Chapter 52
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Goblin Cave (5)
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The situation was growing worse by the minute.
But the silver lining was that Gronak was safe.
The Gronak whose eyes had turned goblin-like had, contrary to fears, managed to escape the cave on his own before sunset.
Chase's thinking had been spot on.
Goblins don't come outside once the sun sets.
That meant if they could just get outside without working, there'd be no worry of getting beaten by the big goblins.
But.
"Hey, Chase. Isn't it getting too cold here...? I wanna go inside, what do we do?"
This method wouldn't work forever, it seemed.
Their bodies were gradually turning into goblins.
Gronak's transformation, in particular, was progressing much faster than Chase had anticipated.
He'd been fine except for his eyes that morning, but now his muscles had wasted away, and his frame had shrunk dramatically.
His skin was also turning greener by the shade.
"No way... did you eat more?"
"My stomach's killing me, and that sweet smell keeps messing with my head—what was I supposed to do? I couldn't hold back. I couldn't... damn it."
'This is driving me insane.'
To be honest, Chase's patience was also nearing its limit.
All they'd eaten since entering the goblin cave was a single piece of bread and a bit of water.
Hunger was one thing, but the thirst was truly unbearable.
While laboring with the goblins, Chase had agonized countless times over whether to eat the rotten meat.
It kept looking like sweet fruit from a tree.
Eating it would quench both thirst and hunger.
That devilish whisper had pounded at his brain.
"Fuck."
"......"
There was nothing to say but curse.
Silence stretched on for a while.
"Hey... Chase. What if we just die here?"
"......Why bring that up all of a sudden?"
"No matter how I think about it, I can't see myself living in the world like this. Can't see ahead, drooling over rotten meat and muddy water like some rabid monster... Maybe, just maybe, dying here is the better future?"
Chase shook his head.
"That's not it."
"How can you say that for sure? Fuck, better to croak before turning into a full monster..."
"Gronak. I escaped from here. And the me you remember—was I a monster?"
Gronak shut his mouth.
His beard had been shaved off, and aside from the bruises, Chase had been fine.
He definitely remembered that.
"My take is, once we get out, everything will be okay."
"......"
"All the memories from here will vanish. Yeah, it'll feel like a nightmare. And dreams fade fast because they're volatile. So don't talk like that."
The body and mind return to normal.
So there's no reason to die.
That was Chase's argument.
"Got it......"
Gronak's body was shivering.
Not just from the cold he kept mentioning.
The feeling of no longer being yourself was utter hell.
Chase was waiting for someone.
His arms were stuffed with what seemed to be goblin teeth.
Convinced the wait wouldn't be long, he simply held his breath.
.
.
.
Thud. Thud.
Thud. Thud.
The sound of footsteps approached.
Outside the cave.
Under the night sky, only one being was coming for them.
Chase stared at his feet.
The merchant pulled out a memo from his bosom, right on schedule.
【Selling food and drinking water. Isn't this what you need?】
The first time they'd met the merchant, it had been bewildering.
They'd had no choice but to go with the flow.
But now was different.
"How much?"
The merchant was more lenient than expected.
When Chase had smashed Gronak's head to halt a trade, there hadn't been even the slightest penalty.
It could be chalked up to some kind of luck mechanic.
As long as it wasn't extreme—like trying to steal the goods—most attempts might work.
【8 teeth.】
Correct.
Chase handed over the goblin teeth to the merchant.
These teeth had come from goblin corpses stored in the warehouse.
Opening the locked door had been simple enough.
After finishing labor, Chase had headed straight to the cave.
He'd seen a loitering goblin get pummeled by a big one yesterday.
So he figured that was where they kept such bodies.
This place was full of nonsensical anomalies.
But some parts followed real-world logic.
Today, like yesterday, plenty of goblins had died from beatings.
And the goblins carried their kin's corpses to the warehouse.
That's when Chase saw them open the locked door with their long nails.
So he'd pretended to clear bodies.
And used one's nail to pick the lock, then magically collected a bunch of teeth.
"You said 8 teeth, right? Does this cover it?"
The merchant nodded.
Chase bought all the merchant's food and water.
It was just reclaiming their own stuff, but it solved the thirst and hunger.
No more temptation from rotten meat.
"Do you sell escape scrolls too?"
【Selling escape scrolls too. Isn't this what you need?】
"How much?"
【One kidney from a non-goblin race. Must be from a living person.】
"......"
Chase patted his belly.
Remember when he'd taken Gronak's tooth before?
Even when the merchant roughly yanked it out, no blood had spurted.
Gronak hadn't complained of pain and had calmly eaten bread like normal.
She proved she could take the price from a body without harm or surgery.
If the escape scroll's price had been the same last time.
Then he was missing one kidney now.
Chase gave a bitter smile.
Having just one kidney didn't hinder survival much—he'd proven it with his own body.
"Got any potions to restore the user to their original state? Something to halt the goblinization...?"
【No such item exists.】
"Then, prices for a journal and pen?"
【One arm each.】
"Can you come back to this spot in an hour? I'll buy then."
【Understood.】
.
.
.
.
.
"Gronak. Found a way out."
"......For real?"
"But it costs one kidney to that merchant. And it looks like I've already given him one of mine."
Silence fell.
Chase's words were no different from saying only one dwarf could escape this cave.
"How long can you hold out?"
"......"
"If you can't hold out, better to go now. Told the merchant to return here in an hour. But if you can hold on, I'll try finding a way to get the escape scroll back without trading."
One kidney.
Gronak had no medical knowledge.
But losing an organ was no small matter.
"Probably a day at most."
"A day?"
"Yeah. Truth is, I can understand goblin talk now. Feels like my brain's dulling, self-control's hitting rock bottom too..."
Chase nodded.
"I'll do my best."
"If I go, what about you?"
"Don't worry. I'll get out somehow. No plans to die here. Trading's a last resort in my book. There's gotta be a perfect way out without losing anything."
For now, he wanted to believe that.
Chase headed into the cave to prepare for the merchant.
.
.
.
.
.
The deal was done.
The merchant vanished into the darkness.
"Urk......"
"Force it down even if it's hard to eat. Gotta quench the thirst and hunger somehow."
It should have been far better than rotten meat.
But the expedition rations and water tasted spoiled, inducing nausea.
Still.
Thirst and hunger would erode their already waning self-control, so they had to eat.
The two dwarves shoved the food and water down their throats.
"......I'll rest first."
"Rest up."
Gronak shivered like a man freezing to death as he tried to sleep.
Chase wrote in the journal.
It contained all the goblin cave info he'd gathered so far.
The contents would be tampered with anyway.
So keep it simple and to the point.
.
.
.
Author: Chase
Party: 2 members
Exploration Result: Used 2 escape scrolls. 1 survivor, 1 ???
1. This is Zone 3 of Dreamland. (Right in front of the core room)
2. Divided mainly into forest and cave areas, with caves taking up most space. (Think of the cave as a massive 80-floor building)
3. Has morning, noon, evening, night, and dawn like outside.
4. Strange goblins roam here, distinguishing kin by smell. To avoid detection, coat yourself in their stench to fool their noses. If caught, you'll face near-infinite numbers—be careful. Also, no talking, magic, or any non-goblin actions in front of them.
5. At morning light, goblins labor. Usually harvesting fruit from rotten-meat trees, etc. Stench in caves suggests they grow trees inside too. Must labor to explore caves at night. Otherwise, high chance of detection by big goblins—beating or death possible.
6. Goblins can't exit the cave at evening.
7. Goblinization starts upon entry. Affects not just appearance, but personality, habits, tastes, everything. Noticeable from Day 2; advanced stages may cause vision loss. Escape ASAP.
8. Rotten meat and muddy water accelerate goblinization. Don't eat or drink.
9. Escape elevator exists somewhere in the cave.
10. Not confirmed, but... goblinization reverses upon escape.
1. Steals all explorer possessions upon dungeon entry/exit.
2. Appears in forest between evening and night.
3. Never look at the merchant's face. May be hypnotic.
4. Pay body parts for goods. Except escape scrolls, goblin corpses in 1F warehouse can cover most via goblin teeth, etc. (Food/water: 8 teeth..........)
5. Merchant is quite lenient.
6. If I return alive, there's a way to reclaim possessions without payment.
This should suffice.
Send it with Gronak when sending him out.
Chase set down the pen and stood.
Thirst and hunger quenched.
Could handle rotten meat and muddy water temptations now.
'Something else unchecked.'
The journal from the previous raid.
Still in the warehouse.
'Was too busy pulling teeth......'
Chase sighed softly.
Maybe it held hints on recovering the escape scroll without trade.
Still.
That memo from 1F nagged at him.
But with even 1% chance.
He had to get that journal.
He slowly made his way into the cave.