Back at the tribe.

  When so many Greater-variant goblins suddenly appeared, Rodel and the others initially thought another goblin tribe was launching an invasion.

  They couldn’t even bear to imagine how much worse another attack would feel after the torment they had just endured.

  “Gob Tian, you guys are back? You all look so much stronger now!”

  Moon called out cheerfully when she saw them.

  Only then did Rodel realize: the entire group of lowly Lesser Goblins had evolved into Greater variants.

  What a terrifying thing!

  Now, this was a tribe with dozens—almost a hundred—Greater goblins.

  Even in the largest corrupted forest of the Lionheart Empire, that would be considered a formidable force.

  Yet this was just a remote corner of the corrupted forest.

  “That leading goblin… what kind of monster is he?! We have to inform the royal knights and my master to wipe out this nightmare tribe as soon as possible!”

  The more Rodel thought about it, the more terrified he became. His entire body trembled.

  If they were allowed to keep growing, it would definitely cause a massive disaster.

  …

  Tian also returned to the tribe. It was time to give the tribe a real name.

  That would make things easier when they eventually went after the Bloodfang Tribe.

  Of course, knowing his style, he’d never bother with a formal declaration of war—a sneak attack was always his preference—but a name was still necessary.

  He gathered all the goblins and asked,

  “Moon, Leah, Gob Tian, and the rest of you—what do you think would be a good name for our tribe?”

  Now that their intelligence had increased a bit after evolving, communicating with them was a little easier.

  Moon thought for a second and said happily,

  “How about ‘Strong Tribe’? We’ll grow big and powerful together! Hehe!”

  “Little Moon, you’re too innocent. Goblin tribes almost always name themselves after their leader.”

  Leah teased gently.

  Gob Tian and Gob Kuang looked at each other, thinking hard.

  Finally one of them spoke up.

  “Boss, how about ‘Dragon-Slaying Tribe’? We’re gonna go slay dragons someday too!”

  Seeing their earnest yet silly expressions, Tian’s eyes lit up.

  “Alright then—let’s just call it Tian Kuang Tribe.”

  He decided on the spot.

  “Tian Kuang Tribe! Tian Kuang Tribe! Tian Kuang Tribe!”

  The goblins erupted in cheers, jumping around and waving their arms.

  Even after evolving, they still couldn’t shake their goofy habits.

  The real reason Tian chose this name was to make outsiders believe Gob Tian and Gob Kuang were the actual leaders.

  That way, he could remain hidden and safe.

  He also planned to focus on training these two as his main fighters.

  The next day, in broad daylight.

  Tian went out alone to scout the Bloodfang Tribe and survey the situation.

  Crossing through the corrupted forest to the far east, he was shocked to discover that the goblin tribes he had previously marked had completely disappeared.

  “Huh? Weren’t the Black Bear Tribe and Warhorse Tribe here? How did they get wiped out?”

  He remembered both tribes had Greater variants. If they teamed up, they could even match the Bloodfang Tribe in strength.

  Yet in such a short time, they had vanished as if they had never existed.

  Stolen story; please report.

  Still, they weren’t his target today. He kept moving toward the Bloodfang Tribe.

  Finally, he reached the outskirts.

  The location was perfect—built right next to a river full of fish, surrounded by open plains.

  In the early days, easy access to food had allowed them to grow rapidly.

  There were at least three hundred goblins living in countless crude huts—probably even more.

  Even in broad daylight, watchtowers were manned and patrols constantly circled the camp.

  Tian couldn’t help but mutter in surprise,

  “So cautious? Could it be…”

  While he was still pondering, a completely different goblin emerged from the largest hut.

  Its entire body was dark brown, smeared with strange blood-red markings. It stood nearly two meters tall.

  Fangs jutted out, and its eyes burned with rage.

  It dragged a bone hammer the size of a small car—clearly made from some creature’s skull and spine.

  Hero-tier!

  Giant Hammer Goblin!

  That monstrous bone hammer was actually larger than its own body.

  In that instant, Tian understood everything.

  “So that’s what happened… After evolving into a Giant Hammer Goblin, it wiped out every nearby goblin tribe. But how did it evolve so quickly?”

  That was the part he couldn’t figure out.

  Then he looked closer—and it clicked.

  The shape of that bone hammer matched the Tier 4 magical beast from the western forest!

  Nether Zebra!

  “So it actually hunted down a Tier 4 beast? No wonder.”

  The Nether Zebra was one of the most powerful monsters in this corrupted forest.

  Its body was at least seven or eight meters long. The head and neck alone were perfect for crafting such a massive hammer.

  Tian immediately pulled up its status panel.

  【War Hammer Goblin (Bloodfang): Lv50

  Race: Goblin

  Class: Advanced Warrior

  Titles: Monster Slayer, Goblin Hero, Blessed by the Gods, Breeding Machine…

  HP: 700

  Strength: 239

  Defense: 114

  Skills: Brutal Hammer Strike, Giant Strength, Stone Skin, Climbing, Silent Step…

  Equipment: Bone Hammer

  Overall: 900】

  Because they lacked iron-forging technology, its stats weren’t actually that impressive.

  The goblins of Tian Kuang Tribe all wore iron armor and carried iron swords. Even though their base stats were average, the difference made by equipment was enormous.

  Still, since they all lived in the same corrupted forest, most of their skills were similar.

  “Doesn’t seem that scary. With an overall combat power of 900… a dozen Goblin Warriors should be able to take it down.”

  Tian muttered thoughtfully.

  But capturing it alive would be difficult.

  This creature had definitely eaten honey badgers from the corrupted forest and developed a strong resistance to paralyzing poison.

  If only that white-robed nun Eveleya could be fully turned to his side…

  He could have her use binding-type holy magic right away.

  “Guess I’ll figure it out after I get back.”

  Since he had seen enough, Tian quietly left the western forest.

  His goal with the Bloodfang Tribe was simple: capture that Giant Hammer Goblin alive and use it as a breeding stud to produce even stronger offspring.

  Only then would he have the strength to stand against the human empire.

  Otherwise, they would eventually be wiped out.

  When he returned to the tribe, the clueless-looking Gob Kuang came running over.

  “Boss, as you ordered, that human… she can’t take it anymore.”

  Tian turned his head.

  Eveleya lay on the ground, unconscious.

  As for Rodel—his real show hadn’t even started yet.

  But after spending the whole day watching his beloved goddess suffer at the hands of goblins again and again, he was already losing his mind.

  Tian slowly walked over and roused Eveleya.

  “Kekeke… does it hurt? Does it feel bad?”

  “Kill… kill me… I want to go before God and atone for my sins!”

  Eveleya woke up and broke down completely.

  But this time, Tian changed his attitude. He brought warm water and gently cleaned her wounds and washed away the filth from her body.

  “Boss is the boss—so clean! Haha!”

  Gob Kuang laughed stupidly from the side.

  For a moment, Eveleya thought Tian was actually being kind. Then she suddenly realized the truth, and panic overwhelmed her.

  “No! I was wrong! I’m losing my mind! It hurts so much!”

  At this, Rodel let out a gut-wrenching roar.

  “You beast! That’s enough! Haven’t you done enough, you filthy, shameless goblin?!”

  Yet Tian put on a heartbroken expression. He pulled Eveleya into his arms and comforted her like a caring elder.

  “It’s okay now… it’s okay… I won’t let them hurt you anymore.”

  Eveleya froze for a second. Then, unable to hold back, she buried her face in his chest and sobbed uncontrollably.

  All the pain, humiliation, and grievances she had bottled up for days poured out.

  To her, the world had lost all color. She had prayed countless times for God to save her.

  But God never answered.

  Only now… had this goblin reached out to her.

  Tian carried her to a large barrel of water and carefully washed her.

  “From now on, as long as I’m here, no goblin will ever harm you again. Understand?”

  While washing her, he spoke to her in a soft, persuasive voice, subtly manipulating her thoughts.

  At that moment, her mind was completely blank—the perfect opportunity for him to manipulate her.

  “Mm… mm… I’m a servant of God… I want to stay by your side forever… as long as you protect me…”

  Eveleya said eagerly, clinging to him like a helpless kitten.

  He continued his relentless psychological conditioning.

  Soon, Eveleya became his devoted follower. In her mind, staying by Tian’s side was the only way to feel safe.

  Nothing else mattered.

  “My divine lord… Eveleya is willing to give everything.”

  At that moment, she obediently nuzzled against his leg like a pet.

  Seeing this, Leah and the others felt nothing but relief that it wasn’t them.

  They couldn’t imagine ending up like that—it would be worse than death.

  Tian’s revenge went beyond physical torment or mental breakdown.

  It was lifelong domination and control.

  One day, he would drag her in front of her old acquaintances and let them witness what she had become.

  As for Rodel—his true hell was only just beginning.

  Gob Kuang and the others grinned wickedly as they closed in on him.

  “Humans really are nice… even the males have such tender skin. He’s older than me, but his skin is still better!”

  “What are you doing? Hey? Hey?! Wait—did you get the wrong person?! Are you serious?!”

  “Aaahhh!”

  That day, deep in the corrupted forest, another “wild beast elder” was born.

  Later, Tian turned to Eveleya and asked,

  “I want to see you use the skill ‘Holy Light Prison.’”

  Now she didn’t dare refuse him even the slightest request—she was terrified he would abandon her if she upset him.

  “Holy Light? Prison? What’s that? Lord God… I don’t know…”

  Eveleya looked confused. She had already forgotten everything about her life as a human.

  Tian brought her the original spellbook.

  After flipping through a few pages, she finally reacted.

  “Holy Light Prison…? Yes… is this it?”

  As soon as Eveleya spoke, the magic within her instinctively began to activate, connecting with the book.