" One! "
Using muscles leads to fatigue accumulation.
This is a universal truth, even for superhumans.
" Two! "
Two!! ", "
One hour. Two hours. Three hours.
If you push your entire body's muscles without rest, even if you're Superman, you're bound to get tired.
" Three! "
Those who could have taken turns have already done so.
The skin, once moist from the sweat that flowed like rain, has dried up due to the body's dehydration.
Arms and legs were shaky, and now there wasn't a single person whose gums weren't bleeding.
The body had reached its limit.
" We go again! One! "
" ???? One!!! ??????
Yet, those pushing the barrier didn't stop.
Their spirits transcended the physical limits.
To live. For a better future.
For everyone.
The belief that they were doing the right thing propelled them forward.
Thus, with difficulty, one step. Another step.
Small steps combined to form a stride.
Strides combined, leading to a great leap.
How much time has passed?
The swamp that once seemed endless was now right in front of them.
" Pushhhhhhh!!! "
The epic journey of the 50-meter barrier finally came to an end.
Splash!!!!
With a damp thud, the spherical barrier sank into the swamp.
“ Grrooowww!! Grrooowwww!!! "
Although the Minotaur struggled to survive, inside, nothing could prevent the barrier from sinking slowly into the swamp.
" Grrroooowww! "
Finally, the cries of the Minotaur ceased.
“ Creak… Cough... I will release the seal. Choke. ”
The Goblin Shaman waved his staff, and the purple rope connecting the staff and the swamp snapped.
" KERKA! "
This time, the Goblin Shaman slammed the staff on the ground, and a white flash exploded.
Apparently, the seal, which had a spherical shape, was also released.
“ Choke… Cough… The seal has been released… Choke. ”
Having exerted all his strength, the Goblin Shaman weakly walked and collapsed, using an empty wooden stump for support.
“ .. … Is it dead? ”
A brief silence enveloped the area.
Everyone stared intently at the swamp.
After a short while,
Bang Bang Bang!
Suddenly, a firecracker-like noise erupted.
- [ Remarkable Achievement Alert! ]
- You have successfully defeated the hidden boss, 'Demon of the Labyrinth, Minotaur’!
- No casualties! Bonus experience for the achievement is awarded!
- Special reward is given to [Choi Ji-won] for the greatest contribution!
Actually, it's the first time I received a message for achieving such a feat.
Was it because it was such a grand achievement, or was it another trick of the tower?
But there was no follow-up message, and no suspicious sounds from the swamp.
Is it really dead? It was hard to believe.
Did we defeat such an overwhelming monster, seemingly with a trick that seemed childish?
I was standing in disbelief.
About a minute might have passed.
“ Jun-ho... ”
Firefighter Park Chul-jin, staggering from the direction of the swamp.
Despite the effort, he seemed to still have energy left. Truly deserving of the title ‘Iron Man’.
“ Haa… Haa… ”
After catching his breath for a moment, he raised his head and gave a thumbs up.
“ … You, my friend, are our hero. ”
It was as if those words lit a fuse.
" Wooohooooo!!! "
| 39 39 39
Cheers of joy echoed all around.
People hugged each other, shedding tears of joy.
" We won, we did it! ”
“ We survived! Mom…! ”
“ Thank you! Thank you! ”
At the same time, waves of positive emotions flowed towards me.
Joy.
Happiness.
Gratitude.
Love.
Trust.
Relief.
- [ Duplicated traits are leveling up! ]
- Reverence [ C ] >>> Reverence [ B ]
- Hero [ F ] >>> Hero [ C ]
Due to the ability to absorb others' emotions and convert them into traits, I could vividly feel everyone's emotions.
Because of that, a smile slowly formed on my face.
" ... We did it. "
Gradually, a deep sense of joy began to rise from within. We killed a monster, not something meant to be killed.
There wasn't a single casualty.
It's a complete and perfect victory.
Moreover, the manner in which we achieved this victory holds significant meaning.
It wasn't by abusing the 'Regression' trait given by God and forcibly overpowering the Minotaur.
It wasn't because I became an overwhelmingly powerful character and defeated the Minotaur with a single blow.
While my idea played a role, there was something even more crucial.
The shining will of humanity.
Pooling our noble will, we secured the sweet fruit of survival.
Several humans. And one goblin.
Mortal beings triumphed over the divine.
“Status window.”
[Name: Kim Jun-ho] [LV: 13]
[Traits]
- Regression [EX]
- Reverence [B]
- Hero [C]
The last time I checked, my achievement level was 6.
Just by killing the Minotaur, my achievement level rose by 7.
Ah, there was a bonus for clearing without casualties.
It seems that levels don't rise by the number of achievements but by a set amount of experience for each achievement.
After all, we did defeat a monster that was seemingly unbeatable by conventional means.
Honestly, no one would complain even if the reward was more generous.
“How are those who pushed the barrier?”
“They're still finding it hard to move... Once they're better, we plan to help bring them here.”
“Hmm... Thank you for your efforts.”
Everyone knew I was the mastermind behind this operation.
Everyone viewed me as a sort of hero, a savior. The 'Reverence' trait surely played a part in this perception.
“Can everyone step back a bit?”
I walked through the jubilant crowd towards the Goblin Shaman sitting on a wooden stump.
“...Was it a success, choke.”
"You did well."
The Goblin Shaman, with a smile on his face. His ugly face was distorted by the smile, but it didn't look unpleasant.
Thanks to his active assistance, we were able to kill the Minotaur without any harm. He could be considered the benefactor of all of us.
“Now...”
It's time to kill him and open the portal.
Of course, I won't enter the portal, but I wanted to beautifully conclude this round.
To stand against the malice of the gods, humans combined their strength to achieve victory. I wanted this round to be remembered as evidence of human capability.
"Choke. Are you going to kill me, human?"
I could have lied, but I didn't want to be cruel to him.
"...Yes."
“I knew it. Choke. I had less than 10 minutes left anyway. Choke.”
The calm Goblin Shaman.
He took something out from under his skull mask.
“It's a stone with my voice. Choke. I've recorded a message I wanted to convey to humans. I recommend breaking it later, human.”
“...Alright.”
Is this some sort of keepsake?
Holding the stone tightly with my left hand, I felt emotional.
“...Hey! I said I’d come back alive, didn't I?”
“We did it! We really did!”
“Honey! Heh, hehe... How was I?”
Voices from the direction of the swamp.
The heroes who had been pushing the barrier, with the support of others, were returning here.
Choi Ji-won, now pale, waved at me from a distance with a smile.
The people, who were loudly cheering in joy, now turned their hopeful eyes to the Goblin Shaman.
Yes, is this the end?
Seeing the devoted Goblin Shaman, I hesitated for a moment.
I must kill him now.
“... Choke. Everyone is waiting for my death.”
The Goblin Shaman took a brief look around, then weakly wiped off the blood from his lips.
“...Choke. Everything went according to plan. I'm content.”
He handed me a golden bead pouch with his left hand, then slowly closed his eyes. He accepted his death with calmness.
With the stone in my hand, I took the bead pouch and drew my sword with my empty hand.
"...Thank you for everything, Goblin Shaman."
He had been of great help. Still, it was only right to give him a peaceful end.
"Rest well."
Thank you for everything.
Swish!
My sword slashed the Goblin Shaman's throat.
"...Huh? What?"
My hand holding the sword trembled. It's strange.
There's no feeling of physically cutting through something.
There's a sensation as if all the hairs on my body are standing on end.
Something has gone terribly wrong.
“...Kim Jun-ho. What just happened…”
Choi Ji-won asked me in a shaky voice.
The Goblin Shaman, who had closed his eyes accepting death, was slowly fading away.
The feeling of the pouch I held in my hand disappeared at some point.
As if ensnared by something.
“Look, over there…!”
A woman, who had been cheering from behind, screamed, looking at the swamp.
Following her gaze, the Goblin Shaman, who was undoubtedly beside me just moments ago, was now standing some distance away, laughing.
“Keke... kekeke…”
In one hand, he held a pouch filled with golden beads. In the other, a staff.
"Human..."
On his face, he wore a smile so wide, it looked as though his mouth would tear, full of madness.
“Humans are foolish.”
Then... he sank into the swamp.
- [Achievement Alert!]
- You have defeated the boss.
- A portal will appear at the location where the boss died.
Just moments ago, everyone was laughing and chatting.
Now, a chilling silence had taken over.
"…Where are the beads?"
Firefighter Park Cheol-jin barely managed to speak.
The bead pouch given to me was merely an illusion.
The real bead pouch was with the Goblin Shaman.
"…And the portal?"
A portal was created where the Goblin Shaman died.
He died in the toxic swamp.
Silently, I looked at the stone I held in my hand.