[Translator – Prøks]
[Proofreader – Prøks]
Chapter 7
“Keyeh….”
A slow, steady rise of the head.
“Keyeh-!”
The Dark Hobgoblin roared, raising its flaming sword high.
“Finally, we meet, boss monster.”
Sein stood up from being pinned to a tree, speaking.
An imposing adversary at first glance.
Ssik.
Yet Sein was smiling.
“Too massive to be considered a goblin, tainted entirely by darkness.”
Furthermore, the flames clinging to the sword the Hobgoblin wielded.
No matter how extraordinary a special species the Hobgoblin might be, such a threatening ability couldn’t be within its reach.
That.
“The current monster.”
A special species tainted by darkness and corruption.
Thump!
Sein drew his dagger, facing the advancing Dark Hobgoblin.
A dagger that had seen countless battles, stained with goblin blood.
“Enough.”
But was it ever enough?
Thump! Thump!
The Dark Hobgoblin increased its speed even more.
Sein, equally determined, began walking towards it.
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thud! Thud-thud!
Both accelerating towards each other.
Kwaang!
Finally, they clashed at the midpoint.
The flaming greatsword and Sein’s dagger collided.
A fierce heat was felt, yet…
“Heat resistance.”
To Sein, it felt just like a gentle breeze.
The power possessed by the dragon, called the ultimate lifeform.
A new heart established through inheritance.
Thump!
It was the ability of the Dragon Heart.
Moreover, Sein’s dagger, which seemed like it could break at any moment, was…
Shaking!
Despite clashing with the enormous greatsword, it held up.
Ooong!
A green light.
Aura.
Kwaang!
But ultimately, Sein fell without overpowering the force.
The Dark Hobgoblin was swinging its sword in pursuit of Sein, but it was too late.
“Keyeh?”
Suddenly, Sein had concealed himself.
“Keyeh-!”
The enraged Dark Hobgoblin swung its sword haphazardly.
“Has its intelligence declined even further?”
The voice came from directly behind the Dark Hobgoblin.
Realizing the situation, the creature hastily tried to turn, but it was too late.
Phwoosh!
A dagger filled with aura plunged into the Dark Hobgoblin’s back.
Just like that…
Kwaddduk!
Sein infused even more mana into the aura, falling under the force of gravity.
“Keyeh-!”
The Dark Hobgoblin screamed in agony from the pain in its back, thrashing about.
Sein watched calmly as he distanced himself from the Dark Hobgoblin.
“Regeneration too.”
It seemed to possess even the regeneration ability that Hobgoblins didn’t originally have, as the torn wounds slowly healed.
“It seems this isn’t enough.”
Even as he let out a sigh of regret, Sein’s lips still curled into a smile.
How long had he been waiting for this moment?
Monster hunting?
Certainly, that was part of it.
But what Sein had truly been waiting for was…
Thump! Thump!
The immense power felt from his heart.
“Dragon Heart, output release.”
The feeling of transcending humanity and becoming something else entirely.
Even when it was just a game, he had become addicted to that immense sensation.
And now that it had become reality…
“Wow….”
An indescribable sense of fulfillment washed over his entire body.
“Kahaha!”
His senses sharpened.
The constraints of the system vanished.
Even when trapped in this hellish prison, Sein had waited for this day.
“This is definitely reality. Someday, when I awaken the power within me….”
What sensations would he feel then?
Twitch.
Sein’s pupils, like those of a lizard that had transformed.
At that moment.
Phwoosh.
Sein felt as if he had become a god.
The ground beneath him sank under the pressure.
Sein used it as a stepping stone to channel even greater mana into his feet.
Kwaang!
Soon, Sein was soaring towards the Dark Hobgoblin as if he were a projectile.
* * *
The monster among monsters, the Dark Hobgoblin, fell.
Its body was utterly ravaged.
It wasn’t so much hunted as it was torn to shreds.
“He looks like he’s been experimented on.”
A mad wizard had done everything he could to experiment.
Arin looked at Sein, who had caused this mess.
For a moment, her eyes were closed, as if mourning the prey.
When they opened again.
“……”
Sein harbored even more refined mana.
‘Has he gotten stronger in this short time?’
A growth that couldn’t be ignored.
And Arin’s thoughts were indeed true.
Ssik.
Sein smiled.
“Leveling up in Reality might be brutal, but defeating boss monsters gives quite a bit of experience.”
That’s why he waited.
Slaughtering goblins, trying to summon their boss.
What Sein did was a kind of farming.
And now, Sein had harvested what he had sown.
“My overall stats have increased quite a bit.”
Furthermore, in Reality, abilities weren’t gained through leveling up like in the game, but through hunting, especially with boss monsters providing a significant boost.
“I can’t do it twice, though.”
The stats he could gain through goblins and Dark Hobgoblins would end here.
There would be nothing more to learn from opponents he had become familiar with.
But what Sein gained wasn’t just that.
Just now, defeating the Dark Hobgoblin, Sein achieved another level up.
-Dragon Fear.
The newly acquired ability from there…
“Hmm?”
Dragon Fear.
It allowed him to emit the primal terror that only the ultimate lifeform could possess.
Arin frowned as she looked at Sein.
“Did you just….”
Arin was about to say something.
“Oh, so this is what it means to be alive.”
It was Sein who made the move.
“I’ve heard mercenaries talk about it, but is this the level of bloodshed required to unleash it?”
Scratching his head then clapping his hands, Sein chuckled.
“What do you think, Arin? Is this right?”
Having questioned Arin, Sein fell silent.
“It’s a bit different.”
“Of course, you realized it on your own without learning, huh? The path of genius is indeed long and difficult.”
“……”
Sein smiled brightly at Arin, as if proving his innocence, but…
“Does she not know to this extent?”
Within, just like when he defeated the Dark Hobgoblin, Sein scrutinized Arin.
“Of course, with the ancient empire fallen, all ties have been severed.”
He could be certain.
He was the one who severed those ties by now.
Already a hundred years later.
Though through documents and stories, the nobility’s uniqueness might have been passed down, experiencing it firsthand was different.
With the ancient empire already gone and even the noble lineage disappeared now.
“No one left to recognize the power of the dragon.”
And if someone were to recognize it, he would be ready by then.
But even so.
“I’ll keep watch.”
Sein remained vigilant.
Just as Arin watched over him, he would watch over her as well.
***
Finally, Sein declared the end of the hunt.
“…Boss, well done.”
Even the typically stoic Darren showed signs of exhaustion from the hunt that had extended all the way to their chests due to contamination from the darkness, signifying the end of Sein’s hunt.
“We’ve obtained everything we can.”
The stats obtainable from goblins.
The stats obtainable from boss monsters.
Two level-ups.
It was an impossible situation to continue leveling up by hunting goblins and especially so after confirming the limitations of his current body in the fierce battles.
‘The potential of the Dragon Heart is limitless. However, I still need to conserve it for now.’
He checked his trump card.
Above all, this was the most effective.
“Heh.”
Contamination from the darkness.
It was something he had to confirm in this changed world from the one he used to know.
He had to understand the side effects caused by the worsening contamination.
‘Still, the Dragon Heart suppresses the contamination from the darkness. Depending on the amount of mana possessed, the degree of contamination varies.’
This was what Sein needed to obtain.
And now that he had obtained everything.
“Let’s go.”
It meant that he could now leave with peace of mind.
“If I can only manage the contamination from the darkness confidently, I can act freely.”
Sein, who was moving leisurely as if he had no worries, brushed his hair back, but his eyes were alert.
“If there’s one thing that concerns me.”
Ssweep.
Arin standing behind him.
Only her.
It was then.
“Sein Demorus.”
“……”
At the sound of Arin’s voice calling him softly, Sein cautiously lowered his raised hand.
“What?”
However, as cheerful as his expression and tone, Sein spoke towards Arin.
“……”
Seeing Arin struggling to speak, Sein’s mind was quickly racing.
“Well, it’s…”
“What is it? Stop beating around the bush and spit it out.”
He still didn’t understand Arin well.
A powerful woman known as the Witch of the Legion.
Her ability to tear apart knight-level fugitive mercenaries was something the current Sein couldn’t handle.
But what concerned him the most was her subtle gaze.
‘For now, there’s nothing I can do about it.’
But if an opportunity arises…
“Oh, what is it, tell me!”
“I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor?”
Sein raised an eyebrow at the sudden remark.
“Well, it’s…”
“Oh, come on.”
“Dark… Hobgoblin…”
“What! Damn! What?”
It was the first time.
“Can I… take the corpse of the Dark Hobgoblin…?”
Seeing Arin, who usually appeared ruthless, make such a expression.
With tightly closed eyes and her body fidgeting, she resembled a girl in love.
“……?”
Even Sein was bewildered by her reaction.
“Dark Hobgoblins are extremely rare even among special species. It seems such a waste to just leave the corpse like that…”
A faint voice barely audible.
“Ha, I don’t know what else to say.”
Sein turned his body in disbelief.
“Keep it. But don’t forget. You owe me.”
“I’ll remember!”
What exactly was she thinking?
Before nightfall, Sein’s group managed to arrive at a nearby territory.
[Translator – Prøks]
[Proofreader – Prøks]
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