Arthur moved closer and leaned in, forcing his head through the narrow passage.
Darkness swallowed everything.
He pulled back almost immediately.
"Tomorrow," he decided.
Exploring an unknown passage while exhausted and without any light was just asking for trouble.
Back in the main cave, a rough fur blanket had been spread over the stone floor. That would be his bed for the night.
Arthur lay down, staring at the cave ceiling.
Days had passed since he entered the dungeon.
Too many days.
"Someone has to be looking for me…"
Or worse—they weren't.
His jaw tightened.
"The Hunter Council won't ignore this," he muttered. "They'll send people to drag me back."
Entering a dungeon without a license wasn't a small offense. Prison was a real possibility—and Arthur had no money, no influence, no one to pull strings for him.
That thought unsettled him more than the monsters ever had.
"Yuri… I hope you don't give up on me."
Not long after, the goblin leader called him aside.
Something about the goblin's posture felt tense.
They stepped outside the cave, moving a short distance away. Goblins heard too well for private talks.
The leader looked up at Arthur.
"Will you help us rebuild the tribe?" he asked. "You've already done so much by bringing us here. I don't know if you plan to stay for the hard work."
Arthur didn't hesitate.
"I'll help," he said. "Tomorrow, when it's light and everyone's rested, we'll figure things out properly."
The leader exhaled, shoulders lowering. The memory of the bear fight flickered across his face.
"Thank you," he said quietly. "We won't fail you again."
Arthur watched him leave.
Helping the tribe wasn't just kindness—it was practical. A stronger tribe meant steady experience, steady growth. And his system seemed more than willing to reward him for it.
Other hunters slaughtered monsters and moved on.
Arthur built connections.
For now, it was only goblins.
But he knew that wouldn't always be the case.
Arthur stayed outside a little longer, letting the cool breeze brush against his face.
His black hair swayed with the wind as his thoughts spiraled once more.
Too many things to do. Too many problems waiting for him. Nothing about his life was easy.
He let out a slow breath and turned back toward the cave. There was nothing he could fix right now.
Overthinking would only wear him down—make him anxious, dull his judgment.
As soon as he stepped inside, warmth wrapped around his body. The campfire crackled softly nearby.
The blanket was still there, spread across the ground, waiting for him.
Arthur lay down.
The floor was hard and unforgiving, but for the first time in a long while, he slept feeling safe.
If something happened, those goblins would protect one another.
They were his allies.
No—his friends.
That quiet sense of belonging settled in his chest. It felt unfamiliar.
Maybe… he had never felt something like this before.
*
Arthur woke up mentally refreshed.
His body, however, protested the moment he moved.
"…I'm not used to sleeping like this," he muttered.
The first thing he wanted to build was a proper bed. That improvised one was terrible.
The goblins, on the other hand, seemed just fine. They were clearly more accustomed to sleeping on stone.
The tribe leader and several goblins were already awake, moving about with purpose.
Arthur found the leader outside the cave.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Gathering essential materials to rebuild the tribe," the leader replied cautiously. "Did I do something wrong?"
Arthur shook his head.
"No. You did the right thing," he said. "I'll have my goblins help."
At his command, the summoned goblins joined in, collecting wood and stone—the most basic materials.
Arthur tried using his roar again.
It worked.
A few more goblins appeared.
Forty in total.
That was a large number.
But also the limit.
The system made that clear. At the same time, Arthur noticed something else—the goblins' levels had increased.
So when I level up, they get stronger too…
There was definitely a cap. And he could tell that a "real" dungeon goblin of the same level was still stronger.
Even so, Arthur had something else.
Numbers.
Being able to summon goblins in bulk was his greatest advantage.
And for now, that was more than enough.
The summoned goblins made a huge difference.
Forty goblins in total. That was more than the entire tribe combined.
With that amount of manpower, gathering resources became much easier.
Arthur was confident he could rebuild the tribe quickly.
Maybe not the final version—but something decent, at the very least.
"Building inside the cave might be a good idea," Arthur said.
The tribe leader nodded.
"Yes. It's already a protected area. We won't need overly sturdy roofs since the cave itself will shield us. And it's more hidden."
Arthur was once again impressed by the goblins' insight.
They might look stupid—but they weren't. They were intelligent creatures who knew how to live as a society.
"I'll scout the area," Arthur said. "The goblins will be under your command."
With a single mental order, Arthur adjusted the link so his goblins would follow the tribe leader's instructions.
It was temporary, of course.
There was something else Arthur needed to do—something that had been gnawing at his curiosity.
The tribe leader didn't ask many questions.
By now, everyone knew who the real leader of the tribe was.
Arthur commanded the largest number of goblins. He was the one who had brought them here.
So the "leader" said nothing more and focused on gathering resources.
Arthur headed toward the narrow fissure he had noticed the day before, deeper inside the cave.
The passage was tight. He could squeeze through, but not without difficulty.
Instead, he reached out mentally and summoned one of his goblins.
"Go ahead," Arthur ordered. "Enter the passage and see what's on the other side."
Arthur had no idea what he would find on the other side.
He hoped it would be something useful.
Maybe even a treasure.
But things rarely went the way he wanted.