Byung was done with Murkfang, but something told him he might have made a mistake.
Questions would surely arise. Still, it wasn't in his nature to let someone he could help suffer.
This wasn't something he would be able to live with.
Kindness, after all, was the one thing that didn't require anything in return.
Maybe this was why he was brought into this world—to give his knowledge to evolve this race as a whole.
"I can't believe I was reborn as a goblin… But maybe my purpose was to help redeem this race as their messiah?" Byung muttered to himself, showing signs of a savior complex.
"WHAT YOU DOING THERE!? BACK WORK!" A voice screamed at the top of their lungs, startling Byung.
Murkfang had left a couple of minutes ago, and Byung had already returned to the cave—even though he had been spaced out for a couple of seconds.
He was distracted, trapped in the same cave that seemed to have messed with his head. At the dead end, he found himself lost in thought.
He stared down that path, wondering if anything had been real to begin with.
What would happen if he decided to go back there? Would it open up and swallow him like it had before?
Byung couldn't tell anyone about it until he confirmed it was real, but all of this could wait. He knew he had to concentrate, as there were talks of a ceremony to be held that night.
This was for those who had been promoted, meaning he would be a participant. He wondered what they had in store for him, but it would also be the first time he would be allowed to leave the mines.
Byung couldn't help but feel excited; the thumping in his small body was proof of that.
Still, he couldn't let his guard down, not for a second, because he was aware there was so much he still didn't know.
Byung returned to work and noticed the other goblin he had gotten into a scuffle with, observing him closely, like he was some animal in a zoo.
It wasn't just Murkfang that caught on to his abnormal behaviour; others were slowly catching on as well.
There were three types of goblins in this world: the ones dominated by lust, the ones dominated by violence, and a rare abnormality that appeared only once every few hundred years—the one in control of both. But Byung was young.
Far too young to have this much control over these urges. If anything, it was harder for younger goblins to keep their desires in check.
They worked and worked until the sun set in the distance, which brought an end to their daily labour.
Byung, alongside three other goblins, was selected. Two of the three goblins had a similar build to his, unlike the third.
They also seemed acquainted with one another, conversing among themselves while Byung felt like the odd man out.
He was slowly realizing that work wasn't the only thing important here—socializing was just as crucial.
They were all seated in a carriage, with a horse used to transport them to an unknown location.
Byung was nervous because this was the first time he was leaving the mines to get a glimpse of the world that awaited them.
A goblin sat beside him, and the first thing Byung noticed was his smell. It wasn't as wretched as the others, showing that this one actually cared about his hygiene.
"I think we not meet," the goblin said, stretching forth his hand, showing he at least had some etiquette.
"Hello, I Byu-!" Byung stopped himself from completing the sentence, aware they had no names—not yet, at least.
"... 402. You?" Byung managed to save himself at the very last second.
"That was close, I nearly slipped up!" Byung thought to himself.
"402!? I 008," the goblin responded. There was an air of innocence around him, but the shock at finding out Byung's number didn't go unnoticed by Byung himself.
He had slender limbs, but there was a scar just below his right eye.
"008? You among the first! That awesome!" Byung was quick to praise him.
"It nothing," 008 downplayed it. He should have gotten a promotion much sooner, and compared to Byung's accomplishment, his performance paled in comparison.
It was rather strange for a number system to be in place, but Byung knew that this only meant they weren't worthy of names just yet. But how sad would it be to die without ever getting a name?
Byung couldn't imagine how meaningless such a life would be.It made him sad thinking about it—everyone deserved a name, an identity to let the world know they existed.
The goblin who had fought and collected money from him earlier noticed that they were getting along, but something told him to stay away from Byung.
They arrived at their destination as the carriage came to a halt. No one could contain their excitement, as this would be the first time they experienced whatever it was that lay beyond the door.
Byung could feel his heart pounding in anticipation as all they could hear were the harmonic sounds and the stomping of feet. This was music, and it was the first time they had ever heard it.
The door opened to welcome them into this new world. Byung was grateful to whatever god had brought him here, as it gave him a second chance to become something other than a cripple—and for the first time in his entire life, experience fun.