🌫️ A Night That Felt Different
The mist that cloaked Goblin's Grove was usually just… quiet. But tonight, Lee Jun could feel something else—something heavier in the air. A pressure. A presence.
He sat on the small wooden fence in front of the cottage, his wooden spear resting against his shoulder. Beside him, Kang Minho—his childhood friend and now a Rank-D Hunter—sipped hot tea from a metal cup they had brought from the outside world.
"So, you're sure something's out there in the mist?"Minho broke the silence.
Jun nodded slowly. "It's not just the sound. It feels like... something is watching us."
"You've gotten serious, huh," Minho chuckled. "Well, alright then. If you're staying up tonight, I'll keep you company. I'm curious too."
The night crept forward. The goblin farmers were fast asleep inside the small cottage after a full day of hard work in the field. Only Godon, the strongest goblin under Jun's command, stayed outside with them—sitting cross-legged, his sharp eyes fixed on the fog.
⚠️ An Attack from the Fog
At midnight, the atmosphere shifted.
A snap. A crunch of dry leaves. Light, hurried footsteps echoed from the northern end of the Grove—just beyond the thick mist no eye could pierce.
"It's happening," Jun murmured as he stood up quickly.
Four goblins emerged from the fog. Wild ones. Their bodies were skinny, their eyes glowing red with malice, and they wielded crude weapons—sticks and sharpened bones.
"Do we attack?" Minho asked, already gripping his spear tightly.
Jun nodded. "Protect the field. Don't let them go any farther!"
He immediately summoned Godon and two more trained goblins from his summon list. With a faint pulse of light, the goblins appeared and took formation around him.
🗡️ A Short but Fierce Battle
Two wild goblins charged toward the cottage from the left.
The other two tried to sneak into the northern field.
Jun and Minho intercepted the ones near the cottage. Godon and his squad dashed forward to block the invaders in the field.
The fight was brutal but swift. The wild goblins were aggressive, but Jun's goblins had been trained—at least enough to fight together.
One of Jun's goblins got a slash across the arm but fought through it.
Godon landed a heavy blow to a wild goblin's stomach, sending it crashing to the ground, lifeless.
Minho, moving like a true hunter, flanked and stabbed another from behind.
The two remaining goblins tried to flee, but the defenders had already encircled them. At Jun's command, the team moved to capture them alive.
Godon tackled one to the ground. Minho swiftly tied up the last one with ropes they usually used for harvesting radishes.
🤐 After the Skirmish
Silence returned.
Two wild goblins lay dead, their green blood soaking into the damp soil. The other two, now tied tightly, were propped up against the wooden storage shed.
Their eyes were filled with hatred… and fear.
"We'll interrogate them tomorrow," Jun said, his gaze fixed toward the mist that still danced at the Grove's edge.
"And we need to start building real defenses," Minho added, brushing dirt from his pants.
Godon looked at his master, his expression unreadable. Deep inside, he already understood… this was only the beginning.
🧱 Closing
As dawn approached, the goblin farmers began to stir, blissfully unaware of how close death had come during the night.
Lee Jun stood at the edge of the field they had fought to protect. He stared into the mist that still cloaked the border of his world.
And he whispered to himself:
"That mist hides something…And I won't let Goblin's Grove fall—not before I uncover what lies beyond it."