Be Careful What You Wish For (4)
Be careful what you wish for. A green hood. Short limbs. That distinctive stench that makes you want to retch. Every time I open my eyes, I find myself in hell. Yet I have not taken my own life because I refuse to die as a goblin—I intend to live as a human. Look around. There are so many beasts wearing human skins. Why would there not be humans wearing goblin skins?
“Hoo.”
All I hold now is a worn longsword once wielded by a deserter. Perhaps the sight of a mere goblin assuming a proper stance looked ridiculous to them. Sneers slipped through the gaps in their armor. I answered only with a short breath. Internal qi began to stir. I kicked off the ground with my short legs. A form no goblin should ever achieve sliced through the air.
“W-what?!”
“The goblin flew?!”
“The sky! Look at the sky!!”
‘Already too late.’
A faint blue haze rose like heat shimmer from the tip of the crude iron sword. It was too weak to be called sword qi. In Murim terms, my realm was barely Second-class—only just beginning to handle internal qi. Even so, it was more than enough.
My blade fell like a comet from the sky and severed the neck of the foremost knight. Swish!
“He’s dead?!”
“His head came off?! To a goblin?!”
“Damn it! Everyone, fight with everything you have!”
One knight perished without even a scream. I did not relax. Instead, I drew up more internal qi. My pitiful dantian screamed as if it would tear apart, but I clenched my teeth and suppressed the pain. Now I could unfold it, however crudely—the sword art of the Nangong clan that spread endlessly like the blue sky.
Insight gained.
Blue Sky Great Connection Divine Art has reached 2-star proficiency.
Internal qi has increased!
‘Even when driven to the brink, my mind remains as clear as the sky after rain.’
Blue Sky Unfettered. The sky is blue and boundless, so the sword that carries its mystery knows no restraint. That was another realization. The limitations of a goblin’s short limbs and small frame were no obstacle to the mystery of Blue Sky Unfettered.
I swung the sword wreathed in blue haze in a wide arc. A sword path like wind and clouds intertwined swept across all directions.
Crack! Boom!!
Three breaths were enough to deal with the knights who had been closing in to surround me. Heavy armor clattered to the ground. Only then could I catch my breath.
First time defeating a lowest-grade knight.
Vagabond proficiency has increased to B-rank!
Karma decreased for eliminating an ‘evil person.’
Stat growth is restricted due to the goblin’s physical limits.
The effect of ‘Vagabond’ breaks through the limit!
Strength and Agility have increased!
Internal qi and skill have increased!
‘More importantly, is the girl I saved safe?’
The half-broken Status Window was of no concern. I turned sharply toward the prison. Fortunately, the girl had fled deep inside the moment the fight began, so she had not been caught in my sword path. She only peeked out like a timid rabbit, which was somewhat absurd.
“……What are you doing?”
“W-well……”
“Enough. Come out quickly. You can find your way home alone, can’t you?”
“I-I don’t know. I don’t know where this is…… And I’m scared I might run into humans again……”
“Stop. I understand. Be quiet.”
So it had come to this after all. The sound of her sniffling gave me an instant headache, yet I had no intention of turning away. Setting Karma aside, I could not help feeling pity for a child forced into such a state. Besides, leaving her to return alone would only invite more trouble if her home was far.
“We will gather what we can here and then depart. Do you know the direction to your home?”
“I do! No matter how far, I can always feel where my homeland is. B-but going alone……”
“I know. I will not abandon you. Do not worry.”
“Th-thank you…… Ah……”
Thud.
The elf girl collapsed while bowing her head in thanks. I checked her over. Nothing was wrong—she had simply fallen asleep. After everything she had endured, it was only natural.
“In the end, I have to do it alone.”
Not that I had planned to make her help from the start.
Fortunately, the bandit camp had a wooden cart for hauling goods, so moving the girl and the supplies was not difficult. The only problem was that I had to pull the cart myself instead of using a horse. Still, my stats rose because of it, so I was satisfied.
Back at the Forest Sanctuary, I first organized the food. I set aside the preserved rations and ate the ready-to-eat items first.
‘Not much meat. Mostly hard bread and cheese…… but this alone should be enough to survive.’
1 log consumed.
Wooden fence construction successful!
Crafting proficiency has increased to D-rank!
New recipe unlocked!
With food in my stomach, it was time to work. I erected a wooden fence to make the sanctuary more livable. Surprisingly, building the fence was not difficult. I simply drove logs into the ground and sharpened the tops with an axe—possible only because I had obtained an axe from the bandit camp. Stat increases followed as a bonus.
Strength and Agility have increased!
Stat growth is restricted due to the goblin’s physical limits.
“Hoo…… This should be enough.”
In just one day, the sanctuary that had been nothing but a tent by the lake had become a passable fortress. Reaching the stat cap from killing the bandits and knights was an added bonus. The construction that began at dawn only ended when the sun of the next day began to set. I clicked my tongue.
‘I still need to train…… Today will be rough.’
“Mmm…… Where is this?”
“You are awake.”
“Hah! A-a goblin?!”
“Calm down. It is me.”
“Ah…… Th-that…… I-I am sorry.”
The girl flinched in surprise, then blushed as if remembering and bowed her head. A well-mannered child. In other words, even a child like her was so startled that it showed just how low the image of goblins truly was. I swallowed the bitter taste in my mouth and spoke.
“Your share of the food is over there. It is too late today, so rest here. We will depart for your homeland tomorrow.”
“Th-thank you. Um…… your name?”
“Dokgo Ryong.”
“I-I see. My name is Rina.”
After a brief exchange of names, Rina smiled awkwardly and headed toward the food I had prepared. She must have been very hungry. The bandits had probably not fed her properly. Watching her stuff bread, cheese, and meat into her mouth, I tilted my head.
“……Elves eat meat?”
“Munch munch. Of course! Elves are the apex predators of nature!”
“Is that so.”
“But we must not hunt recklessly. The iron rule is to hunt only enough for that day.”
“I see.”
I never imagined I would hear the elven iron rule from an elf herself. I nodded and turned my head. My stats had already reached their limit, yet I still swung my sword, refining the forms in my mind. Once Rina had eaten her fill and settled down, she watched my training with interest.
“You are different from other goblins, mister.”
“I strive not to become like them.”
“Why? They are still your kin, aren’t they?”
“Let me ask you instead. Can you be certain that every elf is good and never walks a crooked path?”
“……That……”
She seemed struck by the question and gave no answer. I did not press her. Instead, I raised a finger to my lips. At the signal to be quiet, Rina obediently fell silent.
With Rina silenced, I kicked off the ground and leapt onto the sharpened points of the fence as if they were flat ground.
“Tsk. Those filthy wretches. Their noses are disgustingly sharp.”
Kek kek. Krrrrk.
A grotesque laughter echoed from the darkness beyond. It was a sound I had heard before. How could I forget the laughter from that gloomy, damp den? I spoke their identity aloud.
“Goblins.”
They had finally tracked me here.