The morning felt colder than usual. The fog hanging over the northern edge of the dungeon was thicker than ever, like it was hiding something just out of sight. Jun stood near the farm fence with a serious expression, his eyes locked on the expanding mist that had been spreading for the past two days.
Godon stood beside him, holding a wooden spear reinforced with a metal dagger tied to the tip. He said nothing, but his eyes mirrored Jun's—alert and tense.
"Godon," Jun said quietly, "you feel it too, don't you?"
Godon gave a firm nod. He pointed to the ground near the fence, where faint tracks were pressed into the soil—larger than those of an ordinary goblin.
Jun crouched to examine them. The earth was slightly sunken, with deep claw-like indentations. There weren't just one or two footprints. There were several... all leading from the fog's edge.
A Warning from the Guards
One of the goblin sentries came running from the eastern side of the fog, holding something in his hand.
"Graakk!" the goblin grunted as he handed Jun a small chunk of wood—with a broken arrowhead lodged into it. The tip was dark green.
Jun took it and sniffed the edge carefully.
"...Poison?" he muttered. "This isn't ours."
Minho, just waking up and still yawning, approached with a metal mug of hot water in hand.
"Something wrong?" he asked.
Jun handed him the broken arrowhead. Minho frowned. "Wild goblins... This one's evolved. They're not just throwing stones anymore. This is either a goblin thief... or a raider."
Jun nodded. "And they're getting closer. This isn't just scouting. They're testing us."
Preparing for Defense
That night, Jun gathered his elite goblins—ten in total, including Godon.
He drew a crude map on the ground with lines representing the outer fence and marked several strategic points.
"We don't know how many are out there," Jun began, "but from the way they move, they're not just acting on instinct. Someone's leading them."
Godon pointed toward the mist and growled lowly. He didn't like waiting.
"I know," Jun replied, "but charging in blind would be suicide."
Minho added, "I'll set up some basic traps tomorrow. If they come for us, we'll make sure they lose a few before reaching the fence."
End of Chapter
Before bed, Jun stood alone at the fence's edge, staring into the fog swaying gently in the night breeze.
He clenched his fist.
"I won't let you take what we've built here."
From deep within the fog, a low growl echoed—followed by faint footsteps... then silence.