<h4>Volume 2, Chapter 123: Whispers of the One-Eyed Snake</h4>


    The world was still in the embrace of the night god, but the lingering image of a loving father was the only thing in my mind.


    Embraced by the warmth of the night, I walked through the dark forest. The forest outside the elven territory was dangerous. If we let our guard down, we could end up prey to some wandering beast. But for some reason, despite knowing that, there was this odd warmth that sought to wrap itself around me.


    “How strange,” I muttered.


    The shaman, Gi Za Zakuend, might be able to uncover the cause of this strange atmosphere, but as for me, the most I can do is to keep it in mind.


    It’s not a bad feeling though, and I’ve actually already gotten used to it by now. I walked through the forest of the night while filled with that strange sense of warmth.


    “Blood and war is your path, little one. Neither fear it nor turn away from it.”


    It’s been a while since Veridst spoke.


    “Worried that I’ll stop fighting?” I asked.


    “The old gods of the water and the forest live eternally. Their influence upon thesends is great, weakening the burn of the me. It is ufortable.”


    The snake spoke honestly. The other snake, the one whose mark was a gem on my left hand, seemed to agree with Verid as its mark quietly rumbled.


    “I have already begun my path to domination. It is a bit toote to be turning away now.”


    I have long been sick of this thirst for conquest within me. I want to win. I want to fight!


    Those feelings zed like a great me within me as I spoke to Verid.


    “I will take back that which was taken from me. Until then I will crush everything in my path.”


    “Little brother, don’t forget. The Goddess of the UnderworldLady Altesia is both our mother and master.”


    The calm feeling within me changed, and the smile of a beast appeared on my face.


    “It doesn’t matter who it is. If someone stands in my path, I will cut them down. I won’t care even if they’re gods.”


    Good… Good! That is how you should be. Don’t forget, little one. The words I, the guiding ck mes, have given you. Don’t ever forget.”


    Verid’sughter resounded loudly along with the squirming of the snake symbol on my arm, then his voice vanished.


    Remembering the words I said just moments ago, I muttered to myself. “I will take you back. No matter the cost…”


    Those words vanished in the dim light of the night.


    ◆◆◇


    Altesia sweetly smiled as she watched the goblin reflected on the giant magic mirror.


    “He conquered the demihumans, and now, his ws reach for the elves. Unexpected… Truly, unexpected,” Altesia said to the one-eyed snake, Verid.


    “The barrier of the forest and water gods have indeed been strengthened. It would be difficult for anyone to enter without the invitation of the elves,” Verid said.


    The Goblin King’s decision to send an elven envoy was correct. The elven forest had a barrier around it that led intruders astray. There was no other way through it outside of burning the whole forest down.


    The fact that the Goblin King was able to get past that without even knowing of its existence was truly nothing more than his good luck.


    “Are the water godIren and the forest godChenzhen interfering on the elves’ behalf?” Altesia asked.


    “They seem to be keeping a low profile… But they’re not dead,” Verid said.


    “Hmm… The apostle of that which is faster than the windGawyn was refused contact with the forest god. Are they trying to gather their strength? If so why?” Altesia wondered as she smiled that ever alluring smile of hers.


    Verid answered. “Perhaps it is because they’recking faith? The forest god experienced much anguish at the humans’ attack on the forest, and the water god’s body is being polluted. Wouldn’t all these be enough to weaken their strength?”


    “Verid, it is forbidden to make light of the gods.”


    “As youmand.”


    It was precisely because they gave in to their emotions and fought in thest war that they were driven into the abyss in the end.


    “But if your deduction is correct, I might be able to pull something.”


    “Shall I attempt contact with the spirits?”


    The gods might be called gods, but they were not capable of aplishing much by themselves, so they distributed their power and created spirits, who served as the gods’ representatives and carried out various functions regarding the maintenance of the world. For example, they took care of thend, created barriers, maintained the climate… and so on.


    Once, the elves were proficient at hearing the words of the spirits, and they worked with other races toprehend thenguage of the spirits. After the war of the gods, the ability was lost, but it was not fully extinguished, as fragments of this skill remain scattered throughout the world. Some came to be know as cursed swords or evil swords, some as great treasures, some as secrets of the royal treasury, some were hidden among the sages of the old forest, and


    some were passed down as knowledge by the giants, generation after generation.


    “Yes, I’ll leave it to you,” Altesia said to the bowing snake.


    Altesiaughed. “I never thought the goblins would make me this happy. Maybe I’ll give them some of my strength.”


    The more she liked them, the more freely she would give out her power. Though her love ran deep, her jealousy burned just as bright; the goddess of the underworld narrowed her eyes.


    “…The Wingless Sky SnakeGawain and Earth-Devouring SerpentPerseval should be making a move soon.”


    The household of the goddess of the underworld that once antagonized the whole world. Right now, its members were lurking in the shadows, waiting for the day they would once again let loose the dogs of war.


    “If the goblins wish for it, I don’t mind bing their mother,” Altesia said.


    When the mother god, Deetna, fell into the abyss, the monsters were born. To this day the abyss was full of monsters born from the mother god.


    The mother god was the master of the abyss and the mother of the fallen; uncountable hordes of monsters followed her.


    Altesia, her sessor, inherited all those. Monsters, beasts, snakes… This being the case, she did not mind if she became the master of these monsters, even those who were abandoned above thend.


    “…If master wishes for it, I will use my strength,” Verid said as the golden gleam from his master’s eyes shot at him. “However, it could


    be said that the motherless monsters and the current goblin king are what they are because they have no gods.”


    Altesia turned her powerful gaze back to the magic mirror.


    “True. Just having them nearby isn’t love, is it?” Altesia folded her hands and bewitchingly smiled.


    “We shall begin our preparations,” Verid said, withdrawing from Altesia’s presence at her nod.


    “With that much ability, I don’t mind letting you lead the monsters above the ground, but… You might want to hurry, boy.”


    The image reflected on the mirror changed. This time what was reflected on it was not the image of a goblin but of humans.


    ◇◆◇


    “Make the moats 2 to 5 meters deep! Make sure those anti-cavalry fences are properly buried!”


    The powerful voice of humanmanders could be heard resounding here and there. The humans were currently building a colonial city on the boundary of the forest, between the goblins’ home and the human region.


    After making camp and surrounding it with anti-cavalry fences, the humans nned out where the moats would go. When they did, they quickly nned out the rest of the colonial city.


    Of course, the humans knew that the monsters could attack while they were building the colonial city, so the feudal lord of the west, Gowen, had his men and some adventurers patrol. While they stayed alert, the craftsmen working on the city worked day in and day out. The resources and the food were sent everyday from the western capital, Jirata, in which the western feudal lord himself lived.


    The first thing they created were the stone walls, which blocked the vision of their would-be intruders and demarcated thend.


    The technique they used to fill the gaps of the bricks with cement was something unimaginable to the goblins. That being said, while it was called a ‘wall’, it was really more like rocks piled atop each other without any order.


    The assassin, Gi Ji Arsil, who went out to scout watched on from the dark of the night.


    “What is that?” Gi Ji Arsil muttered.


    No matter how much he stretched out his hands, the seemingly endless walls were at least 2 times his height. Moreover, in front of them were dry moats wide enough that the goblins wouldn’t be able to jump across them. From time to time, the humans would line up wooden shields atop the walls while people passed.


    “Lord Gi Ga was right.”


    Those walls could probably stand even a full-body tackle from the orcs. Gi Ji Arsil did not know what those walls were, but he knew they were something to be wary of.


    The Fortress of the Abyss was by no means tall. Instead, it went deeper down beneath the ground. To the goblins who did not fear the dark, this was most preferable, but to the humans, creating their fortresses above thend, reaching up as high as they could was most preferable.


    Gi Ji Arsil did not understand this difference in perspective, so when he saw the giant fortress, he could only imagine how much bigger it was under the ground, rousing his sense of danger to the limits.


    “They said not to use this except for emergencies, but…”


    In Gi Ji’s hand was the corpse of an unlucky bird, which he received from the Gordob’s priestess, Kuzan. This was a priceless treasure that allowed one to send word to the Fortress of the Abyss. It was something the Gordobs went through great lengths to create.


    “I believe now is that time.”


    After speaking some words to the unlucky bird, he hit the corpse on its head, then in the next instant, the supposedly dead bird suddenly came to life, spreading its wings and flying in the sky.


    “The king instructed us not to leave the forest, but the situation calls for it.”


    The humans were brazenly building a fortress right in front of their eyes. This was clearly a provocation. Could they really just let this fortress be built?


    “No… For the sake of the king, this thing must not be built.”


    Gi Ji waited for the night god’s embrace to cover the world before exiting the forest, then picking out the time when the watch fires were being lit, he weaved through the darkness and approached the fortress.


    ◆◆◇


    “How was the meeting?” A voice asked.


    Fenit Symphoria used the elven road on his way back home. When he arrived, a voice called out to him. It was his female cousin; the one who left the forest before.


    “Hmph, it was a waste of time. To think Goblins would… It was truly a fool’s babble,” Fenit sneered.


    The Tranquil Forest (Symphoria) was one of the more notably bigger forests to the south of the elven region, which was a great desert filled with yellow sand and rocks.


    “About Selena…” Pale said.


    “Ah, sorry, senior sister. I forgot,” Fenit replied.


    “What do you mean you for—”


    “I’m a busy man.”


    Fenit seemed happy to see Pale biting her lips.


    It was then that the elves who worked at his house came out to greet him.


    “Is the food ready?” Fenit asked.


    “Yes, Master Fenit. Everything has been prepared,” a servant elf said.


    Seeing the servant elves excessively tter him brought much joy to Fenit. With a satisfied smile, Fenit left Pale behind.


    “Oh, if I feel like it, I might look up that girl, Selena. I’ll have to go to the Rustling Forest (Forni) again anyway,” Fenit said.


    “Really?” Pale said, expectant.


    “Of course. In fact, why don’t I look her up while having my meal?”


    Pale nodded while biting her lips.


    She did not have any power left in this vige. She had lost all of her connection during the time she spent outside as an adventurer. No matter how mortifying or sad her situation became, she would have no choice but to obey the sage, Fenit.


    —324 days until the war with the humans.


    ◇◆◆◇◇◆◆◇


    The Goblin King’s skills have changed.


    The skill, Instinct, has evolved to Warrior’s Instinct.


    Warrior’s Instinct


    Dodge fatal attacks. Takes effect against enemies up to one ss higher than one’s own.


    When leading a horde, you will know when your enemy is about to crush your horde.


    New skill learned.


    Guided One


    Your fortune will turn for the better as you fulfill the wishes of your patron gods (source of divine protection).


    The divine protection you have will grow stronger and your ether will grow greater the more you oppose the will of the gods your patron gods are antagonistic to.


    ◇◆◆◇◇◆◆◇