A week passed after the caravan's visit.
The goblin village had transformed again.
Stronger walls.
Better homes.
Trained warriors.
Atria's companion wolf, Silva, had doubled in size and speed.
Everything was moving forward smoothly…
But far from the forest, in a massive white-stone city, someone else had begun to take interest.
High Above The Holy Empire
The Holy Empire of Seraphiel, the strongest human nation, ruled over half the continent.
Its towering castle was filled with priests, knights, and scholars all sworn to destroy monsters.
Normally, they didn't bother with weak forests.
But today, a messenger arrived with trembling hands.
"R Report from the Frontier Scouts… your holiness… an intelligent slime has formed a village with evolving goblins."
The grand cathedral fell silent.
The High Priest, wrapped in gold and white robes, slowly turned.
"A slime? Taking command of monsters?"
The messenger nodded.
"And… it defeated a Forest Ogre alone."
Whispers spread like wildfire.
"That's impossible.
"No slime evolves like that.
"A monster controlling a tribe?"
The High Priest raised a hand.
"Bring me the scout who witnessed it."
Aria the silver-haired captain who met Atria was led in.
She knelt respectfully.
"High Priest, I bring no lies. The slime called Atria is intelligent, peaceful, and capable of naming monsters. The goblins there are disciplined and non-hostile."
The High Priest's expression darkened.
"Peaceful or not, a monster gaining leadership… is the first step toward a Demon Lord."
Aria clenched her jaw.
"With respect, sir he is nothing like that. He seeks cooperation, not destruction."
But the Holy Empire was a nation built on fear of monsters.
And fear leads to obsession.
"Prepare surveillance," the High Priest commanded.
"We will observe this slime. If it grows too powerful… we act."
Aria's fists clenched.
She had a bad feeling about this.
Back in the Village Training for the Future
Atria knew nothing of the Holy Empire watching him.
He focused only on growth.
Rugo trained new goblin warriors.
Lena healed young goblins learning magic.
Baru forged new tools and weapons.
Silva sprinted around the village, now fast enough to blur through the trees.
Atria practiced his own skills:
Predator Core
Adaptive Counter
Physical Attack Nullification
And today, something new awakened.
While helping the goblins build a storage hut, Atria's body glowed faintly.
〈Skill Evolved: Material Reshape Material Sculpting
You can now reshape absorbed materials into precise tools or structures.
Atria demonstrated by absorbing raw wood and forming it into perfectly cut planks.
The goblins gasped.
"T That's incredible!"
"Atria-sama can build anything!"
"He's better than ten craftsmen!"
The village construction speed doubled instantly.
Atria stretched with satisfaction.
This life building, protecting, growing it felt right.
But danger was already approaching.
The Empire's Shadow Arrives
At night, while the goblins slept, Silva suddenly stood up, ears twitching.
"Aroo…"
Atria pulsed in warning.
Something was near.
Not a monster.
Not a beast.
A man.
A priest in white armor stood on a nearby hill, holding a glowing crystal.
He was alone, sighing as he looked down at the peaceful goblin village.
"Intelligent monsters… working together. Strange. Almost admirable."
He pressed the crystal.
Observation Complete. Report Sent to Empire.
Atria narrowed his eyes.
He didn't know who this man was…
but he knew this:
that crystal was trouble.
The priest spotted Silva's glowing eyes and calmly stepped back.
"No hostility yet. Good. But if your power grows too much…" he murmured, "the Empire will not look away."
He vanished into the trees.
Atria stayed awake until dawn, thinking deeply.
Someone was watching them.
Someone strong.
Not an enemy yet…
but not a friend.
For the first time, the village's safety felt fragile.
Atria's Resolve
As the sun rose, Atria gathered the goblins.
Rugo asked, "Atria-sama? Something wrong?"
Atria wrote in the dirt:
"We must become stronger."
The goblins nodded seriously.
Lena spoke softly, "Did something… find us?"
Atria didn't answer.
But inside his core, a quiet determination grew:
He would not let anyone take this village.
He would not let anyone harm his people.
No empire, no priest, no monster.
The Holy Empire had noticed him.
And Atria would be ready when they came.