"Wait, I am getting paid for this?" Moros repeated the question, too dumbfounded by the sudden realisation. Monetary compensation for killing Ballas?
Was the system made out of money or why would it give away cash for something so easy? It might as well have given him money for breathing…
"Yes, you are getting paid for killing monsters of all kind…you would know had you asked, prior?"
Moros ignored the system that was trying to teach him how to think and do things. He just needed to murder things and was paid to do so. Luckily for Moros murder of this poor creature was something Moros was more than an expert in.
With newfound swagger did the teenager run towards the nearest Balla and squashed it in his hands again, popping it like a balloon.
[Received 1 Dollar for killing a Balla]
"It was there again!!!"
Moros laughed like a child that had just discovered the joy of crushing the sand castle of your annoying sibling.
Spreading blood and guts over the clean ground was a side-effect that was ignored, because cleanliness did not matter here. It was part of the expectations here.
Moros would certainly never admit it, but he missed this smell. After just seeing trees, goblins and all sorts of things for ages…being in dirty, smelly dungeon made him feel right at home.
This was like a vacation in paradise…
Moros ran forward to the nearest translucent creatures that were just born to enrich the man in debt. With skilled expertise his hands targeted them both and caused a firework of organs…
Another shower of strange liquid and organs covered Moros in all its gory glory. By now Moros was once again smelling like he had come straight out of the sewage, but that was the odour of success.
[Received 1 Dollar for killing a Balla]
[Received 1 Dollar for killing a Balla]
The man, who had just made 2 bucks for senseless murder felt the happiest he had been in a long while.
"But why do I not get paid extra for killing 2 at the same time? I deserve to be paid more for putting on a show!!!"
"You deserve to perish you ungrateful vermin. We have given you another chance at life…it is not a right of yours to complain…"
"You see…" Moros grinned at the wolf…"I just did and I will do it again. You do not know me well enough if you had not seen this coming."
The wolf wanted to retort, though it chose to stay silent. Their chosen host was indeed the type of being to never be satisfied about anything. Him complaining was a sign of good health, as concerning as that may be.
"You shall not receive a reward for any other aspect rather than the kill itself. The monster core itself determines the amount that is paid.
The flying dollar bill hovered before Moros, explaining the situation in a slow and steady pace so Moros would listen to its words.
This did not stop the man from passionately ending lives left and right.
"As you might have noticed the Ballas, that you kill here, have not dropped an earwig─these are absorbed by me and turned into the dollar currency.."
The man murdered more, not caring about any words or kind gestures…he wanted money, so he spilt blood.
"Are there any other questions?"
The system asked kindly. It did not expect any of those to come, the priorities of the host lay elsewhere. He focussed on something entirely different─his bills and on his kills.
From afar the fake Moros took in a few more customers that looked at the scene before them with doubt in their eyes.
It did not take long for them to ignore the madman that kept on yelling about dollar bills and that the Ballas should 'come to Daddy'.
They simply disappeared into the door and erased the sight from their memories. They were here to fight and see the new Gobbla in battle…whatever the man before was doing was not something they wanted to concern themselves with.
In trance Moros moved around like a fairy of bloodshed across the floor, magically approaching every living Balla to paint the last room of the dungeon in a stylish green.
What may seem crazy and absolutely batshit insane to the outsiders that bore witness to this scene was in fact anything but that…it was the art of making money.
That was the beauty of life. Moros ended theirs, so that he may breathe again.
The minutes passed and Moros was rudely awoken from his trance after he had killed all the Ballas that he could find. Now, he had no choice but to wait for them to respawn.
If he could, he would have killed the dead Ballas again…though that was not how the whole concept of life and death worked─unless you were a goblin champion or a BBB.
With nothing to do Moros looked around and thought a bit about what he could do. He could be a good guardian, take a shower and greet the guests that entered the door.
Or he could continue to act crazy and pay a visit to them anyhow…
The choice between the two did not take long.
And so it was that a Moros covered in guts, blood and many other things that were certainly not very clean walked back to the door that he had seen in passing. It was time to check out the Gobbla.
With steady steps Moros entered the door, the smell of success followed him soon after.
Much to the dislike of the paying customers that now had to deal with smelly terrorism plaguing their nose. Mercilessly the stench assaulted their senses, robbing them of their concentration.
Moros looked at what lay ahead and saw the creature he had seen more than enough off. It was a green creature with pointy ears, empty eyes looking straight ahead.
One could really count the brain cells of them on one hand.
"So these are Ballas?"
Moros looked at them and could not see any difference to the actual thing. Would have not been the Terra family dungeon if actual useful enemies were spawning in here.
That thing was only a danger to Moros' idea of vacation as bad memories resurface when seeing its ugly face.
Bothered by Moros' stench the new group consisting out of 3 adults did not seem to notice the goblin launching its attack.
Of course, Moros would normally not move a muscle, since the goblin would be dead if it were to take 7 steps forward towards them. Since Moros was such a nice guy, however, he decided to save these people from their terrible fate himself.
Pushing his body forward, his whole self shot forward towards the Gobbla…in what can only be described as a clash of inhuman forces.
The Gobbla met Moros enthusiastic fist and exploded in an even bigger fountain of innards and blood…dousing everyone present in the pleasant smell of unpleasant liquids.
[Received 10 Dollars for killing a Gobbla]
Before the crowd could realise what just had happened Moros had already disappeared through the door again…it followed a long chain of "EEEEEW" sounds and puking noises as the adults had to come to terms with their new fate.
Moros had an even bigger smile plastered atop of his face. 10 Dollars for killing a Gobbla? Mental trauma had never been so worth it.
Oh and he was in luck, a new round of volunteers had just respawned.
Moros was a happy man and the Ballas were donating their lives to a good cause.
They exploded into a million little pieces and died in a burst of green guts…that was the perfect cooperation between man and monster.
Whenever other visitors came, they too would be blessed by the love that these monsters held in them. It was not a dirty feeling, it was friends giving, sacrificing their everything for your sake.
The murder resumed and Moros made a dollar for each kill.
Though soon he began to see a problem…each breath he took was one more Balla that needed to give his life. Which was more than a slight problem since he was a living being─something that is known for having to breathe to stay alive.
In his head he did the math, he killed around a 100 Ballas, but took about 80 breaths while chasing after them.
Waiting them to respawn was another like 30-40 breaths…so, as much as he loved doing the things that he did; it was not sustainable the way it was now.
He needed to find a better method to kill them faster. Holding his breath was sadly not a solution that would save him much costs. Especially, did he not want to think about holding his breath the entire time.
Moros did not want to imagine just how strange it would have to look from the outside, to see him holding his breath while trying to murder Ballas for a living.
Yeah, the man with a heart made out of a Dollar sign, dropped that idea on the spot.
A new strategy was needed to cover his shift. At night, he simply could farm Gobblas after his shift had ended and venture deeper to fight the other goblin copies…this plan seemed more promising than bursting Ballas till the end of his days on Elysium .
Killing Ballas was just an activity to pass the time, to delay death…nothing more than that.
He did not want to just survive, he wanted his actions to be worth the effort.
For that he needed to go deeper, visit the guy that refused to die. Moros did not know what awaited him, but he needed to go.
It was his life that depended on it.