The targeted goblin den fell swiftly, unable to fend off Sasha and her trained warriors. Their shabbily constructed defences made from adventurer gear and decrepit Yual Dominion equipment were ran over within a short three hours. Kyle did not even take part in the raid, leaving it as experience for the new attack force.

<Move faster!> Gulak grinned as he slapped the back of a captured goblin, who was shambling off in a line, heading off back to the main goblin den. <You will now follow the orders of those of the First Tribe and me!>

Kyle did not concern himself with how the goblins were being assimilated, as he already expected the first batch of goblins that he dominated to create a class hierarchy. This meant that Gulak and his tribe were motivated to capture and ensure that the new goblins did not overthrow their newfound power.

By creating a class divide between them, I can have them focus their energy and anger on each other rather than the humans running the operation… It was a common tactic that many leaders of the Galactic Era have implemented and perfected since the first human empire was born on Ancient Earth.

The total number of goblins under Kyle now neared a thousand in total, composed of three different tribes. Gulak’s First Tribe had transitioned into being the administrative wing as well as the overseers. Gulak had also elevated the Second Tribe, creating the class pyramid in order to retain order.

Now, they were herded back to the goblin den of Gulak for ‘re-education’, where they would be subjected to continuous displays of modern technology and increased living standards. It was not wrong to say that despite their enslaved status, their standard of living was far better than what they had previously.

“Food is going to be a problem. Merissa, you were working on sustaining the goblins previously, any ideas?”

“Yes sir. Due to the Culdao Peaks being a volcanic formation in the past, the soil around the entire forest area is arable and can be used to grow certain crops. With the addition of this den, we might be able to acquire enough land area, though it will take time to become self-sustaining. Right now, we have been importing food from the Culdao Peaks Town.”

With the increased number of goblins, such an agricultural project becomes even more critical to complete. We can temporarily sustain the population with food bought via the Euria Seeds trading system, but this won’t be sustainable in the long term. Kyle sighed, adding yet another problem to deal with on the list. Yet it was a good problem to have – if it came to it, he could simply cull half of the goblins, but he would prefer to sustain the large workforce where possible. After all, they are more useful alive than dead.

He did not follow the new goblins back to the den, instead remaining in the den that had just been captured to inspect it. Sasha was resting with the troops while Merissa and Feldon assessed the state of the den to ascertain if it could be connected back to the main goblin den.

“It’s not too far in terms of distance, but we would need some serious tunneling equipment if we wanted to link everything up properly. A rudimentary tunnel system is possible by hand, but could be dangerous. We already had a few cave-ins in the first den.” Merissa pointed out to Kyle.

Creating such heavy equipment would definitely not be easy – Kyle was not even sure if he could get it done within two months. It could be done extremely fast if he duplicated the automated mining equipment he knew from the Galactic Era, but he had to weigh the pros and cons of it.

“For now, let Raksha map out the area and see what’s the possibility of digging out a tunnel normally to link up with the main one being dug. We need to prospect this den as well, see if there is anything of value.” Kyle replied. Given the number of goblins under him, it was possible to do a rotation shift and provide arctech hand drills to chew away at the rock and reuse existing abandoned networks. It would certainly be easier to implement than an entire tunnelling machine and digging through new rock.

Raksha was now busy prospecting and checking every nook and cranny of the den as far as he could with the assistance of captured elder goblins. Kyle hoped that at least a bit of iron ore would be found so they could begin building a distribution system for the factory to begin with. It wouldn’t be enough in the short term, with Kyle still having to purchase from suppliers in Raktor to make up for the shortfall, but at least it was some amount of savings.

Just as Kyle was about to leave the den, an excited Raksha quickly ran up to him. “I’ve found it! I’ve found it! Here’s the motherlode!” Raksha’s face was covered in black dirt, his hand holding a few crumbling pieces of black rock.

Kyle’s eyes immediately widened, picking up the rock and feeling it for himself. “Coal. You found a coal seam?”

“Indeed! I cannot determine if there is more than one layer yet, but there is definitely a layer right here that we can dig right into!”

“Merissa, Feldon, you hear that?”

“Yes, sir!” Merissa nodded. “I’ll have them prepare the roof supports and the ventilation immediately. I assume this makes the tunnel even more important?”

Kyle nodded. “Every goblin worker that’s not fighting is to focus on this project – we need it done within a week. The steel production line to support the weapons' factory is to be completed within the next month, so I want the distribution network up and running even before the tunnel is ready.”

“The network will be slow if we use the same method that we use for the Euria Seeds, the wagons will take more than a day to get to Raktor.” Feldon pointed out.

“That’s a temporary solution for now. Once we’re done with pacifying the area, we’ll start laying rails in the dug-out tunnel for faster distribution.”

Kyle returned to the outside, where Sasha was desperately trying to train the goblins to shoot the handguns that he had brought. It was not going well, with the goblins being too far used to the bows trained under Kyle. A few pellets went wide, nearly nicking other goblins in ear or ricocheting off the rocks far behind the targets placed for practice.

[Sir, I don’t think it’s possible for us to distribute the extra handguns to the goblins right now. I fear we may suffer more casualties than expected.] Sasha spoke through the wireless channel.

Kyle nodded. It was impossible to train a human to be a sharpshooter within a day or two, so he did not have high hopes for the goblins in the first place. “Not a problem. We’ll do it the old-fashioned way, then. Any news from our forward scouts?”

[They claim there’s been rioting over the past day in the central territory, but we have not heard back from them in a while.]

“When was their last check-in supposed to be?”

[About ten hours ago.]

Kyle contemplated for a while, arranging the possible events that might result in the scouts not reporting back in. The highest possibility is that they are dead. Which means an assault force is on its way. “Mobilize all the warriors immediately. Prepare for an attack soon.”

Sasha did not question the order, immediately signaling with her hands and passing down the message through the ranks. The goblin warriors and human squad leaders were all confused, murmuring among each other. The differences in race hardly mattered to them anymore as they fought side by side, many bonds forged through the battles and shared despair of Sasha’s training routine.

Kyle took stock of the number of troops left. Some of them had been diverted to escorting the newly captured goblins back, which meant he was left with a diminished fighting force that was also slightly tired.

“Sasha, scout ahead and report. Carry an arctech lantern.” Kyle ordered, prompting Sasha to scale up the mountain immediately with the lantern, leaping from rock to ledge and trying to get a bird’s eye view of the forest that surrounded the mountain.

“The rest of you will split up into two groups. Both groups will head away from the mountain, two kilometers that way. Keep a line of sight here. Once you see the signal, you will rush back here and flank the attackers. Got it?”

The warriors nodded first before they began to mumble among themselves again. One of the humans raised his hand, picking up the courage to ask Kyle. “Sorry, but what’s the signal?”

“Sasha will flash the lantern towards you. Prepare everything and leave now.”

Following Kyle’s orders, they split into two groups of fifty each, heading deep into the forest away from the mountain. With this, only Kyle was left at the mine, save for Merissa, Feldon and the other goblin workers still prospecting with Raksha.

[Sir, significant troop movement spotted.]

“Estimates?”

[About two hundred goblins.]

“Then it is an even fight.”

Kyle checked his armour, hammer and arctech handgun. The railgun was hard to use in such a dense forest, so he needed close-range weapons that were reusable. The handgun could only be reloaded twice with the number of magazines slotted in his belt.

The sounds of marching footsteps and drums began to reach Kyle’s ears. The noise echoed into the goblin den, prompting Merissa to come out, astonished at where all the warriors went.

“Stay inside the den. I am going to block the tunnel.” Kyle hefted a few large boulders and broken, abandoned mining equipment to stuff the entrance, ensuring that none of the enemy goblins could enter the den while he was fighting.

A loud horn blared across the forest in a rapid burst of three blows, causing the birds of the forest to fly away en-masse as the drums continued to pound.

Two hundred armored goblins and hobgoblins were moving in formation while the leader of the force was atop a horse, a skull cap above his head.

<How far to the tribe?> He asked a servant who was walking barefoot, carrying his equipment.

<About a hundred steps or more, sir>

<HALT!> The leader held up his fist, prompting the force to immediately stop and form a defensive formation, with the goblins carrying heavy steel shields positioned at the front. None of them had any bows, as bows were seen to be used only by weak pointy-ear elves.

The leader motioned to a goblin messenger, who nodded and grabbed a stone tablet from his backpack, climbing up a tree.

[<Gulak, traitor to the Goblin King! Repent for your sins of collaborating with human groups to starve the goblins, as well as capturing the blessed envoy of King Sahusa, Envoy Erasg! You have ten seconds to surrender yourself, else, there shall be no mercy!>] The goblin messenger screamed through a makeshift wooden loudhailer, amplifying his voice over the treeline, echoing off the slope of the mountain.

Nothing in the forest moved save for the breathing motion of the goblins, who held their swords and spears at the ready, keeping their eyes peeled for anything in the distance or through the dense foliage that obscured much of their vision.

A fearful young goblin who had been conscripted into the force was slightly trembling as he gripped his spear, sweat glands causing him to lose his purchase on the handle. <Wh..what if the female human monster appears?!>

<Bah! The humans are not that strong! There are nearly two hundred of us here!> An older goblin smacked the back of the young goblin heartily. <If she appears, then claiming her head and eating the maggots from her remains will be the best achievement of your life!>

The young goblin nodded slightly, still unconvinced. The minute of silence passed slowly, with every pulse of his blood thumping in his ears as he lost track of time.

<A minute is up.> The leader announced. <Prepare to mov->

The words were caught in the leader’s throat as a lone human male appeared in the distance, walking slowly towards them.

<Who is that? An accomplice of the female human monster?> The leader was flustered, having heard horror stories from the survivors of the envoy’s disastrous attempt. <Kill him, kill him now!>

The goblins were all stunned but soon steeled their hearts and charged. They split up and jumped over the roots of tree branches and fallen logs, rushing at the human male.

A smirk appeared on the human male’s face as he brandished an ornamental handgun, a copy of the Oriental Bloom.

*Intimidation Aura!*

Suddenly, every goblin who had their eyes locked on Kyle froze in fear, with nearly half of them stopping and turning around. Even the leader of the goblin felt it, his heart nearly skipping a beat as he felt the eyes of a predator land on his skin, the goosebumps sending a tingle through his spine.

Kyle quickly aimed the handgun, firing rapidly with precision at the goblins who were frozen with fear. Within the first second, two goblins were already crumpling to the floor, and a tunnel formed through their heads.

[MG404: System Message | Killed : [Goblin Warrior] | +50 EXP]

The sounds of the shots jolted those who were still stationary and prompted them to move.

<Stay calm! Wait for him to run out of projectiles, and then we will attack together!> An older goblin that had fought against the Yual Dominion before yelled at the top of his lungs.

Kyle took the advantage to dance around the trees, using the trunks as cover as he darted in and out, sniping at the goblins who failed to conceal their heads completely amongst the foilage.

In the first thirty seconds, nearly a dozen had already died, with the fear amplified by the Intimidation Aura. More and more goblins began to flee, running back. The young goblin, too, lost his composure, screaming as he ran away. However, a javelin was tossed towards him, landing right in front of him and causing him to shriek in fear.

The leader and his elite troops were now on the ground, fighting against the Intimidation Aura. <Run from the battle, and you will be killed! Fight!>

The continuous threat did not work until the leader impaled one of the deserting runners with a thrown javelin. <COWARDS! TURN AND FIGHT!>

As the fleeing goblins rallied once more and rushed at Kyle, they noticed Kyle reloading, with a metal block dropping out of the handgun.

<NOW! ATTACK!> The experienced older goblin roared, charging out with his own spear and lunging at Kyle.

*Penchant for Violence!*

Kyle’s speed increased, his hand swiftly retrieving the magazine in his belt and reloading the handgun in an instant. In a blitz spray, he retrieved his hammer and swung at the incoming attackers while he used his other hand to fire the handgun non-stop. Running out of pellets, he swerved out of the way as a spear lunged towards him, slamming the barrel of his handgun into the chin of the attacker like a blunt weapon.

Despite his overwhelming strength, he only had so many pellets on hand, and there were still more than a hundred fifty goblins attempting to surround and corner him.

[Sasha, give the signal!]

[Sir, I’m not sure if the lantern will be strong enough to attract their attention; they might not see it.]

[Don’t worry about it, I’ll provide an additional signal.]

Kyle grinned as he sheathed his now empty handgun, grabbing the nearest goblin and lifting him high. With an extremely strong toss, Kyle braced his legs as he flung the screaming goblin out beyond the treeline towards the flanking groups. Its scream echoed off the peaks, resounding throughout the nearby area.

“That should be good enough.”