《Weak Kobold Wants to Conquer》 Conquest 1 – New World I opened my eyes, my body lying flat on the ground. My body felt stiff from laying on a solid surface for who knew how long as I pulled myself up. But as I stood up, I felt a throbbing sensation coming from my head. The world felt like it was spinning around me. ¡°Damn¡­ headache¡­where am I?¡± Still feeling a bit disoriented it took me a bit of time to get my bearings before I started to check my surroundings, the location I was at was unfamiliar to me. It was dark and rocky; from what I can tell I was in some sort of cavern. It was unusual, the last thing that I could remember was lying in my bed, and I knew our town was nowhere near any caverns. Heck there shouldn¡¯t even be any rocky terrain for miles. I was worried over what had exactly happened to me, I mean it doesn¡¯t look like I was kidnapped or anything. If anything, this scenario felt vaguely familiar, it was almost like one of tho- ¡°Wait! It can¡¯t be!¡± A sudden realization had hit him. I¡¯ve read many stories about this scenario; you could even say I¡¯m an expert in this kind of stuff. Upon this revelation I quickly tried something, beginning to speak, hoping it would work. ¡°Status¡± It was the usual way to do this but also for some strange reason I felt like this was supposed to be what I was supposed to say. Once the word was spoken a blue screen suddenly appeared in front of me. It took me a bit of surprised, I mean it was hard to believe it had worked. I started to jump for joy, finally my day has come! I¡¯ve been sent to another world!! I¡¯ve dreamed of this happening for so long and now it¡¯s happened. The long-awaited dream I thought I could never achieve¡­ World domination!!! I started to chuckle¡­. then I started to laugh¡­. My laugh became harder and louder. I couldn¡¯t help myself after all. The idea of world conquest wasn¡¯t exactly something most people would consider. many would even be appalled over the idea. But not me, to me I was quite fascinated with the idea. Conquering lands, having others submit, and making everything I see before me mine! There was no greater feeling than that. But even I knew it would be impossible in my old world, with all those laws and lack of power, but here, who knows what kind of possibilities there were. After a bit of time, I started to calm down. It¡¯s important that I assess my situation and figure out what I can do. And the first thing to do was to understand my own skills, so I finally took a look at my status screen.
Unnamed
Race Red Kobold
Attributes
[Health] F [Spirit] E
[Strength] F [Dexterity] E
Abilities
[Game Screen] (Rank G) (Progression: 00.00%) [Dimensional Box] (Rank F) (Progression: 00.00%)
[Kobold Adaptability] (Rank E) (Progression: 00.00%)
Skills
N/A
I was a bit stunned at what I was seeing, my mouth gaping at the information presented before me. I mean it can¡¯t be true¡­Right?? It was then that I realized that my hands were different than before, I mean how could I possibly not have noticed this already? For one thing I had only four fingers in each hand and the most notable change about me was I had scales! Deep dark red scales all over my body with golden pupils on my eyes! I had claws and my teeth felt sharper than I remember. But the change I was mad about the most of all was that I was SHORT!!!!!! Yes¡­it regrettably seems I had transformed into a weak little Kobold!!! Even my stats seemed to reflect on it. From what I can tell they go based off a letter system to determine the power level. So, to have mine to be merely E and F only, I don¡¯t know how low it can go but I imagine this wasn¡¯t too far off ¡­ugghh so pitiful¡­ I was frustrated, without even starting my dreams of conquest had already hit a huge snag. But before being able to contemplate on it more there was a voice calling out. ¡°Hey what are you doing here? Hurry up and help us out here!¡± It came from another kobold; one whose scales were colored brown. He was holding a pickaxe, and his body was covered in rock dust. He was clearly mining recently. But before I could respond he shoved the pickaxe in my hand. ¡°Don¡¯t think I remember seeing you before, but don¡¯t care. About time someone else took over, I need a break¡± He immediately pushed me towards the next tunnel where I could hear a bunch of KLANG noises. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. When I entered what I saw was various other kobolds, many where busy mining. Some seemed to be tinkering with some tools as well as inspecting the minerals we were gathering. It seemed I was transported in a kobold community within a cavern. I was a bit surprised at first, I could see so well despite there being very little lighting. Though I simply chalked it up to my species¡¯ traits. For the moment though I figured it would be best to play along, with how I am now there was no way I could conquer anything let alone the entire world. So, I began the boring task of mining, though I had difficulty with my weak strength. It took me several tries just to get a good swing on the rocks. Now he just needs to get a few more¡­. * Many hours passed¡­ uurrgghh¡­finally¡­ I dropped to the ground, managing to get a break after all that mining. It was exhausting and back breaking, I wasn¡¯t sure if it was going to end... Gives me more appreciation for all those miners on my old world¡­ Well at least it wasn¡¯t a total waste of time. During that dull task of gathering a bunch of rocks all day, I did manage to learn a few things. For one it doesn¡¯t seem like anyone else could see the screen appear. I tested it out by opening my status window up and no one seemed to react to it. So, I took the opportunity to figure out some stuff out. Most of the details were straightforward and easy to figure out. What I was curious about was my skills, though the only thing I had was a few listed as abilities with one I obtained in the middle of mining. I wanted to get more details out of it so I assumed I¡¯d need to interact with the screen, though it would look suspicious if I started to motion my claws around. So, I figured maybe trying to work through it by thought and it seemed to have worked as a new screen appeared and showed the details of my abilities.
[Game Screen] (Rank G)
Able to conjure game interface screens only seen by user to help navigate through the world (Progression: 10%)
[Dimensional Box] (Rank F)
Able to store items in a pocket dimension only available by user (Storage Size: 0/5) (Progression: 00%)
[Kobold Adaptability] (Rank E)
At the cost of reduced Growth speed, able to freely control how Skills and Abilities will progress (Progression: 20%)
[Mining Mastery] (Rank E)
Higher rate of mining materials and better chance of gathering rarer materials (Progression: 00.20%)
At least I can confirm why I¡¯m seeing a screen in the first place, there¡¯s a chance I¡¯m the only one with this kind of ability. My knowledge of these kinds of stories tells me that this might be useful down the road. It was also useful to find I have my own personal storage, so I decided to test it out with some of the rocks I gathered. I tried thinking about using the [Dimensional Box] ability which caused a translucent box to appear before me with no one noticing once again. I then tossed the rocks into the box, and they disappeared like I suspected. I tried testing to see if I could move the box mentally and sure enough it did. Not only was it able to move but I could also change its size and even rotate it. I even managed to pull up the storage screen and checked to confirm that the rocks were inside. The [Mining Mastery] ability was self-explanatory which just left [Kobold Adaptability] ¡­ I felt a little dread when I read about the slow growth speed¡­ It effectively meant that it was going to take a lllooonnngg time for me to see any real progress for strength. This being tied to kobolds meant this was a species problem, no wonder we looked all weak... Still¡­the fact it lets me control the way my skills and abilities can progress may prove to be useful, depending on what that really means. I would have to experiment on this later though as it seemed like it¡¯d be a while before I would be able to see any results. And last but not least it seemed like I don¡¯t have a name registered. Hmm makes sense, a new body and a new life meant this is truly a fresh start for me. If that¡¯s the case, then I should give myself a new name as well. One that will scream to the world that it will belong to me! Yes, an intimidating name that will strike fear in my enemies and show the resolve of my world conquest!! That¡¯s right from now on, in this new world I shall be named¡­ Vladimir!! At that moment, a new screen appeared in response to my new name.
New name registered
Unnamed has been updated to Vladimir
Seeing the information on the screen before me, I couldn¡¯t help but let out a laughter of excitement. My body moving on its own, unable to contain its own joy. Placing on foot on top of a rock, my arms stretched out up in the air as my body shakes in anticipation and laughter. The whole cavern could hear the echoes of my anticipation. ¡°Veehahahahaha!!!!¡± It seemed like I had caught the attention of my newly fellow kobolds as they stared at me on display. Hmm I should start by making them my subordinates in the future. If the world is going to be mine, then that should mean everyone here as well. No sooner than when I had these thoughts my body had gave out, stiffening and dropping to the ground. The full exhaustion kicked in soon after. But before my body fell asleep, I could have sworn I heard the other kobolds whispered to themselves. ¡°What a weirdo¡­¡± ¡°I feel ashamed of myself just being near him¡­¡± Conquest 2 - Bend to My Will I had plans for world conquest since I first came to this new world, ready to take the lands before me as mine and everything in it. But well¡­ there¡¯s been a delay¡­ three month¡¯s delay in fact... Being a kobold is such a difficult life. Ever since the first day I came here all I¡¯ve done was mine and inspect all the supplies we had. It was honestly exhausting both physically and mentally... and to make matters worse... ¡°Oh, look who it is it¡¯s the great Vladimir~¡± ¡°Hey, plan to grace us with another one of your ¡®epic¡¯ poses? ~¡± ¡°Why not make us bow before you with your intimidating laugh? ~¡± A few of my fellow kobolds, all of whom of the brown scale, began to mock me. Since that first day when I let out such an exciting laugh. Well, I didn¡¯t exactly help my case. Even when they started to openly mock me, I didn¡¯t stop letting my intent known. After all I wasn¡¯t going to hold back any more in this new life. With a dramatic motion of my claw, I pointed down at the group of kobolds that were mocking me ¡°Listen here plebians, one day you¡¯ll regret mocking me! And once you do, you¡¯ll beg to be mine! Veehahahahaha!!¡± With my declaration I ended it with the sound of my laughter I was becoming more known for. There was a moment pause of silence that lasted for a few seconds. It was soon followed by a burst of laughter, the volume together almost comparable to my own. The mocking group couldn¡¯t contain their laughter. It was as I expected, like all the other times they found my mannerisms and declarations amusing. ¡°Yeah, good luck with that! Hahahaha¡± ¡°Pfft yeah, you¡¯ll sure make us regret it.¡± The mocking kobolds left leaving me to my own accord, these days the others learned to take a certain distance from me. This worked out well enough for me. It makes it easier for me to experiment. After all, it¡¯s not like I was doing nothing at all these last three months! Whenever I had the time to myself, I did everything I could to improve my abilities and learn what I can do with them. First off, my [Mining Mastery] was steadily growing with the daily mining activity. I also found that the ability would grow through proper inspection of the minerals I harvested. It may not seem like an impressive ability but in my experience with these kinds of stories the most underrated skills can prove to be the most powerful. [Game Screen] and [Dimensional Box] I was surprised to learn had progression scaling as well. It¡¯s possible with [Dimensional Box] the growth would mean a larger storage space. Oddly enough, the ability seems to categorize each space through different types of items rather than how many. Right now, I have a large number of [Rock] stored, taking only one storage space. Definitely good to know, I¡¯ll have to try improving this ability as soon as I can. As for [Game Screen] I am curious how this would grow if it¡¯s even possible. Overall, my abilities¡¯ growth since these last three months are as follows.
[Game Screen] (Rank G)
(Progression: 55.54%)
[Dimensional Box] (Rank F)
(Storage Size: 2/5) (Progression: 22%)
[Kobold Adaptability] (Rank E)
(Progression: 40.21%)
[Mining Mastery] (Rank E)
(Progression: 99.50%)
I sighed to myself; the [Kobold Adaptability] really did slow my progress down. I have nothing to base this on, but it really felt like I was taking too long to grow these abilities. Even my most grown ability [Mining Mastery] hasn¡¯t ranked up yet. So today I¡¯m aiming to rank up that ability and hopefully to test out if [Kobold Adaptability] will work as I expected. With that in mind I began my usual routine of mining. Being as close to rank up as I could be I put my all on it. Over and over, I¡¯ll keep at it till it happens until my exhaustion kicks in. And that¡¯s what happened after a long time, my body caved, aching all over as I lay on the ground when a screen popped up.
[Mining Mastery] has Ranked up to Rank D This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.
I was exhausted but happy, after all these months I finally ranked up an ability! And now for the moment of truth. Seeing as I was too tired to move my arms at the moment, I mentally interacted with the screen. I smiled as what I was hoping for had come to fruition.
With improve skills in [Mining Mastery] you have unlocked a new skill or ability.
With [Kobold Adaptability] you are able to select from a list of available options.
As soon as I saw that I was quick to look through the list, though to my disappointment they all seem rather lackluster. I mean it mostly involved an upgraded version of [Mining Mastery] or simply better pickaxe skills or less stamina usage. I was on the cusp of giving up and just selecting a random skill when I noticed something else at the bottom of the screen.
Alternatively with use of [Kobold Adaptability] and [Game Screen] you are able to forge an entirely new skill or ability based off [Mining Mastery]
And there it is! When I read about this I immediately got started! The chance to create a new skill was too good an opportunity to pass up. And damn do I desperately need some kind of advantage to conquer in this world. As I started on creating a new skill, I pondered on what I could make from [Mining Mastery]. I had thought maybe, since mining is all about manipulating the land, I could create a skill that lets me freely control the lands before me but when I thought that I ended up getting an ERROR message. Tch, guess that was asking for too much. I would have to scale it back, so I tried to consider the core aspect of mining. When I consider it, mining is essentially about breaking down the raw materials to be used to recreate into something new. It seems [Game Screen] picked up on that as a new message appeared.
New Skill creation option identified.
[Material Forge] (Rank G)
Cost Extremely Low Mana
Freely reshape nonliving materials as desired within range of user. (Range: 10 Meters)
Would you like to create new Skill?
Yes No
Hmm interesting, based on the description it feels more like a tamed version of the skill I previously wanted. Still, with this I could possibly create objects with the materials I have on hand. I could make some weapons on the fly or with more practice even make something more complex. Though the limited range means I won¡¯t be popping out large scale buildings anytime soon. With that in mind, this will definitely be a good start for me, and I had many ideas I could use this for my quest for conquest. Veehahahahaha~ So, without further ado I clicked yes to the prompt. The screen disappeared and I could feel a new power envelope within me. Afterwards, I could tell that it had worked and that I gained a new skill. I was so excited! It was my first skill, and I didn¡¯t waste time trying it out! I dipped into my [Dimensional Box] and took out a big hunk of the large quantity of [Rock] I had stored over the last few months. I then put my focus on activating the skill. Material Forge!! When I had that thought the rock in my hand had suddenly broken into a pile of dust! It took me a bit of a surprise at first with the instant change, but I calmed down as I put my next thought, thinking of having the crushed rock to reshape into a ball. The dust had responded in kind as it started to move on its own, even the ones that had fallen off into the floor near my feet. It barely took a second before it had changed into the shape of a ball just as I had thought! I tested out the texture of the rock ball and while I can still feel the same hardness of the material it was surprisingly as smooth as I had envisioned it to be. It seems [Material Forge] perfectly captures what I picture in my head. Then it will be good for me to practice imaging in my head with as much detail as possible. I still had free time to myself so I continued to practice and study what I could do with [Material Forge]. After some time, I decided to take a break, I was feeling exhausted and could feel my mana supply running on low. After catching my breath, I decided to review what I learned about the skill. First, I had a limited range, like the description said it was 10 meters away from any part of my body. Though interestingly enough it only applies to objects as a whole, which means that if I were to say have a long rod then my skill can reshape the entire rod so long as it stays within range at the edge. Second, I am able to make as many objects as possible and as quickly as possible, it all seems determined from how much focus and mana I put into the skill. I put a mental note for myself to try to improve either my mana recovery rate or maximum capacity, I¡¯m still struggling figuring out how these stats work. Lastly, I had some understanding of what the description meant by nonliving materials. So, my guess would be that I wouldn¡¯t be able to use my skill on living creatures, I found not even plants would work after I had tried it on some cave mushrooms. Though, I tried testing out a theory by using some [Giant Rat Fur] I had stored and found that I was able to use my skill on it, despite coming out of a living creature. My hunch was right, it seems that the skill would count anything that isn¡¯t attached to a living being, plant or creature, as nonliving which opens a lot more possibilities for me to utilize. With all that in mind I decided on my next course of action. With my new power to bend the land before me to my will, there was a lot of preparation work in store for me~ ¡°Veehahahaha!¡± I couldn¡¯t contain my own joy as the empty cavern echoed my unfiltered laughter. Meanwhile, from across a tunnel nearby the echoes of my laughter can be heard by my kobold brethren. Some reacted with their own laughter, some shaking their head in annoyance, and others felt a bit of cringe over another of his antics. Conquest 3 - You are Mine! It has been two months since I first acquired [Material Forge]. Since then, I¡¯ve been taking the time to develop my use of it. I had requested myself to help with hunting food for my fellow kobolds and for some reason they were quick to allow me to. Though I could swear I could hear some of their whispers. ¡°Good, that¡¯ll keep him further away from us...¡± ¡°Now we won¡¯t have to deal with his excessive laughter~¡± ¡°How much do you want to bet for how long he¡¯ll survive there? ~¡± Basically, the overall stuff they whispered. But I didn¡¯t pay them any mind, there was work to be done and it would be a waste to worry about the opinions of those who were going to be mine anyway. They provided me with a [Wooden Club] and a large sack made of [Giant Rat Fur] and had left me to go on my own. With each venture delving into the caves, I hunted other monsters for food, starting off not too far from our dwelling and fighting smaller creatures. I had figured it would at least be important to learn to fight with just the club for now, after all it wouldn¡¯t do me good if I were to be stuck with my one skill to use. As time went on, I had become more used to basic combat, and I soon started to practice learning to fight with [Material Forge]. Each day, I delved deeper into the unknown and even started to hunt monsters closer to my size. The others seemed a bit surprised but not by much as I can tell, I can still hear their mocking whispers but as always, I had ignored them all. Which led to today, I was off to another venture, and if you were wondering what my current stats were, well as you can see.
Vladimir
Race Red Kobold
Attributes
[Health] F [Spirit] E
[Strength] F [Dexterity] E
Abilities
[Game Screen] (Rank G > F) (Progression: 05%) [Dimensional Box] (Rank F) (Storage Size: 2/5) (Progression: 57.32%)
[Kobold Adaptability] (Rank E) (Progression: 48.59%) [Mining Mastery] (Rank D) (Progression: 00.20%)
Skills
[Material Forge] (Rank G) (Progression: 97.87%)
I sighed at my overall stats; it hasn¡¯t changed at all since the five months I came to this world! I¡¯m starting to worry if it¡¯s even possible to increase my stats at all! For some reason, I can¡¯t even see if there¡¯s any progression going on like with my abilities and skills¡­ After taking a moment to let out my frustration to myself I started on to my latest venture. At the very least, I was able to make significant progress on my only skill. I was actually quite surprised considering the rest were progressing much slower in comparison, though when I think about it, I had put a lot of focus on [Material Forge] and it probably showed. I was curious how I¡¯ll be able to improve that skill once it ranks up. Though I wonder if that applies to every rank up. Though I quickly shrug at the thought, I won¡¯t find out until it happens, so it was best I move on. For now, I need to focus cause today was the day I would go even deeper into the caves, I¡¯m bound to find better resources. With that I was off to see how far deep I could go and after some time, I had reached the furthest I had gone. After many trips it has gotten a lot easier to traverse around. Though I couldn¡¯t say the same afterwards! Compared to before, where it was mainly Giant Rats and Goblins, the place was filled with some strong monsters! At least compared to a kobold¡­ There were mainly Wolves that were grouped together, I could probably handle one maybe two but a whole group of them was not likely. At rare moments I would spot the occasional Orc prowling around, I doubted I could handle one unless it was seriously damaged. Despite the dangers I had wanted to go deep here for a reason, from the whispers of the other kobolds it seems this large cavern was well known by adventurers. We were lucky our community was settled in the furthest parts of the cavern, otherwise we would have been hunted more often. Apparently, a lot of tough monsters can be found not too far from the entrance so I can imagine many confident adventurers would have tried to conquer this place with mixed results. Many leaving behind some goods I could use. I still have some spare room in my [Dimensional Box] and a sack for some valuables but still, I shouldn¡¯t get too ahead of myself. Not long afterwards, I was starting to get exhausted. It was getting increasingly harder to move around because for some reason they were getting really aggressive. Just as well, I managed to get a few useful items. I took a look at [Game Screen], during my previous skirmishes I had managed to rank up and had decided how to upgrade it. During all this time I had noticed since coming to this world that I didn¡¯t have one of the most essential skills, appraisal skills. It would help in understanding various stuff in this new world and help avoid dangerous outcomes. So, with that I figured I could upgrade [Game Screen] to allow such ability. It was a good call as it indeed added the new feature, and I wasted no time using it. Using the new feature, I pulled up [Game Screen] and inspected the items I gathered and then thought. Inspect
[Silver Dagger] (Rank F)
A basic dagger with a silver blade. More effective against monster type creatures. It is said that the pure property of silver is what drives out the evil threats.
[Robe of the Night] (Rank E)
A furred black robe made from nocturnal creatures. Allows a better chance of lowering visibility in the shadows and small boost in [Strength].
[Mana Recovery Ring] (Rank E)
A small, enchanted metal ring. Slightly increases mana recovery rate.
All three of these items would be useful for me. While the [Wooden Club] is easier to use, the [Silver Dagger] would give me the edge I need to help finish some enemies off and the [Robe of the Night] would give me better opportunities to sneak past them or even sneak attack them, though I needed to use my skill to have it fit to my size. But the most useful of them all is the [Mana Recovery Ring]. With how much I rely on my [Material Forge] the extra mana recovery would provide me more time to use my skill. With that in mind I decided to equip them all if only to better improve my survival, and I¡¯m glad I did because I don¡¯t think I would otherwise! Though I shouldn¡¯t push my luck any further than I already have, it was time I should come back. A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation. Thinking that, it was just as difficult as delving in, if not more so! The other monsters were a lot more agitated than when I came in. Something was definitely going on here and I needed to get out of here before I found out! Panic was setting in as it got more and more dangerous, I was even caught at one point by a stray wolf. I was lucky it was severely injured so I managed to fend it off rather quickly before it could harm me. Without much time I quickly put the corpse in my [Dimensional Box] and hurried off. I started to sprint as I got near the entrance to the safer areas of the cavern. My kobold body was beginning to tingle, as if warning me that danger was looming very close to me. I began to be hopeful as the exit out of this danger zone was right in sight but as I neared the pathway, a loud crash could be heard as a looming large figure stood before me. There was a long pause before I was able to process the sight before me and realized my predicament. ¡°¡­. crap¡­¡± was all I was able to say. The figure before me moved as its eyes stared at me, giving me a good look at who I was facing. Standing tall at an enormous size being almost six times as big as me, looking down at me I felt like a small bug in comparison. Its upper body was massive, covered in brown fur and large muscles with large hooves for feet. Within its massive hands it was carrying a large ax almost as huge as itself. I could tell easily that what I was staring at was a Minotaur! There was no hope for me to survive fighting one, let alone winning! That¡¯s what my kobold instincts were trying to tell me. And it was extremely hard to ignore it. I even found my own body trying to hide on its own, but I knew it would be pointless. The damn Minotaur had almost blocked both the exits when it came crashing here! The only opening left was too small for me to fit properly and it¡¯s not like it¡¯s going to let me widen the hole! I had no choice but to fight! I brandished my [Silver Dagger] and jumped back, and I noticed that it had sustained several injuries. It had many fresh scars, possibly from the other fights it was in. I felt a sense of relief at this observation and started to feel a bit more confident I could do this!! Without a moment to lose, I began to hide in the cover of the shadows. Though the Minotaur catches me fleeing and chases after me, with axe in hand. With one swift move it brings its axe down, breaking apart the rocky terrain with ease. I managed to barely avoid as I entered the shadows, and making sure I wasn¡¯t spotted I took a moment to breathe. I analyzed the terrain, hoping to see if there was anything for me to take advantage of. There were many large stalagmites around, perfect for hiding spots. And the area we were in was rather round though I could see some rock formations poking out at the walls. Could be used for climbing to have a height advantage if need be. All that was left was the ceilings, there were a few large stalactites and they looked like they were ready to fall at any second, thanks to that last crash just now. Finally, I used my [Game Screen] skill to inspect the Minotaur¡¯s stats to get a better gauge of what I was dealing with.
Unnamed
Race Minotaur
Attributes
[Health] B [Spirit] G
[Strength] B [Dexterity] F
Abilities
???
Skills
???
Unfortunately, it seems it would not provide me with many details, probably because I had just encountered it. At the very least it did tell me about its stats, hopefully it¡¯s more than enough information for me to work with. Based on that, it¡¯s safe to assume that I should avoid getting hit by it as much as I possibly can! Its [Health] and [Strength] far outclass my own and cues me that even with all those injuries it occurred, it is far from close to being brought down so it will be a battle of stamina. The only thing I have over him is a bit on [Dexterity] and a big step ahead on [Spirit], though I imagine that with those huge biceps going for it, it doesn¡¯t necessarily mean it¡¯ll need to use much mana if at all! It looked like it can just crush me with its bare hands! With all that in mind, it seems my best strategy would be a hit and run tactic. I would need to focus on those scars he sustained for maximum damage if I had any hope of victory. But first things first, using [Material Forge] I created a needle like item using the [Rock] and took aim and threw it. Lucky for me I seemed to have enough [Strength] and [Dexterity] to throw the [Rock Needle] at my destination. As it speeds through the air it flies right past the Minotaur, instead of going for the intended target, the stalagmite above it! With a cracking sound, the needle hits its target. At first nothing else seemed to have happened, the noise just getting the Minotaur to stop for a second to search where it came from only to look up. At that moment more cracking sounds can be heard as the stalagmite begins to break until suddenly it drops! Gravity pulling it downwards and straight at the creature! With barely a moment to react the Minotaur stretches out it¡¯s arm in front of it and use it to block out the falling debris as best he could. Taking advantage of that momentary distraction, I sprinted hoping that my one rank higher in [Dexterity] would be enough for me to be fast enough before it could react as I prepare my dagger. With a swift swing of my blade, I slashed from below at its legs, one after the other at the same time the debris crashes on it from above. The beast reacted in surprise, only expecting the falling rocks. It never occurred to it that there would be an attack towards its hooves. It winces in pain for only just a moment, but it was just enough! Using that momentary distraction, I quickly sprinted for the nearest stalactite cover before it could notice me, but not before leaving a quick surprise. Once in cover I managed to catch my breath, my whole body was shaking like mad. As if it was in retaliation for ignoring the danger it had warned me, though I didn¡¯t have long to process it. The Minotaur shakes his head off from the debris, the look on its face shows how pissed it was getting. Despite my best efforts, it still managed to trace my hidden location and sprinted right at me, about to crash right towards the rock formation. Sensing the danger mere inches away my kobold instincts took control, and my body quickly ran from my hiding spot, wanting to get clear away as possible. It was like I was fighting my own body at the same time as the Minotaur! I was getting fed up with this and I had enough of it! ¡°If I can¡¯t even conquer my own body, then I have no hope of conquering this world!!¡± I refused to give up, not when I had just started! I forced my body to stop with all my might and turned to face the towering enemy before me who was clearly still enraged. I pointed my dagger in front of it and made my declaration! ¡°By the end of this fight, you will submit before me!!!¡± The Minotaur didn¡¯t slow down as it went full stampede straight towards me, but still I refused to move an inch and instead I managed to sprint right towards it, weapon at the ready!! Once I was within striking distance it pulled its ax up in the air, ready to strike me down before I had any hope of my blade reaching close to its hide. As it swings down its axe down ready take me down, at that moment I couldn¡¯t help but to give a small smile. Before the weapon could touch me, the Minotaur suddenly lost its balance. The land beneath one of its hooves had collapsed, making it lose its footing. It had fallen for the trap I had set. Before I had taken cover, I managed to use my [Material Forge] to reshape a spot in the ground into something less stable that was ready to collapse at any moment and stored the excess [Rock] into my [Dimensional Box] to hide any evidence of tampering. I didn¡¯t dare waste this moment as it tumbled, I jumped and stabbed my blade with all my might at the nearest open wound, the left side of his stomach!! The Minotaur winced in pained, I had managed to do some major damage! Not willing to stop now I pulled out my [Wooden Club] as it completely loses its balance and falls face first onto the ground, letting go of its axe. I then immediately hopped on its back and began to recklessly swing both weapons at the various scars close to me, its body wincing with each strike, it wouldn¡¯t be long before I could finish this. But as the adrenaline was rushing to my head, my thoughts being clouded over my onslaught, I failed to realize the looming shadow that was quickly shrouding over me. Before I knew it, my body was suddenly sent flying straight to a wall. A wave of agony dominated my entire body, it was the most pain I had ever experienced since coming to this world! I landed hard on the ground, my entire body shaking from the experience. This Minotaur was tough, a lot tougher than I gave it credit for. I didn¡¯t have much time to think about it though because it was already getting back up weapon in hand, I could tell from how it was moving that it was done with this fight and was ready to finish this! Without much time I tried my best to get up, but it was proving extremely difficult! I was barely able to get up, there was no way I could even take a step right now. I had to think of something quick while that Minotaur was charging right at me!! But at the last moment I had an idea and quickly acted on it before I could start to doubt it. I activated my [Material Forge] skill on the ground below me, putting in a burst of mana into it to increase the size of reshaping and the ground before me quickly changed into a higher platform. The sudden transformation of the ground had the added effect of pushing me high up in the air, saving me just in time before the Minotaur¡¯s blade could reach my head! I managed to just barely grab onto the nearest rock formation on the wall, my body dangling limply. I had dropped the [Silver Dagger] after that last hit, and I was barely keeping a grip on the [Wooden Club] on my free claw. I could barely keep myself conscious let alone keep myself hanging for even a few seconds. I needed to end this now or it¡¯s over! I decided to risk it all and let go as gravity started to force me down, right towards the angry beast! All the same, the Minotaur was ready, weapon at hand and ready to strike when I came within striking distance. With my own weapon at hand, I put all my energy to ready my own stance in the air, ready to strike down as I fall towards danger. With both weapons ready to clash, I knew my [Wooden Club] wouldn¡¯t withstand the metal ax, but I had one more trick up my sleeve! I pulled out all my crushed [Rock] from my [Dimensional Box] all at once and at the same time activated my [Material Forge] to the max, putting as much of the rest of my mana I had left on it to reshape my club to a massive giant rock hammer! The sudden added weight plus my own falling speed added extra force to my swing as our weapons clashed. The added force was proving to even give the Minotaur a struggle to keep its grip on its weapon with its scars also adding to the struggle, but it still charged through with its attack in full force! My improvised hammer was starting to chip and crack, it was going to break if I didn¡¯t do something now, but I could feel all my mana was spent. I ignored it though; I just needed a bit more mana so I had to push my body to squeeze as much mana out of me as I could. My vision was starting to blur, I was about to pass out at any second now, though I can just barely see the cracks on my hammer repairing itself and slams down at the beast! The Minotaur was hit full force in the head by the hammer as it began to fall back and crash to the ground! The hammer couldn¡¯t take it anymore as it broke apart the second it landed a hit. Everything falls silent as the dust settles, and the Minotaur was down on the ground. I was standing on top of it, weapon pointed at it in full triumph, my foe was defeated by my hands at last!! ¡°Now. You. Are. Mine!!!¡± I declared with all my might, but before I could celebrate my victory any further my consciousness started to slip. And as I started to faint, I can vaguely see the [Game Screen] appear with a notification asking for a yes or no input. Without thinking I instinctively selected yes as everything goes black. ¡­
Minotaur has now joined you as a loyal Henchman
Conquest 4 - Obey Me Henchman! I began to open my eyes, my head throbbing. Everything in my body was screaming in pain and I could barely move. I struggled to remember what had happened then realized that I had fainted after my victory over the Minotaur. I quickly started to look at my surroundings, ignoring my body¡¯s soreness, trying to find the monster. When I looked in front of me my body shook, my irritating kobold instincts kicking in trying to flee when I saw said creature in front of me, towering above me. But then something interesting happened. With its large frame the beast lowered its body, one knee to the ground and an arm placed over its chest and its head lowered to the ground with its eyes closed. I couldn¡¯t believe it; the Minotaur was bowing before me! Before I could process what was happening, it suddenly spoke for the first time ¡°From this day forth I pledge my body to you! I am at your service boss!!~¡± The beast opened its eyes, which were filled with a glimmer of admiration and a flame of passion. Even with its ragged body it was practically blinding in its adoration over me¡­¡­ did¡­did he get brain damage when I hit him in the head earlier?? ¡°Uhm¡­. Can you help me up? I can¡¯t move right now...¡± I weakly asked, trying to test its loyalty to me. It¡¯s body quickly sprang up in excitement with a determined ¡°Of course!¡± as it scooped me up with its large hands, being surprisingly gentle laying me beside a rock. It took me about a minute to recover myself and let my mind process what was going on. Meanwhile the Minotaur was bending down staring right at me, it was rather intimidating in a whole different way. Something was up and I needed to get to the bottom of it. ¡°Exactly why are you pledging yourself to me??¡± I started questioning it and it responded with overwhelming enthusiasm ¡°Don¡¯t you remember boss? After your glorious triumph over me you had declared me yours and I knew from that instant I wanted to serve that strength of yours!!¡± I could only nod in response, damn how did this creature turned from trying to kill me to becoming my most fervent admirer. I then remembered that there was a message that had appeared before I fainted. I quickly used [Game Screen] and noticed a new tab. I looked into it and found it was a follower list. Looking closely at it there were two sections; henchmen, and minions, which seems to indicate different types of followers and below the henchmen list had Unnamed Minotaur marked below. ¡°Interesting, it seems you really did become my henchman¡± A small smile formed from my lips. I extended my arm and pointed at my new follower as I stated ¡°Then from now on you will obey me, henchman!! Veehahahahaha!! ~¡± My laugh echoed across the room as my new henchman looked at me in awe, but I was soon interrupted by a bolt of pain. ¡°Argh...first order for you¡­ carry me while I recover.¡± The Minotaur stood up and puffed his chest in full confidence ¡°Of course boss!¡± He proceeded to lift me up and put me on his shoulders, with his big frame and my tiny body it was surprisingly easy for me to get comfy. I made sure I had him pick up my items and stash what I needed in my [Dimensional Box]. For extra measure I repaired my new henchman¡¯s axe using its chipped pieces scattered around the field, got to have the best weapons available for my henchmen after all! I pointed in the direction back at the base; it was time to introduce my fellow kobolds my new henchman! But first things first, ¡°It seems you don¡¯t have a name; you don¡¯t mind if I give you one myself? ~¡± ¡°It is the greatest honor to receive a name from you, boss! ~¡± With the Minotaur¡¯s approval I proceeded to start to think of a name for my henchman. Just to avoid a possible naming mishap I asked for its gender, which turned out to be male as I had guess. I gave it some thought, wanting to give him a super cool name that could intimidate my enemies! And I thought of just the name~ ¡°From now on your name will be Mordred! ~¡± there was a moment of silence, I was worried that he wouldn¡¯t like his name but then he started to pump his fist, a huge grin plastered on his face. ¡°An excellent name, boss! And a powerful one as well I like it!!¡± To further prove his approval of the name I received a notification.
New name registered
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Henchman Minotaur name has been updated to Mordred
With name in hand, we continued back to the base, my henchman carrying me on his shoulder all the while taking care of any stragglers and picking up any materials I requested, storing them either in my sack or in my [Dimensional Box]. I thought to myself how useful he would be and how real lucky I was that he was mostly injured when I faced him, otherwise I doubt I would have been able to survive that fight. For now, he¡¯s on my side; whether it¡¯s because he was added in my henchmen list, getting some kind of brain damage, or something else entirely he seems to have this high opinion of my strength. So, I¡¯ll have to keep him thinking that not wanting to see what would happen otherwise. It didn¡¯t take too long for us to reach our destination. When we got near the entrance, I could hear my fellow kobolds acting franticly, probably because of the uninvited guest I brought in. ¡°Everyone, hide! there¡¯s a huge beast coming our way!!¡± ¡°Why is it coming here?! I thought we were far away from all the dangerous monsters!!¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just surrender already! Maybe it¡¯ll just leave us alone!!¡± I could see that everyone was panicking, clearly intimidated by our presence, so I decided to try to calm everyone¡¯s nerves. I jumped down, feeling my stamina coming back as I began to explain. ¡°I¡¯m back everyone and I brought back a huge find Veehahahahaha~¡± Unfortunately it seemed I only made them confused instead, oh well at least that got their attention. ¡°Now listen up you plebians, this Minotaur has pledged his loyalty to my service! Now I ask, who else wants to join him?!¡± I asked, a claw extended in front of me in an offering stance. Mordred stood proudly behind me, towering over the rest of us. It didn¡¯t take long till everyone was bowing before me, some visibly shaking from anxiety for what was about to happen. I could even hear some of them whispering to each other about how it was going to suck. Oh well, I¡¯ll just have to show them that they made the right decision. I took my extended claw and brought it close to me, forming a fist as I announced to them all ¡°Now come join me and become my minions! ~¡±
Kobold x 12 has joined you as your minions
Seeing the notification pop up, I instinctively checked the follower lists and checked to see that they had all indeed been added to the minion section. I would have to make a mental note to figure out the difference between the two sections later. For now, I have taken the first real steps into my goal for world domination! ~ With my new position of power, I concluded there was no need to hide my abilities from them. I began to show them, and their reaction was rather amusing. They knew of some abilities with the power for storing items though they are rather rare. They never even heard of [Game Screen] and [Material Forge]. It was even more unheard of for a mere kobold to have any rare skills, let alone this many, though I didn¡¯t pay that much mind. To my surprise during my demonstration, I noticed my [Material Forge] skill had ranked up, so I decided to upgrade it by letting me change the state of the chosen material for more versatility. With the upgraded skill I decided to use it to help improve our weapons. Many of them were in rather poor states, I still had spare [Iron] and my mana had mostly recovered so it was a rather easy fix. And while I was working, I peeked at the others looking at me with curious glares. It was definitely a different type of glare I was used to, but not an unpleasant one I had to admit. Afterwards I distributed the loot I gathered to everyone. They seemed a little worried, probably because they thought I was going to just hoard most of it, but I wasn¡¯t planning to do that. While I am planning to keep the gear I had equipped on me, I¡¯m going to make sure everyone has an equal share of everything else, including the meat. I needed them all to be healthy and in top shape if they were going to follow me, though for Mordred¡¯s sake he might need double or even triple what we kobolds eat. It sure is interesting how only a few days ago I was the laughingstock of my kobold brethren and now I was the one in charge. Then again, as I found out, our species seem to be naturally timid and cowardly. I still remember how much willpower it took me just to go against my own body¡¯s instincts and even then, I still had trouble with it. I will have to work on it otherwise it¡¯ll really cause me problems in the future on my conquest. As I¡¯m pondering on it three of the kobolds approach me, who I recognize as the ones who would regularly pick on me for how I acted. They were really nervous, almost like if they were to give me the wrong look, I¡¯d kill them or something. It definitely felt satisfying seeing them like this and it took them a minute before one finally spoke up, their heads bowing down. ¡°W-we apologize for picking on you before!!¡± ¡°Y-yeah so please don¡¯t send your beast after us¡­¡± ¡°We s-swear we¡¯ll make it up to you!¡± The area was quiet, the others looked at us, some also showing signs of worry as some of them had some hand on picking on me though not as much as these three. Though I already had my answer. A big smile appeared on my face showing off my fangs, with claws at my hip as I began to speak. ¡°Fear not! You have accepted to being my minions so from now on I shall keep you safe! After all everything of mine should be in pristine condition!¡± They fell silent for a bit, processing what I said. Suddenly they started to cheer, seemingly ignoring the last bit I said. The three before looked at me with interest, losing the feelings of worry from before and nodded in agreement. Starting tomorrow things are going to change around here. ~ Conquest 5 – The Alpha Will Be Me! It¡¯s been a few weeks since I took over the Kobold settlement. Most have gotten to their usual routine despite the change in leadership. I didn¡¯t think it would be a good idea to suddenly make a lot of unnecessary changes and was pretty content with simply conquering our settlement for now anyway. The main focus for the time was to secure our survivability with stable nourishment. Thanks to my loyal henchman and my [Dimensional Box] that proved quite easy, with daily runs of hunting and storing the meat. As a bonus I found that my storage ability had the extra effect of stopping time as well so there was no worry of spoiling. During that time, I decided to check my overall stats. I try not to make it a habit to constantly check it but it¡¯s still good to check every now and again.
Vladimir
Race Red Kobold
Attributes
[Health] F [Spirit] D
[Strength] F [Dexterity] E
Abilities
[Game Screen] (Rank F) (Progression: 15.5%) [Dimensional Box] (Rank E) (Storage Size: 5/5) (Progression: 02.96%)
[Kobold Adaptability] (Rank E) (Progression: 59.94%) [Mining Mastery] (Rank D) (Progression: 00.20%)
Skills
[Material Forge] (Rank G > F) (Progression: 10.00%)
I was quite satisfied with my progress; it seems the constant use of [Dimensional Box] had drastically increased its progress and had just recently ranked up. Now that I noticed, it was strange I didn¡¯t get a notification this time or for my other rank up for it compared to when I got it for [Mining Mastery]. I¡¯m still trying to figure out how my [Game Screen] works so there may be some conditions I would need to fulfill to receive a pop up. I assume maybe for the first rank up the pop up appeared because I was concentrating on that, that¡¯s the only difference I could think of. For now, I put it to the back of my mind as there was something else on the screen that I had noticed that really surprised me. One of my attributes had finally ranked up!! I was worried it would be impossible to ever rank up those stats since it didn¡¯t show any progression. Even with all the work I had put in all this time it didn¡¯t yield any results. There must be different conditions to meet to increase attributes compared to skills and abilities. Thinking back on it, it must have been during my fight with Mordred! It was all still a bit of a blur at the end of it, but I think I remember pushing past my mana limit. Maybe that¡¯s what I would need to do, though I kept it at that. Even if it turns out that was the condition it¡¯s not like I could easily recreate it. Instead, it was time to start on the next step of my conquest, it¡¯s time to expand my territory! ~ ¡°One step closer and the world is mine! Veehahahahaha!!" ¡­ ¡°Welp¡­ there goes the chief again¡­¡± ¡°Still can¡¯t believe we¡¯re taking orders from this guy¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe that Minotaur willingly follows him. I mean look he¡¯s worshipping him right now!¡± Indeed, right behind me Mordred was also sharing in my enthusiasm. ¡°Oh, is it time to make the rest of this cavern yours, boss!? I can¡¯t wait to see you in action!!¡± Mordred pounds his chest in excitement, his tail swaying along side to side. The three kobolds could do nothing but nervously laugh, they really didn¡¯t want to get too much attention but were too cowardly to defy them. Noticing their worry, I chuckled ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I don¡¯t plan to have anyone who doesn¡¯t want to join in my territory expansion. After all, if I did make you, you would just run away Veehahahahaha~¡± The three stayed silent, trying to avoid saying anything as I continued my preparations with the first thing to do being to increase the [Dimensional Box] storage limit to 10. I¡¯ll probably be grabbing additional materials so it was definitely a must. Next was equipment, luckily for me my own wasn¡¯t too worn out so I did some quick repairs to it. For the few kobolds who decided to join us I made some [Iron Daggers] using the extra [Iron] I had stored to make the blades and used the materials from the [Wooden Club] to help make the handles. As for Mordred, I used the [Wolf Fur] to create some clothing to cover the essentials as well as a nice fur wrap to go around his shoulders as I plan to ride on there more often and would like a comfier seat and used the [Wolf Hide] to create some leather harness to help sheathe his ax as well as a belt. All that equipment gives Mordred an awesome barbarian look which seems fitting for him. I also took the chance to take a look at Mordred¡¯s stats as well. Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
Mordred
[Race] Minotaur
[Attributes]
[Health] B [Spirit] G
[Strength] B [Dexterity] F
[Abilities]
Minotaur¡¯s Pride (Rank D) (Progression: 20%) Bloodthirsty Loyalty (Rank F) (Progression: 00.15%)
[Skills]
Bull Stampede (Rank D) (Progression: 52%) Bloody Rage (Rank D) (Progression: 61%)
His stats had stayed the same as before, as to be expected since he seems the strongest one in these caverns. Though now I can see his abilities and skills, probably because he became my henchman. I¡¯ll have to make sure to take the time later to learn what they all do. For now, I checked on everyone and how they felt about their new gear. Everyone seemed to enjoy the new equipment and after making sure everything was in order, we set off for my territory expansion. The immediate area was a breeze as it only consisted of Giant Rats and Goblins, just one look from Mordred was enough for them to run off. So, the next target was the deeper parts of the cavern where I had faced off Mordred. As is before there were packs of Wolves prowling around only this time we were tailing them, with multiple packs prowling around I had a suspicion that there was some kind of Alpha leading them all. It was proving kind of challenging to follow them as their sense of smell meant we had to keep a certain distance. We had actually failed a few times and were forced to fight them¡­well it was mainly Mordred but well he works for me, so it was the same. We did finally succeed and found ourselves in the wolf¡¯s den strictly speaking. We took a peek inside their den and found many Wolves resting and relaxing only to react to our presence. They gave off a menacing glare towards us as we intruded their home. Among them was a rugged and slightly larger wolf with some scars on its body, it was clear it was the alpha wolf. It got up and slowly approached us as we entered their space. It growled at the others to back off and then at us, it was clearly challenging us to a fight. I was ready to send out Mordred to fight for me, feeling confident in his success in my name. But just as I was thinking that I found myself suddenly grabbed from behind and lifted up. ¡°I¡¯ll leave this up to you, boss!¡± Without even a moment to respond I found myself suddenly tossed towards the alpha wolf. My body landed on the ground before the wolf, who looked ready to fight me. Damn that Minotaur, I was ready to chew out Mordred for his actions and opened my mouth to argue with him when¡­I saw those look of admirations¡­. fuck alright seems I don¡¯t have a choice... I brandished my [Silver Dagger] ready in a battle stance as the alpha wolf approached me. Everyone else has given us some space, providing us with a battlefield as they all watch. I took the moment to inspect the wolf¡¯s stats before we started.
Unnamed
[Race] Wolf
[Attributes]
[Health] E [Spirit] F
[Strength] E [Dexterity] C
[Abilities]
???
[Skills]
???
As I expected I¡¯m unable to see its abilities and skills just like with Mordred. As for its [Attributes] they almost all outrank mine, so it definitely wasn¡¯t going to be an easy fight, especially its [Dexterity] which was 2 higher ranks than mine. So, avoiding his attacks will be next to impossible and I¡¯ll have to rely on my [Material Forge] to keep up. The second I was done inspecting him the wolf had already started to pounce with claws at the ready, I just barely dodged but it still managed to graze at my shoulder. Even just that was enough to hurt like hell! Blood trinkled at my shoulder as I held the wound down with my other claw. It didn¡¯t give me much time as it went in for another attack, this time with its fangs. I barely had time to react and used [Material Forge] to make a rock wall as a shield. Its fangs don¡¯t reach me, instead ending up gnawing at the rough, rocky surface. That gave me the moment I needed as I pulled out my dagger and sliced it at its front leg, the silver material adding an extra edge to the attack. I know this was the same tactic I used on Mordred, but it was effective before, and I needed to do something to reduce its speed if I hope to have a chance. Though it seems I only gave it surface damage as it faces me once more and continued its pursuit. It charges at me once more and I was ready to conjure another rock wall when I noticed that its movements were a bit different. Sensing this I took the chance to run knowing I wouldn¡¯t be able to outrun it, despite the fact that it kept its distance as if gauging what I would do next. Not feeling up to disappointing I forged some [Rock Needle] in my hand and tossed it. It of course managed to dodge that though not before I created rock spike right where it landed. The sudden appearance of a spike as it springs in creation upward was enough to pierce through the beast, but not by much as it immediately jumped back. The look on its face was of fury, it must have felt humiliated. It went after me once more, its speed seemingly increased. Going for another lunge at me I prepared my next creation but right when I was ready to activate it the wolf had disappeared before me. Before I could process its disappearance, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my cut arm, I had managed to ignore the pain earlier but there was a new stingy feel coming at it. As I looked at my arm, I saw the familiar set of fangs sinking into it; the alpha wolf had managed to gnaw its teeth into me when I was distracted for the moment. I screamed in pain; it was hard to keep my focus as more blood trinkled into its fangs. It had a look in its face, confident that it had won¡­ But I refused to give up! With one last plan in mind, I lunged my dagger toward its body, seeing this it added more pressure to its bite. I howled more in pain, the reach of my dagger too short to reach in time, but I used [Dimensional Box] to pull out the grinded up [Iron] that I had stored then used [Material Forge] to reshape my dagger to extend the blade right towards the wolf¡¯s chest, piercing it with the tip coated in silver. It yelps in pain, but I could tell it wasn¡¯t done yet. With another use of my mana the tip of the blade changes shape, growing new sharp edges at the base like the stem of a rose. With the last of its breath the wolf falls limp, its fangs¡¯ grip loosens off my arm as we both lay on the ground. At that moment I knew I had won. Conquest 6 – My Growing Community! I had managed to defeat the wolves¡¯ pack leader; with my victory I was able to make them all my minions, the updated list had informed me as such. As I expected my show of dominion over their alpha had assured them that I was in charge, though not without a cost. As I managed to pull myself up, I took a look at my defeated opponent as it lay limp on the ground motionlessly. I had wanted to recruit it as a henchman, but I had proved to be too weak to be able to do so. I pondered on the mistake I made as I got up and established my rule. With the addition of new followers, I would have to establish a new order with them all. But before that, I had them set up a place of burial for their previous pack leader. Once they do, I then used my skill to have its body sink into the ground and have it properly buried, so that no one could disturb its corpse. I could have used it for materials for my own use, but I had found that disrespectful after our clash. We didn¡¯t fight for survival after all but for our territory and our packs. I closed my eyes and paid my respect to my adversary; silence was in the air. My new wolf followers seemed to be confused by my gesture, probably never seeing something like this. But they seemed to somewhat understand the meaning a bit. They seemed more willing to listen to me after that.
Wolf x 10 has joined you as your minions.
Two weeks passed since then, I needed time to recover so I had us return to my kobold base, the wolves following behind me. My fellow kobolds were of course surprised and scared to see a whole group of them appear, but I quickly reassured them that they were on my side. ¡°The wolves follow him too¡­ am I seeing things?¡± ¡°No no I see it too¡­¡± ¡°He might actually take over this cavern at this point¡­¡± As usual I chose to ignore their comments, for now I needed to figure out how to handle my growing community. I had them get acquainted with each other, the kobolds still feeling nervous while the wolves were simply curious and sniffed them to recognize their scent. Once the introductions were done, I then began the first order of business was to improve our living situation. The kobold hideout proved to be too small for the wolves so I thought it would be best to move them all to the wolves¡¯ den, maybe even expand on the surrounding areas. The kobolds didn¡¯t seem to mind too much, they have been wanting a better resource vein for a while now. I had found out during my first month in this world that the cavern¡¯s ore veins had a unique quality of regenerating their minerals after a certain time so there was never any worry of them drying out. But the current settlement only provided [Rock] and [Iron] so they desperately wanted a new location to mine their resources. As I remembered I had found that the wolves¡¯ den had a few mineral veins nearby, some with a color I didn¡¯t recognize. There was even a pond as well, so it was perfect for us. We proceeded to move all my fellow kobolds to their new homes, the wolves providing protection and even helped with some of their packaging. Once things were settled, we searched for the mineral veins I had spotted earlier. When we did, I mined the ores myself so I could inspect them. What I found was that there not only were there a few [Iron] veins but even [Copper] veins as well, I even managed to find one for [Silver] though it was definitely smaller than the others. I would have to keep this one for myself, though I doubt anyone would argue against that. It took a lot of effort, but we managed to make a good set up for ourselves. Most of my fellow kobolds have opted to focus on mining and day to day care while the wolves focused on hunting for food and for defense. Meanwhile, Mordred focused more on being my bodyguard, I rarely find moments where he isn¡¯t near me. I know I should be concerned but I must admit I am enjoying the power trip he was giving me. It makes sense though, no self-respecting future ruler of the world should be without a personal bodyguard, Veehahahahaha~. I had tried to check on my attributes to see if that fight had helped me rank up but unfortunately, I didn¡¯t see any change. I guess I didn¡¯t push myself hard enough for that, even though it was a very difficult fight. At least, all the material gathered had provided me with a decent haul for my [Dimensional Box].
Dimensional Box (Rank E) The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
Able to store items in a pocket dimension only available by user (Storage Size: 7/10) (Progression: 10.03%)
Storage (Rock, Iron, Wolf Hide, Wolf Fur, Wolf Meat, Copper, Silver)
With the new material stored I decided I should try to craft and upgrade my equipment. After some time experimenting this is what my new equipment looks like.
[Silver Short Sword] (Rank E)
A basic short sword with a silver blade. More effective against monster type creatures. It is said that the pure property of silver is what drives out the evil threats.
[Copper Short Sword] (Rank D)
A basic short sword made from copper. Sharper and more durable than iron, a common material used for many weaponries and tools.
[Garments of the Night] (Rank E)
Garments made from nocturnal creatures. Increased chance of lowering visibility in the shadows and small boost in [Strength].
[Wolves¡¯ Trench Coat] (Rank D)
A coat forged from Wolf Hide and Wolf Fur and adds a boost in [Dexterity]. There are many hidden pockets underneath the coat.
[Mana Recovery Ring] (Rank E)
A small, enchanted iron ring. Slightly increases mana recovery rate.
I had decided to increase the length of my [Silver Dagger] and turned it into the [Silver Short Sword] giving me a longer reach while still making it easy for me to wield. I also decided to forge a [Copper Short Sword] guessing that it would be more effective against non-monster enemies. I also decided to remake my [Robe of the Night] into the [Garments of the Night] to make room for a different set of gear, the [Wolves¡¯ Trench Coat]. This black trench coat has been designed to fit my size and I had some deep pockets made to give me more room with my storage issue. But most importantly¡­ ¡°It just makes me look badass! ~¡± I put my foot down and unsheathe my blade to my side as I strike a pose. The other kobolds nervously laughed as they clapped before me, probably because I was too intimidating for them. ~ The wolves meanwhile tilted their head in confusion, not understanding what I was doing. Mordred on the other hand was clapping proudly, of course in awe of my new look. ~ But that was enough of that, we had our area properly settled in, my arm was mostly healed, and our equipment upgraded. Now it was time for the next phase, there was one more group I had to conquer before this cavern is mine! ~ ¡°It was time to conquer the orcs!¡± I proudly announced! Everyone had a strong reaction to my proclamation, mostly shock and fear over my decision, except for Mordred of course who was brimming with excitement. Though I can understand why they were against the idea. I was told that orcs were one of the strongest races around this cavern, just right behind a Minotaur in fact. Thankfully there was only a small handful of them that roam around here but even one was enough to instill fear in my subordinates. ¡°Do not worry, I won¡¯t make anyone participate in this endeavor if they do not wish to. Though you may come to watch if you want to. ~¡± I figured watching me in action would inspire them in my future conquests. The wolves would probably be easier to convince with their pack mentality and recognizing me as their alpha, my fellow kobolds on the other hand by their cowardly nature will be more difficult. To my pleasant surprise most of them have decided to come to watch. Mordred on the other hand, seemed rather frustrated. He was under the impression that they all would want to support my conquest. He was practically steaming, and it was scaring the others. ¡°Rather insulting not wanting to support the boss! Be grateful that he is nice enough to give you the choice on the matter!!¡± Before he could go further, I gave him a light backhanded slap to his leg, which was as high as I could reach. ¡°Stop, I already made my decision on the matter.¡± As soon as I told him to stop, he quickly calmed down. It¡¯s great he has such strong loyalty to me, but I swear it can be a bit troublesome sometimes, I still think about that incident with what he did with me with the wolves. With only my wolves and Mordred to help me out it was time to plan out my conquest! This cavern territory will soon be mine!! Veehahahahaha!!!