The sun rose slow and judgmental, like it already regretted shining on this village.
Sen Zu perched on the roof of the only building which had a roof. Well technically it was a half fallen granary with moss covered tiles and a squirrel issue but to him it was a command post.
He gazed at the horizon, barefoot, shirtless and grinning like a man who just created chaos again.
Down below, the goblins were at war with a wheelbarrow.
Uno had declared it a monster. Nne tried to lift it. Sebun tried to ride it.
Otto tried to eat it.
Rin stood off to the side, writing everything down like a war secretary trapped in a circus.
Sen Zu raised his arms. "Attention, my loyal green gremlins!"
No one listened.
He cleared his throat louder. "I said, ATTENTION…"
Fünf threw a rock at him.
It missed. Barely.
"Just give them something to do," Rin muttered. "They're losing brain cells by the minute."
"Fine, fine." Sen Zu snapped his fingers. "Let's build something. Something glorious. Something that says we are poor, but dramatic."
......
[DING!]
[New Feature Unlocked: Basic Construction Menu]
Available: Fence, Watchtower, Storage Shed, Wooden Dummy, Latrine (Advanced)
......
"Maybe something to keep them from wandering off?" Rin said, pointing at the 'Fence' option.
"Bah," Sen Zu waved her off. "We're building a watchtower. For aesthetic intimidation."
Under Sen Zu's visionary, and mostly unhelpful, leadership, construction began.
Uno barked orders like he was commanding a goblin army from a war novel.
Ni redesigned the blueprint. Twice.
Nne carried logs. All of them. Alone.
Trois tried to decorate the beams with flower petals.
Sebun nearly nailed his foot to the ground.
Diez stood silently with a hammer in one hand and a stare that said, I will kill for this tower.
It was chaos.
It was beautiful.
And by dusk, the first crude watchtower stood crooked but proud at the village edge.
Sen Zu wiped imaginary sweat from his brow. "There. Proof that we are not just surviving. We are architects of destiny."
"Or just… functional goblins," Rin muttered.
That night, as the goblins snored around a campfire (except for Otto the braindead, who chewed in his sleep), Sen Zu sat on the watchtower, eating a raw turnip like a king with no taste.
That's when he saw Shadows slipping through the trees.
Armed men, Dirty and laughing low.
Theyre bandits!
Ten of them stepped into the firelight, boots crunching dry grass, swords and axes worn but deadly.
Their leader was tall and ugly in the classic way. Crooked nose. Scar down the lip. And the kind of grin that made you want to punch it.
"Well, well," the man said, looking around. "What's this? A new chief, some huts, and… goblins? You playin' house, boy?"
Sen Zu jumped down from the tower, barefoot and fearless.
"Evening, gentlemen," he said cheerfully. "Are you here to rob me, burn my village, or compliment my goblins?"
"Yes."
"Cool. I'll take 'fight me' for 500, Alex."
The bandits laughed. Rin pulled a dagger from her boot.
The goblins began waking up. Nueve muttered something about stars bleeding. Roku cracked his knuckles. Diez rose silently, eyes burning.
[DING!]
[Emergency Quest Triggered: Defend the Village!]
Reward: Random Combat Skill Book (Tier: Common)
Failure Penalty: Loss of Subordinates, Destruction of Resources, Humiliation (Permanent)
Sen Zu cracked his neck. "Goblins, formation!"
Uno: "WE HAVE A FORMATION?"
"Make one…"
What followed was not a battle formation.
It was a symphony of madness.
Fünf leapt from the bushes, screaming gibberish.
Sebun launched himself like a possessed frog.
Nne threw the wheelbarrow. It hit someone.
Ni stabbed a guy's knee with a fork.
Diez… didn't move. He simply walked up to the bandit leader and broke his wrist with one hand.
When the dust settled, three bandits were unconscious. Five ran screaming. The leader was curled on the ground, begging for a splint.
Sen Zu sat on a pile of loot they'd left behind.
Rin poured water on her dagger and cleaned her boot calmly.
Otto was licking blood off a bandit's boot. Rin gently tugged him away.
[DING!]
[Quest Completed: Defend the Village]
Reward Received: Combat Skill Book "Goblin Rush (Lv. 1)"
Sen Zu treated the book as if it were a holy text. "Now, now, This is going directly into my arsenal."
Uno looked at him, eyes sparkling. "Chief. are we? warriors?
Sen Zu smiled.
"No, we are goblins with ambition.
......