Your Name (2)

"Kerrurk!"

In the end, until the last goblin hiding in the forest breathed its last, none of them ever spoke their name.

"Tch."

I had failed to get the answer I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wanted.

Still, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠plenty of floors remained. That meant opportunities still waited ahead, so it was far too early to despair.

"I am the Heavenly Demon. If you have been watching carefully, send me out now."

I had expected the usual mana stones for a reward, but there was something extra.

"Oh."

The Greed Badge again—and two of them, no less.

"This time I'll put them to proper use."

Last time I had burned one on Floor 5 without knowing any better.

With the badges and mana stones stowed in my inventory, my business in the Reward Room was finished.

"I will leave the Tower."

The moment the words left my mouth, light enveloped my entire body.

The first thing I did after returning home was look up information on the next floors.

A few more comments followed after that, but none of them contained anything useful.

In the end, the only one who posted real information this time as well was MagicLover.

MagicLover… was he a god?

A goblin that used both magic and a sword? That was genuinely interesting information.

What a convenient setting.

A goblin that wields both magic and a blade…

Floor 10 was the gateway where the Tower's leading digit changed, so it seemed the Tower had prepared something properly brutal for the occasion.

Why empty an inventory slot out of nowhere?

Not that it mattered—my inventory had empty space to spare. I barely carried anything to begin with, and I had recently obtained the Goblin Pocket as well.

That was the last reply MagicLover left.

"Hmm?"

Curious, I dug through other communities as well, but I found nothing of real substance. Whenever someone asked what was on Floor 10, most people just teased with things like "Ah, that?" or "Ah, well, you see…" without ever giving a proper answer.

"What the hell is it."

They only ever managed this kind of unity when it was completely useless.

"Well, I'll find out when I get there."

Besides, Floors 7 through 9 shouldn't have anything that would actually slow me down.

"What is your name?"

"Kerrurk!"

I kept relentlessly asking the goblins their names, and they kept answering with nothing but their signature screeches, as if to say, "Yeah, go fuck yourself." The same situation on infinite loop.

If I had to summarize the climb from Floor 7 to Floor 9, that was exactly how it felt.

"Today is Floor 10. Something should change."

A great many things changed starting from Floor 10.

Publicly, any Awakened who cleared Floor 10 or higher was treated as a quasi-military weapon. Even inside the Awakened communities, people finally considered you free of the "beginner" label.

Of course, there was the less amusing fact that among those who talked that way, the ones who had actually cleared Floor 10 made up only the top thirty percent.

In any case, from Floor 10 onward the monsters finally stopped being goblin one-tricks. In many ways, it was a floor where a lot changed.

"Huh."

Which was why, the moment I entered Floor 10 and saw what lay before me, I was briefly at a loss for words.

"Is this… a mountain fortress?"

A massive wooden palisade filled my vision. Granted, "palisade" was generous—it was little more than logs roughly driven into the ground and lashed together—but until now the only artificial structure I had encountered was the Heavenly Demon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Cave on Floor 5. Seeing an actual fortress-style construction made me finally feel that I had reached Floor 10.

"Hmm."

I gave the wall a few experimental taps. I could smash it with a bit of force, but I had no idea how many goblins were entrenched inside, so I pulled my hand back for now.

"Search."

I limited the range to a thirty-meter radius. Once again the surrounding terrain unfolded in my mind like a 3D map.

"Ugh."

No matter how many times I experienced it, the sensation never quite became familiar. Still, I could clearly grasp the number of goblins lurking nearby.

"Well over a hundred."

That was only within a thirty-meter radius. The constant shifts in presence even during the search made it clear that the total number blanketing Floor 10 was far higher.

"So the objective of this floor isn't annihilation."

Not open war—assassination. Taking the Goblin King's head as quickly as possible. That had to be the intended clear condition for Floor 10.

"However… that is not This Seat's way."

Was it the path of a martial artist—no, of the Heavenly Demon—to take fright at a swarm of vermin and turn tail? Absolutely not.

"Come here."

Crack!

I seized the wooden barricade with brutal force. My fingers sank into the rotten timber like a hawk's talons.

A martial artist must always stand tall, and the Heavenly Demon must never retreat under any circumstance. Hiding in the dark to assassinate out of fear of a goblin horde was something that simply did not exist in my dictionary.

I layered magic that boosted speed and strength over my body. For a brief moment, I could surpass the limits of this slender girl's frame.

BOOM—!

The massive wooden wall collapsed without resistance.

"Kyaak!"

A few goblins who had been idly wandering near the wall were crushed to death under the falling timber, while the rest lost their wits in the sudden cloud of dust.

"Now then—This Seat has personally graced you with a visit. Where is your king?"

Standing atop the ruined wall, I took in the entire interior of the fortress at a glance. The scale itself was not particularly large. Inside the roughly circular palisade stood a handful of crude tents—and among them, one enormous tent that practically screamed "I am the king."

"That one, is it?"

I leapt.

Thud—!

In a single bound I cut through the air and landed right in front of the massive tent. Up close, its size was even more striking. Ordinary goblins were about my height; this tent easily stood more than twice that.

"Well then. Let's have a look at your face."

Without hesitation I flung aside the cloth blocking the entrance.

"Kerrurk! Who goes there!"

Inside, a hulking figure that could only be called a goblin king was sprawled out in complete leisure.

"Hah."

Outside, the wall had collapsed and goblins were being crushed to death, and this thing had still been lying around?

"And you call yourself a king?"

A leader of a pack ought to set an example. What a pathetic, lazy display.

"Kerrurk! Human! What! Why you here!"

It still hadn't grasped the situation. Beyond pathetic—it was almost pitiful.

"It would not be strange if This Seat cut you down this instant, yet I shall specially grant you mercy. Speak your name."

I drew my plain blade from its sheath and leveled it at the creature's throat.

"Kerrurk! I am king! King! Kerrurk I!"

It rose as it shouted. For the first time since I entered the Tower, I was hearing something resembling an actual answer from a goblin.

"Kerrurk I?"

What a ridiculously crude name.

"Your parents clearly had no talent for naming."

"Kerrurk! Name! I made myself!"

"Ah. I didn't know that."

Well, what did it matter either way? The important thing was that I had finally dragged a proper answer out of a goblin's mouth.

"Very well. Since you have given your name, it is only proper that This Seat answer in kind. This Seat's name is…"

My words stuck in my throat.

"This Seat's name is…"

What was my name?

My—no, This Seat's—name… what was it?

"Ugh!"

My head—my head felt as if it would split open.

"Kerrurk?"

At my sudden abnormal reaction, the Goblin King tilted its head in confusion.

But only for a moment.

"Kerrurk die!"

Without hesitation it brought its sword down.

An excellent decision. Unfortunately, excellent decisions do not always lead to good results.

Slash!

"Kerrurk?"

Thud!

A sharp cutting sound rang out, and something hit the floor. Following the noise, Kerrurk I looked down without thinking—and saw a massive green hand.

"Kyaaaak!"

It did not take Kerrurk I long to realize that the thing on the ground was its own hand.

"Kyaaaaak!"

It clutched the severed stump and began to scream.

"Ah. Damn it."

My head throbbed. An inexplicable irritation surged up, and I swung my blade as it was.

"Ky…"

The Goblin King's head flew away in vain, along with the massive tent and the palisade beyond it.

"…Heavenly. Demon. Yes. This Seat is the Heavenly Demon."

I forced the words out. My head still felt ready to shatter.

"Ugh."

The text barely registered. My head felt as if it would crack open any second. If I could just shake off this pain, I would do anything.

Crunch—!

Out of nowhere came the sound of something stepping on debris. Goblin remnants?

"Who's there!"

I turned my head—and a carriage came into view.

A carriage… in the Tower?

My head hurt so badly I wondered if I was hallucinating. I wasn't. The carriage was still leisurely rolling across the ruined fortress.

No—before that, why was there a carriage here at all?

"What in the world…"

It was so absurd that for a moment even the headache was forgotten.

Was this the "something" everyone had been so cagey about on Floor 10?

A hidden boss?

It was a little too openly known for something "hidden."

What the hell is this?

Question piled on question, and with the headache on top of it all, my thoughts simply would not connect. Not that thinking would have changed anything.

At last the carriage stopped in front of me. The clutter hanging all over it clattered noisily against itself.

"……"

I had no idea how to react, so I simply stared blankly at the carriage with my mouth shut.

"Haha! Now this is a rare customer!"

What broke the silence was a disgustingly cheerful voice from inside the carriage.

"But meeting me today is clearly your good fortune! Come, I have everything except the things I don't!"

With a burst of laughter, a masked eccentric stepped out from within the carriage.