Goblin King: My Innate Skill Is OP-Chapter 31: Return

Back in the cave.

The atmosphere was heavy with exhaustion.

Most of the goblins were asleep, sprawled out on makeshift bedding of moss and tattered furs. The day had wrung them dry. They’d lost their home that morning, lost their chief and several clan mates along with it. Then by midday, were attacked by a troll. Not one but two.

And now, ironically, they shared their new cave with one. At first, most of them stayed awake, fearful the troll might wake up and lash out. But exhaustion eventually won. One by one, they surrendered to sleep, stress weighing heavier than fear.

The troll Eli had brought in now lay on its side, its massive body rising and falling with deep, guttural snores. The wound across its chest had closed completely. Its regeneration had done most of the work—Flogga’s potion only sped things along. Impressive... and a little unnerving.

A few goblins were still awake.

Flogga sat near the fire, slowly stirring a pot of broth. Beside her were Zzok, Narg, Thok, and Zarah—who paced the cave floor like a caged beast, her bow slung over one shoulder.

"Sit down already," Flogga muttered without looking up. "You’ve been through enough today. You need rest."

Zarah paused, fists clenched. "How can I rest when our chief is out there, alone, risking his life?"

"He’ll be fine." Flogga waved off her concern, not unkindly.

"You don’t know* that," Zarah snapped.

"The chief is strong. I’ve seen it for myself," Zzok said, his voice calm, trying to ease the tension. "He’ll come back."

"Thok agrees," Thok added with a nod, his voice low. He, too, had seen what Eli could do—and still remembered the moment he took down the first troll.

Zarah turned away, arms crossed tight over her chest. She *knew* Eli was strong. She’d seen it firsthand—how he stood up to the trolls, how he saved her from the Mooncat.

But that creature... that thing...

Its image still haunted her.

The way it moved. The way it watched.

And that wasn’t even the only danger out there. The forest was full of horrors that prowled once the sun dipped below the trees.

What if the fight was still going?

What if Eli had won, but was too wounded to return?

What if something else had found him—drawn to the scent of blood?

Was he out there, dying slowly beneath the stars?

Or worse—being eaten?

She held her head in her hands, breathing hard. The thoughts spun like a whirlpool.

Flogga watched silently.

Her granddaughter rarely panicked.

Zarah had always been the level-headed one, but tonight, the worry in her eyes was unmistakable, and if Flogga was honest, she was worried too.

Still... part of her was elated.

Zarah cared about their chief—and the chief clearly cared about her from the way he immediately bolted when he found Zarah was gone..

If the bond deepened, it might mean more than just mutual respect.

A union, maybe.

She could be his mate.

If that happens then she wouldn’t have to worry so much about Zarah, as the new chief would protect her.

Zarah suddenly shot upright.

"I can’t wait anymore," she said, grabbing her bow.

"What?" Flogga stood up quickly. "No—you can’t be serious!"

"I am serious. The chief must not die. I won’t let him."

"You can’t go running into the dark alone. That’s suicide."

"I’m already going crazy sitting here." Zarah pulled away from Flogga and strode toward the exit.

"Zzok, Thok—stop her!" Flogga shouted.

The two hesitated, then moved quickly to intercept her.

But Zarah spun on them, bow in hand, her expression fierce.

"Don’t touch me."

They froze.

She meant it.

Before anyone could speak, there was a sudden pop—like a bubble bursting.

Everyone turned.

And there he was.

Eli stood near the entrance, ragged, blood spattered across his arms and tunic. Narg, who had been closest to him, jumped back with a startled yelp and fell flat on his back.

Eli blinked at him, unimpressed. "Really?"

He looked up at the rest, raised one hand casually, and smiled. "Hey."

---

**I blinked into the cave just in time to see Zarah and the others in some heated back-and-forth.**

No one was asleep. That surprised me—given the day we’d had, they should have been knocked out cold.

But the moment I saw Zarah with her bow, heading for the exit, I understood.

They were waiting for me.

Worried.

I felt... strangely moved. If I’d known, I might’ve hurried.

Still, dealing with the Direwolves had taken longer than expected. After I killed a few of them, the others scattered like frightened dogs. Cowards.

The Alpha, who I thought would be a real challenge—maybe even another Mooncat-level threat—turned out to be far less.

He’d tried using a skill called \[Roar of Intimidation], which froze enemies in fear. But it barely touched me.

With \[Stealth] and \[Warp], I was in and out before he even understood what was happening.

Killing him earned me his skill and four full level-ups.

Not bad for one night’s work.

I stored the corpses—Direwolves and the Mooncat—in my inventory. My arms ached, my feet felt like stone, but I made it back.

And now, I had kin here waiting for me.

That... felt good.

"Hey," I said again, waving lightly.

"Chief!"

"Totem!"

Zzok and Thok rushed forward, eyes wide. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"You’re covered in blood—are you hurt?" Zzok asked, scanning me quickly.

I grinned. "Not mine."

Narg, still on the floor, froze like a statue. Thok visibly shivered.

"Oh... Totem is *really* scary."

"Am I?" I laughed.

Flogga approached, studying me carefully. "Well, young Totem? Did you defeat it?"

I nodded, then crouched and retrieved the Mooncat’s body from my inventory.

The moment it hit the floor, a collective gasp filled the cave.

Narg fainted. Thok jumped back in panic. Even Zzok looked pale.

Flogga, though, leaned in, grinning as she examined the creature.

"So this is the Mooncat," she said, poking it with a stick. "No goblin has ever laid eyes on one and lived. And yet... here it is. Dead."

She stood and turned to me, her eyes gleaming with pride.

"You’re more formidable than I thought, Totem."

I smiled. "There’s more where that came from."

One by one, I began pulling out the Direwolf corpses—stacking them neatly beside the Mooncat like trophies.

The pile grew.

And this time, Thok fainted.