The faint chirping of birds echoed above the dense jungle.
Chirp... Chirp...
Insects buzzed intermittently from all directions, their droning filling the still air.
Hidden behind a thick tree trunk and tangled underbrush, Sakeer silently observed the small goblin tribe before him. His expression remained calm, but his mind raced.
The absence of elderly goblins was no surprise — that was typical for their kind.
Goblins were omnivores, and when food ran scarce, they wouldn't hesitate to use their injured, disabled, or elderly as backup rations.
But the lack of young goblins — that was unusual.
While Sakeer wasn't an expert on goblin biology, he knew enough about their habits. June and July marked their peak breeding season, a time when goblins swarmed in large numbers. During this period, they would not only prey on beasts and monsters within the forest but even raid nearby villages for food and resources.
For a goblin tribe to have no offspring during this season was... suspicious.
The goblins returned triumphantly, hauling five human corpses.
The moment they arrived, the remaining goblins who had stayed behind erupted in excited cheers — a guttural chorus of shrill cries.
Yet the goblins burdened with the bodies didn't immediately drop them. Instead, they trudged deeper into the clearing, their steps heavy and deliberate.
They carried the corpses straight to the thatched hut at the camp's center — the unusual structure Sakeer had noticed earlier.
One by one, they laid the bodies in front of the hut's entrance.
Then, as if scalded by fire, the goblins hastily retreated several steps, their expressions shifting to a strange mix of anticipation and fear.
Sakeer's brow furrowed.
What's going on...
Suddenly —
Growl!
A low, bestial growl rumbled from within the hut.
Thud... Thud...
The earth trembled faintly, as if something heavy was stirring inside.
And then...
A towering figure, over two meters tall, staggered out of the hut. Its body was massive and bloated, covered in dark yellow skin marred with patches of grime and filth.
An ogre.
Sakeer's eyes sharpened.
So that's what's going on...
This was no ordinary ogre — it was the same monster that had nearly wiped out the "Rock" adventurer team. Sakeer couldn't forget it.
"Huuungry... Huuungry..."
The ogre's low, guttural voice rumbled as it emerged. Its massive arms braced against the ground before it slowly rose to its feet.
Its bald head was riddled with grotesque lumps of flesh — swollen, deformed growths that made its already menacing face even more repulsive.
Then, as the ogre tilted its head back...
Sakeer's expression darkened.
Clamped between the ogre's jagged teeth dangled a dead goblin — limp and lifeless.
The poor creature's body swayed slightly, half-consumed.
Slurp...
The ogre's thick, grey tongue slithered out, curling the goblin deeper into its maw.
Crunch... Squish...
With a sickening crack, the ogre's teeth ground through bone and flesh alike. Pale green blood splattered from the corners of its mouth, trailing down its chin.
The surrounding goblins cowered in silence, trembling where they stood. Even their breathing seemed quieter, as though they feared drawing attention to themselves.
Sakeer's face tightened, a wave of revulsion twisting in his stomach.
Now he understood.
There were no young goblins in this tribe because... they had already been devoured.
This ogre was injured — badly.
Even from a distance, Sakeer could see the festering wound carved across the creature's chest. The gash was large enough to rival a basin, swarmed by buzzing flies and oozing infection.
No wonder the ogre's movements were sluggish.
For a creature like this, nothing mattered more than feeding — food was its best chance at recovery.
"Food...!"
The ogre's bloodshot eyes locked onto the five corpses before it. With a twisted grin, it lunged forward, seizing one of the bodies.
CRUNCH!
The sound of bones shattering echoed through the clearing as the ogre greedily devoured its meal.
Sakeer turned away from the scene, exhaling slowly to suppress his nausea.
"This world sure knows how to leave an impression..." he muttered dryly.
His gaze hardened. When his eyes opened again, they glinted with cold determination.
This monster... would not live to see another day.
In his previous life, humanity had been the undisputed master of nature, with all other creatures categorized as either prey or protected.
But in this new world...
Humans seemed to have fallen back into the food chain — no longer predators, but prey. The sight before Sakeer struck him with an inexplicable sense of spiritual dissonance.
Now...
Alongside the nausea churning in his stomach, an intense anger stirred within him — a primal fury born not merely from witnessing the ogre devouring human corpses, but from something deeper.
It was the wild instinct embedded in the very core of humanity — the same drive that had once pushed mankind from primitive hunters to rulers of the food chain.
Swish!
Sakeer raised his iron sword, holding it firmly across his chest. His eyes narrowed, fixating coldly on the ogre in the distance. This one was even larger than the creature that had attacked the Rock team.
The goblins themselves weren't a concern — it was the ogre that posed a real threat. But with its injuries and gluttonous state, this was undeniably the best moment to strike.
Even so...
Sakeer didn't rush in. He waited.
A well-fed creature was slower, less coordinated — its reactions dulled. Sakeer knew this wasn't over cautiousness; it was necessary. Without any detection abilities to gauge the ogre's strength directly, he had to rely on observation and what little knowledge he'd gleaned about these monsters.
In this world, an ogre's strength typically exceeds that of a human by two or three levels. Underestimating one could be fatal.
Sakeer's mind drifted to what he'd read about ogres — their unique role within the subhuman hierarchy. Ogres often aligned themselves with goblins, forming a twisted symbiosis. The ogre provided protection and brute strength, while the goblins scavenged and gathered food in return.
If there was one ogre here... there were likely more among other goblin tribes scattered throughout the forest.
Suddenly, Sakeer's eyes sharpened.
The ogre had just finished devouring three more corpses before finally stopping. Its stomach bulged, and its expression had shifted from vicious hunger to sluggish contentment.
Now was the moment!
Expressionless, Sakeer lifted his iron sword and advanced.
The goblins, no longer on high alert, had begun to celebrate — feasting on whatever they could scavenge. Some gnawed on rotten animal carcasses, others nibbled on tree fruits or even leaves.
They never noticed the shadow drawing closer.