Byung was released and due to his excitement, he failed to tell them everything he had seen.
However, Byung knew he had to revisit the cave and if all of this were a test then it would be okay if he did this much.
He wasn't tortured by any of the goblins but the system that flashed before him was something out of a dream.
But Byung was beginning to think it was exhaustion as this was a possibility with how hard he had been working.
"H-Hi…" A timid goblin called out, Byung recalled this goblin as it was always being scolded by their supervisor.
"Hello…?" Byung looked puzzled because he had no idea why he was being spoken to, realizing this was the first time a worker was attempting to talk to him so it was a bit awkward.
The goblin just stared at him and this made Byung self-conscious as he had no idea what he wanted or why he was doing what he was doing.
"Do you want something?" Byung questioned with a raised brow.
"N-No!" The goblin responded but it kept staring at him without looking away which made Byung even more uncomfortable.
"Weirdo…" Byung thought to himself but he noticed these goblins were a lot smaller than the average goblin but that wasn't the only thing that caught his eye.
"Those scars…" Byung didn't know goblins were harmed physically during these things but these scars were certainly not self-inflicted.
Byung wanted to ask him about it but something told him this was none of his business and diving into it might do more harm than good.
He was going to leave this place soon, the last thing he needed was to create attachments.
Byung decided to walk away and leave this person to whatever fate awaited him.
But from the corner of his eyes, he noticed a few goblins approach this timid one.
Byung could tell right away by the way he tensed up that these goblins were responsible for the scars on his body.
They all lived in a lounge, it wasn't like they slept and worked in these mines 24/7 but they had something of a life albeit restricted outside of work.
Byung never bothered interacting with anyone as his people's skills were lacking and had no plans to take his body for granted.
He noticed that they waited for him to leave the immediate vicinity and this was what prompted them to hang just out of their line of sight.
Byung knew all too well what it felt like to be defenseless and everything in his mind was telling him to leave this place.
"Fucking hell… I can't leave, can I?" Byung hated it but there was no way his conscience wouldn't judge him if he let these goblins harm the other.
They tried to take him away to a more secluded place, it was against the rules to fight but in what world did the strong not prey upon the weak?
This was no different and Byung stopped these goblins from having their way as he re-entered their line of sight, pretending to have forgotten something.
The same way he remembered this timid goblin for being scolded was the same way these goblins remembered Byung for being praised.
He was among the top workers and had benefits they could only dream of, including food and water so there was a hierarchy in place to motivate the workers to work even harder.
A smart system for a bunch of monsters that only think about sex and violence.
Byung hadn't noticed the respect he commanded because they stopped in their tracks, not daring to continue what they had initially planned to.
"Hey, you…" Byung called out to the timid goblin, he knew deep down that these goblins would whoop his ass if this escalated into a fight.
The timid goblin looked up at Byung, the hope that lingered within his confused gaze told Byung all he needed to know.
"M-Me?" The timid goblin was confused but once again, the goblins were violent by nature so these goblins assumed this was Byung taking him as a punching bag.
They looked at each other before backing off, Byung instructed the timid goblin to follow but was surprised by how easy this was.
Byung was so focused on himself that he failed to see that there was more to working and that not everyone would pass the test as he had.
But if that was the case, he would have seen older goblins here but they were all young.
He had already made a grave miscalculation and had no plans to make one again.
Byung took the goblin around the corner, he sighed and turned back but the goblin was on his knees.
"Huh?" Byung muttered because the shameful look in his eyes suggested one thing.
"I get it now," Byung thought to himself, realizing why a timid goblin was being picked on.
It wasn't because he was weak. No, it was due to his feminine features and the fact that there were no women.
Well, they would have to find substitutes for that lapse and what better substitute than this boy?
"D-Do you want to do it here?" The goblin asked and the look of disgust on Byung's face gave him the answer he was looking for.
"I should fucking karate chop this ugly shit," Byung thought to himself because he didn't swing that way and found this insulting that this creature thought he did.
"I have no idea what you had to do to survive but all of that stops now," Byung informed him.
If there was no good mining, there was a high chance the supervisors would turn a blind eye to keep those who are productive happy.
The goblin's eyes lit up and Byung could tell doing this was torture for him but of course, these were just words and there was no way he could reinforce it if these other goblins made an attempt when he was away.
"Man… Why couldn't I be reborn as an elf? My life would have been a lot simpler but I can't complain. Anything is better than the life I led in my past life," Byung thought to himself and he hated that the other goblins would assume he was doing what they were doing to him.
The goblins were proving to be too freaky a race for him in all honesty.
But Byung was curious about what the outside world looked like beyond here, this was something he wished to see.
-
"I heard there is a promising goblin among these recent sets, Gribnox," A goblin that dressed a lot differently from the others.
Unlike the average goblin that was dressed in tattered clothes, this goblin was dressed in something nice and this was the case for the goblin he was talking to as well.
"He was birthed by an orc. I wonder if an orc feels as good as a human, what do you think?" Gribnox asked with a perverted grin on his face.
These two were Barons but they weren't as powerful as they would have liked due to the area they headed being one of the lowest in terms of production.
The goblins were littered with each mining site having a different baron in charge of it.
"I get hard thinking about it…" Gribnox added, his mouth salivating at the thought.
"You can get anything with the right amount of coin," Murkfang responded.
"I SPEND ON MY DAMN COIN ON THAT DWARF!" Gribnox exclaimed before looking at his friend.
"Unless…" Gribnox paused but Murkfang wasn't having any of it.
"No Gribnox, I'm not lending you any money," Murkfang was quick to nip in the bud.
And just like that, the potential conversation about an outstanding worker was forgotten because one cared more about getting his dick wet than any other thing.
Murtfang knew that whoever the goblin was, he must be observed further because this had never happened.