From Goblin to God

Chapter 6: Hunting the Elves

The Goblin Priest bent down and grabbed the weapon, a sinister grin spreading across his face. “Heh, heh! It is an iron weapon!”

Suddenly, his expression darkened, and he glared at Oliver. “Now, you can die!”

In a flash, he charged, moving far faster than Oliver expected.

“What? This old fool is more cunning than I thought!” Oliver had anticipated the priest’s attack but didn’t expect such a quick and ruthless strike.

Clang!

Metal clashed, sparks flying as Oliver barely managed to block.

The Goblin Priest sneered, thinking he had the upper hand. “Heh, heh! Goblins like you don’t belong here!”

But when he turned back, Oliver stood unharmed. His armor had absorbed the blow.

The priest’s eyes bulged with rage. Before he could react, a spearhead pierced his chest.

“You! Argh! I am going to kill you!” he roared, trying to fight back.

Oliver wasn’t fooled. He had prepared several spearheads in advance. As soon as the priest lunged again, Oliver hurled the spears.

Swish, swish, swish!

Spears lodged into the priest’s head, chest, arms, and face, bringing him down in seconds.

“Weaker than I thought,” Oliver remarked, surprised at how easy the fight had been. “I guess I overestimated goblin defenses.”

With the Goblin Priest dead, Oliver could now seize control of the tribe and prepare for his revenge on the bearded man and the white-robed nun.

The priest, writhing on the ground, begged for his life. “Don’t kill me! I took you in—you can’t kill me!” His voice wavered, pitiful yet eerie.

Oliver’s gaze turned cold. “Did you forget? I’m a goblin, after all.”

Survival was all that mattered now.

Just then, the goblins who had been out gathering wood returned. Upon seeing the scene, they grew restless, unsure what to do.

Sensing his chance, the priest shouted, “Kill him! Kill him!” using his summoning skill.

His voice pierced the forest, but the goblins hesitated. The priest’s authority had crumbled, and his skill failed to compel them.

Oliver picked up his crescent blade, stepping over the fallen priest. “From now on, I’m your new boss! I’ll lead you to hunt elves, fight humans, and feast on as much meat as you want!”

The goblins erupted in cheers, “New boss! New boss!”

Slash!

Oliver severed the priest’s arm and tossed it to the goblins.

“Boss! Boss!” they shouted as they swarmed to devour the priest’s remains.

Oliver stepped back, letting them finish. He had now secured his position as the tribe leader and gained the priest’s “Summon” skill.

“Boss, what’s happening?” Goblin Moon, woken by the commotion, staggered out of her tent, leaning on a stick.

Oliver quickly explained. Goblin Moon’s eyes widened in shock. “You killed the priest? But his stats were so high!”

“Thanks to you,” Oliver said, smiling. “Now go rest. I have more to handle.”

Once the goblins calmed down, Oliver equipped them with the fifty iron spears they had crafted, vastly boosting their combat strength.

He rallied the tribe, pushing them to gather more iron ore. Every goblin needed weapons and armor. Future battles with the elves require more resources, and capturing them allows them to expand their tribe’s numbers through breeding.

Elves, after all, could give birth to goblins that would evolve into higher, stronger forms than those born from animals.

Five days later, the goblins had gathered enough ore to begin large-scale forging. Once fully armed and armored, the goblin tribe looked formidable, like a small army. Their only weakness was their lack of intelligence and tactics, still relying heavily on instinct during combat.

“Today, we hunt in the enchanted forest, killing monsters!” Oliver commanded from atop a rock.

“Follow my orders, or you’ll die!”

He intended to train them, making their upcoming battle with the elves much smoother.

The goblin army marched out in perfect formation. Birds scattered, and animals fled in terror.

Soon, they spotted a third-tier enchanted beast—a massive black-brown bear devouring a large deer. Like an elephant, the bear’s sheer size and the fallen trees proved its strength.

Killing it would be difficult, and Oliver knew the goblins weren’t ready for such a challenge. Instead, second-tier creatures would be better targets.

Eventually, they encountered a pack of seven or eight second-tier enchanted wolves. Each wolf was as large as a donkey; even the elves avoided these fierce creatures. Worse still, the alpha wolf was a skilled tactician.

“Boss, are we going to hunt enchanted wolves?” a goblin asked, trembling.

Oliver thought for a moment before nodding. “Yes. Killing them will strengthen us significantly.”

The system revealed that these wolves possessed a powerful skill: Iron-Blooded Wolf Nature. Once they saw blood, their attributes increased by 20%, and they lost the ability to feel pain for three minutes.

“You! Go left! You! Go right! Surround the pack!” Oliver barked.

Despite their fear, the goblins obeyed, surrounding the wolves from all sides.

“Pressure them!” Oliver ordered.

The goblins moved in closer, pointing their iron spears at the wolves, forcing them into a tight space. The wolves growled and paced restlessly, trying to break free. But each time they tried, they were met with spears, leaving them bloodied.

“Hold steady! Don’t break formation! Tighten the circle!” Oliver commanded.

As blood poured from the wolves’ wounds, they grew frantic, crashing wildly into the spears, ignoring the alpha’s commands. Before long, they began collapsing from blood loss.

Though slightly shaken by the wolves’ strength, the goblins held their formation.

“We did it! We killed the wolves!” they cheered.

“Long live Boss!”

As the goblins celebrated, they began feasting on the wolves’ bodies.

[Skill Acquired: Iron-Blooded (Passive Skill: Upon seeing blood in battle, gain a 20% boost to all attributes and lose the ability to feel pain for 3 minutes)]

After the feast, Oliver heard the system notification in his mind. The goblins had unlocked their unique ability, Gene Devour, which allowed them to grow stronger by consuming powerful creatures.

Though initially weak, Goblins held the potential to become some of the strongest beings thanks to their “Divine Blessing.”

A glance revealed most goblins had leveled up to 10, with the most substantial reaching level 13. Their attributes had doubled.

But it still wasn’t enough.

The next target was the black-brown bear, whose Mountainous Might skill could dramatically boost their HP, strength, and defense.

Three days later, the goblin army had killed three second-tier creatures: enchanted wolves, giant boars, and earth monsters. They also defeated four first-tier creatures, including tailless cats, ghost-faced monkeys, two-headed snakes, and wandering spirits.

Alongside Iron-Blooded, they gained Giant Fangs, which increased attack power, and Stone-Skin, which boosted their defense by 15 points, acting like plate armor.

Most importantly, the goblins acquired Climbing and Stealth—crucial skills for their upcoming attack on the elf village.

Suddenly, the ground began trembling rhythmically, as if something massive was approaching.

Oliver’s eyes narrowed. “Perfect timing. The black-brown bear! Everyone, climb the trees!”

The goblins scampered up the trees like monkeys, blending into the shadows.

Sure enough, the massive black-brown bear appeared, its crimson eyes glowing in the darkness like lanterns.

Its thunderous breathing signaled its immense size. Weighing over 20 tons, the bear’s dense bones, thick muscles, and needle-like fur made it the apex predator in this forest—feared even by wolf packs.

The bear sniffed the air, detecting the mushrooms Oliver had used as bait. It lumbered over and began devouring them.

The goblins held their breath, watching the terrifying beast from their hiding spots.

[Black-Brown Bear: Lv33 | Species: Third-Tier Magical Beast | Title: Ferocious and Brutal, Feared by All, Unshakable as a Mountain | Strength: 219 | Defense: 300 | HP: 1022 | Skills: Savage Tear, Rampage, Mountainous Might | Equipment: None | Combat: 410]

The black-brown bear devoured the mushrooms in massive gulps, consuming hundreds of pounds in mere moments. It was ready to leave.

Sensing the perfect opportunity to strike, Oliver shouted, “Shoot it!”

“Ahhh!”

From the treetops, the goblins let out war cries and hurled their iron spears down at the beast.

One after another, the spears struck the bear, but to their dismay, they barely scratched its thick hide. The power of a third-tier magical beast far exceeded anything they had encountered.

Enraged, the black-brown bear went berserk, rampaging through the forest. Though it couldn’t climb trees, its wild charges brought down towering trunks—some tens of meters high—like they were twigs, forcing the goblins to flee in terror.

Oliver’s expression hardened. “This doesn’t add up. The poison from the death mushrooms should have killed even a fourth-tier magical beast. Why isn’t it dying? Is it immune?”

He quickly recalled that the black-brown bear had no skills granting toxin immunity. The mushrooms it devoured were poisonous, and the spears were coated with venom from the two-headed snake. It seemed the bear’s sheer size was slowing the poison’s effects.

“Ahhh!”

Goblins screamed as the bear began swallowing them whole, one by one. In a matter of moments, four or five goblins were gone.

Suddenly, Oliver’s eyes lit up. “You’re finished now.”

The goblins themselves carried the two-headed snake’s venom. Once inside the bear’s body, the poison would act even faster.

Sure enough, the bear’s movements grew sluggish. It attempted to charge at the trees, but its strikes became erratic, missing their mark.

Boom!

With a loud crash, the black-brown bear finally collapsed.

“Gah gah gah!”

The goblins erupted into wild celebration, dancing with glee.

Oliver quickly ordered, “Eat it all! Gain the skill, then move out!”

Although Gene Devour didn’t always guarantee skill acquisition, the odds were high this time.

[Congratulations, host! You have acquired the skill ‘Mountainous Might.’ HP doubled!]

After they finished feasting, plenty of the bear’s flesh remained, but they had no choice but to leave it behind. The noise would undoubtedly attract more dangerous magical beasts.

Back at the camp, Oliver surveyed his goblins with satisfaction. Their strength had grown significantly.

[Goblin: Lv18 | Species: Goblin | Career: None | Title: Lowborn Goblin, Blasphemer, Blessed by the Gods, God to be, Beast Slayer | Strength: 29 | Defense: 40 | HP: 231 | Skills: Gene Devouring, Iron-Blooded, Giant Fangs, Stone-Skin | Equipment: Basic Iron Spear, Simple Plate Armor | Combat: 250]

Even a random goblin now had a combat power of over 200, comparable to a regular human adventurer.

Oliver hadn’t neglected Goblin Moon either. Her level had reached 30, and her overall power was now 400, rivaling that of the bearded man from before.

“After all that effort, we’ve finally seen a real boost in strength,” Oliver reflected, savoring the scent of roasting meat around the campfire.

His growth had been slow, but it was the best he could manage in this harsh, unforgiving world. Here, survival itself was the ultimate challenge.

Goblin Moon had become docile, following him like a loyal pet. Despite this, Oliver still treated her as a friend. He thought aloud, “It’s time to attack the elf village. Doing so will greatly increase the tribe’s power.”

“Boss, what are we going to do next?” Goblin Moon asked, her curiosity piqued. She had become like a kitten, obedient and docile. She had fully become his plaything.

However, Oliver still considered her a friend. He thought, “It’s time to attack the elf village. Doing that will significantly boost our tribe’s strength.”

His power was now enough to confront the bearded man, but his master, the Sword Saintess, was another matter. If they encountered her by chance, they would be doomed.

To ensure victory, Oliver needed to capture elves, breed them, and create a more robust generation of goblins. He wasn’t going to suffer like he had before.

This time, he would be the one hunting. And a hunter always sharpens his blades before the chase.

In the north, the elf Forest's towering trees marked the location of the elf village. The elves lived high above, carving their homes into the thick branches of the ancient trees.