Chapter 2: Nest and Leader
"Boss, today's hunt is over. The clansmen are returning to the nest."
Although it was unclear why Gobumeng had suddenly become so strong, Gobuda's small brain couldn't comprehend such a complex matter.
The earlier beating seemed like it had never happened.
Gobuda grinned, trotting over cheerfully, his fawning behavior even more exaggerated than that of a dog not seen for months.
"Then let's go back. Lead the way!"
"Boss, this way, this way!"
Gobuda led the way cheerfully, with Li Meng closely following behind.
Before long, Li Meng and Gobuda caught up with the tribe in the forest.
The movement of nearly a hundred goblins walking through the forest was loud.
Goblins were small, weak, and ugly creatures.
Their weapons were rudimentary—either wooden clubs or stone axes.
With such tools, hunting forest wild boars was absolutely impossible.
Some of the larger goblins carried iron weapons: knives, swords, and spiked clubs of various types.
Some goblins even wore ill-fitting leather armor.
The larger goblins were the small leaders of the tribe, each followed by more than a dozen goblins.
These larger goblins were the main force in hunting forest wild boars.
Gobuda, as a "boss," was merely a subordinate leader under one of these small leaders.
After walking for about four hours, they arrived at the nest.
The goblin nest was located in a cave at the foot of a large mountain.
From a distance, Li Meng could already smell the stench.
The area outside the cave was littered with bones, piled up like a mountain.
There were bones of various magical beasts and goblins, as well as many that resembled human remains.
Although the cave was pitch-black inside, it didn't bother the goblins at all.
Goblins naturally preferred damp, dark environments and had night vision capabilities.
"Who am I? Tell me, who am I?"
At the far end of the cave was a large open space.
A huge, burly figure sat on a stone platform.
Although it was also green-skinned, its massive body reached a height of three meters.
It looked like a small giant compared to ordinary goblins.
"Gobuba! Gobuba!"
The goblins in the cave raised their weapons and shouted loudly.
Every goblin gazed at the massive figure on the stone platform with admiration and excitement.
As soon as Li Meng entered the cave, he saw this lively and boisterous scene.
At this moment, he realized that the goblins accompanying him were merely a hunting team.
This place was the goblin nest's main base.
The number of goblins in the cave was no less than a thousand.
[Name: Gobuba]
[Race: Goblin Leader]
[Level: 54]
[Strength: 195]
[Defense: 106]
[Agility: 101]
[Magic Power: 37]
[Physical Enhancement: LV3]
[Berserk: LV1]
The terrifying attributes of the goblin leader made Li Meng tremble with fear.
With his current strength, the goblin leader could kill him with a single finger.
In addition to the goblin leader, Li Meng also noticed many large goblins and goblin warriors in the cave.
Near the large stone platform where the goblin leader stood, there were fewer than ten goblin champions.
Ordinary goblins were about 1.3 meters tall.
Large goblins were slightly taller and more robust, reaching about 1.7 meters in height.
Goblin warriors were even more muscular, standing around 2 meters tall.
Goblin champions were only second in size to the goblin leader, with a height of about 2.5 meters.
The rock walls on both sides of the cave had numerous small holes.
These were prisons where female creatures were confined.
Goblins had no females of their own and relied on other female creatures to reproduce.
Goblins had no reproductive isolation with any species.
As long as the size was suitable, they could be used as breeding tools.
The prisons held numerous female field mice and wild boars.
The size of female field mice was suitable for mating with ordinary goblins, often resulting in litters of around ten.
Goblins ranked goblin warrior or higher would mate with forest wild boars, producing litters of no less than twenty.
The gestation period for any creature mating with a goblin was only one month.
The growth cycle of goblins was also very short.
With sufficient food, they could reach adulthood in just one month.
This terrifying reproduction speed made goblins as hard to eliminate as rats.
The innermost area was the breeding room. Once a female creature became pregnant, it would be sent to the breeding room.
Looking at the primitive breeding scenes in the crude prisons, Li Meng rolled his eyes.
"How did I become such a disgusting creature?"
Li Meng sighed deeply, feeling utterly lost about his future life.
"Huh, what's that?"
At that moment, something glittering on the rock wall caught Li Meng's attention.
Although the light was faint, he could see that there were crystals embedded in the rock wall.
The crystals emitted colors that varied slightly, their dim light slightly dispelling the darkness of the cave.
Upon closer inspection, they were indeed magic crystals.
Li Meng's eyes lit up, and he cautiously approached the rock wall.
In a corner, he leaned against the wall, his hands deftly prying at the magic crystals embedded in it.
Before long, Li Meng had pried out ten magic crystals.
He didn't take too many, as there was nowhere to store them on his body.
"Boss, what are you doing with those glowing stones?"
Despite his caution, Gobuda noticed his actions.
Looking at Gobuda, a flash of killing intent crossed Li Meng's eyes.
If Gobuda shouted loudly, he'd be finished.
"Nothing... nothing. These glowing stones look nice, so I wanted to collect some."
Fortunately, Gobuda's intelligence wasn't high enough to think beyond eating.
Gobuda didn't pay much attention to Li Meng's actions of prying out magic crystals.
"Let's go. We need to find a place to sleep."
Outside, the sky was gradually darkening.
Inside the cave, many goblins began to sleep on the ground.
Over the next few days, Li Meng lived the daily life of a goblin.
Having learned lessons from simulated life, Li Meng had no choice but to stay cautious.
Every day began at sunrise and ended at sunset, with the primary task being hunting outside.
Even if they couldn't fill their bellies, they had to bring back enough food.
Otherwise, they'd be punished with whippings.
Exceeding the task could sometimes earn the reward of mating rights.
Goblin offspring were absolutely loyal to their fathers.
Goblins could identify their fathers through scent.
Once granted mating rights, a goblin could form its own team within the tribe.
On the afternoon of the fifth day, about ten kilometers away from the goblin nest in the forest.
Following at the back of the team, Li Meng stealthily approached a goblin.
Then he knocked it out with a punch.
"From now on, I'm your boss. Understand?"
The goblin, lying on the ground in fear, nodded.
"Good. Follow me!"
Watching the goblin walking ahead, Li Meng approached from behind.
Coming up behind the goblin, Li Meng patted its shoulder.
The goblin turned around, looking at Li Meng with a puzzled expression.