Becoming a Monster

Chapter 581: Chapter 580: Genghis Khan

Noah’s attention remained fixed upon the hobgoblin’s newly acquired skills.

The more he grasped what the abilities represented, the more fascinated he became.

Neither strengthened the hobgoblin in the conventional sense.

Instead, both were centered on the continuation of their species.

Before Noah had the chance to dwell on that realization any longer, he felt Ailetta’s curiosity brush against his soul.

She had already sensed that something about the hobgoblin’s evolution had caught his attention.

“Whatever it is must be good. What is it?”

Noah remained silent for another. The two skills could be explained in simple terms, but there was a lot to unpack for Ailetta to understand why he was stunned by them.

Only then did he relay what he had learned.

The first ability immediately explained why Noah considered the hobgoblin the forerunner of a new generation.

It wasn’t an ability meant to make the hobgoblin overwhelmingly powerful.

Instead, it would reshape every generation that came after it.

Any children born from the hobgoblin would inherit far purer goblin bloodlines than normal, giving them a much greater chance of being born with mutations, rare talents, and higher evolutionary potential than the average goblin.

More surprisingly, the hobgoblin would become the catalyst behind the tribe’s growth. Any female goblin it reproduced with would become far more fertile while developing a much stronger instinct to bear its offspring, allowing the tribe to expand at a rate ordinary goblins could never hope to match.

The second ability was no less remarkable.

Rather than strengthening the bloodline itself, it strengthened the generations that followed.

The hobgoblin possessed an innate ability to guide the young. Any immature goblin it taught would learn far more quickly than normal, retaining hunting techniques, combat instincts, and practical knowledge with remarkable efficiency.

By the time those children reached adulthood, they would already possess a level of experience that ordinary goblins would spend years trying to acquire.

As the explanation reached its end, Ailetta fell silent.

Noah could feel the surprise flowing back through their connection.

Neither of them had expected an evolution like this, from a goblin no less.

—

Sensing the sudden curiosity blooming within Ailetta, Noah couldn’t help responding with a trace of sarcasm.

“What?”

“Having second thoughts about wanting them to work under you now?”

Ailetta immediately scoffed.

“And have to worry about that disgusting goblin smell every day?”

“I refuse.”

“I’m already beginning to fear this place is going to become the world’s first monster brothel.”

The thought alone caused her expression to twist with visible disgust. However, that expression didn’t remain for long.

Her eyes gradually drifted back toward the newly evolved hobgoblin before eventually returning to Noah. The playful smile she often wore had already disappeared.

“What I’m actually interested in…”

“…is the potential of our children.”

“We can’t let a goblin beat us.”

There wasn’t the slightest hint of embarrassment behind those words. If anything, Ailetta had spoken with complete seriousness.

Whenever the conversation shifted toward having children with Noah, Ailetta tended to take the matter more seriously than anything else.

Noah neither laughed nor dismissed her words. Instead, he quietly found himself reflecting upon them.

After this battle, he would finally know where he truly stood within this world.

If they survived what was coming…

If they proved that neither monsters nor humans could come whenever they pleased and threatened to take everything they had built…

Then perhaps they could finally begin living the kind of life they actually wanted.

Children were no longer something that felt impossibly far away.

For the first time since arriving in this world, Noah found himself believing they might actually become part of his future.

It was perhaps the one desire he had never shared with anyone else.

Ever since arriving here, every day had been spent wondering whether someone stronger would eventually appear and strip everything away from him.

That uncertainty had followed him ever since he first stepped into this world, and over time it had become increasingly exhausting.

He was tired of living that way.

If he failed to demonstrate his strength now, then today’s events would only continue repeating themselves.

First, it had been the monsters.

Then it became the humans.

If nothing changed… Would the “real” demons become the next ones to arrive?

“Darling?”

Ailetta’s voice gently echoed through his soul.

Because of the bond they shared, she didn’t need to ask what he was thinking.

She could already feel the frustration quietly settling within him.

And the exhaustion.

Most of all, she could feel the determination that was slowly hardening beneath those emotions.

Before those emotions could deepen any further, she gently called out to him once again, silently reminding him where they were.

Only then did Noah return to himself.

His gaze slowly lifted from his thoughts before settling back upon the camp. The atmosphere surrounding the camp had become deathly still.

Every goblin had lowered its head again. None of them understood why the Oni’s presence had suddenly become so much heavier.

Being directly next to him, the newly evolved hobgoblin felt that change more than anyone else.

The moment Noah’s gaze drifted toward it, its body instinctively tensed.

It immediately dropped onto one knee without the slightest hesitation, fearing it had somehow done something to earn the Oni’s displeasure.

Noah quickly realized what the goblin was thinking and quietly shook his head.

“Stand up,” he said before his attention lingered on the original chieftain who had finally recovered. “In a moment you’ll need to make your first decision as their leader. However, there is one more thing you’ll need before.”

The hobgoblin cautiously rose, waiting for the Oni’s next command.

“You’ll need a name. And it will be one that you will make sure to respond to in the future.”

The hobgoblin’s expression immediately became blank.

“A… name?”

Among goblins, names weren’t given lightly.

Only those who stood at the very top of the tribe were ever considered worthy of receiving one, and even then, a name wasn’t simply chosen because someone had become stronger than the rest.

It had to be earned.

The shamans were the ones who decided such things.

Only after witnessing a deed they believed would be remembered for generations would they bestow a name upon the one responsible.

To receive a name was to have one’s existence acknowledged as part of the tribe’s history.

Many chieftains lived and died without ever reaching that point.

Even the recently appointed chieftain had never received one.

Its rule had been too short, and its accomplishments to date were only that it was the only one to survive the Oni.

Yet the Oni had decided to grant the hobgoblin a name before it had even begun leading the tribe.

No, he was more of a variant now than a hobgoblin.

Noah remained silent for a moment. This creature isn’t like his companions that he was attached to. Even now, he still wasn’t entirely certain whether the names he chose influenced those who received them.

This time, he wanted to avoid any mythical being beyond his scope or a potential god. Only when Noah thought about his expectations for the variant did a name naturally surface in his thoughts.

“Genghis.”

The newly evolved goblin carefully repeated the unfamiliar word beneath its breath, afraid that if it didn’t, it would forget how to pronounce it.

“…Genghis…”

“That name originated from a ruler who united countless tribes,” Noah explained. “More importantly, he left behind a bloodline that continued influencing generation after generation long after he was gone.”

“Your duty is no different.”

“I have no need for creatures that are accepting of remaining ignorant and weak.”

“If your tribe remains stagnant, then your evolution has no meaning.”

“And if your evolution has no meaning…”

“…then neither do you.”

“As you are now… your tribe has very little to offer me.”

“Your responsibility is to change that.”

“If one day your descendants stand before me no different than the goblins kneeling here now…”

“…then your existence would have been better spent ending here today.”

It was only then that Genghis realized just how heavy the name he had been given truly was.

The responsibilities attached to it were far greater than he had expected.

Yet Genghis couldn’t bring himself to answer.

If he acknowledged the Oni’s expectations now, then he would also be accepting the responsibility that came with them.

What would happen if he failed one day?

What would become of him?

More importantly…

What would become of the generations the Oni had just entrusted to him?

In the end, Genghis chose to remain silent.

The thoughts weighing upon his heart were far too heavy for him to answer so lightly.

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Noah never expected an answer.

Without giving Genghis any time to sort through the thoughts racing through his mind, his gaze slowly shifted toward the former chieftain.

Every goblin instinctively followed the Oni’s line of sight until every pair of eyes eventually landed upon the same trembling figure.

The former chieftain felt every one of those gazes settle upon it.

Its heart pounded so violently that it almost drowned out the rest of the camp.

It didn’t need anyone to explain what was happening.

It already knew. This was where its life would end.

The Oni had never intended to spare it.

He had only been waiting until the goblin chosen to replace it could personally bring its reign to an end.

That was how goblins settled succession.

The stronger survived.

And the weaker became the foundation beneath the next ruler.

These three chapters are just for the privilege, but this won’t affect a chapter being released today.