Morning came quietly to Goblin's Grove. The goblins resumed their daily routines—some tending to the fields, others training under the guidance of Godon and Minho. But the peace didn't last.
Draksra, the sharp-eyed, nimble goblin thief, came running from the northern edge. His breathing was heavy, his expression urgent.
"Something's wrong," he said quickly, pointing toward the northern perimeter. "Monster tracks… but all from the same direction. Like… they were sent."
Lee Jun narrowed his eyes. "Sent?"
Draksra nodded. "The trap we set last week is destroyed. But not randomly. It was dismantled—cleanly. Deliberately."
Lee Jun called for Moji, who now stood cloaked in runes, his glowing eyes flickering with energy. Since his evolution into a Runic Shaman, Moji seemed more in tune with the energy of the dungeon itself.
"I feel something," Moji murmured. "There's… a soul tremor in the north. It's dark. Full of hate."
Minho stepped closer, overhearing the conversation. "Could this be the monster that's been watching us?"
Jun nodded slowly. "Not just possible. Likely. I think we're being scouted."
A small strategy meeting was held. Lee Jun, Godon, Draksra, and Moji sat in a circle on the flat stone plaza. A few goblins stood behind them, quietly listening.
"We need to prepare our defenses," Jun said. "Reset the traps. Reinforce the barricades. And start training the new goblins in defensive formations."
Godon pounded his chest. "Leave it to me. I'll drill them in the basics within two days."
Moji added, "I can craft rune-based alarms. If anything enters certain zones, we'll know."
As night fell, the goblins got to work. The tension was there, but so was their determination. Torches lit the edge of the grove. The sounds of construction and drills echoed into the darkness.
But far in the distance—beyond the reach of the firelight—two red eyes glowed in the shadows. A dark figure stood unmoving, watching Goblin's Grove from the cover of the trees.
And behind it… two more emerged from the blackened brush, their bodies hidden by the veil of the night.
They waited. They observed. They planned.