Chapter 20: Kobold Cluster

“10 Grimoire Points us—!” the Grimoire shouted but paused, as if recalculating something. “…Plus 10 Grimoire Points used!”

The Kobold stopped struggling and looked at Ryan in confusion. It recognized Ryan as its master and had become immensely loyal.

“…Kriee?”

“Ah, there we go.” Ryan dusted himself and stood up. “Welcome to the start of my kingdom, Kobold.”

The small Kobold rose from the ground and looked at its surroundings confusedly, but when it glanced back at Ryan, it let out happy sounds.

“What… what’s happening, Master Ryan?” Tom asked as he stepped out of the bushes, uncomprehendingly switching his gazes between Ryan and the happy Kobold.

‘It’s normal wanting to hide your special abilities and become a master in the shadows. However, if I intend to make an army of Kobolds, people will inevitably wonder and ask how I’m capable of achieving this. It’s better to give an answer now that works with what I have in mind.’ Ryan thought.

“Why is that Kobold not attacking you anymore, Master Ryan? Did it hit its head too much?” Tom asked.

“Are you familiar with Beast Tamers?” Ryan asked. “I am doing something like that, but instead of taming something like a Griffon, I’m able to tame creatures like a kobold.”

“Why a Kobold, Master Ryan?”

“Because we have Kobolds here. Besides, don’t you think they’re useful?” Ryan glanced back at the creature. “Even though we don’t speak the same language, I feel like this creature can understand me. Can you set up the trap again?”

“Krie!” the Kobold darted out of Ryan’s way and dashed towards Tom.

Tom’s eyes widened as he stepped back with uncertainty, holding the Grimoire tightly in his hand like a shield. Fortunately, the Kobold moved right past him and quickly started to work on the snare trap again.

In a mere couple of seconds, it had finished recalibrating the trap.

“Good job.” Ryan said.

The Kobold smiled at Ryan, pleased at the praise.

Tom shuddered at the sight of its sharp teeth. He quickly directed his focus on Master Ryan. “But can’t we also do something like that, Master Ryan? I am sure that Spike and Doran can do just the same exact thing as this Kobold.”

“Well, that’s true. But Spike and Doran’s strength should be used on other more productive activities instead of just setting up traps.”

“Huh?”

“Can you imagine how useful it is for us to trap animals?” Ryan said. “We’ll be able to get more rabbits, deer, and other animals passively with less time and effort.”

“Yes, I know that, Master Ryan.”

“It took us two and a half hours to get here, and it’ll take us about the same time to get back to the village. That’s about five hours. Wouldn’t it be better if the Kobolds were to deliver the animals caught in the traps to the village, instead of us always going back and forth everyday? Spike and Doran are better off using their strength to vanquish far more dangerous creatures. it's more worth their time.”

“Oh, so that’s what you had planned, Master Ryan!” Tom exclaimed.

"Yes, it's the art of delegation. If you can assign a smaller task to someone capable of only that level, freeing others to focus on more important matters that yield greater benefits, then you're already on your way to becoming a good leader," Ryan explained. "We only have twenty-four hours in a day. If we waste our time on trivial tasks, we won't be able to tackle the important ones."

“Not bad, Master Ryan. That’s a lesson I planned to teach you, but it seems like you already know it well,” the Grimoire said.

‘Of course, Builder. This one is basic.’ Ryan thought before he cleared his throat and addressed Tom once more.

“We need to solve the issue of food shortage here in Stonefall Village. While increasing the number of Farmers and expanding farming land may help, we must also consider that not everyone desires to be a Farmer,” Ryan said. “So we need to look for another solution.”

“Like Kobolds ?”

“Yes. Of course, there are other options as well.” Ryan nodded. “According to the bestiary I've read, Kobolds have a relatively fast reproductive rate. While not as prolific as Goblins, they can lay approximately six eggs in a year, which hatch within two to three months. They are known to have a diverse diet, capable of eating almost anything. Aside from that, there might be something valuable in the Ironcross Mountains that can help us solve our problem."

Spike, Doran and Joan returned with the four other Kobolds in tow. Each one of them struggling but also defeated.

When they saw the brown Kobold that Ryan instilled loyalty to… they immediately let out loud kriees.

“Krie!” the four Kobolds shouted.

“Krie!” the brown Kobold shouted back.

“What are they saying?” Tom asked in confusion.

“Well, we can’t really tell since we don’t speak their language, but this one is safe now.” Ryan gestured to the brown Kobold.

He approached the other four Kobolds and placed his hand on their heads.

“Kriee…?”

Similar to the first Kobold, it cost twenty Grimoire Points each to make them loyal to him. Ryan used the same explanation to Spike, Doran, and Joan and told them about his plans regarding the Kobolds.

Soon enough, the five Kobolds were once again reunited with each other and made happy kriee sounds. Although they were confused about their new position in life, they also felt immense loyalty to Ryan.

“So they’ll be setting up traps, but this time, it’ll be for our benefit, Master Ryan?” Doran asked.

“Yes.”

“That's an incredible power you possess, Master Ryan!” Spike said. “We had no idea you were a Tamer. That must be why you fearlessly ventured here. Do you plan on taming even stronger creatures in the future?"

Ryan chuckled. “While I am sure that Ironcross Mountains have plenty of creatures stronger than Kobolds, I’d like to stick with Kobolds for now. They might not be the strongest, but the fact that they survived here speaks a lot about their ingenuity and innovation. We could use some of that.”