Golden threads of exp leave the shadowed body, flowing like ribbons and wrapping around the GoblinCube.

  It glows in brilliant light, illuminating the cave.

  Goblins look at it with their mouths wide open. Their eyes sparkle in the golden sheen.

  The body of contained shadows trembles in excitement.

  > Congratulations! You have created Monster Nest (Goblin)

  The GoblinCube glows with newfound purpose.

  But what is a monster nest?

  The System interface pops up in my mind to answer that question.

  > A monster nest has formed! Your GoblinCube now acts as a focal point for spawning basic Goblins.

  === ? Monster Nest ? ===

  Spawn Type: Goblin

  Nest Level: 1 (Tiny)

  Current Capacity: 3/5 Goblins

  Morale: ?? Moderately Happy (Berry-Fed)

  === END ==

  Did I make this? Did I build IT? – No, not quite (my Quest tracker didn’t update)

  Still… Wa-wa-wee-wa!!! – I jiggle my shadow in joy.

  AND! There is MORE!!!

  === ? Upgrade Options ?===

  [UpgradeNest] ? 10 000 EXP

  [UpgradeGoblin] ? Equipment

  [ConstructStructure] ? Material

  [DarkEvolution] ? ???

  === END ===

  The arrow ? indicates cost or requirement.

  I want to upgrade it. I do! But urgh… I sort of feel dry at the moment.

  It says I can upgrade my friends. What a splendid proposal! But… I don’t have any Equipment at the moment, and all I know to craft is cubes.

  And this ??? I don’t even know what it is.

  But Materials… I think I already have a few available to me. In the form of Cubes.

  Dirt cubes, I know I can make them.

  Perhaps stone with time.

  Hence so, my original plan stays standing. The cave-turned-monster-nest is too bare and could do with some structures.

  I check the ConstructStructure option, delving deeper into it.

  Knowledge – born from nowhere – spins inside my inner vortex. I can make a few things already.

  === ConstuctStructure ===

  BerryFarm >> 10 RedBerry Seeds

  [x] Generates food (and joy) for Goblins

  [x] Berries will join your ‘Utopia’.

  GoblinHut >> 10 Dirt, 5 TwigBundles

  [x] Gain a boost to STA upon sleeping

  [x] Residents may or may not make loud noises at night

  CubeForge >> 10 Stone, 1 HeatSpark

  [x] Craft Cube? equipent here

  [x] Smells faintly of molten geometry

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  CubeAltar >>

  [x] Channels CubeFaith, increasing loyalty

  [x] The Spheres will declare WAR on you

  TotemOfScreems >> 3 Skulls, 1 WailingEssence

  [x] Scares hostile monsters and enemies away

  [x] Occasionally screeches at 3AM

  GoblinGuild (Locked) >> ???

  [x] Data undefined

  [x] YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE SEEN THIS

  === END ===

  Oh. Oh? Oh!

  Alright, the BerryFarm and GoblinHut sound easy.

  I snap a shadowy tendril, gathering my friend's attention.

  I tell them that I need their help.

  The goblins look at me. Strange reverence in their eyes.

  The slime jiggles. Ready and eager.

  No words had to be spoken. Everyone knew that we were on a new Side Quest.

  First things first. The RedBerry Seeds. I don’t have them but the bushes might.

  I follow the goblin’s nose to the nearest bunch.

  Here they are, loitering in a small clearing.

  From the get-go, they glare at me. Their many berries are shouting various profanities our way.

  Why do they have to be so rude and angry? So offensive?

  Despite all this, I ask them politely to share. No. To Trade for their seeds.

  And yet the nearest bush uses BushBite on me, its branch prickling my shadowy membrane, disrupting my soul’s containment.

  Fine… Be it your way.

  If you want WAR, you will get it.

  I flick my ebony appendage, signalling for my party to attack.

  We make short work of the bushes. The berries drop in surrender.

  But… There are no seeds!

  The BerryBush is hiding them from me. I know that! I am convinced!

  I wack it once, I wack it twice, hoping for confession.

  Then I say wack, what I mean is I use Manipulate forcefully on it.

  *Whack-Whack*, *Smitely-Smite*

  Ups… I’ve overdone it.

  The berry bush disintegrates right in front of me.

  > Defeated BerryBush +1 EXP

  It turns into a single golden mote. It flows towards me and then gets swallowed into my vortex.

  I’m not sure if I did the right thing.

  The bush will never grow here again. There won’t be any berries.

  But…

  The secret it guarded is dropped upon its death:

  > +1 RedBerry Seeds

  I look at the remaining nine bushes. RIP.

  The dead tell no tales.

  Ritcher by 10 seeds and 10 juice cubes, we head back towards the cave.

  On our way back, I pick the dirt cubes I need. The goblins helpfully gather the twigs.

  And once we’re there, I follow the blueprint the System provides me to build the structures.

  The BerryFarm must go outside.

  Go figure, the seeds just refuse to be planted inside our cave.

  And I know exactly why.

  It’s about the God they worship – the hot sphere in the sky.

  It irks me greatly, but nothing can be done about it.

  At least not at the moment.

  Then, we head inside the cave.

  We’d gathered enough material to build three huts. One for each goblin.

  Again, using the blueprint, I make the structures.

  They are dead easy to make. I just put the dirt cubes together, binding them with some twigs.

  Naturally, the huts end up cube-shaped.

  The goblins give me a grateful “Gobu!” and head inside.

  Huh? Wait…

  One hut is left spare.

  It seems a pair of goblins can occupy a single hut.

  Goblin C – the tiny one – has a hut entirely to themselves.

  I offer the third hut to the slime.

  “Goblin huts are for goblins only” It jiggles to me in refusal.

  I see…

  The slime simply bobs towards the stack of juice cubes, joining the ensemble of geometry.

  It seems content with simply guarding them.

  Alright then.

  The goblins are off to sleep. But I don’t feel sleepy whatsoever.

  Not after that dream I had.

  I decide to use my spare time to explore the forest.

  I feel like gathering Materials to build IT.

  Just as I float right outside the cave.

  Good news! In my absence, the berry farm has sprouted its first berries!

  Better news! The berries are all square.

  They might worship the hot sphere, but they do know how to please their master.

  That is when I detect a presence.

  It is a human! And obviously a She.

  Her class is revealed to me – a Druid!

  Oblivious to my shadow-veiled presence, she is staring at my berry farm.

  I don’t like her sketchy gaze.

  She is eyeing my square berries. Her hand reaches to pluck them.

  Something ugly stirs inside me.

  Those berries, they are… Mine!