*crunch* *crunch* *chew*
At the corner of a dimly lit cavern, a grotesque humongous goblin tears into the flesh of meat pulp, its leathery green skin covered in boils and warts. Bits of skin and sinew stuck to its jagged teeth as its yellow eyes gleamed with savage delight. Nearby, mountains of bones lay scattered, remnants of previous feasts.
The goblin catches of glimpse of treasure in his eyes, a crown and many jewelleries, the favourites of goblins. Yet, it feels nothing, it simply wants to devour more and more living beings. This goblin is strong enough to retain small remnants of rationality and it remembers his role in this small kingdom, it is the strongest, it is The King.
The King knows something is wrong. Its subordinate goblins' very being of existence is overtaken by an unknown euphoria, each filled with madness. It's too late.
The King wonders what went wrong. It simply wanted to alleviate its race, stop the condescending gazes, and reign with pride. If only that "human" didn't appear and offer a bewitching deal.
No...The King realises it was his greed that accepted the devil's deal.
!!!!
Every goblin in the nest smells the scent of living "prey" right at their doorstep. Madness red fills their eyes as they rush towards the smell of certain death with little regard for their life.
The King clenches its fist in an attempt to retain his mind. Its body trembles as devils whisper sweet promises of indulgence with every passing second. Beads of sweat form on its forehead.
"No...I can't..." The Goblin King mumbles.
It realises the only true salvation may be death. Alas, it is no use. The King can only pray the visitor takes its life as it succumbs to the abyss.
========================
Bones and flesh resembling humans and feral creatures. Patches of clothing leave behind tales of identity and horrors. Some seem to be unfortunate travellers or merchants while others are warriors. Among the piles must be the missing villagers.
Morja, how strong do you think a person will be if they absorb everything here?
"At the very least, two realms above yours," Morja replies.
Each realm is divided into four stages, each stage requiring energy of approximately twice the amount of the previous.
A moment later, the sounds of footsteps ring in my ear. Many footsteps.
They bash into the large cavern to meet my sword at their neck, contributing to the corpses in the room.
*PSSSH!!*
Blood fills the area, stimulating the senses of the crazed.
The goblins appear and attack from all directions, some even lurking in the shadows. I place my feet firmly on the ground and spin my body, cutting through chunks of green torso and limbs. They may be faster and stronger than an ordinary goblin but are predictable mere beasts.
My afterimage appears at every goblin, slashing their body into bursting red. Two goblins attempt to throw daggers, I grab and return the delivery, stabbing through both heads.
"Haah..." I stop and think of my next move.
I'm alone and I neither know how big the nest is nor the strength of my opponents. I can leave and report for reinforcements but the truth may be buried forever.
I take a step outside and the route outside seems to be different from what I remember.
...
"Space altering magic. A silent security mechanism in ancient dungeons that was used to chase intruders away. In this case, it seems to entrap you," Morja says.
The residue mana in the atmosphere haphazardly fluctuates.
The narrow pathway is now a stretching cathedral-like hallway with its ceiling arching high above.
The demonic mana is thicker here; The stalactites drip red and black substance sounding the occasional trickle of unknown dangers.
Suddenly, I detect many monsters near me. I look back to find a more robust and taller greyish-green creature than its goblin counterpart. A hobgoblin, its attire made up of ragged fabric and a patched tunic, bearing battle scars of experience and strength. Wielding a giant sword, a red murderous aura slips out uncontrollably.
"KEKEKAKEKKEKEKEK!!"
A sea of goblins rush past the hobgoblin, their relentless advance akin to a tumultuous tide crashing upon me. Each salivating uncontrollably about the human they just met. On the other end of the terrain, another battalion of goblins cut off my escape route.
I pull back my sword and leap to the ceiling, throwing twirling energy as my body spins with my blade. Retribution descends. The falling stalactites rapidly massacre the sea of goblins, each stab vomiting blood and meat. I spring off one falling rock as the hobgoblin jumps, unleashing an incredible collision of blue and red aura.
*CHINNNNNG!!*
Masked by the screams of pain, a resounding clash resonated mid-air and cyclones of aura burst. The cave trembles in awe from the fight.
The force sends both the creature and me in opposite directions.
Once our feet touch the ground, the hobgoblin jumps in, ignorant of the environment as it swings its sword. The chunk of metal cuts through the rocks, radiating tremors throughout and collapsing the foundation of the cavern. Rocks fall with death to every unfortunate soul beneath.
My first instinct is to dodge such a slow and destructive attack yet I stand my ground. I take a deep breath and receive the strike.
*BOOOOOOOOOMMMMM!!!!*
The collision of extreme power erupts into a cataclysmic tempest of ethereal energy, reverberating through the underground confine. The emerging shockwave blasts the crumbling rocks into ashes, building a sphere around the two powerhouses.
The hobgoblin, despite its diminished consciousness, widens its eyes in surprise. The aura around my body gleams in perfection, a form surpassing a human's capability. With raw strength, I deflect the blade away and send a thrust with all my might, decimating the head.
The body falls motionless to the ground.
"Huff huff huff..."
Beyond me lies piles of rock collapsed. I look back to see the remaining goblins trembling in fear and confusion, their madness overwhelmed by survival instinct. But they don't move or run, simply stand there.
...
My blade ends their misery.
I gaze around me. One slight disruption and the entire place will cave in; A miracle the other end of the passage stays intact.
I walk to a rock and rest. My hands tremble, not from fatigue, but from adrenaline.
Ever since my battle with Mina, I was curious if I really achieved the Master Realm or if it was merely due to my attributes, epiphany, and luck.
My gaze goes to my sword. I won the fight with pure strength and aura, displaying the gauge of my true power.
Truly...
I've achieved my life dream...
...
I rest my head against the pommel, blade plunged into the ground.
YOU ARE READING
A Background Character's Fate
Fantasy"In war, commoners are the victims in victory or defeat." Struck by poverty amidst a long and devastating war, an ordinary mercenary dies among the countless corpses on a snowy battlefield. Yet by a stroke of luck, he regressed to his younger self...
