Monkey Evolution

Chapter 6: Goblin Camp

Man, this thing stinks.

Mamadou looked at the goblin, and the dying goblin looked back at Mamadou.

Fear could be seen in its eyes.

Their gazes met, and for a moment, Mamadou’s heart tightened.

The creature was struggling to breathe.

Trusting his memory, Mamadou knew these creatures were often described as vicious, evil incarnate trapped inside small bodies.

Such a small body filled with so much hatred and malice.

But this place seemed real.

He could not help wondering whether these creatures were truly as they were portrayed in the novels he had read and the games he had played.

Whether that was the case or not, he decided to finish it off.

He took no pleasure in making other creatures suffer.

He simply wanted to survive.

With a single strike, he crushed the goblin’s head.

"I’ve wasted enough time."

Since he did not particularly like goblins, he only cut off its arms and legs and left the rest to nature.

He tied the pieces together with roots.

Mamadou had also become somewhat paranoid.

Every moment he had spent here had been spent on guard.

He decided to rub his body with a type of grass he had noticed growing almost everywhere.

After all, he had seen it in numerous places.

He also rubbed his spoils with the grass.

An allergy was a small price to pay, he thought.

Finally, he retraced his steps.

First toward the place where he had killed the goblin, then toward the location of his hideout.

Since he was an amateur, the way he erased his tracks left much to be desired.

And he knew it.

But he did it anyway.

It was better than nothing.

And if it didn’t work, then so be it.

The light within the forest had dimmed considerably by the time he returned to his cave.

Night had fallen.

He placed the goblin parts on the table he had built.

Then he sealed the cave. freēwēbnovel.com

Unlike the first time, this new door he had constructed seemed much more elaborate.

Unless a gigantic beast smashed through it, he would be safe.

After making sure everything was in order, he relaxed and lay down on his bed.

He remained there for several minutes, staring at the ceiling.

He was particularly fond of this place.

He had even managed to find some glowing moss and had placed it throughout the cave.

The lighting was entirely natural.

Maybe I should look for fireflies and raise them here.

Perhaps that would increase the brightness at night.

"Now what should I do?"

He got up.

The goblin meat came to mind.

His stomach growled.

If only I could make a fire, he lamented.

With some effort, Mamadou could probably manage to start one.

But he was afraid.

He was alone in this place.

What if the fire attracted animals or monsters he could not handle?

The risks outweighed the benefits.

So he abandoned the idea.

Perhaps he would try later when he returned to that area filled with monkeys.

That left him with only one option.

He had to eat the meat raw.

But it didn’t matter.

He was hungry.

He bit into one of the goblin’s legs.

He ate both legs.

Then both arms.

He was surprised by the capacity of his stomach.

How could his belly possibly contain all of that?

He had no idea.

He ate.

And when he was finally full, he began thinking once again.

He lay back down on his bed and started tossing and turning.

The branches supporting it snapped.

He fell to the ground.

He felt like crying.

Instead, his gaze became vacant.

"I’ll repair it tomorrow."

"At least it’ll keep me busy."

"At this rate, I’m going to go crazy staying here and doing nothing."

"Now that I’ve encountered a goblin, it’s certain that a colony is somewhere nearby."

"I’ll have to conduct reconnaissance."

"Since one of them has disappeared, under normal circumstances I would wait for some time to pass."

"But I don’t have that luxury."

"I don’t know what they’ll do."

"Nor do I know what they’re capable of."

"They may also be the reason there’s so little prey in the area."

"It won’t take them long to migrate here."

"So I need to determine whether they’ll become a problem for me or not."

That night, Mamadou failed to find sleep.

He spent the entire time considering various possibilities.

At first light, he prepared himself and began scouting the area where he had found the first goblin.

Fortunately, he had left markers behind.

He knew exactly where to go.

It did not take long for him to discover footprints.

He carefully examined his surroundings while following them.

The only problem is that I don’t know where these tracks lead.

They could lead to their camp or simply to their hunting grounds.

If it’s the latter, I’ll have wasted a lot of time.

Contrary to his concerns, however, the tracks did lead to a settlement.

The source of his worries simply changed.

As he observed it, the place looked more like a camp than a true village.

He watched from very far away while hidden among the grass.

Even if the goblins spotted him, the distance was great enough that he would probably have time to flee.

That was how far away he was observing from.

Something struck him.

These goblins were more advanced than he had expected.

In fiction, goblins were usually creatures incapable of creating anything.

They stole and copied everything.

Because of the camp’s structures and makeshift tents made of grass and branches, Mamadou guessed that these goblins had come into contact with a more advanced culture and had acquired those skills from it.

He greatly reconsidered his plan of dealing with these creatures.

After all, it would not be surprising if they were capable of using tools.

As he watched goblins moving back and forth and saw one leave the camp, Mamadou slowly began crawling away in the opposite direction.

However, his intense concentration had prevented him from noticing that a goblin had already approached him.

The predator advanced toward its prey.