Chapter 93: Helping the chieftain

Thankfully, my goblins had arrived just in time!

So, this is the chieftain of the Bright Red Nose Tribe, huh?

A Hulgagoblin?

Damn... now that’s an impressive physique!

I took a good look at the giant goblin before shifting my attention to the battlefield around him.

The ground was littered with the corpses of Horned Gray Wolves. Some had been split in half, while others had their skulls smashed in or their bodies crushed beyond recognition.

This guy... He’s really strong!

Even in his current condition, the chieftain had managed to take down so many powerful monsters. And judging by the countless wounds covering his body, he’d been fighting well beyond his limits for quite some time.

Honestly, I couldn’t help feeling a little excited.

If I could somehow recruit this guy into my castle...

Just imagine having a monster like him on my side!

A powerful frontline fighter with that kind of physique would be an incredible addition to my forces. If he could fight like this after sustaining so many injuries, I could only imagine how terrifying he’d be at full strength.

But then again...

Hulgagoblin is still an inferior evolution line, isn’t it?

Would I have to devolve him back to Level 10 and make him go through the entire evolution process again if I wanted him to evolve into a superior variant?

Ugh... that sounds like a pain.

Still, I could worry about that later. Right now, the guy was practically standing at death’s door, and there were still plenty of wolves running around.

First things first. We needed to get him out of this mess.

*****

And so, while the others continued fighting the Horned Gray Wolves, Gopuran and Gopuberry hurried over to the chieftain.

"Hey! Careful!"

Gopuran quickly grabbed one of his massive arms while Gopuberry moved to support him from the other side, trying to keep his enormous body upright.

However, the moment they took some of his weight... the chieftain suddenly slumped against them.

"Ugh...!"

Both goblin girls staggered under his weight, struggling to keep their balance.

Good grief!

Just how much does this guy weigh?!

Even for two Super Forest Goblins, supporting a creature of his size was no easy task!

Still, his weight wasn’t even the biggest problem.

Looking at the terrible condition he was in, I honestly couldn’t understand how he’d managed to survive this long.

His body was covered in deep wounds, his remaining arm was badly mangled, and blood continued dripping from numerous injuries. Several cuts looked deep enough to expose the muscle beneath his skin, while his legs trembled whenever he tried to remain standing.

Even his breathing sounded painful. Every breath came out as a rough, strained gasp.

Then, without warning...

"Blargh!"

The chieftain suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood.

"Hey! Are you alright?!" Gopuran exclaimed, her voice filled with concern.

The enormous goblin coughed several more times, his broad shoulders shaking with each spasm. He tried to swallow the blood in his mouth, but more trickled down his chin before he finally managed to speak.

"Thank you... I’m fine..."

No, you’re definitely not fine, buddy!

His voice was hoarse and weak. The chieftain glanced at the two girls supporting him, then looked toward the other goblins still fighting nearby.

"But... who are you? Which tribe... did you come from?"

"Hehe!" Gopushadow happened to be nearby, dodging a Horned Gray Wolf that lunged at him from the side.

The wolf’s jaws snapped shut just inches from his body.

But the white-haired goblin was already moving.

He twisted aside, slipped past the wolf’s fangs, and flicked his dagger across its throat in one swift motion.

SLASH!

The blade cut straight through the wolf’s artery. Blood sprayed from its neck as the creature stumbled, its legs giving way a moment later.

Gopushadow casually wiped some blood from his face, then flashed the chieftain a grin.

"We come from the Castle Tribe!"

"Huh? The Castle Tribe?"

The chieftain stared at him in confusion.

"Is there... such a tribe in this forest?"

"Yep!" Gopushadow replied cheerfully. "Our leader isn’t a goblin, though. He’s a literal god! He sent us here to find you and help your tribe!"

"...What?!"

The chieftain’s eyes widened.

"A... a god?"

He stared at Gopushadow as though the white-haired goblin had suddenly started speaking an entirely different language.

Meanwhile...

Oh, God. Shadow, what the hell are you telling him now?!

Look at the expression on the poor guy’s face!

And why the hell have you gone straight into marketing mode?!

The chieftain already looked as though his brain was struggling to keep up with everything happening around him. And now Gopushadow had decided to throw the existence of a god into the mix!

Good grief...

Well, whatever. It’s not like I can do much about it.

But then I suddenly realized something.

Perhaps Gopushadow had actually done me a favor.

If the chieftain genuinely believed I was a god, wouldn’t that make recruiting him a little easier later?

After all, who would refuse an offer from a god?

Hehehe...

Nicely done, Shadow!

Keep it up!

"Well, whether he’s actually a god is still a mystery," Gopuberry suddenly chimed in. "But he’s definitely an incredibly powerful being! He’s given us so much power."

"That’s right!" Gopuran added with a firm nod. "In fact, the reason we’ve become this strong is all thanks to him!"

"YEAH! OUR BIG BOSS IS AWESOME!"

Gopuro’s loud voice suddenly rang out from farther away.

The guy had just finished decapitating another Horned Gray Wolf with his fire axe. He raised his weapon triumphantly before turning toward us.

"Big boss gives us power and makes us stronger!!!"

"AND FOOD!" Gopugiga shouted from another part of the battlefield. "THE MOST DELICOUS FOOD IN THE WORLD! UNLIMITED!"

The enormous goblin swung his dark iron axe at one wolf while raising his massive shield with his other hand to block an attack from another.

CRACK!

His axe smashed straight through the wolf’s skull, sending the creature crumpling to the ground.

"YEAH!" Gopuflammy joined in. "AND POWERFUL WEAPONS TOO!"

She hefted her massive iron hammer, grinning as another Horned Gray Wolf lunged at her.

"LIKE THIS!"

BAM!

The hammer came down with a terrifying impact, crushing the wolf’s head and sending its body sprawling across the ground.

Gopuflammy’s eyes gleamed with pride as she admired her weapon.

"HAHAHA! ISN’T IT AWESOME?!"

Meanwhile, the chieftain stared at them.

Then he looked at Gopuran.

Then at Gopuberry.

Then back at the goblins casually slaughtering wolves while enthusiastically praising their supposed god.

For a few seconds, he didn’t say anything.

His expression grew increasingly complicated, as though he were desperately trying to make sense of everything he’d just heard.