Chapter 47: Grimgut, Ironbelly
Lei Feng sat quietly atop a small boulder, Stormpiercer resting across his lap like a sleeping beast. His gaze was calm—eerily so—mirroring not the carnage around him, but something deeper, something colder.
All around, the forest floor was littered with goblin corpses—scouts, archers, warriors, and shamans. The pungent stench of iron and rot clung thick to the air. Limbs lay scattered. Cracked skulls leaked grey matter into muddied earth. Arrows jutted from torsos at awkward angles, their fletching soaked red. It was a grotesque painting of victory, yet Lei Feng sat amidst it all like a meditating monk untouched by the storm.
> "If it was me before now," he muttered, brows furrowing, "I would've vomited from the sight alone... The stench, the blood, the hollow eyes. I would've felt fear. Disgust."
His voice trailed into the wind, eyes narrowing.
> "But now... I feel nothing. Just cold indifference."
Beyond him, the dark landscape stretched out like a nightmare. The trees were gnarled, their branches curling like skeletal fingers. Tall, serrated grass blades swayed in the breeze, hiding shadows that never stopped shifting.
> "I'm changing," Lei Feng whispered. "Not just in power... but in mind."
Then, as if summoned by fate—
HROOOONK!
A horn blast tore through the forest like a scream from the abyss—ancient, guttural, and full of intent. It echoed across the hollow, shaking leaves loose from the dead trees.
Then came the tremors.
BAM. BAM. BAM.
Heavy footfalls. Deliberate. Earth-splitting. The rhythm was like war drums beating straight into the spine.
Birds exploded from the trees, fleeing in frantic clouds.
RRRAAAHK!
A guttural roar pierced the canopy, shattering the moment's calm. A palpable force swept the clearing, pressing down on Lei Feng like a stormcloud ready to burst.
His lips curved into a razor-sharp smile. His eyes gleamed, already gripping Stormpiercer as if it were a part of his soul. The blade thrummed in his hand, glowing faintly with blue lightning in anticipation.
Lei Feng stood. With each step forward, his aura flared—not violently, but like the steady crackle before a thunderclap.
> "It's time to test my new technique," he said, voice firm with resolve. "I barely scraped by against Kraxxar... but this time will be different."
The trees ahead groaned and parted.
And then it emerged.
A lumbering behemoth of a goblin. Ten feet tall, grotesquely bloated, with oily, dark green skin that rippled with every step. Yellow eyes, sunken and cunning, glowed beneath a heavy brow. Fat cheeks jiggled with each guttural breath, and long, serrated teeth jutted from its crooked jaw like daggers.
Its right hand dragged a monstrous iron club lined with rusted spikes. Its left clenched a massive black axe, chipped and stained with dried gore. The weapons looked more like siege tools than anything a living creature should wield.
Behind the giant came twelve others—eight goblin warriors and four shamans.
Unlike the previous hordes, these were refined. Hardened. The warriors were broader, darker-skinned, their bodies honed with battle-scars and discipline. Their weapons gleamed with cruel polish. The shamans were thin and skeletal, draped in long black robes that shimmered with faint magical threads. Their eyes glowed, silent and knowing.
Lei Feng raised an eyebrow in surprise.
He scanned the group calmly.
> "Warriors, Level 14. Shamans, Level 15... one level higher than usual, but nothing I can't handle."
But it was the giant that drew his attention—the boss.
It wasn't Kraxxar.
Kraxxar had been a walking horror: a muscular brute laced with bone jewelry and tribal scars, each movement dripping with sadistic intent. He carried a cannibal's madness.
This one was different.
It radiated control. Intelligence. Rage held on a leash. But it was weaker—far weaker than Kraxxar.
Ding!
A system window blinked into view:
> [Grimgut Ironbelly – Goblin Chief (Level 16)]
> Ruthless tyrant of his kin. Possesses brute strength and high cunning, placing him above his lesser brethren. Known for overwhelming dominance and unpredictable tactics.
> Current Threat Level:Tier 1.5 Boss
> "Hmm... Level 16?" Lei Feng raised an eyebrow. "No mutation? Perhaps he was born from the regression of Kraxxar's evolution? Or perhaps a divergent spawn originally the goblin chief Kraxxar evolved from?"
He opened his EXP bar:
> [EXP: 150 / 550]
> "No bonus rewards, huh? Killing this thing won't push me to Level 20, but... the minions should help."
To him, these goblins were only walking EXP waiting to be harvested.
Grimgut surveyed the massacre around him. Rage boiled in his chest as he saw his kin—torn open, burned, mutilated. Eyeballs hung from sockets. Guts spilled like ropes. One warrior's head had been skewered on a broken rock.
The monster growled. His lip curled in animalistic hatred.
But when his yellow eyes fell on Lei Feng... something shifted.
Fear.
An instinctual tremble crept beneath his skin. This human stood like a wraith amidst ruin, calm as the void. Not even a glance of concern. No recognition of Grimgut's presence. As if Lei Feng were waiting for something more challenging.
Grimgut's pride snapped.
> "Arrogant... human!" he barked in rough, broken Common.
Lei Feng's head turned, smirking.
> "Oh? You speak human tongue?"
He lifted Stormpiercer and pointed it at the chief.
> "Then you can understand this—Show me what you've got, Grimgut... Ironbelly."
The goblin flinched when Lei Feng uttered its name, but it snarled, dismissing its surprise.
> "AHAKKR-KUNTACK!!"
The moment the cry left his lips, the goblin warriors and shamans moved as one. Silent. Precise. Pre-meditated.
Lei Feng sighed, stretching lazily.
> "Tch… Guess I'll make this quick."
He was clearly disappointed with the level of threat—expecting to fight Kraxxar. But little did he know, he had underestimated the opponent this time.
Before Lei Feng could finish stretching—
SCREEEEEEE!
A concentrated bolt of violent dark energy exploded from the shamans' formation. There was no warning. No chant. Just impact.
KA-BOOOOOOM!
The shockwave hurled Lei Feng through the air. He slammed into a tree, bark splintering on contact, forming a cloud of dust around him.
BAM!
He coughed sharply, pain flaring through his ribs. But Stormpiercer remained in hand, gripped tight.
Luckily there were no injuries—crackling light surrounded him. His Storm Dragon Robe had automatically activated Storm Shield in the instant before impact.
He rose slowly, dusted himself off.
> "As expected of a Platinum-grade treasure," Lei Feng mumbled in awe.
His gaze shifted to the shamans, now forming a triangle and whispering in eerie unison.
> "No chants. Silent casting?" Lei Feng narrowed his eyes. "That's rare—even among human mages. These aren't your average trash mobs."
Unbeknownst to him, the shamans had begun weaving their spells long before Grimgut gave the order—channeling silently in the background. A practiced tactic. Coordinated. Dangerous.
But Lei Feng had no time to dwell.
From the haze of dust, three goblin warriors charged, axes high and eyes gleaming with bloodlust.
BAM!
They launched from the ground, debris flying from their takeoff.
Lei Feng didn't move. His eyes narrowed as he stepped forward—
ZZZZZRAK!
Lightning exploded around him. Coils of pure blue energy danced along his arms and into Stormpiercer, now glowing like a captured thunderstorm.
Lightning Slash!
ZZZAAAAAK—CRACK!!
He slashed upward in a sharp arc. A crescent of searing lightning tore through the air, carving through the goblins mid-leap.
SCHLACK!
Three heads and torsos separated from their legs in a flash of light.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Their upper halves hit the ground with wet smacks. Blood sprayed in a fine mist. Their snarls of fury had been silenced mid-air—frozen in expressions of surprise.
Ding!
Triple Kill!
+210 EXP
[EXP: 360 / 550]
Lei Feng smiled, stretching his shoulder casually. Stormpiercer still buzzed with leftover charge.
> "Three down."
ROOOAAARRRR!!!
Grimgut bellowed, shaking branches loose from above. His eyes were molten with fury.
Lei Feng turned to him and gave a warm, almost welcoming smile.
> "Don't worry," he said, voice smooth as silk. "You'll have your turn, Chief."
His smile didn't reach his eyes.
And his words—bone-piercing cold.