Cultivation of Goblin

The scent of other goblins grew stronger, tinged with a faint, unfamiliar musk. He crept towards the light, his senses on high alert. His enhanced [Perception] (now 1.5) allowed him to pick up subtle sounds: the rustle of leaves, the snap of a twig, and then, the unmistakable, crude grunts of his kind.

He found himself at the mouth of a shallow cave, tucked into a rocky outcrop. Before it, a crude, pathetic camp. A handful of goblins, no more than ten, squatted around a smoking, meager fire. They were even smaller than his previous tribe, their skin a duller green, their bodies gaunt. Runts, all of them.

His old self would have felt pity, perhaps fear of being caught by them, or even a sense of kinship. But his new self, the reborn predator, saw only resources. Weakness. Potential.

He activated [Earth Sense (F)]. The aura around these goblins was almost nonexistent. They were uncultivated, clinging to mere survival. They scrabbled for roots, gnawed on thin bones, their eyes vacant. They were not warriors. They were barely even sustenance.

One particularly scrawny goblin, barely larger than him, whimpered as a stronger one cuffed it, snatching its meager portion of grubs. This was the same brutal hierarchy he'd escaped. He felt a flicker of contempt. This was what goblins were? Pathetic.

He needed to approach them. But not as a desperate, equal runt. He needed to establish dominance. He needed to show them strength.

He withdrew into the shadows, formulating a plan. These goblins were simple. They understood only force and fear, or perhaps, the promise of survival. He had to be perceived as a bringer of both.

He found a cluster of loose rocks near the cave entrance, small enough to manipulate with his [Minor Earth Manipulation (E)]. He also spotted a few more Lumina-Beetles flitting deeper within the shadows. He quickly devoured them, topping off his Mana.

His goal was to appear as an imposing, mysterious force. He would not reveal his presence directly, not yet. He would make them feel his power.

With precise, controlled bursts of Mana, he began to work. He subtly shifted the ground beneath their feet, causing a sudden, unnerving tremor. The goblins yelped, scattering in confusion, their beady eyes darting around frantically. They knew something was wrong, but saw nothing.

As they huddled back together, he then used [Minor Earth Manipulation] to dislodge a few pebbles from the cliff face above their cave, letting them clatter down near the entrance. The sound was sharp, almost like an unseen warning.

The goblins began to chatter nervously, their primitive language filled with fear. They imagined larger beasts, unseen predators. Their terror was palpable.

He watched, a cold satisfaction spreading through him. They were easily manipulated.

Then, he made his move. He concentrated his Mana, channeling it into the ground directly beneath their meager fire. With a surge of mental effort, he caused a small, sudden puff of dirt to erupt from the flames, scattering ashes and sparks. The fire, their only source of warmth and comfort, flickered precariously.

The goblins shrieked, scrambling away from the disturbed fire. Their chieftain, a slightly larger, scarred goblin, let out a confused, fearful roar. This was no ordinary animal. This was something supernatural.

He allowed a moment of silence to descend, letting their fear fester. Then, from the deepest shadows, he projected his voice. It wasn't his human voice, but a low, guttural growl, amplified by some unseen System function, making it resonate with ancient power.

"Silence, weaklings!" the voice boomed, deep and resonant, seemingly from all directions at once. The goblins froze, trembling. They looked around wildly, trying to pinpoint the source.

"This territory... is under new eyes," he continued, allowing a hint of menace to creep into his tone. "Your weakness... is an insult to the earth."

The chieftain, quivering, dared to squeak, "Who... who speaks?"

He stepped out of the deepest shadow, not fully into the firelight, but enough for his form to be vaguely visible. He was still small, but the aura of power he projected, combined with the unseen manipulations and the booming voice, made him seem colossal in their terrified eyes. His green skin, now tougher, reflected the firelight with an almost metallic sheen.

"I am the one who will raise you... or crush you," he declared, his voice a chilling promise. "You will serve. You will learn strength. Or you will be consumed by the darkness."

The goblins cowered, their eyes wide with a mixture of terror and awe. They had never seen a goblin like this. He was not one of them, yet undeniably one of their kind. He was a master. His first step towards building his tribe had begun.