Have I become the king of monsters? I guess, no.

A blinding light appeared, and when the light faded, I found myself in a field with dark green grass.

"Well, wasn't I supposed to be in Drynsoll city? Maybe I've been teleported somewhere nearby. I should look around."

After walking for a while, I felt oddly watched. I was sure we were in a different world than where the exam took place, but no matter how far I walked, I couldn't find any city. To confirm my feelings, I used my mini-map ability and realized I was surrounded by goblins. Now that I knew their species, I could directly see goblins surrounding me on my map.

"How many are there, 20? We're in an open field, and I don't have any skills to fight them head-on. Should I give all my stats to strength and try my luck? No, maybe I can take down a few, but with their overwhelming numbers, they will eventually overpower me. What can I do? How can I escape?"

The goblins must have noticed that I spotted them as they emerged from their hiding spots and started closing in on me. I was in the center of a circle formed by goblins.

"Human... Blood, heal!"

"Kill, Human!"

"What? Are they talking, or is it because of my communication ability? Right, when they said I could communicate with any living being, they must have meant this. Let's give this a try."

"Um, my goblin friends, I'm not very tasty, and I don't think my blood would be of any use to you. What if you let me go, and we all go our separate ways?"

"Human understands us?"

"Human lies! Blood heals!"

"What are they talking about healing with my blood? Have they gone mad? I won't give them my blood for their nonsense! Let me think, these goblins are different from the ones I encountered before. They seem more advanced and intelligent, and instead of attacking me directly, they chose to talk. Maybe I can try talking to them, even though I'm not sure it will work. It's my only chance."

"I may not think it will be of much use, but what will you do with my blood?"

"Chief, Sick! Dying!"

"Human, Blood, Heal!"

"Even if they take my blood and kill me, it won't heal their chief. I should offer to help. It's the best option to avoid being killed. 

"Take me to your chief; I can assist him."

"Chief, Not die? You help?"

A goblin with two daggers in hand stepped forward with a hostile look.

"Human is lying! Deceiving!"

"Oh, come on! Where did this come from now?"

"I'm not lying. I can help your chief. If you allow me to take a look at him—"

"Lie, Human lie!"

The dagger-wielding goblin rushed towards me, but a larger goblin, looking more intelligent than the others, intervened and stood between us.

"Chief, Important. Human tries, fails, dies."

Although the dagger-wielding goblin wasn't pleased, he prioritized the chief's health and understood they needed to make the most of any opportunity. Additionally, when I looked at my map, I noticed that the larger goblin appeared as a regular creature, not a goblin. This meant he belonged to a different species.

I guess this was a fair deal, and I had no other choice. I would find an opportunity to escape on the way or help heal their chief.

The goblins tied my hands and led me to their village. Along the way, I could feel the dagger-wielding goblin's gaze on me. I understood why they didn't trust me as a human, but this particular goblin seemed more cautious than the others.

The goblin village looked better than the one I saw in the exam area. There were five tents in total, two on the right, two on the left, and one at the back, with a campfire in the center. We entered the larger tent at the back, which I assumed was the chief's. Inside, I saw the chief lying on a straw-made surface, struggling to breathe.

"I can't help him if you don't untie my hands."

The larger goblin approached and untied the ropes.

"Human."

He only said "human," but it felt like a warning, as if telling me not to attempt anything foolish. I approached the chief and saw some swellings on his body, aside from irregular breathing. His eyes were swollen, and his lips were dry, reminding me of the time my father taught me about poisonous plants in the camp.

"When did your chief get sick?"

"Yesterday, evening, dinner. Then, chief, faint."

"Can I see the food you ate?"

The larger goblin nodded approvingly and signaled the others to bring the last meal they had. When they brought the food, I understood what had happened. It was a type of poisonous mushroom common in my world.

"Did you eat this mushroom without cooking it?"

"Cooking?"

He looked at me as if he didn't know what cooking was, which was probably normal for a tribe living in such primitive conditions.

"This mushroom is poisonous. If you eat it without cooking, the poison quickly mixes with your blood, and you'll die within a few days."

I didn't bother explaining why they would die within a few days because even if I did, they probably wouldn't understand.

"POISON? WHAT TO DO? HEALER CHIEF, NO OTHER HEALER. HUMAN BLOOD HEAL?"

Calm down, please. My ears are going to bleed.

"No problem. I'll heal him. And I repeat, we won't use human blood."

These guys are obsessed with human blood.

"If I make him drink this potion, he'll recover in a few hours."

"LIAR! HUMAN LIES!"

The dagger-wielding goblin started talking again, opposing me.

"Mushroom poison! Human put mushroom in water!"

Thanks to this stupid goblin, I was about to lose my mind.

"To prepare the antidote, you have to use the poison, idiot. Instead of yelling like a fool, how about you listen to me? At least I'm trying for your chief, what are you doing?"

I'm not sure if they fully understood what I said, but after my words, the angry goblin looked upset. I guess my words hurt him. The larger goblin intervened again and spoke:

"Human, we'll trust you."

I administered the antidote to the chief.

"Chief won't wake up tonight; a person dies without it."

They took me and tied me to a log outside the tents. A few hours later, goblins approached me, looking better and happier than before.

"The chief is calling for you."

Upon entering the tent again, I saw the chief sitting on a wooden structure in the center of the tent. Except for two guards at the door, all goblins in the village were inside the tent, totaling 42 goblins according to the mini-map.

"Human, I heard. You saved my life."

The chief spoke better than the other goblins.

"Yes, so can I go now? I have two little kids waiting for me, and they must miss their daddy a lot."

The goblin with the dagger stood up.

"Chief, don't allow it! Don't speak!"

The chief raised his hand to silence the dagger-wielding goblin.

"Human, you are clever, knowledgeable. I am old, time is running out."

The atmosphere became serious all of a sudden.

"Human, do you want to be the new chief?"

…

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO"

All goblins shouted and jumped, expressing their dissatisfaction with the situation.

"QUIET! Human is clever; I will die soon! I am old. Don't you trust my decision!"

All goblins fell silent at once. Despite their reluctance, they respected the goblin chief and his decisions. If I accepted the offer, they would serve me, trusting their chief's decision.

Don't worry, you ugly creatures; I have no intention of being your chief. I will quickly reject this offer and go to Drynsoll to meet my friend.

[If you accept this offer, you can unlock new abilities related to your Strategist class.]

"NO, what else will happen to me... if I am going to gain new abilities, I have no choice but to accept this offer. I am currently too weak even to defeat a group of goblins. And in this state, if I encounter a monster stronger than goblins, I don't know what I can do. Well then, bring it on!"

"I accept being the chief."

[A new ability, "Chief," has been unlocked; your Leadership skill has evolved into "Leadership."]

[A new ability, "Settlement," has been unlocked; your Region skill has evolved into "Area."]

"So, new chief, state your name."

"Daichi."

"Chief Daichi! Let's celebrate the new chief!"

As soon as I was declared the new chief, all goblins began to jump and shout in celebration. I noticed that some goblins easily changed their emotions and behaviors according to orders; probably, these goblins had lower intelligence compared to others. Some goblins seemed unhappy, especially the dagger-wielding goblin. However, there was no problem; I probably needed to deal with them later.

"New chief, speak!"

"Yes, the new chief speaks!"

"Do they want me to make a speech? My friend, I'm very tired. Can't I get some rest now that I'm the chief?"

I don't know why I spoke like that at that moment, but I felt like I had to.

"Well, THE STRONGEST GOBLIN! THE STRONGEST GOBLIN!"

"ARRRRGHHHH!!!"

All goblins started shouting at the same time, and after a while, everyone dispersed. It was already evening, so some goblins went to stand guard while others went to sleep. The chief gave me the tent, and before sleeping, I wanted to check the new "Evolved" abilities I gained through my class.

[Leadership (A): You have a more authoritative presence over all living beings; your influence is greater over those who trust you more.]

"Wow, my first A-level ability. Controlling goblins with this ability should not be a problem. Let's see the other ability."

[Area (B): Contains information about the managed region.]

"Information about the area? I don't understand how it works, but let's try it. Area!"

[Region Name: None]

[Region Inhabitants:

28 Goblins

12 Warrior Goblins

1 Hobgoblin

1 Healer Goblin]

[Region Resources:

Food:

56 Apples

48 Poisonous Mushrooms

6 Dead Rabbits]

…

…

…

"Wow! This ability is quite useful. Although it took me some time to read everything, it shows the food we have, tools, the condition of the walls and every structure, the inhabitants we have, and in which area they specialize. Also, if I want to examine anyone, I can see more detailed information, including their stats, skills, and levels."

While examining all of this, I lay down on my straw-made bed, realizing that, without noticing, I had fallen asleep. When I woke up in the morning, a completely different day awaited me.