**Day 23 – Morning – Cave**
Yep, breakfast is still fish. But I'm not the same person I was before. People grow every day, and I've evolved. Cave life is different now. Why? Because I have soy sauce. Kuuuh—grilled fish with soy sauce. This is it. This is the one. Going to town was worth it. Totally worth it. Yeah, delicious.
Mushroom hunting is on hold—time for routine goblin cleanup. They multiply like crazy when I'm gone. Meanwhile the mushrooms are decreasing. Yep, major spring cleaning needed. They're like bathroom mold. Actually closer to fungi than mold, but whatever—thinking about it means I lose.
No magic today. Just body control. Run, strike, spin, sweep, leap, thrust, crouch, kick, hit.
Deeper, deeper into the cave. Goblin levels keep climbing. My level still stuck at 9 as always. Well, the soldiers were finishing blows so no exp from them, but I was massacring trash mobs around town like it was a goblin genocide incident and still no level up.
"Whoa, never came this deep before. If I left some goblin-nest-killer poison lying around they'd probably wipe themselves out, but wonder if the general store sells any?"
That last goblin was Lv 19. Stronger than weak orcs. A goblin.
I thought weapon skills made the level wall every 10 levels, but it's every 5.
From Lv 15 they get dramatically stronger. Can't trade blows without magic. So evade, sweep, parry, redirect, strike.
Keep breathing steady. Don't disrupt the rhythm. Keep moving. Keep running.
Today alone I'm making a fortune in magic stones. Probably all E-rank. If I dumped them at the guild they'd go bankrupt. Loan panic for sure.
Oh? This one's different. Bigger. Appraisal.
**Goblin King A**
AGE: 19
Lv: 23
HP: 110
MP: 31
ViT: 155
PoW: 156
SpE: 49
DeX: 22
MiN: 11
InT: 4
Luｋ: 25
**Martial Arts**
"Hammer Arts Lv7" "Heavy Blow Lv6" "Body Tackle Lv4" "Iron Wall Lv1"
**Skills**
"Sexual Dominance Lv8" "Hardening Lv4" "Intimidation Lv3" "Terror Lv1"
**Equipment**
"Club"
Yep, it's a King. Higher than a leader. Maybe the bitch leader will evolve into Bitch Queen someday? Sounds super noisy.
The King swings his club. Oh—first goblin that doesn't wind up super obviously. Wonder if the idiots would evolve to be this smart? Nah, they'd probably devolve with every level. Gain "Muscle Brain" as a skill.
I can dodge with speed, but trading blows means death. This thing is on another level.
Slowly raise the tree staff?, close the gap quietly, wrap it in magic for just an instant—and swing through. No need for speed. Clean. Just clean. Cut.
This is my limit. One hit, but razor-edge. Illusion and reality—slowly, in an instant, cut.
If this doesn't work, it doesn't work.
If this does, then it does.
Yep. Practice.
Deeper into the forest. Deeper.
Oh—long time no see, Potency Mushroom! First time I ate one was unforgettable deliciousness. Grill it while walking. Deeper. Deeper.
"Kuhhaaa—potency mushroom + soy sauce is a forbidden combo. Supreme delicacy."
But deeper in, Goblin Kings keep showing up casually. Is that okay? They're Kings. Kings. Is it fine for them to pop up like random mobs?
MP not dropping at all. HP full. Razor-edge. Extremely razor-edge. But winnable. Instant. One hit. But razor-edge.
I suddenly had an idea.
・ ・ ・
Pretty deep now, but is there still more? Kings Lv 25+ keep appearing. Why aren't these the boss? What even is a King? Kings everywhere and then an even higher king shows up? That's ridiculous. What do you think a king is?
Are you doing a goblin king game? I'm absolutely not joining! Never! Because every single penalty game would be awful. And if the game is called "Who's the King?" with everyone a Goblin King—everyone's the king! Only kings! None are commoners!
This strong and still just Goblin King? A Kobold King would kill me instantly. No chance. Only future I see is head-bite. Because kobolds likes to bite heads. That's seriously terrifying. Real horror. Sudden head chomp? No thanks. Actual nightmare fuel.
But they're too strong for practice. Can't trade blows. Can't handle more than one at a time. Just slip in for an instant, cut first by a fraction. If I'm off by one beat, dead. It's not gap commerce—it's gap warfare. Sneak into the tiniest opening and *chop*. Super-short-range stealth assault version. Honestly, what I'm doing hasn't changed much.
Probably near the end now. Maybe switch to kobolds after lunch? But Kobold King—no way. He'd definitely bite off my head.
While thinking that, three Goblin Kings appear. And each Lv 29?
Yeah, surrounded = dead. Managed to kill one in a single step, but the rest that's just impossible. Pincer. Can kill one, then die. This isn't practice anymore.
Still—one step. Sway. Cut. Half-step closer. Pierce the neck.
That was bad. Bad, bad, bad, bad, BAD. One more time and I'm definitely dead. Impossible. Impossible. Absolutely impossible. Seriously dangerous. Seriously. Way too dangerous… Half a step, huh… Haa—full-body goosebumps. Clothes soaked in cold sweat. This is like playing a fighting game inside a bullet-hell shooter. One tiny mistake and game over. Distance, timing—below razor-edge. Above zero, but basically zero…
Path back is all the monsters I exterminated so return should be fast. If I want to make it by lunch, better head back soon. If this is the deepest part, was that last one the forest boss? Then where's the treasure chest?! Nothing?! Well, if there was a chest they'd be too slow to carry it anyway. Easy pickings.
**End of Day 23 (Morning)**