And then, I found it.
There were still a few things that could save him.
The first was his skill.
[Regeneration Lv.1]
[Effect: Restores 0.5% of maximum HP per minute.]
[With a maximum HP of 110, that should have given him 0.55 HP per minute.]
But there was still a major problem weighing him down.
[Fatigue]
[Description: Once Stamina drops below 25, the victim’s Speed, HP Recovery, and MP Recovery are halved. Damage output is reduced, while all incoming damage and negative status effects are amplified by 50%.]
That was a brutal debuff.
It didn’t just weaken his natural recovery. It also made his bleeding worse, accelerating the loss of HP.
So the priority was obvious: I needed to get rid of Fatigue.
But waiting for his Stamina to recover naturally wasn’t an option. At this rate, he would be dead long before his Stamina climbed back above the threshold.
Fortunately, I’d already taken action without even realizing it.
By feeding him that steak earlier, I had unknowingly triggered another one of his skills.
[Carnivorism Lv.1]
[Description: After consuming meat, grants a significant boost to Stamina Recovery and HP Regeneration. The duration depends on the type and amount of meat consumed.]
[Effect (Beef Steak, 500g):
- Stamina Regeneration: +1 per second
- HP Regeneration: +1 per minute]
[Duration: 20 minutes]
And just like that, everything changed.
Within half a minute of activating Carnivorism, his Stamina surged past the danger threshold. The Fatigue debuff disappeared, taking all of its nasty penalties with it.
Now that he was no longer suffering from Fatigue, his Regeneration skill could function at full strength.
Combined with Carnivorism, his HP recovery climbed to 1.5 HP per minute.
Better.
But still not enough.
Even without Fatigue amplifying it, Bleeding was draining 3 HP every minute. That left him with a net loss of 1.5 HP per minute.
With nearly an hour remaining on the bleeding effect, the outcome hadn’t actually changed.
Death.
Just slower.
I thought of giving him another steak, but that wouldn’t help either, since it would only extended the duration of Carnivorism instead of increasing its effect.
Which meant there was only one option left.
Level up!
Either his actual level, or his Regeneration skill!
I spent another 20 Points and purchased [Lord’s Blessing Lv.1] from the Sovereign Shop.
[Ding!]
[Purchase of Lord’s Blessing Level 1 completed.]
[The skill is now available to use.]
****
[Lord’s Blessing - Level 1]
[Type: Active]
[Description: You can spend Points to increase a citizen’s level or upgrade their skills. Higher levels and more powerful skills require more Points.]
I immediately activated it on the injured goblin.
A new panel appeared before me, which 2 types of action to choose from.
[Level Up]
[Current Level: 8]
[Please input the target level you want your citizen to reach.]
[Skill Level Up]
[Please choose the skill of your citizen that you want to level up.]
Since he was still bleeding, leveling up his Regeneration skill seemed like the obvious choice. If I could increase his HP recovery enough to offset the bleeding, he should be able to survive.
However... The option was greyed out.
Frowning, I looked closer and quickly found the reason.
[Skill: Regeneration - Level 1]
[Upgrade Requirement: Reach at least Level 10 and complete the first evolution into a stronger variant.]
That was unfortunate.
But it also gave me some very interesting information.
Oh.
So these guys can evolve once they reach Level 10?
That’s so cool!
That meant those larger, stronger goblins I’d seen before probably weren’t a completely different species. They were evolved goblins!
With that discovery, I immediately switched my attention to raising his actual level.
As I entered the target level, the System automatically calculated the required Points.
Going from Level 8 to Level 9 cost 10 Points.
Going all the way from Level 8 to Level 10 cost 22 Points in total.
So the System clearly displayed the increasing cost for each additional level.
The higher the level, the more expensive it became.
Well...
That was fair enough.
I selected Level 10.
A confirmation window immediately appeared.
[Confirm leveling up Level 8 Forest Goblin to Level 10?]
[Yes / No]
"Yes!"
I hit Yes.
Instantly, the goblin’s eyes snapped open in shock as a brilliant light enveloped his body.
"RAAAAAARR!"
A powerful roar tore through the room, startling his little sister.
The light continued to surge around him for several seconds.
Then, just as suddenly as it had appeared, it faded.
The goblin lurched upright.
He looked completely different.
The exhaustion was gone from his eyes, and his entire body seemed to be overflowing with energy.
"Haha. Looks like it worked!"
I quickly checked his status.
He was still bleeding though, but at least he wasn’t about to collapse anymore.
His maximum HP had increased enough to give him a much larger buffer, allowing him to survive the remaining duration of the Bleeding effect.
The goblin turned toward his sister, who was still staring at him in complete shock and confusion.
He then said something excitedly in goblin language, probably trying to explain what had just happened.
A moment later, the goblin girl expression changed.
Her eyes lit up with joy.
She jumped to her feet, and the two goblins began celebrating together, laughing and awkwardly bouncing around the room as they hugged one another.
Watching them, I couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of satisfaction.
I really am getting the hang of this ruler thing.
Bringing happiness to my citizens...
Yeah.
That felt pretty nice.
With the matter settled, I then searched the goblin’s status for something else: Evolution.
Earlier, the System had mentioned evolution.
That probably meant turning into one of those taller, more muscular goblins who had tried to raid my castle.
But how exactly?
Hmmmm...
Do they need to complete some kind of evolution quest?
Or maybe I have to give them a special item?
A magic stone? An evolution pill?
As it turned out...
None of the above.
As I was still wondering, the goblin suddenly began glowing again. His little sister stared at him with wide, sparkling eyes as light poured from his body.
His silhouette began stretching upward.
Taller...
Broader...
Larger.
His frame expanded, his muscles thickening as his entire body transformed.
But as I watched the transformation unfold, I suddenly froze.
Something was wrong.
Or rather...
Something wasn’t what I expected.
The silhouette taking shape before me was changing into something completely different from what I’d imagined.
My curiosity quickly turned into surprise.
"Wait... Don’t tell me!
Boom!
A subtle burst of light marked the evolution completed!
"YARAAAAAAA!!!"
The goblin threw his head back and roared!
His voice was deeper now, carrying far more power than before.
The brilliant light surrounding him shattered away, revealing his new form.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations! Your citizen (Unnamed) has successfully evolved!]
[New Variant Unlocked: Super Forest Goblin!]