Oni 4:
I remember the goblins in that MMO RPG I played with Shun, Kanata and Skanda.
They were ugly, dumb, weak and evil.
Nothing more than pests to be culled really.
But here, things are different.
For starters, they aren't exactly ugly.
Their green skin might be off-putting from a Human standpoint.
But their beady eyes and round, big heads make the Goblins here look cute instead.
It's also like they came from a cartoon.
Though part of me wonders if my fondness for their appearance has to do with me being a Goblin too now.
Not that it really matters to me, I can get used to their cuteness.
Looking back, I always liked cute things, but I was too busy with everything else to really make time for it.
And I suppose part of me was too embarrassed to admit to it to anyone to begin with.
Maybe that's why I admitted wanting a cute girlfriend to Kanata, because I trusted him enough not to mock me for it.
I mean, his in-game avatar was a girl, saying that he liked female designs over male ones.
He was also once mocked for not being into girls, until he confessed to Wakaba of course.
Though I honestly never understood what there is to like about her.
I never asked Kanata about it to avoid hurting his feelings, but still.
She was beautiful, but that was about all there was to her.
Isn't liking someone purely for their looks a ridiculously shallow reason?
Wouldn't it make for a poor foundation for a relationship going forward?
Anyway, I am getting sidetracked.
Onto the intelligence of Goblins.
They really are dumb, but only because they are underdeveloped.
Goblins grow up very quickly, but their intelligence seems to progress at about the same rate as Humans in terms of time.
All the adults consider me a genius for being about to talk so early on.
When I could finally walk, I explored my new village that is located in the snowy mountain range for anyone else who is reincarnated like me.
I didn't find anyone like me.
Instead, I wandered to the farmlands, and had my encounter with the man-eating plants the Goblins grow there.
I felt the fear of death for the first time in both my lives and fainted.
Luckily, I was saved, and learnt that we need to wait for the correct time to harvest the crops or we will get eaten instead.
Isn't this a bit too dangerous for something that is supposed to be safe?
Apparently, these are the only plants strong enough to grow around here in the cold.
Oh, I am getting sidetracked again.
When I say the Goblins are underdeveloped, I mean they are like underdeveloped tribesmen.
We live in simple houses, some go out to hunt while others farm.
There are no schools or much of any other modern infrastructure here.
Even then, the hunters use actual strategy when hunting, I know because the older ones are teaching the younger ones like me how to fight.
In fact, everyone is expected to learn how to fight.
This is because the lifespan of a Goblin is only around 10 years.
The only way to extend it is to evolve at LV10, and the only way to gain Experience is to kill Monsters.
So once they are ready, the hunters will take the young ones to go hunting, so they may evolve into a Hobgoblin, a rite of passage into adulthood.
To conclude my point about them not actually being dumb before I get sidetracked again.
They are not unlike Humans, I am sure they can match them too if given the chance to learn and not have to spend so much time fighting the harsh environment just to survive.
Onto weak, weak in body but not in spirit.
Goblins die all the time here, with the only reason we haven't gone exist being our high birth rate.
As I mentioned before, we grow man-eating plants here, and many unlucky Goblins are lost to them.
As for the hunters, more often than not, only half of them will return alive.
Still, the Goblins aren't discouraged at all by all the deaths.
The Goblins who risk death in order to bring back food are given pressed flowers as good luck charms for their safe return.
When they return with less numbers than they left with, a funeral is held for the fallen, and the rest marches on.
The courage and strength to face death and the death of comrades time and time again is no joke.
I respect them greatly for that.
As for evil, there is no place for good and evil here.
Everyday, everyone works together to ensure the survival of the village.
We would pray to the Goddess who protects this world and thank her for the food.
Then we get to work, the children, the unevolved like me train to prepare for the day we go out with the Hobgoblins to hunt and evolve.
And the adults are assigned various tasks to keep the village running.
There is no time for good and evil here, just survival.
Honestly, isn't this the ideal society?
Just everybody working in unison towards tomorrow.
No pettiness, no jealousy, no greed.
I like it here, is what I am trying to say all this time, I guess.