The Level 4 Lesser Goblin remained several meters away, its crude stone axe held firmly in both hands as it watched Grey from beneath a pair of narrowed yellow eyes.
Unlike the mindless creatures Grey had encountered earlier, there was something unmistakably deliberate about its movements, with every shift of its feet suggesting that it understood the distance between them and was carefully waiting to see whether Grey would attack first.
Grey didn’t move either, keeping his fingers close to his weapon while his newly enhanced senses quietly absorbed everything around him.
He could hear the stream flowing over the stones behind him, the faint rustling of leaves stirred by the evening breeze, and the occasional movement of something small hiding within the undergrowth, while his Predatory Instinct skill continued sending subtle warnings through his mind.
The goblin was dangerous, but it wasn’t an overwhelming threat.
Grey briefly glanced toward the system interface hovering within his vision, finding himself almost amused by how casually the system reduced the situation to a simple assessment.
[Target: Lesser Goblin]
[Level: 4]
[Estimated Threat: Moderate]
"Moderate, huh?" Grey muttered with a faint smile, although he made sure not to relax completely.
The goblin’s ears twitched at the sound of his voice, and its fingers tightened around the stone axe as though it had understood at least part of what Grey had said. That tiny reaction immediately caught Grey’s attention because the creatures he had encountered so far had behaved like predators driven primarily by instinct, whereas this one seemed capable of actually listening.
Grey slowly lowered his hand away from his weapon, deliberately showing that he wasn’t preparing to attack while keeping his body positioned so he could react if the goblin suddenly charged. "I don’t want to fight you, so unless you’re planning to swing that thing at my head, I’d rather we figure out what we’re doing here."
The goblin stared at him suspiciously, its expression difficult to read beneath the scars covering its face, but it didn’t attack. Grey pointed toward the stone axe and then toward his own weapon before raising both hands slightly, making his meaning as obvious as possible.
"We’re both holding weapons, so obviously this isn’t exactly a friendly conversation, but I don’t have any reason to kill you," Grey continued, watching the creature carefully as he spoke. "Can you understand what I’m saying?"
The goblin’s ears twitched again, and although it didn’t answer, the reaction was enough to make Grey’s expression change.
It understood him.
Maybe not every word, but enough to recognize what he was saying.
Grey’s thoughts immediately became more complicated as he considered the implications. Until now, he had viewed the creatures of this world primarily as sources of experience, Evolution Energy, and useful traits, but this was the first time he had encountered another monster that appeared capable of communication and conscious decision-making.
If this goblin possessed language, intelligence, and enough awareness to understand a threat, then there had to be others like it somewhere beyond this forest. That possibility completely changed Grey’s understanding of the world because intelligent monsters meant societies, territories, alliances, enemies, and perhaps even entire civilizations he knew nothing about. This chapter is updated first at novelping . com.
The goblin suddenly stepped forward, causing Grey’s muscles to tense instinctively, but instead of raising its axe to attack, the creature extended one arm and pointed toward the forest behind him. Grey turned his head just enough to follow the direction of its finger, but all he could see were trees, shadows, and layers of dense vegetation stretching into the darkness.
"What?" Grey asked as he looked back at the goblin, only for the creature to point toward the forest again with increasing urgency.
This time, Grey paid closer attention to its mouth and noticed the creature struggling to form a sound before finally forcing out a single rough word.
"Go."
The voice was harsh and broken, sounding more like several distorted noises forced together than an actual human word, but Grey understood it perfectly.
His eyes widened slightly as he stared at the goblin. "You can talk?"
The goblin growled in irritation and pointed toward the forest again, apparently deciding that Grey was wasting precious time asking questions when it had already given him the answer.
"Go."
Grey slowly straightened while studying the creature’s expression, and the realization that followed made his curiosity disappear almost immediately. The goblin wasn’t threatening him or trying to drive him away from its territory; it was warning him about something approaching from the direction of the trees.
"What exactly am I supposed to be running from?" Grey asked, although he already suspected he wasn’t going to receive a detailed explanation.
The goblin’s expression tightened as its attention shifted toward the darkness between the trees, and Grey’s Predatory Instinct activated almost simultaneously. The warning wasn’t overwhelming, but it was unmistakable, sending a cold sensation through his body as something heavy moved through the vegetation somewhere ahead.
Branches snapped in the distance.
The goblin immediately shifted its stance and raised its stone axe, while Grey lowered his center of gravity and moved one hand toward his weapon as he carefully searched the darkness. Whatever was approaching was large enough to disturb the surrounding vegetation with every step, and judging from the increasing sound of heavy movement, it wasn’t making any effort to remain hidden.
A deep growl rolled through the forest, and Grey’s stomach tightened when he realized that the sound hadn’t come from the goblin.
Another growl followed, considerably closer than the first, before something enormous suddenly burst through the vegetation and charged directly toward them. Grey barely managed to throw himself sideways as a massive dark shape crashed through the exact location where he had been standing, sending dirt, leaves, and broken branches flying across the edge of the stream.
Grey rolled across the ground and pushed himself upright, his enhanced vision immediately identifying the creature now standing between the trees. It was a massive four-legged beast covered in thick black fur, with several curved horns extending backward from its skull, heavily muscled legs supporting its enormous frame, and glowing red eyes fixed upon them with unmistakable hunger.
The system appeared before Grey’s vision.
[Bloodhorn Boar]
[Level: 5]
[Threat Level: High] This chapter is updated first at g.com.
Grey stared at the information for a moment before letting out a quiet sigh. "Of course."
The Level 4 goblin didn’t hesitate.
Before Grey could say anything, the creature charged toward the Bloodhorn Boar with its stone axe raised, swinging the crude weapon toward the beast’s head with enough force to make the air whistle around the blade. The boar reacted almost immediately by lowering its head and meeting the attack head-on, causing the axe to strike against one of its horns with a sharp crack.
The impact barely seemed to affect the larger creature.
Its momentum continued forward, and the goblin was thrown violently to the side as the boar’s massive body slammed into it.
The smaller monster crashed against the ground and rolled several times before finally stopping near the edge of the stream, its axe tumbling from its grasp.
Grey’s expression hardened when he saw the goblin struggle to rise.
It was hurt, but it was still alive.
The Bloodhorn Boar turned its attention toward the wounded goblin again, lowering its head as its muscles tightened in preparation for another charge. Grey didn’t give himself time to think about it because whatever else the goblin was, it had warned him about the creature instead of attacking him, and Grey wasn’t about to stand there and watch it get killed after receiving that warning.
He tightened his grip around his weapon and moved.
His body responded with considerably more speed than he had possessed before evolving into a Goblin Hunter, allowing him to cross the distance between himself and the boar before the creature could fully commit to its second charge. Grey positioned himself between the beast and the wounded goblin, his feet digging into the loose soil as the Bloodhorn Boar’s red eyes immediately locked onto him.
The creature charged.
Grey waited until the final moment before throwing himself sideways, feeling the immense body of the boar rush past close enough to send a powerful gust of air across his face. He landed several meters away and immediately turned around, studying the beast instead of rushing after it.
The Bloodhorn Boar was too powerful to overpower directly, its hide was too thick for a careless strike to do meaningful damage, and its charge carried enough force to crush him if he made even one serious mistake.
Grey therefore had no intention of fighting it on the creature’s terms, especially when the surrounding environment offered him several things the larger beast couldn’t account for.
The stream flowed directly behind him, several large rocks were scattered along its banks, and thick roots emerged from the earth beneath the nearby trees.
Grey’s eyes moved between those obstacles while the Bloodhorn Boar turned around, and a faint smile appeared across his face as he realized that the creature’s size could become a disadvantage if he played the fight correctly.
"Fine," Grey muttered as he lowered his stance. "Let’s see how much stronger I’ve actually become."