Chapter 59: New recruits!

After they’d enjoyed their reunion for a while, I eventually pulled my attention back to the matter at hand.

Alright, enough celebration.

We still have work to do.

Now that the four additional goblins were here, another idea quickly formed in my mind.

I instructed Gopuro to continue chopping the bear into manageable pieces. Meanwhile, I had Gopuran collect the most valuable-looking parts of the monster first: its massive paws, heart, and severed head.

Those valuable parts, along with the four rescued goblins, would be taken back to the castle first.

Once there, I could sell the monster parts to the System for Castle Points and convert some of those Points into Powerstones.

And with those Powerstones...

I would be able to evolve the four goblins as well.

If everything went according to plan, we’d soon have several more strong laborers capable of helping us haul the rest of the bear back to the castle in multiple trips.

****

One hour later, the goblins finally made it back to the castle.

I welcomed them with open arms.

Or rather, an open gate.

I immediately sold the bear parts they’d brought back to the System, converting them into a fresh batch of Castle Points.

Then, once I had enough funds, the citizenship-granting process went smoothly.

One by one, the four goblins stepped forward, accepted the System’s offer, and were officially registered under my rule.

[Ding! Congratulations!]

[You have successfully granted citizenship to a Level 13 Goblin!]

[You have successfully granted citizenship to a Level 8 Goblin!]

[You have successfully granted citizenship to a Level 6 Goblin!]

[You have successfully granted citizenship to a Level 5 Goblin!]

Just like that, I had four new citizens!

Hell yeah!

I then converted some of the remaining Castle Points into Powerstones and distributed those glowing crystals among the three unevolved recruits.

Their eyes lit up the moment they saw the Powerstones, and their hands trembled with excitement as they accepted them.

They immediately swallowed the stones.

Crunch after crunch, they devoured them like candy, their bodies beginning to glow as the strange energy surged through them.

Then the leveling began.

A series of bright chimes rang out in my mind as their levels climbed rapidly.

Level 6.

Level 7.

Level 8.

Level 9.

And soon enough, all three had reached Level 10.

Nice!

The evolved goblin was already Level 13, so I didn’t give him any Powerstones for now. I wanted to try something different with him.

Then came the evolution.

One after another, the three goblins were enveloped in brilliant light.

Their bodies began to change, their forms shifting as the evolution energy coursed through them.

When the light finally faded, I was greeted by three completely different goblins.

And, damn...

The two females had turned into absolute beauties, just like Gopuran!

The first had grown into a tall, powerful woman with fiery red hair covering one eye, giving her a sharp, confident look.

The other had taken on a shorter and more slender form, with a much cuter appearance and long, wavy blue hair that flowed down her back.

Oh yes...

I was more than happy with these evolutions.

So far, every female goblin under my rule had turned out to be an absolute beauty.

However...

When it came to the one dude...

He looked... weird.

For some reason, his evolution had taken him in a completely different direction from Gopuro.

Instead of becoming muscular and broad like my resident lumberjack, he was now much shorter and more slender, with spiky, ash-colored hair.

The guy looked like he had walked straight out of some edgy anime and was about to announce his tragic backstory.

I quickly checked his status.

Still a Super Forest Goblin, though!

But as I scrolled further down, I became utterly confused... and intrigued.

Unlike Gopuro, whose attributes were heavily focused on Physical Attack and Physical Defense, this dude had somehow developed a completely different build.

Most of his attributes had been invested into...

SPEED!

*****

[Citizen Status]

Name: Unnamed (Designation Required)

Race: Super Forest Goblin

Sex: Male

Rank:★★

Level:10

Vital Status

- HP: 150 / 150

- MP: 20 / 20

- Stamina: 200 / 200

Core Attributes

- Attack: 8

- Defense: 5

- Magic Attack: 0

- Magic Defense: 0

- Magic Capacity: 0

- Speed: 17

Skill List

- Stealthy Steps Lv.1

- Acceleration Lv.1

- Carnivorism Lv.1

- Regeneration Lv.1

****

I stared at the numbers for a moment.

Oooooh!

That Speed stat was no joke! It was absurdly high.

Even at Level 11, Gopuro’s Speed was only 5. Compared to this guy, my resident muscle brain was practically standing still.

It was like comparing a high school sprinter to Usain Bolto.

I also made sure to check his skills.

There were two that I’d never seen before.

[Stealthy Steps Lv.1]

Description: A movement skill that suppresses footstep noise and reduces the user’s presence while in motion. Greatly increases stealth during movement and lowers the chance of detection by enemies.

Effect: Reduces movement noise by 80%

Duration: 30 seconds

Mana Cost: 10 MP

Cooldown: 5 minutes

...

[Acceleration Lv.1]

Description: A burst-type movement enhancement skill that temporarily increases speed and jumping power by stimulating the body’s muscles beyond their normal limits.

Effect: +30% movement speed and +30% jump force

Duration: 10 seconds

Mana Cost: 10 MP

Cooldown: 5 minutes

...

Hell yeah!

This little dude is cracked!

As if to confirm my thoughts, the goblin suddenly burst into motion. He probably wanted to test out his new body as well.

One second, he was standing still.

The next...

VZZZT!

He shot across the courtyard like a gust of wind!

VZZZT!

A moment later, he was already on the opposite side!

I nearly lost track of him.

He moved so fast and so quietly that it genuinely looked like some kind of ninja was sprinting around my courtyard.

The other goblins stared at him in shock.

But then, clearly drunk on his newfound power, the guy let out an excited cry and activated [Acceleration].

His body blurred.

BAM!

A dull, painful crack echoed through the courtyard as he slammed headfirst into my castle wall!

OUCH!

I felt that!

The poor idiot dropped onto his butt, clutching his forehead and wincing as tears welled up in his eyes.

Seeing that, the other goblins immediately burst into laughter.

They pointed at him while wheezing and cackling, while the speed goblin’s face slowly turned bright red with embarrassment.

Pffft... HAHAHA!

I couldn’t help laughing too.

I already liked this guy. He was silly, energetic, and ridiculously fast.

But more importantly, his abilities seemed genuinely useful.

With speed and stealth like that, hadn’t I just gained the perfect scout?

Or better yet... a deadly assassin?

All he needed now was proper training and enough time to get used to his incredible speed. Once he learned how to control it properly, he could become one of my strongest assets.

And for that reason, I decided it was finally time to give him a name.

I thought for a moment, then inspiration struck.

His incredible speed and build immediately made me think of an assassin lurking in the shadows.

Fast, deadly, and undoubtedly cool.

"From now on, you will be called... Gopushadow!"

"Uwwwwooohhh!!!"

The goblin’s eyes immediately lit up with pride.

"Gopu... SHADOWWWW!!"

He thumped his chest and grinned from ear to ear!

Muehehehehe! NICE!

Looks like Gopushadow approved!