Byung realised it would do him some good to improve his people skills while he was still here; they had promoted him, but it wasn't yet official.
And if he didn't learn how to communicate effectively with these goblins, then it could hinder everything.
It would take at least a week until he officially assumed his promotion, but Byung wanted to understand how these goblins functioned.
Byung returned to the dorm they slept in and, like he expected, a majority of them were already at work, but there were a select few who were resting.
They all looked at Byung because he never spoke to anyone, and this was the first time they were seeing him with someone.
They all stared, but none dared to open their mouths. Another observation, Byung noticed, even though he wasn't a fan of what their eyes suggested.
"He with me now. No one touch him," Byung warned, because this place felt like it used a similar system as a prison.
And in this mine, he was the big bad wolf, but Byung wanted to see what sort of reaction this would get before knowing how to proceed.
Once again, no one said a word, and a few even averted their gaze when Byung made eye contact with them.
And just when it seemed everything was going according to plan, he heard footsteps behind him.
"That so?" A raspy voice said behind him, prompting him to turn to see who it was.
However, Byung didn't meet anyone he could look in the eye without tilting his head upward.
This goblin was slightly bigger than him, and his body had far more mass as well.
There was no doubt this one had activities outside of mining; otherwise, attaining such a physique should be impossible. Byung gulped, hoping he wouldn't lose face.
"Think you only want get sex?" The goblin asked, implying Byung wanted to keep the boy to himself.
These creatures truly were simple-minded; even at this age, all they could think about was sex.
"Find someone," Byung responded, but, truth be told, he was scared out of his mind because all it would take to dislocate or break something in his body was a single blow from this monster.
And that frightened Byung; the thought of destroying this body when he lived his previous life as a cripple frightened him more than anything.
The goblin chuckled before shoving Byung, forcing the weaker goblin to stumble onto the ground.
"Give me money and you keep boy," The goblin requested, showing he wasn't intimidated by Byung despite him being an outstanding worker.
But that was the thing: Byung wasn't the only one who had impressed the supervisors, and this caused a sense of competition among his fellow high achievers.
"Is this even worth it?" Byung thought to himself, glancing at the timid goblin, but there was something about his body that reminded Byung of his past life.
If he were in this situation, unable to defend himself, he would want someone to stand up for him.
"Fine… How much want?" Byung questioned, rolling his eyes in irritation.
"Silver coin!" The bully exclaimed without hesitation, prompting Byung to sigh.
A silver coin was equivalent to $10, and they were being paid a copper weekly, which fell on the $1 mark.
So, this was a month's pay he was requesting, but Byung understood that he would be promoted soon enough, so he would naturally be paid higher with many better opportunities.
"Fine," Byung said, and this shocked the bully, as he expected Byung to put up a fight.
However, he gave in because goblins weren't known to be diplomatic, and even the person Byung was fighting for resisted, hence the scars on his body.
Byung didn't know, but he had exhibited abnormal behaviour right there and then.
Byung reached into his pocket and handed it to him.
"T-Thanks…?" The bully's confusion was conveyed through his words, but Byung didn't pay attention to this because of the ringing in his head.
[Ding!]
A loud noise rang in his head, prompting Byung to clutch his head in pain.
"TURN IT DOWN!" Byung shouted, but the timid goblin placed his hand on Byung's shoulder, bringing Byung back to reality.
However, there was something the others had taken note of — the way he spoke wasn't the broken English they were used to hearing.
"Okay you?" The timid Goblin asked.
"You no hear it?" Byung quickly calmed himself because everyone was already looking at him like he was a madman.
He heard the murmurs of the other goblins, but a cyan screen soon appeared right in front of him. It was the same one he had seen that day in the cave.
[Requirements for rebate met!]
[Spend a silver coin. 5x Critical Hit!]
[5 silver coins received!]
[Spent at least one silver on a creature from the same race!]
The cyan informed him, and he instantly knew giving money to this goblin must have triggered something, but Byung could tell no one else could see this, as their reaction was indifferent.
"It is the same as the one from before," Byung thought to himself; however, he needed more information.
However, this was a problem he was going to deal with later because, as far as his vocabulary was concerned, rebate meant there was some return to whatever he had spent.
And it couldn't be a coincidence that this popped up after he had given money to this goblin either.