Friday, Entering Gaia
As soon as Kaito entered the world of Gaia, the first thing he did was open the chest he had left unchecked the day before.
[You have opened a Bronze Chest]
[You received:
• 10,000 XP
• Shield Blueprint
• 1,000 Gold
• Armor Piece: Impenetrable Helm]
Kaito picked up the helm and examined it with curiosity. At first glance, it looked like a regular iron helmet, although a bit uncomfortable to wear. However, once he put it on, it felt surprisingly familiar… like something he was already used to—just like a diver with his suit.
Of course, the word "impenetrable" was just marketing. Still, the helm gave a +20 bonus to Constitution according to its item description.
Without wasting time, he used the experience points and leveled up to 8.
He invested all five stat points into Agility. Why? Pure stubbornness. He had decided to focus on that stat, but after equipping the helm, his Constitution had surpassed Agility, so he "corrected" that error immediately.
[Name]: Takayama Kaito
[Race]: Human
[Title]: Territory Lord
[Level]: 8 (8342/15000)
[Base Stats]
HP: 2500
MP: 10
Strength: 20
Agility: 41 (21+20)
Constitution: 39 (19+20)
[Skills]:
[Skill Points]:
[Gold]: 2780
Next, he handed the shield blueprint to the craftsmen along with an order to produce them, as well as spears. So far, they hadn't used real weapons, but the approaching enemy no longer allowed for such luxuries.
They had enough picks and axes for a while, so they could focus on building a proper army.
Kaito observed his troops:
• 100 human warriors
• 70 kobold warriors
• 30 wolves
A 1:5 disadvantage against the goblins, although they weren't particularly strong. With shields and spears, the gap didn't seem so bad.
He spent 1,500 gold to summon another 100 warriors. He noticed that some of the newcomers already had names.
Kaito had previously ordered them to name each other to save himself the trouble. Ironically, this made names like Ben, Loyd, and Silver—ones he had given personally—become symbolic, like a badge of honor.
Because of that, he didn't know most of their names anymore, though he remembered a few.
That's why he noticed that many of these named warriors were the same ones who had died before. That confirmed what the Architect had told him: they were basically immortal angels.
With the new reinforcements, his army reached 300 soldiers, reducing the numerical gap to 1:3.
During the morning, they continued building houses. Just before noon, as usual, everyone gathered in the center of the territory to eat together.
After lunch, they lined up: all with spears and shields in hand.
Wolves in front, humans and kobolds behind.
Without delay, they marched toward enemy territory.
---
Goblin Territory
Someone might think attacking at night would be better… but not necessarily.
Goblins sleep only four hours during the day and another four at night. No matter when you attack: most of them will be awake and alert.
Besides, there was a simpler reason: Kaito couldn't log in at night. And since this was his first real magic battle, of course he wanted to be there.
They arrived soon enough. Just as expected, the territory was on alert: gates closed, sentries on the towers. As soon as they were spotted, a goblin rang an alarm bell.
Arrows rained down.
Without waiting for orders, everyone raised their shields to protect themselves. The wolves temporarily pulled back.
They created a gap in the center. Like a scene straight out of a medieval movie, several warriors carried a huge log and began battering the gates.
The goblins focused their fire on them, but the other warriors shielded them. Not all of them, of course… some fell.
But others replaced them immediately.
Seconds later, a loud crack echoed: the lock gave out.
The gate swung open.
"Let's go!" Kaito was about to yell… but froze.
Five goblins were waiting on the other side. Unlike their loincloth-wearing kin, these wore somewhat elegant cloaks, held wooden staves with wide ends, and had floating fire orbs above them.
"TAKE COVER!!" Kaito shouted as he realized.
Just as his soldiers raised their shields, the fireballs—over a meter in diameter—shot forward.
The impact was brutal.
The front-line warriors were sent flying. Their shields shattered.
Thirty men died in a single blast.
The goblins began pouring out.
But Kaito smiled.
The fact that the mages had to wait behind the door, that they stepped back after casting, and that they took time to fire again… could only mean one thing:
They had to chant their spells.
It might seem obvious, but in every magical world Kaito knew, that was never guaranteed. If they could cast such magic instantly, it'd be game over.
"Silver" he said.
The massive wolf looked at him, awaiting orders.
"Ignore the rest. Go for the mages!"
Silver howled. The other wolves followed him, ignoring the goblins in their way.
They leapt over the formation and rushed into the village.
Meanwhile, the battle continued at the entrance. The warriors pushed forward, but arrows from the towers kept falling.
Once they broke through, a group split off to eliminate the archers.
Inside, they clashed with more goblins.
Just like you'd expect from an isekai anime: small, big-nosed, pea-green, almost cartoonish.
So far, there hadn't been a single human woman in Kaito's territory, so he didn't know if goblins acted like perverts toward them. Not that it mattered much anyway.
The goblins fell easily.
With no weapons or armor, they were easy prey.
A single spear thrust was enough to kill.
Some spears pierced their skulls; others took off their heads.
But Kaito felt nothing.
No disgust. No guilt.
Maybe because it felt like a game.
Still, there were casualties.
Goblins were small, hard to hit, and fought dirty: biting, going for low blows, stabbing eyes. They did anything to win.
Their claws and fangs were incredibly sharp, easily tearing through flesh.
Kaito's warriors held their ground, but their numbers slowly dwindled.
Especially due to surprise spells: fireballs, water projectiles as dense as metal, and even ice spikes that pierced five skulls at once.
But after a while… the spells stopped.
The magical silence was replaced by howls: the wolves had eliminated the mages and were now joining the main fight.
The remaining goblins were fewer than a third.
From the original thousand, about 250 remained.
And yet, Kaito frowned.
"Where's the leader…?"
He didn't need to think long.
His body moved on instinct, jumping back with superhuman speed just as a fist came crashing down from above, shattering the ground where he'd stood.
A goblin over two meters tall appeared—so muscular he looked like a bodybuilder.
He wore jewels, fancy coats, even branded shoes.
Without a doubt, this was the leader.
He looked at Kaito with a defiant smile. His entrance had killed a dozen warriors, leaving a clearing in the battlefield where only the two of them remained.
The soldiers tried to intervene, but Kaito raised his hand.
"Stop."
"...I want to test myself."