The lesson ended shortly after Lady Zira's demonstration and before the young kobolds could begin another round of questions, she suddenly clapped her hands together.
"Everyone up. Today's lesson will continue outside."
The classroom immediately erupted into excitement.
Several hatchlings practically launched themselves from their stools while Ru'k somehow managed to trip over absolutely nothing and crash into two of his classmates before scrambling back to his feet.
Ka'z remained seated for a moment as he watched his siblings scrambling toward the exit.
In over a year of living within the Vaal'kor Clan, he had never been allowed beyond the deeper sections of the colony. Most of his knowledge of the outside world came from stories, maps, and the occasional hunter returning with fresh prey.
Without wasting time, he followed the others. As he walked with the group, his gaze lingered on Lady Zira's back.
He found himself wondering just how strong she actually was.
Ding!
A bell suddenly rang inside his head and a translucent panel appeared before his eyes.
[Inspection Successful]
[Name: Zira]
[Race: Kobold]
[Aether Core: Silver][Low]
[Elemental Affinity: Water and Earth]
[Bloodline: Kobold Lineage]
[Bloodline Tier: Low]
[Bloodline Purity: ][100%][Awakened]
[Soul Stage: Mortal]
[Status: Healthy]
'Ooh?'
Ka'z blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected it to work.
Truthfully, he had only been testing the Survey Module on a whim, yet it had returned far more information than he anticipated.
What shocked him even more was the amount of detail.
The system had practically laid her existence bare. His eyes narrowed as they settled on one particular line.
[Soul Stage: Mortal]
'Why is her soul mortal and mine awakened?'
Ka'z inwardly asked out of curiosity.
Nothing happened. No explanation appeared or helpful tutorial popped up. The system remained completely silent.
Seeing that the stingy system had no intention of giving out freebies, Ka'z could only curse under his breath before continuing after the group.
The students travelled through the colony's winding tunnels while Lady Zira led from the front. As they approached the upper levels, the cool underground air gradually changed. A fresh breeze drifted through the tunnels carrying unfamiliar scents.
For the first time since his reincarnation, Ka'z found himself genuinely excited.
Moments later, daylight appeared ahead.
The children burst from the cave entrance like prisoners escaping confinement while Ka'z stepped out more cautiously.
The moment he emerged from the tunnel, he froze.
The sight before him was breathtaking.
Endless green stretched in every direction.
Massive ancient trees towered over the landscape, their trunks wider than entire houses. Sunlight filtered through the canopy in brilliant golden rays while birds soared overhead and insects buzzed through the warm afternoon air.
The Evergreen Forest.
For the first time, Ka'z truly understood why it carried that name.
The forest looked ancient and alive. Everywhere he looked, life flourished. Compared to the dark tunnels of Vaal'kor Clan, the outside world felt impossibly vast.
Several younger kobolds immediately began chasing insects while others threw themselves into the grass and rolled around without a care in the world. One particularly ambitious hatchling, Taz, even attempted to fight a squirrel.
The squirrel won decisively.
Lady Zira quickly dragged the unfortunate kobold away before the battle escalated any further but his pride was wounded and he had found a rival.
The rivalry between the two was bound to stretch decades.
"Stay together!" she shouted.
Ka'z merely watched the chaos unfold and shook his head.
At that moment, he finally understood why the clan had placed a female kobold in charge of training the younger generation.
They didn't just need someone capable of teaching. They needed someone patient enough to survive this.
Patience was not exactly a male strength.
The group soon moved away from the cave entrance. They followed a narrow path through the forest until the hidden settlement surrounding the cave slowly revealed itself.
Ka'z's eyes widened.
The kobolds had built far more than he expected.
Wooden watchtowers stood at various locations throughout the surrounding area. Camouflaged platforms had been erected amongst the trees while hidden traps dotted the forest floor. Small patrols of armed kobolds moved through the area carrying spears and bows while keeping watch over the surrounding wilderness.
The deeper they travelled, the more construction became visible.
Dozens of older kobolds were busy carrying materials, shaping terrain, and reinforcing structures.
Eventually, the group arrived at a long trench stretching across a large clearing. The ditch was roughly three feet deep and extended so far that Ka'z couldn't immediately see where it was going.
They were planning to dig a big ditch around the cave entrance.
Several adult kobolds worked inside while others transported dirt away using woven baskets.
Lady Zira turned toward the class.
"Today's lesson is practical."
Ka'z immediately had a bad feeling.
"The colony is expanding its drainage system. Heavy rain last season flooded three lower chambers and destroyed part of the mushroom farms."
She pointed toward the trench.
"You will help dig."
Silence.
Ka'z blinked.
Surely he had misunderstood.
Unfortunately, judging by the excited reactions of his classmates, he had heard perfectly.
The children immediately rushed toward the trench, leaving him standing behind. Several grabbed small digging tools without hesitation. Ru'k, in particular, somehow acquired two shovels and immediately began running around while pretending to be a legendary warrior.
Ka'z stared at the scene in disbelief.
'This is child labor. They're really making one-year-olds dig trenches.'
Naturally, he kept those thoughts to himself.
Every single one of his siblings and step-siblings had already jumped into the trench and begun working enthusiastically.
With no other choice, Ka'z followed them while silently wondering how his first trip outside the cave had somehow transformed into a traumatic event.
Meanwhile, Lady Zira appeared completely satisfied.
"Core refinement requires the body, life force, and core to grow together. Remember, a stronger core places greater strain on the body. If the body is too weak, progression stalls."
She delivered the lesson while watching the children dig excitedly.
Everyone except Ka'z.
Unlike them, he had once lived in a world where this would have been highly illegal.
This wasn't training.
This was manual labor.
The kobold equivalent of a construction site.
The worst part was that everyone looked happy about it.
His classmates eagerly climbed into the trench and dug with all the enthusiasm of children playing a game. To them, this wasn't work.
It was an opportunity to help the colony. An opportunity to contribute.
Ka'z sighed.
The modern human within him wanted to file several complaints.
Unfortunately, emergency services did not exist in this world because all these kobold hatchlings clearly needed to be repossessed from their negligent parents.
At the same time, he understood the reality of the situation.
Vaal'kor Clan simply didn't possess the luxury of letting its young spend years playing.
Every contribution mattered.
Every claw mattered.
Every worker mattered.
The colony existed because everyone worked.
Whether they were warriors, hunters, gatherers, priests, craftsmen, or hatchlings, there were no exceptions.
With another sigh, Ka'z climbed into the trench and grabbed a digging tool. The earth was surprisingly soft.
Around him, the sounds of laughter and excited chatter filled the air while dozens of young kobolds worked together.
For a moment, Ka'z glanced toward the distant watchtowers overlooking the forest and then toward the hidden cave entrance direction.
Only then did he realize something. The adults weren't simply building a gutter. They were expanding the colony's territory beyond the safety of the caves.
That explained the watchtowers.
The patrols.
The traps.
The defensive positions.
The clan wasn't preparing for today, they were preparing for the future. Still, one question lingered in his mind.
Wouldn't all of this work better if they simply built walls?
For the first time, Ka'z began seeing Vaal'kor Clan as something more than a collection of weak kobolds desperately struggling to survive.
He saw a people fighting for a future. Even if that future occasionally involved highly questionable amounts of child labor.