The Evolution Of A Goblin To The Peak

Days passed quickly.

Vashno and his team continued taking on missions, completing many while failing others. But each failure became a lesson, further sharpening their skills and experience. Find adventures at NovelBin.Côm

Slowly, Vashno’s name spread throughout the entire camp. Warriors began calling him the Golden Warrior, a title inspired by his radiant golden presence in battle.

His combat prowess was undeniable. He had already slain more than twenty Fifth Shackle Realm titans, an achievement that earned him the respect of his peers. At this point, it was clear—in a one-on-one fight, Vashno could slay a titan of the same level with ease.

It wasn’t just the warriors—the titans had also taken notice of Vashno.

Whenever they saw a warrior cloaked in golden light, they knew it was him.

Meanwhile, the situation in the Carmine Kingdom remained unchanged. The land had become a relentless battlefield for warriors below the Hero-rank, with clashes erupting in different regions every single day.

At this moment, Vashno and his group had returned to the camp. As they walked, countless warriors turned to glance in their direction.

"That’s the Golden Warrior..."

"I heard he killed another Fifth Shackle Realm titan this time!"

"Even the titans are starting to avoid him! They only fight if they have the numbers advantage!"

Whispers filled the air as Vashno stepped into a tent, submitting their latest mission report.

The registrar smiled as Vashno’s team handed in another completed mission.

"You’ve truly lived up to Grain Leader Souta’s expectations," he said. "You’ve accomplished a lot this past week. I’m sure he’ll be pleased once he comes out of seclusion."

"Thanks," Vashno replied with a small smile.

The registrar glanced at the records and nodded. "I just updated the rankings. In the entire bound camp, you’re now the fifth highest warrior in the Fifth Shackle Realm based on merit points."

With the mission officially recorded, Vashno left the tent and headed back to his team’s quarters.

Inside the tent, Vashno, Eztein, and the rest of the team gathered, discussing their current situation in the camp.

"You’ve made it to fifth place in the Merit Rankings for the Fifth Shackle Realm. That’s a huge achievement," Eztein said, grinning. "Is this all thanks to the skills you picked up during your expedition?"

Vashno nodded. "Yeah, and I can still grow stronger. I think it’s time for me to advance to the Sixth Shackle Realm. My foundation is solid—I’m ready."

Eztein’s eyes widened. "Wait… does that mean that when that old man gets back, there’s a chance he’ll be stronger than me?!"

"Yeah," Vashno confirmed.

"Damn, I should’ve gone first!" Eztein gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Well, ranking among the Fourth Shackle Realm isn’t that bad," Vashno said.

"Not that bad?! No, it’s bad!" Eztein exclaimed, eyes widening.

The Bound Camp was massive, housing tens of thousands of warriors. Among them, only a select few stood at the top:

1 Ninth Shackle Realm warrior

4 Eighth Shackle Realm warriors

15 Seventh Shackle Realm warriors

These were the Hero-rank powerhouses of the camp.

Below them, the strongest warriors before reaching Hero-rank included:

100 Sixth Shackle Realm warriors

300 Fifth Shackle Realm warriors

1,000 Fourth Shackle Realm warriors

These were the SSS-rank warriors of the Bound Camp.

"And I’m ranked four hundred!" Eztein exclaimed, clearly frustrated.

"It’s fine. Your time will come," Vashno said, closing his eyes. "Besides, there’s something else… a technique implanted in our minds."

Eztein frowned. "A technique? Where did it come from?"

"The former clan leader of the Hono Clan, Erkigal, mentioned it," Vashno explained. "She said it’s a technique of the Five Master Clans."

Eztein’s eyebrows shot up. "What? How did we even acquire something like that?"

Vashno shook his head. "She doesn’t know either. She said that we were together when something happened, but even she can’t remember the details. Her best guess? Someone entrusted it to us—to continue the legacy of the Five Master Clans."

"Then how do I learn it?" Eztein asked.

"Go deep inside your mind," Vashno explained. "You’ll find something there, but you’ll have to force it open. The technique of the Five Master Clans is powerful—I’ve already incorporated some skills that fit my combat style."

"I see… So that old man has it too, right?"

"Yeah," Vashno confirmed, standing up. "I’m going to train for a while. Get some rest—we’ll take another mission tomorrow."

Vashno had made a name for himself. He was no longer just another warrior in the Bound Camp—he was proving he could stand alongside the strongest experts in the Holy Land, one of the most powerful forces in the world.

...

Ekatoe City.

The office of the city lord was quiet. Alice sat at her desk, her posture upright but relaxed, her eyes scanning the documents spread before her. Behind her, a large window framed the city skyline, the afternoon sun casting long, golden streaks across the room.

A soft knock at the door broke the silence.

"Lady Alice, Lady Amanda has returned," a voice called from outside.

Alice raised an eyebrow. "Send her in. I need her report."

Moments later, the door opened, and Amanda stepped inside.

Alice studied the red-haired woman before her. There was a noticeable shift in Amanda’s energy—it was far stronger than before.

"It seems this expedition was worthwhile," Alice remarked.

Amanda nodded. "Yes, I learned a lot." She then began to recount her experiences.

Unlike Vashno, Amanda had ventured to a place known as the Light of Darkness, located near the Fallen Angel Faction’s territory. Accompanying her was Princess Iris, and together, they faced countless life-and-death situations. The dangers of that place had nearly claimed their lives—not just once, but multiple times.

The dangers had far exceeded Amanda’s expectations—there were moments when she nearly gave up.

But in the end, it was all worth it. She had completed her mission, advanced to the Second Shackle Realm, and gained something invaluable.

She had acquired an artifact—the Dark Hourglass of Light. A dark-grade artifact, it possessed the ability to convert dark energy into light energy and vice versa. Beyond that, it had a powerful restraining effect on beings aligned with either darkness or light. Its final ability allowed it to create a field of darkness and light, accelerating the growth of light and dark elemental seeds.

However, it had a limitation—it could only be used for three hours, once per week.

"This...!" Alice’s eyes widened in surprise as she examined the black hourglass before her.

The artifact was incredibly valuable—especially for those with both dark and light affinity.

She glanced at Amanda, recalling the reason for her unique energy. Amanda had gained dual affinity after consuming a rare, legendary-grade fruit—the High Phaseless Fruit.

It was clear now that Souta had tailored each of their expeditions to match their abilities and fighting styles. No two paths were the same.

Alice exhaled softly, leaning back in her chair. "Ieshi..." she murmured.

"I’ll compile the techniques I learned and add them to our vault later. There are a lot of high-level skills in this," Amanda said.

One of the most significant techniques she had mastered was [Fiend God Immovable]—a powerful skill that allowed her to manipulate darkness and light to their fullest extent, reinforcing her body. At first glance, it seemed simple, but its true strength lay in its profound applications. And this was just one of the many techniques she had acquired during her expedition.

Alice took note of the skills that both Amanda and Vashno had gained. Their abilities were of exceptionally high caliber, comparable to the techniques Saya had once bestowed upon them. The only key difference was that Saya’s techniques, while formidable, were not always fully compatible with their individual fighting styles.

With more training options available, more members of Astros would be able to discover the techniques best suited for them.

With this in mind, Alice eagerly anticipated the time when everyone had completed their expeditions. By then, Astros would possess an even greater collection of high-level skills.

One such technique was the [Extreme Nightmare Art], a powerful skill for those gifted in dream power. Among Astros’ higher-ups, Franklin stood out as the most talented in this category—having already mastered the second stance, while others struggled to perfect even the first.

In short, the future of Astros was promising. Their forces would soon diversify, with specialists emerging in dream power, advanced body-strengthening techniques, and elemental mastery. The possibilities were limitless.

Moreover, the risk of skill leakage was minimal, as everyone who received these techniques carried a parasite within their body—a safeguard against betrayal. Of course, this wasn’t a foolproof method, as there were still some mysterious techniques that could bypass such measures.

"It’s been a while since Franklin left... He’ll probably return soon," Alice murmured.

After chatting with Amanda for a while, Alice dismissed her. Left alone in the office, she pondered the next best move for Astros.

Princess Iris...

She was growing closer to Amanda. If, at some point, she decided to betray them, it could pose a serious problem.

She should receive a parasite too.

Amanda didn’t return empty-handed—aside from the Dark Hourglass of Light, she had acquired several other artifacts. While the dark-grade artifact was the most valuable, she also brought back two red-grade artifacts and several of orange-grade and lower.

Her expedition had been undeniably successful.

Alice leaned back in her chair, deep in thought. "I should prepare myself to head to Athen’s Champion," she murmured.

It was time for her to step onto the battlefield and contribute to the war.

With that decision made, she left the office and headed to the training grounds, determined to sharpen her skills before departure.

As for Souta, she knew it would still be a while before he emerged from seclusion.