Chapter 283: Devotion

Narg knelt before me, and for a moment, I just stared at him.

The aura rolling off his body was different — heavier, darker, unsettling in a way that made the small hairs on my arms rise.

It wasn't chaotic or wild like Dribb's, nor was it grounded and calm like Gobbo's.

This was... ominous.

The kind of ominous that said: if you mess with me, you will regret it.

And this was only from [Graveborn], the shamanic skill line I had shared with him earlier.

Before this, Narg never gave off anything close to this level of danger.

Since his evolution, he was always stoic, composed, reliable — but this was different. This was power with teeth.

"How do you feel?" I asked, keeping my voice steady despite the weight sitting in the air between us.

Narg lifted his head slowly, and the reverence in his eyes was unmistakable.

"I feel great, Chief. Strong and powerful."

Then he bowed his head again, deeper this time.

"Thank you for entrusting me with such a powerful skill," Narg said.

I nodded, stepping closer until I stood right in front of him.

The weight of his aura pressed subtly against my skin, not painfully, but enough to remind me that this wasn't the same Narg from before.

He was changing and growing into something far more formidable.

"I'm about to make you even stronger, Narg," I said quietly. "To give you a new skill that will take you to a different height entirely."

I crouched down so I was level with him.

"But I'm worried whether you're strong enough to receive it."

The skill I had in mind wasn't simply powerful.

It was the most potent ability in my entire arsenal — one of the Chosen-tier skill lines I had inherited from the strongest chosen I had faced so far.

It wasn't something any goblin could handle casually.

And that was what worried me.

Whether Narg could assimilate it safely.

Or whether the sheer force of it would crush him from the inside.

Narg raised his head slowly and met my eyes.

His gaze was steady, unwavering.

"I cannot know whether or not I am worthy to receive it," Narg continued, voice steady and unwavering. "But if my life is what worries you, then I ask you not to carry that fear. I would do anything to become a knife you can wield. Anything to help the clan rise to greater heights... even if it means sacrificing myself."

He lifted his chin, resolve tightening his features.

"If my strength isn't enough, then I'll make up for it with will. No one in the clan has as much will as I do to grow stronger."

A bold claim.

But not an empty one.

Narg had shown me just how eager he was to rise — to step into a role far beyond what any normal goblin would ever dare dream of.

Still... saying no one had more will?

I could think of two challengers off the top of my head.

Zarah, who absorbed two skill lines like it was nothing — eyes sharp, heart steady, posture regal.

And myself, because I didn't crawl through death and rebirth to watch others outpace me.

Either way, Narg's resolve and determination weren't things I could ignore.

Those were the very traits that made me want to entrust him with this skill line in the first place.

So, I made up my mind.

"I'll be depending on you a lot," I said quietly, placing a firm hand on his shoulder before rising to my feet.

He nodded once, deeply.

"I will not fail you, Chief. Nor the clan."

The conviction in his voice was absolute — heavy enough to feel like a vow.

Before I could respond, a familiar sound chimed in my ear.

Ding!

Another notification floated before my eyes.

[Congratulations! You've successfully raised the loyalty stats of five of your goblins.]

[Get ten goblins to 100% loyalty to receive a reward.]

[Number of goblins with 100% loyalty: 5/10]

"Oh? A mini task?"

I blinked, genuinely surprised.

I hadn't expected loyalty to trigger any mission.

Still, missions were always welcome.

They meant progress, structure, and rewards... three things I'd never complain about.

What actually surprised me more was realizing I apparently had five goblins sitting at complete loyalty already.

If I remembered correctly, only Zarah had been at one hundred percent before.

Narg had just joined her.

That left three others.

My first guess was Dribb. The idiot would probably follow me off a cliff if I told him to.

Gobbo too — steady, dependable, and earnest to a fault.

And the last one...

"Flogga?" I muttered under my breath.

I wouldn't have put her on the list before. She was sharp-tongued, stubborn, and more dangerous than she looked. Loyalty didn't seem like something she offered casually to anyone.

But she had softened lately — subtly, but enough for me to notice. She respected me now, genuinely, not out of obligation or fear.

And that made it entirely possible she was the fifth.

It was a strange mix of pride and disbelief that settled in my chest.

These goblins... my clan... they actually trusted me.

More than that, they believed in me.

For a moment, I just stood there, letting that sink in.

I had no doubt the sudden spike in their loyalty came from the skill lines I had given them.

Honestly, it made perfect sense. If someone handed me the power to climb to heights I never imagined, I'd be loyal too. Strength changes everything — your future, your confidence, even your identity.

And I was the one handing out that future like candy.

"Chief? Is everything alright?"

Narg's voice pulled me back.

He was still kneeling, looking up at me with that steady, unblinking gaze of his, a little confused by the silence that had stretched between us.

Right.

I'd been standing there thinking, forgetting he was literally at my feet waiting for my next order.

My thoughts wandered too far for a second.

I shook them off and returned to the moment, focusing again on the task at hand — the real reason Narg was here.

"Alright," I said, a small smile tugging at my lips. "Let's make you even more powerful, shall we?"

Narg back...