Grug

Ethan staggered back, panting as adrenaline surged through his veins. His hands trembled as he dropped the remains of the stick, staring down at the goblin's lifeless body.

"Shadow, you okay?" he asked, turning to the cat. She was licking her paws, seemingly unfazed by the fight. Ethan let out a shaky laugh. "Of course you are. You're a badass."

He crouched beside the goblin, inspecting its body. Its crude club and a small pouch of shiny stones seemed to be the only things of value. He grabbed the club—it wasn't much, but it was better than a broken stick—and pocketed the stones for good measure.

As he stood, another notification flashed in front of him.

[Ding! The entity Goblin has been added to your summoning list.]

Ethan grinned, despite himself. "A goblin, huh? Guess I've got my first humanoid summon."

He glanced down at Shadow, who was now rubbing against his leg, her tail curling affectionately. "And I've got you, too. Not bad for a beginner team."

The forest felt eerily quiet now, the rustling leaves and distant bird calls barely registering over the pounding in his ears. He stared down at the goblin's crude, lifeless body, debating his next move.

"Summon goblin," Ethan said hesitantly, testing his newfound ability.

The air shimmered faintly in front of him, and then, with a faint pop, the goblin materialized. It stood there, eerily still, its beady eyes fixed on him. The wounds from the battle were gone, leaving it in the prime of its grimy, green-skinned health.

"Okay, this is weird," Ethan admitted, eyeing the creature warily. It didn't seem hostile, but its blank stare was unnerving. "Uh… kneel?" he tried.

The goblin immediately dropped to one knee, bowing its head in submission. Ethan blinked in surprise. "Well, that's… good to know," he muttered, still feeling a bit uneasy.

He quickly opened his system screen to check the goblin's stats.

[Green Goblin]

Green Goblin Lvl 0

Health: 50

Strength: 8

Agility: 5

"Huh? No skills?" Ethan scratched his head. Logically it was more likely for a goblin to have a skill than a cat but maybe he did not understand this world well enough yet. Maybe the goblin just had raw strength and madness as its only weapons? or maybe it needed to level up more to acquire more skills?

Well, it did not matter. He would slowly figure it all out. He could also try talking to the thing. "Can you understand me?" He asked the strange creature still staring at him.

The goblin immediately started grunting and nodding, its jagged teeth bared in what Ethan hoped wasn't an attempt at a smile. The sounds it made were guttural and incomprehensible, but there was a clear effort to communicate.

"Okay, so I can't understand you but you can understand me?" Ethan muttered, leaning in slightly to study its reaction. The goblin tilted its head, clearly understanding something but lacking the ability to express it. "Great. Looks like we'll need to work on your conversational skills."

Shadow, meanwhile, had perched herself on a nearby log, watching the interaction with mild interest. Her tail flicked lazily as if she was unimpressed with the goblin's attempt at communication.

Ethan decided to push his luck. "All right, Grug—" he paused, pointing to the goblin, "—yes, that's your name. Grug. Do this." He waved his hand in a circular motion, hoping for some semblance of obedience.

The goblin squinted at him, then mimicked the motion with its stubby arm, looking both confused and proud of itself.

"Ha!" Ethan barked out a laugh, more from relief than amusement. "This might actually work."

He gestured toward the club Grug had previously wielded and then pointed toward the dense forest ahead. "Go and fetch me something half-dead. Go!"

Grug let out a loud grunt and scurried off, his movements surprisingly swift for his stubby frame. Ethan watched as the goblin disappeared into the trees, half-expecting it to get lost or never come back.

"Our team is coming together," Ethan said to Shadow, who yawned in response. "Now, let's see if Grug can actually deliver."

Shadow seemed to be tired and he too was tired from the fight so the two of them sat on a nearby rock to wait. Minutes passed and Ethan wondered if he should just go back to the carriage. Break time was probably over and he did not want to be seen with a suspicious goblin.

He doubted that the people here lived in a friendly relationship with these goblins. Chances were that they might label him a traitor or something and kill him on the spot.

"Wait, can I dismiss these two and summon them back?" Ethan pondered when a distant crashing sound reached his ears. He immediately stood up alert, tightening his grip on the club as his heart raced. Shadow crouched low, her ears pinned back and eyes focused on the source of the noise.

The next second, Grug emerged from the undergrowth, dragging something heavy behind him. As he drew closer, Ethan's jaw dropped.

The goblin had somehow managed to find and subdue another goblin!