The afternoon sun cast a golden hue over Goblin's Grove, which was slowly recovering from the aftermath of the brutal war. The goblin farmers, though still grieving, had returned to their tools, replanting and reshaping the damaged land. Meanwhile, the fighters trained in rotating groups under the watchful eyes of Godon and Kang Minho.
But beyond the tranquil rhythm of rebuilding, something stirred deep within the forest.
Something… that was not a goblin.
Lee Jun sat beside the river, watching a few goblins fishing in the shallows. Wild rabbits hopped across the nearby bushes, and the scent of damp earth filled the air. For the first time in a long while, Jun felt like this place was starting to resemble home.
Suddenly, a rabbit paused at the edge of the river. Its ears twitched—alert. In the blink of an eye, it leapt… but it was too late. A blur of near-invisible motion lashed out, and the rabbit vanished, its blood staining the stones. No scream, no struggle—just a snap and silence.
The goblins kept fishing, unaware. But Jun had seen it.
A shadow that shouldn't be there.
"Godon," Jun called, his voice tense. "Get Kang Minho. Also, deploy scouts to the northern forest. Something's off."
Deeper in the woods, the creature crept through the underbrush. Its body was long, covered in chameleon-like dark scales that shimmered faintly as it blended into its surroundings. Agile limbs, low growls, and crimson, intelligent eyes marked it not as a beast—but as a hunter.
It watched Goblin's Grove from the treeline. Too many targets for now. Too much light.
It would wait. It always waited.
The next morning, two goblin guards posted at the western trail disappeared. No cries for help. No signs of a fight. Only bloodstains in the leaves and a broken claw embedded in the bark of a tree.
Jun, inspecting the damaged fields, was the first to notice.
"We're not dealing with a wild animal," he muttered. "This thing knows how to kill without being seen."
Kang Minho clenched his jaw. "That's not normal dungeon behavior. This thing… it's a predator, and it's watching us."
Jun nodded grimly. "If it's hunting us one by one… then we hunt it first."
End of Chapter 50
To be continued...