Chapter 202

#### Chapter 202

Named Monster, Gogriad of Greed

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A lone goblin came trembling through the ranks of the blue-eyed undead.

Smaller in stature and more diminutive than the others, it seemed to be an underdeveloped juvenile, still yet to fully mature.

Kerlek, hheheh…

It eventually knelt before me, pressing its body flat against the ground, offering something small held in its hand.

A glittering shard of glass.

As far as I know, goblins have a habit of collecting shiny objects to bring back to their nests. This shard was likely its prized treasure.

Offering a treasure to another, whether monster or human, is generally understood as an expression of goodwill.

Kehh…

Its posture—shoulders slumped, nearly glued to the floor—likely meant it was pleading for its life.

As I was contemplating my next move…

Keehoooh, kehehheh-!

“Th-th-this b*stard just insulted Lord Hassan by calling him an idiot with black hair! This is absolutely unforgivable!! Lord Hassan, please allow me, his loyal right-hand, Paranoi, to execute this insolent creature!!”

Standing beside me, Paranoi was convulsing like he’d just had a seizure.

I could only stammer in confusion:

“What? What did he say?”

“This creature just insulted you, Lord Hassan!! It said something about how you grovel before the strong and bully the weak! Lord Hassan… this monstrosity must not be allowed to live another moment!!”

Paranoi often had these outbursts. His temper was so sensitive that even the lightest touch could set him off at full throttle, roaring like a speeding b*llet.

He also had great magical abilities, making his accelerations extremely short. Sometimes, my own plans couldn’t keep up with his impulsiveness.

“What sort of insult? Did he just call me an idiot?”

Keheheh, kheh!

The young goblin seemed just as confused by the situation.

I wasn’t sure if it understood what was being said, but it clearly flinched in fear at Paranoi’s erratic behavior.

Keeruk, haaukhk. Caksekki.

“Wh-what?! Now this creature is calling you a fool who only beats up weaker beings!! Lord Hassan, you simply cannot spare this monster!!”

Can Paranoi understand goblin speech? Is this creature really insulting me?

No matter how I looked at it, it felt more like Paranoi’s overactive imagination was running wild.

So, ignoring his rant like a starving leopard, I addressed the goblin trembling before me.

“Alright, I’ll accept your gesture. You will be my subordinate.”

Keheheth-!

I took the shard the young goblin was offering. Whether it understood me or not, hope flickered in its red eyes.

But that was brief.

“Of course, your service will be in d*ath.”

I brought down my heavily armored gauntlet on its head, shattering it. The creature, which was already prostrate, twitched in my grasp before going limp.

Kweeeeek-!!

At the sight, the previously raving Paranoi seemed genuinely horrified.

“M-my Lord Hassan… to betray trust and crush hope… how low have you sunk, my Lord…?”

Kehheuuu…

Paranoi watched with awe at the d*ath of this young goblin, as if witnessing the ultimate depravity. But this is standard practice.

From what I’ve learned following Elpride, monsters are always a threat, no matter how small or weak they appear. Therefore, they must be eliminated to avoid future harm.

Ggeek…!

In reality, as the creature’s skull split and bl**d spurted, I noticed another sharp piece of glass clutched tightly in its right hand.

Though crude, if it were used with force, it could easily pierce thin human skin, causing fatal harm.

This little one likely intended to stab me in the neck when I let my guard down.

Maybe Paranoi was right; perhaps this creature was indeed insulting me.

Thinking about it this way, bl**d began to boil in my head.

“Smash them all.”

Gheaaaaaak-!!!

Giiyaaaaaak-!!!

At my anger-laden command, the undead with glowing blue eyes roared, surging into the various holes throughout the cavern. They tore apart the monsters hiding within in a ruthless massacre.

This was no battle. This was pure one-sided slaughter.

The sight was chilling, yet also caused my heart to race with excitement as I realized I was the mastermind behind this chaos.

Where is the king, or leader of these creatures?

While crossing my arms, pondering this, a Bone Goblin approached me and muttered something.

Dal-kak, dal-kak.

I vaguely understood its intention but couldn’t decipher the exact words. As I furrowed my brows, Paranoi, who had been standing beside me with crossed arms, spoke.

“This creature claims to have something to show you, Lord Hassan!”

“Show me? Really?”

Dal-kak.

The Bone Goblin nodded in agreement with Paranoi’s interpretation. I followed the creature through the labyrinth of complex passages carved into the burrow.

How far into the ant-like caverns did we venture?

“This…”

Inside, I found an astonishing scene.

“Oh my!”

There was a woman lying on the ground, bound and blindfolded. She had short blond hair and wore light armor, with a small shield clutched in her hand.

I recognized her from somewhere—she was part of that Iron Tier party, Scorch or something. Her name was… Kass, Kaa… Ka… d*mn, I can’t remember. All these name sounded so similar and greasy-smooth that none ever stuck.

Why is she here?

I was momentarily bewildered but quickly recalled that goblins tend to hide whatever they deem valuable, even captives. This woman must have been treated like a treasure and hidden away, as many residents and lower-tier adventurers had been recorded as kidnapped by goblins.

“Get out of there!”

She seemed unharmed, but her sheer panic was evident.

Even I might panic if I were kidnapped by goblins and left in such a secluded place. So, I understood where she was coming from.

What should I do with her?

It only felt right to return her as a matter of human decency, but at the moment, I was using necromancy to purge the goblins. If she were to witness this, it would undeniably create serious complications.

What to do?

As I pondered, a thought struck me.

“Hotan of Samaria rescues a rookie adventurer and even captures the Goblin King!”

It was a plausible scenario. A story like that would surely claim at least a page in the newspaper.

So, I positioned several Bone Goblins around this Iron Tier girl’s room, sealed it with stones, and turned to Paranoi.

“Paranoi, I have a request for you. If you carry it out well, I might reconsider increasing your share in Hell’s dominion to six percent.”

“Does this mean you will grant me the chance to avenge this insult?”

“Yes.”

“Huuuuuh!!”

Paranoi shook with what seemed like overwhelming gratitude.

Sometimes, overly excited dogs wet themselves. I worried for a moment if Paranoi might do the same, but before I could think further, he asked,

“So, what exactly do you want me to do?”

“Simple. When I give the signal, release her and bring her to me. She should be told that Hotan of Samaria rescued her while currently battling the Goblin King, to ease her fears.”

“So, Lord Hotan is pretending to be the dim-witted, savage warrior, Hotan of Samaria, while showcasing his victory over the Goblin King for show?”

“Yes, something like that. You’ve understood well.”

“Why go through the trouble? Why are you so focused on this false identity, this Samaritan persona?”

Paranoi truly didn’t understand.

He believes my true identity, Hassan, is a false persona, and that the necromancer, son of Pluto, is my true self.

With no time for a long explanation, I decided to respond with something plausible:

“My right-hand man should be able to pick up on this intent. Do you not understand this deeper meaning?”

“Huuhh!!! N-no, not at all, my Lord! Actually… actually, I already understood—!!”

“What is it then?”

“Th-that… Hotan of Samaria, though appearing foolish, is actually… well…”

It sounded like his head was whirring like an old washing machine. If this kept up, he’d likely mess up my orders.

“Ah!! Yes, I’ve understood!! You’re utilizing a heroic guise to manipulate both the light and the dark sides of the world…!”

“Yes, half correct.”

“H-h-half…?”

He blinked in confusion, as if missing something. Honestly, my intent was straightforward—I just wanted to build a reputation.

“Though I, Paranoi, pride myself as the brightest mind among Lord Hassan’s disciples, even I fail to fully grasp half of your intentions. Truly, my Lord Hassan, you are extraordinary….”

Brightest mind among my disciples?

For a moment, I didn’t understand what he meant until I realized—Paranoi considers me a deity. Actually, with Antiopes’ addition, there are only two, and he believes he’s the most brilliant among them!

Isn’t Antiopes smarter? Of course, I didn’t voice this thought, mindful of Paranoi’s feelings.

“In any case, you must follow my instructions carefully, understood?”

“Hmph, there’s no need to worry!”

Paranoi clenched his fists with apparent confidence.

Still, I felt some unease, but the task—rescuing someone and bringing them to me—was quite simple and could be done by anyone.

The final piece was the actor.

I just needed to recruit the Goblin King or whatever.

After defeating him and converting him into one of my undead minions—once I have him resurrected, I will stage a fierce battle in which I triumph against him, creating the perfect spectacle for our audience.

Previously, I had tangled with the party of “Ka…” when practicing with my minions. This would just be on a larger scale now.

“Truly ingenious.”

I couldn’t help but marvel at this excellent plan of mine.

Normally, I feel like my brain is clogged and slow-moving, but when it comes to deception, it spins with frightening speed.

But, have we found the Goblin King or whatever?

“Tallying the efforts of the minions…”

The combat calculations kept popping up as my minions continued their work elsewhere.

Currently, my mission score is +355.

Initially, the score was around 310 when I entered the cave, meaning I’ve killed about 45 goblins within this place alone.

With such a high count, I might as well be titled “Genocide Hassan.” However, we still have no clue about the location of the so-called king hidden somewhere in these caves.

Swoosh, swoosh.

I trailed the paths of slaughter carved by my minions.

The numerous goblin corpses littered the way, making it easy to find the way through the narrow tunnels.

“Rise and fight…”

I didn’t forget to resurrect the fallen corpses. I currently command around 40 goblins.

My so-called “mental energy” may be nearing its limit, or perhaps the air in these underground tunnels is becoming scarce. My head feels a bit fuzzy, yet it’s manageable.

Still, I can’t hold out much longer.

At most, maybe another hour or two.

I must wrap this up before that, or retreat and come back tomorrow.

Retreat.

Ordinarily, it would be an option I’d consider without hesitation, but today, since I came with a firm resolution to accomplish something, retreating seems a bit pathetic.

I will finish this today.

By tomorrow’s newspaper, the name “Hassan” will surely be printed with pride.

“Search. Look for the throne of skulls.”

I instructed the undead minions waiting for my orders, their blue eyes gleaming as they disappeared back into the darkness.

Is this a race against time?

As I was contemplating, a bl**d-curdling scream echoed loudly, chilling my spine. It seemed like one of my minions, but something was off. This time, a scream laced with an entirely different feeling mixed in.

A deeper, male voice.

Not mine, not Paranoi’s, and definitely not the woman adventurer’s. Another male voice emerged from somewhere.

“Did you hear that, Paranoi?”

“Yes, yes, I did!”

Asking the Paranoi following behind me, he confirmed it by nodding. Following the source of the scream, we entered a surprisingly spacious chamber.

Before us lay a lavish scene filled with red linen, velvet, silk, and other unidentifiable fabrics spread across the floor.

Torches and plates lit up the space, highlighting the large chair at its center.

A throne crafted from what appeared to be some unknown creature’s bones.

Sitting atop it, battling my minions with great power—

A massive block of green flesh.

A real, colossal goblin.

The moment I saw him, I couldn’t help but smile with relief.

“Good to see you, buddy. I’ve been waiting to meet you.”

“Who are you?!”

[Author’s Notes]

By the way… Many readers have commented that Hassan’s personality feels like the side of a Kimbap that explodes lately.

But… I, Michul, wanted to show the daily struggles of a man who gains necromancy powers and handles forces beyond his control…!!

Of course, Hassan’s character won’t spiral out of control beyond this point… otherwise, it would lead to character degradation!

A noble spirit must, above all, avoid causing discomfort to the readers.

Through Luna’s affection, Hippolyte’s scolding, and Elfride’s whip, Hassan will receive education.

The story of Hassan—both his exterior and interior growing simultaneously!

And likewise, Michul will continue to evolve and improve…!!!

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