3 hours ter around midnight. Non arrived at the entrance of the Goblin's hidden nest. She pulled out her short sword and walked in without hesitation. The nest was guarded by 10 hobgoblins cd in armor.

  As she walked in, she was met by the 10 hobgoblins by the entrance. Her appearance was as captivating as usual, so the hobgoblins went crazy upon seeing her. The stench of their lust was as evident as ever as they drooled upon seeing her.

  They had never seen a human even half as beautiful as her, so they couldn't control themselves upon seeing her. 5 of the hobgoblins rushed towards her, intent on capturing and savouring the little beauty in front of them.

  Without a word, Non moved.

  In a blur, she stepped forward, her short sword fshing like dark light. One swing—clean and smooth—cut straight through the first hobgoblin. Its body split in half before it even realized what happened. Blood sprayed the stone floor, and the pieces dropped with a heavy thud.

  The others roared and rushed at her, but she was faster. She spun in the air, slicing through another with ease. Her bde carved through armor, flesh, and bone as if they were paper. One by one, the 5 hobgoblins fell, their bodies hitting the ground in halves, silent and still.

  When it was over, Non stood alone among the remains, her sword dripping red. She didn’t say anything. She just turned her gaze to the remaining 5 hobgoblins.

  They froze in pce. Their growls died in their throats. One took a shaky step back, then another dropped his crude axe with a loud ctter.

  Her eyes had met theirs, cold, sharp, and unblinking.

  They saw death in her gaze. Not the kind that came with pain and screaming, but the quiet, certain kind. The kind that came too fast to stop. Too smooth to fight.

  One fell to his knees. Then another. Soon all of them dropped their weapons and bowed their heads low, trembling like leaves in the wind.

  Non didn’t speak. She didn’t have to. Her gaze and strength spoke for her.

  The message was clear: fight and be sliced in half or kneel and live.

  She walked past them without a gnce, heading deeper into the nest to find their leader. She knew that if she wanted to subdue them, she had to capture and cast a "Sve" mark on their leader to make them work for her.

  If it wasn't for the injuries from "Dark Nova" and her mana reserves being low. She would have cast a "Sve" mark on each and every goblin in the nest, but she didn't have enough mana for that at the moment.

  ...

  As Non walked deeper into the nest, the air grew warmer and the tunnels darker. The walls pulsed with strange moss that glowed faintly green, casting eerie shadows that danced behind her.

  She could hear whispers ahead, scared goblin voices. The sound of feet shuffling, weapons cttering to the floor, and frightened gasps echoed through the tunnels. Word of what had happened at the entrance was spreading fast.

  She turned a corner and entered a wide cavern lit by torchlight. Dozens of goblins stood packed together, clutching clubs, spears, and rusted bdes. They didn’t attack. They only watched her, eyes wide with fear, muscles stiff with panic.

  At the back of the cavern sat the Goblin Chief on a bone-covered throne. He was rger than the rest, his skin dark green, his yellow eyes glowing with pride and fear. His tusks curled upward, and thick iron rings pierced his ears and nose. Two armoured hobgoblins stood by his side, shaking.

  Non stopped in the centre of the room. Her gaze swept across them all, calm, cold, and deadly.

  The goblins felt it then, a crushing weight pressing down on their chests. They couldn’t breathe right. Their knees wobbled. Her aura, dark and thick like a storm cloud, filled the room and dragged the air down with it. Even without swinging her sword, it felt like she could kill everyone there just by standing still. This was a passive effect of the "Sword God" ability.

  One goblin fainted. Another dropped his weapon and started crying.

  The Goblin Chief stood slowly, gripping his axe. He tried to look strong, but his hand trembled.

  "You… you dare walk into my nest alone?" he growled, voice low and rough.

  Non didn’t answer. She took one slow step forward.

  The torches flickered. The shadows around her deepened. Her presence felt like a giant hand pressing against their hearts.

  Although she looked captivating, no goblin or hobgoblin dared to lust after her or judge her based on her appearance.

  Another step. She took.

  The Goblin Chief stepped back. His guards didn’t move. They were frozen, pale with terror. Word had spread fast throughout their little hideout.

  The hobgoblins she had killed at the entrance were the best among all the goblins in this little pce. Some goblin scouts had seen what happened and quickly spread the word in the hideout. Warning every goblin in sight not to mess with her.

  "You killed my best warriors," the goblin chief said, his voice cracking. "You should be dead already."

  Non lifted her sword and rested it on her shoulder. She tilted her head slightly.

  "I’m not here to kill you," she said, voice quiet but firm. "Unless you want me to."

  The Goblin Chief’s grip on his axe loosened. His shoulders dropped. All around him, goblins fell to their knees.

  "You… what do you want?" he asked, breathless.

  "I want your loyalty," she said. "Your bdes. Your silence. From now on, you follow me." Non spoke as the chief looked into her eyes, seeing the darkness of the abyss.

  The chief stared at her longer. Then, slowly, he dropped his axe with a loud cng. He knelt, lowering his head.

  He wasn't stupid. From the moment Non entered the nest, he had felt her overbearing presence. Her eyes were not that of a child her age, but that of a ruthless demon. One wrong move and the whole nest would perish.

  "All hail… The Demon Lord," he muttered.

  One by one, the goblins and hobgoblins around him repeated the words, their voices trembling as they barely uttered the words.

  "All hail… Demon Lord…"

  Non didn’t smile. She just turned away, her sword still on her shoulder, and walked toward the throne.

  This nest was hers now. Although she was still a bit surprised since she had expected a little bit more resistance from the goblins, but surprisingly they had surrendered so easily.

  It seemed that this goblin chief was a smart one. Afterall, he had struck a deal with Torak and Torvaal to get women delivered to the nest in exchange for not attacking the vilge.

  This meant that he was smart enough to keep a low profile and avoid attracting the human's attention. This was also the reason why no one in the vilge except Reggie, Torak and Torvaal knew of the goblin's hideout nearby.

  Non sat on the Goblin Chief’s bone throne now. The giant seat creaked under her light weight, but her presence made it heavier than stone. Around her, goblins knelt or sat with their heads bowed. The chief remained on his knees at the base of the throne, eyes low, still too afraid to look her in the eye.

  She rested her sword across her p and spoke, her voice calm and cutting.

  "From now on, you will never attack the vilge no matter the circumstances," she said.

  "No raids. No stealing. No killings."

  Murmurs filled the room—small voices, confused and scared. While Torak was in charge of the vilge, they were naturally given women for free, so they didn't have to attack the vilge, but now. The leader of the vilge had changed. So, they were worried and anxious.

  "B-but… food," one goblin stuttered. "Women… breed—"

  Non's eyes snapped to him.

  He went silent instantly.

  "I know what you want," she said coldly. "You want to grow your tribe. You want strong children. I can give you that."

  The room went quiet again. Every goblin was listening now, ears perked.

  "I have prisoners," she continued. "Female ones. I will send them here. You will be allowed to breed—but you will not harm them. If even one is killed..."

  She stood up slowly. Her aura swelled like a wave, thick and crushing. Every goblin in the room dropped ft to the ground, shaking.

  "I’ll burn this nest to ash and salt your bones."

  Silence.

  Then she sat down again.

  "You want a future? Then listen well. From now on, you are my bdes in the dark. You serve me. You grow strong—but by my rules."

  "The females I bring to you, you may ravage them however you want, break their wills, and breed them as much as possible. But they are not allowed to die. Let them live, they will become useful to me in the future. I will come get them back once they've atoned for their sins." Non continued as she fell into deep thought.

  The Goblin Chief nodded quickly, sweat dripping down his face. "Y-Yes… Demon Lord… we obey…"

  Non leaned back in the throne, her eyes half-closed.

  "Good," she said.

  Then she added, almost like an afterthought, "Come, let me give you the sve mark."

  The Goblin chief trembled upon hearing this, but dared not refuse.

  He came forward, and Non pced her palm on his forehead as she cast an ensvement spell.

  "Ensve!" she muttered, a sve mark appeared on the Goblin chief's neck. Then a few moments ter, the same sve mark in the form of a cross appeared on every goblin and hobgoblin in the nest.

  Non was surprised, "This is...?"

  "As the goblin chief of this nest, every goblin here follows my will and command. If I'm to be ensved, then so will every goblin and hobgoblin in the nest. This is due to the link of the ceremony of the goblin chief's selection my lord!" The goblin chief expined to Non.

  "Hmm... That's very convenient. The rest of you may leave except for your leader." Non said, every goblin in the room didn't hesitate, fleeing like their lives depended on it.

  "What's your name by the way?" Non asked the goblin chief after it was just the two of them in the room.

  "I do not have one my lord." The goblin chief replied.

  "Grommash. That shall be your name from now on." Non said.

  "Thank you, my lord!" The goblin chief said as he beamed into a smile.

  'Hmm... Things worked out better than I thought, these goblins are worse than scum too. But I can use them to punish those people and get rid of them as well in the future if necessary. Grommash is a smart one though, he might be useful to me in the future.' Non thought to herself as she zed on the goblin chief's throne, her eyes closed.

  How should she proceed forward from here on out? Many of these goblins had already vioted and killed some women from the vilge provided by Torak before she came.

  She wanted to get rid of them but at the same time she also needed them. A thought suddenly came to her mind. She opened her eyes and looked at Grommash, still kneeling before her.

  "Tell me of the rules you goblins live by," Non said.

  "Yes, my Lord!" Grommash replied as sweat ran down the sides of his face.

  "We don't have many ws...," Grommash paused before continuing, "The most important w is: The Sanity w, which states that; 'He who wears the crown of bone shall never touch the flesh of human women, lest his mind be shattered by the gods’ wrath like the rest of his underlings.' This w prevents the goblin chief from ever participating in the breeding rituals in order to keep our sanity and lead the rest of the tribe effectively."

  "Oh? Since you are the current goblin chief, does that mean you have never participated in the breeding rituals ever since you were born?" Non asked.

  "Yes, I've never harmed or touched a human female since my birth. I was born as the next goblin chief so precautions to prevent that were taken by the previous chief.

  Every goblin chief is born between the previous goblin chief and a pure breed female goblin."

  "Female goblin? I don't think I've seen one on my way here," Non said with a curious face.

  "That's because they are extremely rare. Other than the one who mothered me, I've never seen one myself."

  "Oh? Does that mean you're a virgin?" Non smirked, mocking Grommash and leaving him speechless.

  Grommash: "..."

  ...

  "The other ws are..." Grommash continued as he named the rules they lived by, a while ter...

  "Enough." Non stopped Grommash from speaking any further. She had already heard what she wanted to hear.

  "The current generation of goblins is not allowed to pass on their teachings to the next. "She continued.

  "Huh?" Grommash was confused, "I'll let them breed with the female prisoners, but I'll wipe them out after. They've already vioted some of the women from my vilge so I can't let them live. We'll start over from the next generation." Non said in a cold voice.

  Grommash was shocked as he broke into a cold sweat. This was what he feared most. As the only sane goblin in the nest, he knew the ways of his brethren were cruel and vile. But he still loved them regardless because it was his duty to lead and protect them.

  His father, the previous goblin chief had told him all about the outside world and the nature of their vile and primitive race. From his father's stories he had learned that no matter what, he must never draw the attention of the powerful humans.

  This was why he had struck a deal with Torak instead of attacking and pilging the vilge. Although his nest was small, it was enough to take over the vilge and forcefully take all the women back to the nest. But he was timid by nature and knew that such an act would draw too much attention.

  "B-But..." Grommash tried to plead.

  "I'm not asking. I'm telling you what will happen. You can either accept it or die along with them." Non said in cold voice as her face darkened.

  Grommash didn't dare refute or look Non in the eye as his body trembled. Not from Non's threat, but from the pain that now throbbed in his heart, followed by guilt.

  He didn't want to admit it but he felt slightly relieved by Non's words. With such a powerful master, maybe change was possible for his brethren. He didn't know why but he felt something from Non, something that drew him in.

  "Y-Yes! I'll follow your orders my lord!" He shouted as he resolved himself to serving her.

  "Good. We'll discuss the details and new rules ter. For now, I'll hand over the prisoners to you. They are scum who deserve what's coming to them so treat them as such."

  "Yes, my lord!"

  Non stood up and left after that. With the Goblin's nest taken care of, it was time to focus on the vilge now.

  Taking over the goblin's nest was a small milestone to her pn. The vilge took priority as her main base of operations in the future.