The goblins on guard duty shrieked urgently, and as Kurzadh clutched his stone spear and rushed out of the cave, his heart was in his throat—he thought the dwarves had returned, or that they had encountered even fiercer greenskins.
But when he looked out of the cave entrance, he saw a few goblin, responsible for gathering firewood, carrying something along the path by the stream, stumbling and excitedly chirping "Damn, Damn" as they walked.
Only when they came closer did Kurzadh see what they were carrying—it was half a head taller than a goblin, as thin as a piece of dehydrated firewood, with dark yellow skin, two pointed little ears on its head, and wrapped in an even more tattered sackcloth. It was currently unconscious, eyes closed and unmoving.
"Hobgoblin?!" Kurzadh's heart skipped a beat.
Although he hadn't seen one with his own eyes, he had seen similar figures when playing games in his previous life—this was definitely a hobgoblin! The hobgoblin that needed to be subdued for the system quest!
He quickly went to meet them. Seeing him approach, the goblin carrying the hobgoblin immediately put it down, pointed at the hobgoblin, and chirped excitedly as if presenting a treasure, patting their own chests, meaning, "boss, look, we found something good."
Kurzadh was overjoyed and didn't bother with any formalities. He reached out and patted the head of the leading goblin, then ruffled its green fur—this was the key to him completing his quest! That goblin was so praised that its tail almost wagged off, grinning foolishly. The others nearby also puffed out their chests, looking smug.
Kurzadh squatted down to examine the hobgoblin.
The hobgoblin didn't look old, its face was still covered in mud, its lips were cracked, and its stomach was severely sunken, likely having fainted from hunger.
He reached out and checked the hobgoblin's breathing—it was still breathing, but very weakly.
He tried to push it, and the hobgoblin whimpered twice but didn't open its eyes. It seemed it wouldn't wake up anytime soon.
"Carry it inside first." Kurzadh pointed with his claw at the cave, then designated two of the most agile goblins to guard the hobgoblin, ensuring other goblins wouldn't cause trouble and to keep an eye on it.
After making arrangements, his excitement hadn't subsided—this was the last hobgoblin he needed! Once it woke up, whether by force or persuasion, he had to make it submit. Once the system quest was completed, he might become even stronger.
He suppressed his thoughts and turned back to sharpening his stone spear.
The previous one was just a test, but now the more he looked at it, the less handy it felt. He simply found a sharper Kurzadh and squatted by the fire, slowly grinding it.
The spearhead needed to be sharper, the wooden shaft straighter, and the grass rope tighter—it was always good to have a few more handy weapons.
The sun slowly set, and the forest quickly darkened, becoming completely black in no time.
The fire in the cave burned brightly. Twelve goblins huddled around the fire, some warming their hands, some scratching each other. Scarface squatted beside Kurzadh, watching the stone spear in his hand, his eyes shining.
Kurzadh hadn't been idle this past half-day. Besides sharpening his own stone spear until it gleamed coldly, he had also made one for each of the three strongest goblins—though smaller than his, their spearheads were also ground sharp enough to be useful.
He distributed the stone spears to the three goblins, who held them, chirping excitedly, and poked them into the ground, almost hitting the feet of other goblins.
"Behave!" Kurzadh tapped the head of one of them. That goblin quickly retracted its spear, squatted down obediently, but still couldn't resist touching the spearhead with its claw.
Kurzadh smiled and added a log to the fire.
The flames crackled, illuminating the surrounding greenskin faces, making them flicker between light and shadow.
He stared at the dancing flames, and a memory from his previous life suddenly flashed through his mind—back then, he had just started his company, also guarding a small office with only a few employees, working overtime until midnight, just grabbing takeout to eat. But at that time, his heart felt bright, always feeling like there was a future.
He never expected that in this life, he would become a goblin, guarding a pile of greenskin little things, gathered around a fire, and actually feel something similar.
While lost in thought, a goblin suddenly rushed into the cave entrance—it was the one on night watch. It ran so fast it almost tripped over Kurzadh, then it shrieked wildly in front of him, pointing its claw at the cave entrance, its eyes filled with panic.
Kurzadh's heart sank, and he instantly sobered up—something had happened!
He didn't ask further. He kicked awake the goblin dozing next to him, then pointed at a few others, giving orders with a low "Damn."
The greenskins reacted quickly, especially those accustomed to his commands. They all immediately scrambled up. The three goblin holding stone spears quickly raised their spears, and Scarface also grabbed a large stone, following them to the cave entrance.
Just as he reached the entrance, Kurzadh saw two dark figures crouching not far from it, their green eyes glowing terrifyingly in the dark night—they were wolves!
And they were two rather large wild wolves, with dusty grey fur, baring their sharp teeth, glaring fiercely in the direction of the cave, emitting low "woo woo" growls from their throats.
Kurzadh's heart skipped a beat.
Greenskin corpses were everywhere in this forest, so these wolves shouldn't be lacking food. Why would they come here to attack them? Was it the scent of the roasted wolf meat that attracted them? Or were these wolves so starved that they would pounce on any living thing?
Before he could figure it out, the two wolves shifted forward, pawing at the ground with their front paws, as if testing the waters.
They didn't charge immediately, probably wary of the firelight in the cave, or perhaps they were assessing if these "green little things" were enough to fill their bellies.
Kurzadh tightened his grip on the stone spear.
A direct confrontation would definitely not be worth it. Wolves' teeth and claws were much more formidable than goblin claws. If they charged, he would likely lose a few subordinates.
He glanced at the cave behind him—the entrance wasn't wide, only enough for one wolf to pass side by side. This presented an opportunity.
He immediately had an idea. He let out a low "Damn" to the goblins beside him, then pointed inside the cave, making a "retreat" gesture.
Then he led the way backward, deliberately retreating in a panicked manner, and also made the goblin holding stone spears shrink back, feigning fear.
The two wolves fell for it, as expected.
Seeing Kurzadh and his group retreat, they thought these greenskins were scared. They exchanged glances, then suddenly let out a howl, and charged towards the cave entrance, moving as fast as two grey shadows.
"Now!" Kurzadh yelled in his heart. As he retreated to the inner side of the cave entrance, he suddenly flashed to the side, hiding behind the rock wall—this was a blind spot at the entrance, invisible from the outside.
The three goblin holding stone spears also quickly followed and hid, one sticking to the left rock wall with him, and two to the right, all pointing their spearheads at the cave entrance.
The other goblins, frightened by his earlier growl, also knew to hide, shrinking into the depths of the cave, only peeking out their small heads nervously.
"Awooo—Awooo—" The wolves' panting grew closer, and then, the first wolf darted into the cave entrance.
As it rushed in and saw the situation inside, before it could even pounce, Kurzadh suddenly sprang out from behind the rock wall, thrusting his stone spear forward with all his might—
"Pfft!"
The spearhead accurately pierced the wolf's neck, embedding more than half its length.
The wolf let out a tragic "Ow!", trembling violently from the pain, its claws swiping at Kurzadh, but it was blocked by the length of the stone spear and couldn't reach him.
Almost simultaneously, the two goblins on the right moved. They raised their stone spears and stabbed at the wolf's belly and hind leg.
With two "Puff" sounds, the stone spears also plunged into the wolf's body.
The second wolf followed closely behind, rushing in. Seeing its companion stabbed, it let out a distressed "Woo!" and lunged at Kurzadh.
Kurzadh was prepared; he quickly pulled back, extracting his stone spear, and at the same time, kicked the goblin next to him, signaling them to move aside.
The wolf lunged at empty air, getting stuck right in the cave entrance.
The goblin on the left holding a stone spear seized the opportunity to thrust forward, and the spearhead embedded itself in the wolf's front leg.
"Ow—!" Both wolves howled in agony at the cave entrance, blood dripping down the stone spears, staining the muddy ground at the entrance.
Kurzadh didn't give them a chance to struggle. He let out a loud "Damn" towards the goblins deeper in the cave—this was his command for them to attack!
The inherent ferocity in the greenskins was stirred by the roar, and seeing their boss and their spear-wielding companions gaining the upper hand, they instantly lost their fear.
Scarface was the first to grab a large stone and charge forward, smashing it onto the first wolf's head with a "Clang!" The wolf, already weakened from the stabs, took the blow, its head lolled, and its cries grew weaker.
The other goblins also rushed forward, some picking up stones to smash, some scratching with their claws, and some even pouncing to bite with their teeth.
Although there was no strategy, there were many of them, densely surrounding the two wolves and wildly attacking.
Kurzadh held his stone spear, watching the wolf that hadn't been knocked out. It was still struggling, trying to escape, but the cave entrance was blocked by its companion's body, and it was surrounded and attacked by the goblins, unable to move at all.
Kurzadh found an opportunity and thrust his spear into its eye—this blow was ruthless. The wolf's body convulsed violently, then became still.
Before long, the first wolf was also silenced by Scarface's stone blows.
The goblins were still attacking, so Kurzadh quickly called a halt—if they kept hitting, the wolves would be completely mangled, and they might even injure their own people.
The goblins finally stopped, each panting heavily, some with blood on their claws, some with wolf fur on their faces, but all with wide eyes, chirping excitedly, circling the two dead wolves.
Kurzadh sighed in relief, leaning on his stone spear and panting, his palms covered in sweat.
He looked at the wolf carcasses on the ground—both wolves were quite large, together probably weighing over a hundred pounds. Not only did they not suffer a loss, but they also gained two "big meals."
He kicked the wolf carcasses, then looked at the goblins around him—the three goblins with stone spears were proudly holding their spears, blood still dripping from the tips.
Scarface was holding a large stone, his face smeared with blood, but smiling brightly; the other goblins also surrounded the wolf carcasses, their eyes shining, clearly hungry.
Kurzadh smiled and added a log to the fire.
They wouldn't go hungry tonight, and after this commotion, these subordinates would probably be even more loyal to him.
He squatted down, looking at the wolf carcasses, and suddenly remembered the still-unconscious hobgoblin—when the hobgoblin woke up tomorrow and saw these wolf carcasses, it might submit obediently without a fight.
Thinking this, his heart felt even brighter.
The firelight reflected off the wolf carcasses and the surrounding greenskin faces. Although the smell of blood still lingered in the cave, there was an indescribable warmth permeating the air.