Overlord: Welcoming the Birth of the King
Chapter 59: Hellhound Puppy, So Ugly

"Woof..."

A low beastly whimper came from the bushes nearby.

"Lord, my lord, there's something over there."

The large goblin Muto's drooping ears twitched as he spoke nervously.

Tang Zheng raised his head toward the sound and stood up to investigate. He parted the grass with his iron sword.

A small hellhound, its entire body trembling with fear, lay on the ground with terrified beast-like eyes. Its black fur stood on end as it shivered uncontrollably under Tang Zheng's gaze.

The small hellhound was only about fifty centimeters long - not small by human standards, but clearly just a puppy compared to normal three-meter-long adult hellhounds.

"My lord, it's just a hellhound puppy."

"No wonder that cunning adult hellhound didn't flee despite your overwhelming power."

The large goblin Muto immediately lost his nervous demeanor and spoke with flattery.

Tang Zheng examined the small hellhound.

Its entire body was covered in black fur, looking not much different from a black wolfdog in his previous life, except for the bone chain wrapped around its body.

But its face was much more ferocious, and with the small horn protruding from its forehead, it somewhat resembled a goat when viewed head-on.

"So ugly."

After one glance, Tang Zheng withdrew his gaze and turned to leave with those indifferent words.

Rustle!

After just a few steps, Tang Zheng heard movement from the bushes behind him. The small hellhound had actually crawled out from the grass.

Tang Zheng initially paid no attention - killing a harmless, low-experience hellhound puppy held no meaning for him.

But unexpectedly, the creature began following him.

Tang Zheng paused mid-step and turned his head expressionlessly to look at the trembling hellhound puppy cautiously trailing behind him.

"What? Want to avenge your parents?"

"Whimper..."

The small hellhound immediately flattened itself on the ground, then rolled over to expose its belly, limbs splayed in midair.

Seeing this action, a look of surprise crossed Tang Zheng's face. "What does this mean?"

"It's a sign of submission."

"This little hellhound wants to serve you, my lord!"

Goblin Muto quickly explained, his eyes flashing with surprise as he looked at the puppy. What surprised him wasn't the behavior itself, but how unexpectedly intelligent the creature was.

Hmph, this one has good judgment.

Our lord is a true powerhouse!

Hearing Muto's explanation, Tang Zheng showed slight surprise. "Didn't I just kill its parents?"

At these words,

Goblin Muto instead looked puzzled. "Is that strange? Serving the strong is only natural, isn't it?"

Tang Zheng silently observed Goblin Muto.

He suddenly felt he might have overestimated the moral standards of large goblins as a species.

No wonder.

Goblin Muto was becoming increasingly suspect as a bootlicker.

The scent of blood from the two dead hellhounds gradually spread through the area over time, attracting numerous beasts that caught the scent.

However!

If this had happened a month ago, countless beasts would have quickly gathered to devour the corpses clean.

But now!

The beasts that smelled the blood not only showed no intention of approaching, but instead nervously moved further away.

During this period, the increasingly thick scent of blood in the forest had never dissipated. All the beasts knew that those who approached recklessly would only become another corpse among the many.

Yet!

Rustle rustle—

The sound of leaves shaking and being crushed underfoot emerged.

Three figures cautiously peeked out from behind some bushes. After confirming there were only two hellhound corpses with no other presence, they emerged.

One figure was short while the other two were much more robust and taller, each carrying a large woven basket on their backs.

They were the three from the Jike Tribe of large goblins!

The bloody scent in the air hadn't attracted forest beasts, but had drawn these three instead.

Agu was the first to jump out from the grass after confirming it was safe. Seeing the two hellhound corpses, his face showed shock before realization seemed to strike him.

He quickly ran forward to examine the bodies.

The two large goblins following him nervously rushed forward too, clearly concerned for Agu's safety.

"W-what is it, Agu? Find something?" The stuttering large goblin spoke cautiously while scanning their surroundings.

"In this area, only ogres could threaten hellhounds."

"But these wounds weren't made by ogres. Their long chains are missing too, and those aren't things forest beasts or monsters would eat."

Agu's voice now brimmed with excitement. "It's that human. We've finally found traces of him."

The other large goblin looked at the hellhound corpses with fear in his eyes:

"Agu, should we really be looking for that human?"

"He killed such powerful magical beasts like hellhounds. We're no match for him."

Agu stood up. Though much younger, he was far calmer than the two large goblins.

"We must find Big Brother, even if it's just his corpse."

"He was carrying the tribe's treasure."

Agu spoke seriously.

Hearing "the tribe's treasure," the other two frightened large goblins finally stabilized their emotions.

"That human probably just left recently." Agu touched the darkened blood on the ground, licked his finger, and spoke with shining eyes.

Gurgle~

Growl~

Suddenly, loud stomach growls came from the other two large goblins as they stared at the hellhound corpses, swallowing saliva repeatedly.

Agu paused, then looked at his tribesmen. "We shouldn't waste such precious food." He spoke after some hesitation.

The moment the words left his mouth!

The two large goblins excitedly howled and began tearing into the hellhound flesh.

Agu naturally joined in.

As mentioned earlier, magical beasts like hellhounds weren't normally something they could hunt or eat.

Even when they were lucky enough to see hellhound remains, it was only in the caves of the Ogre Lords.

The sounds of flesh being torn and blood being lapped up echoed through the forest.

Evening.

Visibility in the forest was decreasing rapidly.

Tang Zheng stopped hunting and found a relatively tall tree to rest by.

[Experience: 9382/9500]

Checking his status panel, he saw his experience had risen significantly after an afternoon's efforts.

"Just 118 points left."

"Barring surprises, I should level up tomorrow."

Tang Zheng inhaled the cool, earthy forest air, his mood noticeably lifting.