Chapter 24

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 24

Chapter Title: Goblin Aptitude Test

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Gob's Perspective

I bolted out of Kasha's room like I was fleeing for my life.

First things first, I pulled up the quest window.

Whoa! 50 SP!

They offered an extra 30 SP, so I braced myself for a hit and came on Kasha's face.

Now that I've got the points, it feels pretty satisfying. Worth steeling myself for that slap.

At this rate, I could rack up 10,000 SP and turn human in no time, right?

...Nah, that's not happening. 50 SP is peanuts compared to the goal.

At this pace, I'll probably die from Kasha's beatings first.

No point hoarding it like this—maybe I should buy some useful skills?

There might even be a way to mend things with Sera.

My chest swelled with anticipation, and then I spotted some text below the quest window.

Huh? What's this?

The condition to release the illiteracy penalty is injecting semen into a woman's body.

So that means someone just took my semen inside them.

Unless some wild coincidence happened somewhere, the culprit is...

I turned my head and glanced at Kasha's room.

...Why'd she eat my cum? Out of curiosity?

Best to play dumb for now, right?

She probably swallowed it by accident or on purpose—either way, acting oblivious is safest.

The Pheromone skill hits Kasha extra hard. Must be because she's a dog beastkin with a keen nose.

Anyway, thanks to that, I scored a decent ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠chunk of points and cleared the illiteracy penalty.

Should I tell Lucy now that I can write?

Last time she asked, I said I could read but not write.

If I suddenly say I can now, she'll get suspicious. What to do...

The next day. Lab 7.

In this so-called Lucky Seven space that's anything but lucky, I'm getting experimented on again.

Small consolation: it's just me and Lucy, no interruptions.

I leaned back in the chair.

Lucy stood tall at the desk, looking down at me.

From this angle, her breasts are impressive. They block out my whole view. Lucy's stacked, huh.

She doesn't mind if I sneak peeks at her chest, so I just stared openly.

"We're starting the intelligence test now."

A smooth, emotionless voice flowed from Lucy's lips.

Feels like one-on-one tutoring with the teacher. I'd welcome a cool beauty like this anytime.

"The test is 20 true/false multiple-choice questions. Each is worth 5 points."

Lucy placed a single sheet of paper on the desk.

The paper's shape felt familiar, like something I'd seen before. Where was it...?

...Wait, this looks exactly like a college entrance exam sheet? Are we in Korea?

I've noticed it before, but this world has way too many things familiar to me.

Makes me suspect another Korean came here and spread the culture. Nah, probably not actually.

"No reward, and you won't be motivated. If you score over 50, I'll get you your own room."

My own room? No more prison cell? That's tempting.

"Time limit is 30 minutes. Begin."

Lucy didn't go anywhere, just stood there rigidly by the desk.

She plans to watch me take the test?

A beauty watching me test feels kinda pressuring.

No good getting labeled dumb, so I'll do my best.

Hmm... It's Ciel Kingdom, so maybe Ciel is the king?

A king fits "Brave" better than "Slave," right?

Is this a logic puzzle? Isn't the ruler's name common knowledge?

Go with 2: Ciel Brave.

Hmm... No clue. Gotta pick something.

If I'm guessing, stick to the same number for better odds. 2 again.

...

...

Up to question 10, it's all similar trivia, so no idea—filled them all with 2.

Oh, 11 starts math problems? This I'm good at.

1 + 3 is 4, so tens digit 4.

4 + 7 is 11, so ones digit 1.

41. A1. Mental math, easy.

Last question at this difficulty? Annoying to calculate, but doable on paper.

Worked out to 912. A3.

"Done. Question."

The moment I marked 3, Lucy spoke.

Yes. All finished. I held up the test sheet to her.

"I'll grade it now."

-Nod nod.

Swish. Lucy took the test sheet.

She touched the paper with her finger and drew diagonally across it.

A red line followed the tip of her finger.

Wrong from 1. Not Ciel Brave, huh.

What's right? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Jiheel Brave?

"55 points."

Lucy finished grading in 10 seconds and handed back the sheet.

"Over 50, so as promised, I'll prepare a room for you."

Okay! I figured only the math would be right, and it worked out.

"8 wrong on trivia, 1 on math. Trivia's lacking, but intelligence is pretty high."

Huh? One math wrong? What'd I mess up?

Trivia I just bubbled 2s anyway.

But no unfamiliar math problems?

Checked the sheet—the wrong one was 11.

Ah, damn, flubbed the easiest one?

[Q11. 14+37=?]

My first answer was 41, but recalculating on paper: 51.

Shouldn't have done mental math. Got careless.

Messing up an easy one pissed me off more; I clutched my head.

"No ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠need to be down. Solving multiplication puts you top-tier among monsters."

Lucy's consolation didn't help my frustration.

I scribbled on the test sheet, pouring in my regret.

I roughly wrote it and shoved the sheet at Lucy.

"...Real mistake."

Lucy's clear eyes fixed on me.

-Nod nod.

Exactly that—a real mistake.

"You can write."

"Kek...."

Ah... real mistake.

"Last time I asked, you said no. You lied."

"...."

"Or did you self-teach in the meantime."

"......"

I froze in place, perfectly still.

Like a bug playing dead, waiting for the predator to pass.

"...." "...."

But weirdly, Lucy was playing dead too—no reaction.

Scarier still, her gaze was locked right on my face.

She wasn't even blinking. Just staring.

I wrote it on the test sheet and showed her.

"You deceived me."

I hung my head low, hands politely clasped on my knees.

Wasn't intentional deception, but whatever—call it a lie.

Explaining would drag on, and I'd have to spill about quests.

"I already thought it suspicious. Rare to read but not write."

I agree. If you can read, you can usually write, right?

"You lied, so pay the price. Room promise canceled."

My ears drooped. Fair enough, no complaints.

"No more lies from now on."

-Nod nod..

"Promise you won't lie anymore. Question."

-Nod.

"Considering you admitted fault and apologized honestly, I'll give you one more chance."

I lifted my head to meet her gaze.

Peered into her clear eyes, but no emotions surfaced.

Pity? Kindness? Her own mercy? Unclear.

"Answer one question truthfully, and I'll prepare your room."

Okay. As long as it's not how many times I peeked at her breasts, I'll answer anything.

Too many to count, so can't answer that.

"Who are you."

"...Keruk?"

I tilted my head. Didn't get the intent.

"Your behavior isn't goblin-like at all. To me, you're more human."

When "human" slipped from Lucy's lips, my heart sank like a wave crashing.

This woman always seems spaced out, but she's sharper than anyone.

Her objective observations picked up my oddity.

"Mutant? Demon King's minion? Tell me the truth."

I looked into her eyes again.

They sparkled like oceans of blue.

So pretty.

I realized anew just how beautiful she was.

"You promised me. No more lies."

My stomach churned. Playful mood vanished.

I gripped the pen. My heart pounded just from that.

Will she believe? This secret I've never told a soul.

If anyone, her—the truest person—might.

My hand trembled slightly holding the pen.

Please believe me. With that hope, I pressed down hard on the letters.

I held out the single-sentence ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠test sheet to Lucy.

[I am a human.]

The truth I'd never uttered to anyone since arriving in this world.

I am human.

Just writing that one line made my eyes heat up a bit.