Grey had encountered enough dangerous creatures since arriving in this world to recognize when a fight was beyond his capabilities, and the sight of numerous glowing red eyes emerging from the forest was more than enough to convince him that remaining beside the stream would be a terrible decision.
The Redfang Pack Leader stood motionless on the opposite bank, its crimson fur shifting slightly in the breeze as it watched the two goblins with an unsettling degree of patience.
Behind it, several Redfang Stalkers moved between the trees, gradually spreading toward both sides of the stream while maintaining enough distance to avoid exposing themselves completely.
Grey noticed their movements almost immediately, and the realization that the creatures were attempting to surround them made his expression tighten.
Unlike the ordinary monsters he had encountered during his first few days in the forest, these predators appeared capable of coordinating their movements without needing obvious commands from their leader.
’They’re trying to cut off our escape.’
Grey glanced toward Ruk, who remained beside him with his metal-tipped spear raised and his attention fixed on the approaching predators.
The older Hobgoblin looked considerably calmer than Grey felt, although the tension in his shoulders suggested he understood just how dangerous their situation had become.
"Ruk, we need to leave before they completely surround us," Grey said, pointing toward the narrow path they had used to descend the rocky bank.
The Hobgoblin followed his gesture before looking back toward the Pack Leader, apparently reluctant to retreat while the creatures responsible for attacking his settlement stood directly in front of him.
Grey understood the hesitation, but understanding it didn’t make the decision any less foolish.
"You can hate them all you want after we’re somewhere they can’t eat us," he muttered, grabbing Ruk’s shoulder and pulling him backward just as one of the Redfangs emerged from the vegetation on their left.
The creature was a Level 5 Stalker, and although Grey had already killed several members of its species, he had no intention of wasting time fighting another one while an entire pack waited nearby.
He immediately turned toward the rocky slope and began climbing, relying on his enhanced agility to navigate the uneven terrain while Ruk followed several steps behind him.
The Redfang lunged after them, but Grey had anticipated the attack and deliberately kicked a loose stone toward its front legs as he climbed.
The creature stumbled when the rock struck its paw, giving Ruk enough time to drive his spear toward its face and force it backward before continuing up the slope.
Grey reached the top first and immediately looked toward the forest beyond, searching for a route that would allow them to escape without running directly into another group of predators.
The narrow trail leading toward the settlement remained visible between several enormous trees, but two Redfangs had already positioned themselves near its entrance.
’Of course they have.’
A low growl came from behind him, and Grey turned just in time to see the Pack Leader descending toward the stream while the remaining Stalkers continued spreading through the surrounding vegetation. Find the original chapter at novelping dot com.
The creatures weren’t rushing.
That bothered him more than anything else.
They seemed perfectly content to let Grey and Ruk exhaust themselves attempting to escape, knowing that their superior numbers would eventually force the two goblins into a position where fighting became unavoidable.
Grey tightened his grip around his damaged weapon while considering his options.
He could attempt to break through the two Redfangs blocking the trail, but doing so would leave Ruk exposed to the creatures approaching from behind, and there was no guarantee they could defeat both predators before the rest of the pack arrived.
His eyes moved toward the trees.
Then toward the rocky slope.
A faint smile appeared across his face as another possibility occurred to him.
"Ruk, follow me."
Rather than attempting to reach the trail, Grey suddenly turned toward the thickest section of the forest and sprinted between two enormous trees whose exposed roots formed a narrow passage.
Ruk hesitated for only a moment before following, while several Redfangs immediately accelerated in pursuit.
Grey could hear their claws tearing through the soil behind him, but his attention remained focused on the terrain ahead as he searched for obstacles that might slow creatures considerably larger than himself.
The forest in this direction was dense enough that the Redfangs couldn’t maintain their full speed without repeatedly changing direction, giving Grey and Ruk a slight advantage despite the predators possessing greater physical strength.
Unfortunately, that advantage wasn’t enough to keep them safe indefinitely.
A Redfang suddenly burst through the vegetation on Grey’s right, its jaws opening as it attempted to intercept him before he could reach the next cluster of trees.
Grey reacted instinctively by lowering his body and sliding beneath a thick branch, allowing the creature’s momentum to carry it past him before he twisted around and struck its exposed side.
The blow landed, but the predator’s hide prevented the weapon from penetrating deeply enough to cause serious damage.
Grey immediately withdrew rather than attempting another attack, knowing that stopping to finish the creature would allow the others to catch up.
Ruk reached him a moment later and drove his spear toward the Redfang’s shoulder, forcing it to retreat with an angry snarl before the two goblins resumed running. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
They continued through the forest for several minutes, occasionally changing direction whenever Predatory Instinct warned Grey that another predator was approaching from ahead.
The skill had become invaluable during the chase, allowing him to recognize threats before they emerged from the vegetation, but the constant warnings were beginning to make one thing painfully obvious.
The Redfangs weren’t simply following them.
They were herding them.
Grey noticed the pattern after the third time a predator appeared along their intended route, forcing them to change direction toward increasingly unfamiliar territory.
Each interception pushed them farther away from the settlement, while the Pack Leader remained somewhere behind the pursuing Stalkers.
’They’re controlling where we run.’
Grey’s expression hardened as he realized that the creatures were far more intelligent than he had initially assumed.
Their leader wasn’t merely commanding them to chase intruders; it was using the pack’s numbers to gradually restrict their movements until they reached a location where escape would become impossible.
He needed to disrupt that strategy before it succeeded.
Grey suddenly slowed near a large fallen tree and gestured for Ruk to crouch behind it, ignoring the Hobgoblin’s confused expression as he examined the surrounding terrain.
The fallen trunk rested against several exposed roots, creating a narrow opening beneath it that was barely large enough for Grey to crawl through.
The Redfangs would have difficulty following.
Grey pointed toward the opening and then toward Ruk, making his intentions clear before lowering himself onto the ground and slipping beneath the trunk.
Ruk followed with considerably more difficulty, his larger body scraping against the rough bark as he squeezed through the narrow space. By the time both goblins emerged on the opposite side, the sounds of approaching predators had grown noticeably louder.
Grey immediately turned toward the trunk and examined the thick roots supporting it.
One of them was already partially broken.
He smiled.
"That’ll do."