Overlord: Welcoming the Birth of the King
Chapter 57: The Jike Tribe's Reaction, Hellhounds

"As food!"

Hearing these words, the other elder goblin trembled with fear and nodded frantically.

Every winter, some of their tribesmen would be eaten by the ogre lords. Just recalling those scenes made indescribable terror flood this elder goblin's mind.

Before this!

They had never imagined Agu would make such a mad decision - actually seeking help from the ogre lords.

Those terrifying monsters...

Looking at Agu who had walked out completely unharmed, this elder goblin couldn't fathom how the youngling had faced the ogre lords without breaking down.

At the very least, before the ogre lords, he himself would probably be too terrified to even speak.

Thinking of this,

"It's alright."

Agu spoke softly to his two tribesmen who were shaking like leaves. "It's still summer with plentiful food - the ogre lords won't eat us now."

"W-what... what do we d-do now?" the stuttering elder goblin asked.

Truthfully, according to tribal wisdom, neither ogre lords nor powerful humans were beings they could provoke - best to avoid them entirely.

Unless that human ventured deep into their jungle territory, the ogre lords wouldn't care.

"Big Brother is our tribe's mightiest hero. We must save him."

"We'll return to gather all our valuables, then beg that human to spare Big Brother."

Agu gritted his teeth as he spoke.

About half a month ago, Elder Brother Muguo had disappeared while patrolling the jungle outskirts, followed by mass goblin deaths.

They only learned what happened from those who had fled the outer regions into the jungle depths.

According to the goblins' accounts, that human possessed terrifying strength - even powerful ogres had been effortlessly slaughtered by him!

This sent waves of panic through the entire Jike Tribe.

Judging by the human's displayed power, their Jike Tribe stood no chance against him!

That's why Agu had risked visiting the ogre lords' caves, seeking their help against the human.

Yet... the ogre lords simply didn't care.

Two days later.

Flame Moon, July 2nd.

Deep in the jungle.

"Grrrrrr!"

"Grrrrrr!"

Low, snarling growls echoed through the trees.

Two massive magical beasts, each nearly three meters long and as tall as a man, pawed the ground while circling Tang Zheng. Their drooling maws revealed razor-sharp teeth.

"Is this your territory? If I leave now, is it too late?"

Tang Zheng held Elder Goblin Muguo in one hand while lightly gripping his sword hilt with the other. His eyes darted between the two beasts flanking him.

"Awooo!"

One beast snarled in response.

"Right. Rejected then." Tang Zheng shrugged, his expression turning serious.

Elder Muguo was already too terrified to even breathe loudly.

These two magical beasts were covered in thick black fur, resembling oversized direwolves - yet they were something else entirely.

Direwolves were pack hunters.

Moreover, these creatures had distinctive features - two curved horns protruding from their heads.

Most strikingly, each beast bore a coiling black chain wrapped around its body like a serpent ready to constrict prey. The chains slithered fluidly as the beasts moved, never hindering their motion.

Hellhounds!

Some called them Demon Dogs!

Among the most fearsome magical beasts in the Great Tob Forest - capable of hunting ogres.

They ranked slightly above ogres in power, possessing superior agility, speed, and unique attack methods. Against the slow, brute-strength ogres, hellhounds held the advantage in hunts!

These past two days, with most goblins already eliminated, Tang Zheng had expanded his search range.

He'd accidentally ventured too deep into the jungle, trespassing into this hellhound pair's territory.

Hence the current predicament.

Tang Zheng studied the black chains wrapped around the hellhounds, feeling troubled.

As the saying went - iron head, steel bones, but a tofu-soft belly.

For canine creatures, the abdomen was always the weakest spot to target for maximum damage.

But the hellhounds' chains completely negated this vulnerability. Worse, these chains weren't just for defense.

"Grrrr!"

The hellhound circling behind Tang Zheng paused mid-step, its greenish-brown beastly eyes fixed on his back as it emitted a low growl.

Whoosh!

This hellhound struck first, its powerful hind legs launching it toward Tang Zheng's back.

Hellhounds possessed sadistic hunting instincts, preferring to toy with prey, killing them only after reducing them to despair - their favorite pastime.

Yet now,

it abandoned this pleasure to attack immediately.

Clearly, Tang Zheng's presence made both hellhounds feel threatened.

Whoosh!

The massive black beast pounced with foul-smelling wind, its drooling maw gaping toward Tang Zheng's sword hand.

Hearing movement behind him,

Tang Zheng remained calm, sidestepping left while swinging his sword backward in one fluid motion.

Steel flashed!

Thud!

The blade clashed against the hellhound's horn with a dull impact.

"Awooo!" The hellhound yelped in pain as the sword forced its head down against the ground, panic flashing in its beastly eyes.

It couldn't comprehend how this comparatively tiny human possessed such strength. The ogres it had hunted before were already the strongest creatures it knew in these woods.

Creak—creak—

Blade and horn ground against each other.

The hellhound's nostrils flared with ragged breaths as it struggled uselessly to lift its pinned head.

The second hellhound, which had been preparing to attack when its partner moved,

froze in terror upon seeing the human effortlessly pin its companion with one sword stroke!

"Not attacking?"

"Then I'll make the first move."

Tang Zheng kept one hellhound pinned with his sword while glancing sideways at the hesitant second beast, smiling faintly.