Chapter 26 - The Goblin Lord
His jaw dropped and his eyes wide, Jae stared blankly at the Status in front of him.
Name: Jae Kang [Cursed], [Bleeding]
Health Points (HP) : 533 / 695
Mana Points (MP) : 1088 / 1167
The scene of the hobgoblin’s club coming down on him like a falling meteorite flashed in his mind.
...You’re telling me that one hit did so much damage? Man, what the hell...
Over 150 points of health gone in a single blow―over 20% of his HP.
It was the first time he had been injured without dying since coming to this new world, but was he always so fragile?
Not to mention the fact that the hobgoblin’s strike only hit his arm... Jae dreaded to think of what the result might’ve been if he bore the brunt of the force with his torso instead.
“One-hit K.O., surely...”
With a base Endurance stat of 75, combined with Tough Skin and Fighting Spirit, he certainly didn’t think it was due to a lack of defence, per se, but more likely a result of the enemy’s overwhelming strength.
Thinking back to when he first glimpsed the monster’s Soul State, he recalled its Power being over 200; that itself should have clued him in.
The difference between Strength and Power remained unclear, but it was hard to imagine a mere hobgoblin having a Strength value in the hundreds, so Jae assumed it must have had a somewhat different meaning.
Mm, in hindsight, I should’ve realised...
His face paled a little at the thought of what could have happened, but there was no time to waste.
Health Points (HP) : 531 / 695
Health Points (HP) : 530 / 695
Health Points (HP) : 529 / 695
“...!”
Watching his HP gradually tick down by the second, he quickly realised the potentially fatal effect of Bleeding.
Ripp-!
Tearing off some cloth from his school uniform―or at least, what was left of it―Jae tied some of the material around the haemorrhaging stump of his left arm and tightened it, ensuring that no further blood would be lost.
Conditions met. You have acquired the Resistance Skill: 「Bleed Resistance」
By the time he had done so, another skill had joined the collection. Jae didn’t bat an eye at the notification and simply dismissed it while asking. “Is anyone there?”
"......"
Hearing no response even after a few seconds passed, a seed of concern was sowed in his mind, but it wasn’t like he could do anything about it, so he shook his head and pushed the thought away.
Right. The skills still work, so nothing bad should’ve happened. Didn’t Envy once mention the need to rest for energy? They’ll speak when they’re ready.
“Would’ve been nice if they stayed this quiet from the beginning, though...”
Although, that bastard definitely would just be making fun of me.
In that sense, although it felt isolating, perhaps their absence was a blessing in disguise. Either way, he clicked his tongue at the sins’ untimely truancy.
In the meantime, Jae took a seat and closed his eyes, waiting patiently for his health and mana to heal. He expected natural HP regeneration to be slow, so it would probably take a while to recover; as for MP, thankfully, the Automatic MP Recovery skill would hasten that up.
"...Wait. Something's wrong."
Eventually, however, Jae’s eyebrows furrowed.
The cause was simple.
Health Points (HP) : 538 / 695
Health Points (HP) : 538 / 695
Health Points (HP) : 537 / 695
“There’s no way...”
Despite the process having slowed down significantly thanks to the newly-acquired Bleed Resistance, his HP was not increasing―in fact, it only continued to tick downwards.
The status effect Bleeding persisted, and even after its corresponding Resistance Skill levelled up to 2, it seemingly refused to budge, only slightly lessening its severity.
“What, no, why won’t it stop...?”
Was it because his stats were simply insufficient, or was it something else entirely?
As things stood, there was no way to find out, and there were no wise voices in his head who could teach him what was wrong.
He knew the problem would likely go away if he died and was resurrected, but the thought of committing suicide just to solve a status effect felt alien, and to begin with, was a far too unsettling notion to consider.
If he did something like that, he really would be worthy of being called Inhuman.
I already know Wrath doesn't work. What do I do... Oh! Maybe, it’ll go away if I level up?
So far, there has been no such useful feature like detoxifying poison or refreshing MP when levelling up, but when it came to cleansing negative status effects like Bleed, perhaps there was a possibility...
That can’t be the case...
Or not.
Jae himself knew it was an unlikely string of hope to cling onto, but he had no choice if he didn’t want to merely sit here and wait for death to take him. Even if he was convinced he would resurrect afterwards, that was just too pitiful.
He put his full faith into the possibility of reviving previously, but now that death was staring him in the face as if to test his mettle, he began to feel more uncertain about it.
But then, in this desolate place, where could he even go to level up?
All the goblins previously inhabiting this cave were dead, and it wasn't like they possessed something so convenient like a 'health restoration potion' or a magical elixir.
“......”
In the end, there was only one thing.
One goblin that hadn't died at his hands.
Gulp.
Rising to his feet, Jae hurried to pick up the cleaver and soon stood before the stone gate previously guarded by the two hobgoblin guards.
Health Points (HP) : 534 / 695
As his HP continued to decline even now, Jae clutched the cleaver in his hand and steadied his breath. There should be no wasting time, especially in his current condition, and so he leant his shoulder against the door and pushed.
Krrrrr--!!
"Ugh..."
The shrill screeching of heavy stones grating against each other resounded as the door slowly opened, causing Jae to wince.
Gradually, a dense blackness was revealed beyond the gate.
What...
Thick darkness like that belonging to the abyss pervaded the area; suddenly, it became difficult to make out the dimensions or size of the room, even with Night Vision at Level 8.
Shit, why’s it so damn dark...?
Stepping into the chamber of unknown proportions and unable to see more than a few metres in front of him, Jae didn’t know what to do.
Where’s the boss? I don't hear anything... Is it a stealth-type...?
His thoughts naturally slowing down as his caution grew, he suddenly felt something cold grace the back of his neck.
“!!”
Jae shuddered. As if some invisible being had exhaled a frosty breath on his nape, a too-cool chill ran down his spine.
Yet, spinning around, there was nothing there.
“......”
Gulp.
A deafening silence ruled the seemingly empty space, and combined with the murky, impenetrable darkness that surrounded him, he felt reluctant to take even one step further.
...Huh?
Looking back, even the door he entered through was no longer visible.
Oh, I'm fucked...
If it were to be compared to a game, he had entered the boss area and triggered the scene, meaning escape was impossible.
Without a doubt, this situation was not natural.
Is it magic?
Thinking that there was no way he could fight in such an environment that felt practically as if he had his eyes closed, Jae activated Wrath on his fingertips.
Fwoosh~
Soft candlelights gently sprouted on his hand holding the cleaver and began to lightly sway as if there were somehow a breeze within this deep, subterranean cavern.
Looking at the fire flickering in and out of existence by itself, his brows furrowed.
Like a torch, it was bright, indeed, but it seemed to serve no purpose in illuminating the pervading darkness.
...It’s got to be magic. I’m on fire but can’t even see my hand when I stretch it out in front of me.
Confirming that it was useless, the flames quickly subsided to save on mana. Even though the output was small, Wrath was still a very mana-hungry skill at the end of the day, and against whatever was the source of this darkness, he would need every drop he could get.
Well. Judging by this situation, I think I might have... Stumbled across a late-game mob by accident...
Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward. All that could be picked up by any of his senses were the dull sounds of his feet tapping on the floor, but now, even if he looked down, he could barely make out his own legs.
Thinking it should be safe for now since he hadn’t already been attacked, Jae calmed his racing heart.
But then.
“Oh...?”
He heard a voice.
“--!?”
A voice clearly not originating from within his own head but rather the darkness itself, it was someone other than Envy, Wrath, or Gluttony.
Immediately, Jae swivelled his head in search of the unfamiliar voice’s origin resounding all around him in this echoey chamber, but all he could see was dense nothingness.
“You, human...”
He felt something strange about the voice. Most likely, it was a goblin, or even the Goblin Lord himself, but something... It wasn’t clear what, but the voice felt subtly different, somehow, from any goblin he heard speak until now.
“I wasn’t gone for long, gii. How did you scurry all the way down here in that short time...?”
As it continued to talk, however, Jae realised the source of the peculiarity.
“Hm? My, you even slaughtered all the kids waiting for me...”
It spoke the human language of Seronia, not goblin tongue.
“The human king isn’t going to be very happy about that, now is he... Eh, it’s probably fine. It didn’t seem like he was going to follow through with the deal, anyway.”
What the hell is he talking about?
“Anyway...”
At that moment, Jae noticed space itself warping in the darkness in front of him.
Something―or someone―was emerging.
“...!”
Starting from the dark green and callous skin characteristic of goblinkin, each of its two hands’ four fingers were tipped with yellow, razor-sharp nails that resembled miniature knives; and its arm―slim, yet strangely muscular and protected by some kind of black fabric―too became visible.
In this fashion, gradually, the shape of a human materialised from the darkness.
Except, it wasn’t a human at all.
Larger than a hobgoblin yet smaller than an orc, it was exactly the height of an adult human male―perhaps slightly shorter.
A hairless, lean body, filled with compact muscles. It seemed incongruous and incredibly unsettling when realising what manner of creature it belonged to, but to comment on it would be hypocritical.
Not five seconds passed before finally, a pair of tawny-looking yellow eyes, complete with rectangular black slit pupils, were suddenly found staring right in Jae’s direction.
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“Human. I don't think you're a messenger of the Seronian king, are you?”
“......”
“So. Who are you, and why did you come here?”
Not just his legs or mouth, but Jae’s entire body was frozen before the being that stood before him, and that included his mind.
He didn’t know what to think, let alone respond to the question, and the thought alone of attacking felt forbidden.
Acting on complete instinct, he activated a certain skill.
Soul State - Goblin Lord
Name : Zeel
Soul Level : 121 / 250
Title : Ruler of Goblins
Age : 96 Years
Health : 1,620
Magic Energy : 32,435
Power : 5,432
Magical Ability : 742
Defence : 4,604
Resistance : 230
Karma : 215
A Level 121 Goblin Lord has appeared.
...Are you fucking serious...?
More than that, he possessed a name: Zeel.
Why the hell is the level gap so damn high!?
Needless to say, it was the first time Jae had seen such a strong opponent; with a Power that was over 25 times that of the Level 41 Hobgoblin from before, there was no doubt that even a single graze from one of its claws could end his life.
No, perhaps even a sneeze could blow him away.
What's the goddamned point of having guards to begin with if the gap is this large?!
His Health didn’t look high at all in comparison to his other stats, and he still didn’t know what Resistance or Karma meant, but now sure wasn’t the time to wonder about such things.
Jae knew one thing.
There was no way in hell he would be able to win this fight. Perhaps a snowball would have a higher chance of winning versus a volcano than he did right now.
If he excluded his resurrection "ability", he would be executed in the blink of an eye without the slightest chance of resistance.
However, there was still a possibility to get out of this situation alive.
He could communicate, and besides, Jae knew that he would already be dead if the Goblin Lord so decided it―the fact he remained standing at this point could only mean the Goblin Lord wasn’t inherently aggressive or malicious like most of the other goblins had been.
I just need to not piss him off, right?
The objective was simple.
But, for some reason, when he dismissed the Soul State and looked back at the Lord’s face, it wore an expression reminiscent of an uncomfortable frown as it stared at him, evidently displeased.
Huh...? What? No, did I make a mistake already?
Leaving the hopeful possibility for resurrection as a last-last-last resort, Jae wanted to try and aim for a peaceful conclusion if he was able to, so of course, seeing the Goblin Lord so obviously irritated by something, he immediately became worried.
Before he could muster up the courage to ask, however, the Goblin Lord took the initiative.
“Oi. Human.”
Compared to before, its tone was now low, harbouring some kind of subdued hostility or animalistic wariness within it.
“What did you just do?”
Jae’s eyes trembled.
What...?
Seeing as how he started bearing those ugly, glass-shard-like teeth of his, it was clear that he did something to piss the Goblin Lord off all of a sudden, but what was it?
Don’t tell me...
Bewildered, Jae’s heart couldn’t stop thumping with a level of anxiety that seemed to tear him from within.
I thought his perception wasn't that good since he called me 'human', but...
Jae's mind raced alongside his heart and an idea soon popped into his head of what the issue might’ve been. He hurriedly opened his mouth before the Lord’s mood deteriorated any further.
“D-do you know the Seronian royal palace? I-I ran away from there.”
Ugh, shit...
He stuttered, but it was uncontrollable. Rather, the Goblin Lord didn’t seem to mind it, which was a relief; it appeared more focused on the content of Jae’s words than the manner in which they were delivered.
As Jae watched the monster think to itself in brief silence, he could only pray.
Is he able to sense me using Envy on him? I should really be more careful with the Sin-series skills in the future. Still, it’s good that I was able to change the subject this time...
“The palace...? Oh. Boy, are you one of those Otherworlders?”
Suddenly, the Goblin Lord’s face changed and he took a step forward.
Jae couldn’t tell what exactly the expressions of goblins indicated in the past, but whether it was thanks to Goblin Language Comprehension, or if he had simply gotten used to it, he felt like the Lord’s had brightened up.
He doesn’t seem too surprised? Are Otherworlders common here, or...?
“Otherworlder? Uh, yes. But, I don’t align with Seronia! I ran away from them because they seemed dangerous, and they spouted a lot of nonsense about various things...”
It was impossible to know the relationship between this Goblin Lord and Seronia since they were practically neighbours, but he felt that asserting himself as someone not on the humans’ side would be a good way to build rapport with a monster.
He mentioned something about a deal with the king, but a monster’s a monster at the end of the day―I’m sure he’d be more comfortable with someone against humans than with them. It doesn't seem to have done anything so far, but maybe Inhuman can actually help me out here?
He wasn’t exactly lying about the reason for fleeing. Still, he made sure to refrain from mentioning anything more.
Just in case. Judging by his reaction to Envy, anything related to the topic of ‘sin’ seems to be taboo, so I should keep my mouth shut...
“Ran away, huh? Good for you, gigi. Those racist Seronian bastards are pretty much all assholes. Good on you for gettin’ outta there.”
Stopping his feet, the Goblin Lord now stood just inches away.
Nothing like an intent to kill could be felt, and indeed, much of the previous tension had considerably lessened, but Jae could never feel comfortable letting his guard down in a situation like this.
Not like having my guard up matters, though. If he wanted to, he could probably kill me before I even realised it...
He didn’t know how strong Level 121 actually was, but it couldn’t possibly have been weak. Comparing it to the Level 41 hobgoblin... It was difficult to measure.
The notion of dying before he realised it was undoubtedly frightening, but the prospect of simply resurrecting afterwards made it slightly less so.
An instant death couldn’t be that painful, anyway, could it?
“―But, don’t think I forgot.”
...Hm?
Once again, the Lord’s tone and atmosphere shifted.
"!?"
Thud, clang-!
All of a sudden, Jae collapsed to the floor alongside the dropped cleaver.
“Just 'cause I don't like working doesn't mean I'm stupid, y'know? Now, what was that weird thing you did earlier? Show it to me again.”
The Goblin Lord’s voice resounded coldly from above.
“Ngh...! Wh-what...?”
As if a massive weight had been dumped on his back, his entire body endured immeasurable pressure, even fissuring the stone floor beneath.
“Gii. Do you not understand? I said...”
“Agghh...!!”
“Show me.”
There was nothing there, but it felt like gravity itself had grown ten times as strong, forcing Jae’s entire body down and rendering him unable to move even a limb.
“Gh...!”
His gums bled and his eyes were strained. With an excruciating sensation as if his insides were churning and his brain being physically squeezed, Jae could only grit his teeth and bear it, but who knows when or if it would end.
It was only thanks to possessing Pain Tolerance at Level 5 that he could remain unfaltering, as well as...
Conditions met. You have acquired the Resistance Skill: 「Pressure Resistance」
Soon, the pressure suddenly lightened and he acquired a skill, but before there was time to relish in the relief, the Goblin Lord picked Jae up by the scruff of his neck and brought him face-to-face.
“Sorry, kid, but you looked like a tough nut to crack, so I went about it the rough way. So, will you show me what that creepy thing you did earlier was? It gave me a bad feeling, is all, so I want to make sure you're not a shady person. Feel free to decline.”
“......”
Jae, not responding, instead checked his Status to confirm his remaining HP.
Health Points (HP) : 499 / 695
The pressure hadn’t done nearly as much damage to his health points as the pain he felt from it, so maybe it wasn’t something intended to cause harm. Either way, it didn't matter.
He wouldn’t stand it.
Being treated like this by a dirty goblin fucker...
Instances flashed in his mind of when he was surrounded by knights on the cliff, helpless.
His first death.
Another scene then replayed in his mind of collapsing from fatigue after barely managing to take out a single goblin. At that time, he had no choice but to fall unconscious knowing death would follow.
His second death.
And now, once again. Despite having grown incomparably strong to how he was a few weeks ago, he was still powerless against this seemingly insurmountable foe, the Goblin Lord.
A giant wall stood before him.
“......”
This is...
This time, though, things weren’t exactly the same.
...Not... the end...
He could still put up a fight, even now.
Even if he couldn’t, even if his body refused, he would force himself to.
I’m not gonna go out without resistance. Not again―not ever, you disgusting son of a bitch.
The thought of simply accepting the end of it all as he did the previous two times made his skin crawl, and he refused to let it happen a third time.
After all...
He still had a certain despicable son of a bitch whose ass needed handing to him.
“I’m not that weak... Damnit...!”
Raising his head, Jae stared into the yellow eyes of the Goblin Lord that penetrated even this pitch darkness.
Fuck him up! Wrath...!
“...?”
He noticed a subtle twitch in the Lord’s expression, but at that moment, roaring flames erupted from Jae’s body.
Fwoooaaarrrr~!
“Woah, gigi...!”
Despite the blaze completely engulfing the Lord’s hand and forearm holding Jae, he acted as if nothing was wrong, albeit frowning.
“You can do something like this, huh? It’s not magic, so what is it...? Hm? Something about it... Stinks. Ugh. Just like the thing from before... An Otherworlder ability, perhaps...? Gii...”
After a moment of smirking, the Goblin Lord’s expression quickly froze, however.
“...G-geh? Wait, wait. What the hell?”
His eyes widened as if something preposterous was happening, and without warning, he waved his flaming arm.
“Ngh! Not so fast, asshole!” Gritting his teeth, Jae held on to the Goblin Lord’s arm with all his might. He didn’t know what it was, but something about the flames was causing the Lord distress, and that was a good sign.
“Bah! Get off me, you shit!”
Unfortunately, it didn’t take much to toss Jae to the floor like something nasty.
“Ugh!”
Hitting the ground roughly and letting out a reflexive groan, the flames on Jae’s body subsided as Wrath was deactivated, but the face of the Goblin Lord remained mortified as he gazed at his seemingly unaffected hand and arm, mouth gaped.
“O-oi, you little bastard, what the hell was that?!”
What? Wrath didn’t do anything, did it? What is he talking about? Is he mocking me?
No. That couldn’t have been it―the Lord’s face alone was enough to determine that it wasn’t merely making fun.
But, in that case, what about the flames had done anything? There was no sign of external damage, and it wouldn’t make sense for something as high level as the Goblin Lord to sustain any internal injuries.
Then, he remembered something.
...Oh, wait, no way! The ‘special attribute’ he mentioned...?!
Scrambling to his feet, which took a while thanks to only having one arm, Jae activated Envy while targeting the Goblin Lord.
He finally realised what had happened.
Magic Energy : 32,020
His Magic Energy decreased!
He wasn’t sure of the details, but he could tell immediately that that was it.
Mana Drain-- No, I didn’t steal or receive the mana lost, so... ‘Mana Burn’!
Assigning a name to the attribute was good and all, but did he really have the luxury of time for it? Naturally, he knew the answer was no, but he also knew that there was no escaping a being on the level of the Goblin Lord in front of him.
All he could do was resist death, but knowing that it was inevitable from the very beginning only served to demoralise him.
...No. I’ll come back. This can’t be the end.
Resistance was futile, but that didn’t matter.
In the end, he ‘would’ revive; if the fight continued, so did the cycle repeat.
But, if it didn’t and the Goblin Lord fled, then Jae would have successfully survived.
If I’m going to die anyway, then I’ll at least do my best to fuck up this guy’s day.
Quite naturally, the ends of his lips curled upwards as a smirk formed on his face. It was undoubtedly spiteful, and maybe even petty, but the thought of seeing the Goblin Lord’s crumbling expression as he watched his precious magic energy smoulder and wash away with the wind brought delight.
If he couldn't kill him now, then he would simply weaken him and try again later.
Activating Power Burst, Jae’s Fighting Spirit had already enveloped his body unbeknownst to him, and he pushed his feet against the ground.
Wrath...!
Fwooaar~!
With all his strength, he charged at the Goblin Lord like a literal flaming bull.
“Gii, you cheeky human brat.”
It would’ve been easy for the Lord to grab Jae even with one hand, but it instinctively felt the danger of being touched by the flames that engulfed the boy's entire body. It was forced with no choice but to avoid him.
It could also sense Jae's mana slowly decreasing as the flames continued to burn. Eventually, his weapon would break. So, while effortlessly maintaining a distance between Jae and himself, the Goblin Lord resumed his previous questioning.
“Tell me. What is the source of those flames, and that other ability?”
It appeared like ordinary fire magic on the outside, but to someone with keen senses like the Goblin Lord, it could be felt that their origin was much more sinister.
“Why would I tell you, dumbass?”
“Gigi. Do you not value your life? It is in your interest to tell me, and I might just spare you.”
There was no way Jae could just believe what the Goblin Lord was saying, but even if it were the truth, there was no reason to tell him.
It’s obviously something evil; even I know that much. What good is going to come of revealing it?
To Jae, mentioning anything regarding the sins, the curse, or the Unique Skills he possessed was purely a bad idea. There was nothing to gain from saying anything, so he kept his mouth shut.
“Tsk, gii... If that’s how you want to play, fine.”
All of a sudden, the Goblin Lord he was chasing in a circle around the dark chamber, vanished.
What? Shit, is it the skill from earlier...? How broken is that...
Jae froze in his tracks, not knowing what to do or which direction the enemy might come from.
And then.
“Behind you.”
“Ah--?! Cough...!”
Splatter.
Gazing downwards, Jae watched the giant metal cleaver slide smoothly through his body, piercing his stomach from the back and exiting through his belly.
What kind of... bullshit...
His breath stopped, eyes unfocused, and his limbs fell as he collapsed into the pool of blood and guts on the floor.
This stupid... Broken ass boss...
Then, the flames shrouding his body evaporated into nothing as Wrath automatically deactivated.
I swear to God I'll... fucking... kill you...
Jae died in an instant.
"Gii... How troublesome. That fire would really be a menace to society if it got out of hand."
Now standing as the sole living being in the room, the Goblin Lord pulled the cleaver from its human sheath and discarded it, muttering lightly to himself.
“Now that everything here is ruined, guess I’ll have to return with nothing. Ah, damn, and I’m gonna get scolded... What a pain in the ass. All ‘cause of one little human brat, too...”
Just as he turned his back to leave, abruptly, Zeel sensed something behind him.
“Gii...?”
Spinning his head, he looked back down at the corpse of the human boy he had just killed.
"??"
There, after a few seconds, ominous black fog emerged from seemingly nowhere and seeped into the boy, enveloping him completely and obscuring him from view.
“...!!”
Zeel shuddered, his expression warping into one of utmost horror.
It was the same feeling he got when the kid used those flames but magnified by a thousand.
A few tense moments passed with the mysterious fog being absorbed into the boy’s body before it eventually ceased.
What was left was just the boy, but now...
“Gii...... Uhhh... What?”
All of the boy’s wounds were healed, including both the amputated arm he had lost before the Lord’s arrival and the gouged stomach from the cleaver just a few seconds ago.
Zeel was speechless.
What had he just witnessed? It wasn't like anything he had ever seen before, Otherworlder or otherwise.
“Giii...”
Letting out a puzzled noise characteristic of his race, he scratched his head and warily approached the unconscious, yet somehow alive, boy.
Crouching down, he reached his hand out towards the human’s neck.
Snap-!
“!!”
In the following moment, he jumped swiftly away as the same black fog appeared and cocooned the boy once more.
Before long, it dissipated into his body, and he was back to normal.
“......”
This... was dangerous.
Zeel’s yellow eyes, shimmering in the darkness, gazed at the body of the boy with a hint of something unknown.
He had lived a long time and had experienced many things.
He had witnessed countless strange abilities, but this was by far the most bizarre, inexplicable... and creepy of them all.
“...Gii. She’ll know what to do.”
Nodding to himself, the Goblin Lord felt a slight ease of tension knowing that there was someone far more capable of handling this matter than he was, perhaps due to the relief of not having to deal with the problem himself.
“Mm. I’m sure of it. That old monster is far more experienced than I. Gigi.”
Coming to the conclusion that the right thing to do was pass the problem on to someone else, he gingerly lifted the boy’s body and walked towards the centre of the chamber.
Here, though it was impossible to see because of the incredibly dense darkness, there was actually a deep hole just about wide enough to fit an elephant through.
And then.
“Farewell, problem. You are no longer my issue, gii.”
Without hesitation, the Goblin Lord dumped the boy into the hole. Relief washed over him at the thought that he would never have to see such a troublesome existence again.
Unfortunately, he would later find himself to be wrong about that assumption.