I Reincarnated As A Dragon With A Devourer System

Noir noticed it immediately.

Some of the goblins had stopped smiling, and the warm atmosphere vanished in a matter of seconds.

Several hunters were staring at something in the distance, their jaws clenched and their spears gripped too tightly.

Even the golden sphere had stopped spinning merrily. It floated near the ground, completely motionless.

The little black dragon frowned.

Something wasn’t right.

Judging by the goblins’ reaction, it was quite obvious.

’...Why is everyone reacting that way? Is a predator approaching?’

He slowly sat up, brushing the dust off his scales, and walked toward the group gathered around the large bonfire in the center of the village.

The goblins respectfully stepped aside to let him pass, but this time no one smiled.

He could see fear, anxiety, and even resignation.

’A major crisis is definitely on the horizon.’

Noir looked at the elderly goblin, who stood motionless, gazing at the horizon.

More specifically... the distant trees and the columns of smoke rising into the sky.

Noir narrowed his eyes.

That didn’t look like the start of a forest fire... they looked like campfires.

’Humans...’

The goblin chieftain let out a long sigh.

"They’ve arrived sooner than expected..."

At his side, several goblin hunters clenched their fists until their green knuckles began to turn white.

"Are you sure, boss?"

The chief nodded slowly. His expression grew somber.

"Yes. They are human."

The news spread through the village like an invisible wave.

Conversations died down.

Laughter faded away.

Even the children stopped playing.

The silence turned out to be far more terrifying than any scream.

Noir watched it all without fully understanding what was happening.

Then he heard the following words.

"This time, they’re coming to destroy the village."

The chief bowed his head; the sadness in his voice made the air seem colder.

"And there’s no way for us to stop them."

The campfire continued to burn.

All the peace and happiness that had filled the village vanished in an instant.

The goblins’ expressions grew dark and somber.

And for the first time since he left the cave...

Noir realized that the outside world wasn’t as peaceful as it seemed.

***

With the recent news, the atmosphere in the village changed completely.

Just a few minutes earlier, laughter had echoed everywhere; children were running among the bonfires, and the smell of food filled the air.

Now there was only a heavy, uncomfortable silence, as if someone had snatched away all the joy of the celebration in a single stroke.

Noir looked at the goblins; no one was smiling; no one was speaking. Even the golden orb had stopped spinning around the children.

’...This escalated way too fast.’

The little dragon wagged his tail restlessly. He didn’t know exactly what was happening, but he did understand one thing.

Those goblins were scared.

Very scared.

The goblin leader continued to watch the columns of smoke rising in the distance and asked,

"How much time do we have?"

"We only have a few hours..."

The answer hit them like a death sentence: several goblins turned pale, others hung their heads, and some even began to tremble.

Noir frowned.

’Are those humans really that bad?’

No one answered, of course, because he was still thinking silently.

The goblin chieftain clenched his teeth.

"Are you sure?"

The older man closed his eyes, and his voice turned bitter.

"I recognize those signs. I recognize that smoke. I recognize those patterns... they’re them."

Fear spread through the crowd like a disease and like wildfire... then everything exploded.

"We have to run!"

"We can’t win!"

"They’re going to kill us!"

"Not again!"

"Not again!"

Screams began to rise from all directions.

The children began to cry, and their mothers immediately hugged them.

The hunters were running back and forth. Some were carrying spears; others were starting to gather supplies.

The entire village descended into chaos.

Noir watched it all with wide eyes.

’Wow.’

’This is worse than I thought.’

A goblin ran past him.

Then another.

Then yet another.

One even crashed straight into a wall before remembering which way to run.

The golden sphere watched the scene; it began to spin, as if enjoying the show.

’No!’

’Don’t even think about having fun with this.’

The sphere continued to spin, gleefully, glowing brightly.

Noir sighed; it was a lost cause.

Meanwhile, the goblin chief was trying to regain control.

"Quiet!"

No one heard him.

"QUIET!"

The second time worked. Sort of—at least half the village stopped shouting, which was already an improvement.

"Listen, panicking won’t help; we need to get organized."

Some goblins nodded.

Others looked as if they were about to faint.

One was hugging a chicken as if it were a close relative.

Noir decided not to ask; it was probably better for his mental health.

The goblin chief moved forward slowly.

"We’ll begin preparations. The children will be taken to the shelters; older people as well. The hunters will guard the entrances... and we’ll prepare for the evacuation."

The word "evacuation" made the atmosphere even more tense. Because it meant one thing: they were assuming they would lose.

Noir understood immediately. Those goblins weren’t preparing to fight... They were preparing to survive.

And that was very different.

The crowd began to disperse.

Frenetic activity broke out everywhere.

Some families were dismantling their own homes.

Others were gathering food.

Hunters were sharpening their worn weapons.

The elders were carrying important items.

It looked like a colony of ants whose nest had just been destroyed.

Everyone was running, working... they were terrified.

Noir stood motionless, watching the scene, and a strange feeling welled up inside him.

He had only been in the village for two days. And yet... he didn’t want to see it disappear.

He had eaten with them, shared in their celebration, watched their children play, and seen their smiles.

They were monsters... But they were also people.

The little dragon looked up at the columns of smoke that continued to rise in the distance.

His red pupils slowly narrowed.

For the first time since he’d heard about those humans... he felt curious.

Why did they want to destroy such a small village?

And what kind of enemy could instill such fear in an entire tribe of goblins?

Beside him, the golden sphere stopped spinning.

For once.

It looked just as serious.

And that was what worried Noir the most.

Because if even that glowing sphere had stopped playing... then perhaps the danger was much greater than he had imagined.

Some of the younger goblins who had been near his wings stopped in front of the little black dragon.

They looked at him with eyes full of fear and smiled despite their terror.

"The Great Dragon will protect us, won’t he?"

"..."

Noir didn’t answer... because he didn’t know what to say.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!