"How many Goblins can we recruit nearby?"

"Well…"

Shuna replied, "The closest Goblin village has maybe a few dozen."

"That's it?"

"Sorry, Lord Damien."

Shuna explained, "We're too few, and the forest's too vast for a thorough search."

In the original story, the Jura Forest seemed small.

But living here, Damien realized its true scale.

More than a forest, it was a diverse landscape of grasslands, swamps, lakes, and hills.

These regions, divided by dense woods, formed the Jura Forest's monster ecosystem.

"No worries, you've done your best."

Damien wouldn't fault the loyal Kijin.

"I know about the Goblins."

As Damien pondered better ways to scout the forest's tribes, a figure emerged... Treyni, the Dryad.

"Miss Treyni!"

Nearly a month had passed since Treyni witnessed Damien's Explosion Magic.

She'd kept tabs on him, occasionally visiting.

Damien warmly invited her to sample the village's cuisine.

Dryads were the forest's guardians.

Their presence ensured its vitality.

Befriending Treyni was only beneficial.

"Here's our new potato chips, Miss Treyni."

Shuna presented a bowl of freshly fried chips, instantly capturing Treyni's attention. "Then, I won't hold back."

Crunch!

Treyni held a chip, hand on cheek, eyes gleaming with delight. "Ah, these potato chips are divine."

"…"

Damien didn't quite get Treyni's chip obsession.

But knowing her potato fixation from the original story, he used chips to win her over.

The effect was undeniable... Treyni was hooked.

Damien figured with time, he could make her a subordinate.

Yes, a subordinate.

Treyni and her sisters guarded the Jura Forest.

In the original story, she followed Ramiris.

That hadn't happened yet.

Damien had a chance to win her, gaining oversight of the forest.

'Not yet, though.'

Winning Treyni's favor wasn't hard.

Even now, he had a shot at making her a subordinate.

The issue? Her monster rank surpassed his.

Don't underestimate Treyni.

That woman seemed unassuming, but her Magicules exceeded 100,000.

Capturer couldn't convert beings stronger than Damien, a major flaw.

"Miss Treyni, would you help us recruit the forest's Goblin tribes?"

"I'm always treated so well here; I'd like to repay you."

Treyni saw potential in Damien to unify the Jura Forest.

Veldora, the forest's lord, was sealed in the labyrinth, rarely involved.

A strong monster uniting the forest's creatures would ease Treyni's worries about external threats.

"That's a huge help, Miss Treyni."

Shuna asked, "How many Goblins live in the forest now?"

"Goblins breed quickly."

"When I was young, there was a Goblin calamity... over five million rampaging through the forest."

"How many?!"

Damien was stunned. Classic Goblins.

But something didn't add up.

He didn't recall Rimuru having that many Goblins.

In the original story, Rimuru tamed one Goblin village, maybe sixty or seventy strong.

Even with later recruits, they never exceeded 2,000.

Yet Shuna suggested Goblins could form a nation.

"Indeed, that happened."

Treyni, listening, recalled, "Back then, Goblins were everywhere, flooding the forest."

"They expanded recklessly, drawing human adventurers' mass culls."

"That event slashed their numbers. Many fled east."

"East is safer?"

Damien assumed Goblins migrated, explaining Rimuru's small numbers.

Common fantasy Goblins, outnumbered by Orcs? Laughable.

"No."

Treyni shook her head. "The eastern Goblins mostly died out."

"Uh…"

Shuna soon clarified.

The Jura Forest, nominally Veldora's domain, was recognized by the Demon Lords, Western Nations, and Eastern Empire.

The forest teemed with magical beasts and monsters, often culled by nearby nations.

During the Goblin surge, the Eastern Empire and Western Nations drove them back.

They thought escaping humans ensured safety.

But Milim, Carrion, and Dagruel, unimpressed by weak Goblins, purged them.

"Now, only the forest's core has Goblins, maybe 30,000 at most."

Normally, the Jura Forest's Goblins wouldn't be as few as in the original story.

Otherwise, adventurers would lack Goblin-hunting quests.

But the situation was unique.

With Veldora's aura gone, forest monsters, unchecked, devoured each other.

Weak Goblins dropping from tens of thousands to 2,000 wasn't surprising.

"Won't Goblins go extinct?"

"No."

Treyni said, "Monsters are hard to truly eradicate."

Monster factors persisted despite a race's extinction.

Even if all Goblins died, new ones could emerge.

***

Bonus Chapter:

100 Power Stones = 1 BC

300 Power Stones = 2 BC

500 Power Stones = 3 BC

700 Power Stones = 4 BC

1000 Power Stones = 5 BC

***

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