The two of them slipped through the sparse coniferous forest, their steps light and slow, making no unnecessary sound.
The faint squeaking and chattering from the distance drifted intermittently, growing clearer and clearer.
Matthew led the way, his gaze filtering through the thin mist and the gaps between the trees as he continuously used 【Eagle Eye Gaze】 to observe the movements ahead.
Aidan followed closely behind, one hand resting on the short blade at his waist. His breathing was slightly rapid, but his eyes were exceptionally focused, showing no sign of fear.
After sneaking forward about seventy or eighty paces, a low earthen slope appeared ahead.
The slope was overgrown with shrubs, and several greyish-blue rocks were half-hidden among withered vines.
The screeching of the kobolds was coming from the other side of the slope, accompanied by the faint rustling of dirt-digging and short screeches. It sounded like there were more than just three or five of them.
Matthew stopped and gestured for Aidan to stay low.
He slowly peeked through the gaps of a withered shrub—
Below the slope was a small, relatively open depression. The ground was damp and muddy, scattered with gnawed animal bones and scraps of fur.
Three kobolds were rummaging through something there. They were short, with rough, greyish-brown skin, and held crude bone spears.
Two of them were fighting over the remains of some unknown animal, while the other was clawing frantically at the ground, seemingly searching for edible roots or insects.
About thirty paces away from them, on the rock wall at the edge of the depression, a narrow crevice half-hidden by loose stones and withered vines was faintly visible—
This was likely the entrance to the kobold nest.
“Are they foraging? But why are those two digging the soil?”
Seeing this, Matthew muttered to himself.
At the same time, a trace of joy and surprise welled up in him.
He was joyful because he had finally found concrete traces of the kobold nest, which he had been thinking about for several months.
His surprise stemmed from how quickly these kobolds were growing; in just a few short months, adult individuals had actually appeared.
However, it was also possible that they hadn't all ventured out last time...
While Matthew was lost in thought, Aidan beside him suddenly let out an extremely soft, yet irrepressible sharp intake of breath.
“Sss... hah...?!”
Though the sound was so faint that it was almost swallowed by the wind in the forest, Matthew still caught it keenly.
He looked over to see Aidan staring down, his face pale with shock and his eyes filled with disbelief.
At first, Matthew thought Aidan was just a bit shocked because it was his first time seeing a kobold.
He was about to remind him to stay hidden and not alert the creatures below, but then he noticed that Aidan was still staring blankly down, clearly not having fully recovered his composure.
Matthew's heart instantly grew alert—
Aidan was usually steady. He would never lose his composure like this unless he had seen something extremely abnormal.
He immediately focused his mind and peered in the direction of Aidan's gaze.
He saw that at the entrance of the kobold nest below, an entirely unfamiliar figure had appeared at some point—
It bore a pair of thick, curved goat horns, but its body stood in a nearly humanoid, erect posture. Its muscles were knotted, and its aura was savage, making it clearly some kind of unprecedented magical beast.
“What is that...?”
Goat horns, a human body...
This was definitely not any kind of magical beast commonly found on the outskirts of the forest in his knowledge.
It looked more like the hellish demons he had heard of in his previous life...
Suppressing his surprise, Matthew quickly calmed his inner turmoil. Silently activating 【Eagle Eye Gaze】, he carefully observed the other party's movements and posture.
As he focused his gaze, a trace of doubt arose in his mind.
Although the figure looked fierce and muscular, by visual estimation, its height seemed even shorter than the adult kobold digging nearby, standing at only about 1.6 meters.
Standing there, compared to the surrounding kobolds, its “disadvantage” in physical size was extremely discordant with its hideous appearance, making it look like... a juvenile magical beast that had not yet fully grown.
Just then, a sudden change occurred below.
The two kobolds fighting and biting over the carcass seemed to be struggling too fiercely. One of them was suddenly shoved away, stumbling back several steps and nearly colliding with the goat-horned creature.
The goat-horned creature had originally been staring coldly at the group of kobolds, its crimson pupils reflecting their lowly and chaotic figures.
This sudden collision seemed like a slight offense to its authority.
Its pair of curved horns twitched slightly, and its crimson pupils suddenly contracted, instantly flaring with dense rage.
There was no roar, nor any unnecessary movement.
It simply raised a leg with extreme speed and kicked hard into the ribs of the stumbling kobold.
There was a dull bang.
Accompanied by a short, shrill screech of pain.
The kobold was sent flying like a ragdoll, crashing onto the damp soil at the edge of the depression and rolling several times before coming to a stop. Its bone spear had already slipped from its hand, leaving it curled up and groaning in pain.
Seeing this, the other two kobolds trembled slightly, then began to dig even more furiously.
The goat-horned creature retracted its leg, as if it had only done something trivial.
Scanning its surroundings, it walked back into the entrance.
“Brother Matthew, what... what kind of monster is that?”
Aidan recovered from his shock and asked in a low whisper, his voice still carrying a barely perceptible tremor.
Hearing this, Matthew fully understood Aidan's feelings. It was only normal for anyone to feel panic upon seeing such a mysterious and hideous creature. This was not weakness, but the most instinctive reaction to the unknown and danger.
Moreover, Aidan was not even of the Black Iron Rank and had no strength to protect himself, so feeling frightened was perfectly reasonable.
“It's a magical beast.”
Matthew kept his gaze locked below, his expression grave and his voice extremely low. “But as for its specific species, I haven't seen it either.”
He paused, then comforted him, “Don't panic, steady your breathing. Although its appearance is hideous, judging by its size and the force of that kick just now, it might not be as powerful as you think.”
Aidan had a deep trust in Matthew. He bit his lip hard, took a deep breath, and suppressed his ragged breathing.
Thoughts raced through Matthew's mind.
Combining the goat-horned creature's merciless kick with the way the kobolds had instantly fallen silent and cowered in submission, a hypothesis gradually took shape in his mind:
This goat-horned creature was very likely enslaving this group of kobolds.
And judging by the power of that kick, the strength of this goat demon probably wasn't so high that Matthew couldn't handle it.
He had clearly seen the distinct anger in the goat demon's eyes just now.
If it was indeed enslaving another race, there would be absolutely no reason to hold back when faced with an offense; it had to establish authority!
That kick was very likely its full-strength strike.
As for why these kobolds didn't even dare to harbor a single thought of resistance...
Matthew could only attribute it to the oppression of life level.
Just as his Spirit breakthrough would invisibly bring a faint pressure to others.
This goat-horned creature was definitely not a low-level monster. Its life essence likely possessed a natural deterrence over these low-level kobolds, making them incapable of conceiving any desire to resist.
Rate on N.U.
