A new dawn settled over Goblin's Grove. Dew clung gently to leaves, and the once-thick fog along the outer edge of the territory now looked… different. Thinner. Brighter.
Lee Jun stood silently near the small wooden hut, his eyes fixed on the two captured goblins tied up with vines. The wild creatures were trembling, heads bowed in defeat from the battle the night before.
On the other side, Kang Minho tended to Godon and the two surviving guard goblins, carefully applying herbal paste over their shallow wounds.
"I still can't believe it, Jun…" Minho muttered while tying a bandage. "They nearly breached the hut if we hadn't stayed up all night."
Jun nodded, his expression still tense—not just from the goblin attack, but from something else… a lingering unease in the air. As if this was just the beginning.
And then, it happened.
A cold mechanical voice echoed inside his mind.
[SYSTEM: Threat repelled successfully.][Congratulations, Hunter Lee Jun.]– Maximum number of tamed Goblins increased to: 25– Maximum number of summonable Goblins increased to: 5– Personal Dungeon Territory has expanded by 2x– Fog has begun to thin…
Jun's eyes widened. "What… is this?"
He instinctively opened his system interface. Previously, Goblin's Grove had only spanned about 500 square meters. But now… the border had been pushed back—farther than ever before. A small forest beyond the fog now shimmered faintly into view, as if the world itself had allowed access.
Minho stood beside him. "What's wrong?"
Jun showed him the translucent interface. "I got a system reward. The fog—it's clearing up."
Minho raised an eyebrow. "You fight off four wild goblins and get a massive bonus like this? Your dungeon is something else."
Jun didn't answer right away. He slowly stepped toward the former edge of the mist. Where it once stood like a wall, sunlight now trickled in between thinning strands of fog.
Step by step… the world was opening.
He gripped his wooden spear tighter. "If this is the reward for protecting the land… then I know one thing."
"What's that?" Minho asked.
Jun gave a faint smile. "I need to build defenses. And train stronger goblins. This isn't over."
Minho nodded. "Count me in. But we also need to figure out where those wild goblins came from."
The two looked toward the still-bound goblins. They weren't just prisoners—they were the first clue. The beginning of a deeper conflict waiting beyond the mist.