The Evolution of a Goblin to the Peak

"So Alice and others haven't returned yet?" Souta asked.

"Not yet, only Isabella returned two days ago," Gragas answered. He glanced at Souta's face before he said, "Regarding Eilish, I think you should visit her. She coped herself in her room for an entire week before she locked herself in the training ground."

"Hmm...?" Souta raised his eyebrows.

"I think something happened to her when she fought the tribes from Earthen Woods," Gragas said.

"Okay..." Souta nodded his head. He leaned his back on the sofa and said, "What do you think will happen next, Gragas?"

"I don't know. My attention is always on forging so I have little idea about the bigger picture of the whole situation." Gragas replied.

"You're still the same." Souta laughed lightly. He shook his head and added, "Just focus on your job, I will provide you with some rare materials later."

Then, something came into his mind. He looked at Gragas and asked, "What about your department? Did you teach some people your skills?"

"Oh, that..." Gragas scratched his cheek with his finger and answered, "A lot of them didn't have a talent in forging. Well, I'm not going to shoo them away so I just taught them the basics. If they are willing to work hard, then they would learn forging eventually."

"I see..." Souta nodded.

"It's not that everyone is talentless some of them show potential," Gragas added. He then rubbed his palms together and smiled wickedly. He slowly opened his mouth and said, "Leader, I want to ask you something about Doranjan?"

"Oh, you want me to convince him to provide more scales, right?" Souta raised his eyebrows and laughed inwardly.

"Yes, I want his dragon scales. A scale from a fourth stage dragon would make for better armor. As long as he provides his scales, I promise that I will supply our army with dragon armor." Gragas said, trying to convince Souta.

Souta shook his head. "I can't help you with that. He is giving you some of his scales already so if you want more then you have to talk to him yourself."

"Some? One scale per week? Ugh, it's too little. Leader, can't you do anything about it? Doranjan will fry me if I ask him." Gragas put both of his hands together and lowered his head. "Please, leader! You are my hope! Just make it five scales per week, no, three are enough!"

Souta sighed and smiled wryly, "I'm afraid I can't help you."

"Leader...!!" Gragas collapsed on the floor. He couldn't convince Souta and he couldn't talk to Doranjan about it since it would endanger his life.

"Let's stop for now, I'll go and visit Isabella first." Souta stood up and patted Gragas shoulder. He picked up the vajra sword, then strode forward and left Gragas in this room.

Saya had fallen into slumber after the battle. She spends a lot of energy helping him maintain his body and control the energy released from the Archetype. Without her, he wouldn't be able to defeat No God Emperor.

The battle took a heavy toll on his body. Even the parasite queen was still exhausted up until now. Souta could feel it since it was inside his body. Also, the other parasites were gone so he couldn't increase the number of the soldiers that had a parasite for the time being.

The price he had to pay just to win was heavy. Especially, since he literally sacrificed the one he could call his student, Yenxa.

Souta arrived in front of the lab. He raised his hand and knocked on the door. After a few seconds, he stared right through the walls and found that Isabella was busy with her experiments.

He sighed before he entered the lab. Souta watched her while observing the changes in her aura. She had grown stronger in the time he was in coma.

After all, one month and a week had already passed since he collapsed. He had given them a task and it would make them stronger. It seems that their training wasn't in vain.

'She returned but Alice and the rest are still there. It seems that they took the more dangerous one and it is beyond Isabella's strength so she returned here.' Souta said inwardly.

Isabella was much stronger than in the past. She had already reached the Peak of Solidifying Realm. She already did great by accompanying Alice and the rest with her current power level. The task he had given them was for people at Shackled Realm. Even someone at One Shackle Realm would have a hard time completing it. There was even a fifty percent chance that experts at One Shackle would die.

'If they took the more dangerous one... Then, it's natural for Isabella to return since it is beyond any of the Solidifying Realm. There is a high chance that she would die.'

As long as they survived, they would get stronger.

Souta just told Alice about some of the dangerous dungeons hidden in God's Continent. He wanted them to clear those difficult dungeons so that they would gain more experience and enhance their combat style.

The battle in Hall Plains a month ago improved their strength but it wasn't enough for him. He wanted them to gain enough power so that they could stand on their own in this world. He couldn't babysit and protect them all the time.

Souta turned his head to the window and folded his arms in front of his chest. He guessed that he would finish some of the things before he went to volunteer himself at the Solnes Theatre. There was still a little bit of time left before everything crumbled.

Aside from that, he needed Kessa to recover all of her strength. Her strength would be needed in his future plan.

Huff~

Souta sighed as he remembered Yenxa. She was included in his plan unfortunately an event that was outside of his expectation occurred here in Hall Plains.

He massaged his temples to calm himself. His energy was fluctuating wildly every time he recalled what happened to Yenxa. He bit his tongue to feel intense physical pain. It was hard to control his emotion and this time Yenxa became a trigger to it.

"Damn..."

Souta muttered to himself.

"Souta...?!"

Souta turned his head and saw Isabella looking at him. He quickly apologized, "I'm sorry for disturbing you."

His aura must have disturbed Isabella when he recalled Yenxa.

"I-It's nothing." Isabella waved both of her hands. She asked, "H-How long are you waiting for me? I'm sorry, I was too busy that I didn't notice you."

"It's fine. I just got here." Souta smiled and shook his head. "Anyways, I just wanted to ask about the progress of your research."

He stepped forward and looked around the lab curiously.

"I made a small progress but I haven't found a way to extract life essence. I couldn't replicate the pill that you have given to me." Isabella paused for a moment before she continued, "Unless, someone used it and I personally observed its effect. But we only have one pill so once it is used..."

Souta understood what she was trying to say. She only had one sample and if someone used that pill, Isabella could gather more data but from her point of view it wasn't enough. There was also no recipe so she was trying to figure out all the ingredients from that one pill.

It was hard for her.

"Our soldiers apprehended some criminals. You can use them as lab rats. No one will complain." Souta said but he knew that Isabella was a kind soul. She would hesitate to do something like that.

Isabella grew silent as she lowered her head.

"Nevermind. I'm not hurrying you." Souta shook his head and changed the topic. "Anyways, what happened to the task that I've given to Alice?"

"Um, they went to a dungeon near the border of the Asgard. It is hidden in the lake and it houses dozens of fourth stage monsters. There are also golems that have the strength of a Three Shackles Realm. It is too dangerous so Alice asked me to return." Isabella slowly explained.

She was only someone at Solidifying Realm so it would be dangerous for her to face those things. Even Alice couldn't guarantee her safety so they decided to send Isabella back to Ekatoe City.

"What's the name of the lake?" Souta asked.

He knew that Alice and the rest were discreet when they left Ekatoe City. The public didn't even know that most of the upper echelons of Astros have left. There was nothing to worry and other forces wouldn't be able to discover them easily. They also had parasites to change their appearance.

"Drowning Whirlpool Lake," Isabella answered.

Souta rubbed his chin when he heard her words. "So Alice chose that one... It's really beyond someone at Solidifying Realm. Now, it seems that she really took the risk to open that one."

He rubbed his finger and looked at his missing ring. The dark grade [Burning Ring Seal] was gone as he had given it to Alice.

If she really opened it using the ring, then Souta was looking forward to their return.

That was if they found it...