They leaned in slightly to see what it was, and a quiet gasp slipped through the room.

"The garnets," Gork exclaimed in recognition.

"As expected of the young totem," Flogga said, a note of approval in her voice. "You managed to acquire it."

"Of course," I replied, a faint grin forming. "Did you think I’d fail?"

No one answered that.

They didn’t need to.

Instead, each of them reached out, picking one up to examine it more closely, turning it in their hands, watching the way the light moved within.

I lifted one as well, holding it up between my fingers.

"With this," I said, letting my voice settle into something more deliberate, "our walls won’t just be stronger—they’ll be connected."

Their attention shifted back to me.

"It doesn’t stop at reinforcement. Once linked properly, this thing will project an energy barrier over the entire base—like a roof, but stronger, and far more responsive."

I paused briefly, letting that sink in before continuing.

"The barrier doesn’t just take hits—it spreads them out. Physical attacks lose their force on contact, and most forms of energy get diffused before they can break through. Even if something manages to strain it or create a weak point, it doesn’t stay open for long."

I lowered the garnet slightly.

"It stabilizes itself. Repairs faster than anything can exploit it—unless whatever’s hitting it has enough output to overwhelm it completely."

I let my gaze move across them.

"In short... It’s the best defense any clan can have right now."

"Wow... that is rather vital," Narg said, his gaze fixed on the garnet in his hand, the usual steadiness in his expression giving way to something closer to awe. "With this, we wouldn’t have to worry about the clan getting attacked so easily."

"It won’t make us untouchable," I replied, "but it raises the bar high enough that most threats won’t even be worth worrying about."

"It will take a day or more to properly integrate it into the barrier if we get to work immediately," Bundi added, already shifting into that focused mindset of his. "But I’m confident I can make it work."

"That’s good to hear, Bundi."

I let that settle for a moment before continuing, resting my hand lightly against the table.

"Now... as valuable as this is, it only solves one part of the problem. Or more accurately, it fulfills one of the conditions required to participate in the King’s Games."

That drew their attention back fully.

"What are the remaining conditions?" Narg asked.

I brought up my status, letting the requirements surface in front of me as I read through them again, making sure nothing had changed.

Requirements:

– Chosen must have a kill count of more than 50. (Completed)

– Clan of the Chosen must have at least 100 goblins. (Incomplete)

– Clan of the Chosen must have 20 goblins above level 50. (Incomplete)

– Clan of the Chosen must include five or more Chosen. (Incomplete)

– Defeat a current competitor who has secured their place and claim their spot. (Completed)

I lowered the window and spoke.

"The clan needs at least one hundred members. Out of those, twenty must be level twenty or higher. And we need a minimum of five Chosen within the clan."

There was a brief pause before Gork spoke.

"Don’t we already meet the last requirement?" he asked. "Myself, Nira, Talia... and you."

I shook my head slightly.

"Except me," I said. "I don’t count toward that requirement."

"We need five Chosen other than myself."

"Oh... that means we’re short by two," Gork muttered, the realization settling in.

"As for boosting our numbers," Flogga said, leaning back slightly in her seat, "we can always do it the natural way."

I turned toward her, blinking once, slowly.

"...Pardon?"

"What do you mean by natural?" Gork asked, his tone cautious, like he wasn’t sure he actually wanted the answer.

Flogga glanced at him, and the look she gave... I could only describe it as her attempt at being seductive.

"Ah... mating, of course," she said, her voice dropping into something rougher, almost deliberate, paired with a wide, toothy grin that made the whole thing worse.

I nearly choked on my saliva.

What the hell, Flogga?

Gork stiffened immediately, his entire body reacting before his mind could catch up as he turned his head away, visibly shaken.

Bundi wasn’t much better off.

He didn’t say anything, but the way his posture shifted told me he hadn’t been prepared for that either.

Narg and Zarah, on the other hand, were unaffected; they were used to their grandmothers’ antics.

"Wouldn’t that take time?" Narg asked, cutting through the moment with his usual composure.

"Not as much as you think," Flogga replied, clearly amused by the reactions she’d gotten. "Goblins reproduce quickly. Pregnancy doesn’t last long... and birth follows soon after."

My brow lifted slightly.

"Really?"

"Yes," Flogga continued, unfazed. "They grow quickly as well. Within months, they reach adult size... though their minds don’t quite keep up with the body. That’s why most of them seem so stupid. They’re just younglings."

I let that settle, then my gaze shifted—almost on its own—toward Zarah.

There was a real chance she could already be pregnant.

We hadn’t exactly been... careful.

She noticed me looking and turned, a small smile forming on her lips. I returned it without thinking, then looked away before the moment lingered too long.

If she was...Or if she became—

What would that mean?

Becoming a father.

The thought came out of nowhere, heavy in a way I wasn’t prepared for. It wasn’t something I had planned for, not something I had even considered seriously until now, and yet here it was, sitting at the edge of my mind, refusing to be ignored.

Was I ready for that?

Would I even be good at it?

For a brief moment, my chest tightened, a quiet pressure building as the questions stacked faster than I could answer them, and I became aware of the faint sheen of sweat forming along my skin.

Then the effect of my passive skill [Focus] kicked in, pulling my thoughts back into place before they could spiral further.

Not now.

That was something to think about later.

"I suggest we attack a smaller clan and integrate them," Narg said, his voice cutting cleanly through the room. "Even if we consider natural growth, it won’t be fast enough for what we need. We don’t have the luxury of waiting."

He paused slightly before adding, more bluntly,

"We need numbers. Fighters...not infants."

"I agree," Gork added, picking up from where Narg left off. "His suggestion makes the most sense. You take out their chief, and the rest fall in line. Most goblin clans aren’t complicated—they follow strength. Once that’s gone, they adapt."

"Then it’s decided," I said.

There wasn’t...