Chapter 65: The Red Goblins

"We should take the meat," he suggested. "It could be useful when we reach the neighboring clan."

Talia considered his words and nodded.

"Do what you can. We can offer it to them as a gift."

That was actually a good idea.

We were approaching a clan that apparently didn’t particularly like us.

Showing up with a large group of refugees and immediately asking for shelter wasn’t the best way to make a good impression.

Bringing something valuable might improve our chances of being accepted, even if it was only a little.

The butcher and several other goblins began preparing the animals.

09They worked together to remove the usable meat, cutting it into manageable portions that could be carried without slowing the group too much.

The larger boar provided considerably more meat than the smaller ones, making it the most valuable part of our unexpected encounter.

As for me, I had a different interest.

Once they were done, I approached the corpses and retrieved the brains.

I wasn’t particularly interested in the meat, especially when I could obtain enough nourishment from other sources. The Evolution Devourer was far more useful to me than an ordinary meal.

Drake watched from my shoulder, looking increasingly uncomfortable as I examined the remains.

"You can leave if you don’t like it," I told him.

He chirped and flew toward a nearby branch.

I shook my head before getting to work.

[Evolution Devourer Activated]

[You have received +3 Stat Points]

I looked at the notification.

As expected, there were no Legacy Points.

I wasn’t particularly surprised.

The Legacy Points I had received from consuming human brains were connected to my Storm Sovereign class, and I doubted ordinary forest animals had anything to offer in that regard.

The boars could provide stat points, but they weren’t going to help me develop the Thunder God’s legacy.

Still, I wasn’t going to complain.

I continued consuming the remaining brains, receiving a few more stat points before finally finishing.

The rewards weren’t particularly impressive, but every point counted.

I had already learned that becoming stronger wasn’t always about finding some extraordinary opportunity.

Sometimes, it was simply about taking advantage of whatever resources were available.

Once I was done, the butcher had finished preparing the meat.

The goblins divided it into several bundles, using ropes and pieces of cloth to secure them. A few of the stronger members took responsibility for carrying the larger portions, while the smaller pieces were distributed among others.

With that settled, we resumed our journey.

The forest gradually began to change as we moved farther from our former settlement.

The trees became denser in some areas, while the ground grew rockier in others.

We crossed a narrow stream and passed several patches of open land before following a path that seemed to have been used regularly by other creatures.

Talia walked near the front, holding Orgrun’s staff.

I noticed that she had become unusually quiet. She occasionally glanced ahead, but there was a tension in her expression that hadn’t been there earlier.

At first, I assumed she was simply worried about the condition of the clan.

However, the closer we got to our destination, the more apparent her anxiety became.

Eventually, I decided to ask.

"You’re looking rather nervous."

She glanced at me. "Am I?"

"Yes. You’ve been like that for a while. Is there something wrong with the neighboring clan?"

Talia hesitated.

"It’s complicated."

I raised an eyebrow. "That’s not an answer."

She sighed and looked ahead again. "The current chief is a female goblin. She and I have never gotten along."

"Why?"

"Because she knows I have greater potential for magic than she does."

I looked at her.

"That’s it?"

"That’s enough," she replied. "Among goblins, magical potential is highly valued, especially when it comes to choosing leaders. Our former chief was a powerful shaman, and many believed I would eventually surpass him. My talent was one of the reasons some goblins thought I should inherit his position."

I glanced at the staff in her hand.

"And the current chief doesn’t like that?"

"She considers me a threat. She has worked hard to establish her authority over her clan, and the last thing she’d want is for someone with greater magical potential to arrive and attract the attention of her people. Even if I have no intention of challenging her position, she might not see it that way."

"So you’re worried she won’t let us in?"

"I’m worried she might use our situation against us," Talia answered. "She knows we’re coming with a large group of survivors. She could refuse to help us, or make some other unreasonable demand. We have nowhere else to go, so she knows we would be in a difficult position."

I frowned.

That was troublesome.

We were already dealing with the consequences of losing our home, and now we had to worry about another goblin chief trying to make our situation worse. I could understand why Talia was anxious. We were approaching a settlement that might not welcome us, and we didn’t have the strength to force our way inside.

"Well, let’s hope she’s reasonable," I said.

Unless things might get hostile.

I tightened my grip on the axe.

Talia gave me a doubtful look.

I shrugged. "What? We can hope."

She didn’t respond.

We continued walking, and after some time, the trees ahead began to thin out. I could see what appeared to be a more open stretch of land beyond them.

Talia slowed down slightly, and the goblins behind us began closing the distance between one another.

We were getting close.

I adjusted the Doom Axe on my shoulder and examined the surroundings.

There were no obvious signs of a settlement yet, but the path ahead appeared to lead toward a clearing.

Then I noticed something.

A faint movement came from the trees to our right.

I stopped.

"What is it?" Talia asked.

Before I could answer, several figures emerged from the surrounding vegetation.

"Don’t move!"

The sudden command was followed by the sound of bows being drawn.

Goblins appeared from behind trees and bushes, spreading out around our group with alarming speed.

Some carried bows with arrows already aimed at us, while others held spears, swords, and crude axes.

They had positioned themselves at different points around the path, making it difficult for us to advance without exposing ourselves to their weapons.

The goblins behind me immediately stopped.

A few of the fighters raised their weapons, but Talia quickly lifted one hand.

"Don’t do anything!" she ordered.

I looked around, counting the figures as they emerged. There were quite a lot of them, easily enough to surround our weakened group.

Their equipment was better maintained than what most of our goblins carried, and their formation suggested they weren’t simply a group of wandering hunters.

They had been waiting for us.

My grip tightened around the Doom Axe.

Then I noticed something that made me pause.

The goblins surrounding us didn’t have the usual green skin.

Their skin was red.

Not a faint reddish tint or patches of discoloration.

Their entire bodies had a deep, reddish complexion that stood out clearly against the green foliage.

Some had darker markings around their faces and arms, while others possessed small horns or unusually sharp features.

I stared at them.

What the hell?

One of them stepped forward from among the archers.

He was taller than most of the others, with a thick neck and a weapon strapped across his back.

His eyes moved over our group before settling on Talia.

The expression on his face immediately turned hostile.

"Look what we have here," he said. "A bunch of miserable green goblins wandering into our territory."

Talia tightened her...