How the Cult Saves the World

The Goblin King chuckled, seemingly pleased about something. As his laughter echoed, the audience room's floor continued to tremble.

Suddenly, the floor near the Goblin King's throne cracked with a deafening noise.

Rumble---

From the fractured ground, something began to rise amidst loud vibrations. 

Emerging from the cracks were monsters identical to the goblin knights we had just been fighting.

"Go, my faithful subjects."

Two massive goblin generals, each wielding a sword and shield, appeared. Unlike the mismatched statues we had encountered earlier, these two were uniform in appearance and exuded an imposing aura.

Though there were only two of them, their presence was far more menacing than the knights before.

"Damn, not again."

Zain muttered, biting his lip. Beside him, Terdius and Troy readied themselves for battle as if unfazed by the escalation.

"Teach those humans a lesson."

The Goblin King ordered, and the goblin generals charged at us.

Clang!

Terdius and Troy were the first to engage them in close combat. For a moment, Troy's eyes widened in shock.

'I guess it's still too much for him.'

These goblin generals were far stronger than the knights and might overwhelm Troy alone.

Fortunately, Terdius remained composed, effortlessly deflecting the Goblin General's sword.

"Damn it."

Zain cursed under his breath as he observed the fight. He nocked an arrow and aimed at the goblin fighting Troy.

'If there's two of them... I think they can handle it.'

With the others occupied, my target became clear.

'The Goblin King.'

Unlike other bosses in hidden dungeons, he was highly intelligent and capable of using magic.

'That's what makes him more of a pain to deal with.'

There was only one way to deal with him. With Terdius, Troy, and Zain fighting the generals, I had to seize the opportunity when his guards were distracted.

The Goblin King's magic stemmed from his staff. Without it, he was powerless.

What this means is that if you remove the staff, the Goblin King is nothing.

Tap-tap-tap!

I glanced at my comrades, who were engaged in battle, and sprinted toward the Goblin King.

"Well, well, someone's actually thinking."

The Goblin King sneered, his lips curling into a smirk. He slammed his staff into the floor.

Smash!

As I ran, green vines erupted from the ground, snaking toward my ankles with alarming speed.

Whoosh!

I countered the vines with a burst of holy power, reducing them to ashes.

"Hoo."

The Goblin King looked at me, surprised by my counterattack. I used his moment of distraction to my advantage.

Whoosh---thump!

I lunged forward, swinging my mace at his head. But...

"How foolish."

The Goblin King was a bit faster. A transparent shield materialized from his staff, blocking my attack.

"...But you're no ordinary fool. You sacrifice those less useful than you as bait, only to strike at me directly."

He proclaimed loudly, his voice dripping with mockery.

This was his tactic---the Mouth of Terror, as we called it. Same as it was when I played HSAW. His words were meant to break the player's resolve, and mental strength no matter what it took.

I ignored him as did Terdius, but Zain and Troy, who were softer-hearted, weren't as immune...

"Leader...is that true?" 

"You don't see us that way, do you?"

Their reactions stung. Did they really think I saw them as expendable?

Thwack!

I struck the Goblin King's shield with my club and shouted,

"They're more useless than I am? If they were, would I have brought them here?"

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yes! Think about it. If they were useless, how could they have survived so many goblins and reached this audience room? Right? So you should be afraid. Your lifeline is running out."

I poured these words out, unfiltered as I'd wanted to while playing HSAW. The Goblin King's smug expression twisted in irritation.

'How do you like that, you green monster?'

"This brat... How dare you mock me when I'm visiting after so long! Do you know who you're talking to?"

The Goblin King roared, slamming his staff into the floor once more. But the room remained unchanged.

What did change was the Goblin King himself. Rising from his throne, he abandoned his regal posture.

'Phase 2 is starting.'

At the same time, the goblin generals fighting my comrades were destroyed.

Shatter---

A dark green fog spread across the room, and new goblins began to appear in various spots. Unlike the unarmed goblins of the Infinite Wave, these goblins were equipped with swords and shields. Without hesitation, they charged straight at my party.

"Let's see how long you can hold out."

The Goblin King sneered meanly, his laughter echoing. These goblins weren't as numerous as the Infinite Wave, but they were far stronger. Troy and Zain wouldn't last long against them.

'...It's okay, though.'

Terdius was with them. The Terdius I had seen on the way here wouldn't abandon the group, even in dire circumstances.

I turned my attention away from them. My priority was the Goblin King standing before me.

"Come now. Since I have risen from my throne, you are already a dead man."

The Goblin King laughed loudly and sneered at me. I snorted.

"You talk too much."

"How dare you insult me!"

"Enough talk. Come at me. Nah, I'll go."

I charged at him again.

Thump!

The barrier around the Goblin King remained intact, but cracks began to form as my mace, imbued with holy power, struck it.

"How dare you...!"

Crack---

The barrier finally shattered.

The Goblin King, now visibly anxious, swung his staff, unleashing a burst of condensed green magic that flew at me with blinding speed.

'I can't dodge this.'

The magic came too fast to dodge, but I had prepared for "that" thing in advance for solely for this.

Whoosh-!

A sacred protective barrier surrounded me in a flash of white light. The Goblin King's eyes widened in shock.

"What the... Are you...a mage?"

The Goblin King asked me, disbelief evident in his voice.

I'd heard that question countless times. Smiling faintly, I replied,

"Something like that."

Without wasting another moment, I unleashed my full power.

Whoosh-!

Caught off guard, the Goblin King hurriedly struck his staff on the ground, attempting to rebuild his shattered barrier. But my holy power was far faster.

Because I had deliberately focused my energy into a thin, concentrated slash.

"Argh---"

My sharp strike pierced his forehead. With a faint cry, the Goblin King collapsed to the ground.

Fssshhh---

The staff he had been holding vanished in an instant.

'In truth, this dungeon's boss was no more than that staff.'

The goblins attacking my party disintegrated as well.

[Hidden Quest <Usurpation> Clear!]

[Hidden Quest Rewards will be given.]

Finally, the notification window confirming the dungeon's completion appeared. I exhaled deeply, as I stared at the message.

'...I'm exhausted.'

The strength I'd painstakingly recovered was nearly spent during that last attack. Fatigue settled in, but the task wasn't over yet.

Knock, knock---

As the Goblin King fell, a small door behind the throne creaked open.

"Is it over?"

Zain and Troy approached, and asked.

I nodded.

"Yeah, it's done. And I think the Goblin King's treasure is back there..."

As we talked, my eyes met Terdius's. For a moment, I wondered if he was after the Goblin King's treasure too. If he was, I didn't mind sharing a little with him.

'After all, his part in this whole thing was quite significant.'

But Terdius, with his usual indifferent expression, said,

"Don't waste time worrying about useless stuff. I'm not interested in treasures."

Thank goodness, really.

"Zain, Troy, let's gather the treasure. Troy, especially, keep an eye on Zain so he doesn't sneak anything away without me knowing."

"Don't worry, Leader."

"What? Master, what kind of person do you think I am?"

I ignored his complaints.

-Child, you've worked hard. You seem tired.

'Yes, it took more energy than I expected, even though I did recover in no time.'

-If you want, I can lend you some strength. With the growing number of believers, I've stored up more energy.

'Not now, but I'll call on you if things get tough later.'

-Alright, understood.

Ending my brief mental conversation with Kyros, I opened my inventory and took out ten empty vials and a blood collection kit.

'This is the main reason I came here.'

Approaching the Goblin King's corpse, I began drawing blood.

It was still warm, as his body had only recently fallen.

I had been careful to minimize damage during the fight to avoid wasting any blood, though it seemed unnecessary now.

'I think I can draw more blood than I thought. I'll have plenty.'

Even so, the process wasn't a pleasant sight. The sight of me extracting blood made even Terdius, who had witnessed countless horrors, frown.

"What the hell are you doing with the monster's corpse?" he asked, his brows knit.

"There's a use for everything."

I replied vaguely.

Thankfully, he didn't press further.

By the time I finished, I had filled five of the ten vials with the Goblin King's blood.

Then, Terdius spoke again in a low voice.

"I have no intention of revealing your identity."

His sudden statement caught me off guard, and it reminded me of the moment before we entered the Goblin King's castle.

'He seemed like he wanted to say something back then. Was it this that he wanted to say?'

I looked up at him without responding. Terdius met my gaze and added,

"Because there are things I need to confirm from you."

I wasn't entirely sure what he meant, but it likely involved my identity. Still, if he was keeping my secret...

"...Basically, I don't plan to kill you, so don't worry."

He disappeared in an instant, leaving only those words behind.

What was that about?

Though his words left me with questions, I also felt a sense of relief.

While I mulled over the encounter, I had finished filling the vial with the Goblin King's blood.

Just one drop of this blood could save hundreds of children.

With ten vials, it could potentially cure hundreds of thousands of patients if used well.

"Leader, I've gathered all the treasure. Zain didn't touch anything either."

"You rascal!"

I spotted Zain and Troy carrying the treasure in a bundle. Calling Alphius by sending a message, I instructed him to come and collect the treasure.

Now it was finally time to return to Rovel.

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