Ba Tu stood in the burning camp while black smoke rose into the morning sky. The tents crackled and collapsed. His six remaining goblins stuffed bags with dried meat, water skins, and anything shiny.
Gruk dragged the dead scout's body closer. "We eat him too?"
Ba Tu looked at the split skull. Blood still leaked onto the dirt. "No. Leave him. Let the forest take him. Weak meat makes weak blood."
Grixa clutched her pup tighter but said nothing. She only nodded once.
Ba Tu's short-term goal burned clear in his mind. Get back to the cave. Secure the loot. Then decide who deserved to evolve first. He pointed at the largest bag. "Gruk, carry that. Grixa, take the medicine pouch. The rest, grab what you can. Move fast. Smoke will bring more humans."
They left the camp at a trot. Behind them the fire roared louder. One goblin tripped over a root and spilled a few strips of meat. Ba Tu did not stop. "Leave it. Keep moving."
By the time they reached their cave the sun sat high. The entrance looked the same, but Ba Tu smelled something wrong. Fresh tracks. Larger than goblin feet.
He raised a hand. Everyone froze.
Gruk sniffed the air. "Orcs. Three. Maybe four. They came while we gone."
Ba Tu's lips curled. Perfect timing. He needed genetic essence from stronger blood. Orcs would give more than humans.
He motioned for silence and crept closer. Inside the cave, deep voices rumbled. One orc laughed. "Stupid greenskins. They leave food and steel. We take all."
Another orc kicked the rock barrier. "Chief will like this sword. We say we kill the humans ourselves."
Ba Tu counted quickly. Four orcs. Two big ones with axes, one with a spear, one smaller carrying a sack. They had already found the hidden human cores and were chewing on leftover meat.
They think this cave is empty. Ba Tu's eyes narrowed. Time to teach them whose cave it is.
He whispered to Gruk. "You and two others circle to the back entrance we dug yesterday. Make noise when I signal. Grixa, stay with me. The rest, wait here."
Gruk grinned with yellow teeth. "Yes, boss."
Ba Tu waited until Gruk's group disappeared into the bushes. Then he stepped into the open entrance, small and alone.
The orcs turned. The biggest one, a scarred brute with a broken tusk, laughed loud. "Look! A little green rat came home."
Ba Tu did not smile. "This is my cave now. Drop the sword. Drop the cores. Leave. Or die."
The orcs roared with laughter. The spear orc stepped forward. "You small. You weak. We eat you first."
Ba Tu tilted his head. "Try."
The spear orc lunged. Ba Tu dodged low and slashed the stolen dagger across the orc's knee. Blood sprayed. The orc howled and stumbled.
At the same moment Gruk and the others started banging rocks and screaming from the back.
The orcs spun around. "More of them!"
Chaos filled the cave.
Ba Tu darted in again. He climbed the spear orc's back and drove the dagger into the base of the neck. The orc gurgled and dropped.
[Despair Points gained: +28]
The big tusk orc swung his axe. The blade caught Ba Tu across the side. Hot pain exploded along his ribs. Blood welled up fast. Ba Tu hissed but kept moving. He grabbed a fallen spear and rammed it upward into the tusk orc's groin. The orc screamed and doubled over. Ba Tu twisted the spear and pulled it free in a spray of dark blood. The wound on his side burned with every breath.
Gruk charged from the back with the glowing sword. He hacked at the smaller orc's shoulder. The blade bit deep.
The last orc tried to run for the entrance. Ba Tu threw the bloody spear. It punched through the orc's spine. The creature fell face-first.
Silence returned, broken only by heavy breathing and the crackle of the distant fire outside.
Ba Tu stood over the dying tusk orc. The big orc clutched his ruined groin and glared up. "You… not normal goblin."
Ba Tu crouched. Blood dripped from his side onto the stone. "No. I am worse." He slowly pushed the dagger into the orc's eye. The orc screamed until the sound turned wet and stopped. Each twist sent fresh pain through Ba Tu's ribs, but he did not stop until the screams ended.
[Despair Points gained: +52]
[Genetic Essence absorbed — 4 Orc Cores (forced): +68]
[Passive essence from kills: +25]
[Hobgoblin Evolution Pool: 19/100 + 93 incoming]
[CAP REACHED at 100/100]
[Excess: 12 stored]
[Physical evolution triggered: Low Goblin → Proto-Hobgoblin]
[Hobgoblin Warlord path: locked until tribe quest complete]
[Current form: transitional — 60% Hobgoblin traits]
[Level Up! Low Goblin Lv.3 → Lv.4]
[New Passive: Basic Intimidation Aura (weak)]
[Basic Qi sense unlocked.]
[Strength +40%. Agility +25%.]
Power flooded Ba Tu's body. His bones cracked and shifted. Muscles swelled. He grew almost a head taller. His skin darkened to a deeper green. Sharp claws extended from his fingers. The ragged loincloth tore as his frame expanded. The wound on his side still bled, but it closed slower than before.
He looked down at his new hands. Stronger. Faster. Still goblin, but clearly more.
Something else had changed too. A faint pressure hummed at the edge of his senses. Qi. He had read about it in Lin Mo's memories. Cultivators spent years trying to feel it. He had gained it like table scraps.
Gruk dropped to one knee. The glowing sword shook in his grip. "Boss… you bigger now. And bleeding."
Ba Tu pressed a hand to his side. Warm blood coated his fingers. "It will heal. The pain reminds me I am not invincible yet."
Grixa stared with wide eyes. Blood dripped from the cut on her arm. "Stronger. Much stronger."
Ba Tu flexed his new claws. The intimidation aura leaked out unconsciously. The goblins lowered their heads even further.
He pointed at the orc corpses. "Cut them up. Cook the best parts. The cores are mine. Feed the rest to everyone. The one who died in the human fight gets nothing."
Gruk and the others moved fast. They dragged the bodies deeper into the cave and started a small fire.
Ba Tu sat on the biggest rock and tore a strip of cloth from a dead orc's belt to bind his wound. The pain dulled to a steady throb. He pulled out the crude map and studied it again. A larger human outpost lay two days north. Beyond that, an orc tribe territory marked with warning signs.
Good. He needed more meat. More despair. More bodies to build his tribe.
Grixa approached carefully. She offered a piece of roasted orc meat on a stick. "For you first, boss."
Ba Tu took it and bit down. The meat was tough and bloody. It tasted like victory. "Good. You did well today. Your pup will eat extra."
Grixa's shoulders relaxed a little. She almost smiled.
Ba Tu chewed slowly while his mind worked. Short-term goal: finish forming the first tribe. Reach at least twenty followers. Then move on the next human camp before they realized the forest was no longer safe.
He looked at Gruk, who was happily chewing on an orc arm. "Tomorrow we hunt more goblins. Any weak ones we find, we bring them here. Teach them the rules. The strong ones we keep. The useless ones become food."
Gruk nodded with his mouth full. "Yes, boss."
Ba Tu leaned back against the cave wall. His new body felt powerful despite the wound. The old Lin Mo would have felt sick at the slaughter. The new Ba Tu only felt hungry for more.
Soon the hypocrites will learn.
The system pinged softly.
[Main quest progress: Form the first tribe — 42%]
[New side quest unlocked: Eliminate the nearby human outpost.]
[Reward: 300 Despair Points + Basic Pain Resistance skill shard (guaranteed on completion).]
Ba Tu crushed the last piece of meat between his teeth and swallowed.
The fire crackled. The smell of roasted orc filled the cave. His goblins ate in silence, stealing glances at their bigger, stronger, and still bleeding leader.
Outside, distant smoke still rose from the burned camp.
The forest had a new predator now.
And it was only getting started.