Goblin Realm

Lord Emberon immediately closed his eyes, he took a deep breath and delved into his mind to calm himself down. 

When he found a semblance of tranquility within heart, Lord Emberon opened his eyes and surveyed the perplexing landscape. 

A vast grassland stretched out beneath the heavens, adorned with pristine white flowers swaying in the breeze. 

However, juxtaposed against this serene backdrop, an eerie sight unfolded. 

A haunting congregation of lifeless trees encircled the grassland, their branches reaching out like skeletal fingers towards the heavens. 

Confusion gnawed at his head, and with furrowed brows, Lord Emberon voiced his view to this mysterious place that trapped him. 

"Now, where am I?" he questioned.

Abruptly, as if in response, a luminescent screen materialized before him. 

[ Ding! 

Within this iridescent display, a message in bold letters appeared, capturing Lord Emberon's attention. 

[ Goblin Realm ]

Before he could fully process the message, the system gave another message once more. 

[ Ding! 

Mission: Find a worthy goblin for the Goblin Staff within a week. 

Punishment: Stuck in this realm for a year. ]

His mind raced, weighing the consequences of his failure. 

"A year?" 

Lord Emberon exclaimed with a calm expression.

Though seemingly brief, held a hidden danger.

As a dungeon Lord whose life was connected to his own dungeon, the thought of abandoning his domain, leaving it vulnerable without his guidance, sent a little panic within his head. 

With a threat of the Red Horse faction looming over too, he was concerned that they might discover his dungeon if he didn't make it in time.

Soon, Lord Emberon stood there, feeling a strange sensation in the air, as if unseen forces were at work. 

He watched, in an unfazed calm eyes, as a ghostly presence appeared before him, defying the laws of reality. 

It twisted and changed the shape of the air, in a way that was hard to describe. 

Soon, a formless shadow of mass emerges, and seems to shift and form into a familiar form.

Not a bit afraid, Lord Emberon reached out with both hands, his fingers calm as feathers, and casually grabbed the mysterious entity. 

Chuck! 

As he tightened his grip around it, he felt the object. It was raspy and easy to hold but felt a little fragile as it felt like wood. 

Immediately, a system screen appeared above the object. 

[ Ding!

[ 'Goblin Staff' ] 

The cryptic message confused Lord Emberon because the object he held didn't resemble any staff he had ever seen. 

Its shape was twisted and irregular, lacking the elegance usually associated with such an item. 

Yet, the screen insisted on labeling it as a staff, leaving Lord Emberon to wonder about the nature of this strange artifact.

"Doesn't matter," he exclaimed coldly, deciding to move and not stay in this place. 

Even with the eerie surroundings and the unsettling appearance of the staff in his hand, Lord Emberon continued his exploration with cautious steps. 

He walked forward gracefully, driven by his mounting curiosity. 

Each step was deliberate, as if he were engaged in a delicate dance with the unknown.

Minutes felt like an eternity as Lord Emberon ventured deeper into the mysterious realm. 

His calm and unfazed nature blended with the heavy air with an otherworldly silence, broken only by the faint sound of his own footsteps. 

It was then, he heard a faint scuttling noise. 

He turned his head, scanning the shadows until his eyes settled on a peculiar sight.

In front of Lord Emberon was a small creature that looked like a hairless rabbit with long ears. 

Its body, covered in patchy and pale skin, had an unhealthy appearance. The creature's limbs, dark brown and sinewy, seemed disproportionate to its small frame. Its face, a grotesque combination of features, resembled a bat's face marred by misfortune, making it an uglier version of its kind.

Perched on top of the creature's head, a system screen materialized.

[ Unknown creature appeared! ]

The strange being was engrossed in sniffing the ground when it suddenly raised its head, its beady eyes scanning the surroundings. 

In a strange moment of coincidence, its gaze met Lord Emberon's, and an unspoken tension filled the air, creating an invisible twisting vacuum. 

As if provoked by Lord Emberon's mere presence, the creature's eyes changed before Lord Emberon's unfazed looking eyes. 

They narrowed and glowed with a malevolent fire, replacing the innocence of its previous expression with a primal rage. Its body twisted, turning to Lord Emberon as if preparing to unleash a terrifying display of aggression. 

A deafening shriek or snarl erupted from its throat.

Kraaa!!

Its sound was otherworldly and filled with threat.

Facing the furious, skinless creature, Lord Emberon remained unfazed, calm and composed. 

Just as he considered leaving the creature alone and leaving it be, a system screen appeared before him. 

Ding!

However, this time, it looked different, it had boxes, and words like choices written inside them.

He looked at the options: 

[ Engage in Combat? ]

[ Capture? ]

[ Test Goblin Staff compatibility? ]

[ Run? ]

Lord Emberon recognized the game-like mechanics along with the reincarnator's memories, and calmly said, "Test Staff compatibility." 

Without consciously deciding, he lifted the strange staff in his left hand and aimed it at the peculiar "unknown" creature. 

The staff emitted a piercing blue light that quickly faded. 

Bweng! 

Zen!

Another system screen appeared. 

[ Not compatible! ]

At the same time, the creature roared again. 

Kraaa!!

After that, the game-like choices reappeared.

[ Engage in Combat? ]

[ Capture? ]

[ Test Goblin Staff compatibility? ]

[ Run? ]

Intrigued, Lord Emberon chose "Capture," only to be presented with another set of four boxes. 

The first choice remained the same: "

[ Engage in Combat? ]

But the following options differed: 

[ Throw Capturing Cubes? ]

[ Throw a meat? ]

[ Back? ]

Facing a row of mysterious boxes, Lord Emberon curiosity piqued by the intriguing choices before him. 

One box in particular, labeled [ Throw a meat? ] caught his eye.

Meanwhile, the box [ Throw Capturing Cube ] was familiar with what was inside of it, so he didn't choose it first.

Intrigued by the possible connection, he chose the [ Throw a meat? ] box.

Ding! 

As Lord Emberon made his selection, the screen transformed once again, revealing a new boxes with the inscription: 

[ Bipalium King meat (17) ]

[ Bipalium meat (9) ]

[ Helix Aspersa King meat (13) ]

[ Helix Aspersa King meat (5) ]]

[ Hirudo King meat ( 14) ]

[ Hirudo meat (23) ]

This information triggered a flood of memories, transporting Lord Emberon back to the time when he had defeated the first two monsters, the Hammer-headed worms. Then, curious about his abilities, he went on a rampage to test them. 

During that time, he had forgotten to learn about the creatures he killed, but he chose not to delve into it.

The several pieces of meat before him were undoubtedly the remains or meat of those other healing creatures he had killed with his dragon claw anti heal ability. 

Realizing this, he mumbled, "No wonder their meat disappeared just when I slew and killed these creatures in the past, the system took them," nodding with understanding.

Driven by his curiosity of what might happen next, Lord Emberon instinctively clicked on the option of [ Bipalium King meat. ] 

Another screen appeared, presenting a question that hung in the air like a tantalizing riddle: 

[ Would you like to throw (1) piece of Bipalium King meat? ] 

[ Yes ] or [ No ]

Without hesitation, Lord Emberon's finger gravitated toward the [ Yes ]

Little did he know what awaited Lord Emberon himself was another uncomfortable moment like earlier when he conjured the Goblin Staff. 

In a surge of astonishment, Lord Emberon's hand and body moved on its own as if guided by an unseen force. 

His raised hand, open in the air. 

Soon a piece of meat materialized within his grasp, defying the laws of reality. 

His eyes glinted with a hint of awe, seemingly still struggling to comprehend the unexplainable

event unfolding before him in his head. 

With purpose, Lord Emberon instinctively hurled the meat toward the unknown creature standing before him, witnessing its perfect arc slinging through the air.