Goblin Slayer (1)
“The Goblin Viceroy? That’s the midboss from the Goblin stage, isn’t it?! Why’s he showing up already?”
Ho-yeong stared, rattled by the premature appearance of a midboss.
<Goblin Viceroy #1> / KP : 3
[ Stats | Grade | Base Value ~ Maximum Value ]
Strength C+ : 55 ~ 62 (It possesses combat power far beyond that of an ordinary goblin.)
Intelligence D+ : 23 ~ 28 (That does not mean it has intelligence on a different level, however.)
Mana F : 1 ~ 3
Charm F : 0 ~ 2 (Ordinary goblins harbor hatred toward the Viceroy.)
Leadership C+ : 45 ~ 49 (It commands cowardly goblins through fear.)
Willpower C : 42 ~ 51 (Quirk: it hates retreat.)
Edification D : 0 ~ 12 (For this stage, immediate Conversion costs 10 EP.)
*Background*
An individual belonging to one of the higher races among goblinoids.
The Viceroy is a unit whose role is to “encourage battle.” At least, that’s what the name sounds like, as if it might boost morale by singing war songs or cheering the troops on. Unfortunately, that would be wrong.
The way a Goblin Viceroy “encourages” its kin is a little different. It lashes fleeing allies with a blade and those who stand still with a whip.
*Tip*
- You cannot obtain KP from goblins killed by the Viceroy.
- If you win a one-on-one duel against the Viceroy, you can convert it without spending EP.
A sturdy human-sized build. Its armor and helmet were mismatched but worn properly, as if they had been looted from humans or other monsters.
From its gleaming tusks came the stink of rotting meat and blood.
“Hey, Status Window guy. What’s going on? Why’s a midboss popping out in the first wave?”
Because of Guardian Bang Ho-yeong’s accomplishments, the stage difficulty has been greatly reduced. Excellent command, valor, and especially the ingenuity of using obstacles were the decisive factors.
“Well, yeah, but hold on. Then you should be handing out better rewards, not raising the difficulty!”
This quest is subject to variable difficulty.
Variable difficulty. It meant the game’s difficulty shifted fluidly according to the player’s skill. For example, if an expert breezed through the game too easily, enemies gained more health or stronger foes appeared; if a beginner struggled, the game might hand out advanced items.
“Damn it! What kind of system is this? So you’re telling me I’m supposed to go easy on them on purpose? And what if my precious fighters get killed because of that?”
Ho-yeong was fuming.
Please note that as the stage difficulty rises due to variable difficulty, the rewards also increase. The reverse also applies.
“You could’ve told me that earlier. Like, before all this.”
Based on an analysis of Guardian Bang Ho-yeong’s memorization ability and personality, if all information had been provided at the moment you entered the game, the amount retained at this point would not have exceeded 10%.
“...That’s kind of a cheap shot, don’t you think?”
I will continue to provide useful information at appropriate times.
Frowning, Ho-yeong stared at the Viceroy.
If I beat that bastard in a duel, I get free Conversion, right?
- Goooob!
The Goblin Viceroy hoisted the upper half of a deserter he’d cleaved down and shook it overhead.
No, there’s no need to take the risk. I’m definitely not scared or anything... anyway, no.
The retreating goblins began advancing again.
“Archers!”
Having made up his mind, Ho-yeong gave the order to the archers waiting on the hill.
“Target that big one! Concentrate your fire!”
Arrows rained down at once.
- Gob-gob!
But the Goblin Viceroy simply deflected them with the iron plates strapped around its arms.
“That was a real parry?! Baunal!”
“Aye, I got it!”
The one who caught the big stone staggered from the impact.
“Good! Smash him even through his guard!”
Meanwhile, Baunal hefted the sling and spun the stone round and round.
- Goop!
But the Goblin Viceroy swept the blade of its glaive sideways and knocked the rock aside.
“...You’re sending that as an out? Whoa!”
The ricocheting stone nearly struck Ho-yeong atop the hill.
- Gooooob!
The Goblin Viceroy roared as it blocked the attack.
- Gob-gob!
The goblins around it shouted along with it.
“He’s having the time of his life, that bastard.”
With a dissatisfied expression, Ho-yeong spat to the side.
The morale of the goblins has slightly increased. Goblin movement speed is rising.
Like a mob receiving a movement-speed buff, the goblins surged forward.
Baunal kept hurling stones from the sling, but each one was beaten away by the sweeping glaive.
“Tch. That bastard...! Sorry, my lord. This is my fault.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Keep throwing.”
Ho-yeong comforted Baunal, who had wilted completely.
“Eh? Keep... going, you say? When he’s swatting them all away?”
“Yes. It’s enough if we just pin his feet down.”
“Got it!”
The Goblin Viceroy looked almost gleeful as it batted away the stones flying at it. But perhaps it was too focused on the slingshot attacks, because it failed to notice that it had stopped moving.
“Sixteen! Go bring Meyril!”
- Lani! (Yes!)
“Feels like I’m sending a call taxi. Either way, it’s convenient.”
In the meantime, Ho-yeong called Meyril over.
“H-hoee... y-you called for me?”
“Yeah, Meyril. I need you to whip up a strong wind toward that big guy.”
“O-okay!”
Meyril aimed her staff with trembling hands.
“H-hiyah!”
But instead of a strong wind, all she produced was a breeze weaker than a lukewarm air conditioner.
“S-sorry. Sob...”
Instead of the storm she’d been asked for, she burst into waterfall-like tears.
“I guess I really am no help after all. Hiiiing.”
In the game Reign of Dice, whenever you used a basic attack or skill, you rolled a 100-sided die and added the result to the base value to calculate the final number. Of course, if it worked only that way, dice luck would matter too much, so each stat had a maximum value. For example, in the case of the Goblin Viceroy, whose Strength was 55 to 62, even if the die rolled 100 on an attack, the final attack power could not exceed 62.
That same rule was implemented properly in this other world as well. The difference was that each stat’s maximum value was not determined solely by the random element of the die, but also adjusted according to various situations and variables.
“I should stop crying... sniff.”
Meyril’s Mana stat was 1 to 111.
This isn’t just luck. The less confidence she has, the harder it is for her to bring out her mana.
Ho-yeong, who had carefully studied her background and stats, wasn’t disappointed.
“It’s all right. Don’t cry.”
Meyril looked up at her lord with eyes full of tears.
“You’re scared, aren’t you? Of course you are. With monsters swarming in like this and blood splashing everywhere, it’d be stranger if you weren’t. You’d be frightened. You’d be terrified.”
He swallowed the words so am I before they could slip out.
“You don’t have to put pressure on yourself. What I’m asking for is just a brief wind, not a typhoon. It doesn’t have to cover a huge area. It’s enough if you make wind around the big-headed bastard over there.”
Even as screams rang out from every direction, all Meyril could hear was the lord’s voice, soft as a breeze.
“Meyril, you can do it. You’re one of the two best mages in our territory, and the finest weather mage we have.”
“...We only have two mages, and I’m the only weather mage.”
She wiped away her tears and gave a small smile at the lord’s joke.
“What does that matter? Being the only one makes you even cooler. You’re unique. Irreplaceable.”
At the lord’s grin, Meyril’s eyes widened.
Unique, irreplaceable...?!
It was as if a fierce wind had rushed into the wick of her timid heart.
“I-I’ll try again!”
Recalling the feeling of the wind she had sensed deep inside herself, she raised her staff again.
“Hiyaaah!”
The mana in the air responded to Meyril’s power, surging upward as a fierce wind.
“Huh?”
Ho-yeong, standing right in front of her, nearly fell from Eight’s back.
My God... is that windstream for real? Look at the power on that thing.
The advancing goblins were startled by the sudden gale.
- Gob-gob?!
- Gooooob!
They weren’t blown back, but they were clearly being pushed step by step.
“W-what in the world is this wind all of a sudden?”
Baunal muttered in disbelief while spinning his sling as hard as he could.
- Goop!
The Goblin Viceroy took a stone harder and faster than before right on the head.
- Gob-gob!
It tried again to knock aside the incoming rock with its glaive, using all its strength.
- Goop?
But the wind shoved the stone straight back instead.
- Goooobl!
And it crushed the skull of an unlucky goblin behind it.
“That’s out. From here on, all I’m hitting are fouls.”
The Goblin Viceroy kept batting away the rocks flying at it, but all that did was thin out the goblins around it.
“Baunal, throw the pouches now!”
“Aye!”
Baunal spun the tied pouches in a circle and flung them.
- Gobboooob!
Inside were plenty of sand and pebbles.
The wind was already sharp, and now that a sandstorm had been kicked up, the goblins were losing their heads.
- Goop! Gob-gob! (Gather together! Lower your stance!)
The Goblin Viceroy shouted as it shoved its goblins forward. The order seemed to work; the goblins crowded together and came on slowly. The wind Meyril had raised no longer pushed them back, only slowed them down.
“Haa... haa. S-sorry. I think making them fly away is beyond me right now.”
“What are you saying? This is already better than I expected.”
“R-really?!”
“Yeah. First, let’s head down.”
Meyril looked delighted, and still a little unable to believe she had managed it.
“All right, they’ve bunched up nicely. That’s a perfect angle.”
After setting her down, Ho-yeong looked for the man whose neck must have been stretching from waiting.
“Mister Bernevel. You’ve been waiting, right?”
Bernevel had been building something out of tin cans and scrap metal. The moment he saw Ho-yeong, he sprang upright.
“What kept ye so long? I was about ready to die from all the itching and waitin’.”
Ho-yeong pulled the Ancient Mana Stone from the brooch.
“Let’s do this. Time to make some goblin barbecue.”