[footfall]
[sighs]
[KANATA] My Search ability has been improving by the day
and at this point, I can identify races I've seen before
and get a pretty clear idea of their strength.
♪
Something's coming.
[GOBKICHI] Hey, Gobrou!
I hear you, I'll be right there!
♪
[MALE CHIEF CANDIDATE 4A] It's about time!
You vile, wretched creatures.
Don't you know elves should not be made to wait on your kind?
Don't let it happen again.
[KANATA] Okay.
I guess I finally have the pleasure
of meeting some elves.
If they're all as smarmy as him,
this is gonna get old, real quick.
You filthy savages should be grateful to us.
We're offering you the chance...
[KANATA] This smug attitude is partly an act.
They're here because they know that humans are about to launch
a raid to snatch their treasure.
And what they're offering is payment for us
to help fend it off.
Basically, they want us as a private security force.
This means the village would have enough food
to last for months.
I think that's very generous.
Maybe so.
Well, then... it's settled.
We will not accept it!
[gasping]
I don't give a rat's ass about you.
If you truly want our help, you owe us complete honesty!
I'll show you.
[growls]
♪
[trembling]
♪
[trembling]
- So we're clear. - [choking]
Unless you want me to remove your head from your shoulders,
you will have all your hidden archers
lower their bows immediately.
[biting]
[grunts]
I'm commanding you to lower your weapons, at once!
[trembling]
The main reason I'm refusing your offer
is because I'm simply not in the mood.
[GOBROU] But these woods are our home, as well.
If there really are humans on their way
who intend to do us harm, maybe we can work together.
[metal clanging]
[MALE ELF 4B] What's happening?
[screaming]
[KANATA] Tzenpes...
I don't actually know how it works,
but it seems like when I stab something with Kaziklu Bey,
I can produce a limitless number of spears
for a hundred meters or so in every direction.
[trembling]
[screaming]
[MALE CHIEF CANDIDATE 4A] Retreat!
That seems like a wasted opportunity to me.
[KANATA] They're not gonna be back for a while
after a scare like that.
At least, I hope not.
The next day, I went deep into the forest
to hunt some gray slimes.
Ha!
[flame hissing]
I ended up bagging about twenty of them.
♪
And of course, I gained new abilities
by eating their cores.
[FEMALE NARRATOR 01A] Physical Attack Resistance.
Auto Replication.
Fluid Regeneration.
[grunts]
♪
[gasps]
[GOBROU] I get it.
This is what they mean by Auto Replication, huh?
♪
Whoa, I can see myself!
So, my senses are linked with this handsome fellow's.
I know just how we can use that.
[gasping]
[KANATA] I had Gobmi and the others
sew me some special new outfits for everyone.
With a little of my blood in the lining.
It'll serve as a kind of transmitter
in case of emergency.
[footfall]
It seems that I was right not to trust those elves.
[KANATA] Guess they didn't get the message
we don't want them around.
♪
Now, then listen up.
[roaring]
[screaming]
I can't move a muscle, what foul manner
of sorcery is this?
♪
[screaming]
[trembling]
[thumping]
[GOBROU] Now, why have you come back here, tell me!
[MALE CHIEF CANDIDATE 4A] You made a grave mistake
by wounding my pride!
After the barbaric lack of respect you showed me,
I regret I can only kill you once!
Apologies.
We tried to talk him out of this.
but he refused to listen to reason.
[sighs]
Well, here's what we're gonna do.
First off, consider this idiot leader of yours dead.
[GOBROU] Everyone else is gonna face off against us
in individual battles.
You win, you live.
So, you'd better fight hard.
Show us what you're made of, or pay the price!
[birds chirping]
[KANATA] Skipping ahead the end of the story,
out of the twenty-three elves who invaded our turf
and fought, six were defeated.
Incidentally, all of the losers were men.
[chewing]
My secret strategy was tweaking the match-ups.
'cause I didn't want these beautiful lady elves
winding up dead.
Now that was a nice meal!
[FEMALE NARRATOR 01A] Resident of Evergreen.
Elementaler, knowledge of Archery.
Tracking.
Hiding.
Okay, for the winners.
You need to surrender all your weapons
and any magic items
because you're our prisoners now.
You mean even though we won,
you're still not gonna let us go?
[GOBROU] Are you kidding?
You came to our land with every intention to kill us.
Did you seriously think we were just gonna let you go home?
[sighing]
I had almost forgotten that elven ladies
were such smokin' hot babes,
this is gonna be one heck of a night!
No touching without permission, you hear?
[GOBJII] Yes, well, you're the boss, so you make the rules.
[thudding]
I'll do exactly as you say.
I gotta set a good example
for all of the whippersnappers around here.
Thank you.
♪
Please let me get just a little action.
I'm so pent up, I'm about to blow.
[sighs]
Pace yourself, old man.
[GOBROU] Now, if you were wondering
about the method of execution.
[MALE CHIEF CANDIDATE 4A] No, please don't kill me!
Stop, I'm begging you!
I don't want to die!
[screams]
[grunting]
♪
[panting]
♪
Whoa, is that who I think it is?
That's crazy.
[MALE GOBLIN 4C] What's up with his face?
[gasps]
[growls]
Wait a sec, is that him?
Gobkichi, I barely recognized you!
What the hell, man?
If you were trying to rank up without telling anyone,
I think your secret's out.
[growls]
[KANATA] It seems ol' Gobkichi
has evolved into a special variant.
The dark, red color is the result of a blessing
from the Demigod of Flame.
And the glossy, iron-hard skin he's sportin' now
is supposedly a blessing from the Demigod of War.
Pretty cool.
Hey Gobrou, you haven't had anybody worth the effort
to spar with ever since you turned into an ogre.
And I was worried I was never gonna catch up to you.
[GOBKICHI] But that's not the case anymore.
You and me need to fight again!
All right, let's go!
[cheering]
[grunting]
[grunts]
Nice shot there, Gobkichi!
I ain't done yet!
♪
[grunts]
[growling]
[grunts]
♪
[cheering]
[KANATA] He'd gotten way stronger,
but I still had the edge in combat skills.
So, I was able to beat him in the end.
All that aside, this did prove one thing.
Gobkichi really is my number one rival!
Later on, that night, when I was exhausted
from our sparring match before.
[MYSTERY VOICE] Forgive me.
I truly apologize.
[KANATA] That's not Gobjii, so who is it?
[MYSTERY VOICE] Please, this gift is the least
I can provide you with.
[gasps]
[GOBROU] So, what just happened?
Are you kidding?
I don't understand why you won't just tell me.
You have to see it.
[KANATA] Looks like Gobkichi's been quite the inspiration,
because we've now got four new hobgoblins.
It took you long enough.
I've managed to run aptitude tests on all of them.
And I think you'll be quite pleased with the results.
One's a mage.
And this one's a Cleric,
which will be extremely helpful.
[nervous chuckle]
Uh, hello there, I'm Gobji.
I'm eager to put my skills to use
and provide healing to all who need it.
Big brother Gobrou.
That's certainly a new one.
And I gotta say, it sounds kind of weird.
I'm not sure why.
We're from the same generation,
so that makes us siblings, doesn't it?
Oh, hello, Hobsei.
I was wondering if you were going to explain
what happened with you.
[HOBSEI] Happy to.
I was simply waiting for you to ask.
[KANATA] Apparently, she woke up in the morning
to find she'd evolved overnight.
Her new classification puts her in the lord family.
Officially, she's a half-spell lord.
♪
[HOBSEI] Although, I'm confused about the markings.
Lords don't usually have these.
[sighs]
[KANATA] They sort of look like the ones on my body.
[HOBSEI] Why are you just standing there
staring at me like that?
I'm overflowing with mana right now.
So come on!
We should go outside and test my new powers.
Bet I'm stronger than you!
♪
[explosion]
[whistling]
[chuckles]
And there's plenty more where that came from.
Honestly, I think I could easily cast that
one twenty more times.
I'm happy to show you if you don't believe me.
Um, thanks, that's very nice of you.
But I'm feeling convinced.
[KANATA] When you've got a half in front of your race name,
you're not quite as powerful as you would be otherwise.
In Hobsei's case, she'll probably evolve
all the way into a spell lord next time.
[GOBROU] Moving on!
Here's some new equipment to celebrate your new rank!
Ohh, that's not fair, I'm so jealous of you!
Don't be, you'll catch up, just wait.
[laughs]
I hope you're right!
[KANATA] Even though time is different here,
evolutions seem to be happening with increased frequency.
And I have a sneaking suspicion it's because of me.
Of course, I'm just speculating,
but it seems like the environment that a goblin is in
during the first month of its life
can have a major effect on how fast they grow.
[swords clanking]
Whatever the reason, many of our people
are growing stronger and that's what matters.
Sadly, there were some others who weren't as lucky.
Nice work, Gobkichi.
It looks like we'll be eating well tonight.
[growls]
[gasps]
[GOBROU] What's going on?
Where are you guys headed at this hour?
We just can't take it anymore!
[MALE GOBLIN RAIDER 2D] We've been hanging on,
hoping our luck turns around,
but all the youngsters are making it too difficult!
We can't even get any action!
So, we've got no other choice but to leave this village!
[sighs]
Go ahead and kill us if you want.
All I know is that we can't stand another day of this.
Well, that's fine, just be careful!
[gasps]
You're not gonna try to stop us?
It looks to me like you're all carrying your own gear.
You don't owe me anything.
[GOBROU] But if you're leaving,
I guess this could be a last offering.
Or maybe a parting gift.
This knife is made from a magical metal called mythril.
And it's got a good edge.
♪
[MALE GOBLIN RAIDER 2D] Come on, let's go.
Dammit.
[growling]
[KANATA] We were out hunting in the woods,
when we came across an orc dragging its human prey.
Unfortunately, the man was already dead.
[growls]
But he seems to have had an interesting ability.
The least I could do is use it well.
You know, as a sign of respect.
[FEMALE NARRATOR 01A] Monster Tamer.
[KANATA] Later that night.
Try not to get too excited.
What I've produced has several benefits,
and you've wanted it for a while.
Is that what I think it is?
[sipping]
No way, booze!
[laughs]
You're brilliant, thank you so much!
♪
So, in short.
The goblins from the generation before ours
have left the village for good.
[GOBROU] If anyone wants to join them,
you need only raise your hand.
I won't stop you,
and I'll even provide generous parting gifts.
♪
Nobody, huh?
Then forget I said it, and let's have a toast instead.
To the future!
[KANATA] The next few days were uneventful,
so I started a new project.
Earrings.
Ones that would contain my blood
and function as communication devices.
Both decorative and functional.
[GOBROU] Check, check, check.
We've got cloudy weather today, I repeat, cloudy weather.
[GOBMI] Amazing, I really can hear you!
[KANATA] When the initial test proved successful,
I got to work making enough for all of us.
♪
Take that!
[horse neighing]
That was a solid hit!
[KANATA] It was great seeing how much stronger
Gobe had gotten.
But even though she leveled it, the tri-horn horse
was more stunned than injured.
which gave me an idea.
♪
This was the perfect time to test the ability
I got from that human, Monster Tamer.
[giggles]
[GOBROU] Well, what do you think?
It looks like we've got our very first familiar!
[laughs]
[growling]
[KANATA] The tri-horn horse was only the beginning.
Before long, we added a gray bear,
which proved quite useful.
[laughter]
The head of the black wolf pack it helped us chase down
became my pet.
It also serves as a bodyguard for the human girls.
Day Fifty-Nine of my new life.
I was in for a big surprise.
[metal clanging]
The short-haired redhead was a rookie warrior
and had never really come into her own.
But suddenly...
[grunting]
[sword slashing]
[KANATA] I guess she's one of those
who needs a little pressure to grow.
[grunting]
[sword slashing]
[smiles]
[KANATA] True, I had to arrange for her
to take them on one at a time,
but bringing down three kobolds is still impressive.
[biting]
Hey, you think I could have some of that?
Sure, why not?
It isn't poisonous, knock yourself out.
[gasps]
[GOBROU] What's wrong?
[RED] Nothing... I do feel kind of strange, though.
[gasps]
I'm not sure, but I think I may have just gotten a new job.
♪
[sword slashing]
♪
[RED] Did you see that, Gobrou?
I've got serious hunting skills now!
[laughs]
[KANATA] Her new job is Noir Soldat,
and it does come with some limitations.
She needs to eat monsters periodically
or she'll die.
But if you ask me, that seems like a fair exchange
for the abilities it grants.
[GOBJI] A few goblins were attacked by humans today
and had to run for their lives.
I see.
I suppose it's nearly time, then.
[GOBJI] I'm sorry, time for what?
The war between humans and elves.
[gasps]
[KANATA] Kobolds are fleeing,
but what are they being chased by?
It's too dark.
I can't identify them, even with Search.
We'll figure something out with the kobolds once this is over.
- Don't attack them! - Got it!
[trembling]
So, what's after you?
[trembling]
[growling]
[GOBROU] Magically-animated skeletons, huh?
You're up, Gobmi, shoot those walking corpses!
- Got it! - [arrow thwacks]
[GOBMI] No good, it's not working!
♪
[GOBKICHI] There are too many of them!
This is gonna get bad fast, Gobrou!
[KANATA] The ever-increasing horde of skeletons
seems to originate from a single, large signal.
Most likely belonging to whoever,
or whatever, is creating them.
[GOBKICHI] They're charging!
[grunts]
[growls]
They just keep on coming.
Nice try!
[gasps]
Okay, change of plans.
Weapons down, everyone, cutting them won't work.
[grunts]
So, we're gonna smash them instead!
Right!
[grunts]
[grunting]
[smiles]
[growls]
[GOBROU] Think of it as a chance to earn experience!
Keep smashing skeletons for as long as you can!
Sounds good, but then what?
♪
[GOBROU] Leave that to me!
Stand clear, it's time to wrap this up.
Should take me about ten seconds.
[KANATA] One.
Two.
Three.
Four.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
♪
Three seconds off.
Though to be fair, I did say "about."
[GOBROU] Oh, give it up.
[biting]
[FEMALE NARRATOR 01A] Summon Lower Undead.
High-Tier Equipment Materialization.
Mana Absorption.
Low Damage Reduction.
Low Magic Reduction.
[MALE KOBOLD 4H] My lord!
"My lord," what's with that?
[KANATA] The kobolds had accidentally dug their way
into Velvet's treasury,
which we were familiar with, of course.
That disturbance awakened its guardian,
a greater skeleton, along with its minions.
Desperate to escape the swarm of skeletons
and not knowing where else to go,
they made a last-ditch run for the nearby cave
of a terrifying ogre.
So, this "lord" thing.
Sounds nice and all, but you do realize
we've killed plenty of your kind, right?
[MALE KOBOLD 4H] We're fully aware, my lord.
The strong devouring the weak is natural law!
We put our lives into your hands knowing that,
and we are ready to submit to whatever you decide.
Okay, enough of that.
Let's get your wounded seen to first,
and then we can talk more.
[WALLA: KOBOLDS] Yes, sir! [MALE KOBOLD 4H] Yes, sir!
[laughs]
[KANATA] I have no idea how it happened.
But I seem to have gathered quite an interesting crowd.
[smiles]