Chapter 72
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: The World's Strongest Goblin (2)
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I've mentioned it before.
That Gono, back in my veteran MonMonMak days, was a capitalism-crazed goblin who single-handedly held off 100 waves.
And that he had a bug where equipped items would suddenly ‘disappear.’
The true nature of that bug was this.
[Goblin Slave's Secret Pouch]
The reason I uncovered this secret was simple.
A few days ago, when I checked Gono's status window, his stats were too high even with all his items unequipped.
So, I had the Sage analyze him, and this hidden skill popped up.
As for what this skill does…
[The Goblin Slave can secretly hide treasures received from its master.]
It was a skill that let him secretly hide equipped items from me.
…A so-called skimming skill.
Right after, Gono's reaction upon realizing I'd found out about the skill was a work of art.
- Kerok!
He stuck out his tongue and lightly bonked his own head.
Honestly, I thought he was insane.
If I hadn't checked the skill's effect, I would have flogged him on the spot.
Yes, if it weren't for the skill's effect.
[Gono receives the effect of one of the items hidden in his secret pouch. Only Gono himself can choose which item's effect to receive.]
From the moment he was summoned until now, Gono had kept only one item's effect active.
[Branch of Growth - S]
[This branch possesses the power to create something from nothing. No matter how insignificant a life may be, if it touches this branch, it will one day bloom.]
[Acquires the passive skill 'Ceaseless Growth.' 「Ceaseless Growth」: Base stats increase separately after every battle.]
[Monsters of 2-star or lower receive a bonus to stat increases when equipped.]
Yeah, this was probably the item I got after blowing three million won.
I was ecstatic since it was the second S-rank item I'd ever pulled.
‘And it disappeared a day after I equipped it on Gono.’
Back then, I raised all sorts of hell, posting on the MonMonMak homepage Q&A and even sending emails.
In the end, the only reply I got was, ‘We cannot confirm such a bug.’
“Of course you couldn't confirm it. Because you were secretly skimming it off the top. Right, Gono?”
“Ki, kirook.”
The quick-witted Gono immediately shrank back.
I chuckled and patted his small head.
“Still, thanks to that, we're in this situation.”
That's right.
The Branch of Growth has faithfully fulfilled its role since he was summoned.
He grew alongside me.
[Goblin Slave]
[Type: Normal Monster]
[Rank: 1-star, by MonMonMak standards]
[Stats: Strength 75, Agility 85, Stamina 70, Intelligence 40]
And thus, he became the strongest goblin, capable of taking down most B-rank monsters in a single blow.
- Ah… uh… so… what was that? Minos… seems to be dead.
The announcer finally stammered, opening his mouth to speak.
There was no one to answer.
The audience was still frozen with shocked faces, and the operator, Yu Wolha, was busy trying to maintain his composure.
“Wh-what was that.”
The one who managed to speak was Kim Taeha.
The battle had ended before he could even step into the safe field.
So, he pointed a finger at me from his awkward, half-crouched position.
“What the hell was that? Hey, you saw that, right? He did something! That bastard did something instead of the goblin! Announcer, you son of a bitch. Say something, quick!”
- Uh, th-that is. According to my… my mana analysis skill… Mr. Kim Woohyun didn't do anything… at all.
The announcer continued with a dumbfounded expression.
- That was all the goblin's own doing.
“What kind of bullshit is that…?! How can something like a goblin beat a B-rank monster!”
- I… I'm very sorry, but I have nothing more to say….
“Don't make me laugh, you fucker! Do you know how much I poured into that sucker?! I just needed one more win, just one more!”
Kim Taeha cried out as if wailing.
He didn't even glance at the minotaur lying there with its neck broken.
He was only furiously enraged about not achieving a 10-win streak, about the prize money and the one billion won reward slipping through his fingers.
“Analyze it again. You have a replay analyzer here, check it again! These bastards are trying to rig this….”
It was then.
“That's enough.”
A voice echoed from above.
Looking up, Yu Wolha had risen from his seat and was looking down at us.
“The match is over. Both of you did well. Hunter Kim Taeha, please exit. Mr. Kim Woohyun, please move to the waiting room.”
- Yes, th-then. We will now prepare for the next match. Both of you, please….
“Shut up, I don't accept this! Operator, you set this up because you don't want to pay up, didn't you? You conspired with this clueless idiot because you don't want to pay!”
Kim Taeha screamed at the top of his lungs, his eyes bloodshot.
As if influenced by his words, the murmuring among the watching crowd began to grow louder.
But before the announcer could say anything.
“Hmm, that's not the case.”
Yu Wolha spoke softly.
The arena fell silent, but in a different way than before.
It felt as if ice-cold water was pouring down from high above.
“You seem to be taking the system of this banquet hall lightly, Hunter Kim Taeha. The minotaur died because Mr. Woohyun's goblin was stronger. You should simply accept that straightforward logic.”
In that moment.
Kim Taeha, who had been panting with an agitated expression, instantly turned pale.
“Huk…”
The sound of growling beasts began to echo from all directions.
Beyond the various entrances with their iron bars lowered, countless red glows flashed.
They were Yu Wolha's monsters.
“Why must you act so disgracefully to the very end? If you unfortunately stopped at a 9-win streak this time, you can simply do better next time and bring a monster capable of a 10-win streak. Isn't that right? Is there really a reason to object to me or the banquet hall's system here?”
Yu Wolha's voice was still gentle.
But I, who knew his true nature, could glimpse the anger simmering beneath.
Right now, that bastard's mood was severely twisted.
Not because of Kim Taeha's pathetic display, of course, but because of my and Gono's performance.
“…Y-yes, of course. I'm sorry. I… I was just a bit disappointed. I seem to have misspoken. Please forgive me, Operator.”
“If you try a little harder, you'll get better results next time.”
Along with Yu Wolha's cheerful-sounding words.
The beastly growls and glowing eyes that had filled the air also dispersed.
“Ah, yes. Thank… you.”
Kim Taeha bowed his head, breaking out in a cold sweat.
Then, after glaring at me and Gono as if to kill us, he turned and disappeared.
He never once glanced at the minotaur's corpse.
“You can't extract a mana stone from that corpse, can you?”
“Kirook.”
Gono nodded.
As expected, it seems you can't extract mana stones from monsters tamed by others.
The announcer shouted in a trembling voice.
- A-anyway, this round's winner is Mr. Kim Woohyun and his Goblin Slave! This concludes the first match!
Lukewarm applause and cheers.
They still seemed full of doubt.
But it wouldn't be long before that doubt turned into exhilaration.
***
After that, the matches proceeded without a break.
Despite the continuous matches, it took longer than it did a few days ago.
This was because, aside from the minotaur, most of the monsters were on a similar level.
When creatures of similar strength clashed, the fights were bound to be fierce.
As a result, the winning monsters were exhausted, unable to recover before the next round.
“Kirook.”
Thwack!
And Gono sent every one of those monsters packing in a single blow.
There were no monsters left that could be Gono's opponent from the moment he'd eliminated the minotaur, who had been the favorite to win this tournament.
- And now, for the final match of today's banquet!
The fifth match, and the tournament final.
By this point, the atmosphere had completely changed.
- Appearing like a comet and rewriting history in a single day, it's Mr. Kim Woohyun and his goblin slave, Gono, who is showing us exactly what 'a one-way ticket to see the Lord' means!
As the announcer pointed to me and Gono and raised his microphone,
Waaaaaaaaah---!
A thunderous roar erupted from the stands.
“Woooooah! Fuck yeah, Gono! I believed in you!”
“Take it down! Send that boar flying with a home run!!!”
“So cool, Gono's the best!”
“Gono, you're our evangelist! Send him to the Lord in one blow!”
It was the so-called underdog effect. Although he was overwhelmingly dominant, Gono was, after all, a goblin.
Danger level E, the weakest of the weak, fodder for low-level hunters, a piece of trash whose byproducts were worthless.
A goblin, ingrained in their minds as a loser, was taking down monsters that looked several weight classes above it in a single blow.
The sight, beyond unreal to the point of being surreal, was more than enough to stir their excitement.
“Sh-shit. If I win this one, I'll have an 8-win streak too.”
The opposing hunter muttered, biting his lip.
I stared at the monster he had with him.
A Bloody Boar.
A C-rank, boar-shaped monster. It was an individual that had been abnormally enlarged by injections of various potions.
Its breathing was so ragged it wouldn't have been strange if it collapsed on the spot.
“I won't stop you if you want to forfeit.”
“Forfeit? Fuck that. You want me to break my win streak after coming this far?”
I figured as much.
I hadn't expected him to, anyway.
- Then the final match, the tournament final! Begin-!
With a roar, the final match began.
“Just charge! Go and ram anything you see!”
“Kweeeeeek!”
The house-sized boar charged, its eyes rolled back.
I simply stood still and commanded.
“Gono, end it in one blow.”
That was the best mercy I could offer.
Gono nodded.
Thwack!
Just as the four previous matches had gone, a single, resounding crack echoed through the arena.
Thud.
The Bloody Boar, its head shattered, collapsed, splattering brains everywhere.
And with that, the long banquet came to a close.
“You've got to be… fucking kidding me…”
The opposing hunter collapsed to his knees.
“Waaaah! Gonoooooo!”
“This is insane. I just saw a goblin win a tournament.”
“Fuck, hey, let's set up an E-rank gate expedition. I'm going to get a goblin right now.”
The crowd, completely forgetting their own lost bets, cheered with clenched fists.
- Oooooh! One hit! Once again, Mr. Kim Woohyun's Gono finishes it with a single swing of his club! The winner of this banquet has been decided!
The announcer, his face beet red, jumped up and down.
Above the bloodstained arena, colorful confetti fluttered messily.
“…”
I didn't perform any kind of ceremony.
I just put my hands in my pockets and looked up.
“…”
At the operator of this garbage dump, who was glaring down at me with a stiff expression.
***
“Oh, Mr. Woohyun! Could I have a word…”
“Hey, where do you think you're cutting in? I was waiting first! Mr. Kim Woohyun, I…”
When I returned to my table in the banquet hall, countless hunters swarmed me like bees.
I wanted to crush them all.
But the time wasn't right.
So, I said with a smile.
“I'd like to rest today.”
I was no longer just some rich kid who acted cocky, relying solely on his wealth.
I was the owner of a goblin who'd achieved a 5-win streak, and by finishing every monster in a single blow at that.
My words now carried a different weight than they had a few days ago, and the hunters who'd clung to me like stray dogs backed away with awkward smiles.
Instead, I heard Jeong Sowon's voice.
“You did well, Mr. Woohyun.”
“Uh… are you okay? That looks heavy.”
She was holding an armful of cash bundles.
“I'm fine. Oh, for your reference, this is the payout I received from betting my own money. I'll have your winnings deposited into your bank account later.”
Her face was still expressionless, but her eyes were sparkling.
It looked like she'd won quite a lot.
Then again, Jeong Sowon was probably the only person here who bet on me.
And as I nodded and wet my throat with some water,
“M-M-Mister… y-young master.”
A scrawny man approached me hesitantly.
It was the receptionist who had rigged the matchups.
He anxiously darted his eyes around, and the moment our eyes met, he sucked in a sharp breath and spat out his words.
“Th-the operator… w-wishes to see you, young master.”