Chapter 121: The Ancient City Awakens
The rumbling beneath their feet intensified.
Golden lines continued spreading across the throne room floor, weaving through every crack before disappearing down every hallway. The light grew brighter, brighter still. Then a distant rumble echoed throughout the underground city.
Sun looked toward the doorway. "That definitely wasn’t here before," he said.
Another boom echoed, closer this time. Stone dust drifted from the ceiling.
Eden landed on Arthur’s shoulder and held onto his collar. "Is the city okay?" she asked.
Arthur looked toward the entrance. "I think we should go find out," he said.
Nobody disagreed. The entire group hurried to the balcony and looked outside.
Everyone stopped. Golden lines stretched beneath every road, flowing like rivers of liquid sunlight beneath the ancient stone. Every intersection connected. Every building became outlined in glowing gold. Symbols Arthur had never seen before slowly appeared across walls and pillars before fading back into the stone.
Somewhere...
Ancient bells rang.
Not because anyone struck them but because the city itself had awakened. The sound echoed through every street.
Every tower.
Every home.
The entire underground city shimmered. It looked less like a city and more like a sleeping kingdom opening its eyes.
Eden slowly spun in the air. "So pretty," she said, golden light reflecting inside her silver eyes.
Arthur slowly looked around. "It’s beautiful," he said.
Athena stared in complete silence. "This," she said. "I’ve never seen anything like this."
Even Mara looked speechless. "The entire city," she said. "It’s one enormous formation."
Golden light continued flowing across every road, every tower, every staircase, every rooftop.
Then, boooooom. The entire mountain trembled. Outside the city, massive stone walls slowly rose from the earth. Ancient gates emerged beside them. Watchtowers climbed higher and higher before locking into place with thunderous sounds.
None of the old buildings changed. None of the damaged homes repaired themselves. Instead, the city itself looked alive.
Every street glowed.
Every doorway shimmered.
Every symbol radiated ancient power.
Sun slowly looked around. "This place suddenly feels a lot harder to invade," he said.
Athena nodded. "I think that was the intention," she said.
Arthur couldn’t help smiling. "Now this," he said, "is a kingdom."
Arthur slowly looked around the glowing streets, then quietly smiled. "Halburn really planned everything," he said.
Silence. Everyone looked toward him.
Sun blinked. "Who?" he asked.
Arthur looked back. "The Goblin King," he said.
Nobody answered.
Athena frowned slightly. "The Goblin King’s name was Halburn?" she asked.
Arthur nodded. "I only learned it recently," he said.
Mara stared. "How?"
Arthur reached into his Mana Realm. A flash of light appeared, and moments later a journal rested in his hands, wrapped in crystal, bound together by golden thread.
Everyone looked at it. Arthur gently brushed his thumb across the cover. "I think this is another one of Halburn’s journals," he said.
Athena’s eyes widened. "A journal?"
Mara immediately hurried over. "Another one?"
Both women stood beside Arthur within seconds.
Athena carefully studied the crystal covering. "It’s preserved perfectly," she said.
Mara’s excitement was impossible to hide. "Arthur," she said, "do you realize what this could contain?"
Arthur smiled. "I’m guessing history?" he said.
Athena actually laughed. "Much more than that," she said.
Mara nodded excitedly. "If this was written by the Goblin King himself, this could answer questions historians have argued about for centuries," she said.
Sun slowly leaned over Arthur’s shoulder. "Now I kind of want to read it too," he said.
Arthur chuckled. "I was planning to," he said.
He carefully opened the journal. Athena immediately leaned in from his right. Mara leaned in from his left. Neither of them noticed how close they had gotten.
Arthur smiled before turning the first page.
...
Outside, dozens of Goblins stood frozen. The golden roads reflected in their eyes. Children pointed excitedly toward the glowing buildings.
Older Goblins slowly removed their helmets.
Some quietly fell to one knee.
Others simply stared.
No one spoke.
For generations, their ancestors had told stories about the Ancient City. Stories about the day their kingdom would awaken again. None of them had truly believed they would live to see it.
Yet now the streets beneath their feet glowed with ancient light.
The Kingdom had returned.
An elderly Goblin slowly reached down. Touched one of the glowing roads. His hands trembled. Tears quietly rolled down his face. "...Grandfather... It really came back."
A child tugs his father’s sleeve. "Is this the city Grandpa talked about?"
The father kneels, smiling through tears. "...Yes. This is home."
One Goblin slowly whispered, "The Prophet."
Another smiled. "He really did it," he said.
Within moments, cheers spread throughout the city.
"The Prophet awakened the City!"
"Our home!"
"Our Kingdom!"
"Our future!"
More voices joined, and soon the cheers echoed across the entire valley.
...
Arthur scratched his cheek. "I don’t think I deserve all that," he said.
Sun immediately answered. "You absolutely do," he said.
Arthur laughed awkwardly. "Maybe a little," he said.
The Goblins laughed.
Raku stepped forward, his eyes shining with emotion. "Our ancestors waited generations," he said, "and you fulfilled their dream."
Arthur smiled as he looked across the city.
The children laughing.
Adult goblins cheering.
Teenagers running around.
"I’m glad we could," he said. "It was worth it."
Then his eyes wandered toward the Yan Tribe. He blinked. "They all evolved," he said.
Goblin Warriors.
Goblin Archers.
Goblin Scouts.
Goblin Mages.
Every remaining member of the Yan Tribe had advanced.
Arthur smiled. "They really did it," he said.
Vedas followed his gaze, his expression softening into a proud smile. "They’ve become warriors," he said.
Arthur nodded. "They’ll be able to protect everyone now," he said.
Eden looked around, her silver eyes sparkling. "They’re all smiling," she said, slowly smiling herself. "I like this feeling."
Arthur looked toward her. "Me too," he said.
She happily grabbed one of his fingers.
Eventually the rumbling stopped, and the city grew quiet.
Sun looked around. "So," he said, "does this mean we own an ancient kingdom now?"
Arthur blinked. "I don’t know," he said.
Mithra laughed. "I don’t think anyone knows," she said.
Athena crossed her arms. "I doubt there has been a case like this in recorded history," she said.
Sun slowly looked toward Arthur. "You somehow found one," he said.
Arthur immediately pointed toward Vedas. "I think he’s the King," he said.
Vedas immediately shook his head. "No," he said.
Arthur grinned. "You were sitting on the throne in my imagination," he said.
Sun laughed. "That’s convincing evidence," he said.
Everyone laughed. Even Eden giggled.
Then Arthur’s King’s Mark grew warm again, golden light gathering beneath his feet. Another trail appeared.
Arthur smiled. "Looks like Halburn isn’t finished with us yet," he said.
Everyone followed the trail back into the throne room. This time the golden light didn’t lead toward the altar. It stopped directly in front of the throne.
Arthur looked at it for several moments, then smiled. "Why don’t you sit on it?" he said.
Everyone looked toward him.
Vedas blinked. "Are you sure?" he asked.
Arthur nodded. "Just try," he said. "I want to see something."
Sun folded his arms. "You’re curious again," he said.
Arthur grinned. "It’s worked every other time," he said.
Mithra nodded. "Hard to argue with that," she said.
Vedas slowly climbed the steps, looked back once, and Arthur simply nodded. Vedas turned and sat down.
Silence. One second. Two. Three.
Then the throne erupted with golden light. The King’s Mark became scorching hot. A massive wave of light exploded throughout the chamber. Every mural glowed. Every pillar shone. The throne itself radiated ancient authority.
Then a notification appeared.
[Goblin King Evolution]
[Fourth Requirement Completed]
Take the Completed Crown to the Throne.
Have the Commander Sit Upon It.
[1/1]
Arthur’s eyes widened, a grin slowly spreading across his face. That only left one more requirement.
Level Thirty.
His heart began racing. Just one more level, then Vedas could finally become the Goblin King. After all the battles and completing the trials, they were finally approaching the end.
Arthur was about to speak. "How do you—"
He stopped. Golden light wrapped around Vedas, slowly, carefully, layer after layer, until his entire body disappeared inside a brilliant cocoon.
No sound escaped it.
No movement.
Only soft golden light, almost lLike a heartbeat.
Silence filled the room.
Eden gasped. "Big Brother!" she said, instinctively flying forward.
Arthur gently caught her.
She looked back at him. "What happened?"
Athena narrowed her eyes. "I’ve never seen this before," she said.
Mara quietly shook her head. "Neither have I," she said.
Arthur closed his eyes, and tried to feel Vedas emotion. And he instantly felt.
Calmness.
Peacefulness.
Comfortable.
And then an image appeared inside Arthur’s mind. Vedas stood inside an endless golden hall, and Goblin King Halburn stood before him, smiling, proud. He slowly reached out and placed one hand on Vedas’s shoulder.
Arthur smiled and opened his eyes. "I think he’s fine," he said.
Everyone looked toward him.
Arthur smiled. "He’s receiving the last part of Halburn’s inheritance," he said.
Eden immediately relaxed, her shoulders dropping. "Oh. That’s good," she said.
Arthur couldn’t stop smiling. Just one level. We’re really almost there.
Another notification appeared.
[Title Obtained]
[Kingdom Awakener]
[Given to one who restored an Ancient Kingdom to life.]
[Effect: Instinctively sense the direction, location, or object most closely tied to your current objective.]
Arthur blinked. "Huh," he said, tilting his head. "That’s actually amazing."
Eden floated closer. "What happened?"
Arthur smiled. "I think the title, Kingdom Awakener, sounds pretty cool. Don’t you think?
She clapped excitedly. "It does! I wish I had one like that."
"...You’ll be the Kingdom’s Miracle."
Eden froze. "...Me?"
Arthur nodded. "I think it fits."
She became bright red before looking away. "R-Really?"
"Of course! Everyone will agree if you ask them."
"We agree." Mithra nodded with a laugh.
"Anyone who disagrees is wrong." Athena and Mara bluntly said at the same time.
"You guys are so kind."
Before Arthur could say anything, the entire building shook once more.
A pillar of blazing fire erupted into the sky, exploding through the King’s Temple roof, stone blasting in every direction.
Everyone immediately turned. Arthur’s smile disappeared. "What was that?" he said.
Rooooar!! Several Blazefang Lions burst from the Temple, more following close behind them. They weren’t attacking. They were running. Running from something.
Then panicked shouts echoed throughout the city. Arthur spun toward the walls. Goblin warriors stood atop the newly awakened battlements, every one of them pointing into the distance.
Arthur followed their fingers.
Beyond the massive golden walls, a black tide poured across the plains. At first he thought the plains were moving.
Then he realized...
They weren’t the plains.
They were monsters, hundreds of them coming to them as if they were drawn by the city’s awakening.
"They found us again," Arthur said.
Behind him, the cocoon surrounding Vedas continued glowing.
Arthur looked once toward the glowing cocoon.
Then back toward the city and he smiled. "Don’t worry. ...We’ll keep everyone safe till your back." He lifted his spear.
As the first dozens monsters were close to reaching the walls.