MMORPG: Rise of the Peerless Pumpkinmancer

"Rub it all over your body," Jack ordered while handing some rock dust to his party members in a hurry, leading them to hide behind some boulders. 

The tier 2 Canyon area was unforgiving. The creatures here had incredible senses and were hard to fool. A few were definitely already heading their way. 

They had barely masked their scent and hid that the hyenas appeared, just in time to devour the first wave of pursuers. 

— Blood Splattering! — 

The gray, seemingly cackling monsters reveled in the slaughter before leaving. It's only then that the party could sigh in relief. 

"Master, at this rate, the more pursuers we have, the better." Derek chuckled, only for Jack to shake his head. 

"This here is normally goblin territory. That's the only reason we weren't instantly ambushed. The land in front is one where death roams." 

"?!?" 

Hyenas were pack animals and hunters. It was nearly impossible to evade them without ample preparation, making them trickier than even higher-level monsters. 

"Alright, let's go." Jack decisively followed the border separating the different areas. 

"Master, won't we encounter another goblin army at this rate?" Derek asked, puzzled. 

"Yep!" His grin showed such confidence. 

"Woo!" (So what?) 

The little wolf proudly shrugged. The foolish human had a lot to learn if such a little thing was enough to scare him! 

Sure enough, they soon reached another rocky area with tons of goblins awaiting. Jack walked right next to the edge of their territory, only to start a bonfire. 

He couldn't appear more relaxed as he roasted meat. On the side, he solidly planted a brownish flag, writing some rune-looking thing ሰላም. 

Derek kept glancing at his surroundings in wonder, but he was the only one. For the others, lunchtime was sacred. Even the world ending wouldn't have disturbed them. 

For a while, nothing happened at all. Then. just as they were happily eating, rock exploded all around them, forming an earth ring. Goblins erupted all over: they were trapped! 

There were about 50 goblins in total, enough to slaughter 100 players easily. Yet, Jack kept gorging himself on the meat, burping with satisfaction. 

It was as if he couldn't see the brown humanoids at all! Derek could only give a wry smile at his master's lack of reaction. Heck, his attitude had even the goblins utterly confused. 

Why wasn't he scared?! How could he be so relaxed?! It didn't make any sense! 

After a while of staring, a red-armored goblin showed up, slowly heading toward them. Without a word, Jack handed him some meat, which he suspiciously took.

A bit of munching later, the goblin finally spoke. 

"Human, why here?" His words were simple, but he wasn't, far from it. 

Just listening to players in the Canyon had been sufficient for him to learn the rudiments of their language! This was an incredible feat, especially considering how recent their arrival was! 

With a smile, Jack replied. This time Derek couldn't follow the conversation one bit. But, whatever language he was speaking was the same as the goblins! 

The goblin emissary's eyes widened the more he heard. The human speaking goblin was already shocking, but so was his preposterous request. He wanted to negotiate! 

But if that wasn't enough, the human was so damn arrogant! There were only 2 of them and a few pets, yet he was requesting to meet their leader as an equal. 

The only thing to do was to decline such a silly demand…and yet the goblin couldn't. Something in the man's smile told him it was a bad idea to reject him.

Just like that, they were soon guided toward an inconspicuous rocky area. Without the goblin saying anything, Jack confidently walked straight into the wall, passing through!

"Woo?!" (How?!) 

The little wolf happily followed suit. Rock swimming felt like regular swimming, but without being wet, how awesome! It spent the next minute happily going in and out. 

[Welcome to the Goblin Village!] 

[Congratulation! Discovered a New Area!] 

[Bonus XP! Increased rewards for a small duration!] 

The place was filled with rocky huts that looked as simple as sturdy. As the humans appeared, tons of goblins hurriedly grabbed earth weapons, growling at them. 

Was this the start of an invasion?! A few worried mothers grabbed tiny goblins that had been roaming around. 

"Hello, everyone!" Jack not only spoke their language but even greeted them as a visiting goblin chief would. 

"?!?" 

That's when a small goblin child came out of a hut in a hurry, carrying a small rock bowl filled with red berries. She'd gain favor if she was the first to present the welcoming gift! 

Her small face was showing great focus as she hurried over. She was as cute as vivacious, a stark contrast to her wary brethren. 

This small goblin child just happened to be blind, hence why she was always late to the party…..but not this time! She ran to the visiting "goblin chief" without fear, beaming in joy as she reached him. 

"Thank you, little one." Jack gently rubbed her small head, accepting the offering. He then squashed the berries, using the red paste to draw on his cheeks. 

This tradition was to make the rank of the visitor clear. This way, the brash youngsters would avoid picking fights with visiting bigshots. 

As he drew the symbol for King, the surrounding goblins gasped. This was the highest rank in the goblin hierarchy! 

King > Clans Leader > Chief > Elder 

At this moment, they were mind blown. Was this guy really human?! He acted like a goblin, spoke like a goblin, and even smelled of rock like a goblin! 

Random trivia from Jack's previous life was paying off so much right now. They were still wary of him, but they oozed with curiosity as they glanced at him. 

The goblin guide led them toward a hut that was as simple as the others. This simple-looking building housed the most influential goblin in the village... 

The entire goblin clan watched Jack enter with rapt attention. What would come out of this meeting?! History would be written right here!