Chapter 40: A Moment of Rest
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 40: A Moment of Rest
“Kkireuk. Kkireuk. Your skills are improving at a remarkable pace. You could have easily chosen to be an assassin…” the Green Goblin muttered as he watched me.
“It’s thanks to you, Green Goblin.”
In truth, my dagger skills were improving not only because of the Green Goblin but also because of Choi Seulgi. Teaching her as she grew stronger day by day was a struggle, which forced me to train desperately as well. In the roughly four months that had passed, Choi Seulgi had changed so much it was startling.
If it weren't for the weapon proficiency bonuses from my Gladiator class and my Ancient Orc race, I probably would have struggled to keep up.
In my past life, and in this one, I have no talent. In a way, I’m benefiting greatly from this system. My class and race are constantly creating the conditions for me to grow. As I slowly lowered my dagger, the Green Goblin spoke to me again.
“So? Are you having fun with that human female these days?”
“Krrrrrrk.”
I had been visiting Choi Seulgi continuously for several months, so it would have been strange if rumors hadn't spread through the settlement. The rumor that I had peculiar tastes spread in an instant. The female goblins of the Green Goblin Clan, who had once viewed me as a potential mate, now sighed whenever they saw me. Thanks to that, Mev was growing more and more smug.
She had often seemed to regret her evolution into a Fairy, but seeing my obsession with Choi Seulgi, she now seemed convinced that her choice had not been a mistake.
The interesting thing was that Mev wasn't jealous. It made me wonder if she actually liked me or if she simply saw me as a mating partner. However, she acted with such utter devotion, as if she’d give me her all, so I doubted she thought of me as just a partner for breeding.
I didn't know the details, but it seemed Green Skins' views on romance were a bit different from humans'.
On the other hand, Jung Hayeon, who was originally human, didn't seem to approve of Choi Seulgi. Or rather, it felt like her hatred for human women had grown even stronger. She didn't seem to regret turning into an Alraune, but the hatred she showed toward humans was real. The killing she once did to survive had now become a source of amusement for her.
Sometimes when we went hunting, she would wrap a human woman in her roots and kill her brutally. Even I found the sight a bit grotesque. Of course, thanks to that, her popularity among the other goblins was steadily rising. I couldn't help but smile slightly as I recalled the sight of them cheering and chittering as blood sprayed into the air.
I seemed to have gotten sidetracked while talking with the Green Goblin. I looked at him again and spoke.
“Well… something like that.”
The goblin was laughing cheerfully, as if something was incredibly funny. It seemed the idea of Blood Dagger frequently meeting a human female was amusing to him. Seeing the Green Goblin’s reaction, I thought that if Goff ever heard about this, he would roar with laughter.
By their standards, it was like a lion courting a deer. It was understandable that they found it funny, but whenever he made that face, I felt embarrassed.
I exchanged a few more words with him before we parted ways. Thinking back, choosing the Green Goblin Clan was an incredibly fortunate turn of events. For the first time in a while, I went to see my Giant Wolf, Ibar, and stroked his head before heading out again.
“Krrrrrrng.”
The wolf rumbled, seemingly in a good mood. As I started to walk away, he couldn't hold back and began to follow me. It had been a while, so riding on his back didn't seem like a bad idea. I immediately climbed onto his back, and he let out a pleased “Krrng.”
I headed toward the area where the Blood Dagger Clan was located.
“For Blood Dagger!”
“For Blood Dagger!”
The moment they saw me, they began to shout. Naturally, I wasn't the only one who had grown stronger during this time. None of them had undergone a species evolution or gained a unique ability that made them noticeably stronger, but they were all growing, little by little, and quickly. They continued to learn not only dagger techniques but also how to move their bodies, to the point where not just the assassins, but even the swordsmen and warriors moved as if they had the unique ability ‘Stealthy Steps.’
In particular, the first and second of the five loyal siblings, who had wanted to be assassins, now ran around like true assassins despite being swordsmen. After that, it was as if their potential had exploded, and they continued to grow. It was only natural that I had to work even harder to avoid being overtaken by them.
And so, the clan was gradually becoming stronger.
“Krrrrrrk.”
I entered their area and, without a word, sat down with Ibar. Seeing me, everyone went back to their own business. Not that they had much to do. Some of the goblins played by tossing around their accumulated gold coins, while others did useless things like holding their items high in the air to show them off.
At times like these, they were as cute as children. Their latest obsession was skipping stones. I had thrown a stone across the nearby river once, and I still couldn't forget the look on their faces. The sight of the stone bouncing and skipping across the water must have seemed incredibly magical to them.
‘Blood Dagger is truly great!’
‘Kkireuk… Kkireuk!! For Blood… B-Blood Dagger!’
‘The… the stone is crossing the river! For Blood Dagger!’
They tried to imitate me, continuously throwing stones into the river, but they just hurled them with brute force, so there was no way they would skip. In the end, I had to teach them the technique before they could experience the wonder for themselves.
Thanks to that, minor disputes were now often resolved with things like stone-skipping contests. After a short wait, Mev and Jung Hayeon demurely sat down on either side of me.
Jung Hayeon was one thing, but Mev had consistently positioned herself as the clan's official mistress. Her behavior, which had been a little burdensome at first, had ultimately resulted in the clan running more smoothly.
In fact, the reason I was spending time like this with them was because of Mev’s advice.
‘I’m not saying you can’t play with the human female, but a chieftain should be with his clan members.’
While she left all the critical decisions about the clan's direction to me, she often gave me advice on things like uniting the members or on Green Skin customs that I didn't understand well.
I hadn't known it, of course, but it seemed they felt reassured just by having me watch over them like this. Hunting together, being together, eating together—all of it was what they wanted. Naturally, repeating these actions also served to further elevate the chieftain's authority. And so, sitting in Ibar's embrace, I slowly began to think about the Item Shop.
I felt my body shift in an instant, but it was likely still there with Jung Hayeon and Mev. Unlike during the Tutorial, what had moved now was my consciousness alone. Immediately, voices began to sound out.
[This is the Item Shop. Please purchase the items you need.]
[Verifying the points of the Ancient Orc Gladiator, Blood Dagger.]
[15,000 points have been credited to Blood Dagger.]
I thought I had earned quite a bit, but it seemed that wasn't the case. I was sure I had killed far more humans, and of higher levels, than during the Tutorial, but it appeared they gave you bonus points in the Tutorial. Still, it was enough to buy the weapons I was aiming for.
Back when I was human, some people would hoard their points, but points could always be earned. You get more points for killing stronger enemies, so I personally believed it was more beneficial to invest them as you earned them.
I slowly began to look at the shop's goblin.
As expected, a single goblin from the small item shop was looking at me with disdain as he spoke.
“I’m busy, so hurry up and choose.”
His customer service was so absurd I couldn't tell if he wanted to do business or not. But in this situation, he had the upper hand.
[Weapon Shop]
[Cheap Greatsword - 10 Points]
.
.
[Ogre Sinew Bow - 5,000 Points]
.
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[Weapon-Breaking Longsword - 10,000 Points]
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[Blood-Soaked Orc's Axe of Honor - 15,000 Points]
My target was the ‘Weapon-Breaking Longsword,’ which looked like a swordbreaker. I had been using the Bloodsoaked Dagger and the Greatsword Too Large to be a Sword, so the cheap longsword I used alongside them felt incredibly dissatisfying.
I had tried taking weapons from others, but the ones I hunted like rats were beginners or only slightly better, so there was no chance of finding anything decent. This was especially true after a stupid rumor started spreading that going out with good gear would get you ambushed by the Weapon Merchant, which made people more cautious. I really couldn't find anything worthwhile.
It was then that this weapon caught my eye.
[Weapon-Breaking Longsword]
[A longsword that is very good at breaking weapons. It has high durability. Increases the probability of destroying an opponent's weapon.]
Its appearance was very simple. It was just an ordinary longsword with grooves like a saw's teeth. What was noteworthy was how deep these ‘grooves’ were. If you caught an opponent's blade in a groove and applied force, you could break their weapon.
Since I could handle many types of weapons, it was obviously advantageous for me to use a weapon with such versatility.
I gave it a few practice swings. The idea of a weapon that not only blocked but also broke other weapons made me think I should carry more items with functions like this. With that, I continued to browse for items.
I was planning to buy something to upgrade Choi Seulgi's specs. Of course, with only 5,000 points left, I couldn't buy anything truly amazing, but I thought I could probably get some decent armor or an accessory.
[Armor Shop]
[Dirty Leather Armor - 10 Points]
.
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[Sturdy Long-Toothed Tiger Leather Armor - 4,000 Points]
.
.
.
.
.
[Black Dragon Scale Armor - 5,500,000 Points]
To be honest, I wanted the Black Dragon Scale Armor for myself… but to save up that many points, you’d probably have to be a war hero in a high-difficulty dungeon or a large-scale war. I lowered my sights and started looking for something more reasonable.
[Sturdy Long-Toothed Tiger Leather Armor]
[A sturdily made leather armor from a long-toothed tiger. It might be able to block a stray arrow… It is characteristically warm.]
I had a feeling that Choi Seulgi wanted to move to another city, so this seemed like the perfect item. However, the important thing when buying armor is the size. I turned to the goblin merchant and spoke.
“Do you happen to have this in a size that fits a human female?”
“You’re a peculiar Orc. Of course, we do. Is that everything you’ve chosen?”
He wouldn't tell me about the secrets of this shop or the continent, but he would answer questions about his products. I nodded and decided to buy the items I had picked out.
[You have purchased the Weapon-Breaking Longsword for 10,000 points.]
[You have purchased the Sturdy Long-Toothed Tiger Leather Armor for 4,000 points.]
“Thanks for your business, friend. See you next time.”
And just like that, my vision shifted again.