Pal Lord: A Different Kingdom Building

"Hmm?!!"

As expected, two strong goblin guards walked toward the bone cage, preparing for their next meal.

"Oh, shit!!" Jack hurriedly grabbed a handful of foul-smelling dirt from the ground and smeared it all over his face.

"Damn!" Pino also pulled out the smelly herbal paste he had scavenged earlier, rubbing it on his face. Since the goblins had discarded the herbs, it was clear they didn't like the smell.

The two men exchanged a glance. What had just been a discussion about how to escape had now turned into a fierce competition for survival.

The goblins muttered something unintelligible as they approached the cage to select their next meal: "Chief eats meat... we drink soup... not enough... cook more... more ingredients…"

The other caravan guard, terrified, scrambled back as far as he could and pretended to be dead.

Pino, with a forced determination, stepped forward, waving the overpowering scent of incense away from his body. The goblin that had been picking the prisoners up sniffed the air, immediately grimacing in disgust. It shifted its attention to the next target—Jack.

Oh, shit! Whatever you do, don't look at what Jack is doing. Jack was eating a pile of feces from the ground, his exaggerated motions enough to make even the goblins want to vomit.

The goblins quickly turned away and moved to grab the remaining humans, dragging the last of them away.

"Jack, help! Please! I don't want to be eaten!" the unlucky man clung to the bars of Jack's cage, unwilling to let go.

Jack almost replicated Pino's earlier move, kicking the man's fingers until they broke, forcing him to release his grip.

"Ahhh... I will haunt you as a ghost!" the man screamed.

The two survivors watched helplessly as the unfortunate soul was thrown into the boiling pot. Goblins danced around, excitedly stabbing at the writhing body while cheering.

"This is it. We're next!" Pino had been hoping to wait until nightfall to act, but he hadn't expected the ogre-goblin to eat so much.

"What about your servants? When are they getting here?" Jack asked, clutching the bars, tears streaming down his face.

"They might not make it in time... those five lazy cats aren't coming," Pino muttered, resigned.

"What!!! I gave you the money! And now you're saying it's too late?!" Jack shrieked, near hysteria.

"Don't panic. If I can't rely on them, I'll think of something myself..." Pino scanned the environment, pondering his next move.

[Poorly-made Bone Cage]

[Armor Value: 5]

...It wasn't very sturdy. It could be cut through, but escaping was useless. With so many goblin guards outside, how could you outrun them in the jungle?

[Guarding Goblin]

[Level: 5]

[The lowest-ranked goblin, reduced to watching the soup pot, unable to even drink a bathwater broth.]

Even a Level 5 goblin didn't seem like something a Level 1 would easily defeat, and as a Level 10 bard... they wouldn't even care to listen to my songs, would they?

[Heap of Bones]

[A pile of leftover bones]

Hmm... Could I revive a few skeleton warriors by awakening the bones? But then what? Skeleton warriors wouldn't stand a chance against goblins...

Desperation!

"How is it? Have you thought of a plan yet?" Jack urged anxiously, fearing that he would be the next one cooked.

Pino turned to him with a serious look. "I have a brilliant idea… but I need you to cooperate."

"What? Cooperate with what?" Jack was frantic.

"You'll need to get cooked first."

"Go to hell!!! You liar! Give me back my money! I'd rather die with my gold coins in the same pot!" Jack was furious.

"I'm not lying. I swear on my gold coins. My magic will protect you from the boiling water. You'll be able to delay long enough for help to arrive…" Pino said, his face never flushing, his breath steady.

"Magic...?" Jack blinked in confusion.

"Exactly. I'm not just a bard—I'm a great magician," Pino proudly raised an eyebrow.

"Then what are you waiting for? Cast the spell and kill them!"

"Damn it! If I could just go and die that easily, do you think I'd have been captured?" Pino snapped.

"Then… how do you plan to do this?"

"I'll cast a spell on you. It'll protect you from the heat, and you'll buy time in the pot. My servants will come soon…" Pino explained.

"Oh, fuck! Your magic is that strong? Why don't you just go in and get cooked yourself?" Jack yelled.

"I need to cast the spell, don't I!" Pino said, unphased. As the previous victim was finished being cooked, tossed into the ogre-goblin's mouth with a gulp, Pino realized they might be next.

Jack reluctantly agreed, "Alright... but you better make sure your magic is strong enough…"

"Don't worry! I'll give you everything I've got! I'll keep none for myself," Pino said confidently, slapping his chest.

"You really are a good person…" Jack teared up and grabbed Pino's hand.

"Let go! Don't start any weird shit here! I'm casting the spell!" Pino raised both hands, gathering a dark purple magic circle in his palms. A chill-inducing magical energy flowed into Jack's body.

"Oh... this really is magic... Why does it feel so strange? This cold air is seeping into my bones... Are you sure this is supposed to protect me?" Jack shivered violently.

Pino poured all 100 points of his mana into Jack, freezing him to the point where his face turned purple. Contact with necromantic magic wasn't pleasant for the living. Prolonged exposure could even cause their vitality to wither... but Jack didn't exactly seem like the type to live long anyway.

"Shut up. If you're not feeling cold now, how are you going to survive the boiling water later?" Pino rubbed his hands together, focusing to regain his mana.

"Good point… Thanks... What's the name of this spell?"

"It's called 'No Pain from Boiling Water.'"

"What a strange name…"

As they spoke, the ogre-goblin chief smacked his lips after finishing the last meal, signaling that it was time for the next round. The goblin guards came over to collect another victim.

Pino quickly slapped more pungent spices on his face. With all his magic directed at Jack, he prayed that he wouldn't be chosen instead.

Jack trembled inside the cage, but he was still picked. The goblins yanked him out.

"It's okay… it's okay… I have magic protection… I'm not afraid of boiling water…"

Jack repeated the mantra as he was dragged to the pot.

It wasn't until he was thrown into the boiling water that the searing heat hit his skin. His scream shattered the air, more brutal than a pig's slaughter: "Ahhhh... Damn it! You lied to me! I'll haunt you even in death! It's so hot! So hot!!!"

Pino clasped his hands together, silently chanting, "Amitabha... God bless you... It won't be hot much longer..."

The goblins around the pot raised their spears and began poking at Jack, who had been wriggling and thrashing in the boiling water, finally quieting him down.

After a few minutes, with the ogre-goblin chief patting his belly in impatience, the little goblins fished Jack's body out of the pot and brought it to their leader, completely ignoring the occasional twitching of Jack's limbs.

The ogre-goblin chief, still insatiable, opened his wide mouth and pinched Jack's head, shoving it into his gaping maw. He didn't even bother chewing, savoring the sensation of a large object sliding down his throat. He relished the feeling, as it was more satisfying and would stave off hunger longer.

"Good... Wake up, my skeletal warrior! I've given you all my magic, now hold strong!" Pino's hands remained clasped in prayer, his words silent yet fervent.

Suddenly, Jack's skeletal form jerked his eyes open. He opened his mouth to curse, but the horrific sight around him—boiling oil and the hellish scene of death—took him by surprise. His former companions were piled beneath him, and one of the guards who had cursed him moments earlier now had a bloated, decayed face pressed against his own.

"Ahhh! My handsome face... I've been turned into an undead! Damn it! Damn it!"

[Pfft, what's wrong with being a skeleton? It's called bony beauty! Get moving, or the stomach acid will digest you! Look around for any weapons you can use!]

Pino communicated through soul magic, though his undead minions didn't have absolute loyalty. At close range, they could communicate through this soul bond.

"Damn it, when I get out of here, I'll shove my femur into your ass!" Jack, nearly losing his mind, fumbled through the acidic broth and bubbling liquids around him. He pulled a hidden steel dagger from his boots—an heirloom his mother had given him for protection, forged by dwarven craftsmen. Unfortunately, it hadn't had much chance to shine in the face of the powerful goblin tribe, but now, he was putting it to use. He stabbed it hard into the ogre-goblin chief's stomach.

The sharp blade pierced easily, causing a violent spasm that made the entire stomach wall heave. The ogre-goblin chief clutched his belly in pain, grimacing as the cut tore through him. It had to be said that Jack's steel dagger was exceptionally sharp. With a single strike, it had made a clean gash in the vulnerable stomach wall.

[Hurry, climb out of the stomach! It's going to puke!] Pino urged, fervently watching from his cage, directing the skeletal Jack.

"Easier said than done…" Skeleton Jack gritted his teeth, doing his best to widen the wound, then shoved his head into the opening.

Sure enough, the next moment, the ogre-goblin chief doubled over, clutching his throat and vomiting violently. A flood of grotesque, disgusting matter poured out, splashing all over the smaller goblins around him. The goblins stared in confusion, unsure of what was happening to their chief.

Half of Jack's skeletal body was now out of the stomach, having narrowly avoided the eruption. He swung his dagger with all his might, further worsening the injury and increasing the damage to the ogre-goblin chief.

The ogre-goblin chief was in absolute agony now, rolling around on the floor, tears and snot streaming down his face as he pounded his belly. No matter how much he slapped himself, he couldn't stop the damage that was coming from inside. Meanwhile, the goblin warriors around them, who had been watching the spectacle, were crushed under the massive body of the chief, turning into a gruesome paste.

The ogre-goblin chief, his face contorted with pain and tears, began running wildly, grabbing his remaining goblins and stuffing them into his mouth one by one, swallowing them whole. His simple plan was to resolve the torment in his belly: "If something's gnawing at me from the inside, I'll eat my subordinates, and maybe they'll go into my stomach and deal with it…"

However, his tiny brain didn't understand that any living creature trapped in a stomach without oxygen would quickly be knocked unconscious by the toxic gases, except for undead beings. The goblins, in sheer panic, started screaming and running away from the chief, as he frantically devoured his own tribe. Within moments, the entire settlement was empty, with only chaos remaining. Goblins were creatures that, when morale was high, would rush forward with wild cries, but once the situation turned dire, they would scatter in an instant.

[True Damage -20]

[True Damage -26]

White, pale damage numbers kept appearing above the ogre-goblin chief's head. In unbearable agony, he staggered toward a nearby bonfire, grabbed a pot of boiling water, and poured it into his own mouth, hoping to scorch the "pest" in his belly. His eyes turned bright red from the scalding heat, but it was all in vain.

Unfortunately for him, undead are immune to scalding water. Jack wasn't harmed at all. Instead, the ogre-goblin chief's body erupted with a critical hit [-100], his legs kicked out violently, and he collapsed to the ground, dead.

A soft, invisible glow emanated from the fallen body and drifted toward Pino.

[You assisted in killing the ogre-goblin chief LV.15]

[You gained: Strategy Experience 150 + Assist Experience 150 + Combat Experience 0*Savage Bonus 0%]

[You leveled up! LV.1 → LV.3]

The death of a goblin chief pushed Pino forward two levels in an instant.

Some time later, a series of cracks echoed as Jack, still in skeletal form, painfully used his dagger to carve open the ogre-goblin chief's stomach. Like a faithful disciple embracing freedom, he threw his arms wide, shouting with joy:

"Jack is back!!!"