When they develop to a certain scale, they will naturally choose to expand outward, especially keen to attack those already established human villages, towns, and other settlements.
Violence, plundering, breeding offspring, these seem to be ingrained in their blood, urging them to wage war with other races.
"The intelligence is correct."
"There should be indeed close to two thousand goblins."
Gauss’s gaze lingered over various platforms, quickly coming up with a rough number.
This is also the largest monster nesting site he has encountered so far.
Two thousand sounds not too many, but when truly placed before him, it was far larger than imagined.
Looking around, those green-skinned figures were almost everywhere to be seen.
They were sliding on the cableways, or bouncing on the layered barrier nets, inside and outside the trees, above ground and below, almost all were their figures.
"Let’s go back first."
After Gauss and Ying observed from afar for a moment, they chose to retreat.
Back outside the woodland, the Red Dragon Adventurer Group had already set up camp.
The sky was turning dark, and campfires had been lit.
He shared the intelligence he observed with his three teammates.
"Let’s rest tonight and start the formal action tomorrow."
...
Next day.
The Gauss team, prepared for battle, held its final gathering outside the woodland.
"Captain, do you not need us to be deployed?"
"No need. You just need to stand guard at the camp."
Gauss shook his head.
He certainly didn’t need these support staff to follow them inside the woodland.
The Red Dragon Adventurer Group has not officially recruited more combat personnel yet to form a second or third team; apart from Gauss’s team, the rest are support staff.
To assist in transport and scavenging during battle is sufficient.
Though two thousand goblins are many, they clearly cannot threaten him, their natural goblin enemy.
His only concern was to minimize the goblins’ chances of escape.
Too many goblins, even for him, might mean not being able to keep them all in check.
"Move out!"
Once the Gauss team finished gathering, they entered the woodland.
The other members watched their backs disappear into the vast and eerie woods, feeling relieved yet vaguely tense, given the departure of their backbone.
They could only turn to the large silver wolf left by Gauss for comfort.
Inside the woodland.
After some time traveling, Gauss, familiar with the terrain, led his teammates to the goblin Tree City nesting site discovered yesterday afternoon.
"Aaliyah, Serdur, Albena, you three form a team and attack from outside."
"Ying and I will drop down from above the nest and swiftly strike the goblin leader."
"I’ll first use the Fireball Technique approximately three times to damage these areas of terrain, make sure to avoid possible harm."
"Afterward, I’ll use Ice Storm to alter the terrain and freeze the marshy ground below."
Gauss reiterated his plan to prevent friendly fire.
"Understood."
The plan was not complicated; Aaliyah and the others all expressed their understanding.
Soon, their voices dispersed individually, hidden within the woods.
At the central Tree City, a towering goblin walked onto the platform from within a hollowed-out giant tree.
Its height was close to three meters, unlike the common goblin form; its physique resembled a giant ape, with dense green fur growing on its back.
Its two arms were extremely strong, like barrels, and the giant sharp black claws reflected the sunlight.
For some reason, after waking up this morning, it felt unusually irritable.
Watching the tribe members still jumping around on the protective nets, it raised its slender "ape arm," grabbing one down and tossing it to the ground.
Soon, a puddle of green bloody flesh appeared on the platform.
"Roar!"
With a roar, the surrounding goblins quieted down.
The goblin leader slightly raised its head; its wide ears focused on listening, trying to capture any unusual noises in the air.
Its instinctive sense of crisis told him that this familiar woodland seemed to be slightly different somehow.