Part Eighteen – A Brief Intermission

“Oh shit! It’s back!”

“Grrrr?”

Come on you stupid humans, just move!

She had been trying to get through here for over a week, but the humans blocking the path wouldn’t listen to her. No matter how nicely she asked, they’d always try to drive her off with those weapons that fired metal bits at her. While they weren’t dangerous, digging them out of her skin was quite the endeavor.

“Grr grr grrrrr?”

“Back off, mutt! We’ll fuck you up if you don’t!”

They weren’t getting anywhere. She’d been trying not to kill humans in order to prevent her original instincts from coming back, but these humans seemed hell-bent on pushing her over the edge. It was like they had no regard for their lives. Couldn’t they tell that she was much stronger than them?

“Open fire!”

The humans started to shoot at her, further infuriating her. If that wasn’t bad enough, there was one human on top of a raised platform holding a weapon that could actually hurt her. She’d nearly lost an eye to that one, so she’d committed their scent to her memory. Fine, have it your way!

“GRRRRRROOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!”

She’d grown so tired of dealing with these fools. They had been a thorn in her side for over a week.

“Gah, Fuck! It’s comi- kagh.”

“Nooooooo- gaagh.”

“Where the hell did it go!?”

She was using everything in her arsenal to kill the humans as quickly as possible. Launching an assault right off the bat was to break their chain of command and prevent them from working together. Attacking them from their blind spots was to instill fear. Even if she’d grown more intelligent, she was still a predator at heart.

“Retreat!”

No you don’t. No one leaves alive.

Over the last couple months, she’d killed and ate countless monsters, so much so that she’d gained an interesting Skill.

Predator’s Hunger – You’ve been filled with an unquenchable hunger for your prey. Eating monsters of the same species enough times will allow you to temporarily use their Skillsets.

She’d spent the better part of the week hunting down a large wolf pack nearby, all for this moment. A bubbling sensation filled her lungs and throat, urging her to roar.

“Grrrr GROOOOOWWWWWWW!!!”

Her growl emitted a shockwave that spread throughout the human’s encampment, destroying everything in its path. Any humans caught up in it were instantly pulverized. Even their weapons were shattered by the attack. If Michael had been around, he would of recognized the attack as the same one the Shadow Wolves used, but amplified to an immense degree.

“Grrrr?”

She prowled around the wreckage, looking to ensure there were no survivors. She found a few humans under some debris, so she cut their throats and kept going.

Three days later, when a supply convoy would come through, they’d find nothing but death and destruction. And not a single survivor.

***

Is this really me? I don’t look anything like I did before.

She was standing inside a building, looking into a mirror. As she’d walked past, her reflection had caught her attention. She didn’t really know what she looked like. With only brief comparisons to her old kin, she’d never actually taken the time to look at herself.

Soft grey fur covered most of her body, except for a few patches around her hands and feet. Unlike other Goblins, her face was closer to that of a wolf’s, with a long snout and piercing golden eyes. Overall, you’d think she was some kind of Lycanthrope monster instead of a Goblin.

But this wasn’t what she was here for. Not at all. Shaking herself out of her stupor, she proceeded deeper into the building. She soon stood before a space that looked to have been fractured by an immense force.

Portal to B-Rank Trial: Slaughterhouse

Type: Search and Destroy

Rules: Trial must be completed in one month.

Misc.: Only those attempting to acquire the Predator Class may enter.

Description: An entrance point to a Trial.

Again with this!? Why do I keep seeing these odd warnings?

This was the third time she’d seen one of these warnings, but she could tell that this one was different. These Dungeons were an effective means to greater strength, so that she could defeat her rival.

It was the only reason she’d tried to go through the human encampment. They’d built it close to where the portal was, but hadn’t seemed to notice it. Otherwise she would’ve gone around them and saved herself the trouble. That strange voice had told her about this place and that it would be an opportunity to continue growing.

No time like the present….

::Entrance into B-Rank Trial: Slaughterhouse confirmed.::

She entered into a large room covered in blood and gore. The stench was so overpowering that it caused her to recoil upon entering. Metal walls covered in dried blood. A wooden floor similarly coated. For a normal person, this would be something from a nightmare.

Huh, this is nice. It smells fantastic in here. Makes me hungry.

“”””“Oooooo!!!”””””

Her entrance had startled a small group of monsters. Each was about the size of a cat, with short coarse fur that was a speckled black-and-white. For some reason, as she looked at them she could feel her saliva increasing in quantity.

Once they’d seen her, they all jumped up and ran into several doorways, which quickly shut behind them.

“Grr?”

Chutes opened up in the ceiling, from which several large gangly monsters fell through. Each creature landed on the ground and immediately began to move towards her. If that wasn’t bad enough, a door opened in front of her and several Minotaurs entered the room. Everything was clearly trying to kill her.

::Beginning Dungeon Scenario: Hunt the five Spotted Veal inside the Slaughterhouse. Time Remaining: 29 Days 23 Hours 59 Minutes.::

As if those words were the cue, she and the monsters all roared and charged at one another. A festival of blood and gore was about to begin.

[Corgan’s POV]

“Bring the temperature higher. We need a strong flame ta smelt this ore.”

They’re doing a good job. Lord knows that this is a demanding job, but they’ve really learned to pull through. Every one of ‘em is important, no matter what anyone says.

In the last four months, ever since he’d taken this job, he’d been busy overseeing the training of a dozen apprentices. They’d finally started to produce pieces matching his in quality. Though those were the ones he mass produced. If he tried, he’d make something that outstripped them by a large margin.

That was only obvious though. His Blacksmithing Skill was Rank C, while the most advanced apprentice was at Rank D. While it might not seem like much of a difference, the actual results were worlds apart.

“Remember. Flaudicite is a magical ore. It makes Mortal metals look like clumps of clay. Make the flames as hot as you can stand and then some. You won’t be burned. That’s why we have those gloves the Lord graciously had made.”

In the wake of the World System’s advent, there had been many new changes brought about. One of them was the appearance of mana and magical metals. Long thought to be the stuff of myth and legend, mana was an intangible particle capable of interfering with the physical world. So far, only living things were capable of sensing it, as even the most advanced machines couldn’t detect it.

Mana was currently thickest in the places that World Decay had directly affected. It wrecked havoc in these locations, causing local flora and fauna to undergo rapid transformations. But it also affected inorganic materials, like metal. This had led to the rise of magical metals, like Mana Steel.

Countries and corporations all over the world were trying to gather as much material as they could, in order to leverage it into the new age. There were even some, like Corgan, who’d begun to experiment with creating weapons out of monster materials.

“Any weapon made with Flaudicite should be at least D-Rank and will go a long way towards developing your Blacksmithing Skill, so don’t worry about how the weapon turns out. Just make sure it’s usable.”

The metal itself, while extremely valuable, was more important to go towards developing their ability for the long run. This was something unthinkable for most people and was only possible thanks to their resources and connections.

If you would have told me a decade ago that I’d be doing this, I’d have thrown ya out of my shop.

Corgan had been but a humble artisan, making fine jewelry by hand. He disdained making things with machinery, thinking that something made by hand had actual spirit to it. He’d made pieces for some of the wealthiest people in the world over his lifetime and was fully content with life.

Then World Decay happened.

His shop, located in London, had been burned to the ground. He’d been fully dedicated to his work and had no family, but the loss of his workshop had devastated him. He’d barely even escaped with his life. It was only through a slight twist of fate that he’d lived.

If he hadn’t walked past then, I wouldn’t be here right now. Strange how something so insignificant, can end up being so life-changing.

As the city reeled from the sudden message playing in everyone’s head, a young man had grabbed him and several others in the store, forcing them out. Mere moments later, it had appeared. A colossal monster that had led the army that destroyed England.

If that young man hadn’t pulled them away, none of them would’ve lived. I owe him my life and since he serves Lord Ixan, then I shall too.

It was that drive that had led him to developing his Blacksmithing Skill and pioneering the road forward. That he’d managed to get a Skill to C-Rank was impressive, especially at this early junction.

The sound of footsteps cut off his thoughts, as anyone who would be approaching the workshop at this time of night was here for one purpose. His lord was summoning them.

“Yo yo, Corgy! How you hanging!?”

What? By the gods, I’ll never understand him. Or his fashion sense. Not that I’m one to talk.

He’d traded in the motorcycle helmet and suit for what appeared to be stereotypical rap clothing from the 90s. Baggy pants and shirt along with multiple gold chains and a chain belt. Even a backwards ball cap. The only thing ruining the look was the elaborate mask that hid his face, which made no sense compared to the rest of his getup.

“Ha ha! Your expression says it all! You’ve been stunned by my glorious outfit!”

“Stunned is one way ta put it.”

Corgan idly noted that his apprentices were trying their best to ignore the other man. Which was both a blessing and a curse.

“What? Are you trying to say that I’ve got no fashion sense? Or do I need to lay the smack on you?”

Haaaah, just get through it. He’s just trying ta get a rise out of me.

It looked like another tumultuous, but fulfilling, day was in store for him