[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-goblin-king-my-innate-skill-is-op":3,"chapter-goblin-king-my-innate-skill-is-op-goblin-king-my-innate-skill-is-op-chapter-168":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Goblin King: My Innate Skill Is OP",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1335861,1780,"Chapter 168: Threat","goblin-king-my-innate-skill-is-op-chapter-168",168,"\u003Cp>She wasn’t going to stop pestering me until I gave her what she wanted, and honestly, I didn’t have the patience for another one of her fiery tantrums.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I already had enough on my plate; the last thing I needed was an argument over her boredom.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fine,\" I muttered, exhaling through my nose before turning toward her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"One of the goblins escaped—the one with the bow. Find him and bring him to me alive.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason was simple: I needed to kill him myself if I wanted to obtain his skill.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alive?\" she repeated, her brow creasing as if the very idea offended her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes. That would be a challenge, wouldn’t it?\" I said, my tone dry but deliberate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her eyes lit up immediately, the faint irritation replaced by something that resembled excitement. \"Fine!\" she said, her grin widening before she darted off, a blur of motion and heat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The air shimmered as she moved, her blue flames cutting trails through the mist, leaving faint glowing embers that hung in the cold air like scattered stars before slowly fading.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I watched her go, shaking my head slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For someone who had strutted around earlier with all the arrogance and defiance of a queen, Ariel now seemed less arrogant. The sharp edges in her attitude had softened, replaced by a kind of smug composure that still carried her usual bratty undertone. But compared to before, it was a welcome improvement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I suspected the change had everything to do with the shackle I’d placed on her. Power dynamics had a way of reshaping behavior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, I wasn’t naïve enough to think it made her harmless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was a fox through and through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And if there was one word that history, myth, and experience all agreed upon when it came to foxes, it wascunning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I reminded myself not to drop my guard, not even for a moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Ariel chasing down Ingrid, I finally turned my attention to the encampment, which had fallen completely silent—like a graveyard after the storm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The void space I’d created hadn’t been large; its reach was focused and deliberate, aimed solely at the attackers positioned ahead, leaving the tents behind mostly untouched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was intentional.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wanted my goblins to have a place to settle once the fighting was done, and this camp, with its crude order and solid layout, would serve well enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I walked past the first few tents, surveying the aftermath. Most were torn or scorched, but some remained intact. Curious, I pulled open the flap of one and peered inside. A rough sleeping mat lay in the corner—crude in design but functional.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I crouched down, running a hand over it. To my surprise, it was soft—at least compared to the cold, uneven ground we’d grown used to. The realization brought a faint smirk to my face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So, the goblins of this clan have been living this comfortably,\" I muttered under my breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I straightened and stepped back out of the tent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, faintly, I heard it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A small sound. Not speech—more like a muffled shudder, a sharp intake of breath someone tried too hard to hide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was almost imperceptible, but my senses caught it instantly. Fear always had a distinct rhythm; once you’ve heard it enough times, you can recognize it anywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I followed the sound, weaving between torn canvas and collapsed poles until I stopped before one tent that was still mostly intact. The air inside was colder, thick with the smell of sweat and damp cloth. I pushed aside the flap and stepped in.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of eyes turned toward me—wide, trembling, filled with terror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were huddled together in the far corner, pressed so tightly against the wall it was as if they believed the fabric itself could shield them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>None of them held weapons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their hands were small, frail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most were younglings—barely old enough to walk properly—and a few goblin women, clutching the little ones to their chests as though their arms alone could fend off death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stood there for a moment, silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sight didn’t surprise me, but it did weigh on me in a way I couldn’t quite explain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I studied their auras carefully, letting my perception flow over each of them like a quiet current. Nothing about them suggested danger—no hostility, no hint of killing intent. Just fear. Raw, suffocating fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I stepped forward slowly, making no sudden movements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even then, the reaction was immediate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment my foot touched the ground, a ripple of panic spread through the group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They flinched as one, stumbling over themselves as they tried to retreat farther into the corner, pressing against the canvas as if they could melt into it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their trembling breaths filled the tent, the sound thin and uneven.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then, from among them, one figure rose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A young female goblin—roughly the size of Thok—stepped in front of the others, blocking my view of the younglings behind her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her posture was stiff, her hands shaking ever so slightly, but her eyes... they were steady. Defiant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh...\" I murmured under my breath, taken aback despite myself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no bravado in her stance, no illusion of strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just raw determination—the kind that came from someone who knew she didn’t stand a chance, but refused to back down anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the same kind of courage that often got people killed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Intrigued, I was about to use [Analyze] to see who she was, to understand what kind of goblin would stand against me after watching her entire world collapse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But before I could, a sharp pain lanced through my head—sudden, blinding, and deep.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t the dull ache of fatigue or the strain of mana use. It was something else. Something invasive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I pressed my palm against the side of my head, hoping to steady the throbbing, but the pain only sharpened—like a blade twisting deeper into my skull. A low groan escaped me before I could stop it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What the hell was happening?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thought came out half-spoken, half-slurred through clenched teeth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My vision blurred for a moment, edges darkening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I forced my eyes open—and that’s when I saw her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young female goblin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She stood exactly where she had been, shoulders trembling, but her eyes were locked onto mine with a ferocity that didn’t belong in someone so young.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her small frame shook, not from fear but from effort, as if she were forcing every ounce of willpower she had into that glare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And I realized then—she was the cause.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pressure inside my head spiked violently, and before I could react, my knees hit the frozen ground with a dull thud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My hand shot out for balance, fingers digging into the cold dirt as the world tilted sideways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The hell...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hissed under my breath, struggling to keep my focus.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The agony...\u003C\u002Fp>",1136,"2026-06-05T20:04:08.077Z",1,"novelbin.me","ad7f30b1bffe2c9b9ce722f747a90ee58981c50772204b1afee919f1ad13cc53","goblin-king-my-innate-skill-is-op-chapter-169","goblin-king-my-innate-skill-is-op-chapter-167",375,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fgoblin-king-my-innate-skill-is-op-cover.jpg"]