<798 – How to Prevent the Darkening of the Professors (9)>
While the professors were tasting the humiliation of signing a contract that turned the tables, a goblin warrior was facing trials from a different genre all by themselves.
“It’s a nightmare, Gob!”
A multi-dimensional predator.
The support of humanity, the leader of the organization, the butler of the foundation.
The high-level invaders that arrived to topple the last bastion were beings that twisted the very principles of the world, transforming it into their own domain.
[Stone Golem Spirit King]
Wherever the foot of the massive statue made of stone touched, even the desolate highlands turned to ashen rock.
The highlands where green foliage, which might have grown in the Goblin World after a long time, have now fallen into ruin, turned into a petrified archaeological site.
Even that was cracking under the butler’s steps as the statue’s fist crushed and destroyed everything.
[Slow Gaze]
A gigantic eyeball floated lazily, watching, and wherever it gazed, all phenomena, from the movements of living beings to the circulation of the atmosphere, slowed down rapidly.
Even the air’s cycle slowed, making breathing difficult, and microorganisms died off.
Slowing down was, in itself, a giant form of violence.
The powers and strength that destroyed nature, and the clash.
Oxygen and mana that could not be replenished and the very essence of life.
The Goblin World was dying in real-time.
Simply because the predators had descended upon this place.
They hadn’t even shown malice against the goblins yet.
Still, such damage had occurred.
As time went on, the scale of the damage would increase exponentially.
For at least hundreds of years, it might impact the Goblin World permanently.
If not stopped, even the goblins hiding deep in Gehenna would ultimately leave no survivors.
“Your rampage ends here. You shall be stopped here, Gob.”
A green goblin appeared on the battlefield.
Unlike the filthy and ugly existing goblins, this green humanoid had a defined
The predator from a hundred different dimensions was sensitive to charm.
It was akin to how spirits flock to a spirit magician’s allure.
There was a language barrier.
Different races.
Everything about this strange being was unfamiliar as they squawked “Hello!” “That!” “Punish them!” like a parrot, having learned from the [Collective of Spirits’ 100 Phrases], yet maintaining curiosity was fleeting, let alone keeping goodwill to the point of forming a contract.
It was no different from nurturing and caring for an underdeveloped child with patience.
That, unless it were your own child.
It was the act of caring for strangers from another race altogether.
Unless they were charming or beautiful enough to be enjoyable to look at, it was hard to endure.
In conclusion, the attractive creature known as the Goblin Warrior had caught the interest of the predators quite well.
The appearance of the Goblin Warrior, born from the round artwork of Titosso and the modern ‘moe’ aesthetics of Oknodie, was hitting the mark perfectly.
“Look! An appealing goblin. Become my statue. If you devote that body to me for a thousand years, I shall safely watch over this weak and insignificant world.”
“Bow to the hundred years of slowness. The lifespan of the goblin tribe will flow even slower, blessed with a hundred years of life.”
“!!”
“The hundred dimension predators are offering a [Race Contract] to the Goblin Warrior.”
“If the Goblin Warrior accepts the race contract, new racial bonuses will be granted to either the Goblin World or the entire goblin race.”
“However, in exchange for the contract, the Goblin Warrior will lose many freedoms, including the freedom of movement, for an extended period.”
If Oknodie had seen this, they’d be throwing a tantrum over where their cherished item had been sullied.
Creating it was merely coincidence, and the growth was a result of an unintended use of different abilities, yet the effort was not nonexistent.
So, Oknodie was not unqualified as the protector of the Goblin Warrior.
“The contract target is a minor.”
“A notification is provided to the protector of the contract target.”
No matter how small or young, a protector is a protector.
A notification was sent to Oknodie, recognized by the system.
—
[The Goblin Warrior has been offered a race contract by the hundred dimension predators.]
[The details of the proposed contract are as follows.]
———
1. Stone Golem Spirit King
– 1000 Years of Guardian Stone: In exchange for becoming a statue for a thousand years, the Goblin World will be under the protection of the Stone Golem Spirit King.
– Secret of Protection (Insight Check Success): Petrifies the entire world and turns it into a collection of the Stone Golem Spirit King for a thousand years.
2. Slow Gaze
– A hundred Years of Reverence: In exchange for revering in extreme slow zones for a hundred years, the lifespan of the entire goblin race is extended by a hundred years.
– Eternal Reverence (Insight Check Success): The extreme slow area cannot be escaped even after a hundred years.
…
…
———
“What the hell is all this?!”
Here comes the brochure claiming to trust in the way!
This child is worrying over it again.
Being unaware of how scary cults are, they’re deliberating about whether to take a bite before the predators who seem almost like celestial beings.
Seeing their innocent contemplation of the contract was terrifying enough to make even veterans scream in horror.
“You shouldn’t eat that!!”
“No, don’t choose anything!!”
“Eww, you fool! What a dumb way to act for someone from Titosso!”
Suddenly, a shy mob timidly asked about Oknodie who couldn’t bear the pain anymore.
“Um, Oknodie. Is there a problem?”
The ones who had witnessed the production site of Titosso and Oknodie were Mob, Rosgini, and Hestia.
Out of those, with Titosso, Rosgini, and Hestia all embarks on an expedition, Mob was the only one left next to Oknodie.
“The Warrior Gob is about to fall into a fraudulent contract!”
“What?! No way, they’re way too cute!”
Sometimes, while peeking at the shockingly desolate goblin village through Oknodie’s magic, Mob had many feelings seeing the Warrior Gob singing alone or blankly watching a charred doll.
No matter how much effort they put in, their strength fell short compared to the mighty foes.
The results of their efforts were disappointing, and even when they did bear fruit, they could not reverse the damage already done.
“I am a completely useless being.”
The warrior goblin’s miserable appearance, realizing that fact every moment, provoked Mob’s long-standing sense of defeat.
What that looked like was no different from Mob’s past.
Only the scale of the tragedies experienced varied.
The inferiority complex, anxiety, and fury lodged in that place were no different at all.
If they couldn’t gain strength, they wouldn’t deserve a happier life.
Choosing what to lose and what to abandon at every moment, they were whittling down their own existence.
To the weak, the world is this harsh.
Cutting away their freedom, their heart, and ultimately even the very thing they were trying to protect, they became mere killing machines just alive.
“Had I not met Oknodie, perhaps I would have sunk deeply into that dark mana, becoming a demon or, even if I succeeded in training, I would have become a cold-blooded killer like Jiang.”
The Goblin Warrior was someone caught in that transitional phase.
A hand extended towards her.
The hands of the hundred-dimensional predators, which, if grasped, could brighten and enrich the future of the race.
Not easy.
Resisting that temptation, as overwhelming as the growth from dark mana, was formidable.
Especially for the Goblin Warrior, while her kin were dying all around her.
[Progress of Goblin Race Extinction: 98.5%]
[Potential of the Warrior increases by 9850%]
According to Oknodie, 98.5% of the goblins in the Goblin World were already dead.
Even she, who had been agonizing fiercely in front of the temptation of dark mana, had managed to resist the temptation only after witnessing the earlier sacrifice of Jaku.
The current Goblin Warrior had no allies to fight alongside her.
There was not even a single comrade like Jaku to show her the misguided path she could take and warn her that it was a wrong answer.
“Oknodie. If there’s anything I can do, please let me know. I want to help the Goblin Warrior!”
“Hmmm~ Really? Well, Mob has gotten pretty strong lately, so maybe a little buff might do the trick!”
“Eh?”
Suddenly being praised?
Mob, unable to contain a foolish smile, failed to notice the stealth spell in Oknodie’s poking hands touching their armor.
“All done! Now you can go!”
“Go? Where?”
“You said you wanted to help? Just 10 seconds only!”
With confusion in their eyes, Mob suddenly witnessed the dimensional gate appearing in front of them, swallowing them whole.
“?!”
Dimensional gate magic changes depending on the fluidity of the mage’s coordinate connection, affecting travel time.
An inexperienced dimensional gate can take a long time to move, but Oknodie’s gate completed travel in just 3 seconds.
“Weird knight, Gob!”
“Goblin Warrior!”
Seeing the real Goblin Warrior for the first time through the mana mirror, Mob was overwhelmed by intense emotion.
It felt like seeing a character from a comic book come to life at a cosplay festival!
[The stealth spell is activated.]
———
[Weight Release]
– Effect: Liberates from the weight of the armor.
[Mana Flow Technique: Moment of Liberation]
– Effect: While this mana flow technique operates, combat power increases proportional to the sense of liberation.
[High Jump]
– Effect: Enables jumps significantly higher than normal.
[Sword of Endurance]
– Effect: The sword’s power increases in proportion to the pain endured.
[Super Armor]
– Effect: Provides high damage mitigation and ignores all CC abilities.
———
Mob realized.
Currently, the level he had reached was extraordinary, to the point he couldn’t be sure if he could ever reach it again even after ten more years of hard work.
No need for a hundred words.
One action was enough to showcase everything.
Mob charged towards the predator.
Dodging countless attacks that rained down by the second, and brave through all interruptions with [Super Armor], he unleashed one powerful strike utilizing the boost from [Moment of Liberation] and the power increase from [Sword of Endurance].
That one strike carved a portion of the predator’s body, as solid as the ancient stone.
“!!”
A realization dawned in the Goblin Warrior’s eyes.
Despite many unfamiliar aspects, Mob’s battle included familiar motions.
Night Mentor, Oknodie.
Those skills belonged to them.
Unlike those who offered help while luring them into a contract, a benefactor had already extended assistance without demand.
‘There was no need for a contract, Gob!’
The mentor had been watching closely and even sent a warrior to convey their will.
Now, fear was nonexistent.
Running forth, the clones of the Goblin Warrior charged into battle against the predators.
‘Huh? Wait a moment. But didn’t the Goblin Warrior use clones self-destruct suicide attack??’
Mob broke into a cold sweat.
“Don’t! Stay away!”
“If you self-destruct, I’ll get hurt!”
Mob’s dedicated shout only intensified the feelings of awe in the Goblin Warrior.
“Don’t worry, Gob! I have decided to protect the world with noble sacrifice, not humiliating contracts!”
The proactive stance of the Goblin Warrior clones, seconds away from self-destruction, merely made Mob tremble in fear.
There was no sense of relief.
“Value yourself more!”
“Huh?”
“Oknodie has high expectations of you. Titosso has come all the way to the Goblin World just to meet you. So don’t throw your life away recklessly!”
As Mob endured countless powers of attacking, he was struck by [Ultimate of Slow], a force from which light itself could not escape.
[10 seconds have passed. Recall spell activates automatically.]
When the extreme was lifted, not even a glimpse remained of Mob.
The warrior who conveyed the words to cherish oneself was attacked and vanished without a trace.
The feelings that the Goblin Warrior would feel after a sacrifice of merely 10 seconds need not be mentioned.
[Awakening]
The combat power of the warrior exploded.
