Chapter 46
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Goblin Hater (2)
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A short but sturdy frame that somehow felt imposing.
Eyes that brimmed with stubbornness and conviction.
And a hammer clutched in one hand.
That's right.
Goblin Hater, better known as Big Bro Goblin Hater... was actually a big sis!
"Big Bro Goblin Hater...?"
"That's me. I'm Goblin Hater."
Big Sis Goblin Hater's speech was just as rough-and-tumble as the Gallery's vibe.
Thinking back to how Pill Master's real-life manner differed from her Gallery persona, it seemed each Gallery member's true personality varied wildly.
I paused for a moment in thought, then bowed deeply in greeting.
"Hello! I'm the Gallery's little idol, the adorable Nyudak!"
"Ugh, that speech pattern."
Big Sis Goblin Hater's face twisted in discomfort.
But she soon waved it off like it was no big deal.
"Eh, that level of concept is kinda cute, at least."
"Pardon?"
"Better than the lunatics in the Gallery, anyway."
The Gallery folks?
Honestly, I had no idea.
They were all playful goofballs, sure, but from my perspective, none of them seemed quite insane enough to earn that label.
Still, I didn't bother arguing the point.
Veterans were like an endless abyss, after all.
You couldn't guess what lurked at the bottom until you peered in—and once you did, you'd just unleash a flood of filth.
Knowing that, I simply nodded obediently.
Big Sis Goblin Hater didn't press the issue either and shifted the topic.
"Anyway, back to what we were discussing. As you know, I called you here to pass on blacksmithing techniques. Ditch that disgusting pickaxe and learn to handle real weapons. Only then can you properly train in martial arts under the other Martial Gods."
"You're absolutely right! If you'll teach me, I'll master it with everything I've got!"
"That enthusiasm isn't bad. Good. I'm passing on three martial arts to you."
"Three?!"
"'Three' as in, only three."
I stared in shock at Big Sis Goblin Hater's casual words.
Only three?!
That was way too many for my head to handle!
"Tch, stop overthinking it. Three is actually a tiny number."
"But so far, I've never learned more than two at a time."
"I get how it might feel overwhelming from your side. But from a higher perspective, these are actually among the easiest in terms of difficulty."
"Uh... does your world have a different idea of math from mine?"
"Nah. The confusion you're feeling stems from the unique nature of the arts I've mastered."
Big Sis Goblin Hater held up three fingers.
"So far, you've learned arts from three Gallery members: Colorless Bird's Yin-Yang Five Elements Scripture, AlphaGo's Heavenly Mechanism Calculation Method, and Pill Master's Pill Qi Refining Method—plus the Five Elements Harmony Array, but we'll set that aside. That's the order. What you might not realize is that this sequence is the optimal result of the Martial Gods putting their heads together."
"Yeah... I figured as much."
No matter how much of a clown the Gallery crowd could be, they were gods in their domains—titles they more than earned.
I doubted they'd slap together my curriculum carelessly.
"No, you don't even grasp one-tenth of how profound and masterful those arts are. Take your first one, the Yin-Yang Five Elements Scripture—it's already given you massive advantages."
I already knew I owed the Gallery members debts I could never repay.
But this didn't seem to be about gratitude.
So I asked.
"In what way?"
"Nyudak, you're better than most humans I've dealt with."
"Oh? How so?"
"You ask questions right away when you don't know something. Humans are the type who pretend to know everything to look smart, then blow everything up—that's what I've seen too much of."
She really knew her humans.
Big Sis Goblin Hater, who clearly hated both goblins and humans, brushed it off and continued.
"Anyway. Back on track: the Yin-Yang Five Elements Scripture you learned first is straight-up insane. It's the result of one person struggling to turn themselves into a microcosm, finally succeeding in forging their body into a true little universe. But you learned it in its completed form. Know what that difference means?"
"Does that kind of thing even exist?"
"Of course. It's like a carp struggling upstream through Dragon Gate to become a dragon... versus being born a dragon from the start."
Fish-turned-dragon.
Or born-to-be-dragon.
From my view, what was the real gap? But Big Sis Goblin Hater stated it flatly.
"Huge difference. The first requires insane training and trial-and-error to become a dragon. The second? No need—you're already one at birth. So you don't have to study how or why things work within yourself. You just use it. That's exactly you."
It felt oddly familiar.
Like I'd heard something similar before...
"I'm not saying your efforts were lacking. There's an absolute gap, sure, but you suffered plenty mastering the Yin-Yang Five Elements Scripture too. Still, knowledge-wise, you're defective compared to what you wield. It's the inevitable disconnect from absorbing what others learned through your body rather than theory."
Ah, right.
"Come to think of it, Pill Master said something like that. That my functions lag behind my specs."
"Yeah, same vein. Think of it that way. Your theoretical knowledge is way behind your capabilities, so you don't even realize what you're doing. This is a perfect example. The Yin-Yang Five Elements Scripture is one of the universe's craziest arts partly because it encapsulates the principles of the entire cosmos."
"Is that a problem?"
"Not really. But it should be. Expressing even one concept in a single art is tough enough—trying to cram the whole universe's myriad phenomena? Impossible. Like a fish trying to leap into the sky and become a dragon. But your master pulled it off. And successfully implanted it in you."
Wow.
I didn't fully get it, but respect for my master suddenly surged.
"That's why you don't even know how amazing the art you learned is. It's not just one technique. The Yin-Yang Five Elements Scripture holds countless wonders. And the Heavenly Mechanism Calculation Method isn't much different."
Naturally, the talk shifted to the art from AlphaGo.
"This one's pretty crazy too. It defines 'me' and predicts 'every possible scenario that could befall me.' Possible? But AlphaGo did it. And passed its essence to you. Know how?"
"Uh... no clue?"
"Yin-Yang Five Elements Scripture again. Heavenly Mechanism Calculation normally requires calculating everything for answers. AlphaGo did it with absurd computation and near-prophetic wisdom—but that's impossible for you. Yet it works. Because your inner Yin-Yang Five Elements Scripture already holds all values. That's why Heavenly Mechanism Calculation activates properly. Compared to that, Pill Master's Pill Qi Refining Method and Five Elements Harmony Array are simpler. The former just tweaks qi, and the latter is covered by your Five Elements circulation."
"?!"
Was that true?!
Thinking about it, that made sense!!
"See? These are the easy ones. You're learning three, but it's really the bare essentials after stripping away the rest from what you've got."
"Ooh! Where do I start?"
"Order doesn't matter. You'll learn all three anyway."
"What are they?"
"Similar to Pill Master's arts overall. Not direct combat stuff, but blacksmith-related. Sensing and syncing with earth's flows. Reading metal grains and conversing with them. Accumulating heat in your body to become a living blaze. These three exist to let you forge your own smithy."
"Oh ho."
Like Pill Master's herb garden—a new housing feature.
Not bad.
Any growth—vertical or horizontal, shoring up your foundations—was proven to boost raw power immensely.
Especially gear. Nothing beat it for survival, directly or indirectly.
If not for the firearms looted from those raiders, taking down the vein predator would've been impossible.
Artisans didn't discriminate tools, sure.
But for hacks like me, picking the right ones was mandatory.
Main weapons like swords, sure—but sub ones like throws or slingshots too.
If I could learn them, better learn 'em all.
Seeing my eager eyes, Big Sis Goblin Hater met them, then grinned.
"Good fire in those eyes."
"Of course! I'll learn blacksmithing from you and one day forge a divine sword."
"Strong resolve. But my techniques demand more than resolve. A spirit that hardens after thousands of strikes, endurance to withstand molten lava."
"I'm Unyielding Magic Sword, after all."
"Unyielding Magic Sword? Hope you don't break midway."
She said it skeptically, half-doubting, half-expecting.
I stared, wondering why the hope, and she hoisted her hammer high.
"I've watched your progress. It's intriguing, honestly. Seen plenty of maniacs in my world, but you're rare. Makes a blacksmith's itch flare up. How far can this lunatic go? And with my weapons... how much farther? That's what I wanna see."
Rumble rumble rumble—
A terrifying heat surged.
Just from lifting that hammer, the air temperature spiked dozens of degrees.
Good thing Yin-Yang Five Elements activated automatically, or I'd have roasted already.
"But to see your world, I should show mine first. Here goes."
Next, Big Sis Goblin Hater slammed the hammer down with full force.
Boom!!!
The ground cracked like a spiderweb, and pillars of molten lava erupted everywhere.
The polar opposite of my Frost Apocalypse world.
Big Sis Goblin Hater, who had birthed this Volcano Apocalypse, spoke calmly amid the searing blaze.
"Welcome... to the world of fire and steel."