So, he scrapped the idea.
Emily looked suspiciously at Alex; she knew he was skirting the topic.
'This probably means there is a way to do it, but brother doesn't want to tell me because it's risky,' she thought.
"I'll tell you the details later.
After the guild is settled, we need to bring members of the guild since it's a category three dungeon."
Emily didn't want to take risks; what if something happened in a category three dungeon?
That would really put their lives at high risk.
"Fine, but remember to bring only those you really trust.
We cannot let the Awe System be known by the public."
Emily replied with a smile, looking forward to capturing that monster.
Since she had read about it in the Monster Encyclopedia, Emily knew it was a solution for her ability.
Alex then turned his gaze to Petricia.
"Do you want to free your people?"
What do I need to do?" Petricia replied wistfully, with hope in her eyes.
"Tell your lord I want to talk with him.
We will negotiate then."
Petricia quickly agreed and excused herself, heading toward the stronghold.
Watching her leave, Alex felt conflicted; he felt guilty since he knew he couldn't fulfill her hope.
Some time passed after Petricia left.
"Emily, now that you know monsters like goblins are just another species, what do you think about this?" Alex asked with a solemn expression.
"Do you think we are any different from Dark Hunters?"
She had dived a few times into dungeons for practice and to raise her hunter star rank.
Emily felt insulted being compared to Dark Hunters.
"It's different, brother.
I don't like you comparing me with them.
We are just protecting ourselves here.
If we don't clear the dungeon, then a break happens.
Do you think these goblins will spare us?"
"But Emily, they also have their own society, kids, family, loved ones.
Not everyone is a soldier; a lot of them are just civilians trying to survive.
It doesn't give us the right to come and massacre them just ."
"So what?" Emily replied sharply.
"Are you saying I am cold-hearted and cruel?
Bro, have you forgotten what happened in that city?
What did those monsters do?"
Emily still remembered every single moment of it; she was deeply traumatized for months before she could move on and steel her resolve.
Seeing the pain in his sister's eyes, Alex walked closer and hugged her.
That's not what I meant."
"Then... what did you mean!?"
It's my fault," Alex sighed.
The horror of that day was like hell on earth.
And when that happened, both of them were still kids.
It also traumatized Alex, but he still felt there was no difference between what hunters did to other species inside the dungeons.
Alex knew not all of them acted like that.
Only some part of them did, but wasn't it the same with the goblins then?
He had heard of some hunters brutally killing monsters, even those that weren't a threat.
Some even sickeningly recorded it and sold the videos on the dark web.
Even though the Hunter Association had banned this kind of recording, people still found a way to get it.
Time passed, and Alex and Emily sat in silence.
Emily was still in a bad mood, upset by what Alex had said.
Deep down, she understood what he meant, but that didn't mean she could just forget the incident.
Her happy childhood was all destroyed because of a monster from the dungeon, and their father's fate was still unknown.
The area they were in now turned bright, thanks to the fires started by Alex.
With the towering trees, the fire blazed brightly like a giant torch, slowly spreading its embers across the forest.
The sound of a branch breaking prompted both of them to turn their gaze.
Alex had been too absorbed in his thoughts, not even checking the radar.
He wasn't worried since he knew Vesa would warn him if any danger came.
Petricia returned with a smile on her face.
She quickly kneeled down.
"King, the goblin lord has agreed to meet with you."
Alex nodded and then turned his gaze to Emily.
Before he could say anything, Emily spoke first.
"Don't you dare say it.
I'm already in a bad mood now.
Alex sighed and walked toward his sister.
He then placed his index finger on the rune on her forehead.
A gentle, warm energy with a green hue started moving through his finger, fueling the rune.
Emily could feel her energy being rejuvenated.
This improved her mood a bit.
"Let's go then," Alex said.
Emily then stood up as the group walked toward the stronghold.
The closer they got, the more amazed Alex was.
The stronghold was completely made from wood, but it wasn't crude at all.
It was engraved with some artistic style, giving Alex the feeling of seeing a castle from the medieval era, but this one was made entirely of wood.
Emily, instead, became more wary.
She could see many goblin archers eyeing them from the walls.
She prepared herself to start fighting at any moment.
Alex felt calm because Vesa had confirmed the High Goblin Lord's intentions through Petricia.
The wooden gate then creaked open, revealing the inside of the stronghold.
Alex could see two towering ogres waiting for him.
They held wooden clubs with some makeshift armor.
Their height was easily three times that of an average human.
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Unleashes a devastating series of attacks that deal massive damage to nearby enemies.
During Rampage, the ogre's resistance to damage is increased, but it becomes significantly slower for a short duration once the ability ends.
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[Target is feeling hope, wariness, and fear.]
Alex shook his head; he didn't find the ogre's emotions strange, considering how Petricia had introduced him.
Petricia spoke something to the ogre in the goblin language.