"Mother, why are you defending a goblin?!"

  Cassana’s eyes brimmed with resentment and reluctance.

  Leah still wore that dreamy, infatuated expression. "You don't understand now, child... but one day, you'll see Tian's true worth."

  After speaking, a trace of helplessness flickered in her eyes.

  This was all she could do for now—try to win Tian’s sympathy, earn a little favor, and buy everyone some freedom.

  Only then might they have a chance to escape.

  A few hours later, Tian finally finished his work.

  "Gob Tian, Gob Kuang, come here and force this bastard's eyes open."

  Tian looked over his handiwork with a smug, satisfied grin.

  Two goblins, both a full head taller than the average, immediately stepped forward.

  They intended to make him suffer the utmost despair and pain.

  These two were Tian’s own sons. Their attributes far surpassed those of ordinary goblins, and they were on the verge of evolving into Greater variants.

  So he planned to accept them as his sworn brothers.

  In goblin tribes, family ties meant nothing. They recognized no parents—only the strongest leader.

  If the boss ordered them to kill their own kin or friends, they would obey without hesitation.

  "Ahhh! Damn goblins! You filthy beasts! I’ll kill you! I’ll have the Royal Knights wipe your tribe off the map!"

  Rodel roared in fury, veins bulging on his forehead and neck.

  But no matter how hard he struggled, it was useless.

  "Captain... Captain, I'm fine... The Lord will protect us..."

  Eveleya forced her mouth open with great difficulty.

  Her once pure-white nun’s robe was now caked with dirt.

  Rodel’s heart ached. This was his childhood sweetheart—they had grown up together in the Holy Church.

  And now... she had been reduced to this.

  Tian’s eyes were cold and merciless.

  The torture he had once endured was no less severe than this.

  The difference was: for Eveleya, this was unbearable humiliation and agony.

  But for Rodel, it was endless torment—worse than death.

  Beside him, Rodel kept screaming, "Stop it!" until blood sprayed from his throat.

  But it was useless.

  He could only watch helplessly as the goblins took their revenge.

  At that moment,

  Gob Kuang’s aptitude finally peaked. With enough experience, he began to evolve.

  His body grew to about 1.7 meters.

  His once thin limbs now bulged with muscle—he had clearly become a Greater variant: a Goblin Warrior.

  [Gob Kuang: Level 33

  Race: Goblin

  Class: Warrior (significantly increased attack & defense)

  Titles: Child of Elves, Blessed by the Gods, Monster Slayer…

  HP: 470

  Strength: 142

  Defense: 168

  Skills: Snake Venom, Stone Skin, Silent Step, Climbing, Iron-Blooded Wolf Nature, Giant Fangs, Giant Mountain Body, War Cry

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  Equipment: Simple Iron Armor, Simple Longsword

  Overall: 500]

  As second-generation (elf-hybrid) goblins, they inherited random skills. In addition, their relentless monster hunting had earned them even more abilities.

  The most notable was "War Cry"—a unique Goblin Warrior skill.

  A roar that could stun and briefly paralyze other creatures—though it was ineffective against particularly strong foes.

  Overall combat power wasn’t just about stats—it was measured by real combat performance.

  Even Tian was a little surprised to see these stats.

  Second-gens really were extraordinary: rapid evolution and absurdly high stats.

  They were already close to catching up with him.

  "Gob Tian, Gob Kuang—take the others and continue hunting monsters. Devour as much flesh and blood as you can to level up and evolve."

  Tian gave the order.

  As long as this group of second-gen goblins kept themselves fed, they’d gain experience and break through level 30 to become Greater variants.

  If he could build a tribe of second-gen Greater goblins, they could dominate the entire Corrupted Forest.

  From his recent scouting, he knew there were seven goblin tribes in this forest—not just one.

  Except for the Bloodfang Tribe in the west, the others could be ignored.

  The Bloodfang chief was already a Greater variant, close to evolving into a Hero variant. With over 300 members, they posed a real threat.

  So, the best move was to send the tribe out to grind for levels.

  "Yes, Boss!"

  The goblins marched off in a huge group, sweeping clean everything in their path from north to south.

  Then Tian turned his attention to the dying Eveleya lying on the ground.

  He found a red potion bottle on her—likely a healing potion.

  He had no intention of letting her die so quickly.

  "Why... why are you saving me, you monster?!"

  Eveleya cried out in pain.

  But before she could finish, she was tied up like Rodel to prevent her escape.

  At that moment,

  Rodel finally panicked. He struggled desperately to break free, but Moon kept injecting him with toxin, leaving him in a constant state of paralysis.

  He knew—it was now his turn!

  "Heh, don’t get worked up. Take deep breaths. Feeling dizzy is normal."

  Tian lifted him down from the rock.

  He wandered the woods for a while, then tinkered with the kiln.

  He crafted some crude but effective torture tools.

  He intended to return every bit of torment he’d suffered—multiplied.

  "No way... You're just a goblin—how can you be this twisted?!"

  Rodel stared at the rough, ugly, yet perfectly shaped torture devices, his pupils trembling in fear.

  A flood of fear swept over him.

  "Wait! That’s not even sanitary! What if it gets infected? Wait—stop! Stop! Aaaargh!"

  A blood-curdling scream filled the air.

  Rodel finally experienced what it meant to be better off dead.

  Everything he had once done to monsters, he now felt himself.

  …

  Several hours later,

  "Demons! You’re all demons! Captain, hold on..." Eveleya sobbed uncontrollably.

  Eveleya wept until she was a tear-soaked mess, unable to look at Rodel.

  She feared his pride would drive him to bite his tongue and end his own life.

  Rodel lay on the ground, covered in blood—no one could tell if he was dead or alive.

  He was tied up once more. Only now was the ordeal finally over.

  Much of the rage in Tian’s heart had finally subsided.

  Next, he needed to prepare for the inevitable human purge.

  But he wasn’t too worried—they wouldn’t find this place anytime soon.

  "Boss! We’re back! We wiped out all the nearby monsters. Almost everyone has evolved into Greater variants!"

  At that moment, Gob Tian and the others called out from the distance.

  A group of oddly shaped goblins slowly approached.

  They looked strange, as Greater variants had many branches—not just Goblin Warriors.

  Tian’s eyes lit up with satisfaction.

  With this lineup, they could crush the Bloodfang Tribe, capture their chief, and create third-generation goblins.

  To produce true third-generation goblins, a Goblin Hero was needed as the sire.

  Even though the Bloodfang chief was only a Greater variant, Tian knew that evolving him would be easy once he fell into his hands.

  Tian quickly checked the types of evolved goblins they now had.

  50 Goblin Warriors—excellent attack and defense, but otherwise average.

  20 Goblin Assassins.

  About the same size as Lesser Goblins—roughly 1.2 meters tall, with pitch-black skin for better stealth.

  Their ears were longer and sharper, and their red eyes had turned a ghostly green.

  Gob Tian himself had evolved into a Goblin Assassin.

  [Gob Tian: Level 31

  Race: Goblin

  Class: Assassin (significantly increased speed)

  Titles: Child of Elves, Blessed by the Gods, Cunning Hunter, Monster Slayer...

  HP: 300

  Strength: 130

  Defense: 80

  Skills: Night Stealth, Fatal Ambush...

  Equipment: Simple Iron Armor, Simple Shortsword

  Overall: 450]

  Although their stats weren’t as high as the Warriors’, their overall combat power was even greater.

  Assassins were far more troublesome than Warriors.

  You never knew when one would slip from the shadows and strike from behind.

  There were also a few Goblin Shamans, and a single Evil Goblin.

  Goblin Shamans specialized in group healing and support.

  But the Evil Goblin... that was something special.

  "Damn, if only I could become an Evil Goblin too. Too bad I can’t evolve into Greater—I can only go straight to god-tier."

  Tian muttered with obvious envy.

  Right now, he’d rather be an Evil Goblin than a Goblin God—it sounded much more fun.

  [Evil Goblin: Level 30

  Race: Goblin

  Class: None

  Titles: Child of Elves, Blessed by the Gods, Monster Slayer, Strong Kidneys & Bones...

  HP: 200

  Strength: 71

  Defense: 44

  Skills: ****, ****

  Equipment: Simple Iron Armor, Simple Shortsword

  Overall: 150]

  Its combat power was abysmal.

  But those skills... would make anyone envious.

  "You guys head back first. I’m going into the forest with this Evil Goblin to... have a little chat about life."

  Tian gave the order.

  He then commanded the Evil Goblin to follow him deep into the Corrupted Forest.

  "Ahhh! Boss!!"

  A miserable scream echoed through the woods.

  Birds scattered in fright.

  "A one-in-a-million chance! How could I possibly let it go?!"

  Deep in the forest, Tian devoured the Evil Goblin’s flesh bite by bite.

  He ate every last scrap, gaining all its skills in the process.

  The odds of a Greater variant mutating into an Evil Goblin were extremely low.

  So Tian simply killed it and took its skills for himself.