The Malinians descend from the continent Adn, also known as the land of the dark-skinned. The people of Adn were feared for their inherited endurance and physical power, but most importantly, for their aura capacity. It's known that a dark-skinned person can naturally have more aura than most light-skinned people, and the reason behind this remains undiscovered. However, people contented themselves with a fabricated explanation: genes.

  When Jacob faced the goblin, a significant disadvantage arose due to his immense, unstable aura. However, his talent allowed him to calm himself down in these extremely stressful situations. Added to the responsibility of protecting Zoeske, he felt he had no other option.

  The goblin’s breath was loud, and his quiet, cunning laugh sent chills through Jacob and Zoeske. With each step, heavy saliva dripped from his tongue onto the wooden floor. The sight of him approaching was difficult to endure. Suddenly, blood splashed onto Zoeske’s face. His vision blurred, and he fell unconscious.

  Leon, who was hiding inside the room, threw an axe at the goblin’s head, killing it instantly. Jacob said, “I thought you had already run away.”

  “Zoeske fell unconscious,” Leon said. “I didn’t mean for the blood to splash on him.”

  “This disgusting monster waited for my mom to leave the house,” Jacob said. “He planned to sneak in and attack her later but was surprised when he saw us.”

  “Didn’t seem surprised to me,” Leon said.

  Zoeske, regaining consciousness, said, “I agree with Leon. The goblin seemed to be intentionally sneaking into the house; he was even laughing as if he had found a treasure.”

  “They’re known to have a supernatural sense of smell and hearing. But they usually target adults,” Jacob said.

  “It’s the first time I’ve seen a goblin going after a young people like us,” Leon said.

  “What are you two talking about?” Zoeske asked, confused.

  “You don’t know about their nature?” Jacob asked.

  “No, the soldiers were the only ones who dealt with them back then,” Zoeske said. "We, the villagers, just labored in the farms."

  Alia and Boris opened the door abruptly. She took Jacob between her arms and gently pressed. Boris examined the goblin, trying to understand its behavior.

  This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  (There must be a reason they came here,) Boris thought.

  “Are you okay?” Alia asked Jacob.

  “Yes, Mom,” Jacob said.

  She then checked on Leon and Zoeske. She sighed in relief, finding them all unharmed. She turned to the goblin and said, “This is not good; we haven’t seen these monsters behave this way.”

  A deep voice came from outside, slowly growing louder. “These goblins are searching for something.” Jacha entered the house, his presence heavy, as if the air thickened around him.

  Zoeske’s eyes sparkled as he saw the muscular body surrounded by a dense aura. Jacha had very short, kinky hair, like other villagers, but he was known for his long beard that covered half his neck and a scar over his left eye. When he saw Zoeske, he connected the dots.

  Pondra entered too, and her first words were, “Oh, the annoying boy.”

  “Annoying boy?” Zoeske stood in shock. “My name is Zoeske.”

  “You still get easily offended,” Pondra said. “You’ve reached the village, then.”

  “What do you mean it was searching for something?” Alia asked Jacha.

  “We came here after a series of chaotic incidents in the nearby villages,” Jacha said. “This boy has dyed his hair black, but I can assume he’s from the north. And that’s where everything started.”

  “What happened?” Zoeske asked.

  “Boris, go back to Jule right now,” Jacha said.

  Boris was amazed by Jacha’s quick assessment of the situation. He responded, “Yes, sir.” He went to the other houses to gather some men.

  “Kid, your village has a talented healer girl who allows them to take down multiple nests around the village quickly, at a rate I’ve never seen before,” Jacha said. “But they triggered the goblins when they mercilessly tortured a defenseless old goblin. And if I’m not mistaken, they came here for you specifically, as you carry the same scent as your people.”

  “They came for me?” Zoeske said, his expression filled with guilt. “What happened to the village?”

  “They are protected by the kingdom,” Jacha said.

  “Hey, it’s not your fault they came all the way here,” Jacob said, and Leon grabbed his shoulder.

  Zoeske looked down. Deep inside, he was convinced he might bring troubles to this village. (How could my village do such a cruel thing to a weak being? And who is this healer? Binkines?)

  “You came quickly,” Alia said.

  “Had to take Pondra and return to the mission,” Jacha said. “But once I heard about the enraged goblins, I couldn’t ignore them.”

  “We were wrong, then,” Jacob said to Leon.

  “We thought they were coming for us,” Leon said.

  “To be honest, these monsters are becoming a real threat,” Jacha said. “If they are as smart as I’ve heard, they will start targeting the vulnerable.”

  “But isn’t that impossible?” Jacob asked.

  “Goblins are cruel creatures, and they are the only monsters with a single gender,” Jacha said. “Although they have human male genitalia, they reproduce by using their target as a seed container because their seeds can grow independently by feeding on the container’s flesh. However, not all containers die from this process. Some are liberalized by the goblins afterward, and others are killed and, worse, used as toys.”

  “So, they might actually target us?” Jacob said, his voice filled with fear.

  A scream filled the area moments right after. They all ran outside to see what had happened.