The caves were dark, their corridors damp and narrow.
Microbial growth clung to the walls, pulsing with a faint glow as if breathing along with the stone itself. Passing through the tight passageway, the view suddenly opened into a vast karst cavern.
Hundreds of small, green-skinned creatures with yellow eyes moved in every direction—chaotic and noisy.
Goblins.
They were barely a meter tall, with green skin and yellow eyes marked by rectangular pupils like those of a goat. Their blade-sharp teeth jutted outward when they grinned. Elongated noses with misshapen bumps distorted their already ugly faces. They had no hair, and their long, pointed ears swayed with every movement. Clothing was nearly nonexistent—mere scraps of hide and leaves covering only the bare minimum.
The goblin nursery.
"Jie, jie, jie~"
A shrill laugh echoed through the cavern.
The noise and a few rough shoves snapped César out of his daze.
He had been living—adapting—to his new life as a goblin for several days now. Yet every time he looked at that sea of green creatures, his pupils shrank involuntarily. Seeing them—ugly, pot-bellied, grotesque—sent chills down his spine.
He tried to ignore them and focus on his brothers.
It was useless.
One was excessively fat. Another so skinny he looked sickly. The last had a broad, clumsy build.
César clicked his tongue in disgust.
César's Point of View
Even if I traveled to another world… why the hell did I have to end up as a goblin?
He still clearly remembered the moment of reincarnation—his mother's beautiful face leaning over him. For a brief, glorious instant, he had been the happiest person alive. He had been isekai'd. And unlike other transmigrators who woke up in unfamiliar worlds, he knew exactly where he was.
He had been sent into one of the novels he had read just days before Truck-kun had delivered him straight to Rob.
And Rob, in his infinite mercy—or irony—had granted him a "gift."
It wasn't a system, unfortunately.
It was a hypnotic ability. A mixture of mental compulsion and brainwashing.
When he first saw his beautiful, young mother, he thought he had reincarnated as a human—since that was clearly her race.
But the truth struck him like a brutal blow.
In this life, he was no longer human.
He was a goblin.
Cannon fodder.
The shock of discovering he hadn't been reborn as a human—but as a lowly, miserable goblin—had been devastating.
Damn it, even being an elf or a dwarf would've been fine…
But a goblin? No one would wish for that. Especially not in this world.
The only advantages goblins possessed were these: they reproduced quickly and matured even faster. The mothers gestated for seven days, gave birth to anywhere between one and seven goblins, and within another seven days, those goblins were already adults.
That was it.
Though… looking at the bright side, if he wanted to build a clan, it wouldn't be difficult.
He sighed.
The "cheat" Rob had given him was almost useless in his current situation. The brainwashing ability was powerful, yes—but it had strict limitations: the target had to be unconscious and could not exceed his own level. And right now, he didn't even have the strength to knock out an ordinary goblin.
Resting his chin on his hand, he observed his companions. Slowly, a crooked smile formed on his face.
A little malicious.
He had spent that time terrified at the idea of living as a goblin…
But he hadn't wasted it.
The first ones I "cleansed"—ahem… helped back onto the right path—were my dear brothers. And now those three are under my command.
It would be best to take advantage of this moment and bring the entire new generation under my control.
I'll admit, at first I was afraid the adult goblins would stop me when I started knocking out my siblings. But I quickly noticed they didn't care about our situation at all. Even if we killed each other, they wouldn't intervene. The only interaction they had with us was when they tossed scraps of food our way.
Well… what can I say? It's exactly what you'd expect from goblins.
Looking at the other goblin babies wandering around the cavern, César straightened up, his expression calm and indifferent as he began planning his next moves.
I need to prepare for my new life in this world… now that I'm living as a goblin.
"My first step is to bring all these goblins under my command—with me as their leader. I'll lead them to the top of this world," he muttered with firm determination.