Chapter 22. Goblin Kingdom (4)
<Divine Revelation> ▶ Objective: Suppress the Goblin Lord, Jingkwak (*cannot be killed) ▶ Reward: <Pendant Soaked in Blood>
The Constellation <Crimson Hair>.
The objective she proposed in the revelation now stood before him.
‘A Pendant Soaked in Blood.’
Just like the one obtained in the tutorial zone, the term “soaked in blood” was part of its name.
That could only mean one thing.
This item, too, was not just any ordinary item—it was a Divine Relic.
[Several Constellations are astonished by the reward presented.]
[The Constellation <Eternal Flame> is shocked that she would offer such an item.]
[The Constellation <Grand Duke of Gluttony> widens his eyes in disbelief.]
‘Still, it’s of no real use to me.’
A Divine Relic.
A priceless item imbued with the power of the Constellations—something beyond any ranking.
But only Apostles or followers of the Constellations could use them.
Of course, in Lee Jin-hyuk’s case, he could utilize them to some extent with the skill <Stellar Archive>.
But he had already acquired <Blood Frenzy>, a skill of <Crimson Hair>.
There was no profit in acting solely for the sake of that relic.
“I’m not sure what kind of item it is.”
Of course he knew, but he pretended not to.
[The Constellation <Serpent That Encircles the World> issues a new Divine Revelation.]
<Divine Revelation> ▶ Objective: Escape from Goblin Lord Jingkwak and survive. ▶ Reward: <Ancient Sea Dragon Scales> x3
Was this because she truly believed there was no chance of winning?
Jörmungandr, the Serpent, was now urging him to run away—offering even a reward to do so.
[The Constellation <Eternal Flame> adds a reward to the Serpent’s revelation.]
[The Constellation <King of Muspel> adds a reward to <Crimson Hair>’s revelation.]
[Several Constellations begin adding rewards to their preferred objectives.]
[The Constellation <Flame That Killed the Mother Goddess> clicks her tongue, convinced it’s impossible this time.]
[The Constellation <Birthking of Neutralization> insists that ‘Lee Jin-hyuk’ is someone who has defied impossibilities before—and can do so again.]
‘Do they trust me?’
Constellations act based on their own values and entertainment.
He understood both sides.
[The Constellation <Golden Smile> scolds the others for pushing him into a reckless challenge that might get him killed.]
Led by Jörmungandr, some Constellations valued Lee Jin-hyuk’s life above all.
Their main point: if he died here, there would be no more thrilling content in the future.
Even among Constellations who had watched Tower players for thousands—or even tens of thousands—of years, none compared to Lee Jin-hyuk.
[The Constellation <Grand Duke of Gluttony> argues that if it’s him, he could devour the world—let him fight.]
Those on the opposing side believed in Lee Jin-hyuk’s capabilities.
Judging by his performance so far, even if he couldn’t match a Lord yet, he surely had a plan.
Besides, this entire situation was a stage Jin-hyuk himself had set.
Hadn’t he always achieved record-breaking feats in his own crafted scenarios?
“Hm.”
After glancing at the revelation window for a moment, Jin-hyuk smirked.
“In that case, I suppose I’ll run for now.”
[The Constellation <Crimson Hair> rises to her feet in shock.]
“Why the surprise? I’m just retreating because I think I’ll lose if I fight now.”
[Many Constellations respect your decision.]
[Several Constellations mock you, asking if you’ve gotten scared.]
[The Constellation <Crimson Hair> falls into contemplation.]
<Crimson Hair> clearly wanted him to fight right here, right now.
Jin-hyuk more or less understood why.
‘Considering Jingkwak’s abilities, it’s obvious.’
Before regression, Jin-hyuk had fought Jingkwak during the 5th floor trial.
He knew what the Goblin Lord was capable of.
When he was at his strongest.
[The Constellation <Crimson Hair> proposes to you and the other Constellations:]
[Combine all rewards from both Divine Revelations—the one for Lee Jin-hyuk and the one for Goblin Lord Jingkwak.]
[All rewards will be granted to the victor.]
“……!”
“……?”
In that moment, Jin-hyuk and Jingkwak’s eyes met from a distance.
‘That sly bastard.’
Apparently, Jingkwak had received a revelation too.
That explained why he hadn’t attacked yet.
His actions always followed what would benefit him the most.
Like Jin-hyuk, he had been weighing which revelation would bring him more profit.
[The Constellation <Crimson Hair> asks if you accept her proposal.]
[Constellations who issued the revelations hesitate.]
“Constellations.”
Jin-hyuk raised <Scale Breaker> from his waist and smiled.
“Please trust me.”
[The Constellations who issued revelations fix their gaze on you.]
[The Constellation <Crimson Hair> agrees to her own proposal.]
[The Constellation <Serpent That Encircles the World> agrees after some thought.]
[Goblin Lord Jingkwak accepts <Crimson Hair>’s proposal.]
“Your guts didn’t just swell, they exploded.”
Upon learning that Jin-hyuk had accepted, Jingkwak let out a cackling laugh.
“You want to go one-on-one with a Lord like me?”
“Did you forget that you surrendered unconditionally to me in the tutorial zone?”
“That was then. But now—”
Jingkwak drove his golden sword into the ground.
“I am the Goblin Lord.”
Whoooosh—!
[The Constellation <Crimson Hair> forms a barrier.]
[Everyone except the two targets of the Divine Revelations is expelled.]
“What the—!”
“Party Leader!”
“……Jin-hyuk-nim!”
Before they could fully grasp the situation, Jin-hyuk’s party members were expelled outside the village.
Even Jingkwak’s goblin forces were no exception.
Boom……!
All expelled by the Constellation’s power, unable to interfere.
All they could do was watch the two from beyond the red barrier.
“Lee Jin-hyuk.”
“……”
“I know you’ve got some means of control.”
“You mean the one that controls goblins?”
“Yes. I don’t know how you got it, but……”
Click.
“If you surrender now and hand it over, I might just let you go.”
Boom—!
[*Warning! Goblin ‘Lord’ activates ‘Fear’.]
[Players lower-leveled than the Goblin Lord fall under <Status Ailment: Terror>.]
[All stats drop by 40%, and movement is severely slowed.]
Just like before, a dark aura rose from Jingkwak’s body.
[Several Constellations fix their eyes on you.]
‘He’s definitely stronger now.’
He really is a Lord. The difference in level is obvious now.
A novice couldn’t withstand a Lord-class monster’s Fear.
Simply facing one could bring you to your knees—or worse.
[Skill <Indomitable Will> negates all status ailments.]
But Jin-hyuk was unaffected.
“Let me go? Let me go, huh…”
“W-What?”
Jingkwak was momentarily taken aback by how composed Jin-hyuk remained.
But only for a moment.
Rrrumble…!
Jingkwak began his assault in earnest.
<Golden Armament>
Clank… Crack!
The golden sword embedded in the ground reassembled into golden pistols, one in each of Jingkwak’s hands.
“What is that?”
“……I’ve never seen such a weapon.”
“That’s…”
Outside the barrier, the party members muttered.
“It’s called a gun.”
“A gun?”
“Yes. A weapon that uses gunpowder to fire bullets.”
“He’s firing with both hands… Is that possible?”
“Yes, with pistols, it’s doable.”
Though explaining, Reni herself was clearly astonished.
She had only studied firearms in theory—this was her first time seeing one in action.
‘Just what is that goblin…’
Bang!
Golden pistols emitted bright flashes and loud blasts.
To the eyes of novice players, the bullets moved too fast to follow.
“It’s begun!”
“As expected of the Lord!”
“No one’s survived after getting hit by that staff of terror!”
The other goblins shrieked with excitement—Jingkwak had clearly used this tactic many times before.
Fwoosh—Thud!
[The Constellation <Birthking of Neutralization> marvels at a goblin using gunpowder.]
[The Constellation <Serpent That Encircles the World> scoffs—such things are nothing to worry about.]
But despite the speed, Jin-hyuk dodged every bullet.
“Damn you…!”
“……”
Dodging bullets was simple for Jin-hyuk.
Bullets, unlike arrows, don’t curve.
They fly straight in the direction the barrel points.
So, by observing the gun’s direction, dodging was entirely possible.
Bang! Bang!
And with this knowledge, Jin-hyuk easily avoided Jingkwak’s attacks.
“You slippery little rat!”
[The Constellation <Birthking of Neutralization> is impressed by your agility.]
[The Constellation <King of Muspel> questions whether this opponent is even a true Lord, given how useless his simple weapons are.]
‘This can’t be all he’s got.’
[Skill <Dragon’s Gaze> activated.]
With the eyes of a dragon, Jin-hyuk closed the distance while dodging bullets.
[Item <Sylphhide Boots> generates a faint breeze.]
[Skill <Air Boost> activated.]
Even midair, he could shift direction thanks to his skill and gear.
“Kuh…!”
Seeing Jin-hyuk dodging better than expected, Jingkwak lunged forward.
Crunch!
Now a true Lord, Jingkwak avoided <Scale Breaker> while continuing to fire.
“Is this all you’ve got? Silly tricks?”
[Skill <Sacred Flame Dragon> activated.]
Flaming wings unfurled behind Jin-hyuk.
Flames engulfed the area—cutting off Jingkwak’s escape.
“You damned bastard…”
Jingkwak clenched his teeth.
Fortunately, his <Eternal Flame> cloak reduced the damage somewhat.
But he was clearly flustered by Jin-hyuk’s unexpectedly powerful display.
“How can a mere novice possess such power?”
Crunch!
His escape blocked, their eyes met—
Slash.
A white line traced across one of Jingkwak’s pistols.
The golden gun shattered.
Blood trickled from one of Jingkwak’s ears.
“I didn’t want to resort to this…!”
Was it the sight of his own blood that set him off?
Jingkwak pulled something from his waist and tossed it to the ground.
“……!”
Jin-hyuk was thrown all the way to the edge of the barrier.
Crack—!
Thanks to his scaled armor, he avoided major injury, but the shock was intense.
‘Same strategy as before.’
Jin-hyuk’s eyes gleamed as he scanned the surroundings.
Hssssss—!
Jingkwak’s sole smoke grenade.
A combo tactic: knock the enemy away and obscure vision.
But Jin-hyuk’s <Dragon’s Gaze> could still see everything.
He saw Jingkwak pressing a red button.
Rrrumble…!
The ground beneath Jin-hyuk’s feet began to tremble—like an earthquake.
[The Constellation <Eternal Flame> gapes at the unfolding scene.]
[The Constellation <King of Muspel> is amazed—so this is how Jingkwak became a Lord?]
[The Constellation <Grand Duke of Gluttony>’s eyes sparkle.]
From the cracking earth emerged a massive mechanical device—
Armed with crossbows, machine guns, cannons—it had everything.
“Brace yourself.”
From under his cloak, Jingkwak pulled out a golden gatling gun, gritting his teeth.
“At least one of your limbs…”
Click.
“…won’t be usable when I’m done.”
And with that, the entire goblin village shook with the roar of battle.
