"Alright, Goblin Shaman. You said you need help?"
"...Kerk. Kerk."
"...Why did you stop mid-sentence?"
Where did he learn to initiate conversation and then ghost?
It feels like when you eagerly respond to a message from a girl, half hopeful and half excited, only to receive no reply.
If you're going to do that, don't message at all... Don't mess with my feelings...!
"Kerk..."
"Kerk... I know you can hear me, human...! I need help!"
The Goblin Shaman, who seemed to be at a loss, repeated what he said.
Upon closer examination, his face was full of wrinkles, and his eyes looked dull and vacant.
If there was an 'Old Goblin Competition,' the Goblin Shaman would likely be a strong contender for the title.
"Human...! Kerk..."
At first, I thought he was rambling out of confusion...
Wait, is he just hard of hearing?
I cautiously approached and spoke directly into his ear.
"...Can you hear me? Kerk?"
"Kerk...! Human! I knew you were there! Kool... Kerk..."
...He really is hard of hearing.
"Kerk... Human..."
"Why do you keep calling me 'human'?"
"Kerk... Don't you all call me 'Goblin Shaman' instead of my name? Kerk."
I couldn't argue; he had a point. Is this the wisdom that comes with age?
"Kerk... I need... I need help..."
The Goblin Shaman kept mumbling about needing help.
"That monster... we need to kill the intruder... Kerk..."
The Goblin Shaman, struggling, pointed at the Minotaur with his free hand.
Come to think of it, it was strange.
On this island? Forest? Whatever this place is, there were only goblins and no other significant monsters.
Despite the absence of water and animals, making it an unnatural ecosystem...
For some reason, every enemy that appeared was a goblin.
Now suddenly, a Minotaur appears as a hidden boss? It's a situation that would pique anyone's curiosity.
"Kerk... Beneath this island... there used to be an ancient labyrinth... Kerk..."
The Goblin Shaman began his explanation slowly.
"It was a sealed labyrinth, so no one really thought about it... Kerk..."
"Kerk... But one day, a young goblin was playing hide and seek in the labyrinth and accidentally broke the seal of an ancient demon... Kerk..."
The demon from the labyrinth was unleashed. Goblins were slaughtered.
The Goblin Shaman, the leader of the island, had to make a decision.
"It was impossible to kill it... Kerk. I could only seal it. And now... Kerk."
The Goblin Shaman, once powerful enough to seal the Minotaur, was now on the brink of death.
He must've been keeping the beast sealed without proper rest for a very long time.
"We have to kill that monster... Kerk. I don't have much time left. Kelrok, Kelrok!"
Green blood oozed from the Goblin Shaman's mouth.
"I'd like to help, but... I can't kill that."
From the start, I'm not good at fighting.
"Kerk... Stupid human. I have a way. First of all..."
"Kim Junho."
The cold voice interrupted the Goblin Shaman's fervent explanation.
"Let's talk."
It was Choi Ji Won.
Choi Ji Won led me to a place not too far away.
"...What is it? Why the serious mood?"
"...Kim Junho."
"Why."
Choi Ji Won.
My feelings towards her... are quite complex.
Choi Ji Won is the reason I've undergone dozens of regressions.
She's crazy, slashing my face with a knife just for asking about college or knocking me out for acting suspicious.
But...
She's also my mentor who taught me swordsmanship, the guardian who protects the weak at the construction site.
Above all... Choi Ji Won is my goal, my milestone.
I aim to obtain her ability and surpass her.
That's been my motivation for regressing.
"Speak if you have something to say."
"...Kim Junho."
She kept calling my name.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Tapping the handle of her knife, Choi Ji Won stared intently into my eyes.
"Kim Junho."
"What, seriously."
"You talked about the doom that would come by killing the boss earlier."
"...And?"
"You deliberately didn't mention one possibility." That's right.
I deliberately hid one possible scenario.
Choi Ji Won smirked.
"Normally, killing the boss leads to doom. But our situation is different, right? Because I'm here."
It's true.
In most cases, killing the boss leads straight to doom, but we're an exception.
Choi Ji Won... is a powerful individual, on par with the Minotaur.
I can't be sure she would win, but it's not a given she would lose either.
"I'll buy some time. In the meantime, the others can pass through the portal, right?"
I didn't want to hear it, but it came from Choi Ji Won.
In fact, it's the most logical plan.
Even if the Minotaur is released from its seal, if Choi Ji Won can divert its attention, most people can use the portal to move on to the next phase.
"Just buy enough time, then come back and use the portal, right?"
Choi Ji Won said, shrugging as if trying to convince me.
Even though she said that, she probably knew better than anyone.
The likelihood of her safely returning was slim.
A noble sacrifice by the strongest for the salvation of all.
"...No."
Even though it's the most logical choice, I can't agree.
Both my reason and emotions oppose it.
First, the reason:
I plan to regress once I obtain everything I can from this loop.
I have no intention of using the portal right now.
Thus, the plan for Choi Ji Won to buy time while others use the portal doesn't offer me any real benefits.
It would be better to combine our strength and defeat the Minotaur. So, I oppose.
And then, the emotions:
I simply don't like the idea of sacrificing Choi Ji Won.
The weight of a thug dying to harm others versus Choi Ji Won dying to protect everyone felt different to me.
She might be rude and cold-hearted, but she's definitely a good person.
I just don't like the narrative where Choi Ji Won sacrifices herself. So, I oppose.
I wanted to explain my logical algorithm leading to my 'opposition,' but because I'm so introverted, I ended up blurting out, "Damn it, no!"
"Did... did you just curse at me?"
Choi Ji Won chuckled.
Did I mess up? Am I about to get smacked?
I instinctively shut my eyes.
But what I felt was a gentle hand on my shoulder, not the cold blade.
"Thanks for caring."
Choi Ji Won gave a slight smile.
"But I'm doing this because I want to. Firefighter Park Chul Jin has already agreed."
"...What?"
"I've always been curious."
Curious about what?
After her cryptic statement, Choi Ji Won began to walk away.
"...Where are you going?"
"To gather the construction site people. If I'm buying time, they should be nearby to use the portal, right?"
She seemed mentally prepared.
Prepared for a noble sacrifice.
Seeing her like that stirred something inside me.
Whether it was inferiority, helplessness, or a mix of both, one thing was certain; I felt like crap.
Without thinking, I shouted.
"Give me time."
"What?"
She stopped in her tracks.
"Until tomorrow morning. Let me think of a way. Wait until then."
She turned her head and looked straight into my eyes.
"You really... are an odd one."
With that, she started walking towards the construction site again.
But I clearly saw her give a small nod.
The sun was rising.
It was dawn.
I probably had huge dark circles under my eyes from not sleeping.
"Kelrok... Kelrok... Human. With my help, the Minotaur..."
"Shut up."
I ignored the Goblin Shaman, who kept insisting we team up against the Minotaur.
I can't fight anyway. I'm trying to think of a solution that doesn't involve combat.
My head was a mess, and no good ideas were coming up.
Perhaps due to the lack of sleep, my head ached, and I felt nauseous.
The area, being close to the outskirts of the swamp, had an unbearable stench.
Let's go into the forest and think with some fresh air.
Breathing in this stinky air might just make my thoughts more negative and pessimistic. ... Swamp?
Minotaur.
The protective barrier.
Can't hit.
Swamp.
Minotaur.
Barrier.
"Hey, Shaman."
"Kelrok... Kelrok... Huh? Human? Did you call me?"
"Is the barrier around the Minotaur... movable?"
"Keruk... It should be movable... but are you a fool, human? That Minotaur is incredibly heavy. Ordinary strength won't budge it at all."
The Goblin Shaman, seemingly mocking me, said, 'Humans think they're so smart, Keruk.'
"But what if... we gather a lot of incredibly strong people?"
Choi Ji Won. Park Chul Jin. And if we search the forest, other people with high strength stats.
People with superhuman strength, beyond human limits.
If we gather all of them and push that protective barrier with all our might...
Couldn't we bury the Minotaur in the swamp?