The day went by. Ronin waited for another round of feast, but it didn't come.
The next morning, when he woke up with an empty stomach, he saw that there weren't many changes in his body, but the other goblin kids were now much more active. Yesterday, they weren't able to understand their situation, but today, they felt more like 12-13 year old human kids.
Fear, jealousy, anger—he could see different moods on their faces when the chief returned once again. "You all now can understand things properly," he said, his eyes wandering over them.
The goblin kids turned their attention to the chief. Then, addressing group two, he said, "You all are going to join the Orc camp, from today onwards. Your job is to obey and serve your masters well." Though he said this, there was resignation in his voice.
Hearing this, Ronin sighed, realizing that these kids would only work under the orcs, but at least they wouldn't be eaten. Amidst his thoughts, the chief turned toward him. "And you all will train starting today, for the next two days, until you leave for your first hunt."
Ronin felt the chief's gaze on him. He stiffened for a second, then spoke, "Yes... chief!" As he finished, there was a gasp in the silent cave that made Ronin think he had gone overboard.
"Hahaha!" But the chief's laugh lowered the tension building in Ronin's heart.
"I wasn't wrong about you, my child. You are the most active among your peers. I have huge expectations for you—survive and grow faster."
The chief patted Ronin's shoulder, and Ronin couldn't help but feel the heavy pressure weighing down on him. "This much strength in those fragile hands?" Ronin thought, realizing there was a reason why this man was the chief.
Others looked at Ronin with flabbergasted expressions. Even the adult goblins couldn't help but have their own thoughts about Ronin's behavior.
Soon, just like yesterday, they were given food, and Ronin was given more than anyone else, making him the center of attention and because of the special treatment, he can many eyes on him, but ignoring them, he focused on the food.
"Not much changed..." Ronin muttered after finishing his meal. Since today was also the meat of the spotted rabbit, he didn't get another skill, while the total progress of the evolution bar moved only one percent, resting at 6%.
Soon, one of the groups, led by a couple of adult goblins, set off for the Orc camp. Meanwhile, Ronin's group lined up in front of the chief, who lectured them about how to hunt.
"I can proudly say that our race has the best trap skills, which makes us good hunters, but remember, if you see big creatures, hide and run, especially if you aren't in great numbers," the chief said, which made sense to Ronin.
He knew that goblins were indeed good at making traps and hunting small creatures, but he still felt the chief wasn't teaching them to hunt, but to flee.
"Avoid those with big canines. Run when you see wolves that hunt our people. When you see any other race walking on two feet, attack only if they are slim, have weak pale skin color, especially their females, but don't kill them," the chief said, even making hand gestures across his chest.
"Capture those females and bring them here for breeding, but avoid the males. If killed, all the better. And, lastly, never go against our masters." As the chief finished, the atmosphere became serious, even Ronin had his eyes fixed on him.
The goblin chief told them about the hobo-goblins and orcs, stopping after telling the tale of hobo-goblins and orcs. He even went so far as to tell them that if possible, they should lay down their lives for their masters.
Ronin wore a scoffing expression. "Lay down our lives for them! For fucking hobo-goblins and orcs," he thought, until he realized his position.
As Ronin Aster, silver-grade Phantom assassin, he had killed countless goblins and orcs in his life, even crossed swords with Kijins though he failed to kill them. Kijins were different beings than orcs and goblins, but if a goblin could evolve, it could one day evolve into a Kijin, though the chances were a million to one.
"Right now, I'm a fucking goblin, and looking down on hobo-goblins or orcs would be stupidity. I should focus on training this weak body first," Ronin muttered as the chief ended his lecture and left them on their own—but they still weren't allowed to leave the cave.
...
The next day,
Ronin noticed that not only did he feel more mature, but the thing between his legs had been twitching since morning. After trying to suppress the feeling for a long time, he saw six other goblin kids around him.
He noticed that among the seven, there were only three female goblins, while four were male—including him. As for the group that left yesterday for the orc camp, there were more females than males.
"I used to think that goblins are stupid beings, but that might not be the case. Or maybe by human standards, they are seen as wild, unlawful, and stupid, but why am I getting offended by my own thoughts?"
He now understood many things about goblins and felt how weak goblins were. Maybe he was thinking about his own weakness when the chief returned.
"From today, you can leave the cave and step outside, but make sure not to venture far from the cave," the chief said, leading them out.
Ronin was at the front and felt harsh light on his face, feeling pain in his eyes. Others had the same experience when they heard the chief say, "This is your first time outside, so coming into contact with the sun while coming from a dark cave will be difficult for you. So, get used to your surroundings."
He added before leaving them their own, "There's no food left. So eat the bugs if you find any, or wait for tomorrow when others return from the orc village."
After a minute or two, Ronin became used to the sun, but the chief's voice resounded in his head, "No food left. Eat the bugs."
"I don't think those bugs can satisfy me..." he muttered. Feeling hungry, he looked at the other goblins who were becoming accustomed to the sunlight, but ignoring them, he decided to check his skills and see if he could find something to eat.
Leaving the group, he went further but felt that there was no sign of life in the vicinity, except for bugs, which he didn't want to eat.
"Others must be avoiding this area, knowing goblins live here. That means I have to leave this area, but..." He wasn't sure if it would be safe...but ignoring the chief's warning and thinking about his hunger, he decided to take the risk.