When John awoke, he felt different. It wasn't a bad difference though. He felt notably stronger. When he stood up, he was lighter on his feet. When he spoke his voice came easier, though it was rather gravely and harsh to listen to. Even grabbing his Obsidian Shard felt easier and more natural.

With the knowledge that he now had about having an outcast evolution, it suddenly made a lot more sense as to why this half of the cave acted as an evolution chamber instead of a Chief's chamber. It would allow the Goblins outside an advantage to ready themselves if the Goblin chose outcast, thus forcing the Goblin to choose a normal adult. It was smarter than what he gave the Goblins credit for.

As he began leaving the chamber, he heard the echos of the women down the other path. There was nothing that he could do for them, so he simply grit his teeth and kept walking, ignoring the sobbing and crying that came down the path.

After leaving the cave, the party was in full swing. Goblins walked around with meat in their hands. Most were the Alpha Half-Blood Rabbit, the rest was Goblin. Those that failed the task must have been killed while he was in the cave. Goblins ate anything and everything it seemed. Though there was one Goblin who sat off to the side eating what seemed to be fruit. John would have to ask about that one later.

As soon as the Chief says, John, he got up and waved him over, a giant smile plastered on its face. John didn't like the look of the smile. It spoke of danger and schemes. But John felt compelled to obey. Some kind of leadership skill at work. Because he knew about it, he could resist it easier than others, but that would serve no purpose here.

"Ah, young Goblin. It is your lucky day. We have a tradition in the tribe, though I have not seen it used in many years." The Chief began, that dangerous smile seeming to grow. The sharp teeth of the Chief making him look more Demon than Goblin. "If an Infant evolves on their first day, they are to be given command of all Goblins born that day. Since we time our Gobs to come out all at once, you got very lucky."

"I'm honored, Chief." John began but was quickly cut off by the Chief. His sheer power of will overtook the conversation.

"However, we do have another tradition. Those that earn the honor of creating a Clan within the Tribe must accept all challenges for the position. Regardless of the strength between the two. You are lucky here as well. All third evolutions are already Clan Heads, so they cannot challenge your right to create a Clan." The Chief gripped the shoulder of John tightly, almost to the point of taking away a hitpoint.

"All challenges for Clan Head are to the death. Make it entertaining." John gulped as the Chief let go of him and strode away. The Chief raised his voice, effortlessly speaking over the crowd of little green Monsters. "Our newest evolution shall now be accepting challengers for the position of Clan Head! Are there any who wish to take him on in death combat!"

There were cheers from the large crowd, at least fifty Goblins now, opposed to the twenty or so he saw before. Two Goblins walked forwards. One was scrawny, almost skin and bones. Clearly low in the ranking of his Clan and the Tribe as a whole. The other seemed almost in peak physical condition, clearly at the hight of what he could achieve as an Adult Goblin.

The skinny one pushed forwards first, so he got to challenge John first. The second Goblin didn't seem too happy about it, but didn't seem worried either. It looked closer to impatient.

The Chief called the fight to start and the Skinny Goblin charged John with a spear that had the head half broken off, ending with a jagged scar instead of a tip. The charge was easy enough to avoid. The Skinny Goblin seemed to move slow for a Goblin. Luckily, John still had is Obsidian Shard. He didn't have a belt or anything, so he had simply been carrying it with him as all the other Goblins do with their weapons.

With a swift movement, he jammed the Shard into the shoulder of the Goblin. He used his opportunity to give some ground and identify the Goblin with his skill Eye of The Watcher.

Adult Goblin 16/18 HP Common A common Adult Goblin. Weak when caught alone, but where you find one, you shall find hundreds.

John smiled. He was glad his skill worked as he hopped. Sometimes it didn't show HP unless he knew the creature inside and out, but here, since he was the creature, it worked in his favor. He knew he would have to get some books to learn more about the wildlife in this area so he could gauge the general strength of Monsters around here. It was best to get every advantage. Also, he just missed the simple pleasure of reading.

The pair separated. The blow to the shoulder seemed to have slowed the skinny Goblin somewhat. Perhaps it was just being a little more cautious. The next attack came quickly though. It was a simple thrust that forced John away. It seemed that the skinny Goblin was now using range to it's advantage.

After a few initial thrusts, it was clear that this wasn't going to get anywhere. So John decided to step it up a notch. Not physically, he wasn't an idiot. But the Goblin was.

"What, not going to charge me again? Are you a Goblin, or a bunny rabbit?" John taunted. It wasn't his best work, but normally when taunting someone you would compare them to a Goblin. That wouldn't really work here.

The taunt seemed to annoy the slow-witted Monster enough for it to charge, hoping to skewer John on its spear. This time when John dodged out of the way, he grabbed hold of the Goblin and held on for dear life, stabbing with his Obsidian Shard repeatedly until it died. It took a few swings, the weapon being rather weak, but he got there in the end.

After the Goblin died, most of the tribe cheered. A few gave glares, but they were also rather thin. Probably other low ranking Goblins that worked together to survive. They didn't seem too upset that one of their own died, more that I was the one to kill him. Goblins were weird.

John decided it was a good idea to pick up the spear. Using Eye of The Watcher on it revealed that is wasn't much better than the Obsidian Shard.

Broken Spear An old spear that broke at the tip. In desperate need of repair before it breaks forever. Common 2/6 Durability +1-2 DMG

It was barely any better than what he was already using, but it did have something that the skill didn't show. That was reach. It was much further reaching than the Obsidian Shard. He put the Shard in his teeth, that way he could use it if the spear broke. It wasn't the best place to put it, but since he didn't have any pants, let alone a belt, it was the best he could do.

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"Well done young one. You may make a Clan Head yet. But you still have one more challenger to go. Be glad you didn't get hit. You will need it." The Chief said, his predatory smile still plastered on his face. It was clear that the Goblin enjoyed watching his subjects kill each other. He may act high and mighty, but he was just as savage as the next Goblin.

The strong looking Goblin walked forwards this time, They held a hatchet. It wasn't a weapon of war like the spear had been, but that didn't mean much. It could still just as easily kill a Goblin as a spear could. This Goblin even had a crude belt made out of what seemed to be twine. It barely held the hatchet and had to be tied rather tight around its bare skin, but it did the job.

It drew the hatchet and pointed it at John. "Your tricks no work on me, worm. Me no exile, easy to push around and make do you want. I kill you here and evolve, taking place among leaders of tribe." The Goblin seemed to have a slightly broken way of speaking, but he got the message across easily enough. He wanted to Kill John.

The strong Goblin walked forwards, lightly spinning the hatchet around. John thought he was going to walk directly into spear distance at first, but just as he thrust, the Goblin ducked under and dashed forwards. John only just brought the butt of the spear up in time to catch the hatchet. But the attack didn't stop there. The strong Goblin simply kept charging and threw its body against John, knocking him flat on his back.

As John was scrambling to his feet, he somehow just managed to dodge the hatchet that swung down right where his head was. He had lost the spear, and the Obsidian Shard had cut into his mouth. But he still had it. Grabbing the shard out of his mouth, he took it in his right hand, keeping his left out ready. The strong Goblin didn't rush in this time. Instead, it circled John.

"What's wrong, pup? Realize you don't stand chance against Me? Exiles are nothing compared me." The strong Goblin taunted, a hideous smile played on its lips.

"No, actually," John answered, quickly thinking of a retort. He slowed his speaking down just a bit so that the Goblin wasn't near the spear. "I realized that your just a brutish idiot."

The strong Goblin didn't even seem phased by the insult. It seemed more confused by it than anything, since being brutish was a good thing in Goblin society. John used the small opportunity to lung and grab the spear. He abandoned the Shard. Getting in the close was instant death. The strong Goblin didn't seem worried.

The strong Goblin charged again. This time John thrust, missed, then moved backward, trying to put some distance between them. This only ended up with the hatchet cutting into his side. It felt like a lot of damage. He could tell his health was somewhere down in the six range.

"Oops. I slipped." The strong Goblin taunted, laughing it up with his fellows. It seemed he was rather popular. John honestly thought this might be the end.

John decided he had one option left. One that would take the Goblin by surprise. Hopefully, it would be enough to end the fight. This time when the Gobin charged, John thrust, then let go of the spear, charging into the strong Goblin before it could charge him. When they both went down, he grabbed the hands of the strong Goblin and activated his only spell. The First Flame.

Both his hands were covered in fire. Normally it produced a small flame in his palm, or above his fingers. But due to their hands being locked, it instead spread out, engulfing the strong Goblin's hands while not harming the caster. Magic rarely hurt the caster unless it was area of effect or AoE.

The pair wrestled on the ground for a few seconds, but it was enough to deal some damage. Both hands meant twice the damage. He checked the health of his opponent. 15/22. This one had even more health than the exile.

As they separated, John lept for the spear, the strong Goblin for its hatchet. While John could grab his weapon, when the Goblin tried to grab it's own, its hands disobeyed. It ended up dropping the weapon in pain, as heavy burns covered its hands. It was a little known fact, but Goblins had incredibly sensitive hands. Part of the reason they made for such great thieves.

While the strong Goblin was looking down at its hands in panic, John thrust the spear at it. The Goblin seemed to remember it was in a death match at the last second and dodged the lethal blow, turning it into a non-lethal one. Since the Goblin couldn't grab a weapon without its hands seizing up in pain, it couldn't attack. It also seemed like it didn't want to get close, for fear of the flames. Over the next few minutes, John simply whittled the health of the Goblin down until it finally gave way, unable to fight back.

Level Up! You are now level 2.

Spell Unlocked   Burning Touch Flames cover the users' hands, burning anything they touch. Mana 2/sec mana

John thought it a bit odd that it said he was level two again. Perhaps it reset every evolution? He would have to ask one of the Systems next time he spoke to them. He had even gained a new spell, something that he had never accomplished as a human. Perhaps Monsters learned magic through experience rather than knowledge? For now, he had much larger things to worry about. The fact none of the Goblins were cheering like last time.

The Chief however. He looked ecstatic. His entire face was lit up in what only could be described as a mix of greed and lust. It was the perfect look for a Goblin King. It downright terrified John.

"We have a new Clan Head!" The Chief bellowed, and all the Goblins roared in approval. It felt more like it was because they were expected to than because they wanted to. It seemed like John had made himself stand out with his little stunt. It was better to stand out then to die.

"Thank you, Chief. I shall do the position proud." John said, lowering his head to the Chief. He figured it would be best to clearly show that the Chief is in charge, that way the Goblin didn't get any strange ideas. This seemed to please the Goblin greatly.

"I give you your fellow birth-mates to do with as you please. They are your clan. If you want to expand it, force others to follow you." The words spoken by the Chief seemed a little different this time as if infused with power. As he finished speaking, John got a notification.

Title Unlocked   Goblin Leader 1

You lead a small group of Goblins. Prove your leadership to increase the number of Goblins that will willingly follow you.

Current Goblins 5/10

Special Goblins 0/1

John wasn't sure what Special Goblins meant, but he had a feeling he was one of them. The Goblin Chief carried on, not even giving John a chance to speak. He felt that a lot around the Chief. He didn't have any real leadership skills, but instead just got through with brute force. It was very Gobliny.

"Tomorrow, you will be on your own, to construct housing for your Clan and see to their needs. But tonight, we feast!" With the words of the Chief, the rest of the clan cheered. It was a much more honest cheer this time. The Chief presented John with an extremely large rabbit leg.

"I said I would keep a portion of food for you. I keep my word." The Chief then thrust the leg at John, letting it go as soon as he starting raising his hands to grab it. John almost dropped the leg. It was clear that the Chief had done it on purpose. He seemed a fan of being petty.

John didn't do parties, but he was hungry. So he spent the night keeping the Chief entertained, and the Chief kept him fed.