Grey waited until the creature was almost upon him before abruptly changing direction, slipping sideways between two exposed roots while the Redfang continued charging forward.
Its front legs struck the concealed vine.
The sudden resistance disrupted its stride, causing the creature’s body to pitch forward before it crashed heavily into the shallow depression.
Grey immediately turned.
"Ruk!"
The Hobgoblin emerged from the vegetation and drove his metal-tipped spear toward the fallen predator, striking the exposed flesh beneath its shoulder before the creature could regain its footing.
The Pack Leader released an enraged snarl and twisted violently, forcing Ruk to retreat before its jaws could close around his arm.
Grey attacked from the opposite side, targeting one of the wounds the Ravager had inflicted earlier.
His weapon penetrated the damaged flesh, but the Redfang reacted with terrifying speed despite its injuries, twisting around and striking Grey across the chest with one of its powerful forelegs.
Pain exploded through his body.
Grey was thrown backward and crashed against an exposed root, the impact forcing the air from his lungs as his weapon slipped from his grasp.
For several seconds, he struggled to breathe.
’Shit...’
The Pack Leader turned toward him.
Grey attempted to rise, but a sharp pain spread through his ribs whenever he moved.
The creature began approaching.
Ruk immediately stepped between them, raising his spear while releasing an angry growl of his own.
The Pack Leader lunged.
Ruk barely managed to deflect the attack, stumbling backward as the predator’s jaws snapped dangerously close to his throat.
Grey watched the exchange through blurred vision, forcing himself to ignore the pain as he searched for his fallen weapon.
He spotted it beside a nearby root.
Too far.
The Pack Leader attacked Ruk again, forcing the Hobgoblin to retreat several steps before one of its claws caught his shoulder.
Ruk cried out.
Blood splashed across the ground.
Grey’s expression hardened.
’Get up.’
He forced himself onto one knee, ignoring the burning pain spreading through his chest as he reached toward the fallen weapon.
The Pack Leader noticed his movement.
Its head turned.
Grey grabbed the weapon.
The predator lunged.
Grey didn’t attempt to dodge.
Instead, he lowered his body and drove the weapon upward with every bit of strength he could muster.
The sharpened tip struck the exposed flesh beneath the Pack Leader’s jaw, penetrating deeply as the creature’s own momentum carried it forward.
The Redfang released a strangled snarl.
Grey gritted his teeth and pushed harder.
Ruk recovered his footing and immediately drove his spear into the predator’s injured shoulder, forcing the creature sideways while Grey twisted his weapon deeper into the wound.
The Pack Leader thrashed violently.
For a terrifying moment, Grey thought it might still overpower them.
Then its movements began weakening.
Its front legs buckled.
The enormous predator collapsed beside him, its crimson eyes remaining fixed on Grey for several seconds before finally losing their focus.
Grey remained motionless until the familiar system notifications appeared.
[Redfang Pack Leader has been defeated.]
[Experience acquired.]
[Evolution Energy acquired.]
[Bonus Experience awarded for defeating a higher-level opponent.]
Grey released a long breath and collapsed backward against the roots, staring toward the canopy while his chest rose and fell painfully.
"Fuck..."
He remained there for several seconds before turning toward Ruk, who had lowered himself beside a nearby tree while pressing one hand against his injured shoulder.
The Hobgoblin looked exhausted.
Grey probably looked worse.
Yet despite the pain, a satisfied smile gradually spread across his face.
"We actually did it."
Ruk looked toward the enormous Redfang lying motionless between them before releasing a rough laugh.
Grey joined him, although the movement immediately sent another sharp pain through his ribs.
"Ow... alright, laughing is a bad idea."
[Corpse detected.]
[High-quality evolutionary material identified.]
[Possible actions:]
[Consume]
[Extract Trait]
[Discard]
Grey selected Extract Trait.
Several notifications immediately appeared.
[Available Traits:]
[Enhanced Blood Tracking — Level 1]
[Predatory Command — Level 1]
[Pack Dominance — Level 1]
[Rare Trait Detected.]
Grey’s attention immediately settled on the final option.
"Pack Dominance?"
He selected the trait description.
[Pack Dominance — Level 1]
[Classification: Rare]
[Description: Enhances the user’s natural presence when interacting with weaker members of compatible species. Improves coordination among willing allies and increases the effectiveness of commands during group combat.]
[Note: This ability does not grant absolute control over other creatures.]
Grey stared at the description for several seconds before slowly smiling.
’Now that’s interesting.’
Unlike the physical enhancements he had acquired previously, this trait appeared directly connected to leadership and group coordination.
And considering the Authority System he had discovered at the goblin settlement, the possibilities were difficult to ignore.
"Extract Pack Dominance."
[Trait selected.]
[Extraction initiated.]
A strange sensation spread through Grey’s body, beginning somewhere deep within his chest before gradually extending toward his limbs. Unlike the physical warmth he experienced during ordinary level increases, this felt more like an unfamiliar pressure settling around him, subtle enough that he might have overlooked it if the system hadn’t drawn his attention to the change.
[Trait successfully integrated.]
[Pack Dominance — Level 1 acquired.]
Grey flexed his fingers experimentally, although nothing about his physical body seemed noticeably different.
He turned toward Ruk.
The Hobgoblin was already watching him.
For a brief moment, Grey noticed something unusual in the older goblin’s expression.
Respect.
Not the cautious curiosity Ruk had shown when they first met, nor the reluctant admiration that followed Grey’s successful traps.
This was something different.
The Hobgoblin had watched Grey confront creatures stronger than himself, survive repeated battles, and ultimately defeat the predator responsible for terrorizing their settlement.
Grey didn’t need a system notification to understand that their relationship had changed.
Nevertheless, one appeared.
[Relationship change detected.]
[Individual: Ruk]
[Disposition: Favorable → Loyal]
[Authority System Requirement Updated.]
[Willing Followers: 1/5]
Grey stared at the notification.
Then he slowly turned toward Ruk again.
The older Hobgoblin was still watching him, apparently unaware that something significant had just happened.
Grey’s smile widened.
’One down.’
He looked toward the enormous Redfang corpse before selecting Consume, allowing the system to absorb the remaining evolutionary material.
[Consumption successful.]
[Evolution Energy acquired.]
[Current Evolution Energy: 64.]
[Evolution Energy threshold approaching.]
Grey raised an eyebrow.
’Now we’re talking.’
Unfortunately, his excitement faded somewhat when he attempted to stand properly and another wave of pain spread through his chest.
He glanced toward Ruk.
"Alright, old man. I think we’ve had enough excitement for one day."
Ruk slowly rose while using his spear for support, apparently agreeing with the sentiment despite not understanding the words.
Behind them, the distant roars of the Ironback Ravager continued echoing through the forest, suggesting that the remaining Redfangs were still struggling against the enormous monster.
Grey had no intention of returning to investigate.
He had gained more than enough from the encounter.
And more importantly, he had survived.
By the time Grey and Ruk reached the settlement, the sun had already begun descending toward the western horizon.
Krag was the first to notice their return.
The younger goblin immediately hurried toward them, his expression changing when he noticed their injuries.
"Ruk! Grey!"
Grey raised one hand in reassurance while Ruk released a tired grunt and continued toward the fire.
The other goblins quickly gathered around them, examining their wounds and exchanging worried sounds as they attempted to understand what had happened.
Grey allowed Krag to help him sit beside the fire before explaining the situation through a mixture of gestures and the limited words they shared.
"Redfang. Leader. Dead."
He pointed toward himself and Ruk before making a cutting motion across his throat.
Krag stared at him.
Then toward Ruk.
The older Hobgoblin nodded.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Krag released an excited shout that caused the other goblins to turn toward him.
"Redfang! Dead!"
The two younger goblins immediately began chattering among themselves, their expressions shifting from disbelief to excitement as Ruk confirmed what Grey had told them.
Grey watched the reaction with quiet satisfaction.
For these goblins, the Redfangs hadn’t merely been dangerous monsters living nearby.
They had been a constant threat.
Creatures responsible for taking members of their settlement, forcing them to remain hidden, and making every hunting expedition a potentially fatal experience.
And now their leader was dead.
Grey knew that didn’t mean the remaining Redfangs would disappear forever, but it was a significant victory nonetheless.
Ruk eventually approached him and placed one hand against his shoulder.
Grey looked up.
The Hobgoblin spoke several words in his native language before gesturing toward the gathered goblins and then toward Grey.
Although he couldn’t understand the sentence, the meaning was surprisingly clear.
Ruk was acknowledging what he had done for them.
Grey smiled faintly.
"Don’t thank me yet. We’ve still got plenty of work to do."
A familiar notification appeared.
[Authority System Progress Updated.]
[Willing Followers: 1/5]
[Recognized Territory: Not Established.]
[Evolution Requirement: Unknown.]
Grey studied the interface while the goblins continued celebrating around him.
One follower.
Four more to go.
And if he intended to establish recognized territory, he would need to do considerably more than kill a few dangerous predators.
He would need to improve the settlement, strengthen its defenses, secure reliable food supplies, and eventually find a way to protect the goblins from threats far greater than the Redfang pack.
Grey looked toward the crude shelters surrounding the fire.
Three poorly constructed huts.
A handful of sharpened stakes.
Five goblins, including himself, struggling to survive in a forest filled with monsters.
It wasn’t much.
But it was a beginning.
And as Grey watched Krag excitedly recount their victory to the younger goblins, he found himself considering a possibility that would have seemed ridiculous only a few days earlier.
Perhaps he didn’t need to spend his entire new life wandering through the forest alone.
Perhaps he could build something here.
Something that would eventually become strong enough that creatures like the Redfangs would think twice before approaching.
Grey leaned back against the tree behind him, ignoring the lingering pain in his ribs as a satisfied smile spread across his face.
’A kingdom of monsters, huh?’
The idea sounded increasingly appealing.
And for the first time since arriving in this world, Grey Valentine began looking beyond his next evolution.
He began thinking about the future.