I Raided the Demon’s Treasury

Chapter 35

– The Constellation, ‘Hungry Prince,’ is highly satisfied, noting that the prey was cooked to a perfect crisp.

Having used the Power of Gluttony, Se-woon then proceeded to trail the goblin horde.

Matching the goblins’ characteristics, his agility, and intelligence increased significantly, similar to the upgrades he had gotten from the monkeys.

Though he had already maxed out the stat increases from goblins due to the sheer number he had defeated.

“Kel, kirik!”

The goblins did not notice Se-woon, as he was using the ‘Sweat Glands of the Clear Slime’ to mask his scent.

Additionally, leveraging the advantages of the ‘Eye of the Imperial Eagle,’ Se-woon maintained a sufficient distance where he could see the goblins without being seen by them.

Even in an unobstructed plain, save for patches of grass, it was nearly impossible for the goblins to detect him.

‘As expected, they have a separate base.’

In the first chapter of the tutorial, during the monster wave, no matter how dire the situation, the monsters never fled.

They were entities placed by the system specifically for the monster wave.

Even if they wanted to flee, they had no place to return to.

But now, it was different. The goblins were clearly heading somewhere.

Moreover,

‘They’re covering their tracks.’

The goblins weren’t moving directly towards their base.

They were erasing their trails, scanning the surroundings for any watchers, and even abruptly changing directions to throw off pursuit.

An ordinary person would have lost track of the goblins long ago or been spotted by them.

‘This is my first time coming this way.’

Before his regression, Se-woon never had the luxury of paying attention to such paths.

Back then, he had meticulously followed the system’s guidance, moving straight toward the destination.

In contrast, the path he was now taking while following the goblins diverged significantly from the system’s indicated direction.

Exiting the grassy plains, he entered a forest dense with trees, much like the Wolf Forest.

Once the goblins entered the thick forest, Se-woon’s pursuit, using the ‘Eye of the Imperial Eagle,’ came to an end.

‘It’s larger than I thought.’

The entire visible forest was likely the goblins’ territory.

If so, the number of goblins inside could be at least a thousand. In the worst case, there could be several times that number.

Moreover,

‘With a territory of this size, there must be Named Monster,s as well.’

Se-woon was certain. This place was likely a hidden dungeon similar to the ‘Forgotten Hero’s Training Grounds.’

‘Should I just burn it all down?’

He briefly entertained the thought but shook his head.

While it might be possible, burning the forest could also destroy any hidden pieces concealed within.

He would gain experience, but for someone like Se-woon, who had the ‘Power of Gluttony,’ levels and stats weren’t of utmost importance.

In conclusion, he had no choice but to enter the goblins’ territory unarmed.

‘How should I proceed?’

This place was an open field. Considering the goblins’ caution, there were surely goblins watching the forest as well.

He would likely be discovered by the goblins before even entering the forest.

Even as skilled as he was, Se-woon couldn’t take on thousands of goblins alone.

However, Se-woon wasn’t pondering out of hopelessness.

– Opened the (True) Treasury of Greed.

The question was which treasure to use and how to enter. That was the dilemma.

In other words, entering the forest was already a settled matter.

* * *

The outskirts of the forest surrounding the goblin village. Dozens of goblins perched in the trees, keeping watch.

However,

“Kiyak, kiyahk!”

“Kihihit! Kihit!”

Though they were supposed to be on guard, the goblins’ demeanor was anything but serious.

Understandably so, as the conditions for surveillance here were optimal. The expansive plains outside the forest were devoid of any obstacles.

Even with such lax vigilance, it would be impossible to miss an intruder unless they were a complete fool.

Additionally, due to the returning goblins who had been defeated in the recent battle, the watch had intensified more than usual, but those returning goblins were from a seasoned ambush unit.

Their skills in erasing tracks and identifying surveillance were unmatched.

“Kikikik!”

As a result, the goblins were enjoying a sweet mission, in the name of keeping watch.

Compared to laboring in the village, guard duty was practically a break.

“Kiyak! Keek!”

One goblin called out to a companion perched on a nearby tree. Feeling hungry, it was thinking of suggesting they go down and catch some bugs to eat.

But something was off. No matter how many times it called, there was no response from its companion.

“Kiek?”

Had the other gone to relieve itself? Or had it gone down to catch bugs without waiting?

Tilting its head in confusion, the goblin turned to the goblin next to it, who was also on watch.

Though they weren’t very close, it had no choice at the moment.

However,

“Kiek?”

The companion was nowhere to be seen.

Despite not being close, this wasn’t someone who would just disappear without a word.

Furthermore, the goblin realized it had been unusually silent around them for a while now.

Usually, even during relaxed guard duty, the sound of comrades’ laughter would occasionally drift through the air.

Then,

“Ki, kiek!”

The goblin saw something horrifying.

Right below, one of its own lay lifeless—a headless corpse.

Glancing slightly further, its gaze met the severed head of its companion, lying just ahead.

Snap!

The goblin frantically reached for its grass whistle.

It didn’t understand what was happening, but it knew it had to alert the village of the urgent situation quickly.

But then,

“……”

Why was this happening? No matter how hard it blew, the grass whistle produced no sound.

It wanted to tilt its head in confusion, but even its neck refused to move as it wanted.

And though it hadn’t moved, the world around it seemed to tilt upside down.

What on earth was happening?

Amidst its fading consciousness, the goblin saw its decapitated body and a figure standing nearby.

A man in blood-red leather armor and a cloak drenched in blood. In his hand was a dagger, warm with the fresh green blood of goblins.

“Don’t worry, everyone will be waiting for you.”

Thud.

The once noisy outskirts of the forest fell into silence.

* * *

– Opened the (True) Treasury of Greed.

[ Kilkergas’ Stealth Technique ]

– The stealth technique of Kilkergas, a legendary assassin who once instilled fear in the continent’s nobility. Even hundreds of guards and their personal knights couldn’t detect his presence until their lord had perished.

For Se-woon, bearing the Power of Gluttony, sneaking into enemy territory undetected was simple.

Moreover, with the guard being looser than expected, dealing with the goblins was not difficult either.

In less than an hour, he had eliminated all the goblins on the outskirts.

“Well, then…”

The goblins he had just dealt with were merely the outer guards. Further inside, there would be many more goblins swarming around.

No matter how skilled his stealth was, if he took too long, he would inevitably be discovered.

Fighting them one by one had its limits, and dealing with over a thousand goblins alone was impossible for Se-woon.

Sss—

With this in mind, Se-woon decided and conceal himself in the shadow of a tree. Like a chameleon, his body quickly blended into the natural surroundings.

This was the essence of the ‘Kilkergas’ Stealth Technique.’

Moreover, with the ‘Sweat Glands of the Clear Slime,’ Se-woon was confident that even the goblins’ keen noses wouldn’t detect him.

“Kerik! Kekeke!”

“Kekeke!”

A group of goblins hurriedly ran past Se-woon, who was hidden in the shadows. It seemed that they had discovered the dead goblins on the outskirts.

Watching them, Se-woon gave a small smile.

‘Just as I expected.’

Se-woon hadn’t bothered to hide the goblins he killed on the outskirts. Instead, he scattered their bodies openly for the goblins to find.

This was because of the goblins’ moderately high intelligence.

With the mentality of children, the goblins would undoubtedly tighten their defenses upon learning that their outer guards were dead.

Most of the goblins inside the base would rush outside.

Se-woon was waiting for that very moment.

‘Yes, hurry along.’

Focused on stealth, Se-woon’s pace wasn’t fast, but no goblin could detect his presence.

“Kerik!”

What if a goblin suddenly blocked his path?

Ssnap

Without hesitation, he approached and plunged a dagger into the goblin’s neck.

Thanks to the swift strike, the goblin didn’t even manage a scream before collapsing.

Thud.

The method of disposing of the corpse was simple.

Someone else might drag the corpse and hide it in the surrounding bushes, but Se-woon had a far superior method.

– The ‘Goblin Soldier’ has been devoured.

– You can no longer absorb nutrients from the same type of entity.

Sharp fangs emerged, and Se-woon devoured the goblin’s corpse.

He consumed everything, including the muscles, bones, and blood, and the goblin’s body vanished completely, as if by magic.

– The Constellation, ‘Hungry Prince,’ mutters discontentedly, complaining of the taste and quantity.

Although Baelzebub complained, it couldn’t be helped. If he were to defeat a Named Monster, his attitude would surely change.

How far had Se-woon moved?

The forest was wider than expected, and as the trees thinned out, a vast plain finally came into view.

‘I think it’s over there.’

At the center of the forest.

The vast clearing that appeared unnaturally was not a naturally occurring space. The goblins had cleared trees to build their village.

The visible size of the village exceeded that of most towns.

Even Se-woon hadn’t anticipated such a large scale.

‘Even if the monsters are weak, with a scale like this, there must be something significant here.’

Se-woon’s eyes sparkled.

Even if there wasn’t anything significant, the merit points from clearing a village of this size would be enormous.

For Se-woon, whose goal was to finish the tutorial in first place, this was a crucial hurdle.

“Kirik! Kek, kerik!”

The village defenses were far superior to those on the outskirts of the forest.

The only visible entrance was guarded by dozens of goblins, and high watchtowers with goblins were installed throughout the village.

With no obstacles in sight, even using stealth techniques would make entry challenging.

It was a virtually impregnable fortress.

In that case,

‘I’ll have to create an opening.’

Whoosh!

Flames ignited in Se-woon’s hand.

However, his target wasn’t the goblins guarding the entrance. Attacking the entrance would only heighten the village’s overall defenses.

Instead,

Boom!

He hurled a fireball into the forest just in front of the village.

Given the nature of the forest, the flames rapidly spread, engulfing grass and trees.

“Kirik! Kiyaak!”

“Kiryak, kak!”

The goblins’ attention turned entirely toward the flames. A multitude of goblins hurriedly rushed out from the village, frantically carrying water and sand to extinguish the fire.

And during that commotion…

– You have discovered the Hidden Dungeon, ‘Cunning Goblin Village.’

– Earned an extraordinary achievement.

– Earned 2,000 points as a reward.

Se-woon took advantage of the goblins in the watchtowers focusing on the fire, scaling the wall, and successfully entering the village.