I See You! Goblin Variant—Hobgoblin!

Having witnessed two powerful Trolls die effortlessly at Tang Zheng's hands, and seeing the human before it gradually approach, the Goblin—

Especially—

Every time the twin swords in his hands swung, they sent terrifying gusts of wind sweeping toward it, making its cheeks sting faintly.

Run—

The Goblin's cowardly nature had long since been ingrained into its race's genes. Faced with the threat of death,

the first thought that rose in this Goblin's mind was to flee.

However!

If the Goblin had merely lain motionless on the ground while Tang Zheng destroyed the surrounding area, he might not have discovered it at all, so long as he had not happened to strike it directly.

But now, as the Goblin fled, the magic "Camouflage" it had cast began to change. It was as if a layer of space that actively changed color had suddenly appeared in the area.

It was exceptionally conspicuous!

"I see you!"

Tang Zheng's twin-sword swing suddenly halted. He turned toward the object that was changing color and running on its own, a brilliant smile appearing on his face.

Huh?

Tang Zheng suddenly discovered that the other party was moving very quickly.

Despite running through the complicated terrain of the jungle, it moved as though it were on level ground. None of the surrounding plants could hinder it in the slightest.

What kind of ability is this?

Tang Zheng was somewhat surprised, but his hands did not hesitate. He reversed his grip on the sword hilt and threw the Iron Sword like a javelin.

Whoosh!

The astonishing force caused the Iron Sword to explode with a sharp sound as it tore through the air.

In an instant, it pierced the color-changing creature!

"Ah!!"

A shriek rang out through the forest. The creature toppled onto the ground and began wailing incessantly.

Only then did Tang Zheng leisurely walk over.

Because it had been attacked, the magic effect of "Camouflage" had already dissipated.

The appearance of the Goblin was completely exposed to Tang Zheng, making him freeze for a moment.

Unlike ordinary Goblins, whose entire bodies were dark green,

this Goblin's skin was clearly much lighter. Two sharp fangs protruded from its lower jaw, but the most distinctive difference was its size!

Even adult ordinary Goblins were only about the size of human children, but this Goblin was already nearly as large as a Dwarf.

"I'm going to die!"

"It hurts! I'm going to die!"

The Goblin lay on the ground with the Iron Sword embedded in its back. The immense pain made it let out anguished shrieks without pause.

If Tang Zheng had been unable to determine its identity from its appearance alone, then after hearing it speak, he knew that his earlier guess had been wrong.

"I thought it was a mutated Goblin individual." Tang Zheng looked coldly at the Hobgoblin wailing on the ground. "So it's merely a Goblin variant—the Hobgoblin."

Hobgoblins.

Were a variant group among the Goblins. In terms of both physical ability and intelligence, they were far superior to Goblins and quite close to humans.

However!

Compared with the Goblins' practically terrifying reproductive ability, Hobgoblins did not reproduce very quickly. Since Hobgoblins could also mate with ordinary Goblins,

they often lived together with Goblin communities. Furthermore, because of their superior physiques and intelligence, Hobgoblins held a higher status.

Tang Zheng stepped forward and planted one foot on the head of the shrieking Hobgoblin, abruptly silencing it. He then reached down and pulled the Iron Sword from its back.

Pfft!

Green blood sprayed out!

"Ah!!"

The Hobgoblin clamped its mouth shut from fear, but the renewed pain made it cry out again. Its body convulsed uncontrollably as it weakly begged,

"Human, don't kill me..."

"If I die, the Troll lords won't let you off—ah!!"

Bang!

When he heard the other party mention the words "Troll Tribe," Tang Zheng narrowed his eyes and pressed down hard once more, forcing its head into the muddy soil mixed with broken branches and rotten leaves.

"So noisy."

Tang Zheng spoke impatiently, a look of understanding appearing on his face at the same time.

So that was it.

If he remembered correctly, a group of Hobgoblins did indeed live in the Troll Tribe's territory. They seemed to be a Hobgoblin group called the "Jike Tribe."

This Hobgoblin tribe had even appeared in the anime.

Just as ordinary Goblins were related to Trolls!

The relationship between Hobgoblins and the Troll Tribe was much the same. Because Hobgoblins possessed intelligence, the Troll Tribe had incorporated them into its rule.

Of course, to the Trolls, the Hobgoblin tribe was also a reserve food supply!

After Ainz Ooal Gown killed the "Eastern Giant," Troll Gu, this "Jike Tribe" was freed and joined Carne Village.

It was subsequently brought under the rule of the "Great Tomb of Nazarick," making it one of the few relatively fortunate groups in the New World.

However, they should have been living in the inner region of the jungle ruled by the "Eastern Giant," Troll Gu. How had this one ended up on the outskirts?

Tang Zheng was somewhat puzzled.

But he now understood how the troublesome creature that had been causing him problems these past few days had accomplished it.

Hobgoblins could be considered nobles among ordinary Goblins, so mobilizing ordinary Goblins was no problem for them.

As for Trolls—

Because of the characteristics of their race, compared with ordinary Goblins, Trolls were more willing to protect and obey Hobgoblins.

Huh?

Tang Zheng lifted his foot and looked at the Hobgoblin beneath it. Its body had clearly begun convulsing violently, as though it might die at any moment. The corner of his eye twitched.

It really was fragile.

But it was still far stronger than an ordinary Goblin.

Although he had held back some of the force when throwing that sword earlier, an ordinary Goblin would have long since been pierced through and killed by it.

The Hobgoblin before him had suffered only a serious injury. The fact that it had endured until now showed that its constitution was far stronger than an ordinary Goblin's.

A sharp glint flashed through Tang Zheng's eyes. He raised his hand toward the wound on the Hobgoblin's back below him. "Minor Wound Healing."

Not long ago, he had indeed intended to execute this Hobgoblin, but just now he had suddenly thought of another use for it.

A gentle white light appeared and descended upon the Hobgoblin's mangled wound!

The wound that had been continuously spilling blood immediately began to stop bleeding. Then, it started to recover rapidly.

A single low-level Healing Magic spell was obviously not enough to completely heal such a serious injury, but keeping the Hobgoblin from dying was no problem.

The Hobgoblin, whose body had been twitching nonstop as though it might die at any moment, stopped trembling. Confusion and the relief of surviving a disaster appeared in its pupils.

Its green head, covered in dirt and rotten leaves, emerged from the soil. It raised its head, its gaze moving upward until it saw the human standing before it and staring down coldly.

"Human..."

"As long as you let me go, the Troll lords definitely won't cause you any trouble."

The Hobgoblin's body trembled. It hurriedly climbed to its feet and backed away while speaking, shrinking its body. At the same time, it stretched out its neck and put on an appearance of forced composure.