Chapter 16: Priestess (1)

YuWon, with nothing better to do, bought out the cache key and began looking for the hidden treasure somewhere in the college. The description said the key would guide the owner to the treasure, so he had hoped to get the reward easily.

However, no matter what YuWon did, he couldn't get the key to react. There was no glow, no sound, nothing. The key remained unchanged, leaving him frustrated.

"Just my life..." YuWon sighed in frustration.

He shook the key next, hoping it would trigger it. But the key remained lifeless in his hand. Eventually, YuWon started walking around the building.

If the cache was in the building, then surely the key would react once he was close to it. He didn't know if that would happen, but he was running out of ideas. It was his only hope.

It took a while but YuWon roamed every floor, from the basement to the empty classrooms on the top level. He checked every corner, every room, every nook and cranny that he could think of, but the key didn't so much as twitch.

After searching and fighting goblins for four hours, he was tired, both physically and mentally. He was about to give up the search in frustration, but just then, he remembered a place he hadn't looked at.

"The terrace!"

He hadn't been up there since his fight with those goblins early on. It seemed unlikely that the hobgoblin found the deserted place and turned it into his treasury.

But YuWon figured that since he had checked everywhere except the terrace and the ground floor, he might as well search the terrace before heading down.

With nothing to lose and a lot of time to spare, YuWon headed for the stairs that led to the terrace. But as he climbed, something strange caught his eye. The walls had these weird, red symbols all over them.

I'm pretty sure these weren't here before.

The markings looked fresh. Meaning someone had drawn them in the last hour or so. YuWon ran his fingers through the marking. The texture was sticky, and the familiar smell made his stomach churn.

"Blood?" he mumbled, wiping off the gooey mixture on his pants.

Following the revelation, YuWon stopped climbing ahead. The sight of blood wasn't new to him. But the markings were way too organized to just be a coincidence.

Someone had to have deliberately placed those markings everywhere. But why? YuWon stood rooted to his spot, debating whether he should continue his search.

After looking at his watch, he realized the checkpoint skill was still on cooldown, which meant if he died, he would have to start over from before the fight with the hobgoblin.

Dealing with the hobgoblin isn't the problem here.

She had pale green skin and long white hair that covered half her face. She wore ragged clothes that barely covered her body, and unlike the other goblins he had encountered, she was strikingly beautiful.

So beautiful that for a moment, YuWon forgot she was a monster. No one could blame him, though. The goblin looked more like a woman than any of the grotesque creatures he had fought before.

Strangely enough, she kept staring at the club in his hand and tilted her head as she asked, "Did you kill my father?"

YuWon blinked, stunned not only by her words but because she could speak. It was the first time he had heard a goblin speak and was processing it, but the silence only fueled her anger and she lunged at him.

YuWon stood frozen in his place, but his instinct kicked in at the last moment, prompting him to jump to the side and save himself.

But even though he was safe, he noticed that his body had turned sluggish, and he was having trouble thinking straight.

He couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the goblin and realized it must be the altar's effect. If it hadn't been for the key's constant burst of light that snapped him out of his daze, YuWon was certain he would have been dead by now.

However, he wasn't safe just yet. The goblin attacked again, this time faster than before. YuWon swung the club with all his strength, trying to stop her. But to his horror, she caught it with one hand and crushed it like it was nothing more than a twig.

YuWon couldn't believe that the club that destroyed concrete walls and floors snapped into pieces and fell to the ground.

However, he had no time to be shocked. The goblin attacked him again. But she couldn't control her momentum and both of them fell over the railing and crashed in the courtyard below.

Every part of his body screamed in pain. But miraculously, he was still alive... even though he couldn't move. He could feel his cracked ribs and a broken arm, which was a good thing because he was feeling something, at least.

But unlike him, the goblin looked unharmed as she grabbed his neck, lifting him off the ground.

"I'll ask you one more time," the goblin hissed. "Did you kill my father?"

"That... ugly bastard... was your father?" YuWon smiled through the pain. "You should thank god... for having... taken after your mother..."

The goblin wasn't pleased with YuWon's witty comment and raised her claw to sever his head. But just as she brought her claws down, something pushed her away, and she went crashing through the wall on the other end.

YuWon once again hit the ground. Only this time, he saw a skeleton standing over him through his blurry eyes.

"YuWon!"

He heard a familiar voice. But everything turned dark before he could see who it was.