As I approached the next door, my gaze fell on the feast laid out on the table.
It was hard to ignore the tempting spread, especially after surviving on simple meals for days since leaving Rovel.
'But.'
"I'm just saying this just in case, no matter how delicious it looks, don't even think about eating it."
"It does look good... Are you planning to eat it all yourself?"
"Seriously, we need to have a chat someday soon now."
Zain was still acting up as usual.
At first glance, the food did look as delicious as he said, but I knew better. Every dish in the goblin castle was poisoned.
A trap designed to harm humans trying to recover their stamina after the grueling Infinite Wave battles.
'I can still eat it.'
Thanks to my immunity to poison and the antidotes I carried, I could safely neutralize the toxins for my companions.
Even so, I decided against taking the risk. And something about it felt...unsettling so I decided against it.
Because in any case, the quest in this castle would soon be over.
Squeak---
A large, jewel-adorned door opened. Following Terdius, who was leading the way, I entered a spacious audience room.
Though the castle itself was small, the ceiling was impressively high, and the room was as vast as a grand hall. The goblin castle's simpler architecture allowed for such a large audience room even though it was small. It was like a single room without any separate sections or chambers for different purposes.
"That's..."
And there it was.
At the far end of the room, on a high platform, was the Goblin King's throne. There sat the Goblin king himself who wore a crown and cloak.
"A stone statue?"
But its exterior was indeed a statue hardened like stone. But that wasn't the only stone statue.
Flanking the Goblin King's throne were four towering stone figures---two on each side---double the size of an average human. Each was clad in full body armor.
"It's creepy. The air feels so cold..."
Zain murmured, rubbing his arms.
If I hadn't played the HSAW beforehand, the atmosphere might have unsettled me too.
The room had an old-fashioned air to it, but it was shrouded in darkness. The throne and the surrounding statues exuded an eerie, almost sinister vibe.
"Don't worry, Zain. They're just rocks."
Troy said casually to Zain, who was cowering in fear.
Zain opened his eyes.
"I'm not scared, you know?"
"I'm pretty sure you said you were scared earlier."
"No, you must have misheard."
The two began their usual meaningless bickering. Meanwhile, Terdius scanned the room with a dull gaze, his sword firmly in hand.
I was the same. I didn't let go of my grip on my mace.
-Child, be careful. This place feels...off.
Kyros warned in my mind sensing something was wrong.
'I will, Lord Kyros.'
And then it happened.
Crack---
The fully armored goblin statues standing on either side of the throne began to crack. Fractures spread across their surfaces, and chunks of stone crumbled to the floor.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.
"Oh, fuck."
Zain cursed in shock, quickly aiming his bow. Troy also snapped to attention, taking a fighting stance.
I swallowed hard as I assessed the crumbling statues.
Each had a distinct appearance: one wielded a sword, another a spear, one carried knuckles, and the last bore a shield.
Our group exchanged quick glances and nodded. We quickly moved to find our opponent.
Terdius would take the statue with the sword, Troy would handle the one with the knuckles, and Zain and I would face the ones with the shield and spear.
'This isn't a good setup for Zain to face the stone statue after all.'
With no place to hide in the audience room, his bow would be less effective. So I decided to stay by his side while fighting.
'Besides, I'm the only one here who knows their attack patterns.'
While I was thinking like that, the stone statues finally broke apart and the seal was released.
Thud. Thud.
Four stone statues, or rather four goblin knights, were now walking towards us, making loud noises.
"Krrrrr---"
They each held their weapons and glared at their opponents standing before them.
The same was true of the knights with spears and shields who stood before me and Zain.
"Zain, I'll hold them off. Wait for the right moment to strike."
"Master, are you sure you can handle them alone?"
"You don't trust me?"
"No, it's not that... Well... Okay, I understand."
Zain stepped back, a worried expression on his face. That kid really doesn't seem to trust me. Still I had shown my powers on several occasions, so I was a bit sad about it but it wasn't a big deal.
'I guess it's because these goblins are so massive...and the rumors about the Goblin King don't help.'
With that thought, I took a breath.
-Child, can you handle two at once?
'Yeah, it'll probably be fine.'
I remembered the battles I fought In HSAW, where I had faced the four of them simultaneously. Of course, that was during a game, not real life.
'Still, the number of believers has increased and with the breathing techniques my grandmother taught me..'
Not only that, I didn't neglect my physical training either. So, I should be okay. No, I had to be okay since I had come this far.
The goblin knights roared as they charged.
"Gaaaaaah!"
"Ugggghhh!"
Goblin knights with spears and shields roared at me. I locked eyes with them, gripped my mace tightly, and leaped forward in one swift motion.
During the Infinite Wave, I observed Terdius's movements while killing goblins.
I used my grandmother's Mana Breathing technique during the Infinite Wave and that allowed me to mimic his techniques to some degree.
If I can replicate even a fraction of a knight's moves who's at Terdius's level...
Thump!
I was able to dodge the attacks from the giant goblins.
A massive spear slammed into the floor, causing a dent in the floor.
Then I swung my mace, but the goblin's shield stopped me.
Thwack---!
The shield blocked my strike, but I had already poured my strength into the attack. The seemingly impenetrable shield cracked under the force.
With just one blow.
The goblin knight's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't expected my strength to be that much.
But he immediately followed up with another attack. This time it was a spear.
Clang---!
The spear collided with my club. Just then-
Wheek---Whack---!
Zain's flash-like arrows struck the shield goblin's eyes, taking it down instantly. It collapsed without so much as a scream.
Now, only the spear-wielding goblin remained.
'I definitely feel lighter.'
The Infinite Wave had left me exhausted, but I noticed my regain in energy after the brief rest we had.
So, facing fewer enemies now compared to the Infinite Wave made the fight much easier.
Plus, I had started to internalize Terdius's movements which made my movements seem lighter.
'As Grandmother always said, Terdius relies heavily on his lower body for balance.'
I had thought I understood her teachings fully, but real combat taught me otherwise.
Of course, in front of my grandmother, I'd do as she said, but that wasn't the same as real life.
Watching Terdius in action filled in the gaps in my knowledge.
Seeing and understanding his movements in real life now, I've finally made his techniques my own.
Whoosh---Whack---!
Three more arrows from Zain flew in, striking the remaining goblin's head while they were clashing spears and clubs.
"Keeeek---!"
The goblin let out a chilling scream before collapsing, three arrows lodged in its skull.
"Phew."
I exhaled deeply, lowering my club. Zain approached me.
"Master, you've definitely gotten stronger!"
"Really?"
"Yeah. Did you get some special training at your grandmother's house?" he teased.
I nodded seriously.
"Yeah. I told you, my grandmother was a Sword Master."
"Oh, right. I must've been too tired to remember."
Zain replied, his gaze sincere.
While we talked, the battles on the other side wrapped up.
Terdius stood over his defeated goblin, breathing heavily, while Troy approached us, drenched in sweat.
The difference in strength between Terdius and Troy was painfully clear.
'As expected...'
Troy clearly needed training from his grandmother. While she wasn't naturally gifted in swordsmanship like Troy, her experience on countless battlefields had made her a master of various martial arts.
Even if Troy learned just the basics from her, he would grow significantly stronger than he was now.
'Now, what's left is...'
Crack---
The Goblin King.
The statue encasing the Goblin King began to crack and split.
Psssh---
Pieces of stone crumbled away, revealing the awakening figure within.
"Is that the Goblin King?"
"I can see why so many people didn't make it out alive."
Zain and Troy muttered under their breath.
Terdius looked indifferently, his eyes fixed on the Goblin King.
I too, with my mace tightly gripped, watching the Goblin King as the last remnants of stone fell from the statue to expose the Goblin King's green skin.
"He's old."
"That only means he's survived long enough. Even now he's strong enough that the younger goblin knights can't compare to him."
The Goblin King was indeed older than the other goblins we had faced.
He had a thick white beard and heavily wrinkled skin. Seated on his throne, he gripped an old staff in his right hand.
The staff was adorned with small skulls, matching the macabre necklace he wore around his neck.
Finally, the stone shell peeled away completely. The Goblin King's closed eyes fluttered open, revealing pure white pupils.
"Hmm... It's been a long time since I've seen humans,"
he said, his voice crackling.
When he bared his worn, jagged teeth, his high-pitched, rasping tone made me instinctively frown.
"The monster... speaks?"
Zain said in disbelief.
From beside him, I responded quietly,
"There are monsters with high intelligence too. Like demons."
"I've heard rumors...but I never thought I'd actually see one."
Highly intelligent monsters were said to appear later in the game, often in terrains uninhabitable for humans. For most, they remained the stuff of whispered legends.
"Hmm."
The Goblin King looked at us and then glanced around.
His pure white pupils shook faintly and he then soon broke into a smile.
"You defeated my knights. You're truly impressive human beings."
With that, he struck his staff against the floor.
Thump---
Instantly, the entire audience room shook violently.
"Alright, it's time."
The final battle with the Goblin King had begun.