Sitting by the riverside, Li Meng's body crackled with a series of "popping" sounds.

His small frame began to swell, and with a "snap," the animal hide he wore was torn apart.

Beside him, Benben widened his eyes in curiosity, watching as the boss rapidly grew larger.

In no time, Li Meng shot up from about 1.7 meters to 1.8 meters tall.

His body was no longer slender but had become exceptionally strong.

"Ah!"

When the intense pain subsided, Li Meng lay on a rock, panting heavily.

With a thought, Li Meng opened his character panel.

[Name: Gobu Meng]

[Race: Goblin]

[Level: 15]

[Strength: 175]

[Defense: 159]

[Agility: 91]

[Magic: 86]

[Charm: 0]

[Luck: 11]

[Devour: Chance to acquire the skills of a devoured Magical Beast]

[Steel Muscles and Iron Bones: LV4 (Strength +80, Defense +80, Agility +20)]

[Wind Blade: LV1]

[Body Regeneration: LV1]

His attributes had increased significantly upon leveling up.

Each attribute increased by 30-40 points.

"It seems the stronger one's attributes, the higher the attribute bonuses when leveling up."

Li Meng was quite satisfied with his current attribute values.

Even without the bonuses from "Steel Muscles and Iron Bones," his attributes were not low.

After all, he was only level 15.

The attributes of an ordinary Big Goblin at level 15 range between 15-25.

His base attributes at level 15 were several times that of a normal Big Goblin.

Whether this was true or not, Li Meng didn't know.

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It was just a guess of his.

Perhaps the attribute bonuses when leveling up were related to skills.

The more skills, the higher the talent.

The higher the talent, the higher the attribute bonuses when leveling up.

"Boss... Boss, have you... have you evolved into a Big Goblin?"

Gobu Ge, returning with a bundle of firewood, was startled by the Big Goblin by the riverside.

The familiar scent allowed the goblin to recognize the boss's identity.

It had only been gone for a while, and the boss had evolved?

Li Meng grinned and waved his arm.

"Yes, I've evolved into a Big Goblin!"

Gobu Ge dropped the firewood in his hands.

He ran forward a few steps and slid to his knees, kissing Li Meng's instep.

"Boss, you're amazing!"

Time passed bit by bit, day by day.

In the following days, Li Meng observed the goblin underlings smelting iron as an examiner.

On the first day, the goblin underlings prepared various materials for smelting iron.

They searched for dry wood that could be burned.

They looked for clay to build a blast furnace and iron ore needed for smelting.

On the second day, they began making charcoal and constructing the blast furnace.

"The furnace wall is too thin, make it thicker."

Though he was just observing, Li Meng would sometimes guide the goblin underlings.

The underlings who were building the blast furnace quickly tore down the foundation and started over.

On the third day, at Li Meng's request, the goblin underlings built a blast furnace about five meters high.

On the fourth day, the goblin underlings began smelting iron.

In the afternoon, before sunset.

"It's done, it's done!"

Cheers erupted by the underground riverbank in the cave.

A large group of goblins danced around, watching the molten iron flow continuously from the tap hole.

Some goblins hurriedly placed forging tools and molds at the tap hole.

Thus, under Li Meng's guidance, the goblin underlings successfully mastered the skill.

Li Meng wasn't in a hurry to teach the goblin underlings how to make steel.

The process of making steel was much more complicated than smelting iron.

For now, pig iron was sufficient.

Although pig iron is hard and brittle, making it unsuitable for weapons.

But spearheads and arrowheads don't require high-quality iron.

After overcoming this crisis, it wouldn't be too late to perfect the iron-smelting process.

By then, they could use the Bessemer process to mass-produce steel.

"Very well, starting tomorrow, you will take turns returning to the tribe, with a day of mating rights!"

Li Meng wouldn't go back on his promise to the goblin underlings.

Hearing the boss's words, the goblins looked excited.

After teaching the goblin underlings to smelt iron, Li Meng left the cave early the next morning.

Upon leaving the cave, Li Meng didn't rush back to the tribe.

Instead, he wandered through the forest.

"Benben, break this tree!"

Benben glanced at the boss beside him, then at the sapling in front of him.

He stepped forward and slapped the tree with his palm.

With a "boom," the tree was snapped in half.

Li Meng stepped forward and took a piece of wood from the break.

"Too soft!"

Li Meng tossed the wood aside and continued deeper into the forest.

In this way, Li Meng and Benben searched the forest for hardwood.

"This is it!"

On the fourth day, Li Meng finally found a tree suitable for making crossbow stocks and arrow shafts.

In the dim forest, Li Meng looked down at the branch in his hand.

Even the branch had such strong resilience.

The trunk's resilience would only be stronger.

"Benben, carry it back!"

Benben took a few steps forward and hugged the not-so-large hardwood tree.

In the forest, there was a series of "crackling" sounds.

The tens-of-meters-tall hardwood tree was uprooted by Benben.

In the afternoon, Li Meng returned to the tribe with Benben, who was carrying a large tree.

"It's the boss, the boss is back!"

The boss's return excited the goblins.

But Benben's massive body also filled them with fear.

In nearly half a month, the tribe had changed significantly.

There were more than a dozen new wooden houses similar to the Breeding Room.

"Boss, boss!"

Gobu Qiang ran over with a group of goblins.

"Boss, the first batch of newborns in the tribe is about to arrive!"

The thought of his offspring being born made Gobu Qiang extremely excited.

He glanced at the ogre behind the boss and shrank his neck.

The ogre was so large that it could crush him with one step.

Li Meng glanced at the Breeding Room not far away.

Judging by the time, it was about right.

The gestation period for pregnant female goblins was only about 3-4 weeks.

"Make sure there's enough food so they can grow quickly; the tribe needs them."

Gobu Qiang nodded vigorously.

"Don't worry, boss, the food needed for those newborns to grow has already been prepared."

In the following days, Li Meng began researching how to make simple crossbows.

Compared to bows and arrows, crossbows were easier to use.

Li Meng didn't hope for the clumsy goblin underlings to become master archers one day.

Their small frames weren't suited for using bows and arrows.

On the third day after Li Meng returned to the tribe, the first batch of newborns arrived.

In the largest wooden house, Li Meng was carving a piece of wood with a small knife.

Looking around, piles of wood shavings had accumulated in the wooden house.

Various pieces of wood were scattered all over.

Li Meng initially thought the structure of a crossbow was simple and not difficult to make.

But as he worked, various ideas in his mind delayed the progress of his crossbow research.

The more he sought perfection, the harder it was to get things done.

"Boss, boss, they're born, they're born!"

In the afternoon, Gobu Da rushed into the wooden house.

Li Meng put down his tools and got up to go outside.

Soon, under Gobu Da's guidance, Li Meng arrived at a certain nursery house.

The entrance of the nursery house was fenced off.

Inside, a group of little goblins could be seen playing and frolicking.

They were very small, like little puppies.

There were quite a few of them, more than ten.

Once born, the little goblins had to be separated from their mothers.

Otherwise, the hungry little goblins would see their mothers as food.

At that moment, a group of goblins each carrying two little goblins came over.