Chapter 123: Eternal Spire (9)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 123: Eternal Spire (9)
"You're pretty bold, coming all this way."
The woman lowered her head and answered.
"I… needed the money. I heard the goblins deeper in here drop more valuable items…"
Her voice was laced with regret.
The forest grew deeper, and the air around us turned ominous. We were far past the area where ordinary goblins appeared.
"How much farther do we have to go?"
"We're almost there…"
Just as the woman said, the reek of blood began to fill the air.
Before long, we found a corpse. The torso was so badly mutilated it was unrecognizable, and its limbs were twisted and splayed across the ground.
"Your boyfriend?"
"Ah, no… my colleague…"
"Over there…"
Tia pointed, having spotted something. A cave. A clear trail of blood had been dragged from its entrance.
"This must be the place."
"Seo-yun, are you going in?"
"I have to. Send the snakes in first to scout the inside."
"Understood."
Tia replied calmly and raised her arm. Several small snakes emerged from it, slithering into the cave and scattering inside.
A moment later, Tia opened her eyes and said, "There are a lot of goblins inside. About twenty of them… and there's one that's especially large."
"Especially large… probably a hobgoblin."
I drew my sword. Hobgoblins were much stronger than regular goblins, but to me, they were all the same.
"Let's go."
I took the lead and stepped into the cave. Tia followed right behind me, and the woman trailed a short distance away, her face pale with fear.
The cave's interior was wider than expected. Torches placed here and there cast flickering light, creating a sinister atmosphere. Crude drawings made by goblins covered the walls, and the floor was a mess of bone and blood.
"Tia, keep scouting."
"Yes, Seo-yun."
The snakes she sent out crawled into every corner of the cave, reporting the situation back to her.
The presence ahead grew stronger as we advanced.
"Seo-yun, there's a group of goblins up ahead… and…"
Tia's face paled, and she couldn't finish her sentence. From her expression and the change in her demeanor, I could guess what was happening.
"Wait here."
I drew my sword and walked slowly toward where the goblins were.
When I reached a large cavern, I saw the goblins in the middle of a party. It was a gruesome sight. One woman was being gang-raped by the goblins, while next to her, a man's corpse was being devoured.
I approached a goblin and swung my sword.
"Kiek?"
Before the creature could even register my presence, its head was severed. The other goblins shrieked in horror at the sight of the head rolling on the ground, but it was too late.
In an instant, the heads of five goblins hit the floor. The rest, their faces contorted in terror, tried to flee, but I was faster with my blade.
The hobgoblin, which had been stupidly gnawing on the man, finally grasped the situation and stood up, grabbing a weapon from the ground.
[Hobgoblin Lv.3]
"KIEEEEEEEK!"
"Noisy."
The hobgoblin roared and swung its club, but I caught it with my bare hand, stopping it in its tracks.
Thwack!
"Krrk?!"
The hobgoblin's eyes widened in shock. I kicked its leg. As the off-balance hobgoblin fell and its head hit the ground, my foot came down and crushed its skull.
Splat!
The hobgoblin's head burst, splattering blood everywhere.
I had dealt with every goblin in the cave. I turned my gaze to the woman who had been gang-raped. Goblin semen trickled from every one of her orifices.
"Hhhiii… no… heeeeh…"
Her mind was completely shattered. Her eyes were vacant, with no trace of sanity left.
At this point, she's probably pregnant with a goblin's spawn.
I spoke to the snake on my shoulder.
"Tia, bring the woman over here."
The snake nodded. Tia approached, pulling the woman along.
"Ah… Eun-ju…"
The woman wailed as she looked at the violated woman's body, whose name was apparently Eun-ju.
"Sob…"
"Heu-eu-euh…"
She's beyond help.
Tia moved closer to my side.
"Seo-yun… that woman… is she really going to get pregnant with a goblin's child…?"
"That's right. So don't ever let your guard down or get arrogant."
"…Yes."
Tia's violet eyes trembled. The horrific scene before her seemed to have served as a powerful lesson.
"Let's go back."
"Yes. Boa."
Tia extended her arm, and a giant snake appeared.
"Place her on this."
"Sob… okay…"
The woman hesitated for a moment before embracing her unconscious companion and climbing onto the snake.
We arrived back in the city and took the women to an inn.
"I'll pay for a room for the night, so stay here. After you've cleaned up, you should probably take her to the central temple."
"Th-thank you…"
The woman sobbed, supporting her friend as tears streamed down her face. After getting them a room, Tia and I returned to our own.
"I… I didn't end up like that, thanks to you, Seo-yun."
Tia murmured, burying herself in my arms. Fear and relief mingled in her violet eyes.
"If you weren't here… I would have…"
Her voice trembled. She was likely imagining the horrific scene she'd witnessed today happening to her.
"Don't worry. You're strong enough now."
Tia nodded at my words and pressed herself closer against me.
*
Two weeks passed. The city was still in a state of chaos. A few participants had started to adapt, but most were still reluctant to venture outside the city walls. Many were paralyzed by fear and their survival instincts.
Tia grew stronger by the day. Her magical skills improved by leaps and bounds, and her ability to handle snakes, in particular, was now famous throughout the city.
I left Tia in the city and went out alone.
The original work never specified where the gate to the 2nd floor was. I'll have to find it on foot.
The novel had only mentioned in a single line that someone had found it, but it never said who or where.
The only hint was a phrase about something being discovered in a hobgoblin habitat.
I guess I'll start by heading to where the hobgoblins are.
I used my lightness skill to move quickly. On the way, I ran into a party hunting monsters.
"Ah…"
"Hey, look away…"
"Gulp…"
The moment they saw me, they tensed up, unable to hide their nervousness. Whether it was because of the rumor that I'd killed the Wolf King of Black Night alone, or because of my history of slaughtering monsters by myself, people's reactions were mostly the same.
They're looking at me like I'm a monster.
They stared at me with fearful eyes before quickly averting their gazes. It was a familiar reaction.
I passed them and kept moving, heading for the most dangerous hunting ground on the 1st floor, the territory of a hobgoblin horde.
"Ugh… the smell of rotting corpses is disgusting, even from here."
The atmosphere was different from that of the regular goblin areas. I could see crude structures built by hobgoblins, with sentries posted here and there.
First, I'll kill them all, then I'll search.
I took a sword from my inventory. It was the one made from the fang of the Wolf King of Black Night. The black blade shimmered with a faint glow due to my unique ability.
[Black Night]
Grade: C
- A sword crafted from the fang of the Wolf King of Black Night. It adds to the wielder's intimidating presence.
[Special Abilities]
- Imbued with the power of the Wolf King of Black Night, it deals additional damage to beast-type monsters.
- During combat, enemies within a 10-meter radius feel psychologically intimidated and experience fear toward the wielder.
It was a sword made from materials I had gathered on the 1st floor. I had paid a hefty 200 gold to have it made at the city's blacksmith.
As I gripped Black Night, it felt more comfortable in my hand than any sword I had used before.
Custom-made is always better.
I held the sword lightly and slowly approached the hobgoblin territory.
"Krrk…?"
A hobgoblin spotted me. It tried to raise its weapon, but my sword had already sliced through its neck.
"Oh, this handles nicely."
"KIEEEEEEEK!!!"
The shriek of another hobgoblin next to it echoed through the area, serving as a warning to the entire territory.
In an instant, hobgoblins began pouring out from the surroundings, armed with weapons. Wielding spears, axes, and clubs, they formed a mob and surrounded me.
They encircled me, remaining wary and not charging in. Their eyes trembled as if they were afraid of something.
I flicked my sword lightly to shake off the blood and smiled.
"I didn't want to waste time, so it's convenient you've all gathered for me."
The moment I raised my sword, they finally shook off their fear and charged at me with a collective roar.
Swoosh!
My sword cut through the air, drawing a blue arc. The blade, infused with my internal energy, sliced through their weapons and cleaved their bodies in half.
I immediately followed up with my next attack.
"Phantom Moon Lotus."
Sword qi like moonlight scattered like flower petals. The qi shredded the surrounding goblins one by one. In its wake, only blood and goblin corpses remained.
Fear filled the creatures' eyes.
When I took another step forward, they dropped their weapons and stumbled backward.
"Scared?"
The moment I took another step, they screamed and began to flee without a second glance.
"Ah, why run? It's such a pain."
I raised my sword at an angle. As I focused my internal energy into the blade, it began to glow faintly.
I swung the sword, and a crescent-shaped wave of sword qi cut through the air, aimed precisely at the backs of the fleeing hobgoblins.
As the sword qi reached them, the hobgoblins were instantly cut down, collapsing to the ground.
[You have leveled up.]
A message appeared before my eyes, notifying me of my level up.
Oh, I finally leveled up. I didn't think it would take this long after killing the Wolf King of Black Night.
I had been slaughtering monsters all this time, but I had only just now leveled up.
It'll be hard to gain any more experience from 1st-floor monsters.
I walked past the hobgoblin corpses and began to search the area. There were no obvious clues leading to the 2nd floor.