Goblin King: My Innate Skill Is OP-Chapter 282: Kindling

A deep vibration thrummed under the floor of my quarters — not outward like an impact, but inward, focused directly beneath Gobbo as if the ground itself had acknowledged him.

It wasn’t loud, but it was heavy, a dense pressure that made the air feel slightly thicker for a moment.

Gobbo dropped to his knees instantly, not from pain but from sheer weight, like gravity had doubled around his body.

His palms hit the floor, jaw clenched, breath leaving him in a gust as the [Geomantle Core] rooted itself inside him.

His skin darkened by a few shades, not dramatically, but enough that it looked denser, tougher — like the surface of packed earth.

A sharp, crackling sound followed, faint but constant, as if thin layers of something hard were forming just beneath his skin.

The weight of his body increased so suddenly that his feet sank half an inch into the soil, the ground giving way under him even though his posture remained solid and unmoving.

Gobbo didn’t flinch. He didn’t even sway.

Whatever was happening to him, he endured it with a stubborn steadiness that fit him perfectly.

While he continued to adjust to the new skill line, I turned my attention to Dribb.

Dribb stood rigid, shoulders tensed, eyes flicking between Gobbo and me.

The confidence he always had before a fight wasn’t present right now; instead, he looked... nervous.

Not frightened, but aware that whatever was happening to Gobbo could happen to him too.

For Dribb, I had already given him the [Pain Rush] line, which meant his next one had to complement that reckless, aggressive fighting style.

My first thought was to give him either [Bone Forge] or [Stone Plate], the same lines Gobbo now had access to.

But as I studied him — that thick build, the wild energy always simmering under his skin, the way he leaned forward like he was holding himself back — another option surfaced.

[Hellbrand].

A flaming berserker who hit harder the more he got hurt — someone whose pain fed directly into power, and whose flames amplified that power even further.

The image alone made my pulse quicken.

This line could turn Dribb into a battle demon.

Fire, aggression, endurance — all feeding into one another until he became something unstoppable on the battlefield.

It was perfect.

I imagined what would happen if Dribb ever fused [Overheat Ascension] and [Agony Overdrive] in the middle of a fight... a berserker wrapped in flame, every wound turning him faster, more vigorous, and more unrestrained than before.

The picture alone stirred something inside me —a mix of excitement and a hint of fear.

That was all the push I needed.

I selected [Hellbrand].

The moment the share went through, Dribb’s reaction was nothing like Gobbo’s.

His body jerked violently, and he dropped to his knees with a thud, clutching his chest as though something inside him had just ignited.

His breathing came out in harsh, ragged bursts, each exhale carrying a thin trail of shimmering heat.

"It burns..." he choked out, voice cracking as flame-like fumes escaped his mouth.

"You’ll be fine," I said, hoping I sounded more confident than I felt. "Endure."

Whether he heard me clearly or not, I couldn’t tell.

His breath turned feral, each one hotter than the last.

Thin wisps of steam leaked from his shoulders as his veins glowed faintly beneath his skin, lighting up like molten cracks running along stone.

Then his back arched sharply.

A low, heavy boom of steam blasted outward from his body, rippling through the room and forcing me to brace myself against the sudden wave of heat.

The blast rolled through the room like a sudden pressure wave, hitting Gobbo, me, and even the back wall of my quarters.

It wasn’t strong enough to tear anything apart, but it carried heat — real heat — and for a split second I wondered if I had just turned my home into kindling.

Thankfully, the steam wave wasn’t hot enough to set the place ablaze.

"Whoa..." I breathed out, lifting an arm to shield my face even though [Fractured Existence] made the gesture unnecessary. Instinct was instinct.

When the haze thinned, I glanced down and saw a scorched mark seared into the ground beneath Dribb.

It wasn’t deep, but it was dark and uneven, as if the soil had been flash-boiled.

I sighed:

"I really should have done this outside."

I turned to Gobbo, who had taken the full brunt of the side blast.

He was still on one knee, but he didn’t look shaken — just adjusting, so I asked.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes," he replied, pushing himself up with a controlled, steady motion.

Now that he was standing, I could see the differences clearly.

His skin was darker, carrying a subtle, grainy texture like compacted earth.

His stance felt heavier, more rooted — like the ground held on to him a little more tightly than before.

Thankfully, Gobbo had already completed most of his transformation before Dribb’s blast hit him. If he had still been in the midst of the process, the interference might have caused complications I wasn’t prepared to handle.

A few more minutes passed before Dribb’s changes finally settled.

The air around him shimmered with residual heat, and an aggressive pressure radiated from his body — not uncontrolled, but raw and heavy, like the aura of someone one breath away from erupting.

"Are you good?" I asked.

Dribb lifted his head.

"Chief," he said, voice rough but steady. "This power... It’s perfect."

And then, he dropped to his knees.

"Thank you for the blessing, chief!!"

Gobbo followed suit right after, sinking down beside him.

"Thank you, Chief," Gobbo said with a deep, grounded tone that matched his new form. "With this power... I feel like I can defend against anything."

Looking at the two of them — one radiating fiery aggression, the other exuding solid, quiet durability — I realized just how far they’d come.

All with a simple selection.

I grinned, greedy for more and opened [Share] again and selected [Stone Plate], ready to give Dribb his third line — or so I thought.

But as soon as I tapped his name, a notification popped up, sharp and unforgiving, like the system flicked my forehead.

Ding!

[You cannot share more than two skill lines with your goblin]

...Yep.

I expected that.

There wasn’t even room to be disappointed. What I had already managed — giving them two complete skill lines each — was something no normal goblin leader should ever be capable of. Asking for a third was me getting greedy.

I closed the window and nodded.

"That’s all for today. You two can go."

Gobbo and Dribb both bowed deeply, their new auras still clinging to them like fresh armor, then they stepped out of my quarters with the discipline of soldiers who understood precisely what they’d just been given.

Not long after they left, there was another knock at my door.

Narg entered.