Free Web NovelChapter 16: Crimson Goblin Village
"H—How?" the Crimson Goblin King Shaman stuttered as it looked up at Arc’s looming figure.
It was simple; Arc had managed to leave three scratches from the Cerberus’ Cursed Fang on the Crimson Goblin King Shaman before it could retreat. Those three simultaneous strike effects stacked and were all he needed to activate the first passive skill of Cerberus’ Cursed Fang.
▸ Threefold Hunger
Each successful hit applies a stack of Hellmark (max 3 per target).
1 Stack: Bleed (2% max HP/sec for 5s)
2 Stacks: Fear (minor—reduces target defense by 15%)
3 Stacks: Judgment Triggered (see active effect)
His strikes had been too fast for the Crimson Goblin King Shaman’s brain to register, so much so that even the system had to delay the effects to process the one-shot kill, and Arc simply dropped his lines knowing what came next.
He didn’t bother giving the Crimson Goblin King Shaman this explanation and simply walked up to it, grabbed it by the scalp, and hauled it up so the goblin’s eyes would be fixed on him—the face of the man who killed it. Then he swiped the dagger across its neck in one swift motion.
The Crimson Goblin King Shaman could only watch as it became airborne, its view spiraling in circles before its decapitated head bounced off the ground and rolled to a stop.
[You have killed Lv29 Crimson Goblin King Shaman] ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
[You have leveled up! | Lv18]
[You have leveled up! | Lv19]
Arc didn’t stop to celebrate his victory, but turned toward the Crimson Goblin warriors, who had frozen in place as they stared at him in abject horror. Just as they had arrived, their weapons clattered to the ground one after another before they turned to flee.
"Leaving so soon."
They hadn’t taken three steps in the opposite direction when they were blinded by the light reflecting off a blade as it cut through the front lines, painting the scene in blood and gore as tens of Crimson Goblins fell.
Watching the back of the devil clutching the obsidian blade that radiated unmasked bloodlust, the goblins visibly trembled in fear. Only now did it seem to dawn on them—the alarming number of dead bodies belonging to their kind, including that of their newly crowned king.
"If any of you wish to survive, pick up a sword... and kill yourselves," Arc’s icy tone sent chills running down their spines, but he was already walking away. "Only one of you gets to live, or I can kill you all right here and now.
"Make your choice."
With that, Arc’s figure disappeared into the forest, but the weight of his words bore down on their shoulders.
One might think the Crimson Goblins would take the opportunity to flee, but in Arc’s opinion, they were low-intelligence creatures. After witnessing his speed and sheer strength, their minds would be too clouded by fear to take that risk when there was an opportunity for survival.
They hadn’t remained still because they didn’t want to fight—they were waiting for someone else to make the first move. Because they all knew the one to strike first would likely die first, and their goal was to be the last one standing.
It didn’t take long for a goblin to launch a successful sneak attack on its neighbor, and capitalizing on that moment, the smarter ones rushed for their weapons and began slaughtering any goblin that came near them.
In the end, this... is absolute strength.
[DOMINATOR TALENT TRIGGERED...]
Arc traced the tracks of the Crimson Goblins back to their not-so-small village in a large clearing, and contrary to what he expected to find, it wasn’t deserted.
He walked through the streets of the village, occupied by the tribe’s women and children. They quickly scampered to the safety of their huts upon spotting the intruder all alone, without a single scratch—while their warriors were nowhere in sight.
Arc didn’t bother laying waste to the village; he would leave that part to the party when they finally made their way up there. His focus now was solely on the Authority Devil, which might be hiding anywhere on the island, though the most likely place would be in the boss room. And that was where he headed—to the above-average manor sitting at the center of the rudimentary village.
A young male goblin suddenly ran across the street ahead of Arc, pulling a younger female goblin behind him. She tripped and came crashing to the ground right in Arc’s path.
The male goblin, who lost his sister’s grip as she fell, quickly turned back to look at Arc, terror written all over his expression. He hesitated for a brief moment, deliberating whether he had the chance to pull his sister up and away in time before the intruder—whose bloodlust was barely restrained—reached her.
He quickly realized there was no time, seeing Arc only a few deliberate steps away from crushing his sister, who was frozen in terror on the ground beneath his heels. And so, he made a last-minute decision. He chose to run back for his sister instead of saving himself and stood facing the intruder, blocking her behind him with his arms spread apart.
The entire tribe seemed to freeze upon witnessing the little one’s bravery as he stood up for his sister. They all watched intently, their breath caught in their chests, wondering how the event would unfold—and whether his bravery might be the thing that saved their tribe that very day.
"Stop," the goblin spoke in the [Universal Language], his expression hardened as he stared at the intruder. Arc’s steps didn’t falter for a moment as he bore down on him with his sheer height, his face obscured in shadows cast by the sun overhead.
"I shall not let you get any closer to my—" the goblin began confidently, standing his ground to show his tribe he wasn’t afraid of this monster.
When suddenly, he felt the weight of gravity shift, watching in silent confusion as his own lower half—severed perfectly at the waist—slumped into the dirt while his upper torso remained suspended in the air for a fraction of a second.
The intruder, his face devoid of emotion, calmly stepped on his body, then onto that of his sister, crossing to the other side as though it were nothing.
"W... W—What?"
That was the only word that escaped the young goblin’s throat as he watched his sister scream in pain and vomit blood from being used as a stepping stone.
He watched her turn her head to look back at him, her eyes growing hazy as a single tear rolled down her cheek.
’Coco... no,’
But there was nothing he could do, because he was already dead.
