Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: 8th Floor. Fall
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"Were you waiting for me, human?"
"Hey, you're not even my girlfriend, so quit making it awkward."
I won't give him a chance to use any items.
Thanks to Unicelia's Blessing eliminating the summon prelude delay, Severa appeared without warning and immediately raised her Frost Wand, gathering mana.
The magic circle for Ice Spear scattered blue light while emitting a chilling frost into the surroundings.
"Hey, you little shit! It showed up! Surround it!"
At my shout, the Orc Search Party finally seemed to grasp the situation, their faces twisting into savage scowls as they charged at the Phantom Thief Goblin—the bastard who'd dared tamper with their soul-bound gear.
Sure, I'd been the one to toss it into the furnace, but it was all to catch this goblin, so it was his fault anyway.
The orcs gripped the decent weapons they'd scavenged from around Floor 7, encircling him to cut off any escape.
Me, who'd smelted every last piece of gear to forcibly craft Tier 4 weapons.
And Severa, safely shielded from incoming spells behind me as she lined up her shot.
This lineup could drop him in seconds, yet the Phantom Thief Goblin showed no tension—instead, his grin deepened, like he wasn't worried at all.
"You believe in God, human?"
He hurled the question at me without sparing a glance at the orcs poised to lunge, weapons raised high.
Believe in God?
If you mean religion, nah. But after seeing the power 113.211 used to hurl me into this world, I figure something's gotta be behind it.
Of course, telling anyone that would probably land me a free ticket to the white padded room on the hill.
"Don't resist—just die already, you disgrace to our kin!"
"Stupid kinfolk. Always discriminated against me. This is my little revenge."
Four weapons came crashing down toward the goblin.
The orcs' arms bulged with muscle, brimming with raw power as they swung.
Even a sub-boss like the Phantom Thief Goblin wouldn't walk away unscathed from that.
But before the blows could land, a single scroll tore open.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 『Shockwave』 "Wha— Sev— Severa, cancel it!"
"Ngh...!"
I frantically ordered Severa to cancel her chant and reverse-summoned her. A split second later, and Ice Spear would've launched—but I couldn't wait that long.
The scroll's inscribed spell dealt minor magic damage to everyone in the room while blasting them back with a powerful shockwave.
The damage itself wasn't the issue; the main effect was the knockdown. But Severa's Health was a measly 1.
Even that weak shockwave would knock the paper-thin girl out of commission, so I couldn't risk losing my key attacker.
Wooooooong────
"Grahhh?!"
"Ugh...!"
The shockwave erupted from the Phantom Thief Goblin, upheaving the ground and hurling everything nearby.
The charging Orc Search Party went flying, and my body slammed into the wall from the impact—like taking a sledgehammer to the gut—before finally stopping.
All the air in my lungs whooshed out my mouth.
Thwack—!
💥 DAMAGE! 💥 -11 HP
"Kahk...! You fucking... using a cheap-ass scroll like that? You goddamn prick..."
I scrambled up from the floor, glaring daggers at the goblin. Makes sense—he hadn't shown up till now, but stepped out himself, so he must've figured he could take me.
Bracing for whatever spell he'd pull next, the goblin casually kept yapping.
"I small. Weak! So kinfolk tormented me! Painfully! Cruelly!"
"Hah... and? You think spilling your sob story now will make me spare you?"
Just looking at the Search Party told you enough: in a macho orc culture thick with testosterone, a scrawny runt like this goblin was born into hell.
They'd have him doing grunt work, then toy with him when bored.
"So I ran. Left village, survived alone. Dangerous, hungry, lonely! But better than village!"
Ignoring me completely, the goblin spread his arms wide and launched into a monologue.
Glancing sidelong at the Search Party, they were just now staggering to their feet—though they'd lost their weapons far off, making a sneak attack tricky.
'Tch. If I pull out a slime and go divine...'
Could I regain the upper hand fighting like our first encounter?
"But pain didn't vanish. Hated kinfolk. So I stole. Tormented them back. Still not enough!"
Thud—
I kicked off the ground and charged. Even if I summoned a slime, one scroll would disable it—so unless I caught him totally off-guard, it wouldn't play out like before.
Hell, he probably used the shockwave scroll not just to counter Severa, but because he'd seen the slime once already.
Madness gleamed in the goblin's eyes.
His red pupils darted erratically before locking onto me.
A familiar, ominous mana.
"Prayed! To God! God gave power!"
Mid-charge, he twisted his waist, hoisting the heavy greatsword too much for his frame, using momentum to swing in a massive arc.
The blade whipped forward on muscle tension, then spun with centrifugal force, building kinetic energy to shred anything in its path.
A torrent of power that'd cleave through armor and all.
I knew what came next without looking: that puny failure, flaunting unholy mana, split clean in half, meeting his end—
"Human, God commands your death—"
"What the—"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 『Advanced Drilling Scroll』 The ground split open.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Rumble rumble rumble───
The world shook, my vision spun wildly, legs dangling in midair with no ground beneath.
But gravity yanked me down hard, denying any flight.
"Gaaaaahhhh! I'm falling!!!"
"S-save me!!!"
Wind and dust blinded me.
Splat—
💥 DAMAGE! 💥 -32 HP
I didn't need to see—the Orc Search Party's screams and the sharp, burning pain stabbing my gut snapped my eyes open.
"Die, human!"
"Guh... ugh... Aaaaaargh!!!"
A grotesque dagger pierced through my armor into my belly.
Screaming from the searing agony, I seized the goblin's throat. Kid-sized, maybe nine years old—he fit in one hand.
Crunch—
I squeezed. My other hand clamped his neck too, refusing to let go.
"Kek, gack...!"
"You—fucking— Let gooooooo!!!!!!"
I curled up and bellowed into his ear.
Blood trickled from his ear at my pained shriek, but the rushing wind turned it to droplets splattering my cheek.
The dagger dug deeper.
Organs tearing? Dizzying pain amplified my roar into his ear.
I felt his neck bones. Flesh mashed, esophagus and trachea crushed, vertebrae cracking under pressure.
Snap his neck and end it.
That was the plan—but it fell apart.
Boom—! Thud— splat—
Freefall always ends in collision.
And it did, soon enough.
The ground shuddered under dozens of kilos of meat, spewing dirt skyward.
Flying soil and weeds. Spine and vertebrae shattered. Gut like lava, then ice in an instant.
"Ah... guh... agh..."
Each agony pushed sanity to the brink—far beyond normal pain.
'Fuck... Advanced Drilling Scroll? Floor 8 now? No... Floor 9?'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ 『Drilling Scroll』
>A scroll containing magic that bores a hole in the floor, causing targets to drop to the lower level. Usually an emergency escape or attack tool due to fall damage, but victims get forced a floor down.
This was the enhanced Advanced version, so bad luck might've dropped me further.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.
More falling sounds and jolts wracked me. Like a worm crushed under a boot, I writhed to stay conscious.
'Healing... Healing Potion...!'
I'm dying. Vision's blood-red, no recovery in sight.
How bad was I hurt that I couldn't muster strength?
Ignoring the screams of my body to stop, I gritted my teeth and crawled toward the tumbling backpack ahead.
Just a bit more.
Almost there.
Hand outstretched to the bag right under my nose...
"Need that, human?"
Crunch.
A green foot ground my wrist. Looking up, the goblin leered down, blood streaming from ears and mouth, eyes full of malice.
Scooping another dagger from my backpack, he mocked my prone form.
"Kekeke, human strong. But weaker than me. Wanted to make hurt slow. But God says kill."
Roughly: He'd love to toy with the beaten prey, but "God" ordered a quick death.
His tone dripped contempt and regret—no translation needed.
"But I'll make it painful. Then kinfolk too! Don't worry—hurt worse than you."
"You bastard Shylock! You finally did it!"
A gravelly voice rang out as the dagger inched toward my brow.
Turning, I saw an orc twice the Search Party's size, burly and glaring daggers at the goblin.
And spotting him, I knew exactly which floor this was.
⚔ DISCOVERY ⚔ You have learned the Phantom Thief Goblin's hidden name. 'Orc village... right below, huh.'
Floor 8.
By coincidence—or not—I'd crashed into the orcs' village, ground zero for all this mess.
"Kehehe! Wait, Warrior Chief! Kill human, then you next!"
"Watch your back, dumbass."
Phantom Thief Goblin, Shylock.
A massive red sword, tempered in fresh blood, whipped across his throat.