The goblin village had sunk into silence, disturbed only by the distant shouts of training.
Rion rose to his feet.
Noa's voice still echoed in his head — raw, trembling, unforgettable.
"You had a family. You were talented. You could never understand me."
His fists clenched until his knuckles turned white.
"I don't understand…?" he thought. "In truth, I was once just like you."
He stepped onto the training ground.
The goblins stood in formation, but their movements were sluggish, their eyes filled only with fear and obedience.
Rion's jaw tightened.
None of them have fire in their hearts. They're all just beasts.
If they remain this weak, how will they ever protect Noa?
He cracked like a whip:
"From this day forward, there are no ordinary 'warriors' here!
You will protect this village — your home! This is your honor!"
No one moved.
Rion's voice dropped, colder than the morning frost.
"Training will continue until sunset.
If the enemy came right now — could you protect what is yours?"
One goblin stepped forward, trembling.
"M-Master… we are giving our all."
Rion looked at him with a flicker of interest.
This one is different. Smarter than the rest.
"All your strength?" Rion whispered.
"If that were truly the case, you would already be at the fourth level of the beginner rank."
He raised his voice, thundering:
"Listen well! This place is your home!
No one will ever look down on us again!
No one will steal our lives again!
They will learn to fear us!
More prey! Wider lands! Better food — better women!
Everything depends on your strength!"
The goblins roared:
"Women! Food! We will fight!"
"Our chief is the strongest!"
Their cries grew louder, and for the first time, Rion saw something new in them — hunger.
Noa… until you return, I will make this village unbreakable.
Inside the hut, Noa lay staring at the ceiling.
Rion's distant voice drifted in like smoke.
"All of this… why?"
His heart felt raw, his thoughts empty.
"I let them bind my hands again… Have I still not surrendered…?"
The door creaked.
A young goblin entered carrying a steaming bowl.
Noa's vacant gaze turned ice-cold.
"Who are you?"
"G-Gobuta," the goblin mumbled. "The chief… sent you food."
Noa laughed bitterly.
"Rion, huh?"
Gobuta bowed, placed the bowl on the floor, and quietly left.
Noa stared at the bowl for a long time.
"He still trusts me…"
For a brief moment, the pain in his chest eased slightly.
"Maybe… I'm not finished yet."
Then the emptiness returned, heavier than before.
"But still… everything feels meaningless."
The sun climbed high.
Rion stood atop a rock, watching the goblins train.
Sunlight flashed in his eyes; a faint smile touched his lips.
"Come back, Noa…" he whispered.
"I'll wait."
The next morning
Dawn had not yet fully broken.
Soft colors spread behind the mountains; dew glistened on the grass, and a cold wind blew.
The air was filled with the scent of fresh earth.
Rion opened his eyes.
The goblins were still curled up in their huts, shivering in sleep.
Beyond the village, mist floated among the stones.
He stood, hands clasped behind his back, and gazed at the horizon.
"Today is a hunting day…"
He had not slept. Noa's face haunted him — the line between loss and salvation had never felt so thin.
"Not now," he growled. "Today I am the hunter Rion. Nothing else."
Behind him, ten goblins waited — mostly young and unbloodied.
He turned.
"Move silently," he ordered. "We hunt at the foot of the mountain. No mistakes."
They nodded and followed him into the mist.
At the foot of the mountain
Rion knelt and pressed his fingers into the damp soil.
Fresh tracks — still wet.
"This way," he whispered. "Passed recently."
The forest awakened: birds sang, sunlight flickered through the leaves.
Rion sensed the silence that precedes danger.
They found it — a young deer drinking by the stream.
One goblin — Garu — drew his bow, trembling with excitement.
He released the arrow.
The shot grazed the deer's leg. The animal fled into the trees.
"Idiot! I said stay quiet!" Rion hissed.
A deep, guttural growl echoed through the forest.
Rion froze.
"No… that wasn't the deer."
From the shadows emerged a massive bear, blood dripping from its jaws.
It had let the deer escape.
Now it had found new prey.
Rion raised his hand, demanding absolute silence, but one goblin stepped back and snapped a branch.
The crack rang out like thunder.
The bear roared and charged toward them.
Arrows flew, but they could not pierce its thick fur.
Rion stood motionless, watching, waiting.
This was their test.
But he was ready.
The bear seized one goblin and crushed him mid-scream.
The forest fell into deathly silence.
Rion closed his eyes.
"Enough."
He raised his hand.
A wave burst outward — wind and golden mana collided, hurling the bear back.
Rion's body trembled. Crimson scales rippled across his skin.
A crimson tail unfurled. Steam rose from his body.
Half-transformation.
He slammed the ground. The earth shook.
The bear staggered. It took one step back.
In the next instant, Rion was upon it — one strike, and its neck snapped.
Blood soaked the soil.
He knelt beside the fallen predator.
"You too fought to live…"
He gently closed its eyes.
"But you were weak."
The surviving goblins gathered, standing in silent respect.
One of their own lay dead.
In a low, firm voice, Rion said:
"Let this forest remind you — strength itself is not the hunt.
Strength is the responsibility that comes with it."
On the way back, they hunted two boars and a handful of rabbits.
As the sun set, they carried the dead goblin back to the village.
Rion walked at the front, the weight of death heavy on his shoulders.
"I chose this path… Every death rests on me."
Night fell.
The stars glittered coldly.
Rion laid the body on the ground and whispered:
"Every star… is so beautiful.
But this path… will never be bright."
The wind rustled the leaves — as if the forest itself were listening.
That same night
Rion returned to Noa's hut.
Noa still lay pale, silent, and lost.
After handing the body over to the tribe, Rion only said:
"Let his strength live on through you."
The goblins began to consume the dead with respect.
A new whisper spread among them:
"Rion himself brought the body and ordered us to eat it, so his strength would remain with us.
Our chief does not wish us harm."
Rion stood apart, staring into the dark trees.
"That bear, two boars, a few rabbits… only the beginning.
Tomorrow we hunt again.
Today we returned home — but tomorrow… we may not."
Inside the hut, Noa stirred restlessly in his sleep, fleeing voices that weren't there.
—How long will you remain dependent on others? How long will you allow others to make decisions for you?