Rain analyzed the goblin king carefully.
The goblin king sat on a grotesque throne of flesh and bones, his eyes closed, either chanting or speaking in some unknown language.
Rain's attention was drawn to the golden crown on the king's head and the wooden staff in his hand.
The staff wasn't ordinary; it had a unique design, the wood shaped like a crescent at the top, cradling a bloody-red, prism-shaped gem.
'What's that? It's like a Meg*min staff, but way more badass,' Rain thought with a grin, recalling a certain explosion-loving mage in red robes from his past life.
He admired the craftsmanship. 'That staff will be mine, but first, I need to eliminate him.'
Surveying the area, Rain checked for any goblins guarding their king.
'None… There's none! This is going to be easy. But if I kill him right away, the stronger goblins might come looking when his commands suddenly stop. I'll need to be quick—grab the staff and the crown and leave.'
Rain frowned, annoyed that his initial plan to refine the filthy, impure energy seeping from the goblin corpses might be postponed or lost entirely.
'Wait, strong monsters always have magic cores, right? I'll kill the goblin king, extract his core, and use it to gather that filthy energy.'
He picked up a nearby stick, altering its shape into a dagger using his Sorcery skill, infusing it with hardened magic and sharpening it with qi.
Positioning himself above the goblin king by climbing a tree and balancing on a thick branch, Rain waited for the perfect moment. With precision, he threw the dagger, piercing the goblin king's skull, killing him instantly.
'Nice! Now I've gotta be fast!'
Rain leapt down beside the fallen king, grabbing the staff and catching the crown before it hit the ground.
Ding! [ Your ability "Unhinged" blocked 'Mind Domination - S Rank' and 'Mind Corruption - S Rank' ]
Rain's heart raced as he adjusted the crown on his head. 'Damn! I almost became a puppet! Thank goodness for that skill.'
Just as he relaxed, he felt a surge of pure energy flowing from the crown into his heart. The sensation was overwhelming but oddly comforting, as if the power was meant for him.
Ding! [ The 'Crown of the Fallen Goblin Emperor' bounds to your soul. ]
'So that's how this normally weak goblin king knew advanced spells like long-distance telepathy and vision-sharing.'
Ding! [ Gained: Chaos Mage - S Rank: Ability to handle and use the Chaos Element ]
'Chaos energy? So that filthy and impure energy coming from the corpses is actually chaos energy!'
Ding! [ "Chaos Mage - S Rank" was devoured by "Sorcerer - Rank EX" ]
Ding! [ Lost "Chaos Mage - S Rank" ]
Ding! [ Requirements met, Mana Circle levels up! ● Mana Circles: 2 ]
'So my "Mana Circle" levels up, huh? This means I can cast any spell within the cost of second-circle magic. That's handy.'
Without hesitation, Rain began absorbing the chaos energy from the surrounding corpses. His mana circles easily filtered and purified the filthy magic, channeling it without side effects. But he still had unfinished business—the goblin king's magic core.
Rain retrieved the dagger and began dissecting the goblin king, checking first the skull, then the heart. Nothing. Finally, he sliced open the stomach, revealing a bloody-red core about an inch in diameter.
'It looks like a marble,' he mused, holding the core.
He concentrated, imagining an inventory in his mind and pouring half of the magic he had absorbed into it.
Ding! [ Gained "Inventory", ● Inventory - 1m² in Size: Able to create a space bound to one's soul, Size can be increased based on the mana poured onto it. ]
'Knew it! Sorcery is overpowered,' he grinned, quietly celebrating as he stored the crown and core in his newly gained inventory.
With the staff in hand, Rain cleaned his bloody hands with magic and prepared to leave. Using wind magic to propel himself, he hopped between the thick branches of the giant trees, each one nearly 1 to 2 meters wide, easily supporting his weight.
As he moved, he noticed the red gem at the top of the staff was faintly glowing. He focused his magic, dimming the glow. Instantly, the dark clouds overhead dispersed, and the sky cleared.
'Damn it! If someone sees me, they'll think I was helping the goblins! I need to get out of here before the elves notice. I'm keeping this staff for myself—no way I'm letting them take it from me.'
Rain's mind was still haunted by his past life, where he had always been taken advantage of. Distrustful of others, he decided not to return to the village While holding valuable item.
'From One look, anyone will know right away that the prism-shaped crystal in the staff is processed from a large Magic core, there's no way I'll walk around the public while holding a treasure I can't protect.'
While hopping through the trees, Rain suddenly heard familiar voices echoing through the forest.
"Rain! Where are you?"
"Hero-sama!! Where are you?!"
It was Elsa and the other elves calling out for him. They sounded desperate, likely worried because their hope, their hero, had disappeared without a trace.
But Rain didn't care.
'I'm not a hero. I never wanted to be one,' he thought grimly. 'A hero is someone who trains, socializes, and upholds justice. They're supposed to kill the Demon Overlord and save the world.'
But Rain wasn't going to follow that path. He had no intention of being shackled by the expectations of others.
'I'll kill anyone I deem evil without thinking twice about the law, or even those who might get in my way. I'll do whatever it takes to live the life I want.'
Rain's decision had been made. He wasn't going back to the village. He wouldn't play the part of their savior. He was free now, bound to no one but himself.
'I'm sorry, Elsa. I don't want to return to Earth. And as long as no one stands in my way—or better yet, helps me live the fantasy life I desire—I might even ally with evil.'
As he continued leaping between the trees, he used his Body Reconstruction to change his appearance once again, turning himself into a male human with pale skin, black hair, and green eyes. His elven features vanished, replaced by a more inconspicuous form. He altered his clothes into a robe, hiding his true identity.
'Elven beauty is coveted, especially by humans, goblins, and orcs. Better be safe than sorry. I don't want to be captured just because I'm an elf.'
He didn't know for certain if this world treated elves the same way as the stories he had read, but he wasn't willing to take any chances. In most fantasy tales, elves were often targeted for their beauty, kidnapped by monsters or greedy humans.
Rain wasn't sure if the races of this world—humans, elves, dwarves, and orcs—were united against the demon forces or if they had their own internal conflicts.
'Orcs were once called The Barbarians, a great race, but now they're often classified as monsters in modern stories,' Rain mused. He couldn't afford to trust anyone right now, not until he understood this world's dynamics better.
With his mind made up and the sun setting in the distance, Rain continued his escape. He ventured further from the rocky mountains, following the sun toward new, unexplored lands.