Chapter 15

Skill「Gluttony」has activated

Jae, having rested for a long while, ate the hobgoblin corpses, both in hopes for a new skill and because he was hungry.

Well, we always is, but either way...

Skill「Tough Skin」has been acquired

"...There’s something at least.”

At first, it appears to have worked, and Jae was satisfied.

But then―

Conditions met. Title「Monster Consumer」has been acquired Conditions met. Title「Inhuman」has been acquired

".....Oh, shit. What now? This fucking-- Agh, fuck it, whatever man."

Jae didn't want to deal with these types of things any more. It was just depressing for him at this point.

'If you can't beat them, join them' right? Hah, jesus christ...

And so, Jae simply decided to embrace it for now.

['Consumer', huuu~uuuh. That's a title you get once the aggregate number of monsters eaten exceeds 1,000.]

Oh.... Wait, really? That's not right. I got「Monster Eater」when I ate my 10th right? I definitely haven't eaten 1,000 monsters since then.

[Mmmmhmmmm~ You acquire skills quicker because you're strange, huh. And there's a third advancement of the [Monster Eater] series too, called「Monster Devourer」. In the first place,「Monster Eater」is normally acquired once 100 monsters have been eaten.]

...I see. That must be....because of「World Traveller」, right? So because of that, I got the titles much sooner. That'd make the most sense, wouldn't it... And? What does it do? What does eater and consumer do too then?

[Mmm-hahaa~ Should I really tell you that? It'd be less fun...]

Haaah, what the fuck is with you? Come on, just tell me.

[Huh? No way. Hehehee.]

What... Then, at least tell me what the fuck「Inhuman」is?

[That one.... Hmm, I don't know. I've never seen it before. Try asking the others maybe?]

Then, does anyone know?

[Don'tcha think it could have something to do with your race?]

[No clue. None of us were human when we were alive after all, but we never had that title. Perhaps Wrath is right that it has an acquisition requirement of being a certain race.]

...Huh. Such things exist? But then, why would I get it now? My [Race] has been 'Humanoid' for a good while now. And what's an 'acquisition requirement'?

[They do. Boy. You know when you gain a skill it says [Conditions met]? It's that. All skills have requirements that need to be met for the skill to be gained. Of course, some have multiple and some are much harder to acquire than others. From the timing, wouldn't it have something to do with eating monsters?]

Right. That could be the case, OR, it's just a coincidence. Well, if nobody knows what it does, then there's nothing that can be done about it I suppose.

"Fhaaaa... Well then."

Jae decided to check his Status before entering the boss room, although, whether it was because he was afraid and stalling or simply because he wanted to be at 100% performance, even he himself doesn't really know.

〔Status〕

Jae Kang [Cursed]

Level 25

Class : *Classes available

Health Points (HP) : 760 / 760

Mana Points (MP) : 1,003 / 1,003

Title : 「Apostle of Sin」

Strength : 81

Endurance : 76

Race : Undead

Dexterity : 69

Agility : 83

Age : 16

Magic : 70

Wisdom : 52

Trait :「Steadfast Mind」

Luck : —

Distributable Points : 0

Titles :「Apostle of Sin」「Cursed by a God」「Sinful God's Affliction」「World Traveller」「Resurrected [x2]」「Goblin Killer」「Ambusher」「Discreet Killer」「Goblin Hunter」「Monster Eater」「Monster Killer」「Goblin Slayer」「Monster Consumer」「Inhuman」

Passive Skills :「MP Consumption Down [Lv.4]」「Automatic HP Recovery [Lv.2]」「Automatic MP Recovery [Lv.3]」「Tough Skin [Lv.1]」

Active Skills :「Sneak [Lv.8]」「Power Burst [Lv.5]」「Intimidation [Lv.3]」

Magic Skills :「Earth Rise [Lv.1]」

Enhancement Skills :「Taste Enhancement [Lv.5]」「Smell Enhancement [Lv.6]」「Hearing Enhancement [Lv.4]」「Sight Enhancement [Lv.5]」「Touch Enhancement [Lv.3]」

Resistance Skills :「Mental Abnormal Status Nullification [Lv.MAX]」「Pain Tolerance [Lv.6]」「Slash Resistance [Lv.3]」「Blunt Resistance [Lv.2]」「Bleed Resistance [Lv.3]」

Combat Skills :「Combo [Lv.4]」「Close-Quarters Combat [Lv.3]」「Fighting Spirit [Lv.5]」「Throwing [Lv.2]」「Short-Sword Mastery [Lv.4]」「Axe Mastery [Lv.1]」「Club Mastery [Lv.1]」「Shield Mastery [Lv.2]」

Perception Skills :「Mapping [Lv.4]」「Night Vision [Lv.6]」「Concentration [Lv.7]」「Aura Sense [Lv.3]」

Communication Skills :「Seronian Language Comprehension [Lv.MAX]」「Goblin Language Comprehension [Lv.7]」

Production Skills :「Cooking [Lv.1]」「Crafting [Lv.2]」

Other skills:「Envy [Lv.4*(LOCKED)]」「Wrath [Lv.4*(LOCKED)]」「Gluttony [Lv.4*(LOCKED)]」

“...Huuuuu, fhuuuuu.”

He was amazed at how big his status was, how much it'd grown, and how much it could continue to grow. It was satisfying to Jae, how he could physically feel the difference in his body from when he was a mere Level 1. He felt strong.

Ordinarily, he would've questioned whether or not this was normal for this world, but upon thinking a little about it, he thought that definitely shouldn't be the case. In the first place, there was no way a normal person could get skills simply by eating monsters, right? Combine that with the fact he gains skills much quicker than what's normal anyway, and the number of skills he has should be way above what normal people will have right?

...Yeah.

And even if his current Status might be normal-ish.... In the future, Jae's status would become anything but, because of「Gluttony」. The speed of the skills' growth was phenomenal as well thanks to「World Traveller」. Even then though, it's not like his kind of Status would be commonplace. Otherwise, there was simply no way the Humans would lose against things like 'Demons'. They'd simply be far too strong to lose.... Right?

.........Even still, it was nowhere close to enough. That was how absurdly powerful the boss' aura felt.

...Wait a minute.

It was then that a "brilliant" idea presented itself in Jae’s mind.

Could I...?

He decided to try it without hesitation.

「Envy」.

Skill level too low to perform this function

Ahhh, damn...

[Woaah~. Guys, look at this... He finally discovered it after all this time.]

"What? You asshole?"

[I'm saying it took you far too long, stupid brat.]

[....Wait, what? Really? He finally thought to check himself? Wow, it took a while for him to realise he could do that, didn't it? Like, I know I'm not the brightest but--]

[...Indeed. Although, the boy was distracted with the current situation, so don't be too unfair on him.]

...Of course it didn’t work. Whatever, I don't need to know it anyway.

Now knowing that「Envy」doesn’t yet work on himself, Jae opted to give up, and instead walked over to the large, gate-like stone door the two hobgoblins were guarding.

“...Huuuuuu...”

Jae breathed in...

“...Fhuuuu...”

...And out.

*gulp*

Standing in front of the great stone gate, Jae tensely absorbed the vast pressure emitteed from beyond it. Before he realised, a cold sweat perspired on his forehead and on the back of his neck, that slowly ran down and causing a slight itch. He slowly placed one hand on the gate....

...and pushed it open.

*Screeeech...!*

As he did, a shrill sound rang out―the result of heavy and rough stone grating against more stone reverberated throughout the tunnel and seemed to penetrate Jae’s eardrums. Having an enhanced sense of hearing didn't help either; it was so deafening he even reflexively squeezed his eyes shut until it was over.

When it was over, and the gate was wide open, Jae slowly opened his eyes to gaze into the large space in front of him.

The room beyond the gate was pitch black. Nothing could be seen within, as if a barrier protected the contents of the place from prying eyes.

*gulp*

Jae anxiously stepped into the room.

"...A Human...?"

A strange voice resonated throughout the dark room.

It sounded as if an adult man had a sore throat, and maybe a cold, but even then there was something that felt.... off... about the voice...

"...Now, I wonder..."

It did not sound human at all, despite speaking the language fluently.

Jae glanced around the seemingly empty, black space, hurriedly―towards where it sounded like the voice was coming from, but he saw nothing―the room was simply too dark, even with all the enhancements to his vision. Although, thanks to the「Night Vision」skill, Jae could just barely make out the walls and floor of the room.

It was a large and symmetrical room―a circular chamber of sorts.

Jae tried his best to keep a calm and cool demeanour, however his mind was anything but.

Are you fucking kidding...?! 「Night Vision」is level 6, right?! Why can’t I see anything? Shit! Where is he!? Fuck, this is bad!

The situation was much more disadvantageous than Jae'd initially thought it'd be. He was panicking due to not being able to grasp a clear location of the enemy, but he tried to keep as collected as possible.

[Do not begin to regret things now brat.]

[You had been warned plenty enough beforehand.]

[Don't go and disappoint us now.]

Soon, the presumed ‘boss' spoke again.

"...I do wonder, indeed, how a mere Human has ended up in my chamber..."

Since it repeated itself, Jae assumed the ‘thing’ was currently fishing for an answer. Thinking he wouldn’t get another chance; Jae spoke out.

After all, since it spoke the Human language, maybe there was a chance for negotiation?

“W-well, y-you see... I didn’t want to wander aimlessly through the tunnels to get out, right? So, I just followed all the paths that went downward, and it led me here...”

"Hmm, I see, I see.... Human, you are a poor soul..... A poor soul indeed."

“Y-Yes...?”

...What the hell's that supposed to me--

All of a sudden, Jae spotted a single glint in the absolute darkness, like a ray of hope.

There...!

He located the enemy. All he needed to do now was find a good opportunity. Slowly but steadily, Jae made his way around the edge of the room―towards where he saw the glint―so as to not arouse the enemy’s suspicion.

"Oh, Human, I do wonder, I do indeed....."

Jae listened subconsciously to the boss as he edged, inch by inch, to where he saw the glint.

He was almost close enough to launch an attack now.

"I wonder..... Just why is it that... Not even the corpses of my kin remain? Hah. What, did they get eaten or something? But no, that can't be right; after all, there are no natural predators of my kin in this area other than the occasional group of Humans that venture through this part of the forest. Even then, Humans can't eat Goblins. Surely you didn't cremate each and every one of my kin you slaughtered on the way here, right?"

Jae thought for a moment before carefully responding.

"...O-Oh, that? ...W-...Well, you know... The situation demanded it..."

".......Is that so. Well, I hope you don’t mind me asking all these questions, but..."

"...."

*gulp*

"Just, answer me this: Why is it that I smell that detestable scent..."

"...."

Scent? What the hell is he talking about?

"The stench... of depravity... and sin. Tell me―Why, is it endlessly radiating from you, Human?"

Jae froze.

.........What?

“...W-... What do you mean--”

"You cannot fool me, Human!"

Suddenly, a wave of pressure struck Jae head-on, knocking him back a few steps and forcing him to take a knee.

If it was to be compared to a skill, the effect seemed extremely similar to「Intimidation」, just much more potent.

“Kugh...!”, Jae coughed, violently.

It only lasted a moment, however.

The pressure almost immediately dissipated.

What the fuck was that...!!?

"....I will ask again."

‘It’ spoke, but this time with a much more vicious tone and a dangerous hint of murderous intent hidden beneath it.

"Why.... Why does such a pitiful creature have the power of that putrid thing? Why do you―a mere human―emit that dreadful stench?"

This time, Jae didn’t answer.

He couldn't.

Thinking of words to say, formulating them―hell, even just the simple act of breathing steadily was impossible.

"....."

Silence hang over the chamber, when suddenly—

...Now!

Jae kicked off the ground and charged towards where he thought the boss to be. He swung the short-sword in his right hand, hoping to deal even a little damage, when it abruptly stopped mid-swing.

Ugh! What...!?

With extreme haste, Jae erupted a flame from his left hand, only to see the blade being stopped by 'something' in the air, as if blocked by an invisible wall. Even with all of his current strength, Jae could not make the sword budge in the slightest.

Then, ‘it’ revealed itself.

―Starting from the callous, dark-green hand with long, knife-like nails, holding the sharpened edge of the blade like it was but a toy, to the slim yet muscular arm of the same unnatural colour. Slowly, the rest of the body was revealed.

――From the upper arm started what looked to be a rustic, almost black metallic substance, with tiny spikes covering the surface of the shoulder guards and similar-looking elbow pads―'it' donned this strange, hard material, that should be suit of armour, like a jacket.

――The chest area which was unguarded―it revealed a hairless, well-toned and compact set of abdominal muscles and torso that was the same repulsive green.

――And above the neck... there was the head: Sickening eyes that were an abnormal shade of yellow, with a set of reptilian, slit-like black pupils resting in the centre, and the completely crude, tawny-coloured sharp teeth like miniature razors that anyone would find nasty.

This 'thing' that stood at a clean two metres tall had revealed itself...

―――The Goblin Lord had appeared out of thin air.

Only one person spoke in a rough, grave and a voice one could say was even filled with pity.

[......It is too late―]

Jae’s eyes widened and trembled tremendously.

*Ba-dump! Ba-dump! Ba-dump! Ba-dump!*

His entire body shuddered at the abrupt emergence of the Goblin Lord as his heart beat rapidly like never before.

[―The imitation of a king has appeared―]

.......Just how--

But, Jae had no time to react.

The Goblin Lord effortlessly yanked the short-sword out of Jae’s tightened grip, holding it as if the blade were the hilt—

*Ddsshh!*

—and shattered it into many pieces with but one hand.

Jae's terrified gaze fell to the ground, following what little was left of the weapon.

It may have only been for a short while, but the sword was his trusted partner, after all.

It had "saved his life" many times, for all it was worth, but just like that, it was gone.

[―A mere peasant cannot fight against a king, be it fake or real―]

Jae’s very soul shook drastically as he only now truly realised what he was up against.

Slowly, his shaking eyes drifted upwards, eventually meeting that of the Lord’s.

They were terribly sharp eyes that seemed to pierce into one’s very soul, and yet, they exuded this sense of greatness.

It was as if he was no mere goblin, but something else entirely; matching his unique, strangely human-like appearance.

[―Resistance is futile against a king―]

Covered head-to-toe in various jewellery like rings, anklets, medallions, necklaces and earrings―combining all that with it's dark, almost black armour that gave off a simultaneously tough and wise, peculiar feeling of 'dignity', the Goblin Lord looked just as his title implied.

A [Lord].

[―In the first place, the concept of 'fighting' does not exist for a king―]

Staring right into the eyes of this seemingly omnipotent creature, Jae found himself unable to move a muscle.

He felt like an injured rabbit caught by a hungry lion.

[....It is regrettable... A king would truly taste exceptional, even if it was fake, after all.]

A cold, seemingly disinterested line was faintly spoken by one of the mysterious characters.

*Ba-dump*

*Ba-dump*

*Ba-dump*

*Ba-dump*

―Jae felt his heart palpitate intensely, like thunderclaps.

It pumped fast and hard, like a modern day machine gun.

It resonated inside of him.

Loudly within his ears could Jae hear the sound of his own beating heart.

But it wasn’t over yet.

No, the struggle had only just begun.

After quickly swallowing his built-up saliva, Jae swiftly jumped backwards, keeping an eye on the stationary Goblin Lord all the while.

He unsheathed the short-sword he carried spare and held it in his right hand.

Did the room light up a bit since earlier? It feels like he could see a bit more, Jae thought.

Oh well, this is not the time.

Making use of the distance, Jae decided quickly what to do.

「Envy」!

Soul State - Goblin Eclipse Lord

Name : Zeel Soul Level : 121 / 250

Title : Ruler of Goblins

Age : 96 Years Health : 400

Magic Energy : 32,435 Power : 5,432

Magical Ability : 742

Defence : 4,604

Magical Defence : 844

Resistances : 8,454

Speed : 13,302

....You’re kidding...... Right....?

[Hm... Do you see now? Boy, although a fake it may be, a king is a king... For the present you, it is simply an insurpassable existence.]

"...Hahah."

Jae quietly chuckled in sheer disbelief as a slight sarcastic smile spread on his face.

I mean, the Power stat of the Hobgoblins from earlier was what, around 130?, and yet, the Goblin Lord’s is over 5,000?

That's over 38 times higher.

Not to mention the sheer disparity in the other stat values.

The only questionable stat is the Health value, since, when compared with the others, it doesn't seem that high.

But even then....

〖What can I do?〗

—Before Jae could even ask himself this question, the Goblin Lord--no, Zeel spat out some words with a deeply crumpled expression, as if horribly disgusted by something.

"You dare... You dare use that filthy power against me, Human?"

No...... What....? He.... He could sense the use of「Envy」...?

Something like this has never happened before...

——But there was no time to think——

Zeel’s eyes shimmered frighteningly in the darkness.

Slowly, the Goblin Lord began to walk towards the cornered human.

*thud*

―With each, heavy step that he took, goosebumps sprouted across all Jae's body.

*thud*

"....."

*thud*

Then, Jae recalled what Wrath warned him about earlier.

...Infinite loops of death?

Eternal pain, suffering and anguish?

There was no way in hell that Jae was going to go through that.

Well, it was a fate even worse than hell after all.

Even if it ended up being futile, he would resist to the best of his ability and beyond.

I don't have much time.

Hastily, his eyes darted around the room, trying to find something—anything at all that could help his current situation.

He almost thought he was out of hope, when unexpectedly, something caught his eye in the dead center of the room.

It was the ground—the ground in the middle of the room had a strange silhouette.

Jae couldn’t see very well in the dark again after the light of「Wrath」dimmed, even with his vision-enhancing skills.

Even still, he knew for sure that there was something different about the floor in the center of this wide space.

.....Okay...

*thud*

Jae waited, seemingly for no reason, for a few moments.

*thud*

Zeel only continued his slow, but steady advance.

*thud*

"........"

*thud*

He waited.

*thud*

Until suddenly....

*thud*

—Now!

It was then—

—Jae rushed at top speed towards the middle of the chamber as soon as Zeel's breathing reached a certain point.

You see, there was a special trait about goblins:

As soon as they finish exhaling, their vision slightly blurs for a short moment!

It was something he learnt from fighting the creatures almost constantly up until now.

The goblins he fought would always back off when exhaling and engage when inhaling because of this; it was similar to the attack pattern of a monster in a videogame.

Since the Hobgoblins did the same thing, I thought it might work on this guy as well!

And it did.

Of course, the blurring would only last for less than half—no, less than a quarter-second, but it should still be just enough of a window for Jae to make it to the middle.

Go!!! ..... Come oooonnn...!!!!

And, just as he was about to make it—

"Kuh--haugh-ughh...!!?"

*splatter*

——Jae's movement stopped with a sudden, violent bloody vomit, and a feeling of something stuck in his stomach.

He glanced down, and saw it—

"......?"

—A filthy hand, bathed in blood, flesh, and innards.

What happened?

Jae couldn't comprehend it at all—

———The Goblin Lord, Zeel, was standing there silently, with his arm sticking right through Jae’s chest out to the other side.

....Just when did it happen?

Zeel’s extraordinary movement speed was far out of Jae’s expectations.

Indeed, Jae saw just how enormously high the Goblin Lord’s stats were—the Speed stat especially so—but even then, Jae did not think it physically possible for a creature to accelerate to such a speed in such a short moment.

Were the laws of physics simply not applied or something?

But... How?

Anyway, it obviously wasn't long before Jae was the one who’s vision started to blur instead.

—A loud 'ripping' noise was heard as the Goblin Lord viciously retracted his arm from Jae's chest.

Within his grasp, one could see a fresh mix of bloody skin and organs.

Entrails spread out everywhere as the barely still-beating heart slowed down to halt.

Copious amounts of blood poured endlessly out of the massive hole in Jae's chest, as well as his other, natural orifices, to dye the ground beneath a fresh red colour, and quickly spreading the smell of iron throughout the chamber.

Indescribable pain coursed throughout Jae's entire being as his body spasmed intensely.

Rapidly, his body turned cold, as all the blood left it.

He didn't even realise when his vision or mind disappeared.

In the course of all this, which happened in total span of about half a second, various skills were acquired.

Skills like「Trauma Resistance」,「Shock Resistance」,「Pain Resistance」and「Faint Resistance」among other, similar things, were "gained". Of course, many already-owned resistance skills levelled up too, such as「Bleed Resistance」and「Pain Tolerance」.

Not like Jae was conscious to see it happen though.

And then.

Jae died.

Just like that.

The Goblin Lord watched the boy's deceased body completely apathetically as something strange occurred.

―His corpse was suddenly wrapped in a black smoke that emitted dark, ominous light.

Before even 30 seconds had passed, it dissipated, revealing Jae's completely restored and unharmed body.

{...Gigigii. So it is his power then. That acrid odour really is horrendous, giigi. But then....}

He now spoke in his motherland tongue; Zeel scanned the boy’s now completely healed and unscathed body with great urgency and curiosity.

Hell, he really sounded like a goblin now, with those "gigigi"s and such that he didn't use before. Of course, this was simply a quirk of the goblin race.

{I really wonder just how the hell a fucking human got his powers. Surely, there wasn't a compatible human hidden among them all this time? No, there seems to be something strange about this human, but I can't place my finger on exactly what it is....Gigi. Hmm. It appears there is not much I can do about this, huh. Killing it doesn’t work.... Keeping him locked up would be a pain in the ass, too...}

Zeel contemplated.

He really just wanted to dump the responsibility on someone else like he usually does, but unfortunately, things would become even more troublesome if he didn’t do something about it right now.

{...Wait a minute. There's no way a mere human could have his power, right. Of course. I'll kill it again just to make sure.}

*slice*

．．．

―Not even 5 minutes had to pass before Zeel killed Jae three more times, just for him to heal again.

{Well, fuck. It is his power after all.}

{Giiigiii.... Hm, well, no matter what, I can’t keep him here, gii; having something like this is such a pain in the fucking ass. I can't kill the bastard, incarceration would have no effect because he'd just struggle for eternity and that's just plain fucking annoying. Giii. Hell, I can't even use the fucker for food, since all the goblins are fucking dead now. Hrm, alright then, gigii.}

Zeel effortlessly picked up Jae’s body and turned to the center of the room.

—More specifically, towards the hole Jae was trying to escape to.

{Gigig. I really can't be arsed to keep this annoying thing. A human with his power appearing is quite a big deal, after all. Hmph. Of course, someone of my skill is nowhere near qualified to deal with a matter like this, right. Better leave it to the higher-ups, I'm sure. Gigi.}

The goblin looked down the seemingly bottomless pit.

{Well, if he did make it to here, then he would’ve regretted his decision soon enough anyway, gii. Too bad, he was going down here no matter what, right. Gigiigi.}

Then, the Goblin Lord harshly chucked the boy’s body down the hole that was the middle of the room.

He would resurrect again anyway after dying from the fall, so it doesn’t really matter how the human ends up down there, does it?

{Gigig. Though the personality is what it is.... Ehhhh, she can probably deal with him; I’ll just say he jumped down there of his own volition if anyone asks. He was going to do that anyway. Gigigi. I really can’t be bothered after losing the entire fucking nest. Hah, this whole thing turned into such a shit show, honestly...}

Zeel turned around again but immediately froze, while his expression turned into something like a frown.

{.....Aaaaah, then again, since it’s her, she might..... Gigi, no, nevermind. She’ll do fine.... Hopefully. Gigig. Well, it's not my problem anymore anyway so I shouldn't care. Gig.}

He nodded to himself.

{Gigi. As long as she doesn’t do anything unneces...sary.....}

Zeel's words trailed off at the end of his sentence.

He then made a confused expression.

{No, what am I saying... Gigigi. It’s her we’re talking about... Giiii... that’s right; looks like I’ll be needing to report all of this to Jiera, anyway, huh. Gigi--}

The pausing Zeel's expression turned to one of extreme irksomeness.

{...........Fuuuuuuuuck thiiiiiiis... Haaaaah.......Giii. Fucking shitty ass reports...I swear, one day I'll--}

Suddenly, Zeel snapped his head to look upwards.

{....Gigi. Looks like the humans are causing a ruckus again. I suppose I should sort that out for now, gii. Not that I'm complaining, gigi. Finally, there's something I can vent my frustration on. Gigigi...}

And so, the Goblin Lord vanished into thin air as a quiet voice echoed throughout the empty chamber.

{...Yeah....Jiera will understand if the report is a little late, gigigiii.}