The goblins jeered as Kaito passed, their voices bouncing off the stone walls like knives on bone.
They didn't know the truth.Didn't know he'd already gutted goblins just like them—sneering, swaggering, now silent underground.
All they knew were whispers.That he'd killed some cubs. That he was a fluke.
"One rogue in the nest?" one scoffed. "He won't last a day outside."
Another drifted into his reach, grinning wide. His breath stank of blood and fungus.
Come closer, Kaito thought. His fingers twitched near the dagger at his hip.
Before anything snapped, a sharp voice cut through the air.
"Enough!"
An older goblin stepped forward, scarred and worn. His voice echoed with authority.
"Have you all forgotten the General's orders? No infighting in the nest."
The bold one clicked his tongue but backed off. "You're lucky," he muttered, eyes lingering on Kaito. "Outside, you're dead."
The elder turned to Kaito, voice low. "Watch your back. Idiots like him don't die easy."
Kaito said nothing. But his eyes, cold and unreadable, said plenty.
At the Edge of Shadewood Forest
"Why are we even playing nursemaid again?" Fiona muttered, shifting her grip on the staff slung across her shoulder.
"They're new," Amy said with a quiet smile. "We were too, once."
"Yeah, but we weren't this stupid. Morris coddles them. They think goblins are just walking coin purses."
"That's how they end up dead," Amy said, her voice suddenly flat.
A shout broke the lull.
"Here they come!" Amy waved. "Ali! Over here!"
Her younger brother jogged over, smirking—but the tightness in his jaw said he wasn't thrilled to be here.
"Sis, really? Still wasting time chasing goblins?"
Amy's smile didn't falter. "Small doesn't mean harmless. They're smarter than they look."
Ali snorted. "Everyone knows goblins are trash mobs."
Guido, the hulking swordsman, laughed as he stepped up beside them. He let his greatsword rest on one shoulder and eyed Morris with disdain.
"Silver-ranked and still on goblin duty? Sad."
Morris didn't reply. He just turned and walked, quiet as ever. Amy and Fiona followed without a word.
"Be careful, brother!" Amy called back.
"Yeah, yeah." Ali waved her off, still grinning. "I'll be fine."
Deeper in the Forest
Twigs snapped. Moonlight shimmered through the canopy like pale fire.
"Run, you little freaks!" Guido roared, boots thudding hard against the forest floor as the adventurers gave chase.
The goblins scattered—fast, green-skinned blurs with twitching ears and cruel little eyes.
"Annoying vermin!" Guido snarled, swinging his sword at one trailing goblin.
It ducked and rolled, vanishing into the underbrush.
"Damn it!" He clenched his grip tighter. "I'm gonna wipe out your whole stinking kind!"
He raised the blade again. "We chase. Leave none alive!"
The others followed, blades gleaming, breath ragged with bloodlust.
Not all of them were so eager.
"Captain," Ali said, falling in beside him. "We shouldn't rush. Goblins may look weak, but they're clever. They trap."
Guido shot him a glare like fire. "Coward."
"I'm just saying—"
"They're goblins," Guido snapped. "They're nothing."
Behind them, the priest adjusted her grip on her staff. Her lips pressed into a thin line.
"What are we hesitating for?" she muttered. "It's just goblins."
Lido, the mage, laughed lazily. "Silver-ranked like us? This is child's play."
And they believed it.
Everyone did.
Goblins were pests. Roaches. Fodder for fresh adventurers.
n the wild, it is basically impossible not to encounter them.
Furthermore, they have rarely heard of a team that was attacked by goblins and lost!