Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: Human Bastards #2
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As usual, we rose at dawn for roll call. The announcements for today's roll call were simple: light morning training followed by work details.
"Morning training, commence! Form up!"
I gave the order.
"Ker-ruk!"
"Keruk!"
The goblins, weapons in hand, swiftly dashed into formation, sealing off the dungeon passageway.
"Oho!"
Shieldbearers in the front rank.
Spearmen in the middle.
And long-spearmen in the rear.
With the unit's growth, we'd added a third rank. These guys handled even longer spears. That doubled our attack power, easy.
"Long-spearmen! Rest your spears on the right shoulders of the middle rank! Execute!"
"Keruk!"
"Keep 'em like that at rest, drop 'em in combat. Got it?"
"Keruk!"
The rear rank of long-spearmen were all greenhorns, but their discipline was rock-solid—no issues there.
"Buril, you've trained them well."
"Ker-rung."
I praised him, and Buril in the middle rank turned to me, grinning like a mask in a folk play as he blinked at me ten times in a row.
"This creepy little shit. All he does is get cuter."
Anyway, adorable.
"Alright! Imps! Form up!"
"Krruk!"
The imps came rushing over and took position behind the long-spearmen. Invincible Qlus phalanx, complete.
Classic formation: tanks up front, DPS in the back.
"Perfect. Goblin phalanx! Spear thrust, go!"
"Keruk!"
Shunk! Shunk!
Shunk! Shunk!
Shunk! Shunk!
Shieldbearers raised their shields as the spearmen thrust forward.
"And advance on seven!"
Step! Step!
Step! Step!
Advance was flawless too!
"Imps! Ready stones forward—prepare to launch!"
"Kruk!"
"Fire!"
Whoosh!
The imps hurled fireballs in unison! Slow as hell, sure, but the synchronized volley formed a perfect wall of flame. Point-blank, unavoidable.
"Nice! Breathing like pros today, boys!"
Clap clap clap!
I clapped in praise, and they all lit up with joy.
"Whoa, everyone's syncing up great!"
"We've been training hard, yeah."
The two girls stuck to my side marveled and cheered too.
"Heh heh, right?"
"Even if those Bagest guys show up again, we're good."
"Exactly."
Always gotta stay ready for defense.
"Good work! Training ends here—nailed it in one go, so we're done!"
"Ker-ruk!"
"Kruk!"
"You crushed it. Morning's free for personal upkeep. Buril, you're in charge—rest up till I get back. Oh, and come afternoon, grab chow on your own and ease into work."
"Keruk!"
Buril saluted like he was ready to take it on.
Reliable as ever.
"Lumika, keep up the good work on the aqueduct today."
"Out again?"
"Yeah."
"Sheesh... the Demon King never stays put."
At the word "out," Lumika crossed her arms behind her, tilted her head down at an angle, and tapped the floor coyly with her toes.
"Huh? Lumika? You saying you'd rather I stayed?"
"N-no! Just go already!"
She bolted to her workstation.
What a tsundere.
"Alright, Sharan. Let's go check on the pixies."
"Yes, Maang-nim. Don't forget the pouch."
"Right."
With that, Sharan and I headed out of the dungeon.
"Grak."
Outside, Muturi offered up the lizard hide he'd processed. Wanting approval on his work. Felt solid—decent job. Good enough leather to cut straps or goblin arm guards from.
"Well done, Muturi."
"Grarak."
He nodded at my praise, then trudged back to his bench and got to work... Huh. He's been doing alright lately.
"Sharan, let's move."
"Yes, Maang-nim."
Off to the pixie village, then.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ With Sharan along, finding the way was a breeze. As a local dryad, she navigated like it was nothing.
"Serinyu! We're here!"
I called out upon arrival at the pixie village.
Saaeng~
Saaeng~
A flock of flying titty fairies buzzed over from afar.
"Ooh! Serinyu's friend is here!"
"He's huge!"
"The one who makes the white stuff!"
Different faces and hair colors, but all tiny pixie girls. They landed around me, eyes sparkling with delight... That pure gaze was too much to resist.
"Pixies, huh? Nice to meet you. I'm Qlus, Serinyu's friend. The one who brought the white stuff last time."
"It was so sweet! And tingly!"
"Thank you!"
They were warming up to me already.
"The dryad's back too!"
"How'd you get so friendly?!"
"Tell us!"
Now they were eyeing Sharan too. She smiled and played along sweetly. Soon enough, Serinyu showed up.
"You made it! Bringing more white stuff today, right?!"
"That's the plan."
"Yay!"
She was thrilled.
We headed into the village with Serinyu. But as we followed her, other pixies started trailing us.
"How do you make the white stuff?!"
"Your body's so big!"
"What's with the horns?!"
These girls were way too innocent.
Jiggle jiggle.
With those massive tits bouncing as they asked, I had to answer.
"White stuff's a trade secret. These horns? My signature look."
"Whoa!"
"Play with us!"
Now they were trying to cling on. A bit more, and I'd have these pixies eating out of my hand.
"You lot! I'll play next time—go on! Got stuff to do today!"
Serinyu cut in.
"Aww!"
"Serinyu wants you all to herself! No fair!"
"Serinyu's mean!"
The pixies protested.
"No play today! Next time! Now come on!"
"Yeah, okay."
Serinyu grabbed my wrist and yanked. Sharan and I followed.
"Serinyu, last time you said you use iron tools, right?"
I'd seen it before. Not top quality, but they had iron gear. That's what I came for today.
"Yeah. Wanna see?"
"Please."
"Okay, I'll show you."
Serinyu happily led the way.
We arrived at...
"Whoa!"
A small blast furnace!
"This is how we make iron. Spirits live inside. They help with the smelting."
"Spirits inside?"
"Yep. Fire spirits and earth spirits."
Those damn all-purpose spirits again!
"Lemme see!"
"What? You wanna watch?"
"Yeah!"
"No way. It's hard enough getting them in there. Pulling 'em out? Total loss of control."
"That so?"
"You don't even know that? Spirits are a handful."
How the hell would I know?
"Anyway, listen. There's this iron ore—rock mixed with iron. Put it in here, and molten iron drips out the bottom. Pour it into molds, let it harden, and boom—tools."
Primitive as primitive gets.
"Damn, you guys are talented. Where'd you learn this?"
They seemed kinda dim, but pulling off ironworking? Wild. How'd they figure it out?
"Passed down from the top. From elder pixies."
Ancestral knowledge, huh.
"Pixies are actually super smart, aren't they?"
"Duh! We're not idiots like you!"
"Sure, sure. Hey, Serinyu, how do you make clothes?"
"What? You don't know how to make clothes? Then what's that you're wearing?"
She stared at me like I was the village idiot.
And honestly, I was. Pixies building villages, smelting iron, weaving cloth—meanwhile, I'm the caveman.
"Got this from somewhere. Show me cloth-making?"
"Can't help pitying a fool who can't even do that. Fine, Serinyu will show you special."
This chick was the undisputed champ at humblebrags.
No comeback, though.
Shit.
"Thanks..."
"Follow me, dummy."
"Ugh."
As we trailed her, Sharan whispered.
"Maang-nim, big-titty girl's strutting. Squeeze her tits like last time to humble her."
"Can't—need her guiding us, Sharan."
"Shaa."
Anyway.
We reached the weaving house.
"Here?"
"Yep. Inside."
"Got it."
Creeeak.
A weird scent hit us as the door opened.
But then...
Scritch scritch.
Scritch scritch.
Scritch scritch.
What was that sound... Huh?!
"Oh shit!"
Looked over and—
Devices connected by threads, like bizarre looms! This was a full-on silkworm farm!
"See? They make the thread."
Slide.
Serinyu lifted a box lid.
"No way!"
Scritch scritch.
Scritch scritch.
Scritch scritch.
Chonky larvae by the dozen! Covered in leaves!
"Gross, right? They munch leaves and spit out silk like spiders."
Earth's silkworms were similar but different. These didn't even cocoon—just endlessly chewed leaves and reeled thread from their asses like spiders.
Threads fed into the machines, spinning into spools.
"This is insanely cool!!"
Felt like a folk village tour!
"Shaa."
Sharan stared in awe too.
"Puhuhu! Impressed? Pixie tech!"
"Fucking genius level! You guys are prodigies!"
"Took you long enough, moron."
We chatted happily as she explained their tech. Iron, cloth—even farming and livestock. A true fairy village in the woods.
"We play, but we train for war too."
"Figures."
Outside, pixies drilled: spear thrusts, staff magic blasts.
Legit race.
That's how they survived the forest.
"Hey, didn't catch it properly last time."
Serinyu grabbed my wrist.
"Hm? Catch what?"
"If we fight those satyrs, help us."
Ah.
"They're eyeing our village. We're short-handed now. If they raid, we're done."
Military alliance pitch.
"You're a friend now. Help."
I'd already planned for this.
"No negotiating with them? No talking it out?"
"What? If talk worked, we'd be pals already. Duh."
Naive to think talk equals friends.
Anyway, pixies join my crew. Their foes are mine. Alliance sealed. Later, it'll be more than that.
"Course. Friends help friends. I'm in!"
"Really?! Yay!"
"That hyped?"
"With you, we win!"
Ecstatic.
"Spill more on the satyrs. Location, numbers, strength."
"Got it!"
"What about those lizards?"
"Full intel on them too!"
Perfect.
Time for recon.
"But when you fight, can't you just fly and bomb them? Effective, no?"
"Stop with the dumb questions."
"What?"
"Air combat has limits. We all fly, village is empty—they take it. Then what? Wander and get hunted. Basic stuff—why ask?"
"..."
Just a casual toss-out. No need to roast me.
Anyway, deep chat with Serinyu, stuffed pixies with sweets, then headed home.
Next up: satyr wipeout.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Days passed like that: prepping satyr extermination, dungeon expansion, pixie diplomacy.
Leading goblins on an extended march for field training, Sharan suddenly sensed something off.
Hid the goblins nearby and scouted.
"#$%$#%."
Voices.
Human voices.
"So head this way for #%#%."
"Check the, map."
"%&#%#."
"Why'd that spoiled brat drag us into this %&%, %&%&."
Three armed humans over there, up to something...!
Split-second call!
Whoosh!
I clapped hands over their mouths!
This is fucked!