CHAPTER 167: CHAPTER 166: NO BEAUTIFUL WOMEN, JUST MONSTERS

A pale haze clung to the trees as dawn filtered through the canopy, casting golden shafts of light over the goblin village. Smoke curled from cooking fires, but the usual morning bustle was subdued, gazes followed the armored figures near the gate.

Lumberling stood at the edge of the training yard, dressed head to toe in black. His armor was stark and silent, absorbing light more than reflecting it. At his back hung a shield and a bow. A longsword rested at his hip, while his favored spear was cradled casually in the crook of his arm, like an extension of his body.

Beside him, Skitz adjusted the straps of his own sleek black armor. The goblin’s twin daggers gleamed faintly in the morning sun, curved and cruel like fangs.

"You look like a walking armory, my Lord," Skitz quipped, eyeing the sheer number of weapons Lumberling carried.

Lumberling gave him a sidelong glance and shrugged. "You never know what the day might throw at you."

Skitz chuckled, then turned serious as Lumberling shifted his gaze toward him.

"That ability you’ve been manifesting... got any clue what that might be?"

Skitz’s brow furrowed beneath his helm. "Still trying to figure it out. That’s why I need a shot at devouring the memories of those cult fanatics. There’s something buried in them."

Lumberling gave a thoughtful nod. "You think it’s worth the risk?"

"I do," Skitz said, his voice firm. "It feels... old. Powerful. Like it’s not just mine, but waiting to become mine."

Beside them, Krivex adjusted the string on his bow, his red leather armor creaking with each movement. Lumberling had decided to bring him along, not just for support, but to test whether essence could be safely transferred to him as well.

Krivex was already nearing the Concordant state, and his aptitude for magic was clear. With a little help, Lumberling hoped to accelerate his growth even further.

"You ready?" Lumberling asked, turning to him.

Krivex nodded sharply, the tips of his ears twitching. "Always."

"Good. Stay sharp."

Skitz grinned. "Nothing like a bloody morning to shake off the rust."

"Let’s move."

And with that, they stepped beyond the village borders, three shadows, heading eastward.

.....

The three arrived at the river just as the morning mist still clung to the trees. Without a word, they dove into the deep, cold waters. Bubbles and shadows danced around them as they swam toward the hidden tunnel below. After a short descent, they surfaced in the cave beneath the riverbed, a hollowed-out, mossy chamber dimly lit by glowing fungi along the walls.

At the mouth of the cave, two lizardmen stood guard, chatting in low hisses.

"Huh? Who..." one of them started, eyes widening.

But they didn’t get the chance to finish their sentence. Lumberling and Skitz were already in front of them, their movements a blur. In seconds, the two guards were on the ground, disarmed, limbs twisted and paralyzed by precise strikes.

"Krivex," Lumberling called out, motioning him forward.

The red-armored goblin stepped up quickly, his bow now slung behind his back.

"You ready?" Lumberling asked, locking eyes with Krivex.

Krivex nodded.

Without hesitation, Lumberling stepped forward and drove his spear clean through one of the lizardmen. As the creature collapsed, a pulse of dark violet shimmered over Lumberling’s chest. A thin, spectral string of essence, deep purple and writhing, emerged from his body and latched onto the corpse. Then, with practiced ease, Lumberling activated his Essence Weave. A second thread branched out from the original, arcing toward Krivex like a glowing tether.

Krivex inhaled sharply as the essence surged into him.

He staggered slightly as the essence settled in his body. His eyes widened, breath hitching. For a moment, it felt like his body was waking up from a deep slumber, like someone had poured molten heat through his limbs.

"Whoa..." he murmured, flexing his fingers. "That felt... good. Not overwhelming, but like someone lit a fire under my skin."

He straightened, rolling his shoulders as a faint sheen of sweat glistened on his brow.

The transfer was smooth.

A single lizardman had strength on par with a common orc, hardly a threat to a Knight Page alone, but in a group of three, they could be dangerous.

Krivex let the power settle within him, taking a steady breath before speaking again. "It’s clean. Strong, sure, but no weird backlash like you warned me about."

Lumberling gave a short nod.

He approached the second lizardman and finished him with a swift blow. The moment the kill registered, his Essence Devour activated once more. Another strand of energy coiled out, wrapping the body before surging into him.

Memories flooded his mind, instincts, flashes of rituals, but there was nothing tainted. No mental backlash. No trace of divine corruption.

"This is strange," he muttered, glancing at Skitz. "You sure these guys are fanatics?"

Skitz crouched beside one of the bodies and sniffed. "Maybe not all of them. These two probably don’t carry the blessing. But I can feel something... deeper in. Something stronger is down there."

Lumberling fell silent, thinking.

"If that’s the case, then let’s not waste this," he finally said. "Call the other captains and vice-captains. These essences, they’ll be a good reward, and a real boost to their strength."

Skitz grinned, showing sharp teeth. "They’ll be thrilled."

...

When the group returned to the cave, they brought the entire squad with them.

All the captains and vice-captains were present, Grokk included, towering and hulking as ever. Most of the vice-captains were already at the peak of Knight Page level. The tension in the air was high, but the group carried a strange sort of camaraderie that made it bearable.

Just before they dove in, Gobo2 nudged Lumberling with a mischievous grin.

"It’s a shame, Boss. Not a single beautiful woman in this raid party. What’s the point of risking our lives if no one’s watching?"

Lumberling let out a short laugh. "Good. That way you won’t die trying to impress anyone."

"That’s even worse!" Gobo2 exclaimed, slumping dramatically. "I fight better when I think someone’s admiring me!"

"Then imagine Grokk watching you," Skitz added dryly. "With admiration."

Gobo2 visibly shuddered. "I’ll die before I let that happen."

The group chuckled, morale lifted.

Just then, a lizardman strolled casually out of the cave mouth. He squinted at the group, scratching the back of his scaly head, then froze.

"Who... what the..." His eyes widened. And without another word, he spun around and bolted back inside the cave.

Krivex instinctively drew an arrow from his side and nocked it, but Lumberling raised a hand to stop him.

"Let him run. Better to deal with them out here than chase them into their nest."

Krivex gave a nod and lowered his bow.

Just as the group prepared to move, a low, echoing hum resonated from deep within the cave. The ground trembled. Faintly at first... then stronger.

A distant roar followed, a sound not of rage, but of welcoming, low, guttural, and wrong.

Lumberling’s eyes narrowed. That wasn’t a lizardman.

It was something waiting.

Something awake.

And it knew they were coming.