Ch 81
Matt was still grappling with the excruciating pain and debilitating sensation of a broken back as he forced himself upright through sheer determination. Meanwhile, the goblin king mirrored his efforts. The three newcomers appeared bewildered, instinctively stepping back to avoid standing between the two adversaries. However, their reaction was too little, too late. Matt had already accessed his spatial storage, and with complete disregard for the immense wealth it held, began to pour out all the gold and gems. This action created a tidal wave-like effect within the comparatively small chamber, engulfing all five of them and pinning them in place simultaneously, as the glimmering treasure cascaded around them.
For Matt, it wasn't too much of an issue as he returned the gold and gems lying right next to him into his spatial storage. Soon, he found himself standing in the center of a hollow in the pile of gold and gems. Letting out a weary sigh, Matt remained on guard, listening intently to the struggles of the other four as they attempted to free themselves from the treasure. He speculated that at least one of the three newcomers might have already escaped through the door they had entered. Nevertheless, Matt was content with them either trying to dig their friends out or making their own escape, as his primary focus was on buying time to heal his injured back.
After approximately 15 minutes, Matt felt as though he had regained his full health. He began to gather all the gold and gems back into his storage while climbing atop the diminishing pile of treasure. From this elevated position, he was able to swiftly strike whenever he uncovered any of the buried goblins. In a swift motion, he eliminated two of them who had been attempting to reach the goblin king. Both goblins were only a few feet away from reaching the door and making their escape. Matt felt confident in his assumption that the last goblin had successfully fled. Consequently, after these two kills, he found himself just 297 experience points shy of reaching level 9.
Ignoring the fleeing runner, assuming he could catch up with him later, Matt focused on securing the massive pile of gold and gems. As he continued his task, he finally uncovered the goblin king buried beneath the treasure. It was immediately apparent from the goblin king's pained expression and lack of resistance that he was either unable to move or was pretending to be helpless to lure Matt into a trap. With a frown, Matt contemplated his next move while staring at the goblin king, who suddenly began to speak.
"And what now, that you've destroyed the power that has kept my kind in check for hundreds of years?" the goblin king questioned, his voice laced with bitterness.
"You speak as if you're already dead," Matt replied, shaking his head. "How sad it is to refuse to seek a way forward and to simply accept the fate you envision."
"Ha, even if you were to walk away right now, those I've built up to do my bidding are already dead. Dozens of factions have sprung up to attempt to replace me. The chaos they're going to create over the next year will make the strikes I was planning seem insignificant. Instead of just a few thousand of your kind being targeted, every one of them in this world will likely become a target."
"I doubt that. Even with goblins reaching maturity in a year, it's still too long for them to recover the numbers lost in each clash. There may be more attacks, but I foresee my side winning and the survivors emerging stronger."
"You underestimate what my kind is capable of when there's no leash to hold us back."
"Is this where you try to convince me that I need to save you and work with you to restore the balance I've supposedly destroyed? Because if it is, then I don't care. This world means nothing to me, and if the goblins want to conquer it, they're free to do so. If the people above are too weak to win, then they likely wouldn't survive what's waiting for us back on our own planet."
"Fool—"
Matt didn't let the goblin king finish speaking. He rushed forward, his blade slicing through the air, and cut the king's throat open once more. With grim determination, he continued to slash until the king's head was fully severed from his body. Only then did Matt receive the notifications he had been expecting, confirming the deed was done.
Monster killed: level 13 goblin king.
Base experience multiplied by five.
Awarding 300 experience.
Current experience to next level 8003/8000.
Experience has reached threshold prepare to level up!
The discomfort Matt experienced as he reached level 9 was overwhelming. He felt his legs buckle beneath him, and he let out a primal roar, fighting to remain conscious of his surroundings, fearing the last goblin might return. Matt hadn't anticipated leveling up after that battle, as defeating the goblin king unexpectedly granted him twice as much experience as other goblins. Yet, only about five seconds after the transformation began, Matt felt like a completely new man as his status update materialized before him, illuminating his newfound strength and abilities.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
Matthew Pierce.
Level 9
Strength: 89
Dexterity: 89
Durability: 138
Stamina: 211
Spirit: 183
Mind: 89
Species Human (E)
Bloodline: (Undocumented, higher level needed to fully analyze)
Path: Willful Warrior Healer (Increase Spirit by 60% Stamina by 45% Durability by 30%)
Titles: Integrated, Front runner of species (5% boost to all stats), Lord of the Tomb of the Restless Defenders (Control the accessibility of fort associated with dungeon such that those within can enter and leave with or without challenging the dungeon. Can also relocate/repair the fort and dungeon associated with dungeon if needed resources are gathered.), King slayer (Increase in distrust from those who serve a monarch not allied with you. Deal double damage to any monarch and those in the line of succession)
Skills: Auto translate, Minor regeneration, Injury transfer, Give of yourself, Stand tall, Hand up, Attack negation, Give back to your enemy.
The quantitative change to his stats was staggering for Matt, as both his stamina and spirit had more than doubled. This increase was so significant that Matt struggled to comprehend how he had managed to win against any opponent even close to the level he was now witnessing. His thoughts were abruptly interrupted when an unexpected system message appeared before him.
System level sufficient for the start of true integration.
Access to the basic system menu unlocked.
Simply will the system menu to manifest for access.
Blinking in surprise, Matt considered accessing the system menu, and suddenly, his stats were once again projected before his eyes. This allowed him the opportunity to read over the new additions beyond the raw numbers of his stats. He noticed the "King Slayer" title and the fact that his bloodline was undocumented. Both of these details gave him pause; the title seemed more troublesome than advantageous, and he was unsure what to make of his bloodline being undocumented. However, he didn’t have much time to dwell on either when Tempormr’s voice interrupted his thoughts.
“If there is anything you wish to grab before you leave this world, it would be best if you hurried. Even I can only delay your departure for so long,” Tempormr advised with urgency.
Matt didn’t even respond verbally. Instead, he started to hastily gather the rest of the gold and gems into his storage. In his haste, Matt also ended up grabbing the goblin king’s corpse and head simultaneously. As he turned to head back toward the room where all the restrained goblin women were held, a new system message suddenly appeared before him, and it felt as though everything froze, including himself.
Level has surpassed the recommended maximum of the current world.
Would you like to be transported to a world more suited to your continued growth?
Yes/No
Warning, refusal will result in forever limiting your capabilities due to not utilizing this opportunity.
No matter what Matt did, Tempormr wouldn’t respond and if he was honest, it felt more of like he couldn’t respond. Still, Matt was certain that anyone reaching level 9 would receive such a message, suggesting that much of what others assumed was incorrect. Matt believed it would likely throw the people he was leaving behind into chaos when the strongest of their ranks started to vanish without explanation. After all, it would only be after one of them refused that the information would become public. Still feeling he had no other viable option, Matt selected "yes" and was greeted by a new message.
Congratulations on choosing to leave the world you are currently in. Assistance is being offered by an administrative-level entity. Would you like to accept their assistance in your placement upon transfer, as well as other beneficial boons that they are ready to provide?
Yes/No
Warning: Accepting their assistance will forge a karmic link between you and the entity, requiring repayment in some form to be satisfied. Such connections should not be formed lightly, but refusal will also create an equally strong negative karmic link due to prior interactions with the administrative-level entity.
Matt felt a chuckle bubbling up at the warning, as it could have just stated that no matter what he did, his karma was intertwined with Tempormr’s. Still, if there was one thing Matt recalled about karma, it was that any connections were reciprocal, and he doubted that anyone as powerful as Tempormr claimed to be would establish them without serious consideration. So, with minimal hesitation, Matt chose to accept the assistance, reasoning that it was the wisest course of action after angering someone of his own level.
A moment later, the world around Matt dissolved into darkness as he sensed his body phasing out of reality, only to suddenly reappear in a chamber not too different from the one he had just departed. However, this room was illuminated by some mysterious source that Matt couldn’t identify. Before he could investigate further, another figure materialized into reality. This figure was not human; instead, it was a cat about the size of a German shepherd, its eyes gleaming with an otherworldly intelligence.
"Bob?" Matt asked, his voice tinged with surprise and curiosity.
As Matt spoke, the cat, which was clearly too large to be the bobcat he remembered, turned and looked at him. Upon seeing Matt, it was as if all the tension the cat had been holding vanished. A moment later, it was curled up on the floor, exuding a sense of carefree relaxation. Matt couldn't help but chuckle, realizing that this was definitely how Bob would have reacted. He was just about to comment on the cat's laziness when another voice interrupted his thoughts.
"Is that really you, Matt?"
Turning around, Matt found himself face-to-face with Apricity. The confident woman he remembered was gone, replaced by someone who seemed as if she might flee at the sound of the wind. Yet, the look in her eyes carried hope at the sight of him, and he wasn’t about to spoil what was evidently a reunion she had been eagerly anticipating.
"Yeah, it's me. It's good to see that you pulled through whatever was happening on your end, but I wasn’t expecting to see you here."
"You weren’t? The voice that warned me about the intentions—never mind, I was led to believe that you wanted me to be here. Is that not the case?"
Even as dense as Matt sometimes liked to pretend to be, he couldn’t miss that denying her would crush her. So he replied, "I did, I just wasn’t told that you would be here. What else can you tell me about this voice?"
"Not much, it just offered me a chance to escape a situation and come to your side when I did. Though, I have to say, I wasn’t expecting to see you naked and covered in blood."
Matt froze, suddenly realizing he had never put his soaked armor back on after exiting the waterfall. This was not the reunion he had intended to have. However, he took comfort in the fact that Apricity didn’t seem on the verge of screaming, which he saw as an encouraging sign.
