The sound of growling stomachs echoed through the forest.
I sat with my back against the thick trunk of a tree at the center of Goblin's Grove. The ten newly-tamed goblins huddled not far from me, sitting in a circle like hungry children. Some chewed on sticks, others scratched at the dirt, and one had resorted to gnawing on his own belt.
Godon, the only goblin who had been with me long enough to understand things better, stood among them. He was trying his best to calm the group—even though his own stomach had been rumbling all day.
"This... is bad," I muttered.
"Just realizing that now?" Kang Minho stepped out from behind a bush, casually munching on an apple. "You brought ten mouths into your private dungeon and didn't think they'd need food?"
I didn't answer. I just held up the last of the supplies I had—some low-grade monster meat that tasted like burnt rubber. And even that wasn't nearly enough.
Minho sighed and plopped down beside me.
"I told you from the start, Jinwoo. Goblins may be weak, but they're living creatures. They eat a lot because their bodies regenerate fast. Did you think you could just collect them like trading cards?"
I lowered my gaze. He was right.
I was just an F-rank Hunter, scraping by as a porter. And now I had ten hungry creatures depending on me, who would die if I failed to provide.
Godon approached, head slightly bowed. In his hand was a dark red fruit—the only edible thing they'd managed to find in this small forest.
He held it out to me.
I stared at him, then down at the fruit.
"For me?"
Godon nodded and gave a gentle, warm smile.
That smile hit me like a punch to the chest.
Even when he was starving, he still thought of me first.
I stood up and scanned the forest around me—this strange, mist-covered world I now called Goblin's Grove.
The soil felt damp and rich beneath my boots. In the distance, there were clearings without rocks or roots. Trees grew tall but didn't block out all the sunlight.
I crouched, running my fingers through the earth.
"Could this place... grow crops?" I murmured.
Minho looked over. "You serious? Farming?"
"I don't have a choice," I said softly. "I can't keep scavenging from regular dungeons. It's too dangerous, too expensive... too unpredictable."
I glanced at Godon and the others, some already dozing off, tired and hungry.
"They trust me with their lives. If I can't even feed them... then what's the point?"
Minho stared at me for a long moment, then stood up and stretched.
"If you're really gonna start farming, you better teach them how to use a hoe instead of a dagger," he said with a small laugh.
I chuckled. "One step at a time. Tomorrow... we dig."
That night, for the first time, I felt like more than just an F-rank hunter.
I felt like a leader. A village chief.
Or maybe… just a beginner goblin farmer.