Chapter 205

Chapter 205

Named Monster, Gogriad of Greed

Uuuuk, Uuuuuuk-.

Gogriad, doused with potion, began convulsing like a rat that had eaten poison.

Deldeldel.

The Bone Goblins that were restraining him clattered as they fell, shaking so severely that it was clear his condition was very bad.

“Aaah-!! This is the 14th of the 72 secret arts of Hell, the Breath of d*ath that Shakes-!!”

Gruu, Ju, Breath of d*ath?

“Hassan’s breath is stronger and more terrible than the flames breathed by the Hearth Dragons!”

I feel like I’m going mad!!

I feel the same.

However, without showing any signs of such discomfort, I continued to hold the potion in my mouth and sprayed it towards his face, phooooww-.

Stop it!! I’ll talk!! I’ll tell you everything, so please stop!! My nose feels like it’s rotting!!

The terrible stench of the potion, which until just now had only caused superficial wounds and blows from a cudgel that could not break his resolve, caused Gogriad to start struggling.

What a hellish smell! It’s absolutely hellish!!

Luna’s potions were indeed dreadful.

Even in a world where Mente Jelly Pie is sold, Luna’s potion one-shots were only tolerable by me who had grown accustomed to Health Center elixirs.

Paranoi would discreetly throw Luna’s potions into the yard every time she received one from her.

Hyeeu, Lady Luna, I apologize…

When I saw this, I did feel quite annoyed, but I understood. The sweet-loving Paranoi would likely consider such a terrible potion no different from poison.

The effect was quite good, so swallowing it despite the taste was beneficial for the body.

Even so, the smell lingering in the mouth for days, which could only be washed away with Mente oil brushing, was truly awful and torturous.

Perhaps Luna’s unusual attention to cleanliness stems from fear of her body absorbing the smell of the potion?

“Well, are you ready to talk?”

Please, please let me speak. Stop it, my nose feels like it’s rotting!!

This creature, who had previously shown no sign of yielding to physical pain, was now reacting sensitively to the smell of the potion. People, like monsters, each have their own fears and aversions.

In any case, it was fortunate that the creature decided to open its mouth.

Pong.

I opened the cork of the wooden flask at my waist. This was the stamina potion Luna had handed me, saying, “Hassan, it’s good for your body, so take it after lunch!”

It was something I would drink after training that left me unable to move a finger, by tightly closing my eyes and swallowing one by one.

And now it is being used here.

“If you don’t answer honestly, I’ll pour all of this right into your mouth.”

I understand, I understand. Please stop and close the lid. It feels like my stomach is turning inside out!! What, what is in here? Some sort of goblin repellent? Why on earth would you put such a thing in there?

His reaction, filled with fear and repulsion, seemed genuine, leaving no room for doubt.

Still, disliking Luna’s potions this much felt somewhat annoying on its own.

In a way, it was fortunate that Paranoi was here instead of Luna. Even monsters can be sensitive; if someone had treated her hard work like this, the gentle Luna might well have become upset.

In any case, I had received help thanks to Luna’s concern for my health. If things went well, I would have to bring some delicious meat and cook it for her later.

Now, where should I start asking questions?

I prioritized my questions.

First and foremost, I needed information about this creature’s superior, Mezaire, the Lord of Hell, who was mentioned earlier.

For some reason, I sensed that this creature might be part of the same group targeting Luna.

It would be good to outline the enemies cloaked in clouds to some extent.

“Tell me about your master, Mezaire.”

Gr, Me, Lady Mezaire… She is the leader of the Green Skins… The pioneer of Greed… All green-skinned ones serve and worship her.

“And where is this guy?”

Of course, she resides at the center of the Burning Hell, Tartarus. But soon, she will ascend beyond the boundaries of this earth. The offerings are almost all prepared.

Gogriad laughed, phuhhh-.

Offerings.

A god from Hell.

An intermediary body is necessary for descent into the mortal world, it seems.

Upon reflection, Moros, Luna’s brother, also temporarily appeared in this world by borrowing the body of a fallen Titan’s descendant.

Luna’s mother, Nox, could only speak through Luna’s body for a brief moment.

Even in her recent appearance, Nox had mentioned she could barely maintain that form for 10 minutes. Additionally, other gods were similarly limited.

They had all left swiftly, as if unable to stay too long in this world.

“Why is an offering necessary?”

Slick.

I thrust the potion vial close to his face, signaling that answering truthfully was in his interest. His already ugly face contorted even more hideously.

“Why is an offering needed to reveal oneself in the world?”

Gogriad smiled while wrinkling his brow in response to my question.

Krheeu, Heh, well, anything that originates in Hell, or returns to Hell, is eternally bound to Hell.

Anything bound to Hell cannot escape.

It felt as if there were some rule or law I was unaware of.

No one can simply escape Hell, not even Pluto. To deceive the rule, an offering is required. Hence…

His squinted eyes swept over me.

It’s clear that you’re not Pluto’s son. A prince born in the Underworld simply cannot walk around in a form like a human. Stupid Pluto’s followers believe hollow prophecies about the prince’s descent to this earth, don’t they? In fact, they know best that this is impossible.

“Is that so?”

If you are the prince of the Underworld, you should be more bound to the Underworld than anyone. You would likely be unable to escape from the depths of Tartarus. Ignorant Pluto followers blindly hope for his descent into this world, believing empty prophecies. The truth is, they know it’s impossible.

Slick.

His deeply wrinkled green eyes finally turned toward Paranoi.

Isn’t that right, female nymph? Aren’t you a follower of Pluto? Or, perhaps a Cultist now suits you better. Cultist nymph. Warrior who uses the forbidden necromancy now. No matter how much you lie, the truth cannot be concealed. You are declining.

“D, shut up, you piece of filth!! Hassan is omnipotent…!! A set of laws from Hades and Hypos’ high mountain cannot bind Hassan…!!”

That’s why you’re only treated as a Cultist. See the truth clearly. Pluto’s era has ended. Even the goblins cowering in the underground know that.

“Gruu…!!”

Paranoi growled, unable to retort despite being clearly angry. I placed my hand on her head to calm her down.

“Hassan sir, this creature is blaspheming against your divinity. He should be punished! There is no reason to lend our ears to such heresy…”

“Not so, let him explain further.”

Mm, you’ll soon find out yourself. Before long, even Jupiter, who proudly reigns above the heavens, will be pulled down to the ground. All rules of heaven and earth will change.

Jupiter.

As I understood it, Jupiter was the absolute ruler who governed the world.

If there is truly an all-powerful being in this world, then that being is Jupiter, the king of the gods. Honestly, it was difficult to grasp just how vast and powerful such an entity must be.

Honestly, the concept of pulling such a powerful being down to the mortal world didn’t seem plausible to me.

I wasn’t particularly knowledgeable about the world’s faiths, but even to me, the story the goblin was telling seemed filled with blasphemous claims.

Besides, you talk quite well. Are you some kind of Super Goblin?

I mentally adjusted my estimate of the goblin’s intelligence upward and asked,

“Pulling down Jupiter, is such a thing even possible?”

Why wouldn’t it be? There is no eternal ruler. Strange warrior, are you aware of the age of Saturn that preceded Jupiter?

“Saturn? The god who ruled the skies before Jupiter?”

Yes, now he is merely a name whispered in tales yet was once an absolute ruler. And before Saturn’s time was the age of the Sky and Earth. The age of the ancient gods—

Gogriad shivered slightly.

It was not out of fear or pain, but rather like the ecstasy experienced by someone lost in delusion.

Mother Earth bore the Gigas alongside the abyss. Even Jupiter cannot resist the emergence of this new order.

“So, it’s this Mezaire fellow and others?”

Yes, he and his six siblings.

Soon, Gogriad burst into a laugh that shook the entire cave, khrhkhkhh—.

The future world belongs to the children of the abyss. It’s the age of the Gigantes. When they rule the world, us, the offspring of the abyss, will be the dominators of the world!

“So, I understand somewhat.”

Ancient gods.

While studying about Luna, specifically her mother Nox, I had come across information about these ancient gods.

Earth. Night. Darkness. Abyss. Love.

It was said that the world was created from chaos and these five elements.

These elements, having consciousness, came to call themselves gods—thus giving rise to the primordial gods, the Protogenoi.

Although they disappeared into the myths and histories at some point, rendering their very existence uncertain, they were once considered powerful gods who participated in the creation of the world.

My understanding was that some among them wanted to overturn the world they themselves had created.

“Isn’t there a way to stop it?”

Har. In the age of long silence. With the glory of lofty Hypos falling to the ground today, no one can stop the new order. If anyone could, it would be the children of Night and Darkness, equal in rank.

Immediately, the image that came to my mind was a girl with pink braided hair, Luna. This creature spoke about Luna.

There is a famous story among the monsters about hiding their daughter somewhere in this world. If they capture her before she fully matures and take her power, it would be sufficient to stop her.

“Take her power?”

It means killing her! Ensuring she cannot even enter the Underworld—a complete annihilation!

If they were talking about killing Luna…

“You piece of filth-!”

In my anger, I couldn’t help but swing the cudgel I held in my hand with all my might at his head.

Gyek-!

With that, the creature’s head shattered, and he met his end instantly.

At this sight, Paranoi ecstatically cheered,

“Indeed, a magnificent strike was delivered-!!”

“Svael.”

Though there was more I wanted to ask, the mention of harming Luna made it impossible to contain my fury.

Luna, despite her unusual aspects and unique sense, is just a normal girl.

She loves eating delicious things and likes to be acknowledged for her work.

She diligently works hard, sweating away as her potions sell well.

Just thinking about her being dragged into meaningless squabbles among the gods and falling made me extremely angry.

Now, I understand why one must become at least a Gold Tier hero to marry Luna.

It wasn’t merely about qualification but the ability to overcome together any trials that come her way.

In any case, with everything I needed to ask now learned, it didn’t matter if the goblin died. I didn’t want to stay in this fetid dungeon any longer.

“Paranoi.”

“Ye, yes-!”

“Go and bring the adventurer we’ve detained. I’ll show them how we took down this creature. It’s important, so make sure you do it well. If you succeed, I’ll raise your stake to 6 percent.”

“G, Yes, I-I accept it-!! This is entrusted to me-!!”

With an expectant quiver, Paranoi dashed off from my side.

After sensing her presence had disappeared in the distance, I finally calmed my heavy breathing and shoulders.

“Huff.”

In any case, I think I’ve gathered all the necessary information.

It is now sufficient to escape from this deep pit.

Should I resurrect this enormous goblin into an undead?

With that thought, just as I opened my mouth to him,

Useless. Fellow. To d*e this. Way. Even though. He regularly. Offered me. tribute. The compatibility. For possession. Was good too.

The cold corpse that was stiffening began to utter an eerie voice. It was as if a marionette had begun to speak.

The greasy, muffled voice from earlier had vanished, replaced by a thick, majestic male voice that sporadically erupted from the creature’s mouth.

“What, svael? Are you this Mezaire fellow?”

Yes. Mezaire of Greed. But you there. Necromancer. Even if this fellow is useless. He’s my offering. I cannot part with him. Therefore, I will detonate. The mana wards I’ve placed.

Gururur, Gururur-.

As the creature’s words ended, the already gigantic goblin body began to swell larger and larger.

It expanded like a sponge absorbing water until it broke free of the Bone Goblins holding him down.

Exactly what is going on?

One thing was clear—if this continued to expand, it would eventually go “bang” and explode. And that explosion would undoubtedly be harmful to me.

Like this, destroy. Everything around. Evidence will be erased. This fellow. Talked too much. Erasing everything is easier.

“What the svael-!?”

The whole vicinity will be wiped out? Then both I and Paranoi could d*e.

“Lady Nox-!”

‘The task value of 10 has been consumed.’

‘Current task value + 345’

As soon as I invoked Nox’s name, black shadows began to stick to my body, forming protective armor similar to a suit of armor.

As I understand it, The Grace of Night Armor envelops the body in darkness, significantly increasing protective power.

Nox’s-. Paladin-!?

“Hold it down, suppress!”

I commanded the blue-eyeshine creatures surrounding me.

Promptly, more than fifty Skeleton Goblins rushed toward the increasingly swollen Gogriad, clinging to him.

Although unclear exactly why, I thought doing this might somewhat reduce the force of the explosion.

Whatever you planned. It’s too late! Burst. Along with. Me!

And then,

Soon,

A colossal roar echoed throughout the mine.

!!

‘The Grace of Night Armor consumed +10 task value to block a critical strike.’

[Author’s Afterword]

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