The structure itself wasn't especially large, but it was heavily secured. Numerous binding talismans had been plastered across the walls, entrances, and support pillars, their faint glow pulsing softly with mana. Some were layered over each other repeatedly, clearly designed to suppress movement, disrupt abilities, and prevent anyone trapped inside from escaping through force or skills.

The moment I stepped through the entrance, I could already feel the suppression in the air.

Narg led me farther inward before guiding me underground through a narrow stone passage lit by dim mana lamps embedded into the walls. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

The prison cells on the upper level appeared relatively ordinary, likely meant for regular goblins or weaker troublemakers within the clan. But the deeper we descended, the heavier the atmosphere became.

These lower sections were clearly reserved for dangerous prisoners.

And as I stepped into that underground level, I immediately sensed the difference.

The talismans here were on an entirely different level from the ones above.

Large sealing scripts stretched across the walls, pillars, ceilings, and even the floors in certain places, layered so densely that the mana pressure they emitted became almost physically noticeable. It felt as though the entire underground chamber itself was constantly suppressing everything within it.

Even breathing down here felt slightly heavier.

I glanced toward the glowing talismans lining the walls.

"Did you make all this?" I asked Narg as I gestured toward them.

He shook his head.

"No. I only reinforced what was already here using the skills you gave me."

I nodded slowly as my gaze swept across the prison once again.

So these talismans had existed long before we took over this place.

No doubt they had been set up by the shaman I killed in the graveyard.

What was his name again…?

I genuinely couldn't remember.

He had barely managed to put up a fight before dying, so his existence hadn't exactly left a strong impression on me.

Still, Narg had taken the foundations that the shaman had left behind and strengthened them further using the skill lines I had shared with him.

And those skills…what exactly were those skills?

I did have several shaman-related abilities that I had previously shared with Narg—skills I personally hadn't bothered experimenting with much because they either didn't suit my fighting style or simply hadn't seemed useful to me at the time.

Skills like [Toxic Core], [Poison Craft (C)], [Graveborn Nexus (A)], [Soulrot Hex], [Witherfield], [Spirit Leech], and [Gravebound].

None of them were particularly flashy, nor did they align with the way I usually preferred to fight.

But standing here now, surrounded by these reinforced talismans and layered seals, I was beginning to realize that I might've been overlooking too many things simply because they weren't visually impressive or directly combat-oriented.

That was honestly a bad habit.

Strength wasn't always about overwhelming force. Sometimes, the most dangerous abilities were the ones that quietly changed the battlefield before the fight even started.

I had gotten too used to prioritizing abilities that looked overwhelming in battle or felt satisfying to use, while pushing aside quieter skills that might actually make certain situations far easier to handle.

I really needed to go back and properly examine everything I possessed.

Every skill and its possible application.

Because there was a good chance I had abilities capable of completely changing situations, I had previously brute-forced my way through.

"Good work," I said to Narg, making a mental note to ask him to teach me how to create and reinforce talismans once I had the time.

The moment I said that, he smiled quite proudly.

And honestly, he deserved to.

The bindings throughout this place were genuinely impressive. The layering was efficient, the suppression stable, and the mana flow between the talismans was far smoother than I expected.

Still…If someone like me were trapped down here, escaping probably wouldn't be that difficult for almost the same reason Divine Binding wouldn't hold me.

I was just too broken.

Fortunately, none of the goblins imprisoned in the lower cells were anywhere near my level.

"Thank you, Chief," Narg responded.

There was genuine satisfaction in his voice, the kind that came from seeing his work acknowledged. Narg rarely sought praise openly, but moments like this clearly mattered to him.

Inside the reinforced chamber were Caius and his men, still restrained by the divine chains wrapped tightly around their bodies.

None of them looked particularly comfortable with their current treatment, nor pleased about being imprisoned underground like criminals, but honestly, I couldn't bring myself to care.

There was no reason for me to be overly considerate here.

If our positions had been reversed, I had no doubt whatsoever that my goblins and I would've been subjected to far worse.

"Have you made up your mind, Eli?" Caius asked with a faint smile as I approached.

I didn't answer him immediately.

Instead, I simply stood there and stared at the group in silence.

The atmosphere inside the prison subtly tightened.

Caius maintained his composure well enough, but some of the others were noticeably more nervous under my gaze. Their eyes occasionally flickered toward my hands or the chains binding them, fully aware of how helpless their current situation actually was.

And honestly…

I could kill every single one of them right now if I wanted to.

None of them would be capable of resisting in their current state.

And they knew it too. That was the real reason fear had started appearing on their faces.

Slowly, I stretched one of my hands forward, activating a skill.

Almost all of them instinctively took a step back.

Some visibly trembled, their expressions tightening as they stared at the energy beginning to gather around my hand, clearly expecting the worst.

"What are you doing?" Drel muttered, unable to fully hide the unease in his voice anymore.

I looked at him calmly.

"What am I doing?" I repeated before slightly tilting my head. "I'm doing what's best for my clan."

The atmosphere instantly grew heavier after that answer.

Because none of them knew what that actually meant.

"And that… is?" Caius asked.

Unlike the others, he remained relatively composed, but even his expression had grown far more serious now, the faint smile from earlier completely gone.

My hand flared with energy.