The Evolution of a Goblin to the Peak

Chapter 1095: A Step Forward

Days passed quickly.

Souta's group had returned to Ekatoe City, bringing with them the spoils of war. His men had looted a vast trove of resources from the Obsidian Desert, and the organizations of the five fallen leaders were utterly destroyed. Most of their wealth now belonged to Astros.

With a newfound budget, construction in Ekatoe City accelerated. The materials used were far superior to before, ensuring that the city's foundation would be stronger than ever.

Souta hired skilled workers from across Hall Plains to aid in the city's expansion, while Torkez shifted his focus to the Guardian Fortress. Their goal was clear-build, fortify, and install another portal to link it with the existing Guardian Fortress.

Souta sat in his room, examining the rewards he had received.

His level had risen to 77, and he had gained a new title- "Slayer."

Its effect was simple yet brutal: each consecutive kill within a ten-minute window granted him a stat enhancement. However, if he failed to kill within that timeframe, the enhancement would reset.

Ten kills equaled a 1% boost to all stats, and the effect could stack up to 100%.

"This suits me perfectly," Souta thought, a smirk playing on his lips.

With war on the horizon, this ability would prove invaluable.

A 100% increase in stats was an overwhelming boost.

If Souta had maximized the effect during his battle with Feron, the fight would have ended much faster.

With his current arsenal, he no longer needed to flee from a Seventh Shackle Realm opponent. Of course, facing multiple at once was another matter entirely.

"My attacks are strong... but my defense-" Souta muttered, deep in thought.

He had noticed a pattern. In every battle against high-level opponents, parts of his body were constantly being destroyed.

"I've been relying too much on my regeneration," he admitted.

It was time to reevaluate his defenses.

Most of his skills focused on attack power, leaving his defense lacking in comparison. At the very least, his new title would help, as it boosted all basic stats, including defense.

Meanwhile, the construction of the portal to the Champion's Den was finally completed.

To prevent another disaster like last time, the higher-ups had dispatched two Sixth Shackle Realm experts to guard it. With most warriors tied up on missions, two experts were more than enough.

Souta was satisfied. He understood how busy the warriors were-constantly fighting on the frontlines, risking their lives.

In recent days, Souta hadn't taken on any missions. Instead, he used the portal to travel to Athen's Champion's base in Champion's Den, redeeming combat arts and spells with his accumulated merits.

The higher-ups hadn't assigned him elsewhere, still wary of what had happened when he lost control of his power.

After his return, Souta rarely appeared in public. Most of his time was spent training inside Saya's inner consciousness, pushing himself to grow stronger. Occasionally, Vashno, Eztein, and Franklin would join him.

...

In the blink of an eye, another week passed since the portal's completion.

Souta exited Saya's inner consciousness and stretched his body. Stepping toward the window, he gazed outside. It felt like ages since he had seen the world beyond.

Given the time difference within the inner consciousness, it truly had been a long time.

"Learning spells is really hard..." he muttered.

Opening his palm, he slowly constructed a Tier 2 magic circle. The process felt sluggish-too slow compared to the speed of his opponents. And this was just a Tier 2 spell. A Tier 3 magic circle would take even longer.

Just as Eilish had once told him, mastering a Tier 3 magic circle was far more complex than learning multiple languages.

It was like constructing a complex program-each step had to be carefully built while precisely controlling his energy.

Souta opened the window and extended his palm outside.

[Light Shock]!

The Tier 2 magic circle he had constructed flared to life, and a ray of light shot from his palm.

It surged into the sky before exploding, illuminating the entire city.

People all over Ekatoe City instinctively turned their eyes toward the sky, drawn by the sudden burst of light.

Souta smiled as he watched the glow fade. Shaking his head, he murmured, "I'm getting better at spellcasting."

Souta recalled the lessons Eilish had given him on spellcasting.

Since most of his dark-element skills came from the system, he had decided to manually learn the light-attribute spells he had redeemed from Athen's Champion.

Stretching his arms, he summoned his key subordinates to his office for a meeting. He needed an update on the city's development.

A few minutes later, Vashno and the others gathered in his office. Alice was absent-she was still deep within the ancient ruins, focusing on strengthening herself.

Souta turned his gaze to Eztein. "Let's start with you."

Eztein nodded. "The progress of our forces has been remarkable, especially with the influx of new resources. Many have advanced to A-rank, and a few have even reached S-rank. Additionally, several witches have broken into the Shackled Realm."

Souta closed his eyes, contemplating. "That's good, but we can't just hand out resources without effort. Obsidian Desert-I've personally wiped out the five largest factions there. Investigate and identify any remaining factions that resemble them. Then, eliminate them."

Eztein gave a sharp nod in understanding.

Next, Gragas delivered his report. "Weapon and armor production is steady, but we require more raw materials to sustain the current output."

Souta leaned back in his chair, considering his next move.

Isabella also requested more materials, explaining that she was working on two potions that would aid in the liquefaction and solidification of mana. Souta approved, knowing that once these potions were completed, more people in the Astros would be able to advance to A-rank

and S-rank.

"What about the construction of the Guardian Fortress, Torkez?" Souta asked.

Torkez gave a confident nod. "I estimate we'll have it finished by the end of the month. It will surpass the previous Guardian Fortress in both structure and functionality."

"That's good," Souta said, eyeing him. "But don't forget to take breaks and keep up with your

training."

Torkez nodded again, then paused as something came to mind. "Oh, I almost forgot

something."

Torkez took out a letter and placed it in front of Souta. "They said it's from Lady Echidna."

Souta raised an eyebrow, intrigued. He hadn't expected to receive a letter from her. Without hesitation, he took the letter and slipped it into his pocket, deciding to read it later. Franklin and Vashno had nothing to report, so they remained silent, simply listening to the

meeting.

After a few more minutes, Souta dismissed everyone. Without delay, he headed straight for

the portal connected to the other Guardian Fortress.

Involin Forest.

This was where his group of monsters gathered.

As Souta stepped out of the portal, his perception expanded instantly, scanning the

surrounding area.

"You're here," a deep voice rumbled.

Souta turned his head and saw a massive green dragon.

Doranjan.

"How heavy were our losses last time?" Souta asked.

"It's quite serious," Doranjan replied. "Half of our groups were affected and lost control as

well. We had no choice but to eliminate them."

"I see..." Souta nodded, his expression turning grim.

It had been a dangerously close call. If Kessa had been fully affected, everything would have

collapsed that day. With the other warriors occupied trying to stop him, no one would have

been able to keep her in check.

"What's the current progress?"

"There are still seventeen third-evolution-stage monsters left. Most of them come from the

goblin race."

"I see." Souta hovered into the air, gazing toward the goblin camps. "None of them evolved into Blood Goblins... Doranjan, when a second-stage goblin is about to reach the third stage, have them drink different types of blood."

Doranjan flew beside him and nodded.

"Also, make sure to give them only monster blood," Souta added. "It'll be useless if they

drink human or demi blood. They won't gain any traits from it."

"I understand," Doranjan said. "There are a few second-stage goblins close to reaching the

third stage, so I can start testing it soon."

"Good." Souta nodded in approval.

He understood why the goblins were evolving faster than other monsters. This was the emperor's territory, after all. They received all sorts of buffs, allowing them to catch up to the others at an accelerated pace.

"What about the dragon eggs?" Souta asked.

"They'll hatch without any issues," Doranjan replied. "At first, I thought they were dead, but

after sensing their life force, I confirmed they're perfectly fine. We just need to provide them with energy to nourish them properly."

"Then I'll leave that to you. Also, don't forget to train," Souta said with a smile. That would be another three third-stage monsters added to their forces.

"I know," Doranjan replied, his eyes studying Souta closely. Even though Souta remained in

the fourth stage, his strength continued to grow, eventually surpassing every other fourth-

stage being out there.

"Oh, right! Have you figured out what type of dragons are in the eggs?" Souta asked.

"No, we can only determine that once they hatch," Doranjan explained.

Souta continued asking Doranjan various questions, ensuring he had everything he needed

before heading back.

Upon arriving in Ekatoe, he learned that Princess Iris and Prince Servon had requested to

speak with him. It seemed they hadn't had a chance to talk to him since his return. After all, he

had been busy training.

They spoke for a long time, expressing their gratitude for his help in saving them. During their conversation, Souta also learned that they had been staying in Ekatoe ever since

the incident in the Obsidian Desert. Most of their men had perished, and rebuilding without

any support was proving difficult. Unlike Souta, who had the backing of Athen's Champion, they lacked the resources to start over.

It was already night by the time Souta returned to his room. Alone, he sat in silence, his gaze fixed on the letter resting on the table.

Taking a deep breath, he reached for it. Slowly, he tore it open, and a surge of energy rushed

out.

For a moment, nothing happened. Inside, the letter was covered in inscriptions. Sensing this,

Souta infused it with his own energy.

Ohm!

A change occurred.

A voice echoed through the room.

"I heard that you've lost control of your power. You were consumed... but somehow, you

survived."

It was Echidna's voice, imprinted within the letter.

"I thought you would need to reach the Fifth Evolution Stage first, but since you survived, you

can begin now. There's no need to wait-it will benefit you greatly. Once you complete it,

your path to becoming a Monster Lord will be open. It's quite fascinating, as it differs from

the usual path. I'm looking forward to seeing how it unfolds."

The voice faded.

"I see... So that moment was crucial for me," Souta muttered as he closed the letter and placed

it back on the table.

He stood up and gazed out the window.

"Saya, it looks like I need to change my plans. I'll stop training for now and focus on constructing that framework. I don't know how long it will take... but I won't come out until

I've completed the first step."