Chapter 3: I Killed a Human
I died four more times, waiting for the magic caster to enter.
I simply stood in my usual spot, not wanting to alert the male.
I grabbed the flesh-eating worms and stored them in Stucky, in one of the boxes. Thanks to Stucky's information, I knew I could do that.
I patiently waited until he finally appeared—the weakest and slowest one among all.
He appeared, and I don't know why, but a grin spread across my face.
Did I know I was going to kill him? Or was it because I was tired of standing still and could finally move now?
Well, I don't know, and I don't even care.
The careless and weakest of the humans entered, and I stood still.
Just like earlier, he pointed the long wooden stick with the stone at me. It started to sparkle, and a wave of fire followed.
All the goblins, as usual, rushed towards him, some even reaching him, but by then, they were screaming in pain due to all the fire.
Perhaps he was instructed to use a milder version, not to damage us entirely. They needed our ears after all, so I could somewhat say that the intensity of fire was less.
At least, I felt less pain compared to earlier times.
However, I stood there. The skin on my feet started to burn away, revealing my muscles. Weird fluids began oozing out, and burn marks spread all over my body.
My green hair was instantly burned away, and one of my eyes dented inwardly due to the liquids drying... I became blind on one side. But I waited... I stood there like a statue.
I probably had only one chance to deal with him, and that was to wait for him to get close to me.
Or... could I have mixed with my fellow goblins and tried to approach him?
I didn't think of that earlier. It was too late. So all I did was wait...
...and it paid off.
My entire body had turned crispy, completely black. I could tell this by faintly looking at others who had similar fates.
Despite decreasing the intensity, our ears were still burnt, so I heard him clicking his tongue in frustration and saying something. I couldn't understand.
But what I could understand was that he started walking towards me.
He didn't wear any metallic boots but a leather boot which made a -sqelch- sound as he stomped on blood.
He kept walking, slowly and steadily until he approached me, the only goblin who died while standing.
Was he impressed? I didn't know, but I was sure that he thought of me as dead. I held my breath after all and made no movements despite the pain.
Even I didn't know why I was alive... perhaps, for the next moment.
The moment he touched my ear and moved a blade he held towards it to cut it, I moved.
I moved so slowly but with such precision that I grabbed his hand and his body, almost as if wrapping around him.
"AHHHH!"
The male was startled, but my plans hadn't even begun.
I opened my mouth and bit his neck while calling out to Stucky.
Stucky appeared and so did the boxes from where I pulled out the worms, about eight of them.
The male pierced me with the dagger but that pain was nothing compared to the fire that burned me.
The male was weak. He couldn't shake me off. Heck, he even fell down due to my weight which supported my action.
One of the worms, I directed it towards his left ear and in an instant, it crawled ahead.
The second, I threw towards his eyes, though, my aim was bad and it ended up close to his nostrils.
The remaining worms, I tried to feed him and was successful because he suddenly started screaming.
"AHHHHHHG!"
"AHHHHHHH!!!"
His screams echoed throughout the cave, making even the rocks shudder.
I briefly knew what the Flesh Eating Worms were doing but the descriptions that Stucky gave me were even better.
『One of the worms has invaded his auditory canal.』
『The worm has started eating the target's eardrums.』
『The worm has successfully eaten all of the eardrum and is now invading the middle and inner ear.』
『The worm has started to feast on cochlear matter.』
The male tried to move his arms up, probably to check his ears. I didn't let him.
Stucky appeared again.
『A worm has invaded one of the nostrils.』
『It has started feasting on the nasal septum.』
『It has successfully fed on the nasal septum.』
『The worm has moved up, eating everything in its path.』
The male stopped moving.
I pulled my arms away, rolling beside him as I convulsed and so did the male. I didn't take my eyes off of him.
I could see his blood pooling... it was different.
His blood was red, like bear meat blood. Interesting.
I looked at his body vanishing slowly.
He didn't have a nose anymore. No ears. His stomach started bloating and before I knew it... the male was dead.
Stucky came to me, to remind me of something.
『You have completed the mission: Kill a Hunter.』
『Reward: Skill ×1.』
『Congratulations! You have learned the skill—』
I shooed Stucky away.
I didn't want to look at him right now.
My focus... entire focus should be on the male in front of me.
He was dead. I was sure. But I wanted to see his body vanish.
I was enjoying the scene.
A grin... that I didn't know of, appeared on my face. It reflected on the male's blood...
A burnt ugly face, the green skin vanished and showcasing the muscles within with mucus and saliva stuck out. Torn from the side, teeth visible. Lips burnt and nose contorted... one of the eyes squelched... with such a face, I smiled, my lower jaw quivering.
I enjoyed it.
I had fun!
I raised my hand above, as if touching the ceiling of the cave.
I was sure that the souls of my family were happy with how the male screamed.
I was happy!
It was fun!
Until...
I heard the sound of boots.
I tried to turn back, with the best of my abilities, but before I could, my head was sent flying.
I could catch a glimpse though... the woman, the same woman who had first killed me, had appeared.
But this time... oh her expressions...
They weren't that of disdain...
There was no smirk...
Oh yes...
Her eyes...
Yes...
They contained fear, sadness, and... remorse.
I succeeded!
I killed a human!
『You died.』