Theogobu

What was this monstrosity?! It was the greatest nightmare a branch could witness. It had fur for grass, four limbs, canine teeth, the face of a wolf, and a small mushroom on top.

The goblin sure had talent in angering. Not too long ago, it also got him mad. How did it achieve it?

He should not ask. He must keep his sanity. Instead, they had to run!

He tossed the goblin ahead and made a dash for it. Funny enough, he looked like he was whipping the ground.

With quick speed, he was side by side with the goblin.

<Acquired Haste>

What a good skill.

"I'm sorry. I saw a big mushroom earlier and thought it would be good to eat."

Geez, it thought the mushroom mane was food? That was very observant of it. Or rather, unobservant. Besides, how was that a big mushroom?

"Not that one... It's the one sitting on its back."

Woah! Was he blind?! Both were the same size. How did he miss that?

Hmm...the vibrations were coming from the...

Hey! Hey! This was a joke, right? The original target was the goblin. Why were they shifting more toward his side?

<Bushsite>

¬A walking mushroom parasite

<Grass Fang>

¬A beast that loves tree branches

Tears, he tells you.

If a branch could cry, he would be the first. When he was running, did he resemble a thrown stick? He was seriously escaping to save his little life, but Fang-san thought it was a game of catch?

The pride of a former hero was no more. In fact, why not rename him as Frisbie-san.

No...really, please don't call him that. He had a perfectly good name. It was a name he treasured and would continue to use.

After all, how else was his mother going to recognize the new him?

Anyhow, desperation called for desperate measures.

"Are we splitting up?"

Only in its dreams. If he did that, wouldn't he be the one in danger? Besides, it was a mushroom and a wolf. He ate and fought plenty in his young life.

Instead, with there being bait next to him, the situation wasn't that dire.

"Huff...I might look tough, but I'm w-weak."

Was it pouting toward him? That only worked for girls. And when did he say it was reliable? Have you ever saw a powerful goblin? No? Well, this fellow was that traditional goblin. Through and through.

It was green, human size, ugly, and weak. Hopefully, that wasn't too offensive.

"Huff...I do have one ability...huff..."

A goblin with a unique ability? He was all ears then.

...by the way, how did this guy understand without him speaking?

"I understand languages really well. The clan I was with..."

'...'

Wow. What could he say? He was impressed. The goblin managed to tell its entire tragic past while running.

<Acquired Patience>

You mean he didn't have any at first?

Remain calm. He should focus on what's at hand.

Before getting lost here, the goblin used to be with a clan. They prided themselves on the survival of the fittest with the top dog titled Goblin Lord.

To avoid abandonment, goblin males must have the skill of a hunter. In simpler terms, the ability to fight and kill. Moreover, goblins had a racial trait of attaining an innate ability.

If it aligned to fighting, the goblin was praised and accepted. However, if deemed a useless one, it would get lynched and abandon.

They did not believe <Evolution> helped the weak.

This goblin was the latter. When it was young, it didn't manifest any. The others saw this as disgraceful, so they bullied and robbed food daily. It got so intense, the majority of the time, it was forced to hunt alone.

If that wasn't sad enough, once the innate ability came, it was Language Perception.

This may not provide much understanding by name, but in the goblin community, regarded as the worse ability to receive was the Language Perception skill.

It allowed the user to perceive all languages almost effortlessly. In the goblin eyes, utterly nothing to do with fighting.

How gullible were they? He disagreed completely. In fact, after this short discussion, he understood the goblin considerably. And on another thought...

...he took every negative thing back. They could be best friends forever.

"R-really? Y-you mean it? Someone weak like me?"

Even though you're surprised, don't stop so sudden. Did it forget the pursuers? By the way, what was this guy's name?

"I'm Theogobu. If you're alright with me, I'll be in your care."

Uh...there was another thing that demanded to be made crystal clear. This goblin was weird. It wasn't confusing friendship for marriage, right?

On second thought, forget it! To proceed with the conversation, erasing the danger was vital. Besides, he was sure it was just a family greeting anyways.

To their counteract, the plan was simple. Theogobu would be bait, and he would use the time to test out an idea he'd wanted to try.

"I will do my best!"

Yeah, stay cheerful. The energy would be put to good use soon.

And what do you know, the duo came running. Had they lost them for that long? Why did they run in the first place?

It didn't matter. He would let Theogobu work his magic.

You see, there was a reason that guy had survived so long despite being weak. And it was all thanks to the Language Perception skill.

What the goblin clans failed to realize was it perceived all languages. That's right, even body language.

In other words, Theogobu had an insane cheat that allowed him to predict his opponent's moves. It made great for dodging.

Nonetheless, he also had a surprise. He shot his roots toward the distracted Grass Fang. The tips gleamed, reflecting light.

A concealed attack, accompanied by firm roots resembling daggers, the Grass Fang fell.

<Acquired Steel Roots>

He expected as much. As for the Bushsite, although it controlled the Grass Fang, it was also a weak monster. In the end, he gave out tips to Theogobu and let him deal with it.

Whew. He could now get to the water.