The New King

On the other side of the passage, Matthew had just rounded a corner when he saw Aidan, who was gripping his short sword with a tense expression.

Almost the very instant they faced each other, Aidan reflexively slashed his short sword forward—

However, in Matthew's eyes, this strike seemed to move in slow motion. He casually stepped aside and easily dodged it.

Aidan focused his eyes and realized it was Matthew. He hurriedly pulled back his sword, a look of deep shame flushing over his face. “Brother Matthew, I—I thought you were a monster just now... I almost hurt you by mistake. I'm so sorry!”

Hearing the apology, Matthew's gaze swept over the lingering panic on the youth's face, and he understood.

The two explosions in the cave earlier must have alerted Aidan, who was guarding the entrance. Driven by worry, he had risked entering the depths to back Matthew up.

Rather than feeling angered by this, Matthew was actually quite pleased with Aidan's performance.

At the very least, it showed that Aidan truly cared about his safety and was not just putting on a superficial act.

As for the sword strike just now, it was no trouble at all for Matthew, easily dealt with.

Since nothing had gone wrong and Aidan's intentions were good, Matthew naturally would not blame him.

After all, well-meaning actions, even if poorly executed, still stemmed from goodwill. Just as saving a life with bitter herbs might go unappreciated while killing someone with ginseng is forgiven, the intent was precious, but the outcome was what truly mattered.

Matthew raised his hand to stop him, his tone calm but carrying a trace of imperceptible approval. “Say no more. You came in because you heard the noise and were worried something had happened to me, right?”

Aidan nodded vigorously, still keeping his head down, not daring to meet Matthew's gaze.

Matthew's gaze swept over his still-panicked face as he continued:

“There was indeed a situation in the cave, but I am unharmed. I understand your intention in risking yourself to come in and help me.”

He paused for a moment, his voice softening slightly.

“As for that sword strike just now, it was no trouble for me, and no harm was done. Since your intentions were good, I naturally won't blame you.”

Seeing that Aidan still wanted to speak, Matthew lightly patted his shoulder and interrupted, “This is no place to linger. Let's leave first. Move.”

With that, he turned and strode toward the cave exit, his steps steady and swift.

Aidan froze for a second, then gripped his short sword tightly and quickly followed. The panic and guilt in his heart gradually subsided as he looked at Matthew's calm, composed back.

Without another word, the two of them quickly slipped into the shadows of the passage, one after the other, and retreated outward.

...

Meanwhile, back inside the nest.

The residual heat of battle quietly dissipated, and the cave fell back into a dead silence.

The group of kobolds that had fled in panic earlier now timidly gathered back near the original stone throne platform from their various hiding spots.

They warily sized up the charred remains of the goat demon. Once they confirmed that their "master," who had once brought them endless terror, was completely motionless, an indescribable commotion began to spread through the pack.

A particularly bold, young kobold squeaked and chattered. It bent down to pick up a stone fragment and threw it hard at the goat demon's corpse.

With a soft thud, the stone struck the charred flesh, eliciting no reaction.

As if a signal had been triggered, after a brief, dead silence, it suddenly lunged out from the pack!

With hunger and greed flashing in its eyes, it pounced onto the remains. Opening its mouth filled with tiny, sharp teeth, it bit down hard on a piece of flesh that had not yet fully carbonized.

After gulping down a few mouthfuls of flesh, a sudden mutation occurred!

The small kobold's body began to shudder violently—not from pain, but from a spasmodic, power-filled twitching.

Its originally scrawny limbs swelled at a speed visible to the naked eye, the muscles beneath its skin thickening like living things.

Its bones made a teeth-gritting creaking sound, and its stature actually shot up by nearly a tenth of its original height within a few breaths.

Even more bizarrely, the color of the scales on its body began to darken, shifting from their original dark brown to a dark red close to that of the goat demon.

Its eyeballs quickly became bloodshot, and its pupils contracted, emitting a fierce light mixed with primal bestial ferocity.

“Howl—!”

It threw its head back and let out a howl completely different from before. It was no longer the high-pitched, squeaky chattering common to kobolds, but carried a coarse raspiness reminiscent of the goat demon's low growl.

This terrifying transformation, like a drop of water falling into boiling oil, completely ignited the frenzy of the surrounding kobolds.

The rest of the old and weak kobolds let out shrieks of mixed excitement and hunger, swarming forward to pounce on the remains.

However, the kobold that had already completed its initial mutation and tasted the flavor of "evolution" was currently intoxicated by its rising power.

Sensing the intentions of its nearby kin, it suddenly snapped up its head, which was covered in black blood.

Its crimson eyes swept across the surroundings, and it let out a roar from its throat.

What this voice contained was not just power, but a pressure originating from a superior being.

The actions of the madly lunging kobolds instantly froze.

The fear from the depths of their bloodlines and their instinctual obedience to hierarchy overrode their desire to devour.

They trembled, letting out thin, uneasy whimpers.

Ultimately, after the first timid one prostrated itself, like a row of falling dominoes, the rest of the kobolds also lowered their humble heads one after another, prostrating themselves trembling on the ground, no longer daring to make the slightest move to compete.

Amidst this silent ritual of submission, the evolved kobold lowered its head once more to greedily and exclusively continue its gluttonous feast.

...

Matthew was completely unaware of this. He had not expected at all that the goat demon's body he had left behind in his hasty retreat would actually birth a new king for the tribe.

At this moment, he and Aidan had already run out of the forest. Their journey back was exceptionally peaceful, with no further incidents occurring.

It was only when they stepped onto the familiar dirt road leading to the village that Matthew slowed his pace slightly.

“Brother Matthew,” Aidan finally could not help but speak, a trace of confusion still lingering in his voice. “What happened inside the cave?”

Hearing this, a momentary flicker of hesitation crossed Matthew's eyes.

He did not mention the life-and-death struggle with Rivera the goat demon, let alone reveal that he had obtained key spoils like the heart, crystal core, and ring.

In the end, he simply said lightheartedly, “It was nothing major, just an accident during a hunt that accidentally triggered an explosion. As for the appearance of that goat-horned magical beast, do not mention it to anyone, so as to avoid causing unnecessary panic in the village.”

Hearing Matthew's words, Aidan nodded in a daze and promised, “I understand, Brother Matthew.”

He naturally obeyed Matthew's words unconditionally.

Seeing Aidan's reaction, Matthew nodded inwardly, then began to consider whether he should inform Instructor Calm of this matter.

After a brief contemplation, Matthew felt it was necessary to mention it to Calm, but he absolutely could not disclose everything; giving a brief overview would suffice.