Ba Tu crouched behind the crude rock barrier. The cave entrance stayed dark and silent. His small tribe chewed on cold human meat. The big goblin with the missing ear licked grease from his fingers and stared at him.
The female goblin sat closest. She kept glancing at Ba Tu while feeding tiny bits of meat to her pup. "You… not like other goblin."
Ba Tu wiped his hands on the dead swordsman's cloak. He did not answer right away. His short-term goal was clear. Turn these seven weaklings into something useful before the next group of humans arrived.
He stood up. His legs already felt steadier after the level up. "Listen up. From now on, we don't just hide and eat scraps. We hunt. We grow. We take."
The missing-ear goblin snorted. "Take what? Humans come. Humans kill. Same every moon."
Ba Tu walked over and kicked a stripped human rib toward him. "Then we make sure the next humans die first. You. What's your name?"
The brute blinked. "Gruk."
"Gruk." Ba Tu pointed at the pile of stolen weapons. "You carry the big sword. The rest of you grab sticks and stones. We move the bodies deeper into the forest. Hide the blood trail."
Gruk hesitated only a second. Then he grabbed the glowing sword with both hands. The weight made his arms shake, but he did not complain.
The female goblin stood. "I… Grixa. I come too."
Ba Tu nodded once. "Good. Stay close. If you run, I feed you to the others."
They dragged the three corpses out under the moonlight. Ba Tu made them scatter leaves and dirt over the blood patches. Every few steps he stopped and listened. Distant voices still echoed far away. More humans searching.
They will come. Good. He needed more essence. More despair. More followers.
When the bodies were hidden in thick bushes, Ba Tu gathered the tribe in a small clearing. He forced them to sit in a rough circle. "We need rules. First rule. I eat first. I choose first. You obey. You live. You betray. You die screaming."
Gruk scratched his missing ear. "What if bigger goblin come? Orcs. They smash us."
Ba Tu smiled with sharp teeth. "Then we make the orcs scream instead. Watch."
He walked to the nearest tree and slammed his small fist into the bark. The impact stung, but he did not flinch. A thin crack appeared. "Strength grows. We grow together. Or we die together."
Grixa's eyes widened. She clutched her pup tighter but did not look away.
Ba Tu pointed at Gruk. "You. Take two others. Scout the trail the humans came from. Find their camp. Come back before sunrise. Report everything."
Gruk stood slowly. "Why me?"
"Because you talk the most. Time to work." Ba Tu stared him down until Gruk lowered his head and picked two scrawny goblins to follow.
The rest stayed behind. Ba Tu made them dig a deeper hole in the cave floor. A simple storage pit for meat and weapons. While they dug, he sat on a rock and checked the system.
[Current Status]
[Host: Low Goblin (Level 2)]
[Despair Points: 45]
[Genetic Essence: 30/100]
[Followers: 7 (1 loyal)]
He needed more. Fast.
Hours crawled by. Gruk and the two scouts returned just as the sky began to lighten. They dragged a half-dead wild goblin behind them. The creature had an arrow in its leg and whimpered nonstop.
Gruk dropped it in front of Ba Tu. "Found this one hiding. Humans wounded it. Their camp is small. Six more humans. Two tents. One fire. They talk about 'clearing the goblin nest' by noon."
Ba Tu's eyes narrowed. Noon. Perfect timing.
He crouched beside the wounded goblin. The creature looked up with terrified eyes. "Please… not kill…"
Ba Tu grabbed the arrow shaft and twisted it slowly. The goblin screamed. Fresh blood flowed.
[Despair Points gained: +18]
Ba Tu kept twisting. "Tell me everything you saw. How many swords. How many bows. Where they sleep."
The wounded goblin babbled between screams. Six humans. Three warriors, two archers, one healer. They planned to burn the whole area.
When the information ran dry, Ba Tu snapped the goblin's neck with a quick twist. He ripped out the small core.
[Genetic Essence absorbed: +4]
[Total Genetic Essence: 34/100]
Not much. But every bit counted.
Ba Tu stood and faced his tribe. "Six humans think they can burn us out. We hit them first. Before the sun rises high."
Gruk shifted nervously. "Six? We only seven. And small."
Ba Tu pointed at the stolen sword in Gruk's hands. "You have steel now. I have a plan. We use the forest. We use fear. Follow exactly. Or die."
He laid out the attack in simple steps. Grixa and two others would circle behind and make noise to draw attention. Gruk and the strongest would charge from the front once the humans split. Ba Tu would strike from the shadows.
Grixa swallowed hard but nodded. "I do it."
They moved through the trees like silent rats. The human camp came into view just as the sky turned pale gray. A small fire crackled. Three humans slept. Two stood guard. One healer mixed herbs near the largest tent.
Ba Tu gave the signal.
Grixa and her group started howling and throwing stones from the opposite side. The guards spun around. "Goblins! To the east!"
Two warriors grabbed weapons and ran toward the noise.
Ba Tu waited three heartbeats. Then he charged.
He slammed into the healer from behind and drove a sharp stick into the man's kidney. The healer screamed. His hand began to glow with soft light. Ba Tu stabbed again before the light could finish forming. The glow died.
[Despair Points gained: +22]
The remaining guard turned. "What the—"
Gruk burst from the bushes with the glowing sword raised. He swung wildly. The blade bit into the guard's shoulder. Blood sprayed.
Chaos exploded.
One of the scrawny scouts who had gone with Gruk earlier leaped at a warrior. The human's axe came down fast. The goblin's head split open with a wet crack. Blood and brains splattered the dirt.
Ba Tu did not even blink. Acceptable loss.
He darted between legs, slashing tendons, stabbing soft spots. A warrior tried to stomp him. Ba Tu rolled aside and cut the Achilles tendon. The man dropped with a howl.
Grixa appeared from the side and bit the fallen warrior's throat.
The last two humans tried to flee toward the bigger tent. Ba Tu sprinted after them. He threw a stolen dagger. It sank into one's back. The man stumbled. Gruk chased the final runner and brought the sword down on his skull with a heavy crunch.
Silence fell over the camp.
Ba Tu stood in the middle of the carnage. Blood covered his green skin. His chest rose and fell fast. One goblin lay dead. The rest panted and licked minor wounds.
He walked to each human corpse and forced out their cores, starting with the largest tent where the leader had slept. Inside he found a leather map case beside the bedroll.
[Despair Points gained: +67]
[Genetic Essence absorbed — 5 Human Cores (forced): +65]
[Passive essence absorbed from kills: +20]
[Genetic Essence: 119/100 — CAP REACHED]
[Excess essence converted: 19 → Hobgoblin evolution pool]
[Evolution toward Hobgoblin: 19/100]
[Level Up! Low Goblin Lv.2 → Lv.3]
[New Passive: Basic Stealth +10%]
Power surged through his small body. Muscles thickened slightly. His vision sharpened.
Gruk dropped to one knee. Blood dripped from the stolen sword. "Boss… we lost one."
Ba Tu glanced at the split skull in the dirt. "He was slow. Next time move faster. Take his share of meat for the rest of you."
Grixa approached. She carried a small leather pouch from the healer. "Medicine. For us."
Ba Tu took the pouch and the map. The crude drawing showed more human villages nearby and one bigger camp further north. Exactly what he needed.
He looked at his remaining six followers. They stared back with something new in their eyes. Not just fear. Not just hunger. Respect mixed with caution.
He raised the bloody dagger. "This is the first blood pact. You fought with me. You eat with me. You grow with me. Betray me, and I will make the orcs look kind."
Every goblin lowered their heads.
[Five new basic followers acquired.]
[Loyalty pool increased.]
Ba Tu tore open the leader's pack and took the dried meat and water skin. "We take everything useful. Burn the tents so no one finds the bodies easy. Then we go back to the cave and plan the next hunt."
Gruk asked, "What now, boss?"
Ba Tu looked at the rising sun. "We grow stronger. We find more weak goblins. We clear this forest of humans."
He kicked a dead human's head. "And when we get strong enough…"
Ye Bingyun and that fake hero will scream my new name.
The system pinged one final time.
[Hidden condition met: First successful raid with minimal losses.]
[Bonus reward unlocking soon.]
Ba Tu grinned as his tribe started looting the camp and setting the tents on fire.
The Green Tide had begun. Small. Weak. But moving.
And it would not stop.