"Woof..."
A low growl of a beast came from the bushes not far away.
"Sir, Sir, there's something there."
Goblin Woodfruit's drooping ears twitched, and he spoke in a panic.
Nolan raised his head, looked in the direction of the bushes, and got up to walk over.
He pushed aside the bushes with his iron sword.
A small, trembling, black-furred Ghoul Hound, its beast eyes filled with terror, lay on the ground, shaking uncontrollably when it felt Nolan's gaze.
This small Ghoul Hound was only about fifty centimeters in size, which was not small for a human, but compared to a normal three-meter-long Ghoul Hound, it was clearly just a cub.
"Sir, it's a small Ghoul Hound after all."
"No wonder the cunning large Ghoul Hound didn't run away, even after seeing your powerful strength, Sir."
Goblin Woodfruit immediately lost his panicked expression and spoke fawningly.
Nolan sized up the small Ghoul Hound.
Its entire body was covered in black fur, and aside from a bony chain wrapped around its body, it looked quite similar to a black wolfdog from his previous life.
However, its appearance was quite ferocious, and with the small horn protruding from its forehead, it looked a bit like a goat from the front.
"It's really ugly."
Nolan glanced at it, then withdrew his gaze, spoke indifferently, and turned to leave.
Rustle!
He had only walked a few steps when Nolan heard a sound from the bushes behind him; the small Ghoul Hound had actually crawled out of the bushes.
Nolan originally didn't intend to pay attention to it; a small Ghoul Hound that posed no threat and offered little experience meant nothing to him whether he killed it or not.
But he hadn't expected it to follow him.
Nolan paused, turned his head, and looked expressionlessly at the small Ghoul Hound, which was cautiously and tremblingly following him.
"What, do you want to avenge your parents?"
"Woof woof..."
The small Ghoul Hound immediately lay on the ground, then rolled over to expose its belly, its four limbs spread out and suspended in mid-air.
Seeing the small Ghoul Hound's action, Nolan showed a surprised expression, "What does this mean?"
"This means submission."
"This small Ghoul Hound wants to follow you, Sir!"
Goblin Woodfruit quickly explained, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes as he looked at the small Ghoul Hound.
He wasn't surprised by the small Ghoul Hound's behavior, but rather by how intelligent it was.
Hmph, what a discerning fellow.
Sir is a true powerhouse!
Hearing Goblin Woodfruit's explanation, Nolan was slightly surprised, "Didn't I just kill his parents?"
As soon as he said this.
Goblin Woodfruit, on the contrary, seemed puzzled and asked in a bewildered tone, "Is it strange? Isn't it natural to serve the strong?"
Nolan looked at Goblin Woodfruit in silence for a moment.
He suddenly felt that he had overestimated the moral standards of the Goblin race.
No wonder.
Goblin Woodfruit was increasingly becoming a sycophant.
The scent of blood emanating from the two Ghoul Hound corpses spread to the surroundings as time passed, attracting many beasts that caught the smell.
However!
If it were a month ago, it wouldn't take long for many beasts to appear and devour the corpses clean.
But now!
The beasts that caught the scent of blood not only had no intention of approaching but instead moved further away, each looking startled and uncertain.
During this time, the faint, strong smell of blood in the jungle had never dissipated, and all the beasts knew that anyone who ventured forth would only become one of the many corpses.
However!
Rustle, rustle—
Leaves swayed, and the sound of falling leaves being crushed constantly echoed.
Three figures cautiously peeked out from behind the bushes, and upon finding only two Ghoul Hound corpses and no one else, they emerged from the tall grass.
Of these three figures, one was small, while the other two were much sturdier and taller, and both of these figures carried a large straw basket on their backs.
It was the three from the Goblin "Jick Tribe"!
The smell of blood in the air didn't attract the beasts of the forest; instead, it drew the three of them over.
After confirming there was no danger, Agu immediately jumped out of the bushes, looked at the two Ghoul Hound corpses, and showed a shocked expression, then seemed to remember something.
He quickly ran forward to examine the two Ghoul Hound corpses.
The two Goblins following behind, seeing this scene, anxiously ran forward, clearly concerned for Agu's safety.
"W-what, what, Agu, did you find anything?" A somewhat stammering Goblin asked cautiously, while observing the surroundings.
"In this area, only ogres should be able to threaten Ghoul Hounds."
"But the wounds on these two Ghoul Hounds were not caused by ogres, and their long chains are also missing, which isn't something the beasts and monsters in the forest like to eat."
As Agu said this, his tone was already filled with surprise, "It's that human, I finally found him."
The other Goblin looked at the Ghoul Hound corpses, his eyes filled with fear and dread:
"Agu, are we really going to look for that human?"
"He even killed a powerful monster like a Ghoul Hound; we are no match for him."
Agu stood up, much younger in age, yet far calmer than the two Goblins.
"We must find Big Brother, even if it's just a corpse."
"Big Brother is carrying the tribe's treasure."
Agu said seriously.
Hearing the words "tribe's treasure," the other two Goblins, who had been somewhat scared and fearful, finally calmed down.
"That human should have just left not long ago." Agu reached out, touched a patch of already darkened blood on the ground, licked it, and spoke with shining eyes.
Gurgle~
Gurgle~
Suddenly, rumbling sounds of hunger came from the bellies of the other two Goblins.
Agu was startled, turning to look at his two tribesmen, who were staring at the Ghoul Hound corpses, constantly swallowing saliva.
"Don't waste such precious food," Agu said after a moment of hesitation.
As soon as he finished speaking!
The two Goblins immediately howled with excitement and began tearing at the Ghoul Hounds' flesh.
Agu naturally joined them.
As he had just said, monsters like Ghoul Hounds were not something they could usually deal with and enjoy.
Even if they were lucky enough to see the bones of a Ghoul Hound, it would be in the caves of the Ogre Lords.
The sounds of raw, bloody swallowing echoed through the forest.
Evening.
The visibility in the jungle was decreasing at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Nolan also stopped sweeping the forest for prey and found a relatively tall tree to rest.
"Experience Slot: 9382 / 9500"
He glanced at his attribute panel; after an afternoon's effort, his experience had once again increased by a small margin.
"Still 118 experience points short."
"If nothing unexpected happens tomorrow, I can level up."
Nolan took a deep breath of the cool, earthy scent in the air, his mood becoming much more pleasant.