Rumors of the Golden Goblin and the Plunge to 664
Rumors of a golden goblin echoing from the Magic Palace. It had been seven days since our three-person party formed. Nothing particularly dynamic or eventful had happened in that time. We'd simply built up our wealth through an utterly monotonous, repetitive routine. Our total assets had swelled to 89GP and 614SP. At this rate, we'd be able to buy a Memorize Spellbook page soon enough.
The Daily Bonus skill involved rolling dice every day, gambling on the risk. With restrictions at [1] and [100], it felt pretty forgiving, didn't it? No way it'll hit, I thought anxiously as I tossed them—because of course, the things you think will never happen always do.
[2, 34, 22, 15, 7, 98, 55]
And just like that, I ended up with three mint choco ice cream exchange tickets. I was keeping them safe, figuring I'd use them someday. Aside from that, my stats had risen by a whopping 5 points. On top of regular monster hunts, I did physical training whenever time allowed—nothing fancy, just running laps in the training grounds or basic strength exercises. In the end, I reached a total stat of 31! My insane growth speed nearly brought tears to my eyes.
Larirure's growth seemed stalled, probably due to the elixir she'd taken before—though as a C-rank, the monsters up to floor 50 were no challenge anyway, so it made sense. Lemon, on the other hand, had explosive growth... from 287 to 289. This world really demanded blood, sweat, and tears for any real gains.
"Po'runga's doing well, I bet." Her investigation period was dragging on. She was busy fighting monsters that shouldn't even be there. Since the incident happened during mentoring, the remaining time wouldn't count against her—she'd sent letters every three days, promising we'd team up again once it ended, filled with all sorts of desires. I could feel the urgency in her tone now that things were good between me and Larirure.
Rokuka must be having a rough time. She was the only one around to hear Po'runga's complaints... Maybe I should treat her to a meal next time we meet?
The serial killer Hands Collector was still nowhere to be found. Strange phenomena were popping up across the Trust Union, escalating the crisis. As someone in the Mongrel Kingdom, it didn't concern me directly. But someone had clearly opened a portal in this city. That one in the elevator... What kind of demon was it?
...But was it really a demon? Narrowing it to race felt shortsighted. I wasn't exactly an expert, and I wasn't investigating, so speculation was all I had.
"Haa..."
While clearing monsters in the Magic Palace, I'd been experimenting with how to use my skills. Leaving them unused forever was pointless. I had to figure out the ones I could.
The biggest issue with these skills was like installing software on a computer. You could click to open it, but if you didn't know how to use it, what was the point? Better than programs that wouldn't even launch, though—I had to learn somehow.
Still no clue on Time Rewind or Shapeshifter. The archives mostly covered monsters. People turning into monsters or monsters mimicking people—neither sounded appealing. What if I transformed and couldn't change back? That'd be a nightmare.
Class Magic says it works through a Memorize Spellbook. There were workarounds for skills. Problem was, I had to research them myself.
Forest granted strong air purification and the forest's calming effects on body and mind. As for Levifoot, they weren't part of the Trust Union—a reclusive forest guardian race. Peaceful and lively, but records mentioned them eating their own young under stress. Creepy. Nations that enslaved or abused them all vanished without exception—chilling stuff.
Black Cat Rune... I looked into it. Even without sub-skills, I could use it if I knew runic language—but only witches did. Mages' magic was different; records just noted its existence.
Bopal Weapon was a mixed bag... Shattered Illusion and Time Stop were usable, so skip. Didn't want to trigger True Word · Mantra at will—it blasted voices of all things everywhere; I'd die of stress. Summon 【Magical Girl】 was impossible—no magical girls in my old world, and even if there were, I didn't know them. They'd probably hate being dragged here against their will. Showed the constellations' cruelty and whimsy... and their absurd omnipotence. The scale was on another dimension.
Plenty of useful ones, though. My seven-day grind focused on repeating Enhancement. Did I succeed? A few times—shortsword durability and sharpness up, buckler tougher. But pushing until failure melted gear, rejecting more Constellation Power. Made sense—it infused the equipment. More spending...
"Dodged a bullet with this one."
I gripped the hilt of Spirit Sword Yokoshima and sighed. Better call it Spirit Sword Yokoshima+1. One more enhancement failed normally; no more upgrades possible.
Can't resummon...? Didn't know how to destroy it, and failed enhancements couldn't retry. Stuck using it as-is. With Constellation Power, a pure white blade emerged at will—about 30cm wide, 70cm long. Two-hander or greatsword size. But... it was barely stronger than a shortsword. Incredibly light, swingable one-handed. Yet it couldn't even scratch Larirure's skin. And I wasn't a swordmaster, so backup at best.
Gets sharper with my inner turmoil...? Larirure tried sexy big-sis vibes, blowing a kiss—zero allure, sword actually bent. Yeah, probably tied to my desires... maybe.
Lemon envied the blade emerging from the hilt. Man's dream—a lightsaber. Looks like a holy sword; heroic moniker fit its flashlight brightness and shortsword power.
Next time, skip shortswords; just use this. Practice makes perfect? Ignored slicing my side and shoulder swinging too light a blade...
Actually, casually resting it on my shoulder mid-swing caused disaster. Chain disasters meant new inn today. Prayed the owner had insurance.
"Bro, you hear? Golden goblin on floor 44!"
"Golden goblin?"
"Yeah! One draped in jewels, glowing gold!"
"...Never heard of such a monster."
Larirure tilted her head at Lemon's words. Was it a hopped-up hobgoblin misseen on drugs? But Noksu came to our table, confirming sightings.
...Another anomaly? No way.
"Let's hunt it! Big score—new gear!" Lemon, who'd saved for a pistol sword, bubbled with enthusiasm for upgrades. Treasure... gold... Memorize Spellbook pages needed cash. Factoring failed enhancements, better weapons from pricier ores. Stats rising meant heavier armor.
Stuffing my precious morning cucumber-tomato-avocado-eggplant salad, I nodded. Let's go.
"Be careful, Radamu. Could be a portal jumper."
"Got it."
I checked my bag and gear. Consumables piling up daily. Shortsword. Buckler. 3 knives. Spirit Sword Yokoshima+1. Memorize Spellbook (2 pages). Return Stone. Purification Mask. Mine Canary. Flashlight. Kerosene. 2 Spiritus bottles. 2 Potions. 3 mint choco tickets.
Memorize Spellbook still had prior pages—fireballs stored for emergencies. Time Stop tempting, but test safely first. Mask and canary leftovers. Flashlight just in case—always useful. Yokoshima lit like one, but too flashy. And its light from my crotch energy? Gross.
We reached floor 44 without issue. More adventurers bustling than usual—rumors spread. Even if fake, low risk?
"...Crowded like this and not caught? Obvious fake. Why lure adventurers here?"
Larirure rubbed her chin skeptically. I agreed. Lemon apologized for the wild goose chase—no worries, cheer up. Larirure said adventurer life had worse scams: organs harvested, limbs severed for brothels. Lemon paled; I comforted him.
".....Huh?"
Air shimmered suddenly. Like birds startling in a quiet forest—rustling branches tickled my neck.
"Kieek!"
A gleaming gold lump in the dark eyed us. Crowned, jeweled necklace and bracelets. Gilded belt—pricey.
"......"
"......"
"......"
Honestly, why does it exist? And glowing—why hadn't adventurers found it? Larirure grimaced at the blatant trap vibe. Lemon charged, pistol sword severing its neck.
"Jackpot! It's real!!!"
"...Nice to have no thoughts."
Golden goblin corpse chilled. Lemon stuffed treasures—crown looked pricey, humming happily. I wiped its skin with a wet tissue.
Gold flaked off, revealing green. Belly swelled—boom! Dazzling light exploded.
"Damn teleport trap!"
Larirure yelled to use Return Stone. Magic swallowed us faster. Endless fall into abyss—eternal float ended slamming us down.
"Use the stone... quick...!"
Larirure groaned from teleport backlash. We fumbled for stones—dull rocks, mana drained. Despair crystallized.
"Why... the stones..."
Larirure flung hers irritably. Lemon's eyes quaked with guilt. I scanned calmly.
Looked like Magic Palace... but thick fog, eerie scent.
Teleport magic trap. Snap out of it, hero. You've dropped to floor 664 of the Magic Palace.
I can't foresee all fates right now, hero. Someone's targeting you.
Here's a Constellation Ticket. Overcome this trial!
"...664...?"
Larirure muttered despairingly at the wall number. Stairs mocked: climb if you dare. But 64 floors up? Wipeout. Down to 666—life on the line. Noksu wanted us to reach it after grinding; here in under 10 days...
I tore the ticket, gulping air.
Constellation [vo■■mp■]
Can only grant one skill at a time—regrettable.
Sacred Heavenly Divine Art (Unlocks upon impossible feat).
Potential true force (advancing power, aka 'ki') grows exponentially. At pinnacle, reaches infinite realm.
"....!"
Jackpot! Luck in crisis? Cold sweat as I checked skills frantically.
Sacred Heavenly Divine Art — [Acquirable upon impossible feat].
— [Circulate this art (heart method) to build inner power; operate ki per verses to become unrivaled under heaven].
— [Potential true force/ki reaches pinnacle, glimpsing infinite realm].
"Like Heavenly Demon Divine Art..."
...But my grin faded. I only acquired skills—figuring usage was on me.
...So how do heart methods work?
"Uh, any... heart methods around?"
"...Like mana circulation?"
"How?"
"...Breathe. Mana flows veins to heart."
Doomed... Worldviews clashed too hard. Even if goddess said microcosmic/macrocosmic orbits, qi circulation—wuxia style! Knowledge there, but how move qi? Verses to operate?
"Can't use it."
Right—this was enlightenment from breaking impossible feats. Handed to me? No clue.
"Heaven's merciless..."