A day after a rushed job of adjustments to protect myself against my most recent invaders, I saw a few of them congregating outside my Entrance, within my perception range. Do not think just because I went easy on you, you guys will have such an easy experience this time. Just see, my newest additions will absolutely stop you this time…. I mumbled in a half terrified whisper, while giving special attention to the C-Rank Kobold and his four D-Rank goblin companions. I was currently still unable to see the stats of the new goblins, since they were still outside my domain.

  As I was anticipating their next move with distrustful curiosity, I saw them setting up a bonfire along with a circle of stuff just outside my reach, which I would have loved to get my mind tendrils on. I finally felt something happening, when the white haired wrinkled goblin in tattered robes started making weird noises and jumping around the fire like a monkey, sometimes within, and sometimes outside my perception range. The pure mana outside my dungeon started swaying to some rhythm and slowly started spiraling with the wrinkled monkey as the focus.

  The Goblins were most probably preparing for summoning from the Spirit Realm to attack my dungeon. And warning messages started popping up, due to their actions. As the exterior environment started to deteriorate, some types of soul creatures also started phasing in and out the edge of my dungeon with the summoning. I saw the spirits of goblins as well as other creatures who had some slight resemblance to goblins, and even spirits of creatures who looked nothing like goblins, circling around the bonfire along with the wrinkled goblin monkey.

  I tried to catch the status screens of all the new monsters they were summoning from the spirit realm in order to attack me. Various Basic screens of different Ranks started popping up before me for short moments before disappearing as the soul monsters again phased out of my dungeon.

  Some even went so high in rank, that it was the first time I was seeing those Ranks.

  By the time I was done reading through a few of them, I was pretty much convinced today was going to be the day I died. I still have so much to do, why oh why I am still so young. Would my life have been different if I did not take sixteen hours to Anchor my core. Maybe if I had not taken so many days to complete my first floor, I would have been stronger and able to resist the invasion today.

  I never thought I would reach this day where I was backed into the corner. If these Spirit realm creatures do not kill me then I might die from a compromised Anchor point at this point. I think this is the perfect moment where I can stop thinking rationally and start freaking out. I thought to myself as I started to wallow and feeling sorry for myself. Just as my short life of just over two months started flashing before my eyes, I noticed that the warning messages from the system had stopped coming at some point.

  “.............. dislikes anyone going near his floating crystal; he also dislikes a large number of his subjects visiting him at the same time, the optimal number seems to be between five and ten. Now, set up an Altar a few meters into the Cavern as we wait for the Sacrifice to begin.”

  I caught the end of the speech given by the wrinkled monkey. Perceiving the outside world, I discerned goblins standing outside without any spirit creature in sight, even the breach to the spirit realm was slowly mending itself. Looking back, I belief that the previous speech might have contained important information. And I also have some nagging suspicion that it might have something to do with me, especially if the floating crystal they were talking about was my core.

  Just as I was unsure whether it was a good or bad thing that these goblins seemed to know my preferences. All those goblins started coming into my dungeon and few of them started setting up an Altar at the center of my Entrance. I started checking the Status screen of all the new arrivals, which were previously unavailable to me, since they had been outside my domain. All the Status screens of D and E ranks finally convinced me that today was really not my day.

  After the passage of more time, they tied up a roe deer unto the Altar and the Old goblin started swaying around again this time with a knife. "Great Creator of the Dark Below, hear our call! We, the children of shadow and stone, come to honor the ancient pact, to pay tribute to the Lord, our sacred guardian and provider."

  After a long chant without any mana signature or any other significance other than stating their history according to my assumption the wrinkled monkey brought down the knife aiming for the carotid artery of the Deer. Blood spray in a high arch all over him as the sacrifice started struggling for the life that was slipping away along with the blood that started overflowing from the Altar.

  A Contract template popped up as a system message as soon as the sacrifice was made.

  I read through the Contract while the goblins were saying their spiel in the background. This time I made sure I was listening to everything they were saying. From what I can see from the contract I assume that it was made by some Core who knew what they were doing. Everything seems to be highly skewed in the dungeons favor, honestly speaking I can not find any concrete benefits the goblins are receiving. Are they really that dumb? Heck at any rate, if I say no to such a contract, then I am the dumb one. Not only are these creatures basically giving away free Blueprints, Mana and KR to me, but they are also swearing to not put my life at any risk. There goes my existential crisis. I thought, as I agreed to the Contract.

  Since I had already opened up the goblin race in the creation menu with the death of the goblin scout, I received the hobgoblins as a new monster race upon confirming the Contract.

  The Goblins were also finishing up by the time I was through with the contract.“Oh Lord, we offer this sacrifice to you to appease your anger for any of our current and future wrongdoing. Please accept our offering, as we will accept your trials and bless those who you deem worthy. We bow to thee, our Creator.” Maybe they timed the chant with the reading time of the contract? I mused to myself as I listened to the end of their ritual.

  “Oh Lord, bless us with your favor” All the creatures shouted. A new system message popped up as soon as the shouting was finished.

  When I looked up divine favor in the definitions tab what I saw was that it was a power which increased my healing ability, ability to influence nature along with some other powers. I would have to experiment more with it when I had more than 0.0002% of this power.

  Ha ha ha, finally there is validation from the system confirming that I am a higher being. Giggle…

  If we listened carefully, we could hear that adrenaline from a near death experience had given rise to new delusions in our protagonist Core.