NOVEL WEB Chapter 5
Dungeon within a Dungeon.
Gate within a Gate.
As soon as I jumped into the mimic dungeon, the space completely changed.
It was quite dazzling.
The place didn’t resemble an open forest or wasteland, but rather appeared to be a massive underground city with towering cliffs and deep chasms.
No, it looked more like a grand kingdom than just a small city.
Typically, ordinary goblins live in primitive housing structures like tents or hovels, but the buildings I could see in the distance had geometric designs and skeletal structures, not to mention the towering spires that resembled a royal palace.
A distinctive feature was that they all displayed the same flag.
The smaller buildings and the majestic structures that looked like palaces were sparsely adorned with thorns, each bearing a crimson flag inscribed with some unknown language.
“Tr’alalakatska’? I have no idea what’s written there.”
-What’s that about?
-Is that the kingdom? The Goblin Kingdom?
-Isn’t that a genuine Goblin Empire instead?
-The Empire was eradicated; are they really coming back?
-I thought it was just a Goblin Kingdom, even for a high-level dungeon, but I’ve never seen an Empire before?
-They mentioned an Emperor too.
-I’ve never seen that before either.
-What is that?
-Get the experts in here quickly!
-Where did that TMI user go?
[‘KawaiiHorned’ donated 50,000 won!]
-The streamer is in danger. Seriously, hurry up and get out.
At that moment, a regular viewer who often donated had turned serious and threw in a donation.
“Why?”
That ‘KawaiiHorned’ person watched my broadcasts frequently and always donated a lot, but they had never sounded so serious about a warning, and I couldn’t help but tense up.
Separate from me, the tentacles sprouting from my back seemed to catch a whiff of some delicious meat and were clacking their teeth, drooling.
[‘KawaiiHorned’ donated 10,000 won!]
-That’s the Goblin Empire that S-grade hunters raided before. The flags and the language looks identical to what we saw when we attacked the Empire. It seems like they’re trying to deceive us by calling it a mimic dungeon while preparing for an invasion. If there’s an Empire, there has to be an Emperor.
-For real?
-Seriously???
-Is that legit?
-But who are they to know so much?
-Just some nonsense, right?
-Aren’t they connected to the Hunter Association?
[‘BaldOverseer’ donated 1,000 won!]
-I just reported the Goblin Empire to the Association.
The Goblin Empire.
Typically, dungeons where goblins appear are just mobs consisting of C to D-grade tribes or village groups.
The leaders of these tribal goblins are not other goblins but strong monsters that they obey or that have subjugated them.
However, there are rare dungeons known as Goblin Kingdoms, which have difficulty levels that are incomparable to C-grade dungeons.
It’s among the top-tier A-grade dungeons, and goblins from the Goblin Kingdom are said to have higher intelligence than goblins from other dungeons, and they have even been reported using steel weapons, and sometimes firearms stolen from humans.
In addition, there have been reports of them employing unexpected tactics and strategies that catch hunters off-guard. Most notably, the ‘King Goblin’ is said to be so powerful that it typically requires at least three A-grade hunters to defeat.
If there’s an Emperor Goblin, the difficulty would likely skyrocket to a truly insane level.
According to the earlier chat, it seems that even two S-grade hunters and multiple A-grade hunters have died during their raids…. I suspect that the dungeon difficulty must be at least S-grade.
-Nuna. I know you’re strong, but this looks pretty dangerous.
-Yeah, get out quickly.
-Yeah, for real.
-This needs serious attention from the Association.
-Seriously, this seems like a crisis.
“But then I suddenly thought….”
-?
-What are you thinking?
“Someone just reported to the Association, right?”
-Yeah, yeah.
-It must be big if that’s the case.
-Do you really think the Empire looks like a joke!?
-Nuna, don’t go doing anything reckless! This is a matter of life and death!
“Then that means I have a time limit to make goblin head soup from the Emperor Goblin, huh?”
-?
-??
-Excuse me?
-What?
-LOL
-Are you serious?
[‘TenYearsGone’ donated 10,000 won!]
-Are you crazy? Get out right now! LOL
Oh, come on, it’s a broadcast; why so serious!
“No one can stop my journey to make goblin head soup!”
-This is totally insane! LOL
-Why do you have to act up at a time like this? LOL
-HA HA HA HA
-This is why I watch Noona Saintess’s streams!
-I’m going to lose it, seriously!
-You’re really gonna die.
“Let’s change the title to ‘Goblin Empire Annihilation Broadcast’.”
[‘KawaiiHorned’ donated 1,000,000 won!]
-Seriously, come out. I’m telling you it’s dangerous. Streamer, come out immediately!
KawaiiHorned was frantically donating as if they were about to lose their mind, but no way am I stopping my journey for goblin head soup, even if they donate 100 million won.
Most importantly, it’s an Emperor Goblin. An Emperor Goblin!
This rare subspecies is far rarer than a Hobgoblin, and once you hunt it down, you never know when it’ll appear again—it’s a one-of-a-kind super rare and incredibly strong goblin! How could I let that slip away!
“Hey, guys. Can you pray for me?”
-Stop messing around and get out!
-It’s super dangerous!
-You’re gonna die!
“Well, then I guess I’ll have to pray by myself.”
I knelt on one knee, hands clasped together.
That posture must appear incredibly devout, grand, and beautiful—like a true envoy of the gods.
“Oh, Starry One, I pray as your eternal daughter.”
-Oooh…
-Wow, she might really be a Saintess.
-She’s so ridiculously pretty.
“I, as your servant, sit among the shining stars. Please allow me to enjoy the goblin head soup deliciously.”
-This is going to drive me insane!!
-What’s that prayer even about!? LOL
-HA HA HA HA
-HA HA HA
-Are you seriously praying for goblin soup?
-Saintess, please stop acting up…
But I am not joking or just acting serious.
Prayer is a ritual that helps me focus, a way for my voice to reach the starlight that might lie in another universe.
Boom!
It goes without saying, but since I’m favored by starlight, the response to my prayer has always been over the top.
After all, I am the Mangja Seongnyeo.
Being a unique Mangja Seongnyeo, not a human, means it makes no sense for starlight to dislike me.
Even if that means I have to endure being a zombie, as a Mangja… commonly known as the undead, suffering from eternal hunger, I am truly fortunate to arrive in this world with so much food around.
“Ke-e-e-e!!”
“Ku-wak!”
“Ke-rek! Ke-rek!”
Feeling my power, goblins from the Underground Empire began to appear.
They were on a whole other level compared to the ragged goblins I’d met before.
Even the regular soldiers appeared to be wearing armor made of refined steel. Instead of sticks or arrows, I saw them wielding swords, hammers, even crossbows.
Huh? They even have siege weapons? Some of them were armed with firearms that looked like they’d been plundered from humans.
“Grraaaah…!”
“Kyrrrrk, khrrk!”
“Krrah! Karuk! Kai-mag!”
They were not just mindlessly charging at me.
The goblins that surrounded me in an orderly manner had heavily armored knights at the front, while shamans and archers armed with crossbows and guns filled the back.
Their numbers were substantial. They seemed to crawl like insects, ready to fill up the walls and underground city.
“Do you see? These goblins seem to be strategizing and planning their tactics?”
-Front-line tanks and rear-line dealers—classic strategy, LOL.
-Get out, Nuna!
-Run away!
-What the heck, there are so many!
-What is that madness?
-How many are there?
-Run awayyyy!
-Get outtttt!
-This is dangerous!
-Quickly!
-How will I die now?
[‘KawaiiHorned’ donated 1,000,000 won!]
-If you successfully defeat the Goblin Empire, I’ll donate ten times that!
“It seems the only one who really knows me well is KawaiiHorned.”
Grinning, I glanced at the chat window; as expected, people were reacting in all sorts of ways.
Some were genuinely worried for me, urging me to flee, while others were maliciously wondering how I might die or get hurt out of my bravado.
Those viewers who realized there was no way I’d be running away started donating fervently.
Yeah, this is how it should be.
Viewers don’t enjoy just rushing in blindly.
Although it’s a live broadcast, many watch it like an anime or a movie.
They want to absorb the situation casually, light the chat, and then as their curiosity peaks about what my next action will be, that’s when I should act to entertain them.
Fortunately, the goblins merely stared at me with nervous eyes.
Perhaps they felt the wave of my prayer moments ago.
It was surprising they didn’t rush all at once.
Typically, goblins prefer mindless ambushing or charging, yet these goblins had set up formation waiting for the moment I did something foolish to attack.
“Alright, it seems enough viewers are gathered. So….”
In a moment where attention is focused, I must release something big.
I raised my hand high.
The goblins instantly aimed their crossbows and guns at me, bracing for what I might do.
Well, it doesn’t matter…
[Miracle – Divine Obliteration]!
BOOM!!!!
“Grrk!?”
“Gwaaargh!? What!?”
A massive white explosion erupted around me, shaking the underground city.
The knight goblins that had surrounded me were hurled away like dust by the powerful shockwave imbued with divine power, while the shamans and archers in the back were smashed into the walls.
Notably, I didn’t plan on letting those guys get back up. The miracle [Divine Obliteration] I used to blow away the forest could be rapidly cast again, as it has no real restrictions aside from consuming divine power.
I clenched my hand into a fist again.
The tentacles on my waist followed my lead, gathering divine power.
In terms of time, it was about 2 seconds—before the goblins could even recover and stand up, I was ready to unleash another miracle.
[Miracle – Divine Obliteration]
“Dead!?”
Thud! Thud!
“Gguk!?”
“Kuh, aah!”
“Gugagahh!?”
With the second [Divine Obliteration], the armor-clad goblins began to burst from within.
Their armor remained unharmed, but the fragile goblin bodies couldn’t withstand the shockwave twice.
Knight goblins close to me coughed up blood as if their insides had been crushed and fell dead in an instant. The ones farther away also spewed their insides and blood, collapsing to the ground.
In reality, I didn’t need to gather divine power so obviously back in the forest; it was a display for the viewers.
What matters is the will and the reservoir.
My will to obliterate those vile goblins is number one. Following that, I need enough divine power to sustain these miracles.
And thankfully, I am the Mangja Seongnyeo. My reservoir of will and divine power is virtually overflowing.
[Miracle – Divine Obliteration]
BOOM!!!
“Guh, ggh……”
“K-kah…!”
With the third explosion, even the goblins that had been quite distant were now choking on blood, refusing to rise again.
“Hmm, it really looks like you should take out the mobs all at once with area effects.”
-…..?
-What just happened???
-What is this??
-This is insane..
-What the hell?
-What did I just see? LOL
-What is this craziness???
-?
The chat exploded with confused commenters, reeling from the rapid sequence of events.
Judging by their reactions, it seems they were quite impressed.
Of course, none of these viewers expected me to unleash area miracles like this.
It seems the Emperor Goblin was absent here?
Perhaps they’re in that building that resembles a royal palace within the underground city.
Tap, tap
I moved slowly past the goblin corpses, entering the underground city.