"So, what should I do now?" I asked myself.

I stood under the sunset's light, contemplating the crowd of thousands of goblins in front of me. Although I said I would dominate this forest, things didn't progress the way I imagined.

The forest is much larger than I thought.

It has been six months since I arrived in this world, and every time we ventured deeper, we encountered more monsters, but we completely eliminated them.

This may cause an imbalance of power, but since the goblin army is under my command, I believe it's fine.

After taming Kuin, my plan turned out better than expected. She was able to easily control the goblins. It's as if she were a queen ant; no matter how irrational her orders are, they are completely submissive and obedient.

You may wonder just how submissive and obedient they are, and well, I can answer that.

If she ordered them to die, they would obey without hesitation. Even though they are lustful creatures, when Kuin prohibited them from mating, they didn't seem dissatisfied with obeying her orders. They didn't attempt to disobey her even when they were separated from her.

I also discovered something quite useful. It seems that even though Kuin is the ruler of the goblins, she cannot give orders to Han, who used to be one of her subjects. That is probably due to my unique skill, Monster Tamer.

That being said, despite being the queen, Kuin acts as if she were Rin's subordinate.

But going back to the topic of exploring the forest, Kuin had useful information about the location of another massive goblin colony. According to her, she and the king were supposed to join that colony, where another pair of king and queen resided.

When I acquired this information, I was eager to pay them a visit. So we embarked on a three-day long journey to reach there. And as soon as we arrived, we inevitably had a confrontation with the enemy army.

Using my cowardly combat tactics, I lured the enemies with enticing bait, also known as Usagi. Along with the overwhelming numbers of goblins on our side, we easily eliminated the pursuers.

During the battle, I didn't know how to differentiate between the two sides, but the goblins did. It seems they distinguished each other by scent.

Honestly, I think both groups were equally stinky.

We used this bait tactic five times in a row on the same morning, and in the afternoon, we headed straight to their lair.

The most effective tactic I used was when I ordered Rin to use her Cry of Provocation at the entrance of the goblin colony's cave. Since there was only one exit, after being provoked, the goblins crowded together, trying to catch the audacious person invading their territory.

They had no idea what awaited them. Outside the exit, Kuin's army was waiting for the furious goblins. As only a few could come out at a time through the passage, they were quickly eliminated. It was a true massacre.

As the battle raged on, I had to stop attacking them a few times to clear the entrance, which was becoming increasingly crowded with corpses. With the goblins' bodies stored in my inventory, I resumed mercilessly slicing them apart.

When there's an intelligent person commanding them, fearless goblins can become quite dangerous.

After eliminating every last enemy goblin in the colony, we began to wander through the forest with the goblin army by my side. We were like a large group of nomads, advancing without a clear direction and decimating any living being that crossed our path. Wolf packs, deer, and small goblin camps stood no chance against us.

Goblins are truly insane creatures. Even in small groups and at a disadvantage, they fought fiercely against thousands.

To tell the truth, anyone who got in our way would be mercilessly eliminated.

Since goblins could sleep anywhere, I didn't have to worry about that. And with my own camp inside my inventory, everything was even more convenient.

Out of curiosity, although I didn't mind if Kuin slept among the other goblins because of her stench, Rin was against it. She practically forced me to let the queen sleep inside the house with us.

Having a huge army that could even eat plants was quite convenient, but not everything was a walk in the flower field. There were some powerful enemies, and the most frightening of them was a level 34 enormous snake.

Its scales were too resilient for the simple goblins with their wooden clubs. But in the face of the One-Cut Sword, the scales didn't offer much resistance.

During my hunts with the goblins, I didn't rely solely on them; I took the opportunity to hone my own skills to the maximum.

I became quite skilled in dealing with goblins and other monsters. I can partially predict where they will attack, and thanks to that, I can anticipate and dodge their attacks.

The Combatant skill is truly divine because even when I don't see, somehow I sense the attacks coming.

If I continue like this, I believe I can acquire something like the superior instinct of a certain Z warrior or the red eyes with a few tomoes.

Speaking of skills, the mastery of common skills and spells is already at maximum. The only exceptions are Super Strength, which is close to half mastery, and passive skills that don't have mastery.

Meanwhile, my taming skill has reached level 11, allowing me to use two stat enhancements. They can be simultaneous on a single tamed monster or an enhancement on two different ones.

The distance at which I can communicate with them has also grown significantly, and I understand them better and better. The effectiveness of The One Who Understands Animals has also increased considerably.

I believe this is due to the time I spent among the goblins.

Initially, I could sense the confusion of the goblins having me, a prey, nearby and unable to attack. But after a while, probably due to the Calm Down skill, they no longer harbored any hostility towards me or my companions.

For some reason, the opposite actually happened. They started obeying not only Kuin but also me and Rin.

Of course, despite that, I was never careless and always avoided sleeping outside of my block house. Strangely, there were several times when Rin brought me some female goblins, and her intention was clear: reproduction.

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According to the glossary, goblins are short-lived creatures, so they are always willing to reproduce.

To be honest, my heart was swayed by Rin when she was still a goblin, but that was something special. It's not like it would happen with any random goblin.

But putting that aside, let's get back to talking about our power gain. I wasn't the only one who grew stronger; I also raised the level of Kuku, Hagu, Han, and Kuin to 20, causing them to evolve.

With that, something became clear: monsters with animal characteristics tend to maintain their appearance as they grow larger. Hagu was even bigger than me, and although it wasn't for long, he could carry me on his back.

As for Kuku, she was a bear larger than a horse. I've never seen a rhinoceros in person, but I think her size was similar to one.

As for Han and Kuin, who are humanoid, they became more human-like and gained green hair like Rin's. Han became more slender and can now retract and extend her claws, which, combined with her increased attributes, made her more deadly. Kuin, on the other hand, became fuller, her breasts even grew a bit more, and she seemed clumsy.

Somehow, she gives off a feeling of needing to depend on someone, perhaps because she is a queen.

As a ruler, she does nothing but receive everything in her hands, even her water and food. Aside from being able to command the goblins, she is truly a "dame no hito".

But anyway, returning to the previous topic, besides Rin, Kurama, Usagi, Kuku, Hagu, Han, and Kuin, I now have four more tamed monsters.

Initially, I wanted those spots to be filled by birds. That way, they could easily fly through the forest while collecting the essence of monsters killed by the goblins or other creatures and provide scouting.

However, due to Rin's insistence, I ended up accepting to tame three female goblins she presented. Although they were of a high level, they didn't have anything different from other goblins, so I really didn't want to accept them. However, Rin recommended them so passionately that I couldn't refuse.

When I accepted the goblins brought by Rin, they seemed strangely happy. The truth is, I'm not sure if it was because they considered me their king or because they were going to eat the food I prepare.

Speaking of food, due to the increased number of tamed monsters, I made even larger pots. Obviously, the food I make is entirely for my tamed monsters.

According to Rin, there seems to be a waiting list among the goblins to become my tamed monsters. Knowing her, I'm sure they're all females.

Could this be a sign that I'll end up having a harem of goblin girls? Well, to be honest, if they end up as beautiful as Rin, I really don't mind, but that's not the case at the moment.

Anyway, the last spot to become my tamed monster was filled by another harpy eagle. Given how keen Hagu's eyesight is, having another one of the same species is quite useful.

Following the pattern so far, the level of the skill is equal to the number of monsters I can tame.

With the eleven monsters I have now, it means I've achieved one-tenth of my Hyakki Yakou. Well, they're not exactly youkai, but it's enough to satisfy me.

Returning to the main point, it's time to leave this forest, and I need to make an important decision.

"What will I do with all these goblins?" I whispered to myself.

There are about three thousand five hundred of them, and for obvious reasons, I can't take them with me. If I even tried, I would surely be targeted for extermination by some kingdom.

According to the glossary, they are one of the worst plagues. They frequently invade human villages, and when there are few females in their group, they kidnap women or females of any race for reproduction. They show no mercy to any males, not even children.

"It seems goblins are the same no matter the fantasy," I murmured to myself.

Part of me says I should give them an order to fight each other to the death and take advantage of the resulting XP, but my other side disagrees. Despite being dreadful creatures, I'm sympathizing with them because they helped me gain so much XP.

Speaking of XP, currently, Rin, Kurama, Usagi, and I are at level 31. Unlike what I expected, there wasn't a level bottleneck from 29 to 30, but it's still a considerable amount of XP, and I wouldn't have achieved so much without their help.

Unfortunately, even after all this time, we haven't found any prey that was as populous as the goblins. Because of that, the more our level increased, the harder it was to go to the next one.

Interestingly, with the increase in my level, the distance at which the system can collect magic essence has also increased. The same goes for my tamed monsters. The higher their level, the greater the distance they can cover to collect essence.

"Kaname, let them live."

While I pondered what to do, a feminine voice appeared by my side and grabbed my arm.

The owner of the voice was none other than Rin.

Well, that's right, after all this time, even though she fumbles sometimes, she could finally speak a few words. I don't know if it's because we have a deeper connection, but lately, she seems to know exactly what I'm thinking even without me saying or conveying anything.

By the way, Kaname is my name. At first, I thought it would be refreshing to be called "master," but with Rin, it's different. I prefer it when she calls me by my name.

"Okay, I guess it's fine to let them live." I turned to Kuin, who was by my side, and continued, "Tomorrow, Kurama, Usagi, Rin, and I will embark on a journey. You and the rest will stay here with the goblin army and continue hunting, but don't do anything reckless, understood?"

Kuin, although reluctant to be separated, nodded in confirmation. I looked at my other tamed monsters who would stay behind and said, "With my absence, Kuin will be in command. Understood?"

The reason I chose Kuin as the leader is simple: she is the smartest, and her cowardly personality will ensure that she is cautious. And that, in turn, will keep the rest of the group safe.

Before, I said that naming the monsters wouldn't make me attached to them and that it was nonsense. Well, here I am to say that I was completely wrong. Even the four most recent members have become beings I worry about their safety.

"Hungry," Rin said as she pulled my arm.

"Alright, I'll prepare dinner."

As this would be my last night in the forest with all my tamed monsters, I prepared a sumptuous feast with plenty of meat. Of course, it was only for my eleven tamed monsters and me. Even if I wanted to, it would be practically impossible to cook for thousands of goblins alone.

The truth is, I tried to teach them how to use fire and roast meat, but it was a waste of time.

***

After a meal with plenty of food and a good night's sleep, we woke up early the next morning to prepare for our departure.

After wandering through the forest for so long, we had already returned to Kuin's underground cave. When we arrived there, a few goblins were occupying the place, but we easily incorporated them into her army.

According to Hagu, if we head southwest, towards the river's current, we will reach a village. Considering the cave as our starting point and Hagu's flying speed, it would probably take us a little more than half a day riding in Kurama.

I didn't expect to find people so close by. That means if I had gone downstream during the hunts, I would have already reached civilization.

But well, considering what I have achieved so far, I have no regrets.

Honestly, I want to take Hagu with me, but he's a bit intimidating due to his size. Well, Kurama is also a giant fox, but he can make a cute and friendly face when needed.

While Rin bid farewell to our remaining companions, specifically the females, she was leaving a warning for them.

The warning is simple: not to betray me and to gather more potential female goblins.

Just to be clear, this was not something I asked her to do.

She seems really focused on creating a harem for me. Even though I have scolded her before, she doesn't seem to listen, so I simply gave up trying to stop her.

Ignoring Rin, I simply said, "Work hard and gather plenty of essence for me. When I return, I'll prepare another feast for you."

I may be getting ahead of myself, but I think my plan can really be a great success. I just need to come here regularly to collect essence from my tamed monsters, tame more monsters, and continue doing it as long as possible.

Placing my hand on Kurama's soft fur, I jumped onto his back and sat down. Following my lead, Rin did the same and sat behind me. Without further ado, Kurama began to walk and gradually increased his speed as he ran through the trees. Right by our side, Usagi was accompanying us on the ground.

Taking one last look at my monsters left behind, I shouted, "Stay safe."

And so, we set off on our journey towards the nearest village.