The demon that thrust the smelly tokens towards me was an old demon named Ma HaPa.
“I don’t need it. Put it back.”
“Yes, Yes.”
I turned my sight away from Ma HaPa who was struggling to put the tokens back in his pants and groaning.
I couldn’t stomach the embarrassment and disgust.
The streets were littered with dead demons strewn about like trash.
The demons with ferocity and strength made me think this was really hell.
The perpetrator that made this hell was drunk from the blood and singing.
I couldn’t understand the words.
It was because the Knowledge Before the Time of Babel skill couldn’t translate it, or because the words didn’t mean anything.
“Abubu.”
[It’s Aubutz, Hero!]
I gripped the handle of the holy sword who rushed towards me like a dog to its master.
The handle was sticky from the blood of demons.
I didn’t feel any other displeasure.
The holy sword was the one that massacred the demons, but the one wielding it was me.
“Cool your head off, it was too much.”
I opened the inventory and nonchalantly threw the holy sword into the inventory.
The holy sword pleaded and screamed as it was being thrown in, but I ignored it.
“Seregia, do you know anything about the God of Sky?”
[Yes. The religion of the Empire was the God of the Sky, so I know a little bit.]
Seregia answered.
That was unexpected.
Recently, Seregia rarely spoke.
Even before she wouldn’t say a lot, but she was the type to engage in conversation and only be satisfied after saying what she wanted to when she wanted to say it.
But recently, she wouldn’t take part in the conversations and would ignore everything as though lost in thought.
I asked without expecting much, but thankfully she answered this time.
“Is the God of the Sky an evil god?”
[The god isn’t an evil god. More of a neutral god. I shouldn’t comment on gods, but the God of the Sky isn’t one that cares about good or evil. The god cares more about position.]
A god that cares about position.
From the name Sky, does the God of the Sky want to rule over everything?
The reason God of the Sky bestowed the Holy Sword to the Emperor was to punish his arrogance..
The Demon King in the 26th floor stage was an arrogant being looking down on the demons that summoned his as less than pests.
Enough for the God of the Sky to hand the holy sword to the Hero to subdue him.
It was a plausible assumption.
It also gave a link to why the Holy Sword blessed by the God of the Sky was overtly ruthless and longed for the blood of others.
The fear stemming from the extreme violent and ruthlessness is the most efficient way to suppress and stand above others.
I told Seregia my thoughts.
[You’re probably not wrong. The interpretation of gods are different for each theologian, and this kind of generalization would make the believers hostile, so you should take care not to say it in front of others.]
While I conversed with Seregia about the God of the Sky, Ma HaPa had put away the tokens somewhere and spoke to him.
“I,If… you don’t need the tokens, w, what do you require…”
What could I need from this poor trembling demon?
Information.
“I have something to ask.”
I had one question from passing through various rooms.
The demons capable of answering were too scared to answer the question and all of them refused to answer.
Rather than answer my question, they chose to faint or begged for mercy.
“Coming through the Kragor group’s rooms, I saw a few demons being kept captive.”
Just like the demon Ma Hapa before my eyes.
“From what I know, the rooms are essential for survival, and the rooms are highly valuable. And to keep someone captive in the rooms with limited space is a waste. It’s better to exile or kill them. But the rooms I passed through always had a few demons kept captive.”
As I progressed, Ma Hapa’s faced turned dark.
It was the same face I saw every time I asked this question.
“What’s the reason you were kept captive in this room?”
As I expected, Ma HaPa started showing signs of extreme anxiety and was flustered.
I’d have normally given up at this point, but I wanted to hear the answer this time.
It took quite some time to calm Ma HaPa down.
After promising multiple times not to turn Ma HaPa, I could calm him down.
And I also got the answer to my question.
The answer wasn’t as serious as I thought.
“So they use living demons to store the tokens.”
“Yes… When the group needs to store tokens, they take demons without any connections like me and force us to take in the tokens. For when they need the tokens.”
The acquired tokens couldn’t be retrieved until the demons that acquired them die.
When they need the tokens, they kill the captive demons and take out the tokens.
They’re basically livestock.
No, maybe worse.
Tokens are hard to keep because of their characteristic and importance.
Because they are being traded at a high value combined with the fact that you can leave the space as soon as you gather one thousand, it’s easy to decide to steal them.
If the head demon of the group chose to keep them himself, it was reason enough for them to be the target of skirmishes and assassinations.
As he would be the top target for those that want the tokens.
To deal with these problems, they stored the group’s tokens in a few select demons while keeping them captive and under surveillance.
“From what I hear, tokens are traded one at a time mostly. Where do they use the large number of tokens?”
I asked wondering if they were used for business transactions or diplomacy.
“S-Sometimes… there are demons that do not wish to stay in the 1st preliminaries, and wish to go up.”
Ma HaPa glanced at me while he talked.
Yeah, like me.
“Those demons usually massacre every demon they see from the starting point. Then the group contacts them and gives them a massive number of tokens and make them leave the 1st preliminary area.”
It’s easier to send off those who disturb the ecosystem huh.
Most of my curiosities were solved.
One thing was left.
Then how many tokens did this demon named Ma HaPa have?
This was probably the reason why the demons who heard my question couldn’t answer my question and trembled.
To their eyes, I was someone who massacred every demon I saw for tokens, so they couldn’t answer my question.
Fearing that I would kill them for tokens as soon as they answered.
Instead of asking Ma HaPa how many tokens he had, I asked him to write down everything he knew on the map.
After looking over what Ma HaPa told me, I started on my way.
As I was about to leave, Ma HaPa grabbed me.
“H,Hey…”
No idea what it is, but he probably has a request.
Since he gave me a lot of information, I thought I would be okay to listen to his request.
“Talk. What is it?”
“C-Could you protect…us?”
Ma HaPa pointed towards the demons knocked out cold, and himself and answered.
“Krago Group is gone, but once the other groups learn of us, they’ll try and take us. Please… help us…”
To sum it up he wanted protection.
I thought about it but shook my head.
“Sorry. That’s a bit much.”
Too cumbersome.
After shaking off Ma HaPa, I started walking out the room.
The new destination was the base of the Olphon Group.
Olphon group was the one ruling this domain.
The other groups are all subordinate alliance groups, so the Olphon group for sure the largest group in the 1st round preliminaries.
[Hero.]
Suddenly Seregia called me.
“Yeah. Why.”
[I would like to tell you something of concern.]
“What is it.”
Something of concern. Could it be something dangerous that I hadn’t thought it.
But Seregia’s concern was something completely unexpected.
[Soon, I might not be able to talk at all.]
Soon, I was able to understand her words.
Instead of saying less, soon she would be unable to talk at all.
But I couldn’t understand the reason.
[I don’t know for sure myself. My self-consciousness is becoming faint. The self-awareness as your sword is becoming larger than my self-awareness as Seregia. my consciousness is becoming slow and everything besides combat is becoming faint. Even when I talk, I’m having trouble concentrating on topics other than combat.]
What is this.
[As if I were becoming a rock or a tree. No, I should say like becoming a sword. I’m actually sword right now right?]
Seregia didn’t say anything after that.
I called her several times, but no answer.
I stopped from disconcertion.
I tried to understand her words, but eventually pulled out the holy sword from the inventory. The holy sword muttered about the act of shoving him in the inventory, but said this after hearing what Seregia had said.
[Don’t think too much about it. It’s the process of becoming a sword. Isn’t Seregia a sword not?]
“No, you’re a sword. You talk fine.”
[I’m an Ego Sword. Whereas Seregia was turned into a sword upon her death. There’s a difference.]
“Then is she never going to be able to speak or know who she is?”
[Well. Wouldn’t it depend on her? If Seregia wants to keep her human mind, she could become like me. She would probably be able to give advice on combat and answer simple questions. But Seregia seems satisfied with being a sword right? That’s a little worrying.]
For me, it was a bit ridiculous.
Dumbfounded and aghast.
Once a human possess a sword, they lose their self-awareness and become a sword?
Even for Seregia who said she wished she was born a sword, that was weird.
[It’s not completely absurd. Most of the souls made to possess objects by Dark Magicians go through this process.]
“How does it turn out usually?”
[Usually. Their consciousness crumples, and they lose their self. As they become stabilized, they become captivated by the words their enchanter whispers to them and long after that for eternity. Most magical swords and cursed rings are produced this way.]
Hearing the creation of magical swords from a magical sword helped me understand quickly.
So that’s how it’s done.
I hope Seregia doesn’t become like Aubu.
I’m worried.
Once I clear this stage, let’s get some advice from KiriKiri.
Personally, I’m attached to Seregia.
She was similar to me in many ways.
From her thought process to preference and principle.
The times spent with her were comfortable and dear.
I wondered if I would be able to meet someone so similar to be in the future.
But there were differences between me and her.
Seregia adjusted herself to the fate of becoming someone’s sword, and I was pleased.
That was the difference.
If I were in the same circumstance as her, would I be able to accept that fate?
If it came to it, I would be a cursed sword.
A sword rebelling and trying to kill its owner.
Thinking about it, the situation now wasn’t that different.
As I thought about it, its situation was amusing.
I felt as though me, Seregia, and the holy swords were three swords. Each pursuing their own will.
Instead of belittling myself, I tried to have more constructive thoughts.
I didn’t want to become a tool of gods.
Even if I didn’t know what they wanted from me or would request from me.
So, I placed importance on my goal and will.
But tied to my side were two swords with their own agendas.
If more than just will was required to overcome becoming a tool.
If having my own will wasn’t enough to prove I wasn’t a tool.
What more do I need to achieve?
A few answers came up.
I wasn’t sure if they were all correct, there were probably also many answers that I haven’t thought of.
But if I fulfill them one by one, I would be able to achieve all the answers.
That’s what I thought.
As I was about to finish organizing my thoughts and about to move, I felt a large surge of magical energy.
A magical circle appeared on nearby ground.
The air above the ground started to warp, and soon a demon appeared.
From having used it with Seregia early, I quickly recognized what it was.
It was a teleportation circle.
As the shaking mana calmed, a shadow appeared above the circle.
It was a demon.
A strong ferocious force; it had an enormous amount of ominous evil magic.
It was the first demon-like demon I’ve met since coming here.
The complex thoughts from earlier melted away.
I waited for the demon to finish.
A moment later, the demon, instead of lunging at me and using magic, opened its mouth.
“You’ve finally stopped. Olphon would like to see you. You’ll need to come with me, newbie.”
< Tutorial 31st Floor (4) > End
Gandara
He who introduced himself as the devil from the Olphon group started to reactivate the magic circle.
Back to the destination from which he came.
[Just kill him.]
I asked the holy sword for his reason.
Why?
[Just cause.]
This guy probably needed a little more time in probation.
But it didn’t seem right to put him in the inventory right away.
Instead, I decided to lock him in the inventory for a good one or two months.
Eventually, the devil completed the activation and gestured to me.
“Come and stand on the circle. Newbie.”
What reason was there to hesitate when they wanted to summon me to their base?
I walked to the circle and stood on it.
[It might be a trap, hero. What are you going to do it isn’t a teleportation circle?]
It’s a teleportation circle.
[How can you be sure?]
I’ve ridden it before. Twice.
[Normally you can’t confirm the type of the circle by riding it twice. What are you going to do if it doesn’t head to their base and instead goes somewhere dangerous.]
It’s fine. If it is, then I can cancel the teleportation. If I do, it’ll send me back to this place.
[…Is that possible?]
It was.
I tried it the first time I rode the magic circle with Seregia.
Because of that, the sickness that overcame Seregia from activating the circle three times in a row was dreadful.
Back then, Seregia acted as though there was nothing wrong with the magic circle, not knowing it was I that was the cause of the issues with the circle.
The demon spoke before he activated the circle.
“Newbie, I’m saying this for your own good, but listen closely. Do not be rash in front of Olphon. It’s not as though there were demons who tried their hand at the Demon King’s seat, and it wasn’t a small number that was brought forth before Olphon. There will be dire consequences if you show arrogant faith in your magics.”
“What kind of consequences?”
“Well. Who knows, but where you’ll be headed is down instead of up.”
What the fuck does that mean?
Is it some sort of ambiguous expression?
“Newbie, your goal is probably to challenge Demon King’s seat.”
“If you want, you could put it that way.”
“The one you will meet now has been on the Demon King throne before.”
My questions weren’t completely answered yet, but the demon started the magic circle.
The space in front of my eyes warped.
The space shook here and there; at a certain point, it started to rip from a point in the air.
Like a paper ripping, the space tore apart.
Past the torn space, I saw another space.
From the crazy amount of mana flowing out, I knew that it was the place Olphon was at.
[It’s not a teleportation circle?]
“…It’s possible.”
“What is.”
The demon responded to my embarrassing soliloquy at the holy sword’s words.
“No. It’s nothing.”
[Hero. Hero? That’s not a teleportation circle? Isn’t it a dimensional gate? Didn’t you say you knew from just seeing the magic circle? Wow, world. I wouldn’t know in my dreams - that the all-knowing hero would make a mistake like this. Hah, if you live for a few centuries things like this happen after all. Fu. Fu. Fu. Fu.]
Leave it at that.
[Eebebebe.][1]
I promised to find a silence enchantment scroll after I clear this floor.
And I passed through the gate with the demon beside me.
Once I passed the gap in space, the ripped space repaired itself.
It looks like a extremely high-level magic.
How long would it take me to learn that?
My thirst for magic is continuing to grow.
It was then, I heard a voice from the opposite end of the hall.
It was the words of the demon sitting at the head of the table in this banquet-like hall.
Numerous demons filled the space.
Strangely, there was no different in the height of the seats the demons were sitting on.
89 demons exactly.
Each one possessed a strength that would be hard to find elsewhere.
But from the presence of the demon at the head of the table made everyone else seem small.
“Welcome, newbie.”
It was monotonous and soft.
The voice wasn’t loud either.
It was rather was quiet.
But the mana gave his voice strength.
The demon talking to me was sitting at the same level as me, but his presence felt as though he was looming both above my head and behind me.
“You have a cute magic sword.”
“Didn’t your mother tell you that it’s not mannerful to listen in on other people’s conversations?”
The mood in the banquet hall completely changed at my words.
It went past intimidating and became outright bloody.
That’s not good for banquets.
It felt as though I made a mistake by ruining the mood.
“You know nothing about me.”
‘Was there a reason I had to?’
The atmosphere started to attack my body outright.
The room was ready for murder.
If it was a normal human, they would’ve actually been cut to pieces and died.
“I was born in the third class, in the depths of despair. I have no mother and father. I was born alone, existed alone, and proved myself.”
To prove oneself by existing alone.[2]
Would that be enough to prove oneself as a sentient being?
Self-respect is just self-respect.
There was something more important.
The demon in front of my eyes was born with an advantage.
“So that means you’re immune to mom jokes. That’s good for you, mate.”
Kwang!
The atmosphere exploded.
The demons exuded intimidating force at the same time, and the clash caused .
I thought to myself as my hair was flying back in the wind from the explosion.
It wasn’t something I should be saying when I blew up the 30th floor from experimenting, but to cause an explosion by not being able to control that.
What idiots.
The demons were screaming something and denouncing me.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t understand the words.
Whether it was colloquial that demons here used or ancient words of the demon race didn’t matter; it didn’t translate well.
But thankfully I could guess at its meaning.
After some time went by, Olphon opened his mouth again from the head of the table.
Olphon’s face didn’t seem that angry.
The only thing I could fathom was weariness.
“From the report, I thought a great magician appeared. But what really appeared was an idiot with a rare magic sword. Talk, newbie. What fuels your stupidity?”
Magician.
He must’ve thought I was a battle magician controlling the sword through magic.
Then, once he realized the ability was just the holy sword, he became disappointed.
And the magic and strength he can sense from me wouldn’t be enough to satisfy him.
That’s always the problem with these idiots.
“Out of those that I’ve called here, there were many who truly wished to challenge the Demon King. There actually was one that was able to challenge the Demon King. But what are you? I have no idea what you are thinking by coming here. What is your purpose in coming here? Do you wish to die, or are you just raving with madness?”
What I want.
Well.
“For now, it’s taking care of the Demon King.”
“Your jokes are no longer funny. It’s impossible for you to kill the Demon King. It’s true for anyone else, for that matter.”
“impossible to kill the Demon King?”
“Yes.”
Impossible to kill the Demon King.
Is the Demon King actually immortal or a mind-form or that sort of thing?[3]
I asked Olphon, who was strangely good at describing things.
“Just as I said, it’s impossible to kill the Demon King.”
What kind of stupid answer is that.
“The current Demon King is the strongest Demon King in the history of demon kings. That is true. I can assure you. Before he ceases to exist, there will be no demon who can trump him and take the throne of Demon King.”
“A stupid answer till the end.”
“Why do you think so?”
Why do I think so?
I’m calling a stupid answer stupid. What else can I call it?
“You all are always like this. You think that’s everything probably because you’re born with unimaginable strength and power.”
“…What does that mean?”
“You have no interest in figuring out how to use that power more effectively, and just ponder on how to achieve more power. And.”
“And?”
“You place too much trust in the absolute amount of power.”
The strength of the demons here surpasses mine.
It wouldn’t be comparable even if 89 Lee HoJaes were here to fight the 89 demons.
89 Lee HoJaes wouldn’t be enough to surpass even one Olphon.
That sort of glaring difference.
But.
I’m already certain.
I’m the absolutely the strongest one here.
The claim doesn’t just come from my muscles and mana.
It wasn’t just from the experience of swordsmanship and shield techniques either.
It also wasn’t the talent and sense I had.
How can you measure strength when some can make the heavens collapse and the earth quake with a single wave of the hand?
To standardize strength through an absolute quantity of mana was a stupid thing to do.
From my perspective, an objective standard should be victory.
A higher win rate means greater strength.
The strong doesn’t win; the victorious is strong.
As I’ve said multiple times, I’m undoubtedly the strongest here, and the probability that I’ll beat the demons here surpass half.
“It seems you’ve really come here to die.”
As I gathered myself, Olphon said that upon noticing.
He was that nonchalant even though I’m explicitly preparing for battle.
He doesn’t know how to utilize this strength, and has never learned how to see true strength because he’s been drunk on his own strength.
He couldn’t even become the target of my Opponent Designation skill.
Just prey with tremendous strength, ready to be hunted.
How long will they disappoint me.
“Let me ask one last thing.”
Demons are hurt by explosions caused by magic.
Obviously, they’re not hurt by explosions they cause themselves.
Just like a moment ago.
But they were grievously wounded by the explosion made by the holy sword and me.
Physically and mentally.
It’s probably because of the holy energy in our mana.
The holy energy radiated in every direction along with the explosion and attacked them.
I had prepared something nice for the explosion.
Before I entered the 31st floor, I made a sphere of aura.
I had slowly rotated and maintained that.
Even this moment.
I added a small sphere to that every day.
There were three spheres rotating above my head.
“What is it that you wanted to ask before your death?”
I smirked at Olphon’s still-nonchalant voice.
“Are you used to pain?”
I’m fucking used to it.
At the same time as my words ended, the transparent spheres lit up in white flames.
Just before the spheres rotating at high speed started to create friction and explode, I gave up confining it.
[The God of Light is excited!]
And I lunged at the demons.
Boom!
From the strong explosion behind my back, my body was enveloped thoroughly by the impact.
I persevered.
I saved my Blink.
Instead, I used Talaria’s Wings and Fortitude.
The two skills raised my stats relative to the opponent’s strength.
The demons couldn’t gather their senses amidst the continuing explosions.
The strong light and sounds quashed their sight and hearing.
The holy energy mixed with mana pouring down upon them was no different from white phosphorus shells.
I took out the soul sword on my side.
Meanwhile, i detected the magic initiated by demons to block my path.
Shield, Barrier, Trap, Hallucination, the magic that binds my legs, and attack magics made to intercept dotted my vision in disarray.
Just like a barrage game.
I’m insanely good at this.
[Hero, can I join in? Please, Please!]
“Take care of the little ones! The ones in the middle are all mine!”
The holy sword went around the magic and towards the demons in the corners.
Before I lose my prey to the holy sword, I need to make it past these spells.
Rather than taking a step backwards away from the magic flying towards me, I ran forward.
< Tutorial 31st Floor (5) > End
Gandara
[1] He’s blowing a rasberry.
[2] This phrase does not translate well. Essentially, it is a play on the Latin philosophical proposition of Rene Descartes’s “Cogito ergo sum” (I think therefore I am) except more towards “My sole existence ”
[3] The direct translation speaks to a “mind-form” but I assume that it is more so referring to something like soul: a being that is effectively immortal because characteristics of the soul (e.g. thoughts, emotions, etc.) will not die.
I stepped out of the spring and squeezed my clothes dry.
[Round 24, Day 2. 6h 25m]
The clear was easier than I thought.
I made it to the 4th floor stage’s Spring of Recovery in just 25 minutes.
Regardless of the difficulty, it was much faster compared to the stages with long pathways.
In front of the Boss Room, the giant stone doors opened, and revealed a new world.
It was the mid-slope of a mountain.
Thankfully, I knew the road.
If you follow the road, a goblin fortress appears.
As I looked up from the beaten path, I could see the stars filling the night sky.
This is one of the places where stars are bright.
Just like the last time I was here, I couldn’t help but admire the view.
I admired the night sky as I slowly walked.
There was no reason to rush.
It’s going to be hard to get to the city with the goblin king in time anyway.
And even harder to kill the goblin king who will be in the center of the city within four hours.
Furthermore.
No message appeared.
There was no message telling me to take care of the goblin king or do something.
They’ve just put me in this world and let me be.
I expected this after clearing to the end of the 3rd floor boss room and nothing happened.
This 35th floor doesn’t give separate missions for each floor.
Then what do I need to do.
In the time remaining.
I eventually reached the castle walls.
From up close, the castle walls were quite high.
Last time, I got up easily using the Blink Authority, but that isn’t an option now.
I could jump using a chunk of mana, but it’ll also cause a catastrophic sound.
And the goblin soldiers will notice.
Do I need to climb up the wall?
As I was pondering about this, I heard a shout from the top of the wall.
“Hey! Human!”
[Acquired Akemin Continent Language Lv. 10.]
Huh?
“What are you looking for in this late hour!”
Did he just yell at me?
Puzzled, I looked up at the goblin soldier atop the castle walls.
The soldier was looking directly at me.
I thought I was far enough from him to avoid his sight.
That was a mistake.
The goblins have good night vision.
Unlike humans, they can see this far without a problem.
And when I was here before, I had covert skills and the like.
So, I just assumed it would be like the last time I was here and wasn’t noticed, and I didn’t think to hide my body.
[Acquired Covertness Lv. 17]
As I thought about hiding my body, I acquired the Covertness skill, though rather late.
But the goblin atop the castle walls had already found me.
I pondered for a moment, then answered the goblin atop the castle walls.
“I lost my way!”
I shouted proudly!
It wasn’t a lie.
It was… an ambiguous expression.
The goblin soldier shook his head a few times and disappeared from the walls.
I was more concerned with other things than the soldier disappearing.
I acquired the Akaine[1] Continent language.
It means I already knew the Akaine continent language.
It was probably because of the Knowledge Before the Time of Babel skill.
I thought the Knowledge Before the Time of Babel Babel skill was a magical skill that would translate foreign languages.
So, when I could hear, say, and use the languages I didn’t know, I assumed I didn’t know the languages.
But when I heard the goblin’s words just now, I understood as soon as I heard it.
The system judged that I already knew the language and added it as a skill.
If the Knowledge Before the Time of Babel skill isn’t just a simple translating skill, and is instead one that imbeds the language into my head, it’s possible.
If it’s a language stuck in one’s head, it’s possible to recognize it as soon as one hears it.
Is that really how it is?
I’ll need to ask Kiri Kiri.
A small side door next to the giant stone doors opened.
The goblin soldier said to me from behind the open door.
“Come in.”
I listened to the soldier’s words and walked into through the castle walls.
It was quiet inside the walls.
It felt weird as the memory in my mind clashed with the situation now.
“It’s quiet.”
“Of course. It’s late.”
And it felt weird hearing the goblin say that to me as it were a natural thing.
“How did you lose your way in the mountains this late?”
“I dunno.”
“What’s your destination?”
The goblin soldier asked me as though he were talking to a friend rather than conducting an interrogation.
I thought he would ask about me or request identification, but the goblin didn’t request anything.
I couldn’t feel any apprehension from the goblin that guided me through the fortress after closing the small side door.
Destination.
What was the name of the goblin city past the fortress?
I don’t remember.
“City.”
“I assumed so. For what? Probably trade right?”
“I have something I need to find out.”
The goblin didn’t ask me what it is that I wanted to know.
He probably thought I was a merchant sent for market research.
Instead, he asked something else.
“When do you need to be there by? There’s a carriage going to the city tomorrow afternoon. If you want, I can let you on.”
Excessively friendly.
That kindness was enough to make my stomach ache.
Naturally, I thought of the deeds I had done while I was progressing through the 4th floor.
Back then, I lit the four fortresses on fire and massacred the goblin soldiers.
And once I cut their numbers, I infiltrated the city.
[The God of Remorse is watching you.]
Well. Is this what that god wanted?
What terrible taste.
“Sorry, but your words are more than enough. Instead, could you tell me the way to the city?”
“Now?”
I nodded.
“I’m in a bit of a rush.”
The goblin looked at me with a terrified look.
And murmured with a cackling sound.
“Damn. You were wandering the woods and have to go right away. Human trade guilds are too strict.”
[Acquired the Kipain Area’s Native Goblin Language Lv. 10]
Turns out the language me and the goblin were using was a foreign language.
I learned the goblin’s local dialect through hearing him murmur.
“Ok but go up there and wait a bit.”
The goblin had gestured at the watchtower.
A watchtower looking out toward the city.
“The view is pretty good. Since the stars are bright tonight, you can probably see the city a bit. It’s quite the spectacle, so go see the sights for a bit.”
With those words, the goblin vanished to somewhere.
Is he bringing me a map or something,
Because I don’t need one.
Once at the top of the watchtower, I could see the moonlight falling on the city from a distance, just like the goblin told me.
The goal I had set not too long ago was wavering.
Kiri Kiri had told me to not overdo it.
That the 35th floor stage wasn’t made to be completed through combat alone.
Is this what she meant.
Once the clear goals that were given to me were gone, I couldn’t figure out what to do this time.
The first thing that came to my mind was in the end, combat.
As I climb higher, there will be numerous enemies just waiting for a piece of me.
And I can’t deal with those enemies can’t be dealt easily in this weakened body.
It’s better to become stronger while I have the chance.
And the goblins below the watchtower over there will be the perfect opponents for a faster leveling.
But should I attack those that were sympathetic towards me just because of that?
I asked myself the same question I had before.
My answer was. No.
The reason was simple.
I’m stronger.
I have the right to choose how to become stronger.
Is it the same now?
In just a few hours, a few days, I’ll be plopped onto extremely dangerous floors.
The time given to me is limited.
Because I’m running against time, I don’t have the luxury of choosing.
But still, I’m the stronger one here.
I wasn’t sure what the God of Remorse wanted to say.
But I was sure of one thing.
My strength is no longer tied to the tutorial.
While the tutorial did provide the opportunity and means to evolve myself, I have already completely absorbed the ways.
Even if I was immediately returned to my state two years prior when I was watching tv and doing nothing with my life, I can return myself to this state without a problem.
Obviously, it’ll be harder outside of the tutorial.
But it wouldn’t be impossible in 5 or 10 years.
The 35th floor stage made me certain.
It was a doubt that I had always harbored.
No matter how much I scream and shout about how well off I am, they were abilities and power given to me by the gods.
I was afraid that I would become nothing if and when my powers were taken away from me.
But now, those fears are gone.
My power isn’t something that is seen through the status window display of Authorities or skills or even the high stats and levels.
And because of that I could proudly say.
I’m strong.
No matter where I am.
Even when I’m faced with opponents much stronger than me, I will always be the stronger one.
[The God of Remorse is watching you.]
“How kind.”
“You’re welcome.”
The goblin came back.
With a large satchel.
“You don’t need a map right? Just follow the highway leading down straight. It’ll take about half a day if you’re on a horse. And these are some fruits, bread, and drinks. Snack on it during your trip.”
I asked the kind goblin.
“Why are you being so nice to me?”
The goblin was a bit taken aback at my words.
“Just. Well. It’s amusing. I also felt bad when you said you had to leave right away when you were lost in the woods until just now.”
“Amusing?”
“Seeing a human. It’s been a while. Usually, human merchants take the fortress doors over there.”
He was interested as though he were seeing a foreigner.
He acted as though he saw humans every day on the way to work, but he tried his best not to show it.
I took the satchel from the goblin.
“Thanks.”
“No problem.”
I got him to repeat the directions.
The goblin opened the small side door toward the city, and I started off towards the road.
As I’ve walked out, I felt the goblin’s gaze on my back disappear.
I stopped for a moment and stretched.
Originally, I hadn’t planned on going to the city.
There was quite a distance to the city, and there was no reason to if I thought about the time I had left.
Especially when I had no reason to take care of the goblin king.
But now, I had a reason to go and see the goblin king.
I had something I wanted to ask.
I haven’t tried to exert my mana to its maximum capacity since start of the 35th floor.
There was a bit of mana I needed to save to further increase my mana capacity.
Above all, it was dangerous.
I say this again, but it’s dangerous.
But now, I had a reason to give it my all.
I mustered up as much mana as I could.
And instead of focusing it onto my limbs or back muscles, I spread it out in my body, and activated the circuit.
What I need right now isn’t to strengthen or lighten my body, or even protection through mana.
But to awaken my body.
Pang!
As I kicked off, my body shot out like an arrow.
The cold dawn winds brushed my face, but I ran on.
Towards the goblin city.
“Phuek. Hooooo.”
When I took my breath, it sounded like a dog panting.
I wanted to breath as quietly as possible, but it wasn’t under my control.
I checked again to make sure the goblins by my feet wouldn’t come to.
Thankfully, both were dozing off in the dreamland.
Huaaa.
It was hard.
I ran through the plains between the fortress and the city, and snuck in by climbing the castle walls.
I did the same for the inner castle walls.
And the same to get to the goblin king’s bedroom.
Since I had already infiltrated into the goblin king’s bedroom once before, I could find it without any trouble.
I didn’t need to worry about being caught by the goblin soldiers.
If they could see through Level 17 Covertness, they wouldn’t have appeared on the 4th floor.
Anything over level 15 goes beyond just quietly hiding and moving; it was enough to not be noticed while using up mana at the max potential right in front of someone’s eyes.
[Round 24, Day 2. 7h 15m]
It only took 50 minutes to dash through the plains on horseback, and sneak past the city’s outer and inner walls to this center spot.
I used everything I had.
In the aftermath of the violent workout, white steam emanated from my body.
I thought about using the rest of the mana to calm it down quickly, but I decided to let my body cool off by itself.
I quietly opened the door and entered the bedroom.
The bedroom was a bit humid and hot.
It smelled a bit.
It was a large enough room to where I couldn’t immediately locate the goblin king.
Instead of using my eyes, I focused on my hearing.
If I can locate his breathing, I can easily find where he is.
Once my hearing is strengthened by mana, it can locate any minute noise.
Through my ears ready to hear any small noise in the room, I heard breathing.
There was a problem.
There were three.
Three including me.
There were two goblins breathing heavily on the bed.
That’s when I realized some of my questions could be answered.
Why there were so few guards near the bedroom.
Why the room was so humid and hot.
And why it smelled.
I knew.
The goblin king was performing nighttime labor.
I remembered the goblin king’s children.
And the sight of an old goblin king.
He had a white beard down to his chest, but he’s quite vigorous for his age.
I covered my face with my two hands, dumbfounded at the unanticipated situation.
Unable to do anything and agonizing over what to do, I coughed.
“Khm.”
< Tutorial 35th floor (5) > End
Gandara
[1] The author specifically wrote Akaine instead of Akemin when concerning the language.
I stepped out of the spring and squeezed my clothes dry.
[Round 24, Day 2. 6h 25m]
The clear was easier than I thought.
I made it to the 4th floor stage’s Spring of Recovery in just 25 minutes.
Regardless of the difficulty, it was much faster compared to the stages with long pathways.
In front of the Boss Room, the giant stone doors opened, and revealed a new world.
It was the mid-slope of a mountain.
Thankfully, I knew the road.
If you follow the road, a goblin fortress appears.
As I looked up from the beaten path, I could see the stars filling the night sky.
This is one of the places where stars are bright.
Just like the last time I was here, I couldn’t help but admire the view.
I admired the night sky as I slowly walked.
There was no reason to rush.
It’s going to be hard to get to the city with the goblin king in time anyway.
And even harder to kill the goblin king who will be in the center of the city within four hours.
Furthermore.
No message appeared.
There was no message telling me to take care of the goblin king or do something.
They’ve just put me in this world and let me be.
I expected this after clearing to the end of the 3rd floor boss room and nothing happened.
This 35th floor doesn’t give separate missions for each floor.
Then what do I need to do.
In the time remaining.
I eventually reached the castle walls.
From up close, the castle walls were quite high.
Last time, I got up easily using the Blink Authority, but that isn’t an option now.
I could jump using a chunk of mana, but it’ll also cause a catastrophic sound.
And the goblin soldiers will notice.
Do I need to climb up the wall?
As I was pondering about this, I heard a shout from the top of the wall.
“Hey! Human!”
[Acquired Akemin Continent Language Lv. 10.]
Huh?
“What are you looking for in this late hour!”
Did he just yell at me?
Puzzled, I looked up at the goblin soldier atop the castle walls.
The soldier was looking directly at me.
I thought I was far enough from him to avoid his sight.
That was a mistake.
The goblins have good night vision.
Unlike humans, they can see this far without a problem.
And when I was here before, I had covert skills and the like.
So, I just assumed it would be like the last time I was here and wasn’t noticed, and I didn’t think to hide my body.
[Acquired Covertness Lv. 17]
As I thought about hiding my body, I acquired the Covertness skill, though rather late.
But the goblin atop the castle walls had already found me.
I pondered for a moment, then answered the goblin atop the castle walls.
“I lost my way!”
I shouted proudly!
It wasn’t a lie.
It was… an ambiguous expression.
The goblin soldier shook his head a few times and disappeared from the walls.
I was more concerned with other things than the soldier disappearing.
I acquired the Akaine[1] Continent language.
It means I already knew the Akaine continent language.
It was probably because of the Knowledge Before the Time of Babel skill.
I thought the Knowledge Before the Time of Babel Babel skill was a magical skill that would translate foreign languages.
So, when I could hear, say, and use the languages I didn’t know, I assumed I didn’t know the languages.
But when I heard the goblin’s words just now, I understood as soon as I heard it.
The system judged that I already knew the language and added it as a skill.
If the Knowledge Before the Time of Babel skill isn’t just a simple translating skill, and is instead one that imbeds the language into my head, it’s possible.
If it’s a language stuck in one’s head, it’s possible to recognize it as soon as one hears it.
Is that really how it is?
I’ll need to ask Kiri Kiri.
A small side door next to the giant stone doors opened.
The goblin soldier said to me from behind the open door.
“Come in.”
I listened to the soldier’s words and walked into through the castle walls.
It was quiet inside the walls.
It felt weird as the memory in my mind clashed with the situation now.
“It’s quiet.”
“Of course. It’s late.”
And it felt weird hearing the goblin say that to me as it were a natural thing.
“How did you lose your way in the mountains this late?”
“I dunno.”
“What’s your destination?”
The goblin soldier asked me as though he were talking to a friend rather than conducting an interrogation.
I thought he would ask about me or request identification, but the goblin didn’t request anything.
I couldn’t feel any apprehension from the goblin that guided me through the fortress after closing the small side door.
Destination.
What was the name of the goblin city past the fortress?
I don’t remember.
“City.”
“I assumed so. For what? Probably trade right?”
“I have something I need to find out.”
The goblin didn’t ask me what it is that I wanted to know.
He probably thought I was a merchant sent for market research.
Instead, he asked something else.
“When do you need to be there by? There’s a carriage going to the city tomorrow afternoon. If you want, I can let you on.”
Excessively friendly.
That kindness was enough to make my stomach ache.
Naturally, I thought of the deeds I had done while I was progressing through the 4th floor.
Back then, I lit the four fortresses on fire and massacred the goblin soldiers.
And once I cut their numbers, I infiltrated the city.
[The God of Remorse is watching you.]
Well. Is this what that god wanted?
What terrible taste.
“Sorry, but your words are more than enough. Instead, could you tell me the way to the city?”
“Now?”
I nodded.
“I’m in a bit of a rush.”
The goblin looked at me with a terrified look.
And murmured with a cackling sound.
“Damn. You were wandering the woods and have to go right away. Human trade guilds are too strict.”
[Acquired the Kipain Area’s Native Goblin Language Lv. 10]
Turns out the language me and the goblin were using was a foreign language.
I learned the goblin’s local dialect through hearing him murmur.
“Ok but go up there and wait a bit.”
The goblin had gestured at the watchtower.
A watchtower looking out toward the city.
“The view is pretty good. Since the stars are bright tonight, you can probably see the city a bit. It’s quite the spectacle, so go see the sights for a bit.”
With those words, the goblin vanished to somewhere.
Is he bringing me a map or something,
Because I don’t need one.
Once at the top of the watchtower, I could see the moonlight falling on the city from a distance, just like the goblin told me.
The goal I had set not too long ago was wavering.
Kiri Kiri had told me to not overdo it.
That the 35th floor stage wasn’t made to be completed through combat alone.
Is this what she meant.
Once the clear goals that were given to me were gone, I couldn’t figure out what to do this time.
The first thing that came to my mind was in the end, combat.
As I climb higher, there will be numerous enemies just waiting for a piece of me.
And I can’t deal with those enemies can’t be dealt easily in this weakened body.
It’s better to become stronger while I have the chance.
And the goblins below the watchtower over there will be the perfect opponents for a faster leveling.
But should I attack those that were sympathetic towards me just because of that?
I asked myself the same question I had before.
My answer was. No.
The reason was simple.
I’m stronger.
I have the right to choose how to become stronger.
Is it the same now?
In just a few hours, a few days, I’ll be plopped onto extremely dangerous floors.
The time given to me is limited.
Because I’m running against time, I don’t have the luxury of choosing.
But still, I’m the stronger one here.
I wasn’t sure what the God of Remorse wanted to say.
But I was sure of one thing.
My strength is no longer tied to the tutorial.
While the tutorial did provide the opportunity and means to evolve myself, I have already completely absorbed the ways.
Even if I was immediately returned to my state two years prior when I was watching tv and doing nothing with my life, I can return myself to this state without a problem.
Obviously, it’ll be harder outside of the tutorial.
But it wouldn’t be impossible in 5 or 10 years.
The 35th floor stage made me certain.
It was a doubt that I had always harbored.
No matter how much I scream and shout about how well off I am, they were abilities and power given to me by the gods.
I was afraid that I would become nothing if and when my powers were taken away from me.
But now, those fears are gone.
My power isn’t something that is seen through the status window display of Authorities or skills or even the high stats and levels.
And because of that I could proudly say.
I’m strong.
No matter where I am.
Even when I’m faced with opponents much stronger than me, I will always be the stronger one.
[The God of Remorse is watching you.]
“How kind.”
“You’re welcome.”
The goblin came back.
With a large satchel.
“You don’t need a map right? Just follow the highway leading down straight. It’ll take about half a day if you’re on a horse. And these are some fruits, bread, and drinks. Snack on it during your trip.”
I asked the kind goblin.
“Why are you being so nice to me?”
The goblin was a bit taken aback at my words.
“Just. Well. It’s amusing. I also felt bad when you said you had to leave right away when you were lost in the woods until just now.”
“Amusing?”
“Seeing a human. It’s been a while. Usually, human merchants take the fortress doors over there.”
He was interested as though he were seeing a foreigner.
He acted as though he saw humans every day on the way to work, but he tried his best not to show it.
I took the satchel from the goblin.
“Thanks.”
“No problem.”
I got him to repeat the directions.
The goblin opened the small side door toward the city, and I started off towards the road.
As I’ve walked out, I felt the goblin’s gaze on my back disappear.
I stopped for a moment and stretched.
Originally, I hadn’t planned on going to the city.
There was quite a distance to the city, and there was no reason to if I thought about the time I had left.
Especially when I had no reason to take care of the goblin king.
But now, I had a reason to go and see the goblin king.
I had something I wanted to ask.
I haven’t tried to exert my mana to its maximum capacity since start of the 35th floor.
There was a bit of mana I needed to save to further increase my mana capacity.
Above all, it was dangerous.
I say this again, but it’s dangerous.
But now, I had a reason to give it my all.
I mustered up as much mana as I could.
And instead of focusing it onto my limbs or back muscles, I spread it out in my body, and activated the circuit.
What I need right now isn’t to strengthen or lighten my body, or even protection through mana.
But to awaken my body.
Pang!
As I kicked off, my body shot out like an arrow.
The cold dawn winds brushed my face, but I ran on.
Towards the goblin city.
“Phuek. Hooooo.”
When I took my breath, it sounded like a dog panting.
I wanted to breath as quietly as possible, but it wasn’t under my control.
I checked again to make sure the goblins by my feet wouldn’t come to.
Thankfully, both were dozing off in the dreamland.
Huaaa.
It was hard.
I ran through the plains between the fortress and the city, and snuck in by climbing the castle walls.
I did the same for the inner castle walls.
And the same to get to the goblin king’s bedroom.
Since I had already infiltrated into the goblin king’s bedroom once before, I could find it without any trouble.
I didn’t need to worry about being caught by the goblin soldiers.
If they could see through Level 17 Covertness, they wouldn’t have appeared on the 4th floor.
Anything over level 15 goes beyond just quietly hiding and moving; it was enough to not be noticed while using up mana at the max potential right in front of someone’s eyes.
[Round 24, Day 2. 7h 15m]
It only took 50 minutes to dash through the plains on horseback, and sneak past the city’s outer and inner walls to this center spot.
I used everything I had.
In the aftermath of the violent workout, white steam emanated from my body.
I thought about using the rest of the mana to calm it down quickly, but I decided to let my body cool off by itself.
I quietly opened the door and entered the bedroom.
The bedroom was a bit humid and hot.
It smelled a bit.
It was a large enough room to where I couldn’t immediately locate the goblin king.
Instead of using my eyes, I focused on my hearing.
If I can locate his breathing, I can easily find where he is.
Once my hearing is strengthened by mana, it can locate any minute noise.
Through my ears ready to hear any small noise in the room, I heard breathing.
There was a problem.
There were three.
Three including me.
There were two goblins breathing heavily on the bed.
That’s when I realized some of my questions could be answered.
Why there were so few guards near the bedroom.
Why the room was so humid and hot.
And why it smelled.
I knew.
The goblin king was performing nighttime labor.
I remembered the goblin king’s children.
And the sight of an old goblin king.
He had a white beard down to his chest, but he’s quite vigorous for his age.
I covered my face with my two hands, dumbfounded at the unanticipated situation.
Unable to do anything and agonizing over what to do, I coughed.
“Khm.”
< Tutorial 35th floor (5) > End
Gandara
[1] The author specifically wrote Akaine instead of Akemin when concerning the language.
“Khem!”
I coughed loudly to cover up the embarrassing situation.
But unfortunately, the goblin king didn’t display any sort of response to my coughing sounds.
Did he not hear me?
“Uhhuhhum!”
I made another coughing sound.
This time, thankfully the goblin king reacted.
He stopped moving, looked around, then started doing his thing again.
…Fuck.
“Uhhum! Uhhuhhum!”
I made a noise loud enough to stop a marketplace auntie dead in her stracks.
If he doesn’t hear this, it means his sense of hearing has problems.
Or he’s just really horny.
Please fucking stop, please!
I finally met the goblin king face to face.
After jumping out of bed and rushing to grab his robes, the goblin king asked, “W-Who are you!”
A question straight to the core.
The problem was that it’s hard to answer that question.
It wasn’t because I didn’t want to reveal my identity, but because I couldn’t be sure of what my identity was.
What would be a good way to introduce myself?
I pondered for a moment.
“Assassin.”
It was a good choice.
Of course, not for the goblin king.
The green face froze.
And the pitiful and old goblin dragged himself out of bed and changed his composure.
He couldn’t even gather himself from being surprised, but he regained his self-control upon hearing my answer.
It was a rather impressive sight to see him becoming dignified in the face of danger.
I honestly admired the goblin’s transformation from a man whose nightly duty was cut short into a king facing an assassin.
The goblin king yet again displayed his dignity.
“I don’t believe I’ve done anything to displace the human kingdoms.”
I agree with the sentiment.
The guards at the fortress weren’t hostile towards humans, but rather he let me through without inspection.
The city itself is amicable towards humans and they aren’t skeptical either.
“Trade guild? Seems like they want to exert influence over the city after killing me. But I don’t know the method.”
The goblin king continued with a calm tone.
It was a calm attitude, but he wasn’t calm.
What reason did he have to explain the details to an assassin?
None.
He’s just continuing on to buy time for a plan.
He didn’t try to call guards.
I made quite a ruckus in this bedroom.
If the guards outside didn’t react to that, it meant that I had already taken care of them.
“It’s not like there’s rare minerals or specialty goods on this land either.”
I needed a better subject.
“I’m not an assassin sent by the kingdom or the trade guild.”
“… Then who sent you?”
It wasn’t the sort of question an assassin would ever answer.
So, I could avoid answering without remorse.
“Who knows.”
The goblin king stopped speaking whatever came to his mind to try and think of ways to get out of this situation.
Instead, he focused on me.
That was good.
“Rather, I have something I’d like to ask. I’d be pleased if you would answer.”
The goblin didn’t let down his guard but couldn’t hide the relief and hope in his eyes.
He probably thought I was here to deliver a message or a warning instead of assassinating him.
But my goal was honestly just to ask this question.
“Have you done anything that would anger or annoy the gods? Or seriously endanger the peace of this world?”
Up until now, whenever I saw a ‘terminate’ message, I didn’t have any doubts.
The targets were usually necromancers, doppelgängers, demon kings and other easily-identifiable villains who endangered world peace.
But this goblin king is different.
His reign was superb, humane… no, the best thing I have seen out of goblins.
The city was peaceful and wealthy.
It was a stage without any major conflict.
But the tutorial requested the termination of the goblin king and ordered the murder of countless goblin soldiers.
I wondered why.
If there was no reason…
Did they make us attack this peaceful city without a reason, just to test challengers?
It was something I had to know.
It was possible that the tutorial stages have nothing to do with good or evil.
It wasn’t something that I was unfamiliar with.
Fundamentally, the gods in this tutorial don’t seem very kind-hearted.
The Earth is infested with monsters, and hell is unfolding.
If abducting people to make them superhuman in order to defend themselves isn’t kindhearted, what is?
Even glancing through the community, people’s attitudes were mainly amicable when it came to the tutorial.
There are unfathomable numbers praising the gods, comparing them to gods native to Earth.
It was all the more common in people who entered the tutorial after experiencing the mayhem caused by monsters.
Some also researched doctrines of gods and identified themselves as believers of a particular god.
But there are no Hell Difficulty challengers that praise the kind-heartedness of gods.
At least as far as I know.
The goblin king went silent for a moment at my question.
It was a weird reaction.
Wouldn’t one normally ask what that means?
“Do you happen to be a god’s Apostle?”
His calm voice started to shake.
It seems as though he had something on his mind.
I nodded in affirmation.
To tell the truth, I wasn’t an apostle.
But I was something similar.
[The God of Adventure is pleased.]
Huh? Why is the God of Adventure pleased?
All of a sudden.
[The God of Slowness rebukes someone.]
[The God of Duels vehemently denies someone’s notion.]
[The God of Death mocks someone.]
[The God of Adventure is embarrassed.]
I wasn’t sure what they were doing, but I ignored them for now and focused on the goblin king.
The goblin king was noticeably anxious.
“What were you planning? Answer honestly.”
I asked him in an overtly apostle-like tone.
“I-It wasn’t crafted by us. I happened to acquire it by chance and hoped I could use it to fulfill my personal desires.”
Crafted. Acquired. Desire.
All the key words.
“Bring it.”
“Sir?”
“Bring it to me and show me.”
Not that I knew what it was.
“Yes sir.”
“Don’t even think about escaping or calling the soldiers. It’s annoying. I don’t have much time left, and if you cannot prove your innocence I’ll act as planned.”
This is probably enough intimidation.
The goblin king seems to think of me as an apostle sent to punish him.
“Please wait here for a moment.”
The goblin king left after those words.
I deliberated the dialogue in the recently-vacated room.
“Hey…”
It wasn’t an empty room!
The goblin’s partner was still here.
She had put on her gown and asked nervously.
“Can… I leave?”
“Ah, yes. Feel free.”
I said to the goblin female running out of the room.
“My sincere apologies!”
Of course, the goblin female ran out and closed the door before I could finish my apologies.
I waited for the goblin king while organizing my thoughts in the now, truly, empty room.
It took the goblin king a while to come back.
Just before I decided to go and catch the goblin king myself.
“If you were just a little bit late, I would have went after you myself.”
“H-How could I possibly run from an Apostle?”
It wasn’t likely.
The goblin king seemed to be short of breath and was sweating profusely.
Probably because he was rushing to bring back the item.
Or, maybe because he was looking for the guards.
“It would have been interesting in itself if you ran.”
“But not for me. Haha…”
He laughed as if his anxiety lessened.
But with a forced smile.
The goblin king brought back a small black sphere.
The sphere was large enough to fill my hand was smooth and had quite a heft to it.
“I’ve already told you, but we acquired it by chance; we didn’t craft it.
“I think I heard something about you fulfilling your wishes with this.”
“I… did. But I haven’t tried yet.”
The moment before he tried, huh?
Is this stage meant to stop the attempt by dispatching a challenger to take care of the king?
If so, what happens after his attempt?
And what is this sphere that makes the gods uneasy?
At the very least, the goblin king seems to assume that this sphere is the cause.
I examined the sphere, but I couldn’t make out a shred of mana in the sphere.
How did he plan to use this thing?
Instead, I injected my mana into it.
The mana couldn’t enter and was repelled.
As if it was full of a different type of mana.
Is it a stone that repels mana?
“How did you plan to fulfill your wish with this?”
“I heard that it was possible if you use the power inside. From what the magicians told me…”
Power within the sphere.
It meant that there’s something inside here.
[All of the gods of the Hundred Gods Temple are watching you closely.]
[The gods of the Hundred Gods Temple are nervous.]
I tried to absorb the sphere’s energy.
As if sucking out mana.
I didn’t feel anything being absorbed.
It felt as though I were trying to absorb something when there was nothing.
But.
There was something coming inside me.
The ‘something’ that I couldn’t feel kept coming.
Even so, I couldn’t figure out what it was, nor feel it.
The hairs on my body rose up from the peculiar sensation.
It was a dreadful sensation, having something that I didn’t know coming into me.
[The gods of the Hundred Gods Temple start a vote.]
[Approval : 94 votes in favor, 4 votes against, 2 votes are abstained.]
[The motion has passed with a majority. It now invokes force over someone.]
[The gods of the Hundred Gods Temple start a vote.]
[Approval : 95 votes in favor, 4 votes against, 1 vote is abstained.]
The messages started to appear for no reason.
Before I could understand the meaning, my body was moved.
After a brief flash, once I opened my eyes, I was no longer standing in the goblin king’s bedroom.
I was at the entrance of the 5th floor stage.
What is this?
[Round 24, Day 2. 8h 40m]
It wasn’t time to be moved from the 4th floor stage onto the 5th floor stage yet.
Then this meant I was moved by force through the vote of the gods.
Like the time the God of Adventure moved me on the 5th floor previously.
It wasn’t a pleasant feeling.
I didn’t like being moved in a particular way by the influence of others.
Apart from the unpleasantness, I wondered what the reason was.
It wasn’t part of the concept of the 4th floor to move the challenger by force, so there is definitely a reason why I was moved.
And the first thing that came to my mind was, the black sphere.
And the power absorbed from the black sphere.
Something that I couldn’t feel or be aware of but proved itself by diffusing into my body.
That energy was clumped in my right arm.
I couldn’t feel the energy, but I have a precise understanding of my body and observe it closely.
It was possible for me to locate the foreign substance and set up walls around it to make sure it wouldn’t spread to another area.
I focused on the energy clumped in my arm.
I heightened every bit of my senses and tried to feel something from the energy I couldn’t feel.
After about an hour, I could organize my findings.
First, this energy has attributes similar to mana.
Second, the energy’s identity wasn’t hidden through magical means.
At least, that’s what I could discern at my level.
Third, after examining this energy for an hour, I got a feeling.
It was an abstract feeling, but I was sure because of my experience.
The feeling from this energy was similar to the divine power of Authorities.
< Tutorial 35th floor (6) > End
Gandara
Author’s note
It’s Friday!
+Thanks for the suggestion post Gupaengee-nim(honorific)
+I have no plans on revealing the future plot
It’s spo (Spoilers).
I haven’t revealed it even during the free season, I can’t tell you now. Fufu.
+Ten-thousand Gods Temple -> Hundred Gods Temple. I keep making mistakes T T
The above is a translaton of the notes in the raws.