"Indeed, it's iron ore!"

The stone was gray-black, indicating a high iron content.

Li Meng glanced around the ground with a slight tilt of his head.

He noticed many similar stones in the nearby forest.

And this place was at least a mile away from the barren mountain.

Li Meng tossed the stone aside and got up to continue walking forward.

He had found iron ore, but now he needed to figure out how to hide the smoke.

Smelting iron required burning charcoal, which would produce a lot of smoke.

The appearance of smoke would attract the attention of other intelligent races nearby.

In the future information predicted by the simulated life, it was certain that there were Lizardmen and Pigmen tribes nearby.

Attracting any intelligent race could spell disaster for the tribe.

"If only there was a cave!"

Li Meng thought to himself as he walked through the forest.

Ideally, it would be a deep cave with multiple exits.

A closed cave couldn't be used, or the smoke would become a deadly poison.

Although the smoke would eventually dissipate, it wouldn't be as noticeable after being diluted by the cave.

But Li Meng also knew that finding such a cave was easier said than done.

In the following days, Li Meng traversed mountains, searching for a place to smelt iron.

This search lasted three days.

During those three days, Li Meng scoured every mountainous area nearby.

"Boss, we found it! There's a cave ahead!"

On the afternoon of the third day, a Goblin came running up to Li Meng excitedly.

Unknowingly, Li Meng and his Goblin followers had reached the foot of a mountain.

The steep cliff rose almost vertically, several hundred meters high.

Li Meng's eyes lit up with joy.

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"Lead the way!"

Under the Goblin's guidance, the group of Goblins hurried forward.

After about two hundred meters, a steep cliff appeared before Li Meng.

At the base of the cliff, there was a cave entrance.

Judging by the shape of the crack, it seemed naturally formed.

It was about three meters wide and pitch black inside.

Outside the cave was a barren patch of black soil.

The ground was somewhat damp, with large footprints visible on it.

"What a strange smell, I've never smelled it before!"

"Neither have I!"

The Goblins outside the cave were chattering.

They had caught a whiff of an unfamiliar scent from the cave.

Since it was a scent they had never encountered, they didn't know what it was.

Li Meng also detected a foul odor.

It was the smell of excrement, mixed with other unpleasant scents.

"Could it be an Ogre?"

Li Meng thought of the future predicted by the simulated life.

In that future, he would encounter an Ogre.

"Boss, there's movement!"

At that moment, there was a commotion in the cave.

It was a "thud, thud" sound, heavy footsteps.

"Hide, quickly!"

Sensing something, Li Meng's expression changed slightly.

He turned and ran into the depths of the forest.

The other Goblins, seeing their leader run, followed closely behind into the forest.

Back in the forest, Li Meng didn't stray far from the cave.

Instead, he hid in a bush outside the cave.

The other Goblins did the same, hiding in various concealed vegetation.

The noise from the cave grew louder.

Suddenly, a massive shadow appeared at the cave entrance.

Under the Goblins' terrified gaze, a gigantic creature emerged from the cave.

It had gray skin and a bald head.

Its physique was incredibly robust, nearly five meters tall, larger than the Goblin leader.

Its enormous body appeared rounded, with exceptionally thick limbs.

Its bowl-sized eyes spun around, giving it a somewhat foolish look.

[Cave Ogre]

[Level: 71]

[Strength: 317]

[Defense: 614]

[Agility: 151]

[Magic: 36]

[Enhanced Stone Skin: LV3 (Defense +300)]

[Physical Regeneration: LV1 (Increased healing speed)]

"My god!"

The terrifying attributes of the Cave Ogre startled Li Meng.

How could he capture such a powerful monster?

With traps?

Traps weren't foolproof.

How deep would a trap need to be to trap this monster?

Even if it were trapped, how would he capture it?

The Ogre outside the cave sniffed with its large nose.

It seemed to catch a whiff of a very unfamiliar scent.

But with its not-so-sharp sense of smell, it couldn't detect the Goblins hiding in the forest.

Soon, it began to walk step by step toward the forest.

The Cave Ogre entering the forest was like a giant.

Wherever it went, low branches and leaves were forcefully pushed aside.

"Follow it!"

Using the vegetation as cover, Li Meng cautiously followed it.

Although the other Goblins were terrified, they still followed their leader.

Soon, the Cave Ogre stopped in front of a massive fruit tree.

It grabbed the trunk with both hands and shook it vigorously.

Fist-sized purple fruits fell to the ground with a rustling sound.

After completing this, it sat down under the tree.

With practiced hands, it picked up the purple fruits from the ground and began to eat.

"Is the Ogre a vegetarian?"

This scene made Li Meng, hiding in the forest, wonder.

Such a large creature, named Ogre, turned out to be a vegetarian.

Of course, it might also be an omnivore.

After all, most humanoid creatures are omnivores.

Unlike Goblins, which are purely carnivorous.

Time passed slowly, and the Ogre under the tree continued eating the fruits.

It ate for a full two hours before stopping.

Just when Li Meng thought the Ogre would return to the cave, it fell asleep under the tree.

A peculiar smell wafted over, making Li Meng wrinkle his nose.

"Is this... the smell of fermentation?"

Looking at the sleeping Ogre, Li Meng's eyes brightened.

Could the Ogre be drunk?

The fruits on the tree were clearly overripe and starting to rot.

Rotting would cause the fruits to ferment, making the Ogre drunk.

"With such high defense, it should be impossible to kill it, right?"

Rather than subduing it, Li Meng hoped to kill it and gain its skills.

Either of the two skills would greatly enhance his strength.

But killing it would be a waste.

Such a large creature would be the best labor force.

"Gobu Ge, take all the Goblins and make bark ropes!"

Li Meng instructed the Goblin beside him.

It nodded and scurried away.

It gathered all the Goblins and ran into the depths of the forest.

Watching the sleeping Ogre, Li Meng pondered.

The future predicted by the simulated life could only serve as a reference.

In the current situation, there was no need to set traps.

If the Ogre was truly drunk, it wouldn't wake up easily.

This was his chance, the chance to capture the Ogre.

About five hours later, Gobu Ge returned with the Goblins.

Each Goblin carried a bundle of bark ropes.

"Come, follow me!"

Li Meng, gathering his courage, left the bushes and approached the Ogre under the fruit tree.

Although the Goblins were scared, they mustered the courage to follow their leader.

Li Meng led the Goblins quietly to the Ogre's side.

He gestured with his hand.

A Goblin quickly handed him a bark rope.

Li Meng carefully tied the bark rope around the Ogre's feet.

Though it might not be effective, it was better than nothing.