Demon King
Chapter 22: Goblin King (1)

Goblin King (1)

I stood still watching the door for a long time.

I wasn’t standing still because I want to know if the man was dead or not. I was convinced of what happened to him after the door closed.

I stood still because I couldn’t move. I couldn’t move.

I felt like I was trapped in a coffin made of ice; I couldn’t breathe.

I was afraid that if I move a little, whatever that’s behind that door is going to notice me and do something horrible.

After what seemed like an eternity, the beating of the Ebon Heart returned to normal, and I was finally able to move.

[Lower Level Detection has become Lv5.]

[Beginner Surprise has become Lv7.]

[Beginner Abnormal Resistance became Lv10 and changed to Lower Abnormal Resistance. There is a chance to resist higher status than the skill level.]

I just sensed the presence of the monster behind the door once and used my Surprise skill to hide and avoid it, but even if it only took moments, my skills rose by two or three levels.

The skills level up was just proving how strong the unknown monster was.

Moreover, just by getting close to the door and confirming the existence of the monster, I gained the Abnormal Resistance skill, and it immediately rose to a Lower level.

It was truly horrifying.

I left the area quickly. I realized why I needed the boss room key.

I was sorry for the man, but I’m glad it wasn’t me. In the future, I have to make sure never to enter rooms with keyholes without having the key.

But wait a minute… When the door opened, I remembered being caught up in a strong desire to…

I stopped to recall it. I remember having a sudden passing thought, something that seemed important…

I grabbed my forehead in concentration, but no matter how much I tried to think, I really could not remember it.

Oh, well. Maybe I would remember it when I really need it.

It was more important to focus on hunting Warriors, who began to respawn.

“Kirut.”

“Good.”

Time passed.

A notification popped up as soon as I cut one of the Goblin Warrior’s neck. It was the second one I received after escaping the terrible unknown monster.

[You gained 420 experience.]

[You acquired 90 bronze.]

[Level up!]

My level is now 34.

[Gang Si-ha (Fate)]

[Hop Goblin Lv 34]

[Strength – 147 Stamina – 145 Magic – 54 Luck-???]

[Skill-Ebon Heart, Predation Lv2, Lower Swordsmanship Lv6, Lower Spear Lv7, Lower Smash Lv6, Lower Archery Lv3, Lower Armor Defense Lv8, Lower Spell Lv6, Lower Throw Lv1, Lower Power Attack Lv5, Beginner Black Lightning Lv8, Lower Leap Lv9]

At Lv 34, there is still no dramatic change in Predation, but my other abilities continued to rise.

Now, I had more confidence in comparing myself to the Goblin King.

In particular, although I don’t know what his weapon is, I’m sure it won’t be higher than my Lower Level Swordsmanship.

However, the problem is that the boss battle is not going to be one-on-one.

He may be surrounded by Goblin Knights the whole time.

So, if possible, I wanted to raise the Black Lightning to a Lower to manage a group attack better.

But I can’t postpone facing him anymore.

It must have been 24 hours already since I left the exclusive score. It means that I can now get another ‘Today’s Luck’.

I’ve also accumulated about 7 gold. Perhaps, I could buy a decent helmet with this money.

The longer I stayed postponing our battle, the greater the risk of more people entering the dungeon. Staying longer than necessary would be like suicide.

Not only that, I’ve killed over 700 Warriors in the last few hours, but I only received 420 experience. As the level progresses, the required experience needed to climb up increased exponentially.

How many more Warriors can I kill to achieve Lv 35? It seemed impossible to level up now just by fighting Warriors.

“Eat well,” I told myself.

However, as I continued eating the corpses, there is no change in my abilities and my level.

It seemed that I’ve already reached the limit. It’s as if my Predation skill is telling me: ‘Don’t stop here and take the challenge.’

Yes, now is the time.

****

“You are here, Fate.”

Rain (B) greeted me with a gentle smile as if he was waiting for me to come. It’s as if I’m the regular customer of this bar.

I wondered if I had stopped by at this store in the past without my knowledge, but as far as I know, this is only my second time here.

“Hello, Rain,” I greeted him.

“Come on, sit down.”

I sat on the chair as he recommended.

The Blood Iron Armor I have was a steel armor that protects the whole body, but strangely, it did not interfere with actions such as moving, sitting, and lying down.

“Would you like to try Today’s Luck first?” Rain offered.

“Not yet,” I sat down and shook my head, “please remind me to get one before I leave. I came here because I need a helmet.”

“Aha. You already have full body armor, so it would be perfect if you had a helmet. What about a shield?”

“No. The shield doesn’t suit me,” I smirked, raising my right hand.

“I need my other hand to be free; otherwise, I couldn’t grasp and eat in battle,” I continued.

“Ah.”

Rain suddenly paused and fell silent.

“Is something wrong?” I caught his attention.

He looked startled and quickly apologized. “No, sorry about that. Yes, you said you wanted to see a helmet?”

“Show me the best I can get right now.”

“Of course.”

He nodded quietly, and a glass window appeared in front of my eyes. Only one product was on it.

[Hard Steel Helmet (350/350). Rareness Normal, Defense 120. 6 Gold 30 Silver.]

To be honest, it’s quite… disappointing.

The Blood Iron Armor I have protected the whole body and has a defense of 230.

This helmet would protect the most important part of my body, but its defense is less than half of my armor.

There’s no other choice, though. Rain wouldn’t lie to me, and even if he would, I have no choice but to be deceived. I bought it.

It was as if it was designed specifically for me. My head and nape are completely covered, along with my nose, but the mouth and chin area are open.

I thought of a lion’s mane for some reason. It was a weird thought, but I like it.

“How is it? Isn’t it perfect for Fate?”

“I like it.”

The lower part of my face is exposed, but it was perfect for me to use Predation while in battle. I thanked Rain.

He told me that no matter how much I like it, I cannot use it in the bar. It’s uncomfortable and troublesome to tilt my head while wearing it, and I needed to drink ‘Today’s Luck’.

I agreed with his suggestion and took it off.

“You have 85 silver left. Actually, there is a special sale product of the day that can be purchased with that money, but how about it?”

He certainly knows dungeons better than me, and what he suggests certainly helps me.

I sighed.

“Show me.”

“Hoohoo, you will definitely like it.”

[Flame Reflux Ring (5/5). Rare item. Can be used as Lower Flame Reflection Lv10 for 3 seconds without mana consumption. After a single use, the ring disappears. 80 silver.]

[Lower Flame Reflection]

[Protects the wearer by reflecting Beginner and Lower Flame Magic back to the attacker. Magic level higher than the skill cannot be reversed. The higher the level difference, the more power it boosts when reflecting attacks.]

I was nervous the moment I saw it because I realized what Rain was trying to say.

The Goblin King is a user of Lower Flame Magic.

“Would you like to buy it?”

“Yeah…”

“It’s a really good choice.”

Rain laughed lightly, but I couldn’t laugh with him.

I have considered the probability of the Goblin King dealing with magic. Even some Goblin Warriors can use magic abilities. It would be foolish that the Goblin King could not.

However, I expected that he could only use somewhere around Beginner level magic, not Lower level ones.

There is no confirmation, but if the Goblin King’s magic did not reach the Lower level, Rain would not have recommended this ring to me.

What could have happened if I was without the ring?

No, what if I couldn’t kill the Goblin King even with this ring?

Stop thinking that way.

Only

I pulled out the ring from the inventory, took off my gauntlet for a moment, and wore the ring on my finger.

You can’t be scared with Rain supporting you this much.

Rain seems to notice my determination as I wore the ring. “Hoohoo, it’s a really good look on you.”

He continued. “Prepare carefully, practice boldly. Fate is fully prepared. You can be bold now.”

“Yeah. I had no intention of taking this much longer”, I replied.

Rain approached with ‘Today’s Luck’.

I opened my mouth.

“I wish you good luck today,” he said.