3.
As I took a step forward, I couldn't help but close my eyes.
"Gorrk."
The darkness in the cave was heavy. And because of this, the scene was even more dramatic as we stepped out of it. It created the illusion that a ray of light was being produced with every step we took.
-Ke-, ker!
The goblins quickly lowered their heads. The long period in the caves had changed the goblins' physiology. Their eyelids had become thinner, and their eyeballs had become larger. This caused the goblins to be affected by the light.
For a while, they walked while looking down at their feet.
-...
The wind blew.
And before long, sunset had arrived.
-Sky...
The goblins muttered to themselves.
It was now evening in the outside world.
The light from the sunset painted the sky red.
-The sky is red.
For the first time in their lives, the slaves looked up at the neverending sky. It was natural for someone to look at the sky not long after being born, but for these slaves who grew up in caves, this was the first time that they were afforded this luxury.
-The elders were telling the truth. This is the sky.
-Why is the sky red? Gork. It looks like it's bleeding.
-Red…
-The world is on fire.
Whether they felt astonishment, fear, or other unknown emotions, the goblins whispered among themselves. They looked around at the world that they were seeing for the first time.
[The Goblin Race has been freed from slavery.]
[The status of the Goblin Race has changed!]
Words appeared before my eyes.
+
[Goblin Race]
Extinction Grade: B (Beware of Danger)
Proverb: 'We are Fire.'
Description: A race with only low ranking abilities. The individual abilities of the Goblin Race are negligible at best. Therefore, they have united together to form a group.
The Goblin Race only developed a very small collection of characters. All of these characters are known by every Goblin, from the ones with the lowest births to the noblest. Minimal language. Minimal characters. Knowledge does not divide the Goblins.
'We are fire.'
Fire may burn in many different directions, but it always burns as one. Despite their many cultures, the Goblins are all 'one'.
They hold 'meetings' at night rather than during the day. The appearances of the various goblins are hidden in the darkness, and not one Goblin is distinguishable from another. Therefore all the Goblins who participate and speak in the meetings are 'anonymous'.
Let the fire of the Goblin Race continue to burn!
Traits: [Fire Painting(※)], [Guru Doctrine], [Legacy of Records], [Greed(※)]
Evolutions: Unknown. There are two potential evolutions.
※Caution! Several traits are at risk of disappearing.
+
'Ahh. As expected.'
I furrowed my eyebrows.
'Since the priest died, [Fire Painting] is at risk of disappearing.'
Bae Hu-ryeong shrugged behind me.
-Well, in addition to knowing how to use aura, they need to have a red aura. That's the tricky part.
'Right… Mmm. For this stage, I need to figure out what to do first.'
-Do you have a way? If you buy it from the Civilization Store, it'll basically rip you off.
'Yeah, you're right. That's why I'm going to buy something else.'
I thought.
'Open Civilization Store.'
Jurk.
The items in the store appeared in front of me.
+
[Oracle Message] – 20 points
[Animal Possession] – 40 points
[Dream Appearance] – 100 points
[Prey Search] – 5 points
[Search for a Bronze Ranked Settlement] – 80 points
[Clan Rank General (Draw)] – 100 points
[Invention of Bronze Rank Technology (Draw)] – 1,000 points
ㆍ
ㆍ
ㆍ
+
I bought an item I'd never used before.
'Purchase [Dream Appearance].'
Clang, the sound of falling coins appeared in my ear.
[Purchased 'Dream Appearance'.]
[100 points have been deducted!]
[You currently have 70 race points.]
'Okay.'
I also thought about the goblin that I'd use this item on.
I turned to look at a young goblin.
This goblin's name was Gorke, and he was currently sleeping while using another goblin's butt as a pillow.
'It means clear water.'
Gorke, the goblin who was given the name clear water, muttered in his sleep.
-Kerke.
Rain.
-Kerrk.
Mud.
-Guru.
I stared at Gorke, who was dreaming about a different place.
I used the item.
'[Dream Appearance].'
Paaaht!
My vision blurred and my surroundings became white.
4.
After a while, I found myself standing in a field.
"Hoh?"
The field appeared to be endless. It was raining in the endless field. And the ground was thick and soft because of the rain.
In the middle of the field lay Gorke with his mouth open.
The falling rain water landed on Gorke's mouth.
-Gorr. gorrr.
Gorke happily drank the rain water.
The expression on his face was one of extreme contentment.
This must be this young goblin's dream of his homeland.
"Indeed…."
I was convinced.
"Whether they're goblin or human, their desires are the same."
-Gork?
It seemed he heard my voice.
Gorke relaxed his arm pillow and raised up.
-Who are you?!
"It seems you can hear and see me. Gorke."
-Gor…? Human?
Gorke tilted his head to the side with a blank expression on his face.
I tried to be as solemn and serious as possible.
"I'm not a human. Pitiful child. I am Kekerkker. The sacred white lion you worship, and the one who promised to lead you back to Guru."
-Kerk…? Kekerkker? That's impossible!
Gorke snorted. Kufum! Goblins had big noses, so when he snorted, the sound that came out was as grand as a fart.
-Kekerkker is a lion. He has thick, strong skin and a beautiful mane. What about you? You have thin, dry skin and messy black hair. Kekerkker isn't as ugly as you!
"No, should I punish you?"
-Punish? Kerk? What does that mean?
"It means to dig a hole in the ground and stick a little bastard upside down in it."
-Th-, this human is so foul-mouthed. Ker. There is no way someone vulgar like you is the white lion!
"Gorke. I taught you how to write. I taught you how to hunt. I am Kekerkker and Kekerkker is me. You shouldn't doubt me."
-Prove it!
"Fine."
I dug a hole in the mud.
Then I grabbed Gorke by the ankle and stuck him into the hole head first.
"Now can you see the proof?"
-Kerrr?! Kerr! A Demon! A demon has appeared!
"What's wrong? Can't you see it? I guess it can't be helped. I like you so I'll show you some more proof."
I scooped a handful of mud and put it into the hole.
It was still raining. The mud and the rain mixed together, and soon Gorke was covered in mud armor.
He screamed.
-Believe! Kerk, I believe! You are definitely Kekerkker!
"Mm. It's good that you were finally able to realize it."
I pulled Gorke out of the hole.
The goblin trembled with mud covering his face.
"Gorke. Everything that appears in your dreams has a precious meaning."
I wiped the mud off the goblin's head before continuing.
"I'm here because Kekerkker wants to teach Gorke how to use aura."
-Aura?
"Do you remember the priest's fire painting? His hands were covered in red energy, weren't they? That is aura."
-Ah. You mean the [Sacred Blood].
"Sacred Blood?"
-We have a body and a soul. Everyone has a body, but we all share one soul. Gork. Those who manage to overcome the limits of their body and reach the soul will bleed not only from their body, but also from their soul… By the way…
Gorke frowned.
-This is weird. These are the teachings of Kekerkker. If you are really Kekerkker, then how do you not know what you taught us?
"Child. I never taught you anything like that. All I taught you was how to write characters, count to three, and hunt."
-Ker? Are there any idiots who can't count to three?
This child.
I had forgotten that 200 years had already passed.
"Enough. If you still doubt me, then when you wake up in the morning, go to the lion Kekerkker! You will know that I am the lion and that the lion is the one who appeared in your dream. So shut up and learn what I'm about to teach you."
-You mean the Sacred Blood?
"That's right. Now then, let's begin class right away."
I raised my hand and started beating the goblin.
-Kerk?! It hurts! Kerr! What are you doing? Why are you hitting me all of a sudden!?
"The fastest way to learn aura is to learn it while getting hit."
This was the method that Bae Huryeong had told me in the past.
In fact, it was the only method I knew. If there was a method to learn it while sitting cross legged or whatever then I'd love to learn it. But for now, this was all I knew…
"From now on, I will beat you till you're an inch away from death. Pay attention to the aura flowing into your body as you're being hit. Feel it and capture it. Find the blood vessels that spread throughout your entire body."
-Kerr! It hurts! It hurts! Kerrk?!
"Huh."
Gorke crouched down. I lightly grabbed his wrist and raised him back up. Then, with my other hand, I hit his palm, wrist, shoulder and chest. Puk! Puk! My aura flowed through my fist into Gorke's body.
-Kerr?!
"This is the teaching of blood and flesh. Pay attention."
-All that will be left is flesh and blood!
"That's what I meant. Didn't you call it Sacred Blood? In order to bring forth Sacred Blood, your soul must be injured and bleed"
Even after hearing my logical words, Gorke kept shaking his head.
-This is going to kill me!
"No. This isn't real, it's a dream. So no matter how much you're hit, and no matter how much it hurts like you're going to die, you won't actually die. This is the perfect environment to learn aura."
-Kerp!
The landscape of the dream changed. It changed from the muddy field to Rimepolis. From Gorke's perspective, this was probably no different from fighting in the colosseum.
"Oho. That's more like it!"
I was delighted.
"Now then, Gorke. The gladiators are all staring at you. The scary glow in your eyes shows the determination to do whatever it takes. Since this is a dream, you'll be fine no matter how much it hurts. So work hard!"
-Th-, this a nightmare. Ker. A terrible nightmare!
Gorke wept.
-Kekerkker! You have saved us from hell, where are you now? A demon is tormenting your humble servant! Save me, ker! Save me!
"Uhh. I already told you that I'm Kekerkker."
Time slowly passed in the dream.
It felt like a lot of time had passed, but Gorke's dream had still not ended. Thanks to this, the young goblin suffered the pain of being driven almost to death countless times. I calmly led Gorke along.
I couldn't help but wonder how long it had been.
"Ohh!"
Flames erupted from Gorke's palm.
Even though it was faint, this was still a sign of aura.
"Look, Gorke! It's aura. You have gained Sacred Blood!"
-Kerr…
The young goblin looked down at his palm, but his eyes were blank, as if he'd lost something precious.
-Just kill me… Stop sparing me, demon. I can't take it anymore…
"From the start, if you don't have to worry about dying, then learning while risking your life is the fastest way. The universe is filled with people who cannot learn aura even after learning martial arts for their entire lives. You, on the other hand, learned it in a single night. Do you think that is a coincidence?"
-Please kill me…!
"From now on, you will have to work hard for the Goblin Race."
I smiled happily and put my hand on Gorke's shoulder.
He flinched.
-Wo-, work hard?
"The last priest died and there is no longer anyone to demonstrate [Fire Painting]. So you will have to take his place. I think your culture is beautiful. You should try to not lose that beauty."
-Kerr. However, I'm not talented enough to become the priest…
"Well your aura is still in its infant stages. How about it, Gorke? Are you willing to work for the next ten days in order to perfect your aura"
-I'm willing. Gorke! Priest! I'll do it!
"Great."
I nodded in satisfaction.
"Then I will leave your dream now. Come to me when you wake up and check for yourself. If I am really Kekerkker, I will pat you on the shoulder."
Then I woke up from the dream.
The dawn was quiet.
The goblins had already woken up and were preparing to continue the journey home. The mothers caught fish in the river, and the children grilled the fish nearby. Many of the goblins were silently looking at the rising sun.
-Kerk…!
Not long after, a young goblin jumped up not far from me. It was Gorke. His little green head was wrinkled and covered in cold sweat.
-Kerr… I, I survived? I survived, ker?
Gorke took a deep breath. He slapped himself six times to check if he was still dreaming or not. Finally, after realizing that his nightmare was finally over, Gorke sighed heavily in relief.
-...
He sat in that state for a while.
The Gorke hesitantly got up and came to me.
-Kekerkker…
The young goblin looked at me with eyes filled with desperation.
-Last night, a demon came to me in my dream and toyed with me. Ker. The demon dared to tease me by pretending to be Kekerkker. I thought I was going to die. I want you to prove to me that Kekerkker isn't that demon…
"Krrng."
Tuk.
I slowly lifted my paw and tapped Gorke on the shoulder with it.
-...
Gorke's face immediately became stained with despair.
"Krr. Gor, krrk. Grrrm."
'Do well and don't forget what I said. Child.'
There was no way he could understand the lion's words, but Gorke trembled nonetheless.
[A new heir of Fire Painting has appeared.]
[The race is no longer at risk of losing the trait Fire Painting!]
That's good. That's good.
-This bastard…
Bae Hu-ryeong muttered. He'd watched me pass aura on to Gorke from start to finish.
-Why are you teaching him like that… Don't do that… you should treat him bet-…