[Ding!]
[A Level 8 Forest Goblin has been killed within your territory!]
[Obtaining loot from the fallen creature… Success!]
The notification left me stunned for a moment.
(Wait—what?)
(So you're telling me that if any creature dies within my territory, I can automatically loot it?)
(Hell yeah!)
As the system did its job, the corpse of the fallen goblin glitched out, dissolving rapidly into shimmering light particles that floated upward and away. Even its crude wooden club disintegrated along with it.
[Ding!]
[Obtained: 1 Goblin Corpse]
[Obtained: 1 Wooden Club]
[Obtained: 1 Tattered Cloth]
I immediately checked my inventory and confirmed their arrival with growing excitement. I wondered what I could actually do with the goblin corpse.
[Goblin Corpse]
Description: The corpse of a fallen goblin. Can be processed or sold to the System for a small amount of Points. If not processed within 24 hours, it will automatically be sold to the System.
(Hmm…)
This finally answered a lingering question I'd had since my reincarnation: one reliable way to earn more Points was simply by selling monster corpses to the System!
I knew the goblin corpse might have more valuable uses than just selling for Points, or could potentially sell for even more if I could somehow process it first. But since I currently lacked any means to butcher, skin, or refine it, selling it seemed like my only practical option for now.
"System!" I called out eagerly. "I want to sell the goblin corpse!"
[Calculating amount of Points… Completed.]
[You can sell the corpse for 24 Points. Would you like to proceed?]
(Hell yeah!)
I couldn't believe it. A whopping 24 Points! Given that my Castle Core only generated 1 Point per day, this single sale felt like advancing nearly a full month forward in progress!
But before confirming, I hesitated. I couldn't fully trust the System to offer a fair price right away. Of course such a scamming system would never give me the best deal on the first try! I decided to try haggling a bit just to test it.
But turns out, the pay was completely fixed. There was no room for negotiation. At least not for now.
"Alright then, sell it."
My order was processed in a heartbeat.
[Ding!]
[Item Sold: Goblin Corpse]
[Obtained: 24 Points]
[Points Remaining: 24]
(Now, what about the cloth and the club? Can I sell those too?)
Turns out, I could.
The club was worth a measly 1 Point.
Given that the Wooden Club available in my Weapon Shop cost a whopping 10 Points, this seemed like such a rip-off at first glance. However, as I checked the detailed stats of the goblin's club, I instantly saw why it was valued so low.
[Wooden Club]
Type: Weapon (Normal)
Rarity: Trash
Description: Just a trash weapon.
Effect: None
Special Effect: None
It didn't even increase any holder stats or grant any special skills! Thus, compared to the System's version, it was indeed pure trash.
Knowing that, even 1 Point suddenly seemed pretty generous.
As for the tattered cloth, I needed 5 of them to sell for 1 Point.
Unlike the corpse, neither the club nor the cloth had an expiration date, so I decided to hold onto them for now. After all, I could sell them whenever I wanted or perhaps find another use for them later.
And so, with the loot neatly sorted, my attention shifted back to the remaining goblin still alive inside my territory.
(Damn…)
(Look at you. Aren't you a relentless little glutton?)
How fascinating!
The little guy didn't even seem to notice that his companion had completely disintegrated into light. His gluttony for the meat had completely overwhelmed whatever tiny amount of reason he possessed.
Right now, he was busy chomping down on the thick steak with savage enthusiasm, tearing it apart with his sharp yellow teeth and smearing raw blood messily across his clawed hands and face. Absolutely barbaric!
Then he shoved all three apples into his mouth at once, eating as if he hadn't had a proper meal in weeks, juice dripping down his chin.
After finishing every last scrap, he did a little twisted, celebratory dance, hopping from foot to foot. But soon he was growling again, prowling restlessly around my territory. He lifted every loose rock, checked every vine and blade of grass, probably still searching desperately for more food.
(I see. So you're still hungry, huh?)
I smirked to myself.
(Unlucky for you, I'm hungry too)
Now that I knew goblins could be a surprisingly good source of Points, how could I possibly let him get away? Especially now that he was already deep inside my territory!
(Muahahaha!)
I suddenly felt like some powerful Demon Lord, scheming something deliciously evil from the shadows of my own castle.
But the real question was: how the hell do I kill this guy now?
The other goblin had been killed in their own fight, but this one was completely alone. It wasn't like another creature would just conveniently appear and do the dirty work for me. Right?
(Hmmm…)
I thought for a second.
(Oh wait…)
(There is!)
(Isn't there… a whole army sleeping inside my castle at the moment?)
With that brilliant thought, I opened the door to the main hall and dropped another tempting piece of meat to lure the goblin deeper.
As expected, he took the bait instantly.
"YAR! MYAT!!!"
He shouted happily, waddling unsuspectingly into the hall. He snatched up the steak and sank his teeth into it with greedy abandon.
(Kaka, eat up.)
(Eat up, you little bastard.)
(Because this is going to be your last meal!)
I dropped another piece a bit further in.
Then another.
Slowly and calculatedly, I lured him deeper inside… and down.
Straight into my basement of darkness.
(Now then, goblin—)
(—you become my loot!)
SLAM!
I slammed the heavy basement door shut behind him with a resounding bang.
The goblin startled violently. He finally realized he had been trapped!
He slammed his club desperately against the thick wooden door, trying to break free.
But it was already too late.
Behind the goblin, hundreds of pairs of glowing eyes suddenly locked onto him from the darkness.
In nature, raccoons are creatures that often prefer to retreat and avoid direct confrontation with other animals. But when it comes to defending their territory, or their young, that's an entirely different story.
Needless to say, what happened next was brutal.
The goblin fought back valiantly at first, swinging his club wildly and snarling. But the raccoons were far too many. He was quickly overwhelmed by sheer numbers.
His screams of agony echoed loudly through my empty halls as his body was torn apart, limb by limb.
A truly terrifying death.