“Goblin Shaman. I need your help.”
“...Heh?”
The Goblin Shaman looks at with an expression that seems to say, “What’s this guy’s deal?”
He snorts, his face scrunching up in distaste, and then breaks into a small laugh.
“Heh heh... Human. I’m a dying Goblin. You’ve chosen the wrong one to ask for help.”
Then, the Goblin Shaman bursts into fits of coughing.
It seems he still doesn’t quite understand what I’m trying to say.
“...Shaman.”
“Cough... Cough...”
“I’m a Regressor. This isn’t the first ti we’ve t.”
“…?”
“You’ve told everything. The ancient dungeon, human adventurers, the voice of a god, and why you ca to this tower.”
“...Heh. Human, you speak nonsense.”
Although the Goblin Shaman turns his head away while muttering a curse, I clearly see his milky white eyes waver.
“Seriously. This is the third ti we’ve t. Do you know how much trouble I had to go through because you decided to dive into the swamp with golden beads?”
Slowly, I unravel the story of my experiences in this tower.
From the mont I regained consciousness, to the mont of joy when I acquired the Regression trait, and even the mont when I was double-crossed by the Goblin Shaman and heard the ssage he left on a stone.
I thought I had shared my tale quite earnestly, but...
“...So what do you want to do about it, human?”
The Goblin Shaman scratches the back of his head, clearly unimpressed.
“Let’s get straight to the point. Heh. I could easily break the monster’s seal right now if I wanted to.”
He nacingly brandishes his staff.
“...Calm down.”
As he claims, if the Goblin Shaman were to release the Minotaur’s seal here and now, I’d have no choice but to regress.
But he hasn’t yet. Which ans he’s sowhat interested in what I have to say.
“What do I want? Simple.”
I rember how the Goblin Shaman had all the other goblins kill themselves, effectively eliminating any source of food.
“Bring all the goblins on this island. Right here, to this spot.”
“...Cough. And then?”
“My trait gains strength when I’m protecting soone during a fight. If I’m in a situation where I’m protecting all the goblins, I could obliterate that monster in one go.”
“...Ha ha.”
The Goblin Shaman laughs, as if the idea is absurd to him.
“...Human, are you perhaps an idiot?”
He gestures wildly with his free hand, the one not holding the staff.
“I despise humans. I maintain this seal with the hope that humans suffer. Understand, human?”
“...I get it.”
“So do I look like a fool to you, human? Why should I help you people?”
“...”
He’s right.
There’s no reason for the Goblin Shaman to assist us.
In fact, he’d probably relish seeing us in pain; he has no incentive to help.
But without saying a word, I simply place my hand near his nose.
“...Human, what are you doing?”
“Sll it.”
“...It just slls like a human hand. I don’t understand what you want to sll. Cough.”
“That’s exactly my point.”
“...Heh?”
Sniff. Sniff.
The Goblin Shaman flares his nostrils, slling my hand once more.
“...Ah.”
It appears he has caught on to what I’m trying to convey.
“The sll of blood. You don’t sense it, do you?”
In this round, I didn’t even kill the frail goblins lurking in the bushes.
I only knocked them unconscious.
I rember, in the past, the Goblin Shaman told that he could sense the sll of his kinsn’s blood on .
See? No scent of blood this ti. Help out here.
“...haah.”
The Goblin Shaman lowers his head solemnly.
“It’s aningless, human. You simply didn’t kill my kindred this ’cycle.’”
“...True.”
“And even if you do manage to defeat the monster and move on to the next level... I’ll be here, mory wiped, waiting for other humans to co. Cough. I’ll plunge them into despair as well.”
“That’s also true.”
“So, human, there’s absolutely no reason for to assist you now. Especially since you’ll likely kill after you’ve slain the monster. I am no fool, human.”
“And why is there no reason?”
I shrugged my shoulders, as if baffled by his conclusion.
“You… You said you’ll be reborn with wiped mories after this cycle, right? If you’re gonna die anyway, does it matter if it’s a bit sooner?”
“...There’s no doubt humans are insane.”
The Goblin Shaman chuckles sardonically, but I know he isn’t particularly attached to life.
“And wouldn’t it be nice to have at least one cycle where humans and goblins don’t harm each other?”
“...”
The Goblin Shaman freezes upon hearing my words.
This tower forces us to kill each other.
Humans kill to survive, and goblins kill to avoid being killed.
And all I’m asking is for it to stop, just once.
For everyone’s sake.
“...Cough.”
The Goblin Shaman slowly closes his eyes.
“Haah. Humans are fools. Boldly asking to die. Such a trivial act is nothing but a aningless endeavor.”
Opening his eyes, the Goblin Shaman looks in my direction.
“And... I’m a fool too.”
He chuckles softly and snaps his fingers.
“As you wish, human. Maybe it’s not so bad to have one cycle where nobody dies.”
The effect of the Hero’s Trait is activated! The effect of the Hero’s Trait is activated! The effect of the Hero’s Trait is activated! The effect of the Hero’s Trait is activated! The effect of the Hero’s Trait is activated! The effect of the Hero’s Trait is activated! The effect of the Hero’s Trait is activated!
“I’ll unseal it, human.”
“Wait a mont.”
My body feels warm. My head is a little fuzzy, but it’s not an unpleasant sensation. It’s as if I’ve downed a lot of alcohol.
“Everyone, please wait for a mont. I need to concentrate.”
Behind stand around two hundred people. Much like the previous round, I had successfully persuaded the people who were in the vacant lot to co here with .
How did I manage to get Choi Ji-won to agree? I insisted that I had a solution, and sohow she relented. Although she did warn she’d cut down if it looked like I was wasting ti.
“...Is this really a good idea?”
“If he says it’s okay, then...”
For so reason, people were nervously glancing around, trembling.
The reason was simple.
Hundreds, no, thousands of goblins stood amassed behind them.
The reason I thought my Hero’s Trait could be activated for goblins was straightforward.
Would my Hero’s Trait activate if I were protecting a different race like elves or dwarves?
Most likely, yes. They are sentient beings after all.
So, what about goblins? The Goblin Shaman communicated with actively. No one could deny that he is a sentient being.
There’s no reason why my Trait wouldn’t work on goblins.
Of course, there was a chance that the Goblin Shaman was a special case, but...
“Kekek, Kekkekkek...”
“Kekel, Kekek? Kekkekkek.”
The goblin horde was noisily chattering in their own language.
Ordinary goblins were cruel, human-hating, grotesque monsters, but...
Hero [C] - In monts of crisis, people think of you. You beco stronger when fighting to protect soone.
They, too, were ‘soone.’ In other words, my trait applied.
The effect of the Hero’s Trait is activated! The effect of the Hero’s Trait is activated! The effect of the Hero’s Trait is activated!
“I think it’s working now.”
Slowly adapting to the overflowing power, I signaled to the Goblin Shaman.
“Cough, then I’ll release the seal, human.”
The violet rope connecting Minotaur to his staff snapped.
“Gruuuuuuuu...”
Slowly rising from his position was the Minotaur.
Clutching and unclutching his fists as if he couldn’t believe it, he soon picked up his axe.
“GRUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!”
“Wo-woahhh!”
“Aaahhh!”
It was a roar so loud it felt deafening.
His enormous eyes were unmistakably locked onto .
His twitching muscles were gathering strength to crush .
Had this been before, I might have been overwheld by his formidable aura and run away...
But now, I instinctively knew.
That wasn’t the war cry of an excited warrior; it was the howl of a frightened beast.
“You feel it too, don’t you?”
Step by step, I began walking toward the Minotaur, twirling the sword in my wrist.
Thump. Thump.
“Gr-GRUUUUUU!”
And as I closed the distance, the Minotaur retreated, little by little.
Even a child could see it. The beast was intimidated.
“Hah.”
Normally, Minotaur isn’t a monster created to be slain in the Turtorial. It exists rely as a chanism—to set the ti limit for the Tutorial floor—and to provoke conflicts among people.
Even Choi Ji-won, a monster beyond comprehension, had said she couldn’t guarantee a victory against this Minotaur.
Yet this unbelievable monster was fleeing before , intimidated.
The very fact was so satisfying that I couldn’t help but smile.
Suddenly, I turned my head to look for Choi Ji-won.
“…”
Choi Ji-won scans up and down with a stern expression.
I never thought the day would co when she’d be on guard because of . I did say that I’d catch up to her soday, and now that I actually have, the feeling is surreal.
Of course, it’s just temporary doping... but a win is still a win, right?
The hard work has paid off. I can feel a sense of pride.
“GRRRAAAAAAA!!!”
Thump, thump, thump, thump-thump.
Thinking it saw an opportunity when I turned my back, the Minotaur charged at crazily.
I spin smoothly in place to face the creature.
“Co.”
Maybe it’s because I’m focused, but ti seems to slow down just a bit.
I tighten my grip on the sword in both hands.
I recall Choi Ji-won’s teachings once more.
My target is... the neck.
Although it’s a neck covered in muscle, with my current state, it’s possible.
No, it’s more than just possible.
Because, at this mont, I am… ‘hero’.
I lightly push off from my position.
The swing of my sword cos naturally.
And just as both my feet softly touch the ground—
Astonishing Achievent Alert! - You have successfully defeated the hidden boss, ‘Demon of the Labyrinth’!
- There are zero casualties! Bonus experience for Legendary Ventures awarded!
- Special reward is granted to the biggest contributor, [Kim Jun-ho]!
The Minotaur’s neck rolls on the ground.
– – – End of Chapter – – -
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