Goblin King: My Innate Skill Is OP

As a result, I had become far more cautious over the past few days.

Any expedition that required us to travel a significant distance had been postponed.

The same applied to my own hunts.

Normally, I would’ve been out searching for stronger monsters and pushing my level higher whenever an opportunity presented itself.

Instead, I found myself staying closer to the settlement. Much closer.

Part of me hated it. I wanted to keep growing stronger.

The King’s Games were approaching, and there was no such thing as being overprepared. But every time I considered leaving for an extended period, the same thoughts crept into my mind.

What if the clan was attacked while I was gone?

It wasn’t an unreasonable fear. It had happened before.

I’d been separated from the clan through circumstances completely outside my control. Traps, abilities, and strange situations had prevented me from returning when I wanted to.

If something similar happened again at the wrong moment, there would undoubtedly be casualties.

And while the clan was far stronger now than it had been back then, that didn’t completely erase the concern. In fact, the strength of the clan was probably the only reason I hadn’t lost sleep over it.

The settlement was protected by massive walls and a functioning barrier.

We had over a hundred goblins. Multiple Chosen. Experienced fighters.

Objectively speaking, the clan was more than capable of defending itself against most threats. Yet despite knowing that, I still couldn’t shake the unease.

Maybe it was because of how Raghul had been introduced. Maybe it was because he’d vanished without a trace. Or maybe it was because I hated not knowing where an enemy was.

Whatever the reason, I found myself constantly thinking about worst-case scenarios.

I knew it wasn’t healthy. If I became overly cautious, I’d eventually start making bad decisions because of fear rather than logic.

Even Caius had warned me about that.

The trick was finding a balance. Being cautious without becoming paranoid. Being prepared without becoming crippled by possibilities that might never happen.

Easier said than done. Especially when the consequences of being wrong could get people killed.

Which was probably why I spent so much time inside the settlement lately. Roaming around. Checking on people. Watching training sessions. Visiting workshops. Looking for someone to keep me company.

Not that I’d ever admit that last part out loud.

As soon as I entered my hut, I caught sight of Ariel resting on top of the table.

I hadn’t seen her in over a day.

As usual, she hadn’t bothered to inform me where she was going. One moment she had been around the settlement, and the next she had vanished entirely. Now she was back, looking noticeably stronger than the last time I had seen her.

Honestly, it was becoming a habit.

”You know,” I said while looking at her, ”you keep complaining that I don’t involve you in the things I do. But shouldn’t you practice what you preach?”

Ariel lazily opened one eye.

”And why should I be the one to do that first?”

I rolled my eyes.

There was no winning arguments like that with her.

Deciding not to bother, I started toward the upper level of the hut. Since I currently had nothing pressing to do, I intended to spend some time practicing my abilities.

Before I could climb the stairs, however, Ariel suddenly spoke.

”While I was hunting, I found a rather strange tomb.”

I stopped. That immediately caught my attention.

”A tomb?”

Ariel nodded.

”It was guarded by a skeletal creature.”

I turned around fully. Now she had my complete attention.

”I didn’t bother fighting it,” she continued. ”It was too strong.”

That alone was enough to make me pause.

Ariel wasn’t the type to retreat easily. If she considered something dangerous enough to avoid, then it probably wasn’t a joke.

”The whole thing felt strange,” she continued. ”Which made me think that if a creature like that is guarding the place, then there must be something valuable inside.”

I narrowed my eyes slightly. Then looked at her.

”And you want whatever it’s guarding for yourself.”

”I don’t even know what’s inside,” Ariel replied immediately. Then she added,

”But we could split it equally. Fifty-fifty.”

I snorted.

”I’ll pass.”

The fox immediately sat upright.

”What?”

”You’re assuming whatever is inside is actually useful.”

Ariel’s tails flicked irritably behind her.

”Don’t you need every advantage you can get before the King’s Games?”

”We don’t even know if whatever is inside would help us,” I said. ”We’ll check it out later.”

”Later when?” she shot back. ”After the King’s Games?”

Her ears flattened slightly.

”It could become completely irrelevant after the games. We should investigate now.”

I let out a slow sigh.

”Not everything needs to be explored.”

”I believe this does.” Ariel hopped down from the table and landed gracefully on the floor. ”Finding places like this is rare in this damned goblin world.”

She looked directly at me.

”And every time we’ve stumbled across something unusual, it has led somewhere.”

I couldn’t really argue with that.

This world clearly rewarded exploration.

More often than not, unusual discoveries existed for a reason. And if a powerful creature was actively guarding the tomb, there was a decent chance something worthwhile waited inside.

That was precisely what bothered me.

Because Ariel was right.

The logical part of me understood that investigating it before the King’s Games made sense.

Any reward hidden inside could strengthen us. Could give us an advantage. Could even be the difference between success and failure later. But...

”Are you hesitating because of that goblin?” Ariel suddenly asked.

I blinked several times.

”Who? What are you talking about?”

The fox rolled her eyes so hard it looked painful.

”Don’t take me for a fool. I know what’s happening.” She flicked one of her tails lazily behind her. ”Ragul. Ragun. Whatever his name is. I know you’re worried he’s going to attack.”

She paused briefly.

”I can sense your emotions, remember?”

I let out a sigh.

”His name is Raghul,” I corrected. ”And no, that’s not the reason I’m not going.”

Ariel simply stared at me.

The problem was that she didn’t look convinced in the slightest.