Konbini Ossan Volume 6 Chapter 11 — The Ecology of Goblins
“Most likely, this metal is what governs the properties of a dragon’s scales.
…
Dragons produce this substance within their bodies, then grind it down into particles and mix it evenly throughout each scale.
…
That’s why dragon scales have such high resistance to magic and are so prized as materials for weapons and armor.”
Shuri’s hypothesis made me hesitate for a moment, but I set the doubt aside. A creature generating metal inside its own body… on Earth that would be impossible.
But this was another world.
A world with magic.
A creature with internal organs functioning like miniature fusion reactors, generating the energy for breath attacks and also producing this insulator — such speculation wasn’t far-fetched here.
Still, that line of thought would spiral endlessly, so I pushed it away.
“Is it even plausible for a creature to possess organs like that?”
That was the key. What mattered wasn’t Earth-logic, but whether it was possible in this world.
“Well, I’d say it’s possible. Monsters aren’t bound by the same biological limits as regular animals.”
Shuri suddenly produced a pair of glasses from nowhere and put them on with unnecessary flourish.
“Ahem! Allow me to give you a special lecture on monster biology!”
“Please do.”
Apparently the glasses were part of his ‘lecture mode.’
“First off, monster physiology is fundamentally different from normal creatures. That much is obvious — we’ve got golems and slimes, after all.
…
But to use something closer to a living animal as an example, goblins are the easiest to understand.”
“Goblins?”
They were humanoid monsters whose ecology and abilities didn’t stray far from natural animals.
I couldn’t imagine how they made a good example.
“You know this already, but goblin meat tastes awful. Truly awful. You’d be better off eating rotten meat.”
“Yes, I’ve heard that.”
“Well, there’s a theory that the disgusting meat is actually an evolutionary trait. Goblins live everywhere, but they’re weak, slow, bad at hiding, bad at running.
…
Normally a creature like that would’ve gone extinct ages ago, right? But they haven’t. One proposed reason is simply that goblin meat is too disgusting to eat.”
Shuri adjusted his glasses dramatically before continuing.
“Out of all known monsters and animals in the world, only a handful of species will even consider eating goblin meat.
…
Even the notorious scavenger Catercrawlers won’t touch it.
…
Slimes can dissolve anything organic so they don’t count, but aside from them, only a few species can handle goblin meat — and some creatures die from eating it.”
“So it’s not just foul. If it kills things, then the components in the meat are effectively poison.”
“Exactly!”
He pointed sharply at me.
“The compounds in goblin meat are extremely complex. They’re harmless to humans, but toxic to certain creatures.
…
Some get stomach cramps, some die on the spot. If goblins only needed to ward off one or two predators, that would make sense.
…
But they’re resistant to almost everything. They’ve adapted to avoid being eaten by the entire ecosystem. That level of biochemical diversity should be impossible for normal muscle tissue.”
If every fiber of their bodies doubled as poison, then yes — they shouldn’t function as muscles at all.
“And yet goblins live just fine. Their strength is low, sure, but only a bit lower than a human’s.
…
Despite carrying such bizarre flesh, they function as living organisms. That’s what monsters are.”
Shuri concluded his goblin lecture with a satisfied nod.
“And here’s a fun extra. About 300 years ago, there used to be a species called Candy Goblins. Ever heard of them?
…
They were intelligent, strong, had pale skin, pink flesh, and tasted delicious. They lived in settlements around the inland sea.
…
But then a king somewhere got obsessed with their flavor and hunted them to extinction.”
The inland sea he referred to had nothing to do with Earth’s Mediterranean — simply a massive salty lake in the middle of this continent.
“That incident gave rise to another theory. Maybe goblin meat wasn’t always disgusting. Maybe only the disgusting ones survived.
…
If tasty goblins were hunted to extinction, then the ones with revolting, toxic meat were the only lineage left.”
“That’s certainly logical.”
“It’s still a fringe theory, but it’s famous thanks to a folktale. It’s as well-known as the Cave Dwarves' story.
…
The ending goes like this: a single green goblin born in a Candy Goblin settlement survives, inherits only their intelligence, and eventually takes revenge on the king.
…
Since the real king who wiped out the Candy Goblins was assassinated a few years later, the tale stuck as a moral lesson: don’t overdo it.”
I see.
Even goblins carried entire histories of research and folklore.
A weak monster was not necessarily a simple one.
——————
E/N:
Why did this turn into an isekai biology lesson 😂!
Stay tuned! (3/4 chapters)
——————
——————————
**IMPORTANT NOTICE**
Though I say that, you can skip if you want. Still I want y'all to read 😂.
As y'all have already noticed, I have a Ko-fi account now, yay! So if anyone wishes to donate for my hardwork (I'm stealing my MTLer's credit 😂), please do.
Any amount is fine (lowest is $1), you may write a message for improvement or encouragement. I would be very grateful since, I'm currently a student and your help will help me build some savings.
You may directly donate in Ko-fi or QR codes for Wise and UPI (for Indian Subcontinent) are also available so, whichever you find suitable.
Donation aside, please allow me to clarify that I do these translations for fun. I will never ask my readers, forcing them to donate, put chapters behind paywalls or make annoying pop-up ads for donations. That is my motto since I myself am a reader just like y'all.
Once again, I'll appreciate your bits and advice. Join me in this translation journey, I shall be translating a crap-ton of WNs and LNs along the way!
Thank you for listening to me yap! 😂
Check out my other project -
——————————
Comments
Post a Comment