I don't know why I hadn't realized it sooner. The reality of how boring my lifestyle really was. I mean, if you had to do the same thing over and over again, day after day, wouldn't you too be bored? Well then again, for most of you humans reading this, you probably are living a life of repetition. Modern human society is weird that way, constraining its people towards a repetitive cycle of education, careers, and habits. At least, that's what someone who reincarnated from said society told me.

Alright, that's enough of a tangent from me. Just focus on the fact I was bored and how I knew I had to do something about.

It was a few months after my birth when I realized this. I was out with about a group of 20 goblins hunting down humans as usual. Oh yeah, if you didn't realize it already, I'm a goblin. Those mob early-level monsters you see in fantasy games and novels that do nothing except being a complete waste of space for both human and monster society. Unlike slimes, our species innately attacks human society on the regular, whether it be roadside ambushes or village raids. In short, we're a bunch of weak pieces of shit.

I couldn't tell you why we specifically hunted humans - hell, I still don't even know to this day. Maybe it was simply in our nature. Or maybe we're just complete idiots. I'd argue for the latter honestly.

Anyways, we all ran off with makeshift swords and spears in hand towards a bunch of bushes on the side of a dirt road. Despite our lack of intelligence and common sense, we could conceal and ambush a group of humans like first-rate bandits and spies. Honestly, it was a huge waste of talent on creatures like us. Even so, it was our specialty and something we just knew how to do.

Hiding and freezing ourselves in position, we sat and waited for our prey to show up. It didn't matter to us how long we had to wait. Sometimes, we could go a whole day and night staying in position without a second thought. Or hell, we didn't even have any thoughts in the first place. We had instinct driving us completely, compelling us to wait and seek out any human no matter how long it takes.

Soon, after a few hours, a group of three adventurers showed up all alone - one a mage, two swordsmen. All of them looking relatively weak in our eyes. Seeing potential targets, our group quickly calculated the risk/reward factor in ambushing the group of three. It was a simple calculation in reality. All we had to do was figure out whether we had more goblins than they had humans. And, realizing that twenty is indeed greater than three, we came to a rather swift decision.

Immediately, we all lept out of the bushes and ran towards the adventurers like the crazed monsters we were. With sword in hand, I in particular led the charge as I locked my gaze onto the startled group.

As I continued in pursuit towards my prey, a burst of wind suddenly came and tripped myself and a few other goblins over. I fell down and face-planted right into the dirt road. Shaking my head, I looked up to see a human with long brown hair in the distance with a staff in hand muttering something incoherent. At the time, I didn't really realize exactly what happened, nor did I really care. My instincts were the only thing guiding me this far in life, and said guide was alerting me that the human with stick = bad.

I readverted my gaze towards a single target in response and lunged at the perpetrator of my fall. My speed seemed to have surprised the mage, as she suddenly started to stutter and the magical aura faded around her. Seeing my chance, I swung my sword right at the mage and stabbed her right in the chest. Immediately, I could feel the sword penetrate and pop through muscle and arteries, as blood started to spurt around the edges of my plunged in weapon. Her bright blue eyes widened as she gasped in horror, only for the light in them to slowly fade away as she slumped and succumbed to death.

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I pulled out my sword after a successful kill and looked around at my comrades to assess their situation. Of course, with our numbers and swift surprise attack against a group of novice adventurers, the outcome was obvious. Five goblins stood pulling their swords and spears out of one novice swordsman, while another group of six jumped and slammed their weapons in the biggest guy of the group. All three of our original targets died without much of a word after being overwhelmed by our force.

Now, that's not to say we were stronger individually. Given how weak we as a whole were, there's no doubt that, aside from myself who was abnormally strong for a goblin, most would be beat one on one in a fair fight. But given the surprise element of our attack alongside how large of a group we had, it goes without saying that the saying "strength in numbers" was ever so true in this situation.

Afterwards, I went over towards my kill and readied myself to do what I usually do to dead female humans. Instincts taking over, I grabbed the corpse and was ready to violate it when a sudden intense migrane burst inside my head. Yelping in pain, I dropped down on my knees with my hands rubbing all over my head. Experiencing a new painful sensation I've never felt before, my instincts didn't know how to react as I continued writhing and screaming.

Suddenly, the pain went away, and I felt a wave of enlightenment flood over me. If I were to describe how it felt, imagine that feeling you get when you suddenly remember something important. It was exactly like that except times a thousand for me, as I overcame the bounds of instinct and started having rational thought for the first time in my life.

With a blank expression I slowly walked away from the female corpse and sat down to organize and assess my sudden awareness of consciousness. 

What...is this?

I suddenly thought to myself. Startled by the new voice in my head, my body jerked a bit in surprise at the new stimulus in my brain. After suddenly being freed from being driven by instinct, it was a bit much for myself at the moment to process just exactly how this came to be. Let alone how I even knew language in the first place.

After a bit of contemplation, I realized I could in fact control the voice in my head and it simply was the internal vocalization of the new thoughts that popped up in my head.

Why...am I doing this?

I looked up and around. I took in the sight of fellow goblins gnawing off an arm off the freshly killed swordsmen as bloody bits splurted and flew around. I looked in another direction and saw a few others giving into their carnal desire for pleasure by forcing themselves onto the dead corpse of the mage.

I took all that in, and thought about it and what I've been doing up to then for the first time in my life.

How...boring.

After thinking that, I felt boredom for the first time in my life. Who knows how that emotion came about suddenly, but I knew that it was a state I did not like being in. It was a helpless feeling that felt like a wave of despair slowly creeping up my skin. If I continued in this "boredom," I had a bad premonition that I may even commit suicide out of disdain for my current lifestyle.

I need to find someway to pass the time quick!

Suddenly, that thought came into my head as I tried thinking of a solution to my current dilemma. Hell, I didn't even know where the phrase pass the time even came from. However, I knew if I followed this thought, I might find a way to resolve my boredom.

"Gyuyauahrohahooruuuu!!!!" (I can't be doing this any longer! I'm out of here!)

With that sudden declaration, I stood up and left right there and then. My fellow goblin comrades looked up and started following me for a second confused, but their carnal instincts once more took over as they continued feasting on the three corpses. I paid them no more heed, as they were no longer of importance to me. As a source of boredom, they turned into enemies in my eyes that I can no longer associate with.

As I walked away, I continued on with no particular set destination in mind. After all, I just spontaneously decided I had to leave, so it's hard to expect me to think that far ahead after gaining rational thought for the first time. I hardly knew what the world was like outside my goblin tribe.

Even then, I knew I had to go. Maybe then I'll find a way to relieve my boredom and pass the time along the way.