chapter 5
Episode 5
Chapter 4 – Goblin Subjugation
Translated by POWERPUFF
I stopped my delusions for a moment and looked ahead.
Out of the darkness, four goblins were charging toward me, each holding a club.
It seemed that goblins born in the dungeon used clubs as their standard weapon.
The goblins I’d seen outside usually just wore rags around their waists and fought barehanded. At best, they carried rusty daggers or broken sticks.
‘They look the same, whether inside or outside the dungeon.’
I casually picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at the goblin on the far right, aiming for its head.
Whoosh!
Bang!
The goblin’s head exploded like a fruit smashed against a wall.
“Kieeeek!?”
The remaining three goblins were startled by their companion’s head suddenly bursting apart.
“Kikiki! Kieee!”
But they didn’t fear me. Instead, they grew more enraged and rushed at me.
Goblins were stupid like that. They never seemed to think about their own deaths.
If I kept throwing stones, I could finish them easily—but that felt too boring. Since there was no one around, I decided to try different methods.
‘Let’s avoid getting blood everywhere, though.’
“Kieee!”
The goblin on the far left jumped and swung its club at me.
Before it could hit, I focused strength into my right index finger and thrust it forward.
Thud!
My finger pierced straight through its skull, instantly destroying its brain.
The goblin died midair, hanging off my finger.
‘Ugh… that feels gross.’
I pulled my finger out, and the goblin’s body dropped to the ground. I shook off the blood and brain matter clinging to it.
“Kie! Kikiki!”
Smack! Smack!
While I dealt with one, the other two goblins struck my leg and stomach with their clubs.
But their attacks couldn’t even scratch me. I didn’t feel a thing.
‘What should I do with these two…?’
After thinking for a moment, I realized my options were limited anyway—either punch through them or throw them against a wall. But both methods risked splattering blood or breaking the magic stones.
Trying to rip out their hearts quickly crossed my mind, but I didn’t want to get drenched in blood. So I settled on a simple method.
“Here goes.”
I clenched both fists and brought them down onto their heads.
Thud!
Their skulls caved in, their heads sinking down to their collarbones as they collapsed instantly.
With proper control, this method actually caused the least mess.
‘Now for the magic stones.’
I reached for my bag to grab my dagger, but then paused.
‘…Why not just pull them out by hand?’
The dagger I had was basically for peeling fruit. Even if I washed it afterward, I didn’t want to use it again after cutting into goblins.
Might as well use my hands.
I grabbed one of the corpses and plunged my hand into its chest.
Squish.
A warm, unpleasant sensation wrapped around my fingers.
‘I’d much rather be doing this to a beautiful woman than a goblin…’
As I moved my fingers around, I felt something hard in the center of its chest.
‘That must be it.’
I grabbed it and pulled my hand out.
A small, light-green gem-like object sat in my palm.
‘So this is a magic stone.’
I shook my hand vigorously to fling off the blood, then dropped the stone into my coin pouch.
I repeated the process for the remaining goblins.
Soon, my pouch was filled with magic stones—but mixing them with money felt a bit unpleasant.
‘I should get a separate pouch for these.’
I only needed one more goblin to complete the quest.
But coming all this way just to kill five felt underwhelming.
The more magic stones I gathered, the more money I’d have.
And more money meant more fun later.
‘Alright. Let’s keep going.’
◈
About twenty minutes had passed since I entered the dungeon.
At first, I’d felt excitement—but now, it was just boring.
Smack!
Stab!
Shake, shake.
Punch the goblin’s head.
Reach in and pull out the magic stone.
Shake off the blood and stash it.
Over and over again.
The goblins didn’t run away—they kept charging at me eagerly.
By now, my pouch was stuffed full of magic stones.
Even my fantasies were starting to blur from the monotony.
‘I need something new…’
Maybe meeting a pretty girl.
Someone who could become both a fantasy and… something more.
‘…Yeah right.’
This was still the first floor. A beginner area.
There was no way something like that would happen—
“KYAAAAAAAH!”
A woman’s scream echoed faintly from deeper in the dungeon.
‘Huh? Seriously? Right now?’
I froze for a split second.
But the scream wasn’t just loud—it was filled with panic.
She was in danger.
I kicked off the ground.
Boom!
The ground cracked beneath my feet as I launched forward.
With just one step, I covered a huge distance.
“Kikiki!?”
The goblins nearby flinched at my sudden burst of speed, but I ignored them.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
I dashed forward, each step propelling me farther.
Then—
There it was.
A scene of danger unfolding ahead.
A human girl was sitting collapsed against the wall.
In front of her stood a beastkin girl, her left arm hanging limp, gripping a dagger in her right.
And facing them—
A massive goblin wielding an enormous club.
A hobgoblin.
Anyone could see the situation—it was bad.
They must have been hunting goblins when this thing appeared.
The beastkin girl’s arm was likely injured in the attack, and she was trying to protect the priest-looking girl behind her.
At this rate, they’d be killed.
But—
That was reality.
And I had no intention of letting that happen.
“YES fantasy, NO reality.”
I wasn’t some lunatic who enjoyed real suffering.
I kicked off the ground again.
Boom!
In an instant, I closed the distance.
Thud!
I landed firmly and clenched my fist—then loosened it slightly.
Too much force would make it explode.
I didn’t want that.
“Uooooooraaah!!!”
I punched the hobgoblin’s shoulder.
BOOOOOOM!
Its massive, muscular shoulder crumpled like paper.
The impact sent it flying about twenty meters away.
Perfect control.
“Ah…?”
“Eh…?”
Two soft voices reached my ears.
I turned toward them.
Both girls stared at me with wide eyes.
Up close, they were both beautiful—no, more like youthful beauties. Probably around my age.
I wanted to look longer—but first impressions mattered.
“Are you alright?”
I spoke as calmly as I could.
Like a proper gentleman.
Because who knows—
Maybe someday, I’d be a gentleman in more ways than one.