Reject Humanity, Return to Monke

I screwed up… Big fucking time…

Why the hell did I turn them away…? They were ready to drop the hatchet, and here I was having a goddamn tantrum over a very bad situation that they had no control over.

But then again, Lennon did say that there was an incoming war, and I want no part in that, thank you very much. Thanks to that piece of info, I now have some sort of idea of when I can expect invaders to come to my Dungeon for reasons only known to them.

It could range anywhere from a few days, to a few weeks, and if there really is a war, then they won't be able to split their forces so there is a high probability that they won't send a subjugate force.

This gives me more time to prepare my Dungeon, and luckily, based on a report from a chimp whose job it was to lure stray monsters to my dungeon, we discovered a Goblin settlement a few kilometers east of here.

From what the chimp said, there were about 30-50 Goblins in the camp, with a few abducted humans and demi-humans.

I need to take a risk here. Either leave them alone, or go and force them to submit to me and gain a bunch of Goblin underlings, as well as a huge source of DP income.

And if I can get the humans and demi-humans to side with me, then all the better.

"Domino, can you keep watch over the Dungeon while I'm away?" I brought up the comms from the Dungeon Menu and contacted Domino.

"Mhm… Affirmative…" Domino nodded and I gave her a grin.

"Good, I'm taking some gorillas with me. Guard the Dungeon while I'm away, all right?" with that conversation done, I ended the call and made my way towards the group of gorillas.

"Gong, are you here?" the gorillas turned their attention to me, with Gong stepping in front once he heard his name.

"Yes, Boss?"

"Take 3 gorillas and meet me at the Dungeon entrance," I said as I headed back towards the Dungeon Core room. Traversing through the passageway, I was greeted by Domino, who was waiting for me with an expressionless face.

"… Take care…"

"I'll see you later," we both parted ways as I moved through another passageway that led directly to the entrance of the Dungeon. These shortcuts were incredibly useful, and it lets me bypass the Poison Swamp!

Domino nodded as she continued with her duties as a Dungeon Helper.

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I arrived at the entrance, the silhouettes of the gorillas waiting for me at the mouth of the cave. However, before I get there, I check the Market tab to see if there is a Mass Dungeon Return Stone.

There was one, and it was only 500 DP.

DP: 859 -> 359

Mass Return Dungeon Stone – instantly teleports every being within a 5-meter radius who the user targets as friendly back into his/her designated Dungeon.

For a teleport stone, this is incredibly cost-efficient. How many people/monsters could I fit within a 5-meter radius? I think it is something along the lines of 50 or more average humans.

Pocketing the stone in my inventory, I greeted the gorillas with a, "Good, you're all here."

"Boss, where to?" leave it to Gong to determine the reason for my actions. For a gorilla, he is smarter than some humans. That said, mobs can talk, so the argument that gorillas are less intelligent than humans is nada.

"We head east, fight some Goblins, force them to submit, and lead them back to the Dungeon," I replied to Gong, answering his questions, as well as the other gorillas.

'I'm curious if this is any different than slavery... Actually, it is slavery. I am literally forcing sentient creatures to adhere to my rules, and if they fail, they get punished,' I thought grimly as we travelled through the dense foliage. 'But this is the only way for me survive, and if they follow me, then they also get somewhat peaceful lives unlike their time in the wilderness. In addition, if they do follow me, I can provide better living conditions than they had previously.'

The trek was silent, with a few skirmishes with wild monsters here and there. Some submitted themselves to me, some were rescued, others just wanted to join us, while others defiantly fought to the end.

Right now, our group has reached about a dozen heads, with me and the mobs totaling up to five. The rest were a mishmash of Orcs, Kobolds, and a Lizardman who was seemingly exiled from his tribe.

The Lizardmen, it appears, were not treated like demi-humans. Reason being that they lack human features, unlike Beastmen – who, I learned, fell under the category of demi-humans – who literally looked like humans with animal appendages.

Cat people, dog people, lion people, you get the idea...

There was also the reason that Lizardmen are incredibly aggressive when someone sets foot in their territory. They have their own social system, and it seems that they don't take too well to foreigners.

As in, they eat foreigners for their meals, literally.

Pushing that thought deep into the back of my mind, I glanced at the group of monsters who were following me with either fear, respect, admiration, or indifference.

Two Orcs, four Kobolds, and a Lizardman. A mediocre group of monsters with zero tolerance for one another unless there is a superior to all of them, with I and my gorillas being superior. They know that even if they banded up together, they would never win and would die instantly.

I directed my gaze forwards, my mood lifted a little by the extra workforce I had gained for the Dungeon.

'Now all that's left is the Goblin camp.'

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The moment the Goblins saw me, they yelled and screamed, readying themselves for a fight. I pause in my place, glancing around the walls tall enough to reach the height of an average human woman. Their walls were made of sticks rather than logs, and I'm sure I could smash the wooden wall with little effort.

"BRING ME YOUR LEADER!" I screamed from the top of my lungs, my voice carried by the wind, reaching every Goblin within the tiny settlement of Goblins. As a result of the intensity of my voice, the Goblins closest to me pissed themselves, while others fainted.

The Goblins who weren't affected by those two reactions clambered up and rushed into the village, intent on grabbing their leader to deal with the big, scary, black beast in front of their village.

When I turned around, I saw the Orcs, Kobolds, and the sole Lizardman trembling in fear of me. Was I really that terrifying?

I stood there in silence, my entire being rooted to the ground as I stared at the trembling Goblins. A few moments of silence later, I could hear some shuffling coming from the entrance of the Goblins settlement.

It seemed the Goblins Leader had arrived, and seeing it pale once it got a good look at me made me laugh internally.

"W-what does big, black beast want…?" the leader of the Goblins squeaked out while shaking like a leaf. What a pity, the other Goblin Leader I fought with the Hunter party was much braver than this fat, tubby, green lard.

"I want you all to submit to me," stating my intentions as clear as day, made the Goblins tremble in fear. "Do not worry, I will be sure to accommodate you accordingly."

This got the Goblins thinking. If they were to refuse my offer, they knew they would all be killed, but I think they had other problems, as seen by their rapidly paling faces and the red face of the Goblin Leader.

"S-submit…? To you…? Submit!? SUBMIT!?" The Goblin Leader snarled angrily as it drew its weapon, a simple, old, rusted sword. The other Goblins who saw this shook in terror at the actions of their Goblin Leader.

It appears that most of the Goblins don't agree with what the current Goblin Leader is doing.

"I AM LEADER! LEADER OF GOBLINS! I KING! KING!!! SUBMIT TO NO ONE!!!" his green face was now a bright red color, metaphorical fumes of steam coming out from his ears. "YOU! DIE!! GOBLINS!!! ATTACK BLACK BEAST!!!"

His orders rang out, but none dared to move. The goblins were all rooted to the ground, fear coursing through their veins.

"ATTACK!! ATTACK!! WHY NO ONE ATTACK!?" the Goblin Leader, now enraged, took a swing at the closest Goblin with malice. The said Goblin braced for death, but felt no pain.

"Well, this makes it a lot easier for me," and with that, I grabbed the head of the Goblin Leader while it flailed about, striking my arm with its rusty sword.

News flash, the sword snapped in half once it came in contact with my meaty arm.

The Goblin Leader looked stunned, but I didn't stop my actions. I began pulling, grabbing its torso with my other hand, the Goblin Leader shrieking in pain as it felt itself being stretched beyond its limits. A few seconds later, with an audible pop, the Goblin Leader's head was separated from its body, along with part of its spine, its blood gushing like a fountain, painting the grass below us red.

I dropped the corpse of the Goblin Leader and regarded the rest of the Goblins with a glare.

"Submit? Or fight?" every goblin dropped their weapons and prostrated themselves before me in response to my question. Smiling in satisfaction, I called out the nearest Goblin – who squeaked – and gave him another question.

"Where are the humans and demi-humans you hold captive…?"