"What are those?!" Serena gasped, using her hand to cover her mouth when she saw hideous-looking green creatures wielding sledgehammers and other crude weapons.
"Hobgoblins," Nyx corrected as she narrowed her eyes at the pack of hobgoblins clashing with a giant panda in an open area where all the trees were snapped in half.
The fight was fierce, and the hobgoblins seemed to have the advantage. But the giant, black-eyed panda was clearly tough; several hobgoblins lay fallen around it, but it had sustained only minor injuries.
Nox, paying strict attention to the battle, saw beyond this — he spotted another panda, badly injured and lying amidst the hobgoblins.
It wasn't dead, but it was close.
At that moment, Nox's eyes met the panda's in midair, and he felt as if he could sense its emotions — the pain it endured and its determination to survive. Despite the female panda's obvious suffering, the cruel hobgoblins continued to hack at her with their weapons.
However, for some strange reason, she didn't move, just lying there, emitting loud, painful screams.
Watching this sight, Nox sighed. Whether due to his job class or not, he felt pity for both the panda and presumably her husband.
Unfortunately, he couldn't help, because the hobgoblins were all between level 8-9 Intimidate tier monsters.
Even Nyx, usually fearless, knew better than to engage; their combined strength far surpassed hers by a considerable margin. Fighting them would be foolish!
Moreover, Nox also noticed a hobgoblin far larger and more muscular than the rest, wearing broken armor and wielding a terrifying, spiky mace. With a single hit, it could penetrate even an alloy wall — that's how fearsome its weapon looked.
But that was just the icing on the cake...
"A twisted fusion of goblin and octopus, with tentacles as long as ships' masts and eyes that glow like lanterns in the dark. Its roar can summon storms, and its touch can corrupt the land itself."
Rating: Intermidiate tier Level 1
Special Skills: Intimidating Roar (Active) Hexing (Active) Tribal Knowledge (Passive) Shamanic Rituals (Passive) Fear Aura (Passive)
Ultimate Evolution Path 1: Hobgoblin Warlord
Requirements: Reach King Tier, obtain the Tome of the Ancients, and perform a ritual on the Altar of the Hobgoblin God.
Hobgoblin Warlord: A powerful and feared leader, with enhanced strength, agility, and intelligence. Its intimidating roar can stun enemies, and its hexing ability can weaken even the strongest foes. +50 increase in each stat.
'The hobgoblin shaman is even stronger than Cybarge. Sure, I can take out a few of them with my Shadow Oblivion, but even then, I'll at most only wipe out some of the small fries and the panda, which is just useless,' Nox pondered. 'It's such a shame; I really wanted to tame this panda.'
"A behemoth of a panda, with fur as black as coal and eyes that glow like embers. Its roar can shake the earth, and its paws can crush steel."
Rating: Intermidiate tier Level 3
Special Skills: Bamboo Bite (Active) Cute Factor (Passive) Roll With It (Passive) kungfu (Passive)
Ultimate Evolution path 1: Legendary Panda Titan
Requirements: Reach Legendary Tier, kill a hundred Intimidate tier beasts, obtain a Titan's Heart, and perform a ritual on the temple of Rufus Bamboozeus.
Legendary Panda Titan: Gains the ability to transform into a gigantic panda, increasing strength and agility exponentially. Summon massive waves of energy to obliterate enemies. Can summon an army of clone pandas with half of the original panda's power. Master any martial art after witnessing it once.
With a final evolution , it was bound to become a powerful creature in the future! It would be a walking nuke on any battlefield. Nox's heart bled at the thought of missing such a powerful, fierce, and determined companion!
Just then, the hobgoblin leader, who had remained in position all this while, finally made his move. He started spinning his spiky mace, each step bringing him closer to the panda, which sent his kind flying with powerful kicks and punches. Some even had their heads exploded from a single hit — that's how powerful Kungfu was!
Ignoring his comrades, the hobgoblin shaman struck the panda with his spiky mace.
Engrossed in the fight, the panda was oblivious until it was too late. It saw the mace reflect in its big, black eyes before darkness enveloped it upon impact.
With a loud thud, the brave panda collapsed to the ground, creating a small crater. The hobgoblins jumped on it and started hacking away. When it stopped breathing, they dug into its chest, retrieved a blue glowing crystal, and handed it over to the shaman on one knee.
"Survival of the fittest... that's the law of the jungle," Nox muttered from his hiding place.
The hobgoblin shaman then approached the other panda, which was still alive. Nox, Serena, and Nyx froze, knowing what would soon happen.
"Come, let's leave," Nyx said.
Reluctantly, Nox turned around to leave. Knowing it wasn't within his power to interfere was the best course of action; the group thought so until they heard the hooves of hundreds of beasts.
"Huh?" The three turned back to the battlefield and saw hundreds of beasts rushing out of the forest like a tidal wave, bulldozing everything in their path. Luckily, the group wasn't in their deadly trajectory.
The same couldn't be said for the hobgoblins, however.
The hobgoblins communicated in their language, looking at the female panda with regret. But they knew well enough that their lives were more important, so they decided to flee the scene.
Once they were gone, Nox jumped out of his hiding place and started running toward the panda.
"You fool!" Nyx's blood boiled as she followed, leaving Serena unsure whether to follow or not. But she was certain that if the monster horde arrived, her two best friends would be crushed under their hooves.
When Nox reached the panda, he hastily placed his hands on her head, hoping to tame her. But there was no sign of life from her... she was gone. Just when he thought his run had been in vain, he felt movement beneath the massive panda's stomach.
Nyx arrived and saw the movement too. Though angry at her foolish brother, she helped him push the panda aside, and lo and behold, it was...