Overlord: Welcome the Birth of the King

Walking along his usual route, the forest seemed unusually quiet. Other than the normal sounds of birds chirping, there was little sign of any other wildlife.

"It's a little too quiet," Lyle muttered.

He unhooked his water pouch, took a sip, and hung it back on his belt, ears keenly attuned to the faintest sound.

His expression remained calm as he moved forward, his gaze scanning the surroundings.

Since he was certain someone was targeting him, he was now far more cautious about the changes around him.

Suddenly, Lyle's ears twitched. A sound!

From the northwest?

Lyle thought, adjusting his position, though he didn't break his stride. He turned toward the direction of the sound, his steps deliberate but silent.

The closer he got, the clearer the noise became. It was a mixture of a wild beast's growl and guttural goblin cries.

Before long, a group of goblins entered his sight.

At a glance, he counted over twenty of them.

The goblins were attacking a massive black bear.

"ROAR!"

The bear opened its jaws wide, snarling as it lunged toward one of the goblins.

Despite the blood-soaked scene, the other goblins showed no fear. Instead, the chaos seemed to ignite a feral determination in them.

They yelled and screamed, hurling crude weapons and stones at the bear.

Finally, after losing nearly half of their number, the goblins brought the massive black bear down. The beast collapsed to the ground, its body drenched in blood.

The surviving goblins erupted in triumphant cheers, lifting the bear's corpse and carrying it deeper into the forest.

As for the fallen goblins, their bodies were carelessly tossed aside, only to be gathered up by their comrades and dragged away with the rest.

Lyle, concealed behind a large tree, crossed his arms as he watched the group disappear into the forest. A cold smirk tugged at his lips.

"And here we are again... another trap, just like before." Lyle's brow twitched slightly.

He recalled his previous encounter with six ogres who had ambushed him—an ambush he had unwittingly walked into.

And now, the same scenario was playing out again.

Lyle frowned. He might have overestimated the intelligence of these mutated goblins.

But.

If there was a special goblin capable of commanding ogres, it was worth investigating.

"Unless they're completely convinced they've trapped me, they won't reveal any flaws," Lyle muttered, raising his head slightly. He stepped forward, following the goblins' trail.

As he ventured deeper, he spotted a goblin settlement nestled within the forest—a crude and somewhat dilapidated encampment.

Lyle's attention, however, wasn't on the goblin settlement itself but on the surrounding terrain.

On both sides of the settlement, the land rose into small, steep hills. The trees on these elevated areas were noticeably larger than those elsewhere, forming a natural bottleneck.

The goblins had to pass through this narrow, gourd-shaped path to reach their settlement.

"A great spot for an ambush," Lyle muttered.

"Leading me into this terrain? If I get surrounded, it'll be much harder to escape than last time."

"No... not quite," Lyle corrected himself, feigning ignorance of the trap as he continued forward without hesitation.

"With the intelligence of ordinary goblins, it's impossible for them to pull off something this elaborate."

"Sacrificing their own to lure me in? Ruthless," Lyle whispered coldly, a faint sneer forming on his lips.

"Humans aren't the only intelligent beings in this world. Some demi-human races are just as smart as us. Underestimating them could be deadly."

Adjusting his mindset, Lyle reminded himself that in this world, humans weren't always the dominant species.

Since entering Forest of Tob, he had been heading east. Once he had a rough grasp of the area's geography, navigating became easier.

The forest's dense and complex environment made it vital to have a clear sense of direction. A consistent heading reduced the risk of getting lost.

...

Unbeknownst to Lyle, a shadowy figure crept along the underbrush, cautiously peering at him through the foliage.

Fear mingled with anger on the goblin's face, but as Lyle disappeared into the gully, its fear was replaced by malicious satisfaction.

That human was too strong.

A powerful ogre had been cleaved in half with a single strike. It had never witnessed such overwhelming strength.

It wasn't unfamiliar with battles between humans and ogres. Usually, it took a group of humans working together to take down even one strong ogre.

"Damn humans!"

"You killed so many children, and you still dare to walk into this forest alone? I swear… I'll make sure you die with me!"

A small green figure crouched low to the ground, its voice sharp and dripping with fury and resentment. Its fists clenched tightly as it muttered to itself.

If Lyle had heard this goblin speak, he would have been astounded.

The goblin watched as Lyle disappeared deeper into the forest trail. Its beady black eyes gleamed with excitement and bloodlust.

Its earlier fear was now gone.

The goblin stood up from its crouched position, its resolve firm. It trailed after Lyle, determined to witness the human's demise at the hands of the many ogres lurking within.

The thought of the human's flesh filled it with hunger.

The goblin licked its lips, imagining the unique sweet aroma of the food the human had eaten earlier that morning.

On the other side of the forest, Lyle continued forward.

Lyle, now halfway through the narrow path, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He sensed it.

Someone had been following him all this time. Now that he had entered the trap, they were bound to let their guard down.

"Got you."

Without hesitation, Lyle spun around, sprinting back the way he had come.

His abrupt movement broke the silence, startling the hidden stalker.

"I see you!" Lyle shouted, his voice echoing through the gully.

Buzz—

[Detected Level 1 Magic: Camouflage. Requirements: Caster Level 1–7. Conditions met.]

[Would you like to spend 1 skill point to learn this ability?]

There you are!

Lyle glanced at the refreshed notification on his status panel and grinned.