Chapter 21: Chapter 20: first… death

Pov-???

Today is another bad hunt.

"Any sightings yet?"

"None."

We're a band of goblins living underground. Hobgoblins to be exact.

Each of us holds greater intelligence than a normal goblin. We can make full sentences and rational decisions when needed to. Some might say that we're a bit smarter than an average human.

Still, the only reason why we are underground is due to an accident our ancestors stumbled upon.

A dungeon materializing. 

It's one of the rarest occurrences in nature. 

Nonetheless, our ancestors saw it and their village accidentally got consumed by it.

This took our village underground.

We still adapted to our surroundings and we were able to survive for 90 years. 90 years on the first floor of the dungeon.

Even then, problems do occur. 

"This is bad. A week with no sightings of monsters."

The hobgoblin beside me nodded.

Monsters that materialized from the dungeon were our main source of diet. My ancestors said that they are made out of aura from the great divine beast that got locked in this dungeon.

I still can't believe that auras can indeed create life. It's unheard of.

"We should go back to the village. We're going too far."

"I agree."

The one beside me is named boro. He's my best friend and now a brother of arms. Furthermore, his pointy ears and super green skin can make a girl faint from love. I envy him for that.

"Anyways, did you hear that Hala is getting married?" Boro dropped a bomb on me.

"Wait… What?!!"

"Yeah, she's beautiful. But like all of the old goblins says, if you want something, others will want it too."

"Sigh."

"Don't worry about that. Look, I'll treat you some rabbits ear once we got home."

Other than the surprising news, the journey was relatively normal. The village should last a whole month without any hunts due to our supply and farms but I doubt we will make any progress. We will die at this rate.

That feeling only grew when suddenly, we felt an earthquake.

We guarded ourselves. I prepared my knife while Boro prepared his bow.

"Is it a stampede?"

"That might explain the absence of the animals."

A stampede is an unnatural phenomenon where animals, or in this case, monsters, are running in the same direction which sometimes causes them to leave their natural habitat.

Even then, the possibility of "it" being a stampede was immediately disproven because Not even a minute later, we saw something in the distance.

At first, we thought it was some kind of an illusion. Monsters who use hypnotism as a defence mechanism do exist to some extent so we were kind of nervous.

But as each second has passed, the more our instincts scream at the incoming danger.

Before we knew it, it was already before us.

"Hey, this might be dangerous-"

Boro wasn't even able to finish his sentence as the mysterious entity passed through his body.

In a single second, the world slowed down.

One of my spells, perception, activated without any command. This is yet another unique attribute warriors of the past can use. 

Activating any spells with pure instinct.

Our ancestors were the ones that taught us this technique. They said they were learned this from an unknown traveller.

Even then, this didn't help me at all. All it did was show me something horrible, something gruesome, something… painful.

It was Boro, standing, with no upper body.

My body cannot move. I froze from shock and fear.

Time began to move normally again.

The entity crashes destroying everything in its path but I paid no attention to that.

"Boro!!!"

Being able to move again, I rushed to Boro's lifeless body.

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Tears began to rapture uncontrollably. 

"Wake up Boro!!!"

I smashed the ground in anger and pain.

"Don't die on me like this!"

We have a promise. Not to die onto each other.

"Are you just gonna leave me?!!"

There were no answers. That is to be expected.

All I could do is cry. The funny, yet serious Boro is now truly gone. I have to accept the reality I'm in.

After a few minutes of grieving, I forcefully composed myself. A hobgoblin should not whimper on the battlefield. 

I gave Boro a proper burial befitting for a hobgoblin and prayed to the sun God. I have to upkeep his honour.

Now then…

I stared at the destruction the entity has made. There was nothing left behind. I feel a sense of dread coming from its direction yet there was only one thing I have in mind.

I'll kill you… even if it means everything…

________________________________

This is indeed a rough landing.

Thankfully, my limbs are still intact.

At the moment, it looks like I caused quite a lot of devastation. My body seems to be on the verge of death so setting up a location here would be wise.

Moreover…

The humanoid I killed… I'm not sure if it was a human or something else. If it were to be a human then I will get in a lot of trouble. 

…

Thinking over it would be a waste of time.

I began setting up my location while laying down and not moving a muscle. My strength has yet to come back and this body won't hold long. Preserving it till the last moment would be ideal.

Hmm, my sense of pain appears to have been messed up as well. Is it because my body was adapting to my current conditions? Or is it because I am used to this much pain? 

It's the same situation with my stamina. Why are they so unnatural? They seem to have been amped up significantly even when I don't train them. Are they connected with my death magic?

All of these questions yet little to no answers.

Before I knew it, the construction of the location is now completed. That's not all, I sense someone coming.

I pretended to be unconscious. Pretending to be dead would be ideal but I cannot hide my heartbeat. I should learn how to do it in the future.

That "someone" then stared at me for a couple of seconds with anger(?) And betrayal(?)

He is the same height and he looks like he knows me. I do not think we have met yet though.

Oh, right. There was an individual like him before. He was giving off the same aura and vibration like the guy I killed. Maybe he didn't die, maybe he can return to life just like me?

My head began to jump To conclusions trying to cover up my past mistakes.

When I decided to stop pretending to be unconscious, he spoke up, ominously, with killing intent.

"I found… you~"

A huge swing came in from the right. It was so fast that I could barely even catch a glimpse of it.

I didn't resist. Instead, I took the blow while muttering a spell under my breath. It was so silent that my face didn't even move.

"Death: tilemetaforas" 

It was nice and calm for a moment. Every thought became clear as if a heavy burden was just lifted.

Death is so nice.

That was my first death at the strongest dungeon in Septem. Being brutally murdered with a knife fueled with revenge.

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