Rion looked at the goblins and thought to himself.
Their eyes, their gazes, no longer held that foolish sparkle they once had. "Why do they feel stronger now?" he muttered.
The goblins stood up, one after the other, and looked towards Rion. Anxiety was etched on their faces.
"Why did you punish us, Master?" they asked, looking at each other.
Rion approached them and spoke with pride: "I did not punish you. On the contrary, I rewarded you."
The goblins exchanged confused glances. "Reward? This was a reward?"
Rion stared at them intently and said: "You progressed from Beginner Third Grade to Fourth Grade. You became stronger. That is my reward."
"And the second reward for you is... food! Today we celebrate your promotion to Fourth Grade."
He looked toward the huts behind him: "A few days ago, this village only had one Fourth Grade goblin. He was the chieftain. But now, this village has thirty. This signifies my success as your leader and the growth of the village."
"Now, take your places, scout the village, and check for any danger. Then we shall eat."
The goblins looked at one another.
"Yes, Master!"
"Our Master is the best!"
"Hahahaha, he is the best chieftain!"
Their excited shouting filled the hut. Rion watched them silently, but with inner pride. The goblins ran out, yelling and shouting. Gobuto, however, remained by Rion's side.
Rion looked at him and instructed: "Go, check on the young goblins and prepare for the feast."
Gobuto smiled proudly at Rion's gaze: "Yes, Master!"
He thought to himself: I was not mistaken... He truly is the best chieftain. It hasn't been a week since he came to our village, yet we are already stronger.
He walked away filled with such devotion.
Rion entered Noa's hut after the goblins left.
Noa lay on his back, staring at the ceiling. Sensing Rion sit down next to him, he suddenly burst into laughter: "Hahahaha!"
Rion asked, puzzled: "Why are you laughing?"
Noa whispered: "You tricked them. It wasn't actually a reward. But you turned the situation to your advantage. In a word, you fooled them."
Rion gave a light, self-satisfied smile: "I didn't fool them. They are fools on their own."
Noa sat up and turned his head toward Rion: "They are fools? You are clever... Regardless, you are doing your job excellently."
Rion's mood darkened, and he said in a low voice: "Thank you... when did you wake up?"
Noa replied with vigor: "I wasn't unconscious. I couldn't move my body when the foam came out of my mouth, but I heard everything that was happening."
Rion was shocked: "So, you were conscious..."
Noa, in a serious tone: "You used the Blood Circle, didn't you?"
Rion looked at him gravely: "Yes."
Noa, with a displeased voice: "Isn't that dangerous? If something goes wrong, it leads to serious consequences! The life of everyone who uses the Blood Circle is on the line! Are you an idiot?!" he yelled.
Rion gripped his neck, looked down, and said quietly: "I know all that, but I couldn't just stand by."
Noa's voice softened slightly: "Don't do that again. Don't put yourself at risk. You have potential, don't destroy your future."
Rion looked at Noa, his eyes filled with pain. "What about you?"
Noa said in a low voice: "Mine won't be ruined, I suppose." He jumped up, speaking with inner joy and a proud tone: "I have gained Mana. Since it was the first time, my body must have struggled to adapt, but I'm fine now."
Rion looked up at Noa, his eyes shining with hope and moistening: "Finally, Noa, you're back."
Noa put his hand on his hip: "Yes, I'm back. I'm sorry for worrying you. I'm much better now."
Rion asked quietly: "What are you going to do? Your brother, your parents..."
Noa became serious: "I won't do anything for now. If I give myself over to hatred and revenge against my brother, it seems meaningless to me. I don't think my brother killed our parents."
Rion was surprised: "Why?"
Noa sat down and spoke in a serious tone: "It's not about whether my brother could kill them or not. He didn't kill me. Instead, others threw me into the forest to kill me. Furthermore, the High Dragons of the Shadow Dragon Clan have never killed their own family."
"As for me... my brother threw me into the forest, but now I need to become stronger. Then I will find the real killers and eliminate them."
Rion placed his hand on Noa's shoulder, with conviction: "I will always be by your side, no matter what."
Noa was happy: "I know that, my friend."
Inside Noa, the voice of X awakened again.
X gave a sharp smile: " 'You're fine,' you say, Noa? Don't lie to yourself. Nothing is fine."
Noa replied internally: "Shut up. Rion is my friend. If he knew I wasn't fine, he wouldn't be happy. He has already abandoned his family because of me."
X yelled angrily: "If he can't accept you for who you are, he's not your friend!"
Noa chuckled lightly: "What difference does my condition make? Besides... he is the only family I have left."
X grumbled disapprovingly: "What about Lily? She should still be on your side. You pushed her away yourself. She is still one of your loved ones."
Noa jested: "What, do you like her?"
X snapped back: "I don't like anyone! I'm just correcting your statement."
Noa became serious: "Instead of that, think about how we can become stronger. With only 5 Mana, we can't even use Mana Sense past 30 meters. Only 10 meters for 5 seconds. We can use it without Mana at 5 meters, but we can't see beyond that. This means someone always has to guide us. And that won't do."
X whispered: "I'm thinking the same thing. You don't need to tell me."
Just then, Rion stood up: "Dinner will be ready soon. Do you want to come out, or should I bring it here?"
Noa lifted his head while sitting: "I'll go out."
Rion smiled gently: "Good," he said, and went out of the hut.
Once outside, he looked back at the hut. There was a hidden weight in his eyes.
"You worried me greatly, Noa... I thought you would never be the same. But your greatest strength is your quick adaptability. Maybe you've changed... but the fact that you're treating me the same as before—that makes me happy."
Inside the hut, the faint light of a candle flickered. The shadows cast on the walls seemed to stir slowly whenever Noa moved, and the silence inside felt like a completely different world from the noise of the goblins outside.
Noa sat on the flat ground, his face serious. He took a deep breath and spoke to the X inside him:
"X, what do you think... when will we get stronger? It seems like my Dragon powers aren't awakening at all."
X's voice sounded calm and icy, as usual.
"Hmm... I don't know. Dragon power usually awakens before the age of one. You are approaching six. There are no signs: no ice, no black flame, not even a physical strength awakening."
Noa bowed his head. His fingers unconsciously traced lines on the ground, and there was a slight tremor in his breathing.
"Elemental crystals are no longer an option either," he said quietly. "They are too rare. If it doesn't match me... it will kill me. And the compatibility percentage is... zero point three percent out of a hundred. That means a death rate."
X's voice deepened slightly, but remained calm:
"I know. But we cannot remain like this either. For now, we will focus on increasing our Mana reserve. We will find a way... we have to find a way."
Noa turned his head toward the ceiling. The wind coming through the cracks in the roof made a faint "oooh" sound, as if something was watching them.
"How do we increase it?" His voice held fatigue and an inner urgency.
X seemed to smile—but this smile was cold and confident.
"That woman who gave you the crystal, remember? If she found that crystal, there should be another black Mana crystal there too. It won't grant ability, but it will be there."
This statement seemed to startle Noa awake. He suddenly sat up, a small spark of light appearing in his eyes.
"Yes... good idea. In our current state, we have a pseudo-aura equivalent to an average level. Mana Sense is working too. If we develop both... the next plans will be easier. We'll deal with the rest later."
X gave a short reply: "Good."
Just then, the hut door rustled open. Cold air rushed in, disturbing the candle. Rion entered. His clothes were full of the smell of smoke, and his face was slightly tired.
"Noa," he said carefully, "come out. Everyone is waiting for you."
Noa reached out his hand and slowly got up. "Let's go."
Rion took his hand and gently led him out of the hut. Outside, the firelight danced on the goblins' faces, and they were joyfully eating. They shouted happily when they saw Noa.
Rion handed a piece of roasted rabbit meat to Noa. "Here, it's still hot."
A pleasant warmth struck Noa's hand as he held the rabbit meat. The sweet scent tickled his nose, sharpening his appetite. He took a bite and nodded his head. "I haven't eaten meat in so long, Rion."
Rion smiled gently, sat down next to him, and chatted. The noise among the goblins mingled with the crackling of the fire, creating a warm atmosphere. A few hours later, Noa walked toward the cage with the meat in his hand.
When he reached the cage, the women inside fell silent when they saw him. Especially Sara—there was both fear and curiosity in her eyes.
Noa put his hand on the bars. The cold iron chilled his palm.
"Sara, the crystal you gave me... where did you get it?"
Sara stared blankly, her tone harsh, but trembling: "Do you think I'll tell you?"
Noa continued calmly: "If you guide me there, I will set you free."
Sara was surprised. "Who... who are you? You are blind, you walk in a goblin village... but you're not a goblin. You have horns too..."
Noa was silent. The wind-like voice inside him seemed to grow louder again. He finally answered slowly: "Who am I? I don't exactly know myself."
Sara bit her lip. "Then how can you set me free?"
Noa spoke in a toneless but commanding voice: "A few days ago, this village came under our control. All the goblins here obey me. Freeing one prisoner is not a problem for me."
Sara looked at him with suspicion. "'Our'? Who is 'us'?"
Noa tilted his head slightly to the side. "Me... and my friend."
Sara gasped. "How can I trust you?"
Noa's voice sharpened, as if the air had suddenly turned cold. "Just trust my word. I have never gone back on what I said. Besides, you have no other choice, little girl."
"Think about it until morning. Will you continue giving birth to goblin children here... or will you show me that place and gain your freedom?"
"Hello friends! What do you think about this chapter? Share your thoughts in the comments and support the story. Drop a Power Stone and save it to your Library to show your encouragement
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