Emily had entered this dungeon instance twice before.
In one of those runs, the leader of her group had used his long‑range ability to bombard the goblin settlement from far away.
That made the clear easy for her and the other hunters.
Back then, she had felt envious of the leader's skill and also relieved that she did not have to work hard.
Now, that memory felt heavy in her chest.
She could harden her heart against killing goblin armies. Killing something labeled as a monster was one thing.
But killing someone who seemed innocent was different.
They kept walking through the settlement.
On her earlier clears, Emily had only watched the ogres and thought about the danger.
This time, her attention shifted to how the goblins actually lived.
She saw thin faces watching them from doorways. Some of the goblins peeking out had sunken cheeks.
"How long have all of you been here?" she asked.
