"Goblins," scowled Mara as she saw a small creature squeeze through the slit at the gate—slowly removing her pristine saber from its sheath. "Gotta confess. They're much more repulsive in person."

Each of the goblins' faces revealed a sick kind of excitement. We could see the droll dripping down the tip of their sharp tongues hanging out of the corner of their mouths. Why were such creatures even allowed to exist? I had to wonder.

Meanwhile, I unzipped my backpack and reached for the knife Ava had given me. Although I knew I wasn't allowed to fight, I'd much rather have something in my hand that could help. Besides that, I didn't even consider taking out the artifact. Even if one of us were harmed, it wouldn't matter because we had some clarinadryl. A scratch wouldn't be an issue. Not only that, but I doubted that a swarm of goblins could kill any of us.

"Really?" questioned Logan in a bemused tone, raising a brown. "They're kind of adorable. Like bugs. Makes me wanna squash 'em."

"Just what the hell is the matter with you?" the scout couldn't help but complain, getting into her stance as she waited at the entrance to the factory.

I was of the same opinion, but unlike our fearless leader, I'd rather not express it aloud. I didn't want to incur any of Mara's unmatched fury onto me. We've been getting along lately, and I'm not going to give her any reason to think otherwise.

Logan shouted, "Oi, Eddie," as he took his place in the center ahead of us. He often stood in the center, so I wasn't too worried. "Do you think we'll be able to sell their claws or something? Maybe fangs?"

Edward merely shrugged his shoulder, not affirming or denying anything, and fired another arrow, narrowly missing one of the goblins racing toward us through the hay. Behind that one were obviously more to be worried about. They surpassed us in numbers, but not by a lot. About the fight itself? Manageable.

"We're going to be okay, right?" said Lucas, expressing his concerns as he unwrapped the spear and tried to join in the formation near the factory's entrance. With him in position, Mara on the other side, and Logan in the middle, they formed an arrow that covered entryway.

"As long as you don't turn around and run away," Edward whispered, gritting his teeth as a flash of irritation glinted behind his glasses. He despises missing his mark.

It was understandable that Lucas was concerned, but fleeing in this situation might be the worst thing our party could do. At a glance, I could tell that goblins were faster than us, and exposing our backs to them would be fatal. We had to confront them in a rehearsed formation here at the threshold. This reduces the angles from which those agile beasts could strike, giving us a better chance of success than any other reckless alternative.

"Yup!" Logan chided in, taking a wild swing through the air with a gleeful smile. "Actually, it might be entertaining."

"Relax. This is not our first rodeo," giggled Mara, eager for a fight. "And congratulations on losing your first time, chick. With the monsters, I mean."

Edward clicked his tongue and spat out: "Stop acting like children and take this seriously—"

But before he could finish, a goblin snarled, spreading its puny arms in the air as it reached the end of the enormous pipe it had climbed on. Perhaps it was an attempt at intimidating us. Nothing out of the ordinary. They shouldn't be underestimated because of their diminutive size, though. Monsters could use mana, and compared to a hunter, they could do so subconsciously—which denotes that channeling mana through their bodies came as naturally as breathing.

"I understand," Lucas sighed, attempting to shake off the uneasiness that had settled in his pores.

"Stop babbling and get ready," Logan said, having finished unwrapping the remaining rugs from Beauty's metal. "Protect Gray and Eddie at all cost, got it?"

The large one in front shouted as it charged at Logan, presuming he was our leader. Based on its strong body, which was slightly larger than the rest of his famished companions, it was easy to infer that particular goblin was the group's alpha. It was most likely an attempt to build a hierarchy within their group by pursuing a stronger individual.

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That didn't appear to startle the barbarian in the least. Logan raised his axe high in anticipation of the assault, then brought it down with all the force he could muster. Its edge easily penetrated through skin and bone. The creature's body fell into the soil, not even reaching the factory.

"Wow," escaped from Lucas's throat as blood spilled from the crater that had formed where the goblin's brain should've been after Logan pulled the Beauty away and resumed his stance.

Once the others saw the way their leader has fallen, their desperate eyes searched for someone else. An easier target to deal with.

"Be careful!" roared Logan as he struck another goblin in the side of its torso. The wound wasn't as deep this time. Despite the fact that it was injured, the goblin cautiously rose its glare toward the barbarian. It appeared to be capable of putting up a good fight, if not for the wrong opponent standing in front of it. Its wrathful look prompted our leader to say: "Yeah. I knew there was something special about your kind."

Several hurried toward the corner of the entryway instead, oblivious to the barbarian's presence. Their newfound target was clear, Mara. A mistake if you were to ask me.

An arrow flew by, hitting one of them in the shoulder and rendering the monster useless. That wasn't the end of it, unfortunately, as another beast pounced on Mara, claws thrust forward. The consequences of that goblin's success would be disastrous.

"I am nothing but careful!" yelled Mara as she stabbed her saber forward, straight through its body.

Unable to dodge, the tip of her saber plunged straight through its chest. Holding a goblin in midair was something Logan could do, but Mara didn't have the option. Rather than attempting something she couldn't achieve, she directed the goblin's figure into the ground. It struggled for a moment, trying to scratch her as more of its warm blood drained away. None of its attempts elicited a response, but the sneer that appeared as the light vanished from its eyes made the scout shiver.

"Shit. It's stuck!" Mara shrieked, stomping her foot against the monster's torso and trying to pull the handle with both of her hands, realizing she couldn't draw the weapon away as the monster's muscle tightened around the blade. "Damn it!"

Her eyes widened as another globing leaped toward her from a blind spot, knowing she couldn't fight back just now. Mara made her decision, releasing her saber, but there was still wasn't enough time to avoid or retaliate with one of her devastating kicks. The outcome was obvious: she would not be able to get away unscathed.

I knew it'd be better for me not to get involved, yet—I'd rather not pass up the opportunity. I waited for far too long to see one of you. Any of you. What kind of monster made no difference. It was irrelevant.

You're mine.

Grabbing the monster by the throat, I slammed its body against hard concrete. The difference in weight made it simple. It gasped for oxygen as the air was driven out of its lungs. Now that I was on top, I struggled to keep my lips from curling upwards. My heart pounded in its ribcage, joyful as I watched the goblin squirm around.

Yeah, this is the distinction between a hologram and the real thing. It was in physical anguish and feared for its life.

All I could do was stare at it as I applied more pressure with my fingers, unable to peel off my eyes. The sound of its suffocating breath echoed in my ears. I think I liked it.

"Gray! Be careful—" Mara called, attempting to warn me about something, only to be drowned out by the goblin's shrieks beneath me.

A blistering heat down my forearm was enough to jolt me back into the fierce struggle we were currently engaged in. When I finally realized what had happened, I saw its claws bathed in blood—my own. They ripped through my garments and flesh with ease. As a result, my grasp progressively weakened, and I realized I couldn't hold it for much longer. Then I noticed the monster's grin, assuming it had me. That it would get away and get me. Its golden eyes twisted in horrible delight. It was just insulting.

As soon as I recognized what was going through its underdeveloped brain, I clenched my teeth, more in frustration than pain.

The surface of the knife flickered with light. I stabbed it deep into its bony chest, piercing through greenish skin, small muscles, frail bones, and around the place where its heart should be. As I tried to yank it away, I realized what Mara had been moaning about. Despite my best efforts, I could only feel the knife's blade clenched in its mana-filled muscles. Even low-ranking monsters were a threat to the average person.

"Fucking mana," I growled, meeting its loathsome gaze again, this time filled with something other than the pleasure it was displaying earlier. They rapidly became hollower as more blood gushed out. The creature's final expression was one of disbelief, frozen before it drew its last breath. It resembled the one the elder merchant had in the Underworld. Abysmally humane. It almost gave me the impression they could feel something other than the hunger for flesh. I just clicked my tongue, mortified that I had even considered such a thing.

"Don't give me that," I uttered through the overbearing repugnance taking a hold of me.

Those were the only words I could muster.