26-27

Chapter 27: The Third Evolution (2)

Demon King

The Third Evolution (2)

[Quest generated!]

[You conquered a very small part of the Black Palace. However, the Black Palace is wider and deeper than you can imagine. Go ahead and prove yourself!]

[Remember, it's not just the Black Palace that you have to conquer.]

[Predation of hunted Werewolves 0/2,000]

[Predation of hunted Battle Spiders 0/2,000]

[Predation of hunted Werewolf Elites 0/500]

[Predation of hunted Battle Spider Assassins 0/500]

[Predation of hunted Giant Wolf 0/5]

[Predation of hunted Giant Spider 0/5]

[Conquering the floors of Jinma Tower 0/10]

"… …"

If the quest giver was a monster in front of me right now, I would have cut it down with my Blood Colossal Sword.

[Are you sure you want to give up on the quest?]

"No! Who's giving up?!"

Is the fourth evolution that difficult? There were so many things to catch and eat! What's more, what is this Jinma Tower?

I gathered my thoughts. The quests are always aligned to my situation and suggest appropriate tasks with regard to my level. I'll probably start meeting Werewolves and Battle Spiders when I come up to the second floor.

Werewolf Elites and Battle Spider Assassins. These were probably higher-level monsters, with the words Elite and Assassin appended to their names.

The Giant Wolves and Giant Spiders may be of a different level and even higher than the Elites and Assassins, since the names have changed, as Hop Goblins are to Goblins.

I'll meet each of them naturally as I go deeper into the second floor.

Even if the quest seems hard right now, if I take it on and complete it gradually, I'll eventually be able to catch them all. At least, I am sure that I can compete with them with the power of Hop Goblin Assaulter.

There are two things left unclear – Jinma Tower, and werewolves.

I've heard of werewolves. Under the moonlight, they transform into powerful beings whose bites could turn humans into werewolves like them.

Although werewolves have a human form, it doesn't mean I would want to be bitten by them.

The information I know about them is mostly from novels and movies, and there is no guarantee that it works that way in reality.

Even if it worked that way, I am very likely to become a 'wolf goblin' rather than a werewolf with a human form, so I wouldn't risk it.

The worst-case scenario is that I could die after being bitten.

But what is Jinma tower? I can't figure it out alone.

The only way to find out is to ask Rain.

I hope the information fee is not expensive, I thought, as I set out to do the last thing I have to do in this room.

To find out what the wooden box contained.

The wooden box appeared suddenly upon the Goblin King's death.

I hoped it had a reasonable prize for someone who has conquered the dungeon.

In the past, during the first mass appearance, I remembered that I felt the dungeon was trying to kill me.

Eventually, I learned that the dungeon had its own laws and rules that I just have to abide by to survive.

If it wanted to kill me unconditionally, it would not have given me the boss room key. It would just let me enter the room and face the terrible unknown.

Fortunately, I received the key and was able to face the Goblin King.

I was armed just in case and kicked the box open.

There was an elongated staff inside.

"Erma?"

[Erma's Carnelian Staff (200/200) – Magic Attack 250]

It is a good weapon. It required me to get an emotion scroll from the dedicated store in order to check the detailed information, but the strength of the magic attack shown was enough for me to decide that it was a powerful one.

However, this has no use for me. I am a melee fighter using magic as support, not as my main attack.

I was hoping for a sword, not a staff. Something that could be better than the Blood Colossal Sword that I have.

I wanted the sword that the Goblin King had, but it melted away. Only the jewels in it remained.

I took a red jewel out of the inventory with a bit of anticipation.

[Pelcadia's Gem (Red) – ???]

"Oh no, again?"

The gem also needed me to get an emotion scroll.

It was not making life easier.

[Blood Colossal Sword (197/268)-Attack 118]

Blood Colossal Sword is also growing day by day, soaking in blood, but the growth wasn't as fast as I wanted. It was unfortunate.

I checked the Goblin King's armor. It was a quality leather armor incomparable to the rugged ones of a Warrior or a Knight. Even though it looked like it needed repair, I'm willing to change to it if it's better than the Blood Iron Armor.

[Kecia's Leather Armor (37/350) – Defense 200]

It certainly had excellent defensive power, but it was quite weaker than compared to the blood iron armor.

What's more, the Blood Iron armor still had the capacity to increase gradually, a feature that the leather armor does not have.

I'll leave it in the inventory right now. I don't want to use it, but it doesn't mean I have to throw it away.

As soon as I've checked the gem and the armor, I had an instant desire.

If I go outside the dungeon to meet Rain, will the Goblin King be here once more when I come back?

Then, could I get a different weapon than the staff?

I wiped the thoughts away as I shook my head. If I was certain I'll get a great sword if I do the Goblin King battle again, I would.

However, the probability is that I'll get the same staff once more.

What's more, I'm not even sure I can meet the Goblin King again, so there is no time to waste here.

It's important to get stronger quickly now.

"Hoo…"

I took a deep breath and prepared myself. The staff was thrown into the inventory, Detection was activated to the maximum, and I stepped into the hole that appeared when the Goblin King died.

I was covered in darkness. There was total silence, save for the sound my footsteps make.

At first, I was listening to my footsteps mindlessly as I walked, and then I realized how stupid I was.

What arrogance, I thought. I've always moved carefully, but now I'm walking with a loud noise.

Every monster within my range could hear this. I was lucky I had survived so far.

With my Detection ability, I've confirmed that there was no one around. I was in the space between the first and the second floor, and it seems to be a safe place, until I walked onwards.

Arrogance is the enemy of growth. I should never be satisfied with myself.

It is annoying. The noise I made was very annoying.

There may be a way to make less sound. There has to be a way to kill the sound, remove my presence so much that I won't even notice myself.

It's silly to go to the second floor like this. How can I surprise werewolves and spiders while making this noise?

I thought about my strength. As a Hop Goblin Assaulter, the skill that grew the most was Surprise. With that, I realized it is the most specialized technique for killing enemies and surviving.

Will I give up now? I could never.

I turned around and looked back at the light where I came from. I seemed to be in a space between light and dark, and my Detection confirmed that there was no one else.

This is a safe place if I stay here.

"No, I can't go back."

I turned away from the light and remained in the dark. As long as I know what I'm doing wrong, I could solve it. I had to solve it.

[Lower Surprise has become Lv2.]

I didn't know how much time had passed. It was impossible to check the pocket watch in the dark. It didn't seem like a long time, and I was just walking around in the dark, but Surprise leveled up.

It was as if a confirmation that what I was doing was right.

With that, I went back to the ground floor first to stock up on Goblin Warriors. Food was indispensable if I was going to stay in the dark for a long time.

My inventory as a Hop Goblin Assaulter has increased to 5×4. All the spaces were empty, aside from the slots with the potions, staff, gem, and armor.

I began to fill the empty space with Goblin Warrior bodies.

Out of the blue, a horrible realization struck me.

I remembered that there were two men who entered the dungeon and got killed by a Goblin Warrior. I killed the Warrior before the men's corpses have been consumed.

However, the men's bodies were missing.

The inventory had no function to delete items.

There could only be one possibility…

I ate the bodies of the men.

I had countless battles. In the middle of a life and death battle, it was impossible to distinguish the flesh I was consuming.

"Ugh."

I felt like vomiting as soon as I realized it. Tears flowed violently from my eyes as I knelt and retched on the ground.

Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!

Why didn't I notice it?

I could have placed their bodies in the inventory!

What I did was a terrible taboo.

Damn it. Damn it!

But I am alive now because of that…

Eating human bodies… the bodies of two humans I didn't know helped me survive.

In a situation where you might die, and you can only survive by eating a human body – wouldn't you eat it?

If I had to eat them to survive, then I would choose to survive.

Then, will I never eat humans again for the rest of my life?

I was able to give a definite answer to that question.

No.

It's unthinkable and detestable, but the most important thing for me was to survive. If a situation drives me to eat humans, I will eat humans.

But not like this. I need a standard.

Now you can judge for sure. The bodies of the two men were something I should not eat.

They just entered the dungeon, fought the Goblin Warrior, and died. However, I chewed and gnawed on their heads and limbs as if it was nothing.

It was a sacrilege against both men.

Sorry.

I closed my eyes tightly as I apologized to the two men who have been eaten and left with no traces.

I will never forget this until I die. I've already strayed far from humans, but I won't forget my humanity.

It's time to set a definitive standard so as not to defile my will as a human being.

I decided not to be a predator for humans who I'll come across in the future. If I allow myself to be aggressive, I will end up preying on the whole of humanity. Yes, even my family.

However, I will not hesitate to butcher and devour those who would treat me as a monster and threaten my survival.

My enemies will not respect me just because I respect them, so it would be better to take their life before they take mine.

I know. It seems like an ambiguous standard, but the main point is – I will still eat humans in the future.

What's important for me is to survive.

There must be no hesitation. If I had to choose between dignity and life, I had to save my life.

I could not choose to die just to save my human heart.

I raised my head.

The feeling of vomiting disappeared. The stomach emptied through vomiting now had an intense sense of hunger.

Self-confidence has returned. I was convinced of how to think and act moving forward.

First, I have to fill my stomach.

I pledged to myself out loud.

"Monsters are my enemies. Some humans are monsters. And I am not human anymore. I am a monster."

I am a monster. I was a human, but I am a monster now.

As I filled up the inventory and walked back to the darkness, I kept repeating the words to myself.

Fate is a name that means death. [TL NOTE: I had to completely re-write this part since it used wordplay tying 'fate' and 'death' in the raws.]

Chapter 28: 2F Entry (1)

Demon King

2F Entry (1)

Training in the dark had the power to make one forget time.

The darkness was an empty space – no sound, no texture, no smell.

Only I was there, and I concentrated on erasing my presence.

[Lower Surprise has become Lv3.]

I can't be satisfied with that. I continued walking through the darkness, ignoring the notification window. Quietly, but quickly. Be careful that no one, even me, realizes my movements.

I also tried to reduce my consumption as much as possible, even when I was hungry.

It wasn't easy. However, the more challenging it was, the more rewarding it will be.

I just practiced silently.

[Lower Surprise has become Lv5.]

Even as I reached Lower Surprise Lv 5, I simply continued walking through the dark passage. Then, I happened at the aisle frequented by Goblin Warriors.

"What?" I was embarrassed, not knowing how I got here. This aisle was on the ground floor. I was supposed to walk back to the boss room.

Apparently, a new Goblin King has been created in the boss room, so the passage that I was in, the space connecting 1F and 2F, led to a different space.

I would need a key to the boss room once more. I contemplated if it was worth it beating the new Goblin King, decided against it, and returned to the dark passage.

With this change in the passage, there was no problem to get food. I felt relieved as I started training in the darkness again. Time began to pass.

[Lower Surprise has become Lv6.]

[Lower Martial Arts became Lv3.]

Is Surprise also a technique related to Martial Arts? Or could it be a combat support type of skill? I was in the dark to practice Surprise, but somehow the Martial Arts ability also increased.

[Lower Surprise has become Lv8.]

I replenished my food twice and continued practicing. The notification window informed me that Surprise had reached Level 8. By that time, I was almost melting naturally in the darkness.

The increase made me hesitate. I wonder if I'm ready to go on.

However, this was not yet satisfactory. If I go out of the aisle and enter the 2F, I would have to deal not only with the Werewolves and Battle Spiders but possibly their higher classes.

Repressing impatience and anxiety, I remained back into the darkness.

It won't take long now… Just a little more…

And finally, it came.

[Lower Surprise has become Lv10 and evolves to Intermediate Surprise. Be more hidden, faster.]

[Lower Martial Arts became Lv4.]

[You acquired the Beginner Fairy Tale skill.]

[Beginner Fairy Tale Lv1]

[Camouflage naturally in the surrounding environment. This is an advanced skill in which not only the physical but also the mana presence is matched to the surrounding environment. When combined with the Surprise skill, it increases the power of Surprise and increases the success rate.]

When the notification window appeared, I stopped walking.

When I first stepped into this dark passage, Surprise was at the beginning of the Lower class, but I grew it to Intermediate.

Moreover, aside from my ultimate goal of increasing the power of Surprise, I also acquired the Fairy Tale skill, which allowed me to camouflage with my surroundings.

It is described as an advanced skill. In other words, it had the same rating as Martial Arts skill.

This was an unexpected yet welcome reward.

I stood there pondering for a while; then, I nodded to myself. I decided to stop training.

I am not satisfied with the level of Intermediate. I haven't mastered enough to make myself dissolve into thin air, be part of the darkness. However, I can't just stay here forever. My main quest was not to master Surprise, but to clear out the 2F monsters. I was convinced that an Intermediate Surprise skill will be enough to defeat the top classes in 2F.

Moreover, there will definitely be another dark passage between 2F and 3F. If I don't think that my Surprise is going to work on 3F, I can resume training when I get there.

"Okay, let's go."

But there is a place I had to stop by first. It is the place where I can get the information; I need to complete my new quest.

I head on to the dedicated store.

"You are here, Fate."

The training in the dark would not have been that short. It was at least two days. No, to raise the Surprise skill from the Lower level to Intermediate, it might have been anywhere around three weeks to a month, but Rain welcomed me as if we saw each other yesterday.

I smiled and asked him.

"Rain, how long has it been since I came last time?"

"It is four days."

"That's ridiculous."

"Yes. It doesn't make any sense."

Rain laughed and put down the glass.

"Fate's talent is so… it's ridiculously superior."

He knows what I've been doing. He understood that I have been taking the Surprise skill to the Intermediate level.

Rain is a strong being. I couldn't dream of reaching his level, but here he is at the counter of the dedicated store, teasing me.

I feigned impatience.

"I'm less than normal."

"You are. I won't lie. But in just four days, Fate has experienced great growth both physically and mentally. What would you call it if you don't call it a talent?"

I was speechless as I listened to him, teasing me.

It really only took four days to raise a Lower skill to an Intermediate one…?

No, don't be proud, I reminded myself. You should not be arrogant.

Maybe it was possible because the passage was too dark, and it felt like nothing existed except me.

Even without talent, the darkness was conducive for the Surprise skill's growth.

In fact, my Martial Arts skill did not develop to Intermediate in four days.

You cannot be satisfied with yourself for a skill that only grew because of a special situation. You should try harder…more…

I came out of my thoughts and looked up to Rain. He was holding a glass.

I started to explain to him about the quest I received, and the Jinma Tower.

Rain nodded after listening to me.

"Fate's thoughts are all correct. Spiders and wolves live on the 2nd floor of the Black Palace District 7. They are fighting each other, killing each other—no doubt or worry. Go ahead. As you've always been, Fate will be able to go deeper and farther."

"What about the Jinma Tower? Oh, do you need information fees?"

"No information fees are required. Fate may not know, but you have been there."

"I have been there… ?"

"Sure. The Tower of Jinma."

His smile grew darker.

"It is a safe training center."

"A safe training center?"

"That's right. This was where Fate is staying to train, and it's like a dedicated store. It's a safe place."

"I see."

I nodded. I understand now. The Jinma Tower is a battlefield, but without any danger.

I took Today's Luck before I left the exclusive store.

Rain poured red wine, and it flowed like blood into the glass. It gave a subtle buff that increased my stamina by 30 for 3 hours.

Physical fitness is divided into two roles. The first role, stamina, is for defense, while strength was for the offense. Higher stamina enables your body to take more damage and last longer in dangerous situations. It was an important stat.

The problem is that Today's Luck increases the amount of stamina – stamina that I could gain with a little predation.

It was different with magic. When Today's Luck gave me a boost, my magical abilities got more powerful, along with giving me more mana. Even it was also possible to restore mana through predation, it won't be able to increase the magical power, so it helped me a lot.

Rain looked at my face and noticed my disappointment. With a bitter laugh, he said,

"Oh, it seems you got unlucky."

That moment.

I realized something through his words.

Today's Luck is a completely random buff available once every 24 hours.

I am disappointed with the fact that my stamina increased, and was hoping for something else.

What was I thinking? I have trained so much! There is no point, depending on a random buff!

I slapped my cheeks with both hands. The rough pain made my mind clear. My cheeks were tingling.

"Fate?"

"No, I'm fine. I just needed to be awake."

The exclusive shop with Rain is a kind and gentle space for me.

I am grateful for it, but I shouldn't get used to it. Depending on a dedicated store is dangerous.

I had to improve and get myself stronger through effort and practice.

"2F is a place that I had to challenge with my skills," I told Rain. "I have no complaints with Today's Luck. Moreover…"

"Moreover?"

I laughed, looking at the hot drink.

"The wine was very tasty. It was worth the disappointment."

Rain laughed heartily before he sent me off.