Some time had passed after acquiring the orcs. Once everyone had fully recovered, we took full advantage of the extra muscle I had suddenly gained which allowed us to focus on ore resource gathering. With plans to venture outside the caverns coming soon, it was best to take full advantage of the nearby veins.

  So, we took the time to mine like crazy. I even joined in as well as I wanted to see how far I could fill up my [Dimensional Box] of the same types of items, with the bonus of progressing my [Mining Mastery] ability as well. In the end I found the numbers go to the 1000s to around 1900 overall though with the [Silver] being rarer I only got around 800 instead. I was actually curious about what size my ability counts as 1 piece, and I found it various with the ores sizing around the palm of my hand even when grounded up. In the end I managed to increase my [Mining Mastery] progression to 74.38%.

  With the kobolds, they just seemed happy not to have to join in anything dangerous right now. Though I did find more were willing to fight if needed which was good, unfortunately I ran out of materials for handles so they would need to take turns on using the [Iron Daggers] I had already made till then.

  The wolves decided to help with scouting around, seeing if they could find anything else useful. Occasionally they would train with some of the kobolds in learning how to ride together, having some potential kobold wolf riders may prove useful in the future so I encouraged them on their training.

  And finally, the orcs were hard at work with their hunting. On the times that they weren’t they had their own fun, which mainly involved some roughhousing with Mordred joining every now and again. Though he did make sure to keep things from going too far.

  Overall, it was a nice time for us, but it won’t last long. Soon enough it was time to leave the cavern. It didn’t take long for us to find where the exit was and once, I made sure everyone had everything they needed packed up, using the hides of our hunts as packs, it was time to venture out!

  We set our eyes towards the light that was passing through the exit. Many of us were excited while some of us, mainly my fellow kobolds, were nervous about what was going to happen. This was going to be the first time any of us had seen the outside world, but in order to achieve my ultimate goal of world domination, this was necessary.

  We all pass through the exit, with me taking the first step forward. The light blinded our eyes, as we were quite used to the darkness of the caverns. It took us some time for us to adjust our eyes to our surroundings. Once we did what we saw was a vast forest, with many trees crowded together. We were in awe of our new surroundings as everything was new to us. The sight before only further fueled my desire to conquer this world. ~

  Once we were done basking over the sights, I got us started on establishing my domain. I figured it was best to utilize the vast number of trees in the vicinity to help in constructing some facilities and housing. Luckily it seems my [Material Forge] works on the trees to make them into [Lumber], though I needed them chopped down first, probably since they would still be considered to be alive not to count as materials. With the amount of wood we would need, I had the orcs and Mordred chop us some trees, while the wolves went out to scout for any good hunting grounds as well as any possible spots of interest.

  As they gathered the wood before me, I used my [Material Forge] to reshape them into more [Log] of various sizes. Not wanting my fellow kobolds to be left out I instructed them to help me carry them around.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  For the exact location I figure having the base near the entrance to the cave was best. The others may feel comfortable having the familiar caverns nearby, so I wanted them to have easy access to it.

  With materials on hand, I then proceeded to use my skill to forge everyone’s living quarters. I asked everyone how they would want it and they all had their own preferences. The orcs decided to stay back at the cave entrance, feeling the most comfortable of the rocky interior though they made sure to keep one of them posted within earshot in case I would need to call upon them. For the wolves they only seemed concerned with having a roof over their heads, so I proceeded to create a few sheds with enough space around.

  As for the kobolds, they were actually curious to try some new housing and wanted something that would be comfy to rest at. With that idea in mind, I thought simple housing would suffice for them. Luckily, I do have some basic knowledge of architecture as I thought it would be useful for this kind of situation. Hopefully that will be enough for my skill’s ability to base off my imagination as I forged the buildings.

  They each wanted to have their own living quarters though strangely 3 familiar ones wanted to share one so that would mean I would need to make about 9 homes. Lucky for our small statures they wouldn’t have to be too large. Using [Material Forge] I began with the first house. I took the time to start with the foundation, I drew a line around the area to give me an idea how large the building would be and laid out the groundwork. I then began to work on the walls making sure they were properly set in and did the same for the roof. Overall, the design of the building was as basic as it can be. It practically looked like a large wooden block, not the most impressive looking design but at least it was functional. As for the door, I used some [Log] for the whole door and some [Iron] to make the handle and clasp to attach it to the house.

  Not exactly the most good-looking designs but overall, it’ll serve its function. I presented it to one of the kobolds and they at least seemed to enjoy it at least. With that in mind it took the time to make the rest of the kobolds’ housing. It definitely was exhausting though; it seems more complicated designs can be a bit more draining on my mana. Once I was done, I took the time to take a break while the kobolds started to enjoy their new homes. Since I was exhausted, I told them they would need to make their own bed, and they seemed to agree.

  As for Mordred….

  “I request to stay in the same living space as you, boss!! I gotta protect you at all times after all!!” He states with a wink and a flex of his arm, as if stating it as a matter of fact. I sigh to myself as if I was expecting that answer.

  Well either way I’ll still need to rest up for a bit more before I can make my house. I decided to rest on top of Mordred’s shoulder as I directed him where to put the [Log] at and to lay out the foundation. To save on my energy I had him hold them up as I use my skill to set them in place. After some time, I managed to finish. It was a lot larger than any of the other houses I built as I needed to account for Mordred’s large frame. I made sure he would have plenty of room for him to walk around him, which had the added benefit of making everything spacious to me as well as two separate rooms for each of us to sleep in.

  With the extra wood in hand, I decided to make a few pieces of furniture for us from some beds in our separate rooms, fitted with cushions made from some feathers from any leftover bird prey the wolves managed to hunt, and tables and chairs with our sizes in mind for when we need to eat. Not a bad start overall though I definitely have plans to upgrade in the future.

  With everything settled it was time to get to the usual routine of resource gathering and living management. Now that we were out in the open, I had a few ideas I wanted to implement, though just as I was beginning to let the gears in my head turn one of my wolf scouts had returned and he was carrying something of interest in his mouth.

  Holding in his mouth as an interesting small creature dressed in simple cloth, covering the bare essentials. With skin colored green and large pointed ears with some messy green hair, it was easy to tell what kind of species it was. Before me I was facing the first goblin I have ever seen.