[Millennia Ago, Planet SURA]
Goblins.
The names referring to them are indeed diverse.
An evil dwarf goblin.
A savage hunter orc.
A cruel giant ogre.
The world of Sura consisted of all kinds of magical monsters competing with one another.
It was a world of humanoids that had always existed. And at the very bottom of this world…
**GOBLIN.**
The weakest of the weak, always forced to fight fiercely to survive at the base of the pyramid—a depth akin to a sewer.
The reason why the King of Monster Humanoids was born from those feeble goblins began with a small whim.
**Cruel Crocodile Humanoid (Croco).**
Croco 'Ammut,' who reigned at the top of the humanoid ecosystem, found interest in a goblin baby he stumbled upon one day.
"Hey, look at this little runt. I like the look in its eyes."
"Krrrikl."
The tiny creature was a goblin baby, weak from the moment of its birth.
This was why it was a venomous kind that survived by tearing out the eyes and ears of its kind with more violence than anyone else.
The goblin baby, fighting to survive even while covered in blood, never cowered, even in front of Croco, the strongest humanoid.
Though its body trembled under the weight of fear, its eyes stared at Ammut with a fierce desire to devour him.
That very gaze stirred a small whim in Ammut's heart. The smallest and weakest goblin struggled to survive a brutal battle. What would happen if he mentored that little wretch himself? How strong could it become?
**"This will be fun…"**
Ammut finally decided to spare the goblin baby.
"From now on, I'll call you Tarnak."
"Krrrk?"
"I'll train your miserable body to be like Croco's. Hang in there as much as you can."
Ammut picked up the trembling goblin with one hand and took it to his habitat. He even gave it a name.
From that day onward...
"Krrrk!"
Ammut raised Tarnak, subjecting him to training to grow stronger.
The training was so harsh that Tarnak almost died countless times, but Ammut had no intention of letting go of his new toy.
'If it dies, so be it.' After all, it was just an experiment born from a whim. Without expecting success, Ammut mercilessly pushed Tarnak.
Time passed in this way.
Tarnak, forced into such an experiment disguised as training, gradually grew stronger. Finally...
"Krrrk!"
Born as a goblin, Tarnak defeated an orc—an upper-level creature—for the first time! On that day, Tarnak asked Ammut about the power he was learning.
"What is this?"
Ammut also pondered a name for the first time that day. It was a technique that strengthened the goblin's miserable body, making it like Croco's…
"Manifestation of the Spiritual Body."
Ammut came up with the name on the spot, wearing his trademark cruel smile.
"What you're learning is the Manifestation of the Spiritual Body."
**Spiritual body…!**
Tarnak etched the name into his memory. Even after that, he continued enduring torture in the name of the 'Manifestation of the Spiritual Body.' Gradually, he grew stronger—strong enough to defeat orcs, trolls, and ogres on his own.
More time passed.
Eventually, Tarnak surpassed his mentor, Ammut.
The monarch, who was the King of Monster Humanoids at the time, was slain.
Tarnak was chosen as the vessel of the King of Monster Humanoids, becoming the 'Monarch of the Iron Body.' Darkness inhabited his body.
For the war against the Rulers, he became a brilliant light that endured for ages. But even that light was extinguished one day.
---
"HOW?!"
This thought repeated endlessly in Tarnak's mind.
"How did I lose?"
"How was I defeated?"
These questions plagued Tarnak as he found himself slowly dissolving into nothingness. Defeated by mere soldiers.
He, who was the very first user of the Manifestation of the Spiritual Body!
The only perfect student of his master! And yet, he had lost…
I WON'T ACCEPT THIS!!!!
But there was nothing left to do. Against his will, Tarnak dissolved into the void and finally… the great Monarch of the Iron Body and King of the Humanoids… died.
In the most humiliating way imaginable.
Amid the void of death, Tarnak could only lament his end—a bitter, agonizing end for a warrior so proud of his strength.
Someone who had risen to the top by his own power yet lost to mere soldiers, without even the dignity of falling to a fellow monarch or at least a Ruler.
This was the end of the King of Monster Humanoids.
"Hello, little monarch!"
"Huh?"
As he sank into the wretched darkness, a voice snapped Tarnak out of his thoughts—a voice he could recognize!
"SUPREME BEING?"
"HAHAHA, NO. Though my brother and I belong to the same race, we are fundamentally different."
"Race?... Wait… THERE ARE OTHER SUPREME BEINGS?"
"Many more, little monarch… but I have no reason to explain further. Know this: we, the 'ITARIM,' are an eternal race, which means we grow terribly bored. That's why… you mortals, with your fleeting lives, are… interesting to us. My siblings and I would like to offer you a choice: a new life. In exchange, you'll provide us with entertainment. A fair trade, wouldn't you agree?"
"I ACCEPT! Give me power! I want—no! I NEED more power! I will return and REPAY that humiliation by those insolent soldi—"
TERROR.
That was what Tarnak felt at that moment.
A wave of murderous intent threatened to crush him.
'T-that feeling!'
For a moment, Tarnak felt like he had reverted to his original state… nothing more than a weak, puny goblin—frail and beneath all.
And then the sensation stopped.
"Listen well, little monarch! I COMMAND HERE! Remember that!"
"Y-yes!" Tarnak stammered, trembling as he tried to compose himself, shaking off the fear he had just experienced.
"Very well… I will grant you a new life and a chance. Perhaps, if you prove entertaining, I will grant you an opportunity to take vengeance on those who humiliated you. But ONLY if you prove yourself. Now, little monarch… return and show me you can reach new heights… from a mere goblin… to a MONARCH!"
With these enigmatic final words, Tarnak felt himself falling into the darkness—not just physically, but his mind itself drifted into slumber…
This was a new beginning for him…
A new beginning for the—
Monarch of the Iron Body and King of the Humanoids, TARNAK!