Lilya prepared to attack.
Her eyes locked onto every enemy blocking her path.
Hell Kong—ahead. Its black body towered like a living tower. Muscles bulged along its arms, dark aura pulsing wildly throughout its body. Its eyes burned red. Its teeth were sharp. And its claws—which had been scraping the marble floor—left long marks that hissed softly.
Two Hobgoblins—left and right. Their bodies were larger than any Lilya had faced before. Their black skin gleamed like wet obsidian. One gripped a large double-edged sword—its blade coated in purple aura that dripped like living poison. The other held a spiked chain—each link bearing small hooks that spun slowly, as if searching for flesh to tear.
And behind them—
Goblin Shaman.
Still standing beside the black crystal.
Not moving.
Only watching.
With a thin smile Lilya could not read.
Lilya narrowed her eyes.
[Auto Appraisal]
Transparent text appeared in her vision—floating above the head of the robed figure.
[Goblin Shaman Lv. 40]
[Status: Berserk]
Lilya frowned.
Something was odd.
The status panel she saw—looked slightly blurred.
Not as clear as usual. As if something was blocking [Auto Appraisal] from reading the full information. The numbers were there—level 40, status Berserk—but it felt incomplete. As if a layer was covering the rest of the details.
Lilya stared at the panel for several seconds.
"Level 40...?"
"That's... not too high."
She looked at the Goblin Shaman again.
"I can kill it."
She was certain.
After defeating the three monsters ahead—Hell Kong and two Hobgoblins—she could finish off Goblin Shaman.
"No matter what that status is hiding."
Lilya shifted her gaze from the blurred panel.
"I'll end this."
Lilya drew a breath.
Deep.
Calm.
[Battle Instinct]
The world narrowed.
The golden-yellow aura of [Veil Resonance] enveloped her body—brighter than before. Denser. More blazing. Like gold heated to its melting point—gleaming with an intensity that made the air around her vibrate softly.
The white marble floor beneath her feet—cracked softly.
Lilya shot forward at full speed.
[Quick Step]
Her body moved—faster than before. The golden-yellow aura surrounding her left a thin trail of light in the air, like the tail of a split star.
The two Hobgoblins—roared in fury.
"GRROOOOOAAAAARRRRR—!!!"
"GRROOOOOAAAAARRRRR—!!!"
They ran too.
At the same speed.
From left and right.
Simultaneously.
The Hobgoblin with the greatsword—swung its blade in a horizontal slash. The purple aura dripping from its blade—left a trail of poison in the air.
The Hobgoblin with the spiked chain—threw its chain. The small hooks on each link—spun slowly, searching for flesh.
Lilya did not dodge.
She blocked.
[Parry Counter]
CLAAANG—!!
CLAAANG—!!
Two impacts.
Simultaneously.
Her sword moved—in a single impossible motion—deflecting the sword slash and redirecting the spiked chain in one swing.
The massive force—redirected.
Veering away from her body.
The greatsword—struck empty air.
The spiked chain—missed to the side, hitting the marble floor.
CRAAAK—!!
Marble cracked.
Lilya did not wait.
She counterattacked.
[Sword Dancer]
Her sub-class—active.
And it showed.
Her body moved more fluidly. More flowing. More precise. Every swing of her sword—sharper. Every slash—deeper. Every movement—more deadly.
She danced.
Between the two Hobgoblins.
[Precision Cut]
SHHHK—!!
First slash—to the wrist of the Hobgoblin holding the sword.
Black blood sprayed.
The greatsword—fell.
Before the monster could react—
Lilya had already spun.
[Chain Strike]
Two quick slashes.
One to the neck.
One to the stomach.
SHHK—SHHK—!!
The Hobgoblin was split.
Its body fell—separated into two parts.
Lilya did not stop.
She spun—facing the Hobgoblin with the chain.
The monster pulled its chain back.
Threw it again.
This time—faster.
More vicious.
Lilya raised her sword.
[Flow Guard]
Her blade spun—following the flow of the chain.
Not blocking.
Redirecting.
The chain slipped to the side—hit the floor.
CRAAAK—!!
Marble cracked.
Lilya stepped forward.
[Air Cut]
SHHHHHK—!!
A sharp air wave shot from her sword—splitting the distance between them.
The Hobgoblin could not dodge.
Its body was split.
From shoulder to waist.
Black blood sprayed.
The monster fell.
Split.
Mangled.
Lilya stood amidst two split corpses.
Her breath was heavy.
But—her eyes remained focused.
"Good."
She thought.
"Sub-class Sword Dancer—works perfectly."
She turned.
Toward the two Hobgoblins that should have been dead.
And—
her eyes widened.
The wounds—closed.
Fast.
Too fast.
The black flesh—merged.
Dark tendrils—extended from the wound edges.
Merging.
Restoring.
The two Hobgoblins—rose again.
In the blink of an eye.
Faster than monsters outside.
Faster than she had ever seen.
"Eh?!"
Lilya stepped back half a pace.
"Why did the wounds close?!!"
She looked at her sword.
The golden-yellow aura of [Veil Resonance] still burned along its blade—brighter than before.
But—
It didn't work.
Or—
It worked... but why did their wounds heal faster?
"In the forest—[Veil Resonance] always worked."
"The wounds I gave—never closed."
"Even on Elder Treant—"
"Even on Hell Kong in the forest—"
"But here—"
"The wounds close—"
"Faster."
"Much faster."
Lilya gritted her teeth.
She didn't understand.
But she had no time to analyze further.
Because—
[Battle Instinct]
Danger.
From ahead.
Lilya raised her head.
Hell Kong—had already begun to do something.
Its mouth—opened.
And above that mouth—a small black dot appeared.
Small.
But dense.
Like a tiny hole in the darkness.
Slowly.
Growing larger.
Larger.
Until it was the size of a cannonball.
[Burst Cannon]
Lilya's eyes widened.
"That's..."
She had never seen it directly.
But through Hikaru's memories, she understood that attack was extremely difficult to avoid.
The cannonball shot toward her with incredible speed.
Lilya could not dodge.
Too close.
Too fast.
She had to block it.
[Flow Guard]
The golden-yellow aura—spun along her blade.
Her blade moved—following the flow of incoming energy.
Not blocking.
Redirecting.
The magic cannonball—struck her sword.
And—
slipped.
Not exploding on the spot.
Not piercing her body.
But—redirected.
Veering off its path.
Shooting to the side.
And slamming into the wall behind her.
BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMM—!!!
The explosion—massive.
White marble shattered.
Pillars cracked.
Stone fragments flew like a rain of white meteors.
Dust billowed.
Smoke rose.
And Lilya—still standing.
Her body trembled.
Her hands shook.
But she was still standing.
She looked back—toward the explosion that had just occurred.
Toward the shattered wall.
Toward the cracked pillar.
"...tch."
Lilya clicked her tongue in annoyance.
"I didn't know that attack could be that terrifying."
Suddenly—
laughter.
Hoarse.
Broken.
From behind.
Lilya turned quickly.
Goblin Shaman—laughing.
Its small body shook.
Not from fear.
But from—delight.
"I... knew it... you... could... dodge it..."
Its voice came out slowly.
Broken.
Like old branches being scraped.
"You... truly... are... a Sword... Saint..."
It paused.
Its crooked fangs were clearly visible behind dry lips.
"...but..."
Its eyes narrowed.
"...you... are not... Claudia..."
Lilya froze.
"You... will not... be able... to stop... my... evolution... ritual..."
Hell Kong—screamed.
"GRROOOOOAAAAARRRRR—!!!"
The two Hobgoblins—screamed.
"GRROOOOOAAAAARRRRR—!!!"
"GRROOOOOAAAAARRRRR—!!!"
The dark aura on their bodies—grew stronger.
Denser.
More feral.
The wounds Lilya had given them—closed faster.
Their black flesh—swelled.
Muscles—bulged.
Their bodies—grew.
Changed.
Lilya stepped back half a pace.
"Seriously? They're stronger than before?!!"
Lilya sensed the power of the three monsters—growing more dangerous.
Not just increasing.
Not just strengthening.
But—transforming.
"This... is unnatural."
She turned.
Toward Goblin Shaman.
And—
her eyes widened.
The status panel floating above the robed figure's head—whose text had been slightly blurred—now changed.
[Goblin Elder Shaman Lv. 80]
Lilya froze.
"Goblin Elder Shaman...?"
Her mind—spun quickly.
"That's... one more evolution... toward the highest evolution tier?"
Lilya's body—trembled.
She knew—through Hikaru's memories.
Monster evolution—unique. Each had a different evolution path. Goblins—had two paths. One of them—the magic path. And now—that Goblin Shaman had evolved into a Goblin Elder Shaman.
But—
Lilya didn't know when.
And—
Lilya knew—that monster was stronger than Elder Treant. Stronger than Hell Kong.
"Goblin Elder Shaman... level 80...?" she said.
Lilya knew that although her level was maxed.
But monster levels were different from humans.
Level 80 was enough to destabilize an entire large region of the empire.
"But... level 80... evolution..."
She bit her lip.
"That's... already unreasonable, isn't it?"
As if hearing Lilya's thoughts—
the Goblin Elder Shaman—laughed.
Not the hoarse laugh from before.
Not the broken laugh.
But—a clearer laugh. More steady. More—conscious.
"Exactly... 100 years... after... I... reached... Goblin Elder Shaman..."
"I... met... her... again..."
Lilya froze.
"100 years after... Goblin Elder Shaman...?" she said.
The Goblin Elder Shaman—smiled.
Its crooked fangs—clearly visible.
"Adelia... appeared."
Lilya frowned.
"Adelia...?"
The Goblin Elder Shaman—laughed.
"You... want... to know...?"
It—raised its staff.
The purple crystal at its tip—pulsed.
"Look..."
The purple crystal at the tip of the Goblin Elder Shaman's staff pulsed faster.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
On the fourth pulse—
WUUUUMMMMM—!!
A wave of mana spread from the staff, coursing through the entire room like ripples spreading across water. Purple light swept across the marble floor, creeping past the feet of Hell Kong and the two Hobgoblins whose bodies continued to grow.
Lilya immediately raised her sword.
[Battle Instinct]
However, no attack came.
Instead, the mana wave stopped right in front of her, then slowly gathered in the air.
Lilya frowned.
"...What are you doing?"
Goblin Elder Shaman did not answer.
It merely moved its staff slightly to the side, as if shifting something invisible to the naked eye.
Then—
KREKKK...
A purple line appeared in the air.
The line extended horizontally, then formed sharp angles. Light spread from each side, assembling a rectangular frame that floated several meters above the floor.
Its surface was initially dark.
Pitch black.
However, a few seconds later, the surface rippled like water disturbed by raindrops.
A vague image began to appear within it.
"I... will... show... you... my... past..."
"200... years... ago"
200 Years Ago — A Village on the Border of the Kingdom of Moal.
The screen—displayed a village.
A small village. Remote. Surrounded by dense forest.
No name on the map.
No one cared.
Just—a village.
And in the center of that village—
silence.
Not peaceful silence.
But—dead silence.
Wooden houses—collapsed. Roofs—caved in. Walls—pierced. And among the ruins—corpses.
Many.
Human bodies—lying on the ground. Blood—dried on stone. And monsters—scattered—split—mangled—like garbage.
And in the midst of it all—
Goblin Elder Shaman.
Sitting.
Beside the corpse of an adventurer.
The adventurer—was split.
From shoulder to waist.
His blood—still flowing.
And the Goblin Elder Shaman—sat beside him—calm.
Its body—larger than an ordinary goblin. Its purple skin—darker. Its eyes—pale yellow—sharp. And the dark aura throughout its body—denser than before.
It—stared at its own hand.
Clenched.
Opened.
Clenched again.
"..."
It—smiled.
"Finally..."
Its voice—hoarse.
"I... have reached... Goblin Elder Shaman..."
It—stood.
Its body—upright.
Solid.
Strong.
It—looked around.
At the destroyed village.
At the scattered corpses.
At the monsters that had been split apart.
"But..."
Its eyes—narrowed.
"That... is not... enough..."
It—raised its hand.
Clenched.
"One... more... tier..."
"One... more... tier... to become... Goblin Overlord Shaman..."
"One... more... tier... to become... the strongest..."
"One... more... tier..."
It—laughed.
Softly.
Hoarsely.
"I... will... achieve it..."
"No... matter... how long..."
"No... matter... what... I... must... do..."
"I... will... achieve it..."
And—
at that moment—
a voice.
Laughter.
A woman's.
Cheerful.
Light.
Almost like—a dance.
The Goblin Elder Shaman—did not turn.
It—did not need to.
Because—
it knew.
From the disgusting aura.
From the presence that—was the same.
The same as 300 years ago.
The same as when it first met that pale-blonde-haired human.
"You... came... again..."
Its voice—cold.
Not surprised.
Not afraid.
Only—acceptance.
Footsteps—light.
Approaching.
And—that figure appeared.
Hair—pink.
Wavy.
Falling on her shoulders.
And on her face—a mask.
A mask—an upside-down smile.
"We meet again, purple monster!"
Her voice—cheerful.
Too cheerful for a village destroyed like this.
The Goblin Elder Shaman—turned.
Slowly.
"You... human... pink... haired..."
"This... time... you... came... alone...?"
"Yes! This time I came alone!"
She—stepped closer.
"Madam is busy, so I came."
She—stopped a few paces from the Goblin Elder Shaman.
"You've grown big, haven't you. Already a Goblin Elder Shaman."
The Goblin Elder Shaman—observed the figure before it.
Its eyes—narrowed.
And—
floating text appeared in its vision.
[Adelia Fostressa Lv. 100]
"Adelia... Fostressia..."
Its voice—slow.
"...so... that... is... your... name..."
Adelia—laughed.
"Oh! You can use appraisal now?!!"
She—clapped her hands.
"This skill is really useful, isn't it?"
She—nodded repeatedly.
"It's rare for a monster to have this ability."
She—laughed louder.
"[Predator Harvest] is really useful! Hahaha!"
The Goblin Elder Shaman—did not laugh along.
Its eyes—remained sharp.
The ground beneath Adelia—trembled.
KREKKK...
The ground—cracked.
And from within—black tentacles emerged.
The tentacles—writhed.
Extended.
And—wrapped around Adelia.
From her feet.
To her waist.
To her chest.
To her neck.
Adelia—was not afraid.
She—only stayed still.
Smiling behind her mask.
The Goblin Elder Shaman—smiled.
"You... are not... resisting...?"
Adelia—laughed softly.
"Why should I resist?"
The Goblin Elder Shaman—pressed.
The tentacles—tightened.
CRAAAK—!!
Adelia's bones—cracked.
Her body—was crushed.
However—
Adelia—still smiled.
"Ah..."
Her voice—soft.
"...I'm just a doll, so if you destroy me..."
She—paused.
"...I'm still alive, you know."
The Goblin Elder Shaman—clicked its tongue.
"Doll...?"
Adelia—laughed.
"Yes. A doll."
She—raised her hand—even though bound by tentacles.
"This body—is only a copy."
"My real body—is elsewhere."
"So—you can destroy this body as many times as you want."
"I can always make it again and again."
The Goblin Elder Shaman—fell silent.
Its eyes—narrowed.
"Doll..."
It thought.
"So... she... cannot... be killed...?"
It—clicked its tongue.
And—
the tentacles—vanished.
Disappeared into the ground.
Adelia—fell to the ground.
But—she immediately stood.
Brushing off her dress.
"So dirty."
She—sighed.
"You know..."
Her voice—changed.
Colder.
Sharper.
"...if you... ruin... the clothes... my Madam gave me..."
An aura—appeared.
From Adelia's body.
An aura—that pressed.
That choked.
That made the Goblin Elder Shaman—step back half a pace.
"...I will kill you immediately."
Adelia—stepped forward.
"Even though I'm just a doll."
"Every part of me—is only a copy."
"But that still makes me very upset."
"And—"
She—stopped right in front of the Goblin Elder Shaman.
"A grave sin."
"I—will not forgive."
The Goblin Elder Shaman—froze.
Its body—trembled.
Not from cold.
Not from exhaustion.
But from—fear.
"This... aura..."
It thought.
"She's... a doll... but... her aura... is like... that... pale... blonde... human..."
Adelia—smiled behind her mask.
"Good. You understand."
The aura—vanished.
Adelia—returned to cheerfulness.
"Alright! Now—let's talk business!"
She—clapped her hands.
"Madam told me to deliver this message."
The Goblin Elder Shaman—still trembling.
But—it listened.
"You are already strong enough to undergo your final evolution."
"For the past 300 years I have watched over you through the power I granted you."
"So your final step is to reach your final evolution tier."
Its yellow eyes flew wide open when it heard final evolution.
Goblin Overlord Shaman.
"Oh! You're really enthusiastic, purple monster!" Adelia praised.
Adelia coughed lightly, then continued delivering the message.
"The only way to enter the final stage is that you must infiltrate the Sword Saint Sanctuary."
"Sword... Saint... Sanctuary?" it said slowly.
Goblin Elder Shaman knew that place.
Of course.
Because it had read many human books in the villages it visited.
"Sword... Saint... Claudia..."
Adelia smiled, then continued again.
"Taint the Sword Saint's crystal with your dark seed."
Goblin Elder Shaman fell silent.
"You only need to touch it and the crystal will absorb the dark energy."
"The Sword Saint will surely reject you, but as long as you can touch it once."
"The black seed will spread slowly."
"Your time is short, 200 years from now."
"Gather all your strength."
"Find a way to force your way into the Sword Saint Sanctuary."
"If you fail, I will reclaim your power."
Adelia paused, then laughed.
"You'll die, she said... hahaha."
Goblin Elder Shaman only clicked its tongue; it could do nothing against a monster in the form of a human woman like them.
Adelia clapped her hands once.
"Okay, that's what Madam wanted to convey to you, purple monster."
"Find a way to enter the Sword Saint Sanctuary, alright..." she said as she slowly faded.
Before Adelia completely disappeared, she said, "Here's a little tip for you!"
"A... tip?" said Goblin Elder Shaman.
"You just need to disguise your status. Monsters will not be wary of you. Even humans won't."
"Good luck. See you in 200 years."
The Goblin Elder Shaman—smiled.
The purple screen in the air—faded.
The images of the destroyed village—vanished.
The image of Adelia—vanished.
The image of the past—vanished.
And what remained—only silence.
Heavy silence.
Choking silence.
"...that... is... the story..."
The Goblin Elder Shaman's voice—soft.
"I... have spent... 200... years... to reach... this... place."
"And... now... it is... time... for me... to evolve... to... the... final... tier."