Chapter 232: Chapter 232

232 A new Iris

.

[Notice]

[Reputation Threshold Reached]

[Reputation with Pruthi Goblin Tribe has reached over 200 points. Anyone considered to be in the Pruthi Goblin Tribe trusts the user unconditionally.]

.

‘The rewards can wait. I need to hurry.’ Vincent decided while removing the notification window.

Because Vincent couldn’t remember what happened during Overload and Kazumi was too exhausted to explain, all he needed to know was if enough goblins survived for the quest to get completed.

Time was of the essence, but Vincent couldn’t move as multiple earth spikes still impaled him. He clenched his fist and destroyed most of them with one swing. After moving his legs with force, the remaining small earth spikes broke under his might.

Vincent swung his legs, shooting the earth spikes out of his legs like projectiles. After pulling out the remaining pieces from his upper body, Vincent rushed towards Iris.

.....

“Can I touch you? I don’t know if you will get burned.” Vincent asked while extending his hand with a worried-sounding hoarse voice.

Iris’s slowly approached her small hand, even if it was still trembling. “It’s very warm, but I don’t feel pain.” She replied when her hand touched his, yet sweat from the heat was trickling from her forehead.

“Great!” Vincent easily lifted Iris from her waist with his strength and placed her on his shoulder.

“W-w-why are you doing this?” Iris asked out of embarrassment and confusion. Her cheeks blushed, and her eyes blinked from surprise.

However, Vincent answered with, “Hold on tight. Climbing up with one hand is gonna make this a bumpy ride.” Vincent squatted down and tightened his muscles.

“Hold tight?... HAA!!!” Iris shouted and immediately held on to Vincent as her life literally depended on it.

Vincent jumped as high as he could and swung his hand at the wall to grab on. His curled claw-like fingers dug inside the wall as if there was no resistance.

Vincent lifted his body with his right arm, and after using enough force to pull himself up, he let go of his hold. Vincent repeated this process multiple times.

After climbing the wall one meter at a time, both soon left the crater.

Vincent’s eyes moved like a hawk as he gazed at all the fainted goblins on the ground. The damaged cart with Ester and Lupa lying on it entered his sight.

Vincent was starting to feel dizzy, and his strength was gradually depleting. He placed his hand on Iris’s back and held her in place.

“I need to hurry. ” Vincent mumbled. He couldn’t run because running with his current speed is dangerous. He could accidentally kill a few goblins along the way.

Vincent walked quickly while trying his best not to step on a goblin. A couple of meters later, Vincent arrived in front of Ester and Lupa.

“Iris. I will leave everything in your hands after this.” Vincent squatted and helped Iris stand on her feet.

Iris asked while holding her hands together, “Will you heal them like you healed me?”

Vincent raised his left arm. He noticed how his left arm was colored green with mutated blood. Additionally, his arm was almost regrown. Only the fingers remained for complete recovery.

“Yes. My blood in this form can heal those connected with me. But it will hurt those that aren’t.” Vincent curled his index finger and slashed his forearm from elbow to the wrist. Mutated blood sprayed like a fountain and covered Ester and Lupa.

Similar to what happened to Iris, the mutated blood didn’t evaporate and became lively like a living substance. A few seconds later, most of Ester’s and Lupa’s bodies became encased in a layer of mutated blood that hardened immediately, unlike what happened to Iris.

[Vincent...]

[The emerald chest has closed...]

[I think Overload is about to end...]

Vincent glanced at his left arm. His fingers reconstructed themselves, and the laceration he recently made healed as well.

“My body will become paralyzed after this form ends. Ripping all my muscles from moving three times of my maximum limit will...” *Thud* Vincent said before Overload ended, and he blacked out.

“Vincent!” Iris became worried. She promptly grabbed his hand and felt his pulse. A sigh of relief exited her lips.

Iris gently opened one of his eyes and saw the black of his eyes change back to white and the radiating emerald iris dim.

“The eye looks normal now, and the bulging veins are disappearing as well.” She blurted out her thoughts while Vincent returned back to his normal self.

Iris raised a puzzled frown as she looked at Vincent. “Why is Vincent with a lot of bandages?” She started removing the bandages, but the confused expression couldn’t leave her face.

Iris moved her hands on Vincent’s upper body and questioned, “Vincent’s skin is very smooth and soft, yet hard with these strange bumps. It feels nice pressing them. What are these bumps? ”

“Ahem! Do you like Vincent’s abs that much?” A feminine voice abruptly surprised Iris, interrupting her touching session.

“No fair! I want to touch too!” Another feminine voice said.

Iris flustered and withdrew her hand. She turned her head around and acted as if someone saw her doing something she should never do.

The moment Iris saw Ester with a smirk and Lupa with a pout, her gray cheeks blushed. “I-I didn’t mean to...” She said with a low nervous voice.

Lupa quickly jumped out of the cart and went beside Vincent. “Sister! Come and see! My mate’s skin is normal! It’s not burnt anymore!” Lupa excitedly told Ester.

“Really?” Ester replied with her interest piqued.

A moment ago, Ester teased Iris after hearing her words and saw her touching his stomach. As she approached and saw Vincent’s revealed upper body, she blurted out in surprise, “Vincent has become ripped!”

Vincent’s body drastically changed. A lot of calories and fat appeared to have been consumed to sustain the energy to Soul Power conversion. Additionally, because the muscles were overused, they became bigger and more toned.

Vincent’s burn scars were healed, and his body looked ripped now. However, his hair didn’t grow this time.

“Hehehe.” Lupa giggled with drool dripping from the sides of her lips. The wolf girl resembled a predator wanting to eat its prey.

“No horny.” Ester pulled Lupa’s ear to stop drooling on Vincent’s body.

“Owwie... I will stop.” Lupa begged.

*Ouch. Argh!*

“I’m not pulling that hard. No need to exaggerate. ” Ester said.

“But it wasn’t me!” Lupa responded.

Ester and Lupa turned their head. They saw Iris hold her head and grunting in pain. Something was happening to Iris.

“Iris!” Both Ester and Lupa exclaimed.

Iris gritted her teeth and grunted. *Pop* An emerald horn on the right side of her forehead protruded. The sheening emerald horn looked like a jewel carved in the shape of a horn by a master carver.

The gray hair grew longer and longer. The color began to change into a dark green with a couple of bright green colored strands here and there.

Iris understood what was happening now. “It... must be the... Awakening.” She explained.

“But... it should have happened... a long time ago...” Iris added with a grunt.

Ester gently rubbed Iris’s back and said, “I don’t know if a hug will interrupt the awakening process into a hobgoblin. But know that your sisters are beside you.”

“Best girl Lupa is here too.” Lupa proudly announced her helping presence.

Iris felt her body burn and the dress tightening. *Rip* the leaf dress ripped and fell apart as Iris’s body expanded. The moment her growing body stopped, her skin color started to change. The gray skin tone became lighter with a faint reddish hue.

“Ugh.” Iris pulled herself up. She turned her head and felt dizzy, but it seemed her awakening process had finished.

“We are here for you.” Ester held Iris in her arms.

Lupa said before she got interrupted, “Ehe. Your chest is bigger than...”

“Ahem! You better keep it to yourself. Come and help Iris stand.” Ester glared at Lupa.

Lupa lowered her ears and nodded. Then she helped Iris from falling while Ester took out a clean set of clothes. Ester and Lupa helped Iris wear the clothes.

An hour later, the goblins started waking up one after the other, as if fainting from terrorizing fear had a timer.

Iris’s father stared at his daughter with his eyes wide open and gulped a few times. However, Iris’s father wasn’t the only one who made that reaction.

In front of them was a five-foot Iris with long dark green hair reaching half of her spine. On the right side of her forehead protruded one emerald jewel-like horn. It was about four inches long.

Iris was wearing plain spare clothes Ester kept. A plain shirt, a plain skirt, and a piece of cloth covering her neck and retainer mark. Iris looked quite cute in them.

Size changed, the face became more human-like and cuter, the hair color changed, the skin color changed, and a new horn appeared. Other than her attractive purple eyes, Iris was like a brand new goblin.

The goblins stared at Iris as if she was someone special. A few respectfully bowed their heads. A few stared at her jewel-like horn. Others talked with Iris’s father about her.

“Gobu?” Iris’s father asked.

“Can I talk with my father?” Iris asked Ester and Lupa. After the two of them nodded, Iris went to discuss things with her father.

Later, night arrived. Ester and Lupa were in the cave with two pelts beside them.

Two small goblin children brought them a large piece of cooked bear meat on a branch. After handing the food with a curious gaze, the two children smiled and ran to the campfire to eat their fill.