Sector 21: Hypnotized Goblins
Observation Tower Report - Sector 21
Goblin pack size: approximately 40!
No leader detected!
“Forty of them? A single platoon can handle that. Second Platoon went last time, so we'll take this one.”
Sergeant Edric stood up first, volunteering.
“I'll come along too.”
I needed to see for myself what was so off about this with my own eyes.
“Haha! Excellent! You handle a sword decently, right?”
“Not at an elite level, but serviceable enough.”
“That'll do. Goblins are just snack fodder anyway.”
Edric had this utterly relaxed vibe, like he was heading out for a casual drink. The confidence born of experience was unmistakable.
“We're on it, so gear up quick. These bastards have been charging like maniacs lately—no time to waste.”
“Yes, sir!!”
At Edric's order, Third Platoon's men grabbed their weapons and loaded onto the wagons.
“Aigoo, Major. You can't go monster hunting in that getup—you'll get yourself killed.”
Edric grimaced as he approached me in my steel plate armor.
“Pardon? Is there a problem?”
“Mobility is everything in monster hunts. Someone grab a spare leather set.”
“Yes, sir!”
While waiting for the leather armor, Edric explained why they favored the relatively low-defense option.
“Monsters have low intelligence, so you can dodge their attacks. But they come in hordes, so staying unisolated is key. Poor mobility makes extraction impossible.”
A perfectly logical breakdown.
My head nodded on autopilot.
“I should've researched this beforehand—embarrassing.”
“You were at Rimir Castle until recently; I get it. Here, change.”
“Thank you.”
This is definitely earning me points.
I'd sensed it during the platoon leader interviews earlier—mentioning Rimir Castle earned instant respect.
Like back home with that whole “you gotta serve to be a real man” vibe.
Keep the supply major bit buried forever.
As long as I stayed zipped, I was the brilliant commander who'd earned rapid promotion through frontline merits at Rimir.
“S-sorry I'm late!”
As we waited on the wagons for departure, Aisa came sprinting back, her hair still dripping wet—she'd just stepped out to wipe sweat.
“You're not late. You coming along?”
Just one platoon meant no real need for her.
“It's your first time, sir. I'll assist as much as I can.”
Her dedication was almost tear-jerking.
I'd verify if it was genuine later, but no harm in her tagging along.
“Appreciate it. Hop on.”
I shifted to free a seat inside.
She sat beside me, and the three fully loaded wagons sped toward Sector 21.
Kaboom! Kaboom!
Five minutes in, explosions rocked the site.
“Cease fire! Magic bullets are too precious for forty goblins.”
“Yes, sir! Cease bombardment! Cease!”
The artillerymen halted loading at Edric's command.
“Coming back for more death today, huh?”
Edric peered through binoculars at the approaching goblins.
“They'll be visible soon, but want a look, Major?”
“Y-yeah, yes, sir!”
The tower sentries finally spotted me and saluted.
These guys are all from our battalion, right?
No dedicated sentry roles—they were valuable Suppression Battalion assets pulling double duty.
“Pleasure to meet you. Major Palan Oclo, commanding.”
A quick greeting, then I took Edric's binoculars.
Those the ones?
Green-skinned freaks charging blindly down the mountain toward us.
I'd only seen illustrations in training manuals—first time live.
“First monsters?”
“Yeah. Creepy-looking bastards.”
Short reply, then lowered the binoculars.
“Just observe this fight then. Monster hunting's different from men—you need the method.”
“Understood, then.”
I'd planned to join, but a superior insisting meant stepping back.
Strutting in clueless could cause disaster—no bigger liability.
Even as a major, in goblin hunts, I was less qualified than these grunts right now.
“They're closing—prep!”
“Yes, sir!!”
At Edric's word, the platoon hauled massive iron plates from the wagons and slammed them into the ground.
What the hell?
Just big enough to shield one man behind.
Shields made sense, but staking them like that? Unheard of.
“Kriririk!!!”
As doubts swirled, goblin shrieks reached us—they were closing fast.
“Gives me chills.”
A sound no human throat could make.
Dozens at once? Unnerving.
“What usually happens tagging along?”
I asked Aisa beside me.
“Join the fight. Gotta face monsters to learn anything.”
“Fair.”
Not bad instincts, even if stats hadn't yielded much.
“Any close calls?”
“Troll once was rough, but nothing major yet.”
Trolls ranked above orcs in my memory.
Thought trolls were just game fodder.
Prospect of facing every beast under the sun drew a sigh.
“Looks like it's starting.”
Aisa's cue—I turned to the platoon engaging.
“Safety first—no injuries, got it?!”
“Yes, sir!! Loud and clear!!”
Edric's warm command drew a roaring response as swords cleared sheaths.
“Ranged attack! Take cover!”
Whoosh!
As distance shrank, goblins hurled spare javelins from their backs.
Edric called it; men ducked behind staked plates.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Javelins bounced harmlessly off or into dirt.
Then goblins rushed with clubs, crude weapons.
Clang! Clang! Claaang!
Battle joined.
But the setup was weird.
What the actual fuck?
Platoon held iron plates, not budging an inch.
Normally, you'd expect foes to regroup—but goblins? Nah.
“Kririk! Kririririk!”
“Kieeeek!”
Blind, mindless charges.
Already weak attacks, now piecemeal? No breaching the platoon's line.
“Primitive.”
“Heard goblins aren't usually this dumb.”
“Right? Smarter than orcs or trolls?”
“Yes, sir.”
Small, weak—but relatively intelligent among monsters.
Yet these fought like idiots.
“The anomaly's cause?”
“That's our assessment.”
“Hmm.”
Seeing it firsthand: problem graver, trickier than thought.
Needs investigation.
Aisa had crunched stats to exhaustion.
Time for hands-on, intuitive probes.
“Deputy.”
“Yes, sir.”
Aisa turned at my call.
“Ask them to capture a goblin alive.”
“Pardon...?”
Caught her off-guard; she blinked, confused.
“Need a closer look. Might reveal something.”
“Understood.”
She grabbed her sword and headed down.
Luckily simple—Edric personally snared the last goblin.
“Good work, all. No injuries?”
Twenty minutes from start to finish.
Goblins littered the ground, corpses.
“Can't stay in Suppression if you get hurt easy. All clear?”
“Yes, sir!!”
Same thunderous reply.
No casualties—good.
“Why capture one, though?”
Edric nodded at the rope-bound goblin he'd trussed.
“Wanted to inspect it. Sorry for the hassle and risk—thanks.”
“No bother. Not our first rodeo.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, research requests pop up. More lately.”
Recent ones likely tied to anomaly probes like mine.
“Got it. Appreciate it.”
“Orders from above—we comply. Gotta clean up; back soon.”
“Yes. I'll take this one.”
He handed over the goblin.
“Kiii...”
Mouth gagged by rope—muffled whines.
One reason I'd requested it:
View the target's truth?
Cost: 3p
“Works, as expected.”
Untested on monsters, but it'd worked on alley cats before.
Cheap mercy. Feared monsters cost more than humans.
Sigh of relief; paid up, activated.
Names, affiliation—weird script, useless.
But current status? Intriguing.
Hypnosis? Magic artifact, then.
Group hypnosis demanded unreal power.
Unreal meant artifacts.
But hypnosis artifacts? Never heard.
Palan Oclo's memories yielded zilch.