Yuan had everything a man could ever dream of in the modern world, and he threw it all away for a moment of fleeting thrill.
In his past life on Earth, Yuan had been the chosen host of the [Tycoon System] With the system's guidance, he went from a struggling college student to a billionaire entrepreneur in less than five years.
He had money, fame, and a beautiful, loyal wife named Clara who had been with him since his poorest days.
But power and wealth had poisoned his mind. He grew arrogant. He started taking Clara for granted. Eventually, he made the ultimate mistake... he cheated on her.
When Clara found out, the ensuing argument on the balcony of their penthouse had been chaotic and heartbreaking. Yuan hadn't meant to slip on the floor. He hadn't meant to fall thirty stories to his death. But as the wind rushed past his ears during that fatal plunge, his only thought was a crushing wave of regret.
He realized, far too late, that all the system-given wealth in the world meant nothing without the people who truly loved you. He had promised himself in those final seconds that if he ever got another chance, he would be a better man. He would build something that actually mattered, and he would protect it with his life.
Yuan opened his eyes.
Instead of the cold pavement he expected, his vision was filled with the rocky, uneven ceiling of a dimly lit cave.
He tried to sit up, but his body felt incredibly weak and strangely proportioned. Lifting his hands to his face, Yuan froze.
He touched his face, feeling a long, pointy nose and large, bat-like ears drooping past his shoulders.
He was a goblin. And not even a strong one. Judging by his pathetic, bony limbs, he was a runt... the absolute bottom of the barrel.
Through the hazy memories slowly merging with his own, Yuan learned the harsh truth of his new reality.
He had reincarnated into Aethelgard, a sprawling magical world of swords and sorcery. But this was no fairy tale. Aethelgard was a brutal place. The human empires of the East controlled the vast, fertile plains, constantly expanding their borders.
The elegant elves ruled the ancient, mystical forests of the North. In the West, the fierce orcs and beastmen dominated the harsh deserts and mountains.
And the goblins? They were nothing but pests. In this world, goblins were the weakest monsters in existence.
They lived in squalid caves, survived on garbage and scraps, and were hunted by novice human adventurers simply to collect cheap copper coins. They had no culture, no real language, and absolutely no future.
A goblin's life was short, violent, and completely meaningless.
But Yuan's despair was cut short by a familiar chime in his mind. It was a sound he hadn't heard since his days on Earth.
[Ding!]
[Host Soul matches required parameters. Rebooting core functions...]
Yuan's large green eyes widened. The system! It had followed his soul across the universe!
[Previous System 'Tycoon' has been uninstalled due to Host's death. Compensating Host with a class-appropriate upgrade...]
[Ding! The Goblin Kingdom Building System has been successfully bound to Host: Yuan.]
A translucent blue screen, invisible to anyone but him, floated in the damp air of the cave. Yuan felt a rush of adrenaline.
He quickly mentally commanded the system to open his status panel.
Status Panel
Host: Yuan
Race: Basic Goblin (Runt)
Level: 1 (0/100 EXP)
Health: 10/10
Strength: 2 (Average human is 10)
Agility: 4
Intelligence: 15
Kingdom Name: None
Population: 0
Territory: None
Looking at his pathetic strength stat, Yuan couldn't help but laugh internally.
The system's mechanical voice continued its explanation directly into his mind.
[Welcome, Host. In this savage world, the weak are prey, and the strong make the rules. The Goblin Kingdom Building System is designed to help you evolve from a lowly runt into the supreme ruler of Aethelgard. You can gain Experience Points (EXP) by killing enemies, which will allow you to level up and evolve your bloodline. Furthermore, as you gather resources and expand your territory, you can construct magical buildings, research new technologies, and summon loyal subjects to fight for you.]
[Ding! As a newly bound Host, you have received one (1) Novice Starter Pack.]
[Would you like to open it?]
"Open it immediately!" Yuan commanded, his tiny green heart beating fast.
[Opening Novice Starter Pack...]
[Congratulations! You have obtained: 1,000 System Gold Coins.]
[Congratulations! You have obtained: 1x Blueprint (Basic Goblin Spawning Pool).]
[Congratulations! You have obtained: 10x Elite Hobgoblin Royal Guards (Summoning Cards).]
Yuan gasped. Even with his limited knowledge of Aethelgard, he knew what a Hobgoblin was.
They were the evolved, terrifying cousins of regular goblins. While a normal goblin was the size of a human child, a Hobgoblin stood over six feet tall, packed with dense muscle, and possessed actual martial intelligence.
A single Hobgoblin could easily slaughter a dozen regular goblins without breaking a sweat. And he just got ten of them. Elite ones!
"System, use the summoning cards right now!" Yuan ordered.
The cave he was in belonged to the 'Broken Tooth' tribe, a pathetic group of about fifty starving goblins.
If the stronger goblins decided they were hungry, a runt like him would be their first snack.
[Activating Summoning Cards. Please stand back.]
A bright, magical array glowing with deep crimson light appeared on the dirt floor right in front of Yuan.
The ambient mana in the air swirled violently, kicking up dust and small pebbles.
Slowly, towering figures began to rise from the crimson light.
Yuan watched in awe as the light faded, revealing ten massive, imposing figures. They were at least six and a half feet tall, with dark, olive-green skin that stretched tight over bulging, rippling muscles.
Unlike the feral, naked goblins of the Broken Tooth tribe, these Hobgoblins were fully equipped. They wore heavy iron chest plates, leather boots, and thick gauntlets. In their hands, they held wicked-looking steel greatswords that gleamed dangerously in the dim light.
Their eyes were a glowing yellow. As soon as they fully materialized, all ten of the giant warriors turned their gaze toward the tiny, sickly green runt sitting on the floor.
For a split second, Yuan was terrified. What if they didn't listen to him? What if they saw how weak he was and just squashed him?
Instead, the ten heavily armored giants dropped to one knee. They bowed their heads deeply, resting the tips of their massive swords on the ground in a display of absolute submission.
"We greet the King!" their deep voices echoed together.
Yuan swallowed hard. His tiny heart swelled with sheer excitement.
Just as Yuan opened his mouth to give his very first command as the Goblin King, he heard the shuffling of feet at the entrance of his small cave alcove.
It was Grak. Grak was the old, wrinkled, half-blind caretaker goblin of the Broken Tooth tribe.
His job was to bring the daily ration of spoiled meat and dirty water to the runts who were too weak to hunt.
Grak grumbled and muttered in the crude goblin language as he hobbled into the alcove, carrying a wooden bucket filled with disgusting gray slop.
"Eat, you useless runts!" Grak started to bark, but the words died in his throat.
Grak's one good eye widened until it looked like it was going to pop out of his skull. He stared at the ten hulking, heavily armored Hobgoblin elites kneeling reverently before the weakest runt in the entire tribe.
The murderous aura radiating from the royal guards was so thick it made it hard for the old goblin to breathe.
One of the Hobgoblins slowly turned its head, its glowing yellow eyes locking onto the old caretaker. The giant warrior let out a low, menacing growl at the intrusion.
Yuan simply smiled a toothy, green grin and gave a casual little wave with his stubby claws.
"Morning, Grak."
The wooden bucket slipped from Grak's trembling hands, hitting the floor and splashing gray slop everywhere.
The old goblin spun on his heels, kicking up dirt as he scrambled toward the exit.
"Chief! Chief! The runt has demons! Help! Help!" Grak screamed into the distance.
Yuan chuckled, patting the knee of the giant Hobgoblin closest to him.
"Well," he said softly. "Looks like it's time to take over the tribe."