Chapter 169
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 170
Chapter Title: Count Darupan Northfell
Vampire Count Darupan Northfell.
Among vampires, who already had little sense of camaraderie with their own kind, he was one who felt it the least.
What was he doing right now?
"Hah, ha, g-get out of the way! Move it, all of you!"
He was running for his life.
A goblin whom he should have originally fought—why was he fleeing like this?
The reason was none other than that goblin.
A goblin had suddenly appeared, massacring vampires.
Seeing this, Darupan had sneered.
A mere goblin must have some clever trick up its sleeve.
But a goblin was still just a goblin.
Darupan figured the fight would end quickly.
And soon after, Darupan found himself on the brink of death.
The goblin was absurdly strong.
Every time the sword imbued with Dawn Light swung...
Darupan's arms and legs tore off like those of a rag doll.
Without his innate regenerative powers, he would have died long ago.
And then the final thrust of Dawn Light's slash.
That was something he couldn't withstand.
If not for the emergency escape magic he always kept prepared for such contingencies...
He would have been completely obliterated right there.
It was a perfect description of a narrow escape from death.
In a desperate bid to put even a little more distance between himself and the goblin, he ran with everything he had.
Nothing else entered his vision anymore.
Whether it was orcs or vampires in front of him, he crushed them all...
And just kept running doggedly.
"Get out of the way! Move!"
He had to escape just a bit further from here.
The moment he thought that and cleaved through the vampire in front of him...
"Got some urgent business?"
His body jolted at the voice coming from behind.
This voice—it was definitely that goblin, Havel.
"Eek, eeek!"
He didn't even think to turn around before transforming straight into a bat.
He flapped his wings frantically, struggling to flee somehow.
But then he realized his back was growing brighter and brighter.
The intense Dawn Light pierced even through his body.
As death loomed, tears welled up in Darupan's eyes.
"S-spare..."
With his final plea, he was engulfed in the Dawn Light.
Darupan vanished in an instant.
Havel turned away from the spot where his body had disappeared.
"C-Count Northfell..."
"What the hell is that goblin?"
The vampires stared at Havel in horrified astonishment.
No vampires were attacking orcs anymore.
Even those blinded by bloodlust had snapped back to their senses.
The moment their eyes met Havel's, they all averted their gazes first.
Their primal instincts told them that meeting his eyes meant death.
"I'll count to three."
Havel announced it to the now-frozen vampires.
The moment the vampires pondered what "three" meant...
"Three."
Havel counted without hesitation.
The vampires immediately bolted in panic.
They all knew what would happen once those three seconds were up.
If you don't want to die, run.
Having realized this, every last vampire fled the orc village.
The orc village, now cleared of all vampires.
The orcs in the village gazed at Havel.
Some wanted to express their gratitude to him.
But most orcs were sunk in gloom and regret.
Because the ones mainly slaughtered by the vampires were children and females.
The dead wouldn't return.
So the orcs grieved for their lost families.
Havel watched them quietly for a moment before lifting his head.
Goblins, orcs, lizardmen.
They all looked different.
But they wept and mourned the deaths of their own families.
Havel gazed up at the sky for a brief moment.
'Just how different are species, really?'
Then his eyes caught sight of Mob and the great warrior's group.
After Havel arrived at the orc village...
A short time later, they had entered as well.
They immediately clashed with the vampires upon entry.
Having already fought before...
They couldn't go all out against the vampires.
But they fought back against the vampires with their own best efforts.
And now.
The orc great warrior directed the despondent orcs, his own face dark.
Even though Havel had stepped in and it ended like this...
Far more orcs had died than expected.
Mob poked the great warrior's side.
Mob had seen countless goblins ravaged by higher species like this.
This was something all mid-to-low tier species experienced at least once.
So Mob could offer some comfort to the great warrior.
People with different appearances and traits...
Having gone through the same ordeal, they empathized with each other.
To Havel, it felt no different from humans.
In truth, humans were the same.
No two humans had the exact same appearance or inner nature.
Yet, just as they cared for and empathized with one another...
Orcs and goblins did the same.
'Maybe species ranking isn't everything.'
Havel felt like he was starting to see a bit more of the key to clearing this floor.
The No. 1 species, whose existence couldn't even be confirmed.
The No. 2 Seraphim, whose existence could barely be recognized.
According to the dragon, they didn't exist in the middle realm.
Until the point where they could be met, reaching No. 1 in species ranking was impossible.
So there must be another way.
'Harmony between species.'
Havel, lost in thought for a moment, walked up to Mob.
Mob, who had been consoling the orc great warrior, looked over late.
Havel asked him.
"Mob, what kind of world do you wish this one to be?"
Mob was a goblin born and raised in this world.
Havel was ultimately an outsider.
He could help them, but he couldn't deeply interfere with the world itself.
He would leave this place eventually, after all.
So Havel asked Mob.
Mob fell silent for a moment, not grasping the sudden question.
But catching Havel's serious gaze, he slowly opened his mouth.
"A world where compromise is possible."
"What does a world where compromise is possible mean?"
"Because no one needs to be placed before an merciless reality."
A world without worry for tomorrow.
That's the world Mob wanted to live in.
Hearing that, Havel let out a short, dry chuckle.
"Quite the pipe dream."
A dream even Havel had struggled to achieve.
A world where you didn't have to fear tomorrow didn't exist in Havel's world either.
This world was still far too unstable.
But as they say, dream big.
It might be a dream worth realizing even just within the Tower.
"Make it happen."
With those words, Havel turned away.
Watching his back, Mob clenched his fist with a swell of emotion.
For some reason, it felt like Havel had acknowledged him a little.
Bibble, Joah, and Aren wore similar expressions.
"Training resumes tomorrow."
Havel said as he walked off.
It was the first day in this world that goblins had triumphed over orcs.
Time flowed swiftly once more.
After returning with the goblins...
Havel gradually increased the intensity of their training as time passed.
As a result, the goblins grew stronger with each passing day.
"Feels like we're turning into total monsters."
Mob flashed a grin while flexing his muscles subtly.
"Nah, Mob. This is the bare minimum."
Aren suddenly poked his head in from the side, showing off his own muscles.
"Why are you two doing that?"
Joah, watching from beside them, gave them a disgusted look.
But the two ignored her completely.
"Good thing Bibble doesn't follow suit."
Bibble, who had been stroking his own arm, flinched and quickly pulled down his sleeve.
As Joah's eyes sharpened...
They sensed a presence and looked up.
"Everyone, gather round."
There stood Havel and Elashiya.
One a goblin, the other a dragon—the combination of the weakest and strongest terrestrial beings.
It was an absurd pairing by anyone's standards.
Yet not a single one of them found it strange.
Nor did anyone doubt that the one beside the dragon was the true strongest.
Havel glanced at the four gathered before him.
The goblins looked quite different from before.
They'd all been runts except for Aren in the past.
Now, their average height nearly matched that of humans.
Their muscles had also transformed into high-quality ones.
And the most dramatic change...
'Their appearances.'
Aside from the goblins' characteristic long ears, their features had altered greatly.
Their punchbag-like noses had sharpened.
Their beastly pupils had grown closer to human irises.
'Come to think of it, higher species resemble refined human forms.'
This might just be the goblins' evolutionary path.
'Predation must be accelerating their evolution.'
Growing taller and bulkier wasn't a bad thing.
It meant greater reach and more options in combat.
'The problem is Aren.'
Just how big was this guy planning to get?
Havel eyed Aren, now larger even than the orcs, for a moment before speaking.
"I gathered you today to share some news."
Everyone listened intently to Havel's words.
To the four, Havel was their master.
Knowing how much stronger they'd become thanks to him...
They would heed any word from him.
"The humans are holding a martial arts tournament."
Hearing the next part, they all exchanged glances.
They grasped what Havel meant.
"It's open to all species, no restrictions. You four enter."
Sure enough, Havel ordered them to participate in the tournament.
Species rank 8, humans.
Humans' average species rank was indeed 8th.
But humans were an exceedingly peculiar species.
They had one of the widest individual variances among species.
Sometimes a dragon slayer emerged who could kill dragons.
Other times, one got beaten to death by a goblin.
Humans had greater variance than typical species.
Other species' evaluations of humans were always all over the place.
A martial arts tournament hosted by such humans.
One open to spectators and participants of any species.
"Naturally, your goal is..."
Havel looked straight at the four and smiled.
"First place."
Fail, and hellish training awaited.
The four silently steeled their resolve.