Chapter 4
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Goblin
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‘Gotta protect the dungeon somehow, but how?’
The succubus had managed to block the intruder thanks to her magic resistance, but there was no way to stop other monsters—like goblins or orcs.
My strength and stamina were below the average high schooler’s.
I’d never really fought before, and I had no confidence I could beat a monster. Honestly, I was at a loss.
That’s when the system message chimed in.
[Subordinate list updated: Succubus added. You can now use the succubus to intercept intruders.]
“Yeah, that’s right! I don’t have to fight myself. I’m the Demon King, after all—personally stepping up would ruin my image, wouldn’t it? Right, Moemoe Kyun?”
“Your ‘image’ seems pretty ruined already, but...”
“Huh? What was that?”
“I said I’ll protect you, Master.”
“Weird. I could’ve sworn you said something about my face... Anyway, got it. Next time an intruder shows up, you handle it. You can do that, right?”
“Of course. I’ll protect you even if it costs me my life, Master.”
“Good.”
She’s willing to lay down her life in battle... It made me feel like I’d become someone important. Maybe this is why people crave power.
“Is that why the school gangsters strut around with their chests puffed out? They’re hooked on this feeling?”
Somehow, it left a bitter taste in my mouth. I felt gross, like I’d turned into Kim Cheol-min. Was I ultimately the same as him? Was the only difference between us whether we had power or not?
‘No, I’m different. I’ll never become like those guys.’
I shook my head to shake off the bad mood and turned back to Moemoe Kyun. This wasn’t the time to get rattled by some fleeting emotion. There were more pressing issues.
“But can you really handle it? You lost to me, after all.”
“That was inevitable. You’re stronger than me, Master.”
“Huh? What’re you talking about? Me, stronger than you?”
“Please check my abilities.”
“How?”
[You can view subordinates’ status windows through the Subordinate Management screen.]
“Management screen?”
I opened the management screen as guided by the dungeon crystal.
[Moemoe Kyun. Lv 1.] [Succubus(★)]
[Strength 0, Agility 0, Vitality 0, Intelligence 15]
“What the—this is all zeros except intelligence?”
“As you can see, I’m a ghost, so I can’t exert any physical force.”
“Then how are you supposed to stop intruders?”
“My intelligence is high instead. Any 1★ monster won’t be able to resist my magic.”
“What if it’s someone like me, immune to magic?”
“That’s unlikely. There aren’t any monsters around here on my level.”
Moemoe Kyun answered with a confident expression. But somehow, I still couldn’t shake my doubts.
According to the monster encyclopedia, succubi had two weaknesses. One was being powerless against foes with magic resistance, and the other...
“That ‘Charm’ thing—does it work on females too?”
“......”
For the first time, Moemoe Kyun was at a loss for words. Her eyes darted sideways.
“That’s the incubus’s domain, so even if you ask me...”
“What, you have assigned departments like some government office?”
“But I’m specialized in targeting males, so I can’t do anything about females. That’s not my responsibility from the start.”
Moemoe Kyun tilted her head and muttered.
“Damn it, so you can’t stop them after all.”
“Yes. It seems female intruders will have to be handled by you directly, Master.”
“If I had that kind of power, I wouldn’t be stressing about this.”
[You can use subordinates’ skills with your remaining mana. Register Moemoe Kyun’s ‘Illusion’ skill in your skill window and give it a try.]
As I snapped irritably at Moemoe Kyun, the dungeon chimed in right on cue with a tip. I immediately opened my skill window.
[Passive Skills]
[Demon King’s Descendant, Half-Human Half-Demon, Demon King’s Castle Lord]
[Active Skills]
[None]
[You can acquire a new skill.]
[Illusion: Designate a single target and plunge them into an illusion. The illusion is highly detailed but cannot exert physical force.]
[Would you like to learn ‘Illusion’?]
“I’ll learn it.”
I decided to pick up Illusion. I had mana to spare anyway, and understanding the succubus’s abilities would help me defend against intruders better.
[‘Illusion’ has been registered.]
“Illusion, huh... Moemoe Kyun, how do I use this?”
“Designate a target and make them see whatever you imagine. Try it on me as a test.”
“Hmm.”
I pictured a reed field under a new moon sky. Suddenly, the cave vanished, replaced by a wide-open field.
Then, thinking of Yukie, a leather-clad Yukie appeared in the middle of the reeds.
“Can you see this too?”
“Yes. I see it clearly. The moon, the reeds, and the woman I transformed into earlier.”
“Amazing. The stuffy cave’s gone, and now there’s a field in its place.”
“What’s truly amazing is you, Master—mastering a new skill this flawlessly on your first try. How did you do it?”
“The result of skipping homework and diving deep into anime.”
“So that’s the life you’ve lived...”
Getting lost in delusions was my hobby and specialty. Thanks to that ultimate otaku pastime, I could craft and maintain complex illusions with ease.
Looking at it this way, my life sunk into anime didn’t turn out so bad.
‘Wait, with this level of ability, couldn’t I just stop intruders from entering the dungeon at all?’
The thought popped into my head.
“Let’s check the entrance, Moemoe Kyun!”
“Yes, Master!”
The entrance wasn’t far. Peering outside, I saw a blue forest. No monsters in sight, thankfully.
I stepped out and looked at the dungeon entrance. Beneath a massive boulder mountain, there was a hole about twice the height of a person.
“But why’d you come to the entrance, Master?”
“Like this, for example.”
I used Illusion to erase the entrance entirely. The cave opening became a solid rock wall.
“How’s that?”
“I see... That’s a method I hadn’t considered. They definitely won’t find the entrance easily like this. Impressive, Master.”
“Heh. This is basic stuff.”
“There’s just one problem.”
“Huh? What’s that?”
“As you know, Illusion only works on one target at a time. If there are two or more intruders, you can’t hide the entrance.”
“Ah!”
“And even if there’s just one and you hide it well, they’ll find it eventually. Monsters are drawn to the mana emanating from the dungeon without realizing it. That’s what brought me here. The other monsters will probably wander around until they locate it, days or even weeks.”
“So there’s no solution?”
As I slumped my shoulders in dejection, Moemoe Kyun’s eyes suddenly sharpened.
“Master. Monster incoming. Get inside the dungeon.”
“What? A monster?”
Right on cue with her warning, the bushes ahead rustled, and something emerged.
Eerie green skin, yellow eyes, a disgustingly long slit of a mouth, razor-sharp fangs. A monster about the size of an upper-elementary schooler, skinny and emaciated. A goblin.
“Goblin!”
In games, goblins were tutorial fodder, but in reality, they were no pushovers.
Fast, cunning, brutal. Look at those fangs—indistinguishable from a wild wolf’s. No, even more dangerous.
“Keeek! Kekeek!”
Its yellow eyes locked onto me. Its saliva-slick tongue writhed like a snake’s, and its rusted shortsword gleamed dully in the moonlight.
Pretty sharp. Rusty and shabby as it was, it looked plenty capable of taking a life.
“Please tell me that thing’s male.”
“......I’m sorry.”
“Kekeek!!”
With Moemoe Kyun’s apology as the signal, the goblin charged at me.
“Do something, Moemoe Kyun!”
I screamed and threw myself aside. The sharp blade whistled past where I’d stood, close enough to tear part of my clothes.
“Gasp!”
“Gruk! Graaa!”
Frustrated by the miss, the goblin scowled fiercely. Its murderous eyes gleamed creepily as it pursued me.
Meeting its gaze sent chills down my spine, my breath catching in my throat.
“Mo-Moe-Moe Kyun?”
I called her in a trembling voice. But she stayed silent.
‘Why isn’t she moving? Does she not care if I die since she’s a ghost anyway? No way, right? Please say no!’
“Moemoe Kyun!”
“Please wait just a moment. Almost ready. Ha—Illusion!”
Thankfully, she hadn’t been slacking. She cast her mental magic just in time. Illusions identical to me surrounded the goblin.
“Now! While I distract it, run!”
“O-Okay.”
I backed away unsteadily. Luckily, the goblin’s attention was fixed on the illusions, missing me entirely. No—Moemoe Kyun had made me invisible through the illusions.
“That was close. Ugh, my hand again...”
In the heat of the moment, my left hand burned like fire. Damn that Black Flame Dragon.
The pain made it crystal clear this wasn’t a dream. Getting caught by the goblin meant real death.
‘I don’t want to die!’
Clutching my hand, I stumbled toward the dungeon.
Terror made my legs shake; I tripped over and over but forced myself back up each time. The goblin’s bloodthirsty eyes seemed to chase me endlessly.
‘Hide. The dungeon’s big—there’s gotta be a spot.’
I reached the entrance. If I could slip inside and hide well, I’d survive.
‘Yeah, I can survive...’
That’s when the warning from before flashed in my mind.
[※Warning: If the Demon King’s Castle is seized or collapses, you will suffer a fatal blow leading to death.]
‘Damn it, even if I hide perfectly, if it takes the dungeon, I’m done.’
For reasons I couldn’t fathom, I’d become this dungeon’s master, and failing to protect it meant death for me too.
No matter how well I hid, if I couldn’t stop the intruder, it was game over.
‘I have to fight.’
With shaking hands, I grabbed a nearby rock. It was heavier than expected, making my arms tremble.
I wished for a smaller one, but none were in sight. Actually, maybe this was better—heavier meant more impact.
I turned to assess the situation. The goblin was furiously attacking the illusions.
But each one dissolved into smoke upon being slashed, enraging the goblin further as it rampaged.
“Moemoe Kyun, can you keep up the illusion magic?”
“Are you planning to fight?”
“Yeah. Help me get behind it.”
“Understood, Master.”
Moemoe Kyun herded the illusions to one side. The goblin chased them blindly, falling for the lure.
While it was distracted, I crept up from behind.
Rustle, rustle. The grass brushing my ankles grated on my nerves. What if it heard?
The worry was brief—I’d reached striking distance.
My heart pounded like it would burst. Any second, it’d turn around.
‘I have to kill it. Kill it to survive.’
Tension and pain made my hands shake. I couldn’t steady them to lift the rock.
I bit my lip hard—crunch!—and my mind snapped into focus.
The tremor stopped. I hefted the rock.
Thwack!
A watermelon-splitting sound rang out as the goblin pitched forward. Blue blood sprayed, splattering my glasses and blurring my vision.
I staggered back instinctively—and that saved my life.
Swoosh—
A pained screech echoed as something sharp sliced through the grass where I’d been.
I yanked off my glasses and looked down. Severed grass blades lay right at my ankles.
If I hadn’t dodged, that’d be my foot.
Rage surged.
“You... die, you bastard!”
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
I raised the rock and smashed its head again. Flesh tore, bones cracked.
It was gruesome—like crushing a man-sized cockroach.
But I didn’t stop. No, I hit harder with each swing. Fear of death and raw survival instinct unleashed the violence inside me.
[Level Up!]
[Cha In-hyeok. Lv 3. (2.0%)] [Mana 1/3]
[Strength 6, Agility 5, Vitality 4, Intelligence 20]
[Unallocated Stat Points: 16]
Even after hearing the level-up message, it took a while before I finally stopped.