Chapter 154 - Skyrocketing (3)

4

Naturally, I was the only one eyeing the Earth Spiritfolk—the goblins. My companions had all sorts of reactions as they browsed the list.

“Dragons have always stood at the pinnacle of all races. This race listed as Lesser Dragonfolk must surely be the finest.”

“Look at the illustration. They just look like wyverns. Can they even talk?”

“To think there are this many intelligent races...”

“Oho, I see. Oho!”

The Count was searching the list with fervor, looking for all the world like someone determined to pick the freshest apple at an open-air market. Meanwhile, the Black Dragon leader furrowed her brow, looking slightly overwhelmed, and the Inquisitor’s eyes sparkled.

“My lady! I have a question!”

“Yes, I like students who ask good questions. They give me a chance to show off for free. Heretic, I’ll gladly allow you to help me show off.”

“Does our Tower choose only one race?”

“Good question.”

The Princess buried her face in her pillow and grinned.

“That’s up to you, too.”

“Oho, what do you mean by up to us?”

“I’m going to give the seven highest-ranked people a present now.”

A holographic window smoothly appeared before my eyes.

[The Princess Who Walks Through Mirages sponsors a startup subsidy.]

[You have received 700 Race Points!]

[Your current total of Race Points is 700.]

This was a reward I had never received before my regression. As the Princess had said, it was a privilege reserved for the top seven rankers. My former self, who hadn’t even had an epithet, could never have dreamed of it.

“Now the number-one-ranked sword geezer has to choose!”

Of course, to be more precise, this bonus hadn’t actually been given to us yet. It was something we might receive.

“From the thirty-first through the fortieth floors, you’ll face ten calamities in total. Every single one is a terrifying disaster! Your primary objective is to survive them and make your civilization flourish. So, sword geezer, it’s your choice... Will you go all in, or spread it out?”

“All in?”

The Sword Star, our Tower’s number one, frowned at the unfamiliar expression.

“What does that mean?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. You can choose a single race and put all 700 points into it. Or each of you, from rank one through rank seven, can choose one race of your own. In that case, you’ll each start with 100 points.”

The Princess beamed.

“Obviously, putting all 700 points into one race gives you an advantage. You can get ahead early on. But the risk increases just as much. If that race dies out, all of you are done for. On the other hand...”

“If we each choose a race, the risk will be spread out as well. Even if one race goes extinct, the remaining six will live on.”

“Yes! You catch on fast. That makes things easy.”

“...”

The Sword Star rested a hand on his chin. The old man’s eyes grew thoughtful.

In the past, the Flame Emperor, who had been ranked first, had chosen to go all in without hesitation. Then he had controlled the elves however he pleased, completely blowing off the opinions of the other rankers and Guild Leaders.

But the Sword Star was different.

“... Evolution is an art of diversity and chance.”

The Sword Star was an educated elder.

“The environmental changes a race must endure are endless. To survive in a cruel world, we must first secure diversity of species. I do not know how great an asset 700 points may be, but I find it difficult to believe they are worth as much as seven races.”

“Oh?”

“We will choose to spread it out, Princess.”

The Princess looked at us with interest.

“Really? If you choose seven races, those seven races will fight each other. One of you might stab someone else in the back.”

“In the broader scheme of things, conflict is a form of competition,” the Sword Star said calmly. “Those without rivals fall behind nine times out of ten.”

The elderly gentleman glanced at me. No words passed between us, but his look conveyed his meaning. The sword fight we had been engaged in just a little while ago—we were both remembering that spar.

I nodded.

“Mm.”

The Sword Star nodded as well.

“I will say it once more. Our Tower chooses to spread it out.”

“All right!”

[The Princess Who Walks Through Mirages welcomes your choice.]

“Then, starting with rank one and going through rank seven, choose the race you’ll each rule! Oh, right, everyone. No duplicate choices. Once someone claims a race, the people after them can’t choose it, so be careful.”

The Princess sat down in a café chair. Hamustra had already served her coffee. Taking a sip of a smoothie piled high with chocolate chips, she winked at us.

“You can spend about 120 years thinking it over! There’s no particular time limit on choosing a race.”

There was certainly no need to deliberate that long. The Sword Star, ranked first, chose his race before anyone else.

“I will choose Conforming Humans.”

“Ah...”

Disappointed sighs escaped here and there. Conforming Humans. Humans much like ourselves. They might not have any particularly distinctive traits, but that made them all the more familiar to us. Apparently, quite a few hunters had quietly been hoping to choose them.

“Well, that’s a safe choice. What will you pick, Death King?”

The Princess looked at me. My companions’ gazes converged on me as well, their faces full of anticipation about what I would choose.

“Zombiiiie...”

The attendant spirit alone clutched his head.

“You’d be better off choosing zombies. Huh? Zombies would be better. No, how about elves? They’ve got great potential. They look cool, live a long time, and have plenty of magical power. Let’s go with elves. Huh? Elves.”

I spoke with solemn resolve.

“I’ll choose Earth Spiritfolk.”

“Aaaaargh! You lunatic! You nutjob! You crazy fucking nutjob!”

The attendant spirit rolled around in midair. Beneath him, all my fellow hunters wore question marks on their faces.

“Earth Spiritfolk?”

The Black Dragon leader spoke for the group.

“What are those?”

“They’re number 103 on the list.”

“Oh. Number 103? If it’s number 103...”

My companions each turned to their lists. They scrolled down for a while, then...

“...”

At some point, everyone fell silent.

“Hmm...?”

The Black Dragon leader rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. Was she wondering if she had misread or misheard something?

But it was all right. We were of one heart and mind. She was seeing what I was seeing, and I, too, was seeing exactly what she was seeing.

+

[Earth Spiritfolk]

Extinction Grade: A (High Danger)

Proverb: ‘Kerk! Gork!’

Description: A race whose abilities all fall in the lower tiers. In short, an inferior alternative. Their intelligence is below that of Conforming Humans, their combat power falls short of Demonfolk, and their magical power lags behind the Bloodsucking Race. Amazing! Whatever field you name, you can find a superior alternative to Earth Spiritfolk!

Earth Spiritfolk are not beautiful in the eyes of any race. A race devoid of beauty. That is what Earth Spiritfolk are. Every race, from Conforming Humans to Earth Spiritfolk themselves, considers Earth Spiritfolk ‘ugly.’

Ugly!

This is a little too ugly!

Traits: [Victims of Racial Discrimination], [Kinship], [Supreme Greed]

Evolved Forms: Unknown. There are two evolutions in total. The next evolution requires 10,000 Race Points.

Aliases: Goblin, etc.

+

A single illustration sat beside the description. The creature depicted there was, no matter how you looked at it, a goblin through and through.

“Uh, um...”

In a rare moment, the Black Dragon leader stammered.

“Death King?”

“Yes?”

“Aren’t these goblins? That’s what it says under aliases.”

“That’s right. They’re goblins.”

“... Are you insane?”

“Heh.”

I smiled with satisfaction. The Black Dragon leader looked at me as if I were a lunatic. And not just her—every one of my companions did. Ah, how could mere crow-tits understand the ambitions of a great roc?

“Everyone.”

Like a solitary saint, I brought my hands together in prayer.

“Goblins—Earth Spiritfolk—are the greatest race in this world.”

The Black Dragon leader’s eyes grew slightly mournful.

“Death King... You poor thing... I’m sorry. You’ve had too much work lately, haven’t you? I’ll be more considerate from now on. First, let’s cancel all your interviews scheduled for this month.”

“Listen reverently to my words, everyone.”

I preached about the greatness of goblins.

“Let’s look at the description. It says, [Whatever field you name, you can find a superior alternative to Earth Spiritfolk!], doesn’t it? Right?”

“Yes.”

“In other words, they can perform as an inferior alternative in any field. Whether it’s a moment requiring intelligence or an environment where magical power is desperately needed, they may not be the best, but they can be the second best—or at worst, the lesser evil—at handling the crisis.”

“Uh...”

My fellow hunters looked uncertain. Their faces seemed to ask whether it was really all right to interpret it that way.

“Above all, aren’t they pitiful? Look. It says every race considers goblins ugly. Even the description mocks them for being ugly. I... don’t feel like these children are strangers to me...”

I gave a sorrowful smile.

“Children persecuted and looked down on by everyone, and driven out as a result. Doesn’t it feel just like looking at the people of our Tower?”

“...”

“Yes. Goblins are, in fact, our self-portrait. Isn’t the truly ugly thing not the goblins, but our hearts that look down on them...? Ah, everyone. I am saddened. Within each of us is a goblin’s heart. In other words, an ugly goblin-heart...”

My fellow hunters looked bewildered. Their faces seemed to ask whether this guy had finally lost his mind.

Unmoved by the mood around me, I spoke firmly.

“Goblins are going to take off.”

“...”

“They absolutely will.”

“...”

“I’m telling you, they’ll take off! I’m a prophet. Okay? Don’t you believe me?”

“A-all right. I said all right. Do whatever you want.”

Overwhelmed by my extraordinary fervor, the Black Dragon leader backed down. For some reason, she seemed to want to keep as far away from me as possible, but that had to be my imagination. The friendship between us was rock-solid. Indeed.

“Ahahahaha!”

The Princess Who Walks Through Mirages was doubled over with laughter.

“O-okay. I get it. You’re choosing goblins, then, Death King?”

“Yes. My heart is pure, without a speck of doubt.”

“Ah. Of course. This is why you’re so ador—no, no, nothing. Let’s keep going.”

Everyone from rank one through rank seven finished choosing their races. Here is the list of their choices.

+

Rank 1. Sword Star: Conforming Humans

- Main alias: Human.

Rank 2. Death King: Earth Spiritfolk.

- Main alias: Goblin.

Rank 3. Black Dragon leader: Bloodsucking Race.

- Main alias: Vampire.

Rank 4. Inquisitor: Mountain Snailfolk.

- Main alias: Slug.

Rank 5. Count: Fairy Race.

- Main alias: Elf.

Rank 6. Viper: Demonfolk.

- Main alias: Dokkaebi.

Rank 7. Paladin: Gillfin Folk.

- Main alias: Merfolk.

+

The Paladin, who had remained in ninth place for some time, had surged upward over the past two months and settled into seventh. She had worked hard during the dismantling of the African warlord’s forces. Thanks to that, she was able to participate in this stage.

“Yep. All done. Now everyone gets 100 points...”

[The Princess Who Walks Through Mirages distributes the subsidy.]

[You have received 100 Race Points!]

[Your current total of Race Points is 100.]

The Princess set her glass down on the café table.

“Shall we get off to an easy start with the thirty-first floor?”

Light flared!

The very instant the Princess’s glass touched the table, we were enveloped in light. A moment passed.

When I opened my eyes, we were in the sky above a primeval forest.

“This is...”

“A world where the races you chose are living peacefully. Look down.”

Sure enough, when I looked down, tiny creatures were bustling about in the forest. Each race lived in a separate tribe, and at a glance, their lives were roughly at the level of primitive humans.

“Oho. The Mountain Snailfolk live in the wetlands!”

“How fascinating... The Bloodsucking Race lives in caves.”

We looked around at the races like visitors touring a museum. How should I put it? It felt as if we had gained a third-person omniscient narrator’s perspective.

We could zoom our view in and out however we wanted. We even descended into the tribes and walked among the primitive inhabitants, but they didn’t notice us at all.

“Kerk...”

“Kerk, ker.”

The Earth Spiritfolk chattered away as they butchered a beast that looked like an enormous centipede with stone knives. When they pulled off its legs and roasted them over a fire, it gave off a smell of chicken, surprisingly enough.

“Kerrr!”

Young goblins tore into the centipede meat with relish.

‘Centipede chicken?’

Could giant centipedes fill the role of chicken in this world? Then all their legs must taste like drumsticks. Catch one centipede, and you’d get dozens of drumsticks.

What the hell? That’s a sweet deal! Was this world heaven, by any chance?

“Goblins look cute when you see them like this.”

“Are you insane? Then again, you were always a lunatic...”

The attendant spirit clicked his tongue.

We became absorbed in the sight of these tiny primitive inhabitants living together.

RUMBLE

Unfortunately, the peaceful days lasted only a moment.

A mountain towering in the middle of the primeval forest trembled. It was a volcano. The primitive inhabitants living at its foot couldn’t see it, but with our third-person perspective, we could see at a glance the lava bubbling up inside.

“Hm?”

“Huh?”

My companions were flustered.

“Isn’t this... a little dangerous?”

The volcano would erupt shortly. Somehow, we knew that by intuition. Lava would mercilessly engulf the primeval forest, and naturally, the races living there would be wiped out.

At this rate, all seven races we ruled would go extinct.

“Then I’ll give you the first quest for the thirty-first floor!” the Princess said.

“This is the Great Ocean Forest of Time’s Origin, where countless races coexist. But as you can see, the volcano will erupt soon and destroy everything!”

A hologram appeared before our eyes.

[The thirty-first-floor quest is issued.]

Lines of text streamed out in an instant.

+

[The End of the Golden Age]

Difficulty: E

Mission Objective: The golden age of all races has come to an end. A volcano is beginning to erupt in this place where countless races have built homes and made their lives. There is no time. You must guide the race you protect to an ‘appropriate safe zone’!

※ If you fail to guide them, your race will go extinct.

+

BOOOOM!

Almost as soon as the quest was issued, the first explosion sounded from the volcano. Surging lava had shaken the rocks. An enormous boulder heaved, looking ready to roll down at any moment.

“Uh.”

The Black Dragon leader spoke urgently.

“Wait. They can’t see us or hear our voices. How are we supposed to lead these children to a safe zone? We can’t even communicate!”

“True.”

The Princess smiled.

Behind her smile, an explosion rang out.

BOOOOM!

A boulder shot into the air, sailed across the sky, and crashed into the middle of the forest.

“Kirrr?”

“Keeek! Kek!”

The primitive tribes finally sensed something was wrong. Some races quickly climbed into the trees and looked toward the volcano. It was shaking and spewing lava.

“But you’re those children’s guardian constellations. From now on, it’s up to you to figure things out!”

The thirty-first floor had begun.

The goblins ran about in confusion. I gave them a smile they couldn’t see.

‘Don’t worry, kids.’

From now on, I would carry them.