Chapter 1: Birth of the Goblin Emperor
The strange misty forest and the dim goblin dungeon. A filthy place.
In the popular novels of the Rubin Kingdom, this place was always described by its authors as terrifying to virtuous women and enough to silence a crying child. And such detailed descriptions were not without basis.
At the very least, the people of the Rubin Kingdom held great hatred toward the goblins living here. Adventurers often came to exterminate them and used the goblin's left ear as proof to claim a small income from the Rubin Kingdom.
Now, the season when goblins reproduced the most fiercely had arrived. People believed that the disappearance of many women must surely be related to these evil goblins.
At this moment, in a hidden goblin cave, a shocking event was taking place.
A group of goblins, barely more than one meter tall, with green skin, pointed ears, and sharp teeth, surrounded a stone altar, kneeling and chanting enthusiastically. They spoke in an unclear language, and faint noises echoed from the depths of the cave.
Among them, two skinny purple-skinned goblins wearing fur hats—one old and one young—raised wooden staffs and chanted sorcerous whispers fervently.
Four white goblins, two to three meters tall and bulky, crouched at the cave's entrance. Their bodies formed a living shield, vigilant against the possible arrival of human adventurers.
On the stone platform deep within the cave, a golden goblin infant curled up. It weighed about four pounds and looked almost like a human baby.
This was without a doubt a miracle.
Though goblins were infamous as cannon fodder, they had one advantage recognized across the world: their ability to reproduce in great numbers, quickly, and mature just as fast.
A single female could give birth to seven children every seven days, seven in each birth. They needed only seven days to form and seven more days to reach adulthood. As long as there was enough food and a livable environment, goblins could multiply in massive numbers in less than a month.
Strangely, in this cave there were only female goblins, barely over a meter tall. Many of the babies they gave birth to were as tiny as imaginable, most weighing less than one kilogram.
Yet now, a miracle occurred.
A single goblin female gave birth to only one goblin child—then died from exhaustion.
The goblins did not grieve. Instead, they cheered in joy.
As creatures of a lowly race, goblins were fated to be weak from birth. Because of this, they longed for strength—for themselves and for their kin.
They might fight among themselves, but when a more advanced individual appeared, they would worship and obey unconditionally.
Perhaps the gods had felt the yearning in the goblins' hearts and granted this race more possibilities.
The towering, bulky White Goblins; the Purple Goblins with extraordinary intelligence and magical power; the mighty Crimson Goblins; the terrifying Black Violent Goblins; and their leaders, the Silver Goblin Kings.
All of these had once appeared in goblin history. Even now, some still survived in the corners of this world, like the two purple goblins and four white goblins here, feared by humans.
And now, a goblin that had almost never appeared before had been born: a Golden Emperor Goblin, a being that might appear once in tens of thousands of years—or even longer. It was impossible for two to exist in the same world.
The Goblin Emperor, Kaelar, had been born.
When an emperor is born, the predetermined name is known and remembered by all goblins in the world. The goblins cheered and danced with delight.
On the stone platform, a pair of golden eyes slowly opened. He looked down at the dozens of ugly creatures below and fell into deep thought.
At that moment, he understood everything.
This was his race. The genes carved within him told him he was a goblin.
Realizing this, Altair thought hard.
Didn't I take sleeping pills because I couldn't sleep? How did I reincarnate? Did I accidentally die in my sleep?
That seemed to be the only explanation.
Altair fell silent, then accepted it.
This was him. This was his new life. He must not hesitate, for goblins in this world had no future.
Altair stood and looked around. Though it was dark, his vision was clear. He began observing his own form.
In front of him, he could see the specific values and development paths of each goblin, even copying their information panels.
And his own values:
Individual Name: Golden Emperor Goblin (Kaelar)
Age: Unlimited
Attack: 33 (+3)
Vitality: 33 (+3)
Magic: 33 (+3)
Intelligence: 33 (+3)
Impact Resistance: 33 (+3)
Magic Resistance: 33 (+3)
Attribute: None
Occupation: None
Genetic Talent: None
The genes told Altair that the base values (without parentheses) would not change and could even be inherited. The values in parentheses were growth affected by external factors, which could rise or fall.
The Goblin Emperor had no attributes, but could copy the attributes of any goblin. He also had no occupation, for he was born an emperor.
Altair then looked toward the old purple goblin standing in the dim cave.
Individual Name: Purple Goblin (Not descendant)
Age: 1 year
Attack: 2 (+8)
Vitality: 12 (+32)
Mana: 25 (+83)
Intelligence: 10 (+31)
Impact Resistance: 1 (+1)
Magic Resistance: 8 (+26)
Attribute: Fire
Occupation: Goblin Shaman (fixed)
Genetic Talent: Magic
Then he looked at the young purple goblin.
Individual Name: Purple Goblin (Not descendant)
Age: 5 years
Attack: 2 (+9)
Vitality: 13 (+40)
Mana: 24 (+56)
Intelligence: 9 (+19)
Impact Resistance: 2 (+2)
Magic Resistance: 8 (+23)
Attribute: Water
Occupation: Goblin Shaman (selectable)
Genetic Talent: Vitality, Water, Physical Resistance
This younger goblin had better endurance than the elder, but its mana and intelligence caps were lower. Even so, it had many genetic traits that could be inherited.
Altair pondered. The innate information did not give detailed explanations about advanced genetic traits. He could only guess: if a goblin with the water attribute had offspring with another bearing a different talent, their children might possess both.
It should be noted: without attributes, goblins could still gain them through training, but such traits were unlikely to be inherited.
It seems I'll have to try later.
The strong gave birth to the strong—that was how goblins evolved. Yet until now, all powerful goblins had been conquered by humans. Only the weak remained, living in misery.
From this point on, Altair would lead this wretched race. Their path lay only in two directions: destruction or rebirth.
For the emperor was both the king protected by all goblins, and the existence humans—and even BOSS-level beings—wanted to annihilate.
The presence of a Goblin Emperor threatened the order of the world.
"I am no longer human."
Altair—no, the Goblin Emperor Kaelar—stood tall, his expression calm and indifferent, and silently raised his right hand.
The ugly creatures within the cave cheered with joy.
Seven days later.
With enough food, Altair grew to the size of a fourteen-year-old human youth. He sat in the cave, wearing a fur mantle, waiting for his coming of age.
But now, he looked at the lowly goblins who had just returned from hunting, then saw a young human girl dragged to his side.
The girl wore tattered fine clothing, her face full of fear. A strong sense of crisis immediately radiated from her eyes.