Kent assumed that there wouldn't be any boss-level goblins in the underground area, so he boldly walked up to the cluster of mushrooms and shouted, "Stop hiding, you vile creatures!"
With a sigh, eleven short goblins crawled out from the Nightlight Mushroom cluster. They had dark green skin, and were about 1.3 meters tall, thin and weak, with a pair of blood-red eyes. They were bare-chested, wearing tattered animal-hide skirts around their waists, and each carried a wooden club almost as tall as themselves.
Among them, the tallest goblin stood at about 1.5 meters, relatively strong, wielding a bone club stained dark red with blood. Kent cast "Insight" and confirmed that it was not an ordinary goblin.
[Race: Goblin Fighter Rank: Elite Level: lv13]
[Attributes: Strength 12, Constitution 12, Spirit 7, Agility 10]
Kent didn't bother to read the talents and skills since they were just going to be one-shotted anyway.
"Respected Dragon Descendant, we didn't expect you to speak our humble race's language. How can we assist you?" one of the goblins spoke, surprising Kent.
It wasn't the Goblin Fighter who replied but a short, weak, ordinary goblin. However, it was different from the others, wearing goblin leather armor and with a relatively prominent large head.
[Race: Cave Goblin (Priest Apprentice) Rank: Normal Level: lv9]
[Attributes: Strength 6, Constitution 6, Intelligence 10, Agility 10]
Kent narrowed his eyes. Did this goblin tribe have a priest? Goblin priests were classified as [Red-Name Elites] and required a goblin population of 500 to be born.
"Take me to your tribe. I have something to discuss with your priest," Kent demanded.
Asura was surprised. How did this lizard know about the priest?
No, the priest had been recuperating in the cave since arriving and had never come out. It couldn't know about the priest.
As Asura hesitated, Kent impatiently pinned it and the Goblin Fighter under his claws and said to the rest of the goblins, "I'll keep these two here. Go back and inform whoever is in charge of your tribe to come and see me."
The Goblin Fighter roared and tried to struggle, but Kent used normal attack force to press it down, instantly reducing its health by half.
"Do as he says!" Asura quickly shouted, fearing more casualties. Asura was naturally intelligent and had been raised by the priest since childhood, so its status was higher than that of the Goblin Fighter.
It couldn't understand why the lizard was acting this way, but it believed that the wise priest would be able to figure it out.
The cave goblins scattered, and after more than half an hour, when Kent grew impatient, a group of about forty or fifty goblins hurried over, surrounding a goblin elder with all its teeth missing.
It had wrinkled, dark green skin and wore a dirty grayish-white linen robe. In its hand was a staff made of rotten black wood, with an unknown creature's skull mounted on top.
[Race: Goblin Priest Rank: Elite (formerly Red-Name Elite, now demoted) Level: lv19 (formerly lv35, now downgraded)]
[Attributes: Strength 7, Constitution 10, Spirit 30 (25 + 3), Agility 11]
[Health: 1000/1000 Mana: 1500/1500 Stamina: 200/200]
[Talent: Cunning Heart (Rank C) - When using dark and curse magic, effects +30%, and chanting time is reduced by 30%.]
[Skill 1: Dark Restraint (Rank D) - After a 2.1-second chant, consumes 300 mana to emit a beam of darkness, dealing 1500 magic damage. If the target's strength is lower than its spirit, it can restrain the target for up to 3 seconds, consuming 100 mana per second. Cooldown: 60 seconds.]
[Skill 2: Dark Magic Ball (Rank D) - After a 2.1-second chant, consumes 400 mana to emit a dark magic ball, dealing 2400 magic damage. Can emit up to 1 additional ball (rank-related). Cooldown: 60 seconds.]
[Skill 3: Heavy Curse (Rank E) - After a 1.4-second chant, consumes 200 mana to curse a target, reducing its agility by 10% (minimum 1 point) for 10 seconds. Can curse up to 2 targets simultaneously (rank-related). Cooldown: 60 seconds.]
[Skill 4: Blinding Curse (Rank D) - After a 1.4-second chant, consumes 400 mana to curse a target, blinding it for 2.6 seconds. Can curse up to 2 targets simultaneously (double mana consumption). Cooldown: 2 minutes.]
[Commentary: After the tribe was destroyed, the goblin priest, who fled with the surviving tribe members, was demoted due to the small number of survivors. If the demotion lasts too long, it may regress to an ordinary goblin.]
The goblins stopped their advance when they reached a point about twenty meters away from Kent. Ignoring the objections of his tribesmen, the goblin priest alone approached and bowed respectfully, asking, "Respected Dragon Descendant, I have come as you commanded. May I ask..."
Before it could finish, Kent released Asura and the Goblin Fighter, and cut to the chase, "Submit to me, or die."
While the goblin priest showed respect on the surface, it felt a hint of disdain inside. This giant barren land lizard had a strange level of only lv14, and with more than forty goblins, they might not necessarily lose to it. What gave it the audacity to speak like this?
Indeed, what gave it that right?
With this in mind, the old priest calmed down and carefully observed. It noticed that the lizard's size didn't match its level. The dagger-like teeth and the strange bulge on its back were all indications that it was no ordinary giant barren land lizard.
As the old priest hesitated, Kent continued, "Submit to me, and I will protect you and provide you with enough meat."
Such a good deal? Dragon descendants usually treated their vassals as tools, not providing them with food.
"The price is that you must obey my commands. Of course, I will not let you do anything dangerous, considering how weak you are."
"There are only two things you need to do: some of you will be sent to search for Elite-ranked beasts. Once found, lead me there to kill it."
"The second task is to help me mine an iron mine. As long as you mine enough each day, you can rest and do not need to work continuously."
Yes, with the map of the Chu Kingdom unfolding, Kent's goal was to conquer these goblins and make them mine for him!