The next morning, the very first thing I checked after waking up was the countdown for the King’s Gas.
[Ti Left Until The King’s Gas Begin: 1 Week, 6 Days]
Then the numbers shifted.
[1 Week, 4 Days]
My chest tightened slightly the mont I saw it.
"Eleven days left..."
The reality of it felt heavier every single ti I checked.
Slowly but surely, the deadline was approaching.
And the worst part was that no matter how much progress the clan made, it still never felt fast enough.
There was no room to relax.
No room to waste ti.
I still needed to fulfill the remaining requirents as quickly as possible before the gas began.
Imdiately, I pushed myself upright and opened the system interface fully before navigating toward the King’s Gas requirents section.
A lot had changed since the last ti I checked it.
Especially after Caius and his goblins officially joined the clan.
Which made slightly curious to see how much our overall standing had improved overnight.
Requirents:
– Chosen must have a kill count of more than 50. [Complete]
– Clan of the Chosen must have at least 100 goblins. [Incomplete (66/100)]
– Clan of the Chosen must have 20 goblins above level 50. [Incomplete (06/20)]
– Clan of the Chosen must include five or more Chosen. [Complete]
– Defeat a current competitor who has secured their place and claim their spot. [Complete]
[Requirents t: 3/5]
A grin slowly spread across my face.
Just from bringing Caius and his goblins into the clan, one of the requirents had already been completed automatically, while the remaining two had progressed far more than I expected.
That alone proved how valuable their addition had been.
At this point, I only needed thirty-four more goblins to fulfill one condition.
And fourteen more goblins above level fifty to fulfill the last.
Honestly, finding another goblin clan to absorb or conquer probably wouldn’t be too difficult anymore, especially with our current strength.
The real issue was the level requirent.
Getting fourteen additional goblins to level fifty in only eleven days would’ve normally been absurdly difficult for an average clan.
Especially because leveling slowed drastically once goblins started reaching higher levels.
Without soone like —or Caius—the process would’ve probably taken far longer than the remaining ti we had left.
But fortunately, we weren’t exactly operating like a normal clan anymore.
We had enough high-level combatants capable of hunting creatures far above the average goblin’s level range.
And more importantly, they had to power level them. I could cripple high-level beasts. Leave them barely alive. Then allow the lower-level goblins to finish them off for the essence. Simple and efficient.
At this point, both remaining requirents already felt achievable.
What I needed to focus on right now wasn’t the King’s Gas themselves.
It was preparation.
More specifically, turning the Erald Midget Clan into an actual fortress before trouble arrived at our doorstep.
Because Caius’ forr shaman, Raghul, was still out there.
And according to Caius, it was only a matter of ti before he eventually made his way here.
If that happened before the walls and defenses were fully completed, things could turn disastrous very quickly.
Especially considering this wasn’t just so ordinary goblin.
Raghul had managed to take control of an entire clan and had sent Caius packing.
That alone said enough about his strength.
So no matter what, construction and defensive preparations needed to begin imdiately.
There was no room for delay anymore.
I climbed out of bed afterward, briefly glancing toward Zarah and the fox still sleeping peacefully together before quietly leaving the quarters.
I still didn’t like how comfortable Ariel looked curled up against her.
That conversation was definitely happening later.
For now, however, I had sothing more important to handle first.
The daily quest.
After experiencing firsthand how punishing the consequences of failing it could be, I had started treating it with far more seriousness than before.
Especially now.
I couldn’t afford to suddenly disappear for hours due to so punishnt or forced condition while important things were happening around the clan.
Not with the King’s Gas approaching.
And definitely not with Raghul potentially on the move.
So I completed the quest as quickly as possible.
Roughly an hour later, I finally finished.
During that ti, I also stopped by the pond within the settlent to wash off properly before heading back.
The cold water helped wake up completely, clearing away the remaining exhaustion lingering from yesterday.
On my way back through the settlent, I eventually spotted Narg.
Without wasting ti, I called him over.
"Inform the others and Caius to gather in my quarters," I told him. "We have a lot to discuss."
Narg gave a single nod before imdiately leaving to carry out the order.
When I returned to my quarters, Zarah was already gone.
Ariel, however, was awake.
The fox was seated on top of the chair beside the table, lazily picking lint from her fur with her claws.
The mont she noticed enter the room, she stared at blankly for a second before casually turning away again as though I didn’t exist.
I furrowed my brow imdiately.
’Not even a greeting? At least pretend to acknowledge my existence.’
I walked over and sat on the edge of the bed while facing her directly. Then said:
"You looked awfully comfortable in the arms of my mate."
Ariel paused briefly before looking toward again.
"I was comfortable," she replied without hesitation.
I slowly raised a brow.
"...Why?" I asked. "I thought you hated her."
Then I narrowed my eyes slightly.
"I an, you literally tried to kill her once."
Ariel went silent for a long mont before finally answering.
"I still hate her,"
I responded imdiately.
"Even after spending the night in her arms?"
Her eyes slowly shifted toward mine after that.
"She trapped while I was asleep," Ariel said with complete seriousness. "I was peacefully sleeping on the bed when she suddenly lay beside and grabbed without warning."
I stared at her blankly.
"Not letting go either," she continued. "I was held hostage."
’So Zarah initiated it?’
Still...that wasn’t exactly an excuse.
"I’m pretty sure you could’ve escaped if you actually wanted to," I pointed out. "So why didn’t you?"
Ariel shook her head slightly.
"Why would I?" she replied calmly. "It was...
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