Bok’s translucent figure slowly appeared atop Oni Hill, just a few meters away from the magnificent throne. *cough* *cough* The combination of his internal injuries and nausea from the teleportation caused him to double over and cough up blood once his body solidified.
“I see. So, you lost.”
Bok shivered once he heard the sultry voice. He immediately looked up at the powerful figure who stood at the mountain’s edge, gazing down at something unseen.
Despite his inner panic, Bok, who had resolved to raise the goblins’ status resisted the urge to grovel at her majesty. Instead, he bowed his head in apologetic respect. “I could not defeat the daeben, Kashi. He is far too strong. I am afraid our intelligence might have underestimated his strength.” Bok was about to add some more, but he then winced and clutched his head.
“Your duplicate memories must have arrived,” remarked Queen Alia with an all-knowing smile. “So, tell me; aside from Kashi, are the others worthy of consideration?”
“I feel none of them can match you,” Bok stated matter-of-factly. This was not empty flattery, but an inference from the battle against the invaders. “However, many of them are on par or even stronger than the average Primate. I would be worried if they could battle consecutively, but the Primates should be able to stall them long enough.”
Queen Alia’s lips spread into a ghost of a smile. “I cannot help but notice you said ‘stall’. Do you not think your fellow primates capable of victory?”
Bok shook his head. “Leaving Kashi aside, there are at least four individuals that I believe could quickly clear all the floors as long as they fight one at a time.” The goblin’s brows furrowed as a particularly annoying memory surfaced. “One of my clones almost eliminated an invader. If I knew, I would have bought a little more time.”
“Eliminating the weaker ones might not necessarily be a good thing.” Without expanding any further, Alia glanced at Bok. “From what you saw, can the remaining Primates buy us enough time?”
Bok hesitated, but then truthfully answered, “It would depend on their attitude. We have a chance if they avoid direct combat and focus on buying time.”
“A Primate has a Primate’s pride,” replied Alia with a sultry smile. She glanced at the mandala slowly forming in the sky and then closed her eyes. “It would seem I need to prepare to welcome our guests.” After a short pause, she added, “You should return home, Bok. Oni Hill does not permit losers to meddle in subsequent battles.”
Bok’s heart jumped. Was Oni Hill that perverted? He thought the mountain gave him a second chance to fight by teleporting him to the top, but Queen Alia made it sound like that wasn’t the mountain’s intention. Did the mountain’s designer have a torture fetish? Why else would he willingly remove his defenses?
Queen Alia noticed Bok’s stunned expression but did not offer any further explanation. To be fair, she was also struggling to understand Razznik’s character from Cathek’s stories and Cathek’s. Unfortunately, it seemed she only got more confused with every tale.
“Well, it is sufficient for him to grant our wish.” If there was one thing Alia confirmed from the scattered stories, it was that Razznik acted like a karmic regulator. He always rewarded those who helped him and destroyed those who obstructed opposed, or slighted him. It was like Razznik was loathe to ever find himself in debt to others, whether positively or negatively.
Bok took in the Queen’s resolute gaze. Even now, he could not believe she had no scorn in her eyes. Despite the Order’s claim of promoting equality, Bok had come across a few members who looked down on his background. Sure, they did not outrightly call him out, but the sensitive goblin picked up the signs. Initially, he did not care, as long as he could use the Chaos Order to complete his vengeance.
Now, however, having seen the Queen’s stance, Bok began to have a bit more hope. If the queen practiced what she preached, who cared about a few dissidents? Every organization would inevitably have a few bad eggs. What mattered most was that those at the top held a clear vision that could be fostered among the ranks.
Bok recalled the other daeben, whose eyes only held curiosity and intrigue without a hint of scorn. “…Perhaps vengeance isn’t the only path I can take.”
Bok’s heart initially carried only hatred because he believed goblins could never find a place in the world. As such, he resolved to destroy as many Summoned before he inevitably perished.
Now, however, Kashi and Alia unknowingly planted small seeds of hope amidst the fiery gloom. It was still unknown what path these seedlings would take. They might get suffocated by the hatred, or blossom into new bastions of will. Regardless of the path, it was certain that the daebens inadvertently altered the goblin’s destined path.
Unaware of the changes within him, Bok bid Alia farewell and then activated his teleportation scroll.
Alia watched as a pillar of light swallowed the goblin, and then disappeared, leaving nothing behind. Following Bok’s departure, Alia’s brows slightly furrowed. “Kashi…”
That name had been popping up everywhere for the past year. Try as she might, Alia could not get the daeben out of her mind. Kashi set himself on a collision course with the Chaos Order from the moment he thwarted their plans at Riven. The odds might be stacked heavily in her favor, but she could not shake the feeling that Kashi would somehow break the summoning.
“It would appear I might have to act myself.” Alia glanced at her open palm. Moments later, she balled her hand a fist as her gaze hardened. “Daeben or not, I will destroy anyone who stands in our way.”
***
Oblivious to the hatred directed their way, Kashi and the rest of the invading force prepared to enter the next floor. Many cast curious glances at GrizzlyDiamond, who wore a different set of armor, but the glory of healing potions and the warriors’ steely expression prevented the others from inferring the truth about the disastrous battle.
Shokō stood at the head of the group, with her left hand resting on her scabbard. If one listened closely, they would hear faint screeching emanating from the scabbard, but it was at a frequency that most humans could not hear.
The swordswoman stood upright, her piercing gaze as sharp as a thrusting blade. Everyone sensed a powerful storm roiling within Shokō. However, all of that ferocity was somehow reined in, causing her aura to resemble a sheathed blade on the verge of eruption.
Kashi shivered as he observed Shokō. Even he felt threatened by that restrained aura. It was like he feared; as long as these monsters existed in his guild, Kashi could never relax in his pursuit of power.
Kashi sorted his increasingly random thoughts as he glanced at the in-game time on the system’s menu. “It’s ten forty-five guys. We need to speedrun it from here on out. Do not give them a chance to stall for time.”
As if loathe to exist her special state, Shokō wordlessly walked into the portal without acknowledging Kashi’s words.
Kashi did not take the rebuff to heart. As someone who shared a body with a quasi-swordsman, he knew what Shokō wanted to accomplish. So, he chuckled and quickly followed the rest of the group into the portal, wondering what the floor of Envy would bring.
***
Psh. Psh. Shokō’s footsteps meshed against the green grass, as she walked through an open field. Several families sat, slept, or played on the grass. Some ate picnics, while a few couples snuck kisses behind trees. Some children wrestled, and some slept in their parents’ arms. The sounds of laughter mixed with the beautiful midday sun, and the cool spring breeze was enough to warm even the most stoic hearts.
Stolen story; please report.
“So that’s where you were, Shokō. We’ve been looking for you everywhere!”
Shokō’s left hand slightly trembled as she slowly turned around to the voice’s source. ‘It can’t be.’
But indeed it could. Who else did Shokō see standing behind her, but a gorgeous dark-haired Japanese woman who looked to be in her early thirties? The woman’s large teasing gaze and cheerful smile reminded Shokō of a picture she often saw in her father’s room. Even though the woman here looked slightly older, the resemblance was uncanny.
“What are you doing, Shokō? Aren’t you going to apologize to your mother?” To Shokō’s shock, James Shouyou came jogging down the field with a baby in his arms. “We spent a whole hour looking for you.”
“What?” Shokō’s demeanor slightly broke as cracks began to appear on her armor. With a slight frown, she asked, “What are you talking about? Mother is dead.”
“Shokō!” James cried out in anger as he glared at the young woman. “You don’t have to curse your mother just because she’s not paying you as much attention.” James took a breath to calm his anger. Shouting at his rebellious daughter was counterproductive. It would only serve to push her away even further.
James instead, doused his feelings and spoke soothingly, “Listen, we understand how you feel. Between work and your little sister, your mom and I have barely have any time to check up on you.” The man gestured at the fields with his chin. “That’s why we brought you to the park today. We should spend time as a normal family, so we don’t lose that magic. Wouldn’t you like that? Time as a normal family. Isn’t that what you want?”
“What… I want?” Shokō’s hesitation increased as she glanced at the happy families around her. Time as a normal family.
A normal family.
That was something Shokō craved since she was little. Shokō’s mother passed away during labor, leaving James as her only rock. Unfortunately, as far as rocks go, James was a rolling stone at best. The strange man always had something to do, causing Shokō to navigate her adolescence and teenage years by herself.
Shokō’s abnormal physiology did not help matters. By the age of five, she could solve advanced calculus, speak four different languages, and throw grown men across a room with ease. Due to all her abnormalities, Shokō never grew up around other children her age, which deprived her of many much-needed social skills to navigate the world. This was partly why she initially approached Suzuki with such an overly flirtatious method—it was simply the most successful method according to the movies she watched.
So, saying that Shoko envied ‘normal’ families was a massive understatement. She would probably give everything she had to grow up normal, surrounded by like-minded peers, maybe even a rival or two that she constantly butted heads against.
The foundation of this yearning started with a normal family of her own. She wanted what every sitcom proffered as normal. An understanding, protecting, if sometimes overbearing father. A loving mother, who she sometimes fought with during her rebellious years, and siblings she would love to hate and hate to love.
Sensing the young lady’s distress, James held out his hand and said with a loving smile. “I know it’s abrupt. We didn’t ask your permission before dragging you out here. But, just a moment. Why don’t you spend a few minutes, and see where we go from there?”
“Just a few minutes?” Shokō barely heard her voice as her left hand slowly left the sword hilt.
James’ eyes brightened. He gently lifted the baby and held her out to Shokō. “Would you like to hold your sister? You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“My sister…” Shokō’s left hand trembled even more as it detached from the sword hilt. She raised her hands to take the baby from her father’s hands. But just as she was about to take the baby, something flashed in her mind.
SCREEEE!
“Shokō! What have you done!?”
In the blink of an eye, a thin wall of light appeared across the field. From above, it looked like someone dropped a giant, handleless knife from the skies, starting from Shokō’s position, to at least several hundred meters out.
Shokō’s hardened gaze ignored her screaming mother as she gazed at the baby and James, who somehow existed within the light wall like it chose to meld around their bodies.
But they knew this was not the case.
“Wh—where did I go wrong?” Shockingly, the baby’s expression twisted as she revealed a strained smile that revealed intelligence beyond her suggested years.
“You did not fail,” stated Shokō as she raised her right hand, which now held her sword. She glanced at her reflection in the blade as she muttered, “A few weeks ago, I would have fallen to your illusion, hook, line, and sinker. I indeed envied normal families, and I would indeed have given everything to earn a moment with mine, even if it was only an illusion.”
The baby’s smile turned bitter. “What changed?”
“I remembered someone.” Shokō’s blade reflected her slight smile as she recalled a certain silky-haired man’s laughter. She then looked at the baby with a determined gaze. “I will always envy normal families, but that envy will never outpace the love I have for my new family. My abnormal family full of abnormal people is where I belong.” With a grin, she gently returned her sword to its scabbard as she turned around and walked away. “The Hopeful Maggots might not have been the family I wanted, but it is the family I need.”
“Thank you for the dream.” Shokō’s smile blossomed as she shed the final restraints that bound her to the past. “Now, I know my reality is much better than even my wildest dreams.”
Clack!
Fountains of blood exploded behind Shokō once the sword’s guard struck the scabbard. The baby and James split in two as the wall of light disappeared, dyeing the air red and baptizing Shokō’s newfound resolve.
Shokō resisted the urge to look back, even as her mother’s frantic voice slowly faded into a distant background. As Shokō walked, the world around her began to crumble and fold into itself. The happy families, playing children and frolicking teens disappeared, leaving a deep, gaping void ahead of her.
Still, Shokō’s steps did not pause.
She had resolved to keep walking forward. She did not know where her chosen path would take her. It might lead to salvation or eternal damnation. But, it no longer mattered. As long as she walked the path with her family.
‘ Walk tall.’
A soft voice suddenly wrapped around Shokō, feeling her with an indescribable warmth. Before she could comprehend its source, a gentle force pushed her forward.
The gentle push disoriented the swordswoman, causing her to stumble a few steps forward. By the time she recovered, she found herself in a familiar hall.
“It’s already over?”
“I’m the king of the worl—Wait, where did everybody go!?”
Surprised and sometimes strange shouts erupted around Shokō as Oni Hill forcefully returned the invaders to the hall. It appeared not everyone possessed Shokō’s powerful will when presented with their object of envy.
Unfortunately, with only a handful of seconds before the next forced transfer, no one had time to process their experiences.
“Well then, I guess it’s my turn.” Syèl laughed as he approached the portal. “Floor of Greed, eh. I wonder, what am I greedy for?” The halben inwardly chuckled as he nonchalantly stepped through the portal.
Shokō, meanwhile, took a deep breath to reset her strained mind. Maintaining her sword potential through the trial’s mental suggestions pushed her to the limit. She resolved to relax on the next few floors so she could be in top shape for the final battle.
In the past, Shokō would never have made this decision. She would have kept herself in peak condition throughout all the floors even if she had to drag out her fights a little. Only now did she realize that, at some point, the Maggots had gained her trust to a frightening degree.
“Well, we could still use a name change.” Shokō smiled with content as she walked through the portal, towards her family’s future.