Haruto stood over the massive, lifeless body of the Goblin King, his chest rising and falling with deep breaths, his muscles aching from the battle. The heat of the dying flames still crackled in the air, filling the clearing with the smell of charred wood and ash. The once-dominant figure of the Goblin King lay crumpled at his feet, the dagger still slick with blood from the final blow that had pierced the creature's eye.

But just as Haruto was about to turn away, something unexpected happened.

The Goblin King moved—its body still, but its mouth quivered. A low, guttural voice emerged from its throat.

"The Horn of Madness... ah, nice use of your skill," the Goblin King rasped, its voice gravelly and weak but still unmistakably clear.

Haruto's eyes widened in shock, his body freezing in place. It can talk? His mind raced as he tried to comprehend the impossible. In this world, only highly intelligent beings—humans, elves, dragons, dwarves, phoenixes—were capable of speech. Goblins, especially lower-tier creatures, were not supposed to be capable of complex communication.

But here it was. The Goblin King, dying before him, was speaking.

"What..." Haruto began, his voice strained with disbelief.

The Goblin King coughed, blood dripping from its mouth. "Kill me quickly... and that woman too... If you don't want to die," it growled. Despite its weakened state, there was a malice in its eyes, a cruel smirk playing across its grotesque features.

Haruto stared, his hand still gripping the dagger tightly. "What do you mean?" he demanded.

The Goblin King chuckled, a chilling sound given its condition. "If you save her... the whole world will turn against you... They will come for you... to kill you."

The cryptic warning sent a chill down Haruto’s spine. Before he could press for more information, the Goblin King's chest heaved one final time. Without waiting for the creature to finish its dying breath, Haruto, still on edge, gripped his dagger and with a swift motion, severed the Goblin King's head from its body.

The massive body of the Goblin King shuddered once before it began to disintegrate, turning to dust that swirled into the air and vanished into the night.

Level Up!

Haruto blinked as the notification appeared in his vision, a brief flash of light indicating that he had leveled up not just once, but three times. His breath caught as he processed the news—he was now Level 5. The sensation of power coursed through his body, and for a fleeting moment, he felt the exhaustion of the battle fade away.

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As the Goblin King’s body fully disappeared, it left behind a small pile of loot. Among the spoils was a peculiar item—a necklace that pulsed with a faint, dark energy. Haruto picked it up and inspected it carefully.

[Heart of the Goblin

Effect: When worn, this necklace increases stamina by 5 points, allowing the wearer to endure longer in battle or harsh conditions.

Description: Forged from the essence of a Goblin King’s heart, this item boosts endurance while carrying a faint trace of the goblin’s rage.]

Haruto wore the necklace into his neck, appreciating the boost in stamina it would give him. But his focus quickly shifted to the human woman the Goblin King had left behind. She lay bound in magical chains, her body weak and frail, her clothes tattered and stained with dirt. But what caught Haruto's attention the most was her protruding belly.

He hesitated before approaching, unsure of what to expect.

The woman’s eyes flickered open, and her cracked lips parted to speak. Her voice was weak, barely above a whisper, but the words she spoke chilled him to the core. "Kill me..." she rasped, her eyes filled with pain. "This creature... it must not be born."

Haruto froze, conflicted. He had heard the same command from the Goblin King, but hearing it from the woman herself made it all the more harrowing. His hand gripped the dagger at his side, but he couldn’t bring himself to make the final decision.

As he stood there, torn between action and hesitation, the ground beneath him trembled. The dungeon, now collapsing after the death of the Goblin King, began to fall apart. Rocks crumbled from the ceiling, and the earth quaked beneath his feet. Haruto had little time to think—he had to leave now, or he would be buried alive.

"I don’t have to kill you," Haruto said, his voice tight. "The dungeon is collapsing. You’ll die no matter what I do."

The woman’s eyes glistened with sorrow as she nodded weakly. "Yes... but... my name is Milinia," she whispered. "Take this." She reached out with trembling hands, pulling a small ring from her finger and offering it to Haruto. "For ending my suffering... and... for saving me from the Goblin King’s torment."

Haruto accepted the ring, though there was no time to inspect it properly. He slipped it into his pouch, knowing the collapsing dungeon would soon trap him if he didn’t move quickly.

"Thank you," he whispered, bowing his head slightly before turning and sprinting toward the exit.

The Dungeon Collapse

As Haruto ran through the crumbling dungeon, the walls around him cracked and split, large chunks of rock falling from above. The ground shook violently, and the narrow corridors twisted and turned with each tremor. His heart pounded in his chest as he pushed forward, desperate to escape before the entire dungeon collapsed.

But just as he neared the exit, a scream echoed behind him—a shrill, piercing scream that sent shivers down his spine. Haruto stopped, turning back for a moment.

Milinia...

Her scream was not one of fear, but of agonizing pain. Something was happening.

Haruto’s eyes widened in horror as he realized what was happening. The woman, Milinia, was in the throes of childbirth—the creature was being born. Blood spilled across the dungeon floor, and from her belly, a hideous, disgusting creature emerged.

The creature was a monstrous fusion of human and goblin—its body twisted and deformed, its eyes glowing with a terrifying intelligence far beyond that of a regular goblin. Haruto watched in horror as the creature pulled itself free from Milinia's now-lifeless body. With a final breath, she collapsed into the blood-soaked ground, her suffering finally over.

Before Haruto could react, a portal appeared before the creature. Without hesitation, the grotesque being crawled toward it, disappearing into the shimmering light.

Haruto could only watch as the portal closed behind it. What... what did I just let loose into the world?

His heart sank with the weight of his decision. Perhaps the Goblin King had been right. The world might indeed turn against him for what had just been born.

Haruto had no more time to dwell on the consequences. The dungeon was collapsing, and he needed to get out. With a final burst of speed, he sprinted toward the exit, narrowly dodging falling debris and crumbling walls. His body ached, but the extra stamina from the Heart of the Goblin kept him moving just fast enough.

He burst through the dungeon’s entrance just as the last of the structure collapsed behind him, the ground sealing over the entrance with a thunderous crash. Haruto stood there for a moment, breathing heavily, his mind spinning from the chaos of the past hour.

The Goblin King was dead. Milinia was gone. And a new, unknown terror had entered the world.

(End of Chapter).