Looking at the puddle in front of him, Alruk could only swallow his complaints.
After all, he was the one who wanted to clean himself.
Stepping into the puddle, he used his hands to scoop up water and wash away the dirt covering his skin.
It took nearly an hour before he finally stepped out.
Looking back at the puddle, he noticed it was even dirtier than before he had bathed in it.
That was saying something, considering it had already been filthy.
When he turned around to return to his spot, he noticed several babies staring at him with curious eyes.
Some had already begun moving toward him.
‘Did they think I was playing’?
He couldn’t help but wonder, especially when one of the babies climbed into the puddle and began splashing around.
Soon, more babies joined in, laughing and playing in the already filthy water.
The adult goblins in the cave noticed what was happening, glanced at them briefly, then looked away.
Seeing them enjoy themselves, Alruk simply shrugged and returned to his patch of moss.
Sitting down, he began his daily meditation.
A few minutes later, he started hearing noises around him.
Opening his eyes, he saw several babies struggling to climb onto his moss-covered platform.
The sight was strange.
And oddly amusing.
For the first time in this life, Alruk smiled genuinely—not because of progress or achievement, but because he found something genuinely funny.
Some of the babies failed repeatedly and began crying in frustration.
Two of them, however, succeeded.
The female climbed over another baby’s face, causing the unfortunate victim to tumble back down and start over from the beginning.
The male managed to climb up simply because he was already capable of walking a little.
Looking at the babies surrounding him, Alruk knew his meditation session was over.
As expected, the two successful climbers immediately began playing with him.
The female tugged on his ears and occasionally licked them, while the male repeatedly tried to stand, only to lose his balance and fall on top of him.
Several hours passed like that.
Eventually, some of the babies grew tired and fell asleep, either on the moss or around it.
Others wandered away in search of new things to do.
In the end, eleven goblin babies remained nearby, with three of them sleeping directly on his moss.
Finally, he was free to meditate.
Closing his eyes, he activated Mana Sense.
At his current level, meditation still caused slight discomfort.
However, once the skill reached Level 5, the process would become naturally soothing and relaxing.
Over that same period, his Intelligence stat rose to 14.
Three months had now passed since his birth.
By goblin standards, he was roughly equivalent to a two-year-old child.
His communication skills had also improved significantly.
He could now speak in short sentences.
He wasn’t the only one.
Several of the infants had begun forming words amid their constant babbling.
Alruk was meditating when a goblin boy approached him.
“Brother Al, why you sit all time?” the boy asked.
Slowly, Alruk opened his eyes.
There was a level of awareness in them that no ordinary three-month-old goblin should possess.
He looked at the boy.
This was Juff, one of the babies who had been following him ever since his first bath.
Juff was about the size of a small one-year-old human child.
He had thin limbs, dark green skin, long ears, a long nose, short black hair, and bright yellow eyes filled with curiosity.
Nor was he the only observer.
Several other babies nearby were also watching the conversation.
Over the past two weeks, different babies had asked the same question.
Juff alone had already asked it three times.
Alruk sighed.
“I told you,” he said.
“I just resting.”
It was the answer he always gave.
Though it was a lie, it was the only explanation simple enough for them to understand.
As expected, the next question came immediately.
“Why not sleep?” Juff asked.
“Because I do that later,” Alruk replied, closing his eyes again.
“Not disturb me.”
Just as Juff was about to continue—
Step.
Step.
Light footsteps echoed through the cave.
An elderly goblin entered, carrying a staff marked with blood-red carvings. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Standing at roughly 134 centimeters tall, he paused near the entrance and surveyed the children with sharp brown eyes.
Then, in a commanding voice, he spoke.
“Everyone out.”
His voice wasn’t loud.
Yet every child heard it.
Confusion spread among them.
Fear followed.
None of them had ever stepped outside the cave before, and this was the first time many of them had seen this goblin.
As they hesitated, Alruk stepped forward.
He already knew what was happening.
The breeding season was approaching.
The newborns were old enough to walk.
To goblins, that meant they were old enough to stop receiving constant care.
As Alruk moved, others began following him.
Soon, some were walking.
Others were running.
A few were even racing each other toward the exit.
Then they saw it.
Light.
Bright light.
Far brighter than anything they had ever known.
For the first time in their lives, they stepped outside the cave.
They squinted as their eyes struggled to adjust to the sunlight.
For the first time since his rebirth, Alruk saw the sky.
He felt the warmth of the sun against his skin.
He felt the breeze brush past him.
Slowly, he took in his surroundings.
A small village.
Only three huts stood within it.
Then—
Ding.