The Hunter Becomes the Prey

The Hunter Becomes the Prey

While the Supreme Ghoul Emperor was pulling his black strings above ground, Arion was still buried deep below — cut off from everything except his fleeting victory. He stood on his high stone balcony like a newborn ruler, staring at his only slave: Grulk.

The goblin worked like a terrified wretch. He'd finished stacking rusty weapons in a corner, then dragged the corpses of his kin, tossing them into a pile of rotting, foul-smelling flesh. The stench of decay no longer fazed Arion; it had become part of his budding kingdom.

Keep him afraid… keep him busy… keep him useful, Arion thought coldly, the eyes of a hawk glinting with calculation.

Everything was going as he wished: a gold mine waiting to be claimed, an obedient slave, and plans weaving themselves in his mind for returning to the dwarven workshop and exploiting the mithril. At last, he felt his life syncing with his grip once more.

But that feeling was nothing more than a rope of smoke.

As he plotted his next move, his vibration sense twitched. An unfamiliar pulse formed in the silence of the stone. It wasn't scattered tremors like the nervous steps of frightened ghouls… but ten distinct vibrations, moving like a heart beating with terrifying discipline.

Soldiers. Trained. Killers.

Arion stepped back into the shadow, pressing his body against an ancient stone pillar. His eyes fixed on the entrance. He didn't have to wait long.

They entered.

Ten goblins — taller, stronger, tougher than Grulk and his kind. Black iron armor covering their chests and shoulders, swords and axes of black obsidian gleaming in the torchlight. Their eyes held none of the primal greed of lesser goblins; they held only cold, unyielding resolve.

Arion summoned his status window, focusing on their leader.

> [Ghoul Guard Captain]

Level: 14

Status: Focused. On mission. Blood cold as rock.

Surface Thoughts: "The Emperor's orders are clear: kill everything here. No questions. Grulk the traitor first. Then any intruder. Clean the place."

Cold prickled under Arion's skin. The Emperor knew. He'd been watching him, and now he'd sent his hounds to close the circle.

No fight. Ten elites, levels between ten and fourteen… suicide.

No escape. The only exit was now a blade at his throat.

But he was not one to surrender. In his mind, he became the hunter again, not the prey.

"If I can't beat them with strength, I'll crush them with the place itself."

His gaze swept over the corpses, the pile of bones, the ledge of rocks hanging above them. There — right above Grulk, a heap of mining gear and rusty stones barely balanced. And his terrified slave… the perfect bait.

There was no time. He plucked a small stone with his mind and dropped it in front of Grulk with a faint tik.

The goblin jolted like a rat under a blazing lamp. He searched for his master with wild eyes. Arion gestured invisibly — pushing a rusty pickaxe toward the weapon pile.

Grulk understood the signal, or thought he did: "Master wants me armed! Are we going to fight?!" He crawled toward the stacks.

The captain spotted the goblin moving and growled, "The traitor there! Kill him!"

The ten soldiers moved as one heart. They charged with their black weapons, racing to butcher Grulk, who backed away shrieking like a slaughtered goat.

When they gathered under the ledge, Arion focused all his strength on a small support rock — the rope holding up the trap's ceiling. He shoved it with all his flickering will.

It shifted…

The screech of stone on iron. The captain's eyes widened — too late.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Tons of rock and scrap metal crashed down. Death poured from above like a rain of blades. It smashed them, shattered bone and armor and green flesh. Grulk vanished under the corpses — no sound, no tears.

A heavy silence fell. Arion stood in the shadows, catching his breath in the swirling dust. He'd done it. He'd crushed ten of the ghoul elite with stone, not steel.

But he didn't feel victorious. He felt a cold gnawing at his heart.

He had declared war now.

Or so he thought.

---

He waited for the sound… that satisfying chime: Ding~

Waited a second. Another second. Nothing.

He frowned. He called up his status.

> XP: 243 / 400

He froze. "Nothing? Impossible! Eleven enemies, higher levels… where's the XP?!"

His blood boiled, but he forced himself to think like an old hunter: "Why didn't I get anything? What's the condition?…"

He replayed the scenes: killing the rats with his sword, the ghoul with his sword… the boss with a trap he crafted himself…

Here? This wasn't a trap. It was a collapse. Nature killed them — not him.

While his mind raced, the silence broke. The rubble shifted. A green hand tore through the debris, screaming in the hush of stone.

His eyes widened. "Impossible! One survived?!"

He spun fast, thoughts clashing. "Fight? Run?"

The thought didn't finish before —

Ding~

> You have killed a Goblin. +21 XP

[XP: 400 / 264]

He let out a cold laugh, muttering darkly, "Should I apologize? No… it's a goblin." He scratched his chin like a fake sage.

But the next sound wasn't a whisper…