Lord: Starting from a Goblin Nest

”It seems Auson Munielp’s decision to hole up in its cave wasn’t necessarily out of cowardice.”

Victoria looked at the various rare treasures and numerous Magic Items piled around. ”Maybe among all this treasure, it has a trump card that would let it make a final stand.”

”Not likely,” Ron said, holding the Weaving Introduction and appraising the Magic Items one by one. ”These are basically all from Wood Elf artisans. Before moving to Delusional Land, it probably plundered an entire Wood Elf Kingdom in the deep forest.”

”Take this crown on Aiksuuri’s head, for example. It’s part of a complete set of Magic Items including the crown, a cloak, and a scepter. Possessing all three allows the holder to summon a Spirit Guard once a day, just like a member of the clergy.”

”Its symbolic value far outweighs its practical use,” Aiksuuri commented. ”You guys definitely don’t need it, so it’s mine—oh! I found the scepter. Is this it?”

Unfortunately, Aiksuuri was neither a Metal Dragon nor an adult, otherwise, he could have transformed into a humanoid and pretended to be a king or some other figure. As it was, he could only perch the crown on his horns and hook the cloak onto the spikes on his back.

The Dragon Race naturally had its own tricks for Casting with Magic Items, such as swallowing them whole. But there was no hope of Aiksuuri using this set to display his draconic majesty.

”Besides, the color doesn’t even match me,” the Young Dragon said. After playing with his new toys for a moment, he started searching for other novel Magic Items. ”Oh, look at this! A fountain pen with an emerald nib! I bet that Green Dragon used it to write in his diary!”

”That’s a pen that can write without ink. While holding it, you can freely cast the Magic ’Illusory Script’ without needing material components.” Ron took it. The fountain pen seemed to automatically adjust to its user’s size. When he held it in his hand, it quickly shrank to the size of a normal human fountain pen.

”You can have it,” Aiksuuri said, waving his claw magnanimously. ”The Gemstone on the nib is too small. It’s an insult to a wealthy dragon like me!”

For other races, any Magic Item might be something they’d scramble for. But to a Giant Dragon, a lackluster Magic Item was far less appealing than a shiny Gemstone or even a piece of colored glass.

”How strange,” Aive said, climbing a small mountain of treasure to peer into the depths of the hoard. ”This guy is a bit too lazy. So many gold and silver jewels are just piled up randomly. Why is there still an unopened chest in that corner?”

”Probably forgot about it,” the young Black Dragon said, unfazed. ”There’s probably nothing important inside, so he forgot about it while organizing his treasure.”

It was a plain-looking wooden chest, over a meter long and half a meter wide and tall. Having been left in the damp, dark underground for so long, it was somewhat rotten and moldy. A heavy iron lock hung on the outside, but it too was rusted and broken-down, looking like it could be kicked open with a single blow.

”I’ll get it, I’ll get it!” Delaford leaped out of the chest-deep Gold Coins and slid down the slope of treasure. ”I’m telling you, my lockpicking skills are top-notch. Watch and learn—”

The goblin’s voice stopped abruptly.

”Delaford?”

Ron looked up, only to find that the goblin wasn’t standing by the wooden chest at all. Instead, he was continuously digging in the mud with his hands, searching for something.

”What are you doing? Aren’t you picking the lock?”

”Forget the lock for a second, look what I found!” Delaford grunted with effort as he dug a wooden sculpture taller than a man out of the mud. ”That Green Dragon really has no appreciation for beauty, burying such a gorgeous wooden statue in the dirt—what do you think he was thinking?”

Ron’s mouth fell slightly open, and he stared dumbfounded as Delaford eagerly cleaned the mud off the wooden statue. It wasn’t that he was surprised Delaford was fawning over a block of wood, but that the statue was a carving of... a bear goblin?!

’How could he possibly see this giant, hairy beast as a ’beauty’!’

’And why would a Green Dragon keep such an eyesore of a statue in its hoard, even if it was buried in the mud?’

”Delaford, let go! It might be a—!” Aive was the first to realize, but her warning came a little too late for Delaford.

A thick, slimy pseudopod shot out from inside the wooden statue, instantly rolling Delaford up like a sushi roll. Before anyone else could react, the Goblin Hunter had been swallowed whole by the statue, leaving only one of his short leather boots behind.

”Damn, it’s a Personification Monster! I knew it!” Aive charged forward immediately. The others reacted as well, grabbing their weapons and descending upon the wooden statue that was trying to act like nothing had happened.

This creature was a shapeshifting predator that could transform into inanimate objects to lure prey. It could change its appearance to mimic the texture of wood, stone, or other materials, and would transform into objects that other creatures were most likely to approach and interact with. Then, it would extend its pseudopods and attack the prey that had mistakenly entered its hunting grounds, completely unaware of its existence.

Generally, the most common forms they took were treasure chests or doors, earning them the common name ”Treasure Chest Monster.” But the one before them had clearly taken a different path, transforming into the one thing a goblin was most likely to approach—a statue of a bear goblin!

But it hadn’t considered one thing: Delaford had teammates who weren’t falling for its act!

Although the Personification Monster, realizing it was exposed, immediately revealed its true form and extended its pseudopods to counterattack, how could an ambush predator possibly be a match for five people and a dragon in a direct confrontation? Even after it was forced to spit out Delaford to lighten its burden, it was still no match for Ron and the others.

”Stop hitting me, stop hitting me! I surrender!”

Just as Aiksuuri’s sharp teeth bit into the Personification Monster’s tough, gelatinous hide, the Young Dragon discovered that the food in his mouth had actually started talking—and in the Common Language, no less!

”I was wrong! It was just instinct!” the Personification Monster shrieked, begging for mercy from inside Aiksuuri’s mouth. ”He’s still alive, he’s alive! Ow! Is it really worth risking your lives for a goblin? I won’t eat him, alright...”

Ron and the others hurriedly checked on Delaford’s condition. Just as the strange Personification Monster had said, aside from multiple corrosive burns on his body, the goblin’s life was not in danger. The sudden, immense shock and the environment inside the Personification Monster had merely caused him to suffocate and pass out.