Chapter 166: Rain, Mud, and Fire (3)

Cavefire wasn’t the only trait that goblins were in danger of losing. I thought of the second trait I needed to work on.

It's probably because they suffered under the Shellmounts’ reign for quite a long time.

Maximum Greed

Grade: B

Effect: Terras’ greed is like an overflowing dam. Perhaps this is caused by their loathing for their own appearance. Terras seek to be recognized for what they own rather than their own selves.

“

Keruk!

I applied warm mud on myself!”

“

Kerrrrrrr!

I’m covered with the luxury mud from upstream!”

The desire for something better and more wonderful, an inferiority complex, and the wish to be recognized—these traits exist in the hearts of all Terras, making them very greedy. Perhaps Terras will covet shiny treasures or capture slaves in the future just to brag about whose slave is prettier.

Terras are greedy, but this is where their potential lies. How their greed will change is up to you.

※This trait may change depending on how history unfolds.

※Warning! Due to long-term oppression, Terras have begun to stand aloof from their desires. Even if they covet something, they have never been able to get what their heart desired because of their slave status, so they gave up on wanting things. If this continues, the trait will be lost.

Hmm.

Greed was a lot like desire. To be greedy for something had negative connotations, but I didn’t think that was the case here.

It's better than being aloof from everything.

The Guardian scratched the back of his head.

—Well, that's what I think too. Desire is like a river. If you build a dam, water will pile up until it eventually overflows. Even if you cover the top to prevent the overflow, it will stagnate and rot someday. Where will the rotten water go? It’ll seep into the ground underneath and eat it away.

The Guardian sounded quite serious.

—Water needs to be free. If they're going to free it anyway, they should go all out so that it’ll flow in one direction. At least, that’s how I think life should be lived.

Your student thinks the same, sir.

—Hey, hey, I’m not your teacher. I never had a student teach others as ignorantly as you.

How do you think a tadpole learns to swim? They learn from another frog. Mr. Sword Emperor, you are my frog, and I am your tadpole.

—You nuthead...

We pondered side by side like the affectionate teacher and student we were.

Now, what should I do to lead Maximum Greed in the best possible direction?

I didn’t have to contemplate for long. Before I could find the answer, or before the Guardian could tell me his thoughts, someone else brought me the answer. Actually, it wasn’t just one person.

“Kekerukker!”

It had been three weeks since the goblins started their journey back home. They had been following me, but they suddenly became distressed and ran toward me.

I turned my head to see what was going on, and that was when Gorke made eye contact with me.

“I see soldiers approaching from behind!

Ker!

”

Soldiers?

I focused aura in my eyes and looked out over the distant horizon. The first thing that caught my eye was a cloud of dust, despite the clear weather. This didn’t occur naturally. It reminded me of when animals ran around in groups.

I enhanced my vision a little more using aura.

Hmm?

There were hundreds of hounds panting and running across the field. Even though they usually moved in groups, hundreds of them didn’t just gather for no reason. As if to prove it, they were carrying something on their back—snails.

“The Shellmounts!”

“The Shellmounts came after us!

Kerrr!

Get into the battle formation! Battle formation!”

“Get the kids in the center of the group! Be careful not to step on them!”

The cavalry—no, the dog cavalry was here.

***

The Shellmounts’ dog cavalry was quick.

“

Lime!

”

“Drive them to the riverside! Keep your distance from them!”

As soon as they saw the goblins’ battle formation, the snails gave up on charging at them. Instead, they encroached on the group slowly, as if cornering their prey, taking in the weak formation of the goblins. If the hounds moved even an inch toward them, the goblins stepped back.

“

Kerrrr... !

”

“Don’t break the formation! Maintain it on all sides!”

The goblins were bigger in number, but many elderly and children were among them. There was no choice but to adopt a formation that protected them.

While the goblins maintained their defense, the snails took an offensive stance using their mobility. They weren’t in a hurry, so they took their time to drive the goblins and me to the riverside.

They’re pretty good,

I thought as I guarded the goblins at the forefront.

They were pretty helpless in Slimepolis, so I thought their army was useless.

—If their army was trash, it would have been impossible for them to rule over the six species. Isn't what happened in that cave a result of all the slaves standing up at the same time?

Well, I guess so. Right now, they’re disciplined.

I had stood at the head of troops several times during the harbor war on the eleventh floor, the one with the Aegim Empire, so I wasn’t a complete stranger to military strategies. Even to me, the snails’ movement was proficient. Moreso, they controlled the speed of their troops' advance by blowing their shell pipes. Sometimes they briefly charged, as if they were going to attack the goblins right away, though they continued to slowly surround the goblins and put pressure on them.

“

Lime!

”

When the goblins were entirely surrounded, the snail who seemed to be the leader approached. The general skillfully rode a much larger hound than those in the dog cavalry. Unlike horsemen, the snails weren’t on saddles or using stirrups. It seemed snail mucus acted as an adhesive.

“You poor earth fungi!” the general yelled. “I’m here to tell you that your slave rebellion has already been subdued! Slimepolis overcame the previous defeat. The twelve cities of my great empire have formed a large army and are pursuing the remaining rebels. This is the proof!”

The general stuck their tentacle into their snail shell and held up something round before hurling it toward the goblins. It was a Skian’s head. But there was more. The general took out the heads of a Fingill, a Puren, a Bloodborn, and a Sylvan.

“Take a good look at them,

Lime!

This is what awaits slaves who dare to rebel against the great Slime Empire! Our anger is strong, so it’ll persevere. This isn’t the first punishment we have meted out, nor will it be our last. Fungi, if you don't want your filthy heads to become bloody stepping stones of the empire, surrender immediately!”

The goblins cowered.

“

Ke, kerr.

”

“The other species have already been subjugated?”

“They’re lying. No way. The reign of Shellmounts has already ended.”

“I don't want to go back to that hell,

ker...”

Hmm. The leader is shaking the goblins’ morale.

—What are you going to do?

I need to expose their bluff.

[1]

I took a step forward, stopping in between my people and the Shellmount general. The goblins stopped whispering and looked at me.

[You have purchased Oracle Message.]

[You have used 20 species points!]

[You now have 50 species points.]

I'm sorry, snails of this world. I’m always one step ahead when it comes to cheating.

I used the item to talk directly to the Shellmount general.

[The White Lion sees through your lies!]

The general was sitting proudly on the hound's back, but their tentacles instinctively twitched. I didn’t know much about Shellmount's physiology, but I could tell that the general was nervous.

What was actually going on was very simple.

There is no way the snails suppressed all the rebels.

If the Shellmounts had won, the Tower would have told me that the overall rebellion had failed and that Terras would go back to being slaves.

But I didn’t get a single message about that.

The conclusion that could be drawn from this was simple. The Shellmount general was threatening the Terras with lies.

Well, I figured it out only because of the Tower system... Might as well use everything at my disposal.

I opened my mouth and took a deep breath, channeling aura into my voice. My lion roar erupted, echoing across the field.

Startled, the hounds squirmed. The snail mucus was an excellent adhesion, so the snails did not fall or slip, but they were spooked.

“H-he’s the god of the fungi...”

“They said false gods descended and brought disaster to the city.”

“The guys at Slimepolis must have committed an unholy act against Lime. Such idiots! To enjoy our god’s blessings, they shouldn’t be lacking in any aspect while worshipping Lime.”

The Shellmounts saw me as an evil god, but an evil god was still a god. Now that they saw the being who was leading the Terras, the Shellmounts lost their momentum and faltered.

Good.

I saw an opportunity to revive Maximum Greed, the trait of Terras.

I had cleared the thirty-first floor, led the slave exodus on the thirty-second floor, and continued the tradition of Cavefire. However, I was yet to receive species points from these feats. I hadn’t brought it up yet, but now wasn’t the time to talk about it.

This should be enough.

[You have purchased Oracle Message.]

[You have used 20 species points!]

[You now have 30 species points.]

I used up the remaining points and purchased another Oracle Message for the Shellmount general.

[The White Lion proposes to have an honorable duel.]

The Shellmount general was shocked. An evil god was talking to them, so the general would inevitably be afraid. Even so, they didn’t refuse. Instead, they hesitantly asked, “

Lime,

by an honorable duel, you mean...”

“

Krrrrr.

”

Actions always spoke louder than words. I turned and trudged toward the goblins, who looked at me with puzzled expressions. I basked in their gazes until I stopped in front of one specific goblin.

Hey, get on.

Gorke’s face darkened. “Ke-Kekerukker, it's a great honor to have you stand in front of me as I’m merely one of your sheep. I hope that your road ahead will be clear.”

I bent my front legs and lowered myself like a toy slide so he could get on my back more easily.

Get on already.

Gorke hiccuped. He looked around, pleading for help. “I-I don’t know why the White Lion is doing this to me. It's really strange. Can you guess what the White Lion wants,

ker?

”

The goblins looked at each other.

“I think he wants you to get on.”

“No matter how I look at it, it seems he’s giving you permission to get on his back.”

Gorke was distressed. He said, “

Kerurub!

How could his followers ride on the White Lion’s back? That’s blasphemy! There must be a different meaning, a meaning that is so sacred that we have no idea how to interpret!”

I also bent down my lower legs, tapping on my waist with my tail.

After contemplating for a while, the goblins once again chimed in with their opinions.

“I really think he's telling you to get on...”

“I get the feeling he'll be very angry if you don't get on...”

“Isn’t it actually more blasphemous to disobey the White Lion’s orders?

Goruk

?”

Gorke was on the verge of tears.

I decided to use up my last points and give Gorke an oracle personally.

[The White Lion says that if you don't get on now, you will be the one who'll get an ass-kicking next.]

In the end, Gorke got on my back, silently shedding tears. Upon seeing him cry, those around him cried out in admiration.

“Look! The White Lion has granted his grace to Gorke, Kirugerub's grandson!”

“He’s so moved that he’s crying!

Gor!

”

“Of course he’s crying! He has a good reason! This honor will last for generations!”

“I envy you!”

Gorke cried a little louder. “

Kerrr...

No, you’re misunderstanding... Kekerukker is not the god you think... He’s more like an older brother... a very bad older brother...”

Of course, Gorke's voice was drowned out by the other goblins’ yelling. After all, he didn’t really have a reason to cry like a baby.

I carried Gorke on my back and delivered him to the Shellmount general, who stared at us with a wave of their tentacle.

“I see. Is this what you meant by an honorable duel? I understand. From what I heard, you fungi did not participate in massacring my kin in Slimepolis.

Lime

, although your fate is to rot in the salt mines, there are some circumstances to ask for a weaker punishment. Maybe this is also Lime’s will.”

The general turned their head and shouted, “Filthy fungi and their god have challenged us to a duel! They are merely slaves who used to crack rock salt with their stone hammers! Ridiculous. Soldiers! Is there no hero in our army who can knock the fungi off their pedestal?”

No one stepped forward.

“I swear on my tentacles that the warrior who wins this duel will live a glorious life! You will have wealth, slaves, and honor! You can ask for anything! Just humble these fungi!”

The Shellmount soldiers chatted among themselves, making quite a fuss.

A moment later, one of them came forward, riding on their hound. “

Laime!

I will take the glory for myself!”

The soldier was riding a truly huge hound. Honestly, I wasn’t sure if I could even call it that. It was too fucking unfair to call a beast the size of a lion and with three pairs of legs a hound. However, it wasn't just the dog's legs that were too many.

“I, the successor of Spiral Four Sword, is here!”

The Shellmount, riding on the many-legged dog, also had more tentacles than the other soldiers. Four, to be exact, each one holding a sword. Every time the soldier swung their tentacles, four swords slashed through the air.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The Shellmounts all exclaimed at the brilliant sword skills on display.

“

Ooooh!

A noble!”

“Wow... So that's the terrifying Spiral Four Sword...”

“He’s worthy of Lime’s sacred blessing!”

I found them funny.

Is it possible that their nobility is determined by how many tentacles they have?

—I guess so.

That's very strange.

—I know. It's so dirty.

[2]

What?

—What?

As the Guardian and I were lamenting the naughtiness of the snail civilization, the Shellmount soldier who was said to be the heir of Spiral Four Sword approached us.

“I’m Saeimslame, a member of the Rekamulime, one of the seven families that rule Valley City, and the successor to the Spiral Four Sword! You, the evil god's servant, state your name!”

Gorke was very frightened by the lengthy self-introduction. “I-I’m Gorke, Kirugerub's grandson.”

“Are you from a priest family?”

“

Kerrr.

The high priest passed away.”

“Are you a noble?”

“Terras don’t have nobles,

keruk...

”

The Shellmount soldier twirled one of their tentacles, probably to scoff at him. “So, you’re a lowly slave. Today I will show you the power of Lime’s love!

Hurrah!

”

The Shellmount charged with their hound, clashing their four swords against each other, creating a cacophony of noise. It seemed like the soldier was trying to destroy Gorke’s mental before the actual fight.

I wondered who would fall victim to such a ridiculous move, but it surely worked on the coward on my back.

“

Ker! Kerrrr

!” Gorke cried out, tightly grabbing my mane. “Why me? Why do I have to go through this,

keruk

! You’re the devil. I knew I was being tricked by the devil!”

“

Krrrrr.

”

Hey, don't worry. Trust me, bro! I’ll make you a hero!

1. Gong-Ja’s previous dialogue and this one is about how 사기(士氣:morale) and 사기(fraud) sound similar. ☜

2. As in sexual. He’s making an inappropriate joke. ☜