Jeather waited until the last goblin slipped inside the cavern before moving. The rocky entrance curved inward like a crooked mouth, half-hidden by thick vines and moss.
The air that drifted out carried the scent of damp stone, unwashed bodies, and something sharper beneath it — iron and mana.
He adjusted the strap of his satchel and crouched.
Footprints overlapped in layers.
Small ones.
Bare feet. Clawed toes.
More than five goblins.
More than ten.
"…So not just a hunting party," he muttered.
"Congratulations, I found a neighborhood."
Verdant's card pulsed faintly in his hand, warm and steady.
He slipped inside.
The tunnel sloped downward before widening into a cavern large enough to house crude wooden structures built against stone walls.
Mushrooms glowed faintly along the edges, casting an eerie pale light across the chamber.
Goblin huts.
Drying meat hung from ropes.
Rusty weapons leaned against rock.
He counted quickly.
Seventeen goblins visible.
Two sharpening blades.
Three arguing over something that might have once been a rabbit.
One taller goblin wearing bone decorations.
But then—
He froze.
At the center of the cavern stood something entirely different.
It was taller than the others by a full head.
Its skin was pale — not sickly green, but bone-white. Its ears were longer, its posture straighter.
Unlike the others, it wore armor — mismatched pieces of scavenged metal carefully fitted together. A cracked but polished breastplate. A shoulder guard reinforced with iron nails. A proper sword rested in its grip.
And its eyes.
Red.
Clear.
Focused.
Jeather blinked slowly.
"…Why is there an albino goblin knight?"
The creature turned its head slightly, scanning the cavern with disciplined awareness.
It didn't twitch.
It didn't fidget.
It stood guard.
A knight among scavengers.
The system flickered faintly in his vision.
Albino Goblin Knight – Silver Rank
Variant: Rare Mutation
Threat Assessment: High
Jeather's lips twitched.
"…Collector sense tingling."
He leaned back against the tunnel wall, observing.
The other goblins treated the knight differently.
They kept distance.
None dared approach casually.
It wasn't a chieftain.
It wasn't chanting like a shaman.
It was a warrior.
And it was disciplined.
Verdant pulsed in his palm, eager.
Jeather whispered, "Easy. We don't rush."
He scanned the cavern again.
No visible totem.
No corruption threads.
No external amplification.
This one was naturally strong.
Which made it far more interesting.
He stepped forward deliberately, boots scraping against stone.
A small goblin spotted him first and shrieked.
Seventeen heads snapped in his direction.
Jeather raised a hand casually. "Evening."
Chaos erupted.
Four goblins charged immediately, blades raised.
He flicked Verdant's card into the air.
"Verdant."
Green light exploded outward.
Vines burst from the cavern floor, twisting violently. The first goblin was flung into a hut wall.
The second was lifted mid-swing and slammed into stone.
The third tripped over a vine and face-planted before being promptly wrapped like an aggressive burrito.
Jeather stepped sideways as a thrown dagger skimmed past him.
"See?" he said calmly. "We could've talked."
Two more goblins lunged.
Verdant's vines snapped forward, knocking them unconscious with precise strikes.
The Albino Goblin Knight did not rush.
It watched.
Calculated.
Then it moved.
Fast.
Far faster than the others.
It dashed across the cavern floor with controlled speed, sword flashing in the mushroom light.
Jeather barely raised his arm in time.
A vine intercepted the blade.
Metal screeched.
The knight twisted mid-motion and kicked off the vine itself, flipping backward with impressive control.
Jeather stared.
"…You trained."
The knight lunged again, this time targeting Jeather directly instead of Verdant's manifestations.
He ducked as the sword sliced through air inches above his head.
"Okay," he muttered, rolling away.
"You're not your cousins."
Verdant surged.
Thicker vines erupted from behind the knight, attempting to bind its limbs.
The albino goblin spun, cutting through two vines with swift precision. It moved like a soldier — efficient, controlled, no wasted motion.
Jeather felt a thrill rise in his chest.
"This," he whispered, "is a proper addition."
The remaining goblins scattered, some attempting to assist, others retreating deeper into tunnels.
Verdant handled the weaker ones effortlessly, knocking them aside without much effort.
But the knight—
The knight leapt onto a stone platform and launched itself forward with surprising strength, sword glowing faintly with mana.
System flicker:
Skill Activated – Goblin Blade Art
"Oh, it has skills?" Jeather exclaimed as he dove sideways.
The sword struck the ground where he had stood, cracking stone.
Verdant responded instantly.
Massive emerald vines burst upward, wrapping around the knight's torso.
For a moment, it seemed restrained.
Then the knight roared and flexed violently, muscles bulging under pale skin.
The vines creaked.
Jeather's eyes widened slightly.
"…You're pushing back against Verdant?"
He narrowed his gaze.
Verdant was still labeled Common rank.
And yet—
It had crushed Silver beasts before.
Why?
He watched closely.
The vines weren't weakening.
They were adapting.
Thickening.
Reinforcing at pressure points.
As if learning mid-combat.
"…Mutation," Jeather murmured.
The knight broke one vine free and slashed another apart, advancing again.
Jeather grinned.
"Alright then."
He thrust his hand forward.
"Verdant — suppress."
The cavern shook.
Vines exploded from every direction this time — walls, ceiling, even beneath the knight's feet.
They converged like a closing forest.
The knight fought fiercely, cutting through several, but numbers overwhelmed technique.
A thick vine coiled around its sword arm.
Another locked its legs.
A third pinned its torso against a stone pillar.
The blade clattered to the ground.
The Albino Goblin Knight snarled, red eyes blazing with defiance.
Jeather approached slowly.
Even restrained, the creature radiated presence.
"…You're rare," he said quietly.
The knight tried to break free again.
Verdant tightened.
Not crushing.
Holding.
Jeather drew a sealing card.
He paused briefly.
"…If I'm collecting," he muttered, "shouldn't I aim for the rarest ones?"
He looked at the knight.
White skin.
Red eyes.
Discipline.
Mutation.
He smiled slowly.
"Best decision moving forward."
He activated the card.
Golden light enveloped the Albino Goblin Knight. It roared once more, struggling fiercely as energy peeled away from its body.
Then—
Silence.
Its form dissolved into light and was drawn into the card.
A sharp metallic click echoed in the cavern.
Jeather exhaled.
He looked down.
Albino Goblin Knight – Silver Rank (Rare Variant)
Status: Stable
He laughed softly.
"I was sent to capture a goblin."
He lifted the card.
"And I got the premium edition."
The system chimed.
Mission Complete
Reward Granted
A simple glow flowed into Verdant's card — no stone materializing this time, just pure energy.
Jeather blinked.
"…Direct enhancement?"
Verdant pulsed intensely in response.
Stronger.
Denser.
More vibrant.
He tilted his head.
"You just absorbed the reward directly?"
The card felt heavier now.
More alive.
He shook his head.
"I don't even question it anymore."
He stepped out of the cave as evening light filtered through the trees. The forest was quiet again, as if nothing had happened.
He tucked the Albino Goblin Knight card safely into his inner pocket.
"Collector mode officially active."
He paused mid-step.
"…Why does collecting feel this satisfying?"
He sighed dramatically.
"What is this addiction of collecting beasts?
This can't be healthy."
He thought for a moment.
"Well… it's not a bad feeling."
He rolled his shoulders and began walking deeper into the forest trail.
"Side hobby," he said casually.
"Aside from the revenge in this body."
He glanced at Verdant's card.
"And honestly? I kinda like collecting these."
The forest breeze brushed past him, leaves rustling gently.
He stopped in a small clearing and looked at Verdant's card again.
The surface shimmered brighter than before.
Energy swirled beneath the illustration.
He felt it clearly now.
A threshold.
He took a slow breath.
"…You've been fighting above your rank this whole time."
The card vibrated faintly.
Jeather smiled.
He extended his arm forward.
Green light began to gather around him, swirling upward like rising leaves in a storm.
He chuckled under his breath.
"Evolution…"
The forest wind intensified.
Light flared brilliantly.
He grinned.
"Here we go."