: Goblish (Beginner)]