Chapter 53: Danger

We continued on, exploring deeper into the forest.

From time to time, something rustled in the bushes nearby, probably some small animal hiding among the undergrowth. We also heard the calls of several different birds, each with its own distinctive song echoing through the trees.

Along the way, we harvested a few more kinds of berries and mushrooms. Some were edible, while others were surprisingly poisonous. Fortunately, Gopuran seemed to know which was which, so I didn’t have to worry about accidentally having her eat something that would kill her.

Meanwhile, I was also mentally drawing a map of the area.

The System didn’t provide me with a minimap or anything like that, but thanks to [Vassal’s Eyes], I could still faintly sense the connection between Gopuran and me. I couldn’t pinpoint her exact location like a GPS, but I could at least get a rough sense of her direction and distance relative to the castle.

And that proved surprisingly useful.

I could keep track of the landmarks we passed, mentally note the locations of useful plants and mushrooms, and gradually piece together my own map of the forest.

And, of course, there was another major advantage.

If anything happened to Gopuran, I could immediately send Gopuro rushing over to help her.

Speaking of Gopuro...

The dude was still happily chopping down trees, hauling the logs back to my castle one load at a time.

Anyway, so far, there was nothing particularly unusual about this forest. We hadn’t encountered a single monster, nor had we come across any other goblins.

Still, I knew better than to let my guard down.

"Puran, be careful," I reminded her.

"Yes, Big Boss," Gopuran replied.

She then used her sword to make a small mark on the trunk of a nearby tree, adding another landmark to our mental map.

We continued forward.

****

But then...

A few moments later, while we were busy examining another strange-looking mushroom, Gopuran suddenly froze.

Her entire body went completely still.

Her large ears perked up sharply, and her head snapped toward the deeper part of the forest.

"Big Boss, you hear?" Gopuran asked, her voice dropping to an urgent whisper.

"Huh? Hear what?" I replied, caught completely off guard.

I’d been too focused on the strange blue mushroom in front of us to notice anything unusual. Its spotted cap had been oddly hypnotic.

Then Gopuran’s ears twitched again.

She had caught the sound once more. And this time, I heard it too through our shared senses.

They were goblins.

There were frantic shoutings in the goblin language.

The voices sounded small and distant, carried faintly through the thick trees and heavy canopy. Whoever were shouting had to be quite far away, yet the raw panic in their voices was unmistakable.

And since I could understand Goblish, I was able to make out fragments of what they were saying. They were literally screaming:

"AAAA! RUN!!!"

"AAAAAH!!"

"It’s coming!!!"

It wasn’t just one voice, either. There were at least three or four distinct voices overlapping in terror!

High-pitched, desperate screams, the kind of screams that could only come from someone panicking and running for their lives.

Even from this distance, the fear in their voices sent a chill through me.

Gopuran dropped the mushroom instantly.

"BROTHERS! SISTERS!" she shouted back in panic.

The mushroom tumbled forgotten into the moss as she then burst into a full sprint toward the sound!

Even when thick bushes blocked her path, she didn’t slow down. She simply leaped over them or slipped between the trees, moving with shocking agility.

Her short sword flashed as she used it to cut through vines and branches blocking her way.

Within moments, she was weaving between the trees so quickly that her vision blurred.

"Gopuran, what’s going on?!" I asked, alarm rising in my voice.

"My brothers and sisters! My tribe!"

Her answer immediately made my thoughts race.

What is going on?! Are they being chased?

By what? A monster?

And then another possibility suddenly occurred to me.

Could it be the spider monsters that attacked Puro and Puran’s tribe?

If so, this is way too dangerous!

****

And so, in just a few short minutes, we passed through more trees than I could count and finally arrived at the scene.

From our high perch among the thick branches, I spotted them below.

Four goblins were running for their lives.

They tore through the undergrowth in blind panic, stumbling over thick roots and crashing through thorny bushes, their breaths coming in ragged, desperate gasps. Branches whipped across their faces, leaving red welts as they pushed forward with everything they had left.

Among them, one larger, evolved goblin immediately stood out. He was carrying a much smaller female goblin on his back, her tiny arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders as she cried openly, her face buried against him in terror.

The others stayed close, constantly glancing back over their shoulders, their eyes wide with raw, animalistic fear.

Afraid that Gopuran might rush straight into danger, I immediately stopped her.

"Wait! Puran! Stop!" I ordered.

Fortunately, she wasn’t foolish enough to leap in blindly, so even though the panic was clearly written all over her body, she stopped. As she crouched low on the branch, her hands trembled, every muscle tense, staring intently into the deeper part of the forest.

Now what could it be?

What the hell is chasing these poor goblins?

And I got my answer almost immediately.

Something enormous burst into view.

A giant bear.

No.

Calling it a bear almost felt like an insult to the word.

This thing was a monster of a bear!

Its body was massive, easily twice, perhaps even three times the size of the giant Horned Wolf I’d killed before, and was covered in thick black fur. Its maw hung open, revealing rows of thick, yellowed fangs slick with saliva.

As it roared, strings of drool swung from its jaws.

Its eyes burned with a savage, hungry red, and each step struck the ground like a hammer.