Kobi's eyes widened, the sound of the chaotic wind rushed into his air but still he could clearly hear the scream coming from right next to him.
In the next instance, he felt a great force slamming into him from the side, hurling him away from the spear's path.
Kobi's stunned eyes shifted to where he previously stood, he could see the horror and confusion on the Hobgoblin's face. Even he seemed to wonder why he did what he did.
The spear clapped onto the Hobgoblin and to Kobi's horror, the Hobgoblin's entire body evaporated into black ash. The spear, like a spring, rushed past the ash and compressed onto the door and exploded.
Kobi's heart went cold, the Prince's breath froze. The air turned pungent and hot. The smell of something charred drifted to their noses.
Kobi snapped out of his daze, his vision quivered as he glanced at the pile of ash on the floor. He supported his body with his trembling hands and glanced up.
He couldn't feel his right side, most of his bones were broken due to the bulldozer like push of the Hobgoblin ,but Kobi wasn't angry, why would he? No! Was he even worthy of feeling anything right now?
Nobody knew, but Kobi felt as if he wasn't worthy enough for what the Hobgoblin had done.
'Unbelievable, the monster AI performed out of expectations.' Shik stared at the error notifications ringing in his head. His eyes shifted towards Kobi, 'What kind of monster host have I found?'
Kobi dragged himself to the ash and kneeled next to it.
Blood gushed out of the Prince's mouth, his legs gave way and he, too, collapsed on the floor, but his eyes couldn't budge from the ash, he kept asking himself, no he was questioning, not him but that ash, 'Why? WHY!?'
Kobi took the ash in his palm, his eyes regaining their clarity. His eyes shifted to the Prince, glancing at his ashen face, a cruel smile replaced Kobi's stoic expression.
"Tell me!" Kobi rose to his feet whilst, in his ash covered palm appeared a spear made of gold.
He firmly took hold of the spear with his left hand, and dragging hobbled over, "Do you now think, he was unworthy?"
"You! I... I think..." The Prince's face welled up with emotions, remembering his earlier words, sweat covered his face, maybe if he hadn't said that, then the Hobgoblin wouldn't have stepped up and saved the human.
No! He would even have had helped him, and maybe with his help... he wouldn't have only reclaimed his spear but also already killed this human.
This pathetic human who was dragging himself towards him, his eyes flashing with a pungent desire to kill.
The Prince's heart chilled down as he gazed at the nearing Kobi, "No! Stay away! Don't come ne–" His throat turned parched as he threw up in a violent fit of coughs.
Blood spilled out of the Prince's mouth as he tried to get up to his feet but failed.
His last move took everything he got. It was a one hit move capable of eliminating almost anything on the same level.
The Prince wouldn't have even considered using that move against the puny human had he not been so enraged that he just wished for him to vanish.
Heck! Even when he started condensing energy in his palms, he had no desire of using his full strength in that move, but, Kobi didn't hold himself back and taunted him further, which caused him to want him to turn into powder and if not for the Hobgoblin, he would've succeeded as well.
"Stay away! AWAY!" The Prince yelled, dragging his majestic body backwards.
Kobi ignored the shrill pleas and grinned, his shadow covering the Prince's face in eternal darkness. "Remember... the one who will take your life isn't Kobi Coll's but... that Hobgoblin who you once called unworthy!"
Kobi raised the spear high, allowing the Prince to take in its majestic gleaming self and its pointy sharp tip for the first time himself. Before plunging it straight into the Prince's head.
Blood spurted out and fell atop Kobi's face, casuing him to seal his eyes. With his eyes shut, Kobi took out the spear, allowing vibrant green blood to gush.
But Kobi didn't stop and pierced the spear down again and again... and them again.
Kobi's slowly unveiled his eyes. His spit rolled to the tip of his tongue and he spat it out at the dead corpse under his feet, "Useless trash! Look at you! Acted so majestic yet died like a scum and look at him," Kobi pointed the spear at the ash, "So humble... yet died like a DAMN WARRIOR!"
His scream clapped in the silent blood-stained halls.
Kobi glanced at the face filled with holes for a while before spitting at it again.
The spear fell from his grasp with a clang, along with Kobi.
Basking in the pungent blood, Kobi glancer at the ceiling, his lips muttering something only he and Shik could hear, "Your blood is on my hands... I seek not forgiveness but hate is not my goal either... Know! Oh great warrior! I will remember you, you who have forged me anew!"
This was a trademark line of Kobi, which he didn't roll out his tongue casually. In his whole life, he could count the times he said it on one hand.
Tet he said it more times today than the whole previous year. He meant every word of it, whenever he said this line, he knew he would be somewhat different the next time the occasion arrived.
Shik clicked his tongue, 'Horrifying... you are horrifying host! You have done past every one of my expectations.'
Kobi sighed heavily, his eyes moving towards the blinking golden bar and the other icons. His eyes suddenly flickered curiously and the 3D holograms depicting his live status appeared in front of him.
The human model was slightly blue all over but his left side was dim red, 'Intriguing.' Kobi's eyes moved at the Hp bar, it was less than half.
Gazing at the face emoji, he realized it had a lost look. Kobi blinked his eyes, 'Hahaha!' A smile bloomed on his face, which lasted a few seconds before he shook it off.
The bottle was almost empty, making him realize he was thirsty. Even the stomach was considerably less filled.
Kobi shoved it aside and clicked on the blinking bar. Skills flew past before stopping at three.
Glaze Glow, Twinkle Shine, Flutter Kicks.
Kobi's eyes instantly glued themselves to the second one. It had an icon of a glass heart filling up with red liquid.
Smiling brightly, he clicked on it.
Shik slowly hovered next to him with a lost and complicated look and explained, "You can bring yourself back to full Hp on the cost of all your remaining Mp."
Without batting an eye, Kobi muttered weakly, "Twinkle Shine!" Kobi instantly felt something warming his body and in no time, he jumped back to his feet.
With a reminiscing look, he scanned around the silent hall. 'Guess... I should start looting?' Kobi sighed and squatted next to the Prince, "Hoho! A golden chain bracelet, dang its heavy, must be gold!" Kobi wore it almost immediately, "Dang, this cloth feels nice and sturdy as well, take it! Take it all!" Kobi grinned evilly and stripped the Prince.
He found ten gold coins on his body instead of the normal bronze coins, making him chuckle. Afterwards he went to the Hobgoblins, he stored the two machetes and found silver coins. Lastly, he glanced at the machete some distance from the ash.
With a complicated look, Kobi held it in his head- sizing it up. "System, keep it in its own slot."
Shik nodded quietly, the machete vanished.
Kobi moved to the door, the ash was right next to it, he squatted near it and muttered earnestly, "Thank you!"
Kobi got up and moved to the door. Shik suddenly blurted out, 'O-Oi! Why don't you take some time off? Like rest up! Must be tired, right?'
Kobi halted, with a raised brow he scrutinized Shik. "I already used Twinkle Shine, back to full hp." Kobi flexed his muscles as proof.
Shik gulped and laughed dryly.
Kobi glanced at him before opening the door with a heavy heart. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and jumped forward, the moment he landed, he yelled loudly, his eyes still shut from fear, "LOOKIE SONS! DADDY'S BACK!"
. . .
Kobi peeked from the corner of his eyes, causing him to be blown... the hall was empty.
"Huh!?"
Shik coughed dryly, "There are floors made in every dungeon where the contestant can rest. The system just imitated that."
"Oh!" Kobi shrugged his shoulders and started moving towards the door with an unamused face.
Shik suddenly rushed 'through' him, causing his heart to leap from the fright, "YOU WANT TO GIVE ME A HEART-ATTACK!?"
"L-Look, your EXP is full again, you obtained quite a lot of EXP from killing the Prince, hahaha!" Shik laughed hammedly.
Kobi furrowed his brows, after a while of weird staring, he nodded his head and three skills, which seemed to take an awfully long time to appear, appeared.
Hearty Smile, Clapping Thunder, Devil's Laugh.
Kobi scanned through before a smile bloomed on his face as he gazed at the last one. He waited as the golden bar filled up again but stopped just before he reached the next level. Sighing in dejection, he glanced at Shik.
"Oh! An evil, horror inducing laugh echoes out. Which freezes everyone who falls in its clutches. Those with strong will can resist."
"Nice!" Kobi nodded his head and started walking again, his eyes peeking at Shik.
"O-Oi! Take some rest, or this room will be for naught."
"Don't need it!" Kobi waved his hand dismissively, his guess solidifying.
"Oi! Oi! What if there's some frightening monster in the next room, take some rest! What if you never get it?" Shik crossed his fingers and bet everything on this.
Kobi paused and stared back, a teasing smile on his face, "And what if there are weak monsters in the next floor instead? I mean... if there is supposed to be a sixth floor."
Seeing Kobi's teasing smile, Shik slammed his face on his hand, his voice muttering in Kobi's mind, "I blew it!"
Kobi chuckled, "Spill it!"
Shik glanced at him timidly before nodding, "A-actually... the system had a tipsy tiny irrelevant error," Shik gulped, seeing Kobi not buying it, "And you, totally by accident, reached the last floor instead. So now... you will be leaving the dungeon. Congratulation! You won the test and now are permanently the host of the system! Yay!>>
Kobi glanced at Shik with a deadpan look, "You actually wanted to created more floors to test me, didn't you?"
Shik coughed dryly, his eyes averting from Kobi's.
"System... SCREW YOU!" Kobi cursed and flashing a few special fingers with both hands.