Deadmeat Saga

Chapter 52 – The bounties of war. They want me to become a Warchief?!

In the village center, villagers continued bringing corpses in bulk to the Statue of Conquest, including Goblins, Hobgoblins, Goblin Commanders, a Goblin Lord, and Dire Wolves.

The corpses were over a thousand, and the benefits were proportional.

Naturally, the ones who benefited the most were Gerhart, Hope, and Havre, receiving the bulk of the talents, practical or not. Of course, nobody was at a loss from receiving the sheer size of the talents from the goblins.

Although their skills were lower due to their limited age, the regular goblins all had the talent of at least E-rank monsters. After receiving this baptism of stats, practically all the villagers had base stats above a certain standard, improving their potential. And this didn't include the Hobgoblins, Dire Wolves, Goblin Commanders, and Goblin Lord.

Most villagers already had D-rank potential, but many were now comparable to C-rank and even B-rank powerhouses in potential. Although they still needed to improve their level, the potential was there. Also, many of them received more talents, drastically improving their foundation. Of course, this was under the premise Gerhart, Hope, and Havre received at least one copy of said talents or a superior version.

Overall, the foundation of Elkington Village has undergone a fundamental transformation!

Yet, while everyone else enjoyed a pain-free power boost, Gerhart enjoyed the premium hell experience!

"DAMMIT!!!!!!!!!!!!" Gerhart mentally screamed as dozens of talents carved themselves into him.

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Sometime later, Gerhart walked together with Havre, Tivnirx, Farus, and the white female Dire Wolf, now named Jasmine, heading to the goblin village to annex it.

Farus and Jasmine, in particular, were markedly different. They were both more oversized and mighty, and there were signs that they could evolve at any time. They only lacked the corresponding level, and they would automatically develop.

Gerhart took Havre as muscle and Tivnirx as a negotiator and translator, leaving Hope and the others behind to defend the village in the (VERY) unlikely event the goblins decided to attack again.

While heading toward the village, Gerhart checked his gains while ignoring lesser talents.

First, Base Stats:

After absorbing all those Goblin Commanders, the Goblin Lord, and the Alpha Wolf, his stats became worthy of S-rank, with all his stats reaching A-grade and three even reaching S-grade. Naturally, this caused his level to drop, but his strength improved.

Next were the ordinary talents. Frankly, Gerhart received a headache when he looked them over, so he only paid attention to those reaching Advanced and above, but even they were exaggerated.

There were not many new talents, with most talents essentially improving. But one thing caught Gerhart off guard.

"WHY THE HELL DID I GET ADVANCED SEXUAL TALENT?!" Gerhart mentally retorted as he saw that.

It was a talent that improved sexual techniques in bed, which was admittedly better than the ridiculous male-exclusive talents he received from the goblins. However, Gerhart found it tasteless.

"Am I not good enough in bed already?! Why do I need all of these redundant power boosts?!" Gerhart mentally cried.

And speaking of redundant power boosts, he received plenty!

Unique Talents(Useful?): Balls of Steel -> Balls of Titanium, Golden Rod, Powerful Kidneys, Powerful Heart, Libido + Well Hung + Appealing Male Musk -> Stallion, Virility -> Semen Bull, Addictive Semen -> Premium Semen

{Unique Talent - Balls of Titanium: Greatly increases testicle toughness and can regenerate, removing vulnerability to damage.}

{Unique Talent - Golden Rod: Greatly increases penise toughness and the penise can now regenerate, removing vulnerability to damage.}

{Unique Talent - Powerful Kidneys: The kidneys are always healthy, and their function greatly improves.}

{Unique Talent - Powerful Heart: The heart is always healthy, and its function greatly improves.}

{Unique Talent - Stallion: Greatly increases Libido and instinctive female attraction. The penise adjusts to the ideal size, and progeny has an increased probability of inheriting positive traits.}

{Unique Talent - Semen Bull: Greatly increases ball size and health, semen storage, concentration, production, and quality.}

{Unique Talent - Premium Semen: Greatly increases semen quality, nutrition, and taste for females. It has a strong addictive property to the opposite sex and has a great attraction to certain races.}

"Just why..." Gerhart felt like crying.

Balls of Titanium and Golden Rod were welcome additions since no man wanted their privates damaged. After seeing Wolfgang's miserable condition, Gerhart didn't want to experience it. The Powerful Heart and Powerful Kidneys talents were also fine, but they are connected to sex, even if indirectly.

But then came Stallion and Semen Bull. Stallion was a superior talent that swallowed several sexual talents, and although he was thankful for the improved talent of his future children, he saw little use in the rest of the benefits. Semen Bull was even more useless, making his balls triple in mass! He now had an unnecessary bulge in his pants. Without Balls of Titanium and Golden Rod, that would earn him a significant weakness!

And then came Premium Semen. What was he supposed to do with that?! Feed it to unsuspecting women to make them addicted?! And what was that last line about attraction to certain races?!

"Fuck this. Thinking is hard." Gerhart directly threw the towel.

These talents that would have made many men cry in envy were considered liquid garbage in Gerhart's eyes.

Of course, last but not least were the unique talents that were useful to him.

Unique Talents(Useful): Wolf Emperor, Goblin King, Born Ruler, Elite Hunter, Elite Knight, Elite Scout, Elite Warrior, Elite Magician, Born Commander, Bravery -> Valor, Grit -> Extreme Grit.

{Unique Talent - Wolf Emperor: Greatly increases affinity with all canines(Majorly for wolves), Greatly promotes the growth of all canines under command(Majorly for wolves), and Greatly increases the willingness of all canines to follow and protect you(Majorly for wolves). The mark of the rightful leader of wolfkind.}

{Unique Talent - Goblin King: Greatly Increases affinity with all Goblinoids, Greatly promotes the growth of all Goblinoids under your command, and Greatly increases the willingness of all Goblinoids to follow and protect you. The king of Goblins!}

{Unique Talent - Born Ruler: Greatly increases charisma when ruling over subjects and greatly improves administrative abilities. Those who face you will feel your natural majesty, and your words and actions will carry more weight, be they inspiring or intimidating. A born ruler!}

{Unique Talent - Elite Hunter: Increases Perception, Dexterity, and Intelligence. Greatly increases affinity with the bow, tracking ability, finding weak spots in enemies, patience, and cunning.}

{Unique Talent - Valor: Greatly increases resistance to intimidation and fear effects, allowing oneself to function under fear.}

{Unique Talent - Extreme Grit: Majorly increases body survivability and pain tolerance, allowing one to survive and function even after receiving debilitating or fatal injuries without the body shutting down.}

Among the many talents Gerhart received, Wolf Emperor could arguably compete with Initial Sword Saint, surprisingly owned by the Goblin Lord himself. It also explained why they had such a massive army of wolves. Although Gerhart didn't need it, he was not complaining.

Goblin King is a lesser version of Wolf Emperor but directed at Goblins rather than wolves. Hope also received the Wolf King talent, but that was because it was inferior to Wolf Emperor. There were also even lesser versions, such as Goblin Leader and Wolf Leader, but they went to Havre and other villagers.

Born Ruler was also a talent gained from the Goblin Lord, increasing charisma when ruling and Gerhart's administrative abilities. Gerhart approved of this talent.

Elite Hunter was also a talent of the Goblin Lord. He was a ruthless and cunning hunter, and he would have survived if it weren't for Havre being so ridiculously overpowered.

Elite Knight, Elite Scout, Elite Warrior, and Elite Magician were similar to each other, improving certain functions and talents. They were less focused on stats like Goliath's Physique, but they greatly improved role-specific skills.

Valor and Extreme Grit were the improved version of Bravery and Grit, gained from the Hobgoblin General. It was enough to earn Thomas's respect, but not that of the Goblin Lord. Gerhart understood the reasoning, since just being brave and hard to kill was not enough to be focused on. It wasn't like Extreme Grit could regrow limbs. Gerhart has seen a live example with Tivnirx, who had this talent but was bisected and rendered useless, just stuck in torment longer. However, these talents were endearing for Gerhart, who could heal himself!

Overall, Gerhart had many gains!

Soon, the group entered the deep forest, not encountering any threat. Or rather, any monster that got too close received a glare from Havre, causing them to run away. Even without Danger Perception, these monsters had superior instincts and perception and could perceive Havre as a Hegemon.

"My lord, once we reach the village, please let me speak to them first, or they might attack or... flee," Tivnirx said while eyeing Havre, still traumatized from being bisected.

If they were not on the same side, she would have run as fast as her thick legs could!

"I know." Gerhart nodded.

"And holy Envoy Havre, please don't casually massacre my people..." Tivnirx warily said.

"Do I look like some genocidal psychopath?" Havre pointed at herself with a discontent look.

"YES!" Both Gerhart and Tivnirx mentally retorted in tandem.

If it weren't for Gerhart's ability to control her, he would have never let her go with them.

The group continued traveling through the mana-thick forest until they vaguely saw a settlement guarded by Hobgoblins.

"My lord, please stay here while I go to negotiate." Tivnirx respectfully said.

"Okay." Gerhart nodded, letting the female Goblin Commander walk to her tribe.

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Tivnirx walked back to her tribe under the bewildered and fearful looks of her tribesmen.

"Commander Tivnirx! We heard you were dead!" One of the Hobgoblins shouted.

"Yes! The other commanders said so!" Another hobgoblin added, looking at her with fear.

There was no surprise in Tivnirx's eyes, expecting this to happen. "The human leader, the Chosen of a great god, has forgiven and healed me and let me make amends as his representative. Please open the gates!"

The two Hobgoblin guards looked at each other and hesitated before opening the gate.

Entering the tribe, she looked around at the surrounding tents, built from leather and bone. Small and poorly-crafted ones belonged to the now-dead regular goblins while bigger ones belonged to Hobgoblins. The larger ones belonged to her and the Commanders, and the biggest one was Crird's Warchief tent, where he and his two Alphas lived. The wolves lived with their riders, thus forming a stronger bond.

Now, after the recent massacre, the once-lively tribe looked desolate.

She saw many of the surviving Hobgoblins and Goblin Commanders exit the tents, staring at her with disbelief and fear.

"Tivnirx, How are you still alive?!" Grenakx, one of the four lucky survivors, asked in disbelief.

He was not happy that she survived. It wasn't because he didn't want her to survive, but that he found it impossible for her to survive. He saw how she was casually bisected, guts spilling out with his own eyes. You are not supposed to survive something like that, let alone somehow reconnect your two halves and walk.

"Yes! How are you still alive?!" Brepeelti, another survivor, questioned. She was the first to run away when she saw Tivnirx getting casually bisected.

"My lord, the chosen of god, has healed and spared my life. In exchange, I am now his diplomat, requesting your surrender." Tivnirx didn't hide anything, bluntly stating her purpose.

Goblins were straight to the point, and trying any fanciful talk was an insult. Although they had rules, they were direct and strength-oriented.

Unmistakeably, her statement caused an uproar and public anger.

"Surrender?! You traitor!" One of the Goblin Commanders not present in the battle pulled a mace from his waist, glaring at Tivnirx with hate.

"How dare you surrender and compromise our tribe! Did you also lead them here?!" Brepeelti accused her with hate and fear.

"I did not need to lead them here. They already captured one of our wolves, and it was willing to lead them back here. I am merely their translator and diplomat." Tivnirx stated.

It was true. Jasmine knew the way back, and Gerhart and Havre didn't need her if their goal was to destroy the tribe.

"You..." The Goblin Commanders, her half-siblings, seethed with rage as they wanted to tear their half-sibling apart.

"Calm down! Calm down, dammit!" Suddenly, a female shaman with gentle features and strange tattoos exited a tent.

She was the shortest of the Goblin Commanders, but none dared belittle her since she was Qold, a demonic shaman. Demonic shamans were a unique caste dealing with demons, otherworldly beings with mighty powers. If pushed to a corner, Qold could unleash eldritch powers that could likely kill even hegemons, but for a steep price. Crird did not let her join the campaign since she was the last trump card to defend their tribe.

With that said, their respect came out of fear, not that they liked her.

"Qold, she is a traitor! And she led the golden demon here!" Grenakx pointed at Tivnirx, seething with rage.

The golden demon was the nickname Havre earned due to her golden hair and beauty, yet cutting their army like vegetables.

"I know! I know. But taking your anger at her won't do us any good." Qold said, shutting the others up.

She then turned to Tivnirx and spoke, "Tivnirx, what do you mean by surrender? What are the terms? And what if we don't surrender?"

"Hah... At least Qold is rational enough." Tivnirx inwardly sighed in relief.

To begin with, to deal with demons, ancient and evil beings from another realm, one must have an excessively rational and calculative mind, or else they would trick you into unfair trades. If it weren't for Crird's distrust of her due to her dealings with demons, he would have long made her his advisor. This same wariness was also why he didn't dare bring her on the battlefield, leaving her to defend the camp.

Taking a deep breath, Tivnirx spoke, "My lord demands your surrender by pledging allegiance to our god. He will spare your lives and even bless you with divine gifts. And if you don't- he will send the golden demon after you, slaughtering you to the last goblin."

The Goblin Commanders warily looked at each other, both tempted and fearful. Receiving divine gifts was a tempting offer, and no one wanted to die, especially not when faced with the horrifying golden demon. There was no glory, only death.

But on the other hand-

"How can we trust the word of a human?! They want to kill us! We are pests in their eyes!" Slat, a slim Goblin Commander, asked with distrust.

"Yeah! He ain't goblin enough!" Rifea, a strong-looking female Goblin Commander, thumped her chest.

The other goblins, be it Goblin Commanders or Hobgoblins, expressed dissatisfaction. Goblins had traditions! Only a worthy ruler can lead them, not some human outsider!

The only one remaining passive was Qold.

Understanding the goblins' opinions, Qold spoke, "So, if this so-called Chosen of god proves himself worthy to lead us, would you follow without question?"

The goblins looked at each other and slowly nodded.

"Yes, if he proves himself worthy, we follow," Grenakx said, expressing the opinion of everyone.

"Very well. The tribe has spoken." Qold nodded and turned to Tivnirx. "Bring your human lord here. If he wants to rule our tribe, he must become our Warchief. If he isn't willing to show this much sincerity, we shall fight until the last goblin. Is that fine?"

"Yes." Tivnirx nodded and left, knowing this was the most she could get.

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Several minutes later-

"To rule their tribe, I need to become their Warchief?" Gerhart asked.

"Yes. That is tradition." Tivnirx nodded. "To become Warchief, you must undergo the Warchief ceremony."

"Okay... What does it entail?" Gerhart asked, curious.

"You will declare your wish to rule our tribe. Once you do, there will be a gathering, and you will publicly declare your wish. If there is a living Warchief, this would be a challenge to his rule, but since the current one is dead, it is easier. All you have to do is fight in unarmed single combat with all challengers. If you win in all fights, you are Warchief." Tivnirx explained.

"Well, that's pretty orcish." Gerhart thought.

"The GALL! Please give me the order, my lord! I shall slaughter them all!" Havre said with unhidden bloodlust.

"Havre, calm down." Gerhart frowned at Havre, making her lower her head. He then looked at Tivnirx. "If I do this, no one would question me anymore?"

"Yes, but when a contender is born or arrives, you must defend your throne." Tivnirx nodded, giving Havre fearful glances.

"I see. So that is why few can control goblins, hah?" Gerhart muttered. But then a smile tugged his lips. "But what is mine remains mine. No one will question my rule once they convert."

He then looked a Tivnirx and said, "I accept their terms."