Free Web NovelChapter 7: Chapter 7: Fighting the Bear Goblins
「The next day.」
Hei Da sat cross-legged against the wall of the cave, idly combing the stiff bristles on his arm. He eyed the four outsider goblins standing at the entrance.
His dozen or so underlings were dressing a half-grown wild boar—chopping off its head, scraping off the hair, and cutting it into sections.
As a Bear Goblin, he hadn’t been eating well lately. ’These bastard underlings, they all slack off the moment I’m not watching. The prey they bring back each day is never enough for me.’ freewёbnoνel.com
But he would definitely eat his fill today.
Hei Da scratched his arm. His mud-caked fingers plucked a small bug from his bristles, crushed it between two fingers, and then wiped it into his mouth.
The movement pulled at his chest, and he couldn’t help but grimace and let out a low growl. The goblins cooking immediately sped up.
The pain infuriated Hei Da. Although the three massive wounds on his chest had already scabbed over, every breath still felt like his muscles were being torn apart.
A few days ago, while leading his underlings on a hunt, he had encountered a Fearsome Claw Bear.
That Magical Beast was wreathed in black energy. It had charged straight at him from the tall grass.
Normally, Hei Da wasn’t afraid of beasts like bears. Even though a standing adult bear was a head taller than him, he could usually drive them off with the massive, tree-trunk-thick hammer in his hands.
But that day, a red light had flashed in the Fearsome Claw Bear’s eyes, and Hei Da had immediately fallen into a daze.
Thankfully, it didn’t last long, and he quickly regained consciousness. But by then, the Fearsome Claw Bear had swiped its enormous paw at him, its five dagger-like black claws instantly tearing open his chest.
Ignoring his injuries, Hei Da had roared and swung his hammer. The two of them battled, trading a paw strike for a hammer blow, their roars echoing through the forest.
The fight ended quickly. The injured Fearsome Claw Bear fled into the grass. As a Magical Beast, it still possessed the hunting instincts of an animal: if it couldn’t win, it would run.
Hei Da was also barely able to stand. He supported himself with his hammer and looked around, but there was no sign of his underlings anywhere.
Covered in wounds, Hei Da had struggled back to his cave. The first thing he did was publicly beat a goblin to death—whether it was the one who had led the retreat or not didn’t matter. It was to establish his authority.
Afterward, thanks to the herbs his underlings gathered and the Recovery Ability bestowed by the Evil God, his wounds had scabbed over and begun to heal in the past few days.
’Damn that Fearsome Claw Bear,’ Hei Da swore. ’Once I recover, I’ll kill it, chop off its head, and stick it on a pike at the edge of the Hunting Ground.’
PLOP! PLOP! The goblins tossed the cut chunks of boar meat, along with blood and guts, into a cauldron that was nearly half a man’s height. As the water churned, a rank, gamy smell filled the air.
Hei Da sniffed greedily. It had been days since he’d smelled cooking meat. He’d been subsisting on watery broths that did nothing to sate his hunger.
It was the same today. His dozen or so goblins had gone out and only brought back bugs and bird eggs. ’Who can get full on a measly portion like that?’
Fortunately, some goblins had come bearing meat today. Hei Da plucked another bug, crushed it, and wiped it into his mouth.
Just a moment ago, these four goblins had arrived at his cave, carrying a wild boar on a thick branch, and said they wanted to pledge their allegiance to him. Hei Da hadn’t agreed immediately.
He was still observing them. ’They look... odd.’
’They’re all short green-skins, but they don’t carry themselves like goblins. They don’t have that foul, sour goblin stench, either.’
’They look too clean, just like those humans I’ve bashed to death.’
’And their leader is a bald shorty? In the Goblin Race, isn’t the leader always the one with the biggest fists?’
Hei Da sized up the four little ones standing quietly at the cave entrance and decided he would let them stay after he ate his fill.
’But I’ll kill the shorty. Ever since I got injured, these underlings of mine have been getting restless. If I kill one to scare them, they’ll work harder to gather food tomorrow.’
’Besides, bashing his head in will also intimidate the other three outsiders. Killing the shortest one won’t have a big impact on the clan’s strength.’
’The female is short too, but female goblins have to be kept for breeding.’
Hei Da looked at the smiling bald shorty in the distance and chuckled to himself. ’If he knew I’m going to bash his head in after I’m done eating, would he still be smiling? He’d definitely be crying and begging for his life.’
’A few swings of the hammer and he’ll be a meat paste. Then all the goblins will be huddled in the corner of the cave, trembling like frightened chickens.’
’This game is so much fun.’
GROWL... Hei Da rubbed his stomach, the hunger making him irritable.
"Is it not ready yet?" he demanded, getting up and walking to the cauldron. At two meters tall, his head nearly scraped the cave ceiling.
A few goblins timidly explained that they had just started cooking and the meat wasn’t done yet.
Hei Da impatiently shooed his underlings away, preparing to fill his stomach directly. ’Half-cooked is still edible.’
He reached in and grabbed a pig leg. Just as he was about to bring it to his mouth, he remembered something. He glanced over at the four goblins at the entrance; they were still standing there quietly.
"You, get over here." Hei Da pointed at the bald shorty, beckoning him to the cauldron. "Take a bite."
The bald shorty grabbed a piece of meat, took a small bite, and then stood quietly to the side.
A few minutes later, he showed no ill effects.
"Alright, get lost." Hei Da shooed the goblin away, sat down by the cauldron, and began to feast.
Chunks of meat, organs, and broth were torn, chewed, and stuffed into his stomach in moments.
Once he was full, he wiped his mouth and returned to his spot against the wall, watching his underlings push and shove as they fought over the scraps.
He hadn’t been able to finish the whole half-grown boar, leaving plenty of meat and broth behind. The goblins ignored their comrades pulling at them, reaching in to grab a piece and immediately shove it in their mouths, desperate to get one more bite of meat.
