After a long, mind-numbing math css reviewing basic concepts Ethan already knew, the math professor finally closed his book and left the room.

  As soon as the door clicked shut behind him, the cssroom erupted with chatter. Students rexed, stretching their legs and eagerly turning to their neighbors to discuss anything other than math.

  Ethan rubbed his temples. He had already known all of that. Hell, most of it was simpler than the math he had learned back in his previous life. Still, he couldn’t compin—an easy css was better than a hard one.

  Shaking off the mental fog, he reached into his bag to grab his Monster Biology textbook, figuring he could skim through the first chapter before the next lesson began.

  Except…

  It wasn’t there.

  Frowning, Ethan emptied his entire bag onto his desk, double-checking every compartment.

  No textbook.

  Damn it.

  Then it hit him.

  Last night… He had pulled it out to study before bed. He must have forgotten to put it back.

  Ethan hesitated, weighing his options.

  Should he run back to the dorm to grab it? Or should he just read along with Daniel or Oliver during the lesson?

  "Ugh… no!" He shook his head. There are already stupid rumors going around about me and Oliver. If we start sharing books now, there’ll be no end to it!

  Decision made, he stood up, grabbing his bag.

  Daniel and Oliver, who had been talking to each other, both turned toward him.

  "Ethan?" Daniel asked, brow raised.

  "Where are you going?" Oliver added.

  "Forgot my textbook," Ethan said over his shoulder. "I’ll be right back."

  "Hmm… sure. Good luck."

  Without waiting for a reply, Ethan bolted toward the door.

  He sprinted through the corridor, weaving between clusters of students, and practically jumped down the staircase two steps at a time. He ignored the strange looks he got from passing students and burst through the doors of the dormitory.

  Within seconds, he was in his room, snatching the textbook from his desk.

  "Got it!"

  Without wasting a second, he dashed back toward the cssroom.

  Unfortunately, the way back was significantly harder than the way there. Running up the stairs—after having run down them—was murder on his legs. His calves were burning by the time he reached the second floor.

  Panting, he wiped the sweat from his forehead as he arrived at the cssroom—

  Only to find it empty.

  His face paled.

  They’re gone.

  Where the hell did they go?!

  He turned around, scanning the hallway. No sign of them.

  Maybe they moved to another room? But where…?

  Just as he was about to panic, his eyes fell on his desk.

  A small piece of folded paper sat there.

  Frowning, Ethan picked it up and opened it.

  It had only a single word written on it:

  Auditorium.

  Did someone leave this for me?

  Ethan narrowed his eyes.

  Was it Daniel and Oliver?

  They didn't seem the type, but aside from them, who else could it be?

  "Thanks for the note!" he said when he finally caught up with them outside the auditorium.

  "No prob—what note?" Daniel said, confused.

  "Yeah, what note?" Oliver added.

  "The one that said you guys were moving to the auditorium."

  "We didn’t leave anything like that," Daniel said, raising an eyebrow.

  "Right," Oliver agreed. "It wasn’t us at all."

  Ethan gnced toward Misha, who was chatting with her friends.

  Did she leave it?

  But no—Misha was completely engrossed in conversation, not even looking in his direction.

  Then who…?

  Before he could dwell on it further, the professor cpped his hands, drawing the students’ attention toward the front of the room.

  Ethan turned toward the source of the noise—and froze.

  Standing beside the professor was a goblin—a live one.

  The creature was trapped inside an iron cage, its dirty green skin covered in scars. It had beady red eyes and sharp cws that twitched as it pulled at the bars of its prison. The goblin snarled at the students, saliva dripping from its crooked teeth.

  Gasps and murmurs spread through the students as they instinctively backed away from the cage.

  The professor—a tall, middle-aged man with graying hair and a no-nonsense expression—calmly stepped forward.

  "Settle down," he said, voice sharp. "This is for educational purposes."

  The goblin growled louder, rattling the bars of its cage.

  "Yes, it’s angry," the professor said casually. "Goblins are highly aggressive, especially when confined."

  The professor drew a sword from the sheath at his side and pointed toward the goblin’s head.

  "This is your target in most cases," he said. "But be aware that goblin skulls are extremely hard. A frontal strike may not penetrate."

  The professor shifted the tip of his sword toward the goblin’s neck.

  "The neck, however, is weak. Goblins have thin cervical bones, making them easy to sever with a well-pced strike."

  He moved the bde downward toward the goblin’s chest.

  "The chest is well-protected by a thick yer of muscle. A standard thrust here might not be enough to reach vital organs. Go for the sides instead."

  The professor stepped around the cage and pointed toward the goblin’s arms and hands.

  "Goblin cws are capable of deflecting standard iron bdes, but they ck the strength to stop reinforced steel."

  The goblin hissed and swiped at the professor through the bars. He sidestepped effortlessly.

  "That’s another thing—goblins are fast. Don’t underestimate their reaction time. If you give them an opening, they’ll take it."

  The professor finally sheathed his sword and faced the css.

  "Questions so far?"

  One of the girls raised her hand.

  "How do you know where goblins are likely to nest?"

  The professor nodded approvingly. "Good question."

  He gestured toward a rge map mounted on the wall.

  "Goblins typically nest in forests and caves. They prefer dark, damp areas with lots of natural cover. If you find crude carvings on trees or rock walls, that’s a strong indicator of nearby goblin activity. They also mark their territory with blood—human blood, if they can get it."

  A few students gulped.

  "The key to hunting goblins," the professor continued, "is to recognize these signs early and anticipate their ambush points. Goblins are ambush predators. They’ll try to lure you into tight spaces where you can’t maneuver. Avoid fighting them in narrow corridors or caves unless you have no other option."

  He crossed his arms.

  "Goblins are dangerous in groups, but isoted, they are weak. Take out their scouts and leaders first, and the rest will scatter."

  Ethan nodded to himself. Simple enough. Cut off the head, and the body crumbles.

  The professor stepped toward the cage.

  "I brought this one in for a reason. Later this month, or maybe next one, we’ll have practical combat sessions where you’ll face live goblins in a controlled environment."

  More murmurs spread through the css.

  "Yes, that’s correct—you’ll be fighting actual goblins. But not yet. For now, you’ll be studying their anatomy and attack patterns. When the time comes, I expect you to be prepared."

  The professor’s gaze sharpened.

  "I know you heard this multiple times, but I'm forced to say it again: Failure will not be tolerated."

  Ethan smirked.

  As expected, this css is going to be fun.

  Another girl raised her hand, her face already turning bright red.

  "Um… Professor?" she started, voice barely above a whisper. "I… uh… heard a rumor about goblins. Is it true that… that they…"

  Her voice trailed off as her face flushed even deeper.

  The professor’s eyes narrowed slightly. He had a pretty good idea where this was going.

  "Speak clearly," he said. "No need to be embarrassed."

  The girl hesitated for a moment longer before forcing herself to continue.

  "Is it true that… goblins… uh… take female humanoids and… use them to… multiply?"

  A ripple of discomfort passed through the css. A few students shifted awkwardly in their seats. Oliver’s face turned pale. Daniel raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Even Ethan felt a chill run down his spine.

  The professor’s expression didn’t change.

  "Yes."

  His cold, ft confirmation made the room’s temperature seem to drop.

  "It is true that goblins capture female humanoids for the purpose of reproduction."

  Some students sucked in sharp breaths.

  "It doesn’t matter what race the female belongs to—be it human, elf, dwarf, or even orc—the result is always the same: a goblin."

  The professor’s eyes darkened.

  "No… that’s not entirely correct."

  A sharp glint passed through his gaze.

  "The result isn’t one goblin. It’s a dozen."

  A stunned silence fell over the room.

  "The offspring consume their mother from the inside during the birthing process. That’s why most victims don’t survive. On the bright side…"

  He smiled thinly.

  "there's no second round."

  Gasps and shudders swept through the students.

  Even Daniel, who was usually immune to shock, clenched his jaw.

  The professor’s tone remained completely cold and matter-of-fact.

  "Goblins have no sense of morality or attachment. They view female captives as nothing more than breeding tools. They’ll restrain them, force-feed them, and keep them alive until the offspring are fully developed."

  His eyes narrowed.

  "Their menu included insects, any kind of raw meat, rotten fruits and anything else they find."

  A quiet, horrified whimper escaped from one of the girls.

  Ethan felt his fists clenching. His stomach twisted unpleasantly.

  "Life inside a goblin colony is a short one," the professor continued, his voice cold and cutting.

  "The gestation period for goblins is just two weeks."

  A fresh wave of discomfort swept through the students. The idea that a goblin could reproduce that quickly was horrifying enough—but what it implied about the rapid growth of goblin colonies made it even worse.

  "That’s why any goblin attack is treated as an emergency," the professor went on. "The rescue and elimination of goblin nests are prioritized above most other cases. After all…"

  He pointed at the caged goblin, which was still thrashing against the bars and hissing.

  "If left alone for even a short period of time, the consequences are catastrophic."

  His gaze darkened.

  "Dealing with one or two dozen goblins is manageable. A hunting party or a mid-tier adventurer squad can handle that without much trouble."

  His eyes sharpened.

  "But leave a goblin nest alone for a month, and you’ll be dealing with over a hundred."

  The cssroom’s atmosphere grew even colder.

  "And that’s only the beginning."

  The professor’s tone sharpened as he began pacing.

  "Goblin numbers don’t increase linearly. They increase exponentially. Once a goblin nest grows rge enough to sustain itself, the newborns will immediately begin to form new nests. This leads to a chain reaction—one nest becomes three, three become nine, and before you know it, you have a goblin outbreak rge enough to overrun a cities. That's what happened 700 years ago. Oh, but you didn't study that event yet right? Then I won't spoil it for you."

  "But don’t misunderstand…" The professor’s gaze swept the room. "This is not a reason to fear goblins."

  He pointed toward the caged goblin beside him, which continued to snarl and cw at the bars.

  "This is a reason to hate them."

  His cold gaze sharpened.

  "You will be training to eliminate threats like this. To crush them so they can never harm another person."

  The goblin growled and smmed its cws against the cage.

  "Or…" The professor’s smile darkened. "You can let them take you instead."

  No one said a word.

  "No?" He chuckled. "That’s what I thought."

  The room remained frozen in cold, oppressive silence.

  "Good." The professor’s smile vanished. "Now, open your books to chapter three. Let’s continue."