—————————————————————–
Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Vine
—————————————————————–
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The Golden Goblin. In games, it was depicted as a regular goblin, but gold-skinned, wearing a crown, and carrying a sack of loot.
While incredibly weak, it was notoriously difficult to encounter, like trying to catch a falling star.
And I had just found a real-life Golden Goblin.
I looked down at the man—no, the Golden Goblin—before me.
I didn’t know how much money he had, but it was probably more than I did. Then it hit me.
Why should I take his money and let him live?
He attacked me, and I won.
“I could just kill him and take it all.”
I looked at the man. He was trembling.
What’s with everyone?
He was shaking like a leaf after just one punch.
Just like the goblins earlier, he was terrified for no reason.
Hmm…
A lightbulb went off in my head.
“Hey, how about we play a game?”
“G-game?”
“Yeah. If you win, I’ll let you live. If you lose, you die. Better than dying without a fight, right?”
“I’ll do it!”
“You will?”
“Yes!”
It was a game in name only.
Think of it as… a health checkup.
“Alright, take off your shoes.”
The man immediately complied.
“I need to make some preparations, so sit tight.”
I retrieved the caltrops from my inventory.
And then, I carefully inserted them into the soles of his bare feet, one by one.
“Gaaaaaaaaah!!!”
“Shhh. It’s good for you.”
Back on Earth, people stuck needles in their bodies for acupuncture, got shots in their butts for vaccinations, and wore bumpy slippers for acupressure.
This was nothing.
Thud.
“Aaaaagh!!!”
Thud.
“Uwaaagh!!!”
I couldn’t fit too many in due to their size, but ten caltrops per foot looked about right.
“You said you’d spare me!!!”
“I haven’t killed you yet.”
He was being dramatic.
It wasn’t like I was holding a sword to his throat.
“Alright, done. Now, stand up.”
“W-what? Stand up like this?”
“You have to stand up to play the game.”
“Ugh… at least tell me what the game is.”
“Your manners are slipping.”
“…Please tell me.”
He was so talkative.
Just do as I say.
Did he not understand his situation?
“Maybe I should just kill you…”
I muttered to myself.
He must have heard me because he immediately stood up, gritting his teeth.
“Gah…!”
“See? You can do it.”
In the army, they said nothing was impossible. They could even carve mountains with a shovel.
Though, I was in public service, not the army.
“Acupressure slippers are good for your health. You should be thanking me, not looking at me like that.”
“…”
He looked at me like I was crazy.
But he agreed to the game.
“The game is simple. Take ten steps, and I’ll let you live.”
“T-ten steps?”
“Or you can just die.”
“…I’ll do it.”
He was trembling, barely able to stand.
He bravely took a step forward.
“Hngh… agh…!!”
He winced with every step, blood oozing from his pierced feet.
I clapped.
A red carpet with every step. How poetic.
“One.”
I had to keep count.
He took another agonizing step. Two. Three. Four. He kept going, slowly but surely, getting closer to ten.
“Hngh… hngh…”
By the end, his groans sounded like sobs.
He was getting free acupressure and a chance to live. A win-win situation. Why was he so sad? I didn’t get it.
He had won the game, so I’d let him go.
“You won. I’ll let you live. But don’t let me see you again. Next time, I’ll kill you for real. Got it?”
Nod nod nod nod.
He nodded enthusiastically. He frantically pulled out the caltrops from his feet. Then, tiptoeing, he hobbled away.
He can run just fine. Such an actor.
Now then…
I watched him go, then sprinted after him.
Hearing my footsteps, he glanced back and made eye contact.
“Here’s Luke~”
I grinned. Terror filled his eyes.
He turned back and ran faster, but he wasn’t going to outrun me with holes in his feet.
I caught up to him easily. He tripped and fell.
“Y-you said you’d spare me!! I won!! Why are you chasing me?!”
“Hello again. What did I say would happen if I saw you again?”
“You crazy bastard!! You’re the one chasing me!!”
“Nonsense. Destiny brought us together.”
“What the hell are you talking about?!”
He was so loud.
I had no reason to spare him.
Letting him go would only lead to trouble later. He’d come back stronger, or tell his buddies, and then I’d have to deal with all sorts of annoying plot developments. I wasn’t a pushover like the protagonist. I nipped problems in the bud.
“Whatever~”
“What are you—…”
He didn’t finish his sentence.
His head rolled on the ground.
His body slumped forward.
[ Level Up! Check your status! ]
“?”
I was puzzled by the sudden level up. I checked my status.
[ Information ]
Name: Luke
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Year: N/A
Magic Power: 0 / 0
Level: 16
[ Skill ]
Inventory (F)
[ Stats ]
Strength: 15
Agility: 10
Intelligence: 0
Stamina: 10
Stat Points: 1
I had actually leveled up.
“Wow, you get experience for killing people?”
I briefly considered finding a dark guild and going on a killing spree, but…
One level for two kills was a terrible return on investment.
Killing monsters was much more efficient.
I dismissed the status window and searched the corpse.
“Jackpot.”
I found two things: a coin purse and a key.
“Not as big a jackpot as I’d hoped.”
The purse contained two silver coins.
I transferred them to my own purse and put it in my inventory. I kept the key, not knowing what it was for.
Not satisfied, I also took the corpse’s sword.
I could probably sell it at a blacksmith or a general store.
I had looted everything of value.
I went back to the carriage where I had killed the first mercenary.
“…Excuse me.”
A voice behind me made me turn around.
A woman with dark blue hair and silver eyes stood there, bound by shackles and chains.
A beastfolk!
Something I could never see on Earth was right in front of me!
With matching ears and tail, she was unmistakably beastfolk.
And beautiful, too. This world’s beauty standards were amazing.
“Thank you for saving us.”
I hadn’t intended to save them.
I had come here because of the scream.
I had forgotten all about it while dealing with the Unlucky Golden Goblin.
“Uh, yeah.”
I figured they’d go their own way now that they were safe.
I went back to looting the corpse.
“Um… did you find a key on those men?”
How did she know?
“I did. Why?”
“That’s the key to our shackles…”
Oh.
I thought it was a key to some hidden treasure chest or something.
How disappointing.
I took out the key.
“Here.”
“…Our hands are bound.”
So many demands. Couldn’t she just use her mouth?
I unlocked the shackles and chains on the beastfolk woman.
She happily jumped around, testing her newfound freedom.
“You can do the rest.”
I handed her the key, and she started unlocking the others.
I guess it wasn’t self-defense, but… vigilante justice?
There were both beastfolk and humans among them, so they were probably slaves. Slavery was illegal in this world, but there were always people who broke the law.
Since they were criminals anyway, there was no need for self-defense justifications.
Once everyone was free, they thanked me.
“Thank you for saving us.”
“Uh-huh.”
I had finished looting the corpses, so I was about to head back to the capital when…
“Excuse me.”
“Yes?”
“Do you know the way back to the capital?”
I was still lost.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
well that was fucked up. thx for the chapter i guess