Scarface fondly remembered the afternoon he was ambushed by three goblins.

That was the day he met Shire. Later, that goblin, who was even shorter than him, had somehow become the leader.

He felt lost, confused, and even a little angry. ’Why should a goblin scrawnier than me get to be the leader?’

These past few days, he had fought desperately for food, not wasting a single bite. He clawed and bit, using all his strength just to eat his fill.

In the battles over the past few days, he felt strong one moment and weak the next, making him question his true combat ability. In the end, however, Scarface chalked it all up to not having eaten enough.

’But now, all that is about to change.’ He tightened his grip on the Flying Knife behind his back, convinced that tonight was the night he would kill Shire and seize power.

Yesterday, he had eaten his fill. He had never been so full in his life.

In the battle just now, he had felt inexplicably excited, as if his body was brimming with inexhaustible strength.

’That leader’s lackey, the one with the strange accent, was only good enough to act as my support.’

’Who was it that fought the Adventurer and held their ground? It was me!’

’That cowardly, all-talk leader cowered in a tree, not even daring to come down. How dare he usurp the position of leader and live in a private chamber.’

’I’ll stab him to death when I get back tonight. I’ll be a goblin more powerful than even the Bear Goblins.’

’From now on, I’ll eat first from the big pot, and all the female goblins will be mine.’

Scarface stood tall, head held high, his gaze sweeping over the two goblins beside him with imperious disdain.

He swaggered over to Grant’s corpse and pulled out a bag of snacks; he had been eyeing it when he was up in the tree earlier.

"Mm, not bad," Scarface said with a grin.

The two goblins smelled the aroma and drew near, hoping to snatch some, but Scarface berated them and drove them away.

"What makes you think you’re worthy of eating the same food as me?" Scarface sneered.

"Try to snatch it again, and I’ll drive you out of the tribe once I’m leader."

Just as Scarface was lost in his fantasy of having the big pot all to himself, a distant thicket began to shake.

Then, a massive brown beast’s head emerged.

Scarface heard the sound and looked up. The bag in his hand dropped to the ground with a THUD.

He recognized this creature. The Bear Goblins had been grievously wounded fighting it. He hadn’t had a full meal since that day, not until Shire had arrived.

’A Fearsome Claw Bear!’ Terror seized Scarface. His heart felt like it was being squeezed in a fist, and his mind went blank, leaving only a single refrain: ’I’m dead. I’m going to die.’

He trembled, wanting to flee, but fear made his limbs refuse to obey. The color of everything around him seemed to fade to black and white.

Finally, he managed a shaky wave of his arm, trying to throw his Flying Knife.

But a red light flashed in the Fearsome Claw Bear’s eyes, and Scarface froze in place.

’What happened to me?’

’Where am I?’

’What was I trying to do?’

He stood there blankly, his gaze vacant, his mind a complete muddle.

The Fearsome Claw Bear ambled unhurriedly before the three goblins, raised a massive claw, and with a single vicious swipe, tore Scarface apart.

......

[Name: Fearsome Claw Bear]

[Race: Magical Beast]

[Danger Level: 8, a bit dangerous]

[personality: Cunning and Vicious]

[Ability: Eye of Confusion]

[Eye of Confusion: Eye contact causes the target to enter a state of confusion. Duration is determined by Magic Resistance.]

Shire stared intently at the Fearsome Claw Bear below the tree. This was the first time he had ever directly confronted such a powerful enemy.

Scarface had been reduced to a pulp by a single, seemingly effortless blow.

Originally, Shire had thought another party of Adventurers was coming, so he’d left Scarface and the other goblins as bait.

In fact, he had been ready to bestow the Blessing of the Evil God on Scarface again. Scarface had been given the Blessing so many times lately that he’d grown used to it, and Shire was confident he would have been able to use the Ability well.

But the appearance of the Fearsome Claw Bear caught Shire completely off guard.

The oppressive presence of this overlord of the forest’s edge made the hair on his back stand on end.

Its mountain-like body, a shoulder height of over one and a half meters, claws nearly twenty centimeters long, and the wisps of black vapor rising from its fur—every detail marked the terror of the Fearsome Claw Bear.

The surrounding forest fell silent. The other goblins didn’t dare to even breathe. By Shire’s side, the normally reckless Red Eyes was as quiet as a chicken.

Shire swallowed hard, GULP, his eyes fixed on the Fearsome Claw Bear as it approached Coulson’s corpse.

He finally understood why the Adventurer squad had been completely wiped out. The Eye of Confusion had thrown them into a state of confusion, after which they were killed one by one, just like Scarface.

Goblins, however, were always looking around for things to eat while hunting, so they were unlikely to make direct eye contact upon encountering a Fearsome Claw Bear.

Seeing the Fearsome Claw Bear below begin to drag Coulson’s corpse away as if no one else was there, Shire clenched his fists, forcing himself to overcome his fear.

He gritted his teeth and used all his strength to draw the string of his Hand Crossbow. Shire had already drawn it twice during the previous battle; now, relying on a goblin’s strength to pull back the arms of the crossbow was a serious struggle.

CLICK. The string locked into place. Shire loaded a Crossbow Arrow and aimed at the Fearsome Claw Bear.

He let out a low snarl and pulled the trigger. "That’s my damn spoils of war."

THWANG! The Crossbow Arrow shot out, striking the Fearsome Claw Bear squarely in the neck.

The sudden pain made the Fearsome Claw Bear fling Coulson’s corpse away. It then rose to its full height and roared furiously.

Shire stared up at the Fearsome Claw Bear, which now stood over two meters tall. His palms were slick with sweat; he didn’t have the strength to draw the bowstring again.

The Fearsome Claw Bear searched the clearing for its attacker. It had already mauled the corpses on the ground several times and even knocked down several stalks of Blue Thorn Grass in its rage.

After spinning in place a few times, it finally stopped roaring. Panting heavily, it quickly left.