Goblin.
The name originated from evil spirits haunting the Évreux region of France, and has since evolved into countless versions.
In a broad sense, goblins are short, ugly goblins with pointed green skin.
However, in Soul Knight, this race's actual appearance is more like a primitive tribe.
Bows, crossbows, knives, spears... these simple, primitive tools were their best hunting companions.
But these alone are not enough for this physically weak race to live on the perilous Vitality Continent.
[Priest]
Their image differs slightly from that of a magician in the broad sense; rather than directly casting spells, they seem to gain power by communicating with nature.
Standing before Gorth at this moment was the pinnacle of the Spirit Goblin clan.
Wearing a ceremonial feathered crown, a tattered dark brown ceremonial robe, and holding the iconic Starfall Staff, a pair of curved white fangs extend from beneath the wooden mask.
The only difference between this and what Gorth remembered was the black aura constantly emanating from its eyes.
"To avoid any misunderstanding, it's best to ask beforehand."
The Druid, representing nature, raised his hand to indicate that he was harmless, speaking calmly.
"You can understand..."
Boom--!
The Goblin Priest suddenly attacked, raising his staff and a crimson light radiating from its top.
Black vines emerged from the shadows beneath Gorth's feet, instantly swelling into a thick wooden wall.
As the attack began, and the smoke and dust cleared, the wooden walls opened to the sides, revealing Gorth's expressionless face.
"Looks like the talks aren't going to work out?"
[Incomprehensible hissing!]
The Goblin Priest raised his staff once more, and countless projectiles filled Gorth's vision with crimson light.
At the same time, the shadow behind Gorth rapidly expanded along the wall and the ground, and the vines that sprouted from it grew into towering trees with the help of the skill.
Black and red each occupy half the sky, their intersection momentarily sluggish.
With its superior resistance, the forest of trees crushed the sea of light composed of bullets with overwhelming force.
"Looks like my side is stronger after all."
Gorth raised his palm and clenched it inward.
"Crush him!"
[Berserk] + [Strength]
With two more layers of enchantment applied, the forest expanded once more, resembling a black tsunami.
The darkness, composed of shadows, enveloped the Goblin Priest, and the giant logs surged toward their target like hungry beasts.
It's over.
Gorth was so certain.
Even the Giants from the collaboration couldn't withstand so many attacks. With the added enchantment effect of Frost Ash Wolf Assault, enemies would be frozen the moment they were hit, and then explode into pieces.
I won.
Is that really the case?
The trees pierced the target with a fierce thrust, the violent impact shaking the entire room, but Gorth did not hear the sound of flesh being crushed.
A glimmer of light ignited upon impact, and the Goblin Priest's figure emerged from that meat grinder-like predicament.
How could this be? Completely unharmed!
The trees that provided complete protection reinforced the area, Gorth, observing through the gaps, felt a deep sense of unease.
Did the Dungeons strengthen the monsters?
No, that's not right!
Looking at the energy spheres surrounding the Goblin Priest, Gorth recalled a distant concept.
In the game, the Goblin Priest, who is the first village boss, is not considered particularly powerful.
Aside from the relatively high-damage meteor attack, which is somewhat noteworthy, he's basically a sitting duck for players.
However, few people know that after the Goblin Priest activates the protective orb's surrounding effect, if a player is hit by the orb, they will be rendered invisible for 2 seconds.
Thinking of this, Gorth silently controlled the sea of trees to retract.
As expected, once the orbs of light could no longer attack the physical entity, the Goblin Priest's elusive figure quickly solidified.
Are trees also considered part of the player's character? No, I guess any living entity can be considered...
Considering the difficulty of this skill, Gorth was somewhat relieved that the monster didn't seem to have much of a mind.
If it were him, he would definitely use other skills to counterattack while being intangible.
Before his thoughts could finish, a familiar sound from the sky interrupted Gorth's train of thought.
Will the sun ever appear in a dark Dungeon?
Gorth had no idea, but the ever-approaching high temperature left him no time to think.
The meteorite, a burning meteorite with astonishing mass, fell with a deafening roar as it tore through the air.
The sea of trees contracted, twisting into a shield.
[Demon] is active, granting significant damage reduction.
The continuous rumbling, the impact and vibration of the explosions traveled through the sea of trees, but Gorth remained unmoved; this level of impact couldn't harm him.
But the meteorites showed no signs of stopping, and seeing that the attack was effective, the Goblin Priest continued to suppress them.
But...
"This level doesn't even qualify as a threat."
Gorth controlled the shadows to spread out, and the giant tree spiraled, twisted, and merged, generating enormous Wendigo skulls at its top.
His jaws were agape, his lifeless eyes staring blankly at the falling meteorites, dark energy gathering in his mouth.
"Counterattack."
In contrast to the burning meteor shower, a dark barrage of bullets attacks from below.
The two collided, causing a continuous burst of fire in the sky.
Gorth reclaimed the forest, and the original trees in the area were completely destroyed in the battle just now.
Scattered fragments of the meteorite fell, striking the skulls and wooden masks of both sides.
The two stared at each other across the battlefield, not out of mutual respect, but to prepare for the next attack.
The shadows spread across the walls until they reached the sea of fire above.
The giant trees intertwined and shifted, forming a dense protective net in the sky.
At the same time, numerous Wendigo skulls were generated, gazing down into the distance.
White plastic bags receive the same treatment, with firepower applied.
The barrage of bullets, even denser than the boss's, rained down, making the Goblin Priest standing amidst the ruins appear incredibly small.
Watching all this, Gorth breathed a sigh of relief.
The Goblin Priest has already used all his abilities, and in terms of skill strength, Gorth himself has an overwhelming advantage.
The enemy has no other forces left to defend themselves, meaning he has won...
Buzz--!
To Gorth's disbelief, distorted graphics, resembling even a child's drawing, unfolded beneath the enemy's feet.
A magic circle? So rudimentary?
But this simple magic circle, as it rotated, blocked all the barrage of attacks.
The barrage of comments flowed like swallows returning to their nests, following the direction of the rotating magic circle, like stars orbiting the sun—it looked remarkably like...
"Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Origin!?"
Gorth was speechless; the ability his opponent used immediately reminded him of the Daoist's skills in the game.
While the Daoist class does indeed have the Goblin Priest's Lord's Gift skin in the game,...
But the Goblin Priest didn't care about any of that and immediately did something that made Gorth's heart skip a beat.
Since they can use the Ten Thousand Swords Return to the Origin, what other skills do Daoists possess?
[Qiankun Great Shift: Deploys a magic array to deflect all bullets.]
The magic circle opened up, like a slingshot pulled to its limit, and a barrage of projectiles attacked Gorth at an extremely fast speed.
Gorth reacted quickly, using the rising sea of trees to block him.
But that's not enough!
In order to eliminate the enemy's attack, Gorth naturally used his maximum strength, but now it has become a threat that hinders him.
The hidden ice and fire enchantments within the barrage took effect; the freezing effect was negated by the ice shield, while the second explosion effect from the fire enchantment struck just the short side of the forest.
Amidst the continuous roar, the sea of trees gradually broke apart, and the remaining barrage of projectiles continued its relentless assault on their master.
"Roar--!"
A massive black claw, its fingertips glowing red, emerged from the shadows as the Wendigo Spirit from the darkness.
Swing your claw! Eliminate the barrage!
Standing atop the Wendigo Spirit, Gorth felt a sense of unease as he looked at the Goblin Priest.
The attacks from the forest will be interpreted as physical entities by the light spheres, triggering their transformation into ethereal forms, while ranged energy attacks will be deflected back at the Daoist's target by their skills.
Isn't that invincible?
Before he could come up with a solution, Gorth simply applied a debuff to the opponent.
The Goblin Priest naturally had no idea what Gorth was thinking, and Gorth was also quite troublesome in his eyes.
Now that all kinds of attacks have been defended against, it's time to come up with other methods.
Power... he needs more power...
As the Goblin Priest made his move, Gorth's eyes narrowed.
The other person pulled a weapon from under his robes.
Was that... a spear? Or a sword?
The dark brown wooden handle was wrapped with twisted, bluish flesh, yet it possessed an eerie sharpness.
And that unsettling smell...
Gorth immediately activated the forest to launch an attack.
A corrupted Evil God!? The pre-dungeon boss of the hidden Dungeon?!
Similar to the ice cave where the Cave Ice Worms are located, the forest map also has a hidden entrance on two levels.
For example, in the Sacrifice pool, Sacrifice three weapons will turn the final boss into a strange Goblin Priest. Defeating the boss will allow you to enter a hidden floor.
But Gorth didn't Sacrifice and had absolutely no intention of entering that hidden floor!
Given the potential for powerful backstories among the lords, the swamp map is arguably the floor the four players least want to enter.
Simply because the lords there are the most difficult to deal with.
[Evil God]
In the game, simply taking a hit on that floor will result in a permanent negative buff, and even the monsters on that map are corrupted, with tentacles extending from their bodies.
Even though they were strong enough, the four of them had no intention of testing their mental resistance.
The sea of trees blasted towards the enemy, but the Goblin Priest didn't react at all. Instead, the sword he used as a weapon flew into the sky.
As if enraged by the impending ritual, countless bolts of lightning struck, creating a brief vacuum around the Goblin Priest.
Damn it! It just so happens to be lightning, which has no resistance!
The forest's attack was delayed for a moment, but that was enough time for the ritual to complete.
[A painful, twisted hiss!]
The thunderous roar dissipated, and the longsword, which had seemed like a divine object, emitted a black aura and spontaneously returned to the Goblin Priest's hand.
The next instant, a distorted scene unfolded before Gorth's eyes.
His thin, even short, body rapidly expanded, his muscles bulging into the size of a triangular Giant.
The fangs that pierced the mask grew even larger, revealing a mouth teeming with tentacles.
The flesh and blood throughout the body disappeared as if Sacrifice at the cost, and blackish-purple tentacles filled the void, creating a tainted scene that was neither human nor monster.
Even though his own image wasn't exactly virtuous, Gorth was still shocked by the scene and took a step back.
At the same time, the mutated Goblin Priest crouched down, his muscles tensing.
God of War leaps!
A distorted roar descended along with the shadows, and Gorth subconsciously manipulated the sea of trees to transform into spears that surged forth.
Without any protection, the Goblin Priest allowed several spears to pierce through him and tear his body apart.
The scattered body continued to fall, the twisted tentacles connecting with each other, merging the body once again.
"Roar--!"
Grasping the longsword with his right hand and his left hand, which had transformed into tentacles, the Goblin Priest, now a berserker, immediately unleashed a powerful strike that split the mountain in two.
Bang--!
The enchanted fist slammed into the wooden mask, sending the Goblin Priest flying backward even faster than he had come.
[Frost Ash Wolf Assault] + [Berserk] + [Strength]
The Wendigo Spirit's size tripled, growing larger with the wind until it enveloped its opponent, becoming even larger in size.
What?! What are you going to do to my lovely summoner?!
A chilling white mist billowed from the Wendigo Spirit's mouth and nose, and its two raised claws were already adorned with red and blue ice and fire enchantments.
Boom!
Punch after punch, sparks flying and frost flying, the violent impact sending debris flying outwards.
The Wendigo Spirit demonstrated his skillful hammering techniques to us.
The perfect handmade meatball requires a high level of quality meat and a skilled pounding technique from the chef.
Of course, chefs do not recommend cooking meat while it is still raw.
Unable to activate the Voidwalker ability, the Goblin Priest was repeatedly frozen and then blasted apart by the [Frost Ash Wolf Assault] effect.
That bizarre regenerative ability seemed to have finally reached its limit, and after being frozen and smashed into pieces once again, it was unable to recover.
Boom--!
With the final blow, smoke and ice shards scattered with the impact, but Gorth did not stop the Wendigo Spirit from attacking.
After defeating the boss in the game, the eerie Goblin Priest does not leave behind a corpse. Instead, a vortex portal appears and sucks the corpse away, as if it were Sacrifice.
Gorth could only try to make the Wendigo Spirit break the stones into smaller pieces to avoid any potential Sacrifices.
Fortunately, the strange sword was not indestructible and shattered along with the Goblin Priest.
Rumble--
Two portals, one white and one purple, opened, and a huge treasure chest slowly rose from the ground.
Gorth breathed a sigh of relief. This Dungeon trip was really strange. Let's leave first. The boss and the others probably think so too.
Just as he walked toward the treasure chest, preparing to open it, a sudden change occurred.
Many players have likely had the same question while playing the game.
Can some cutscenes, like the treasure chests that appear after a battle, be interrupted?
Of course not. Even the most hyperactive player has to watch the cutscenes obediently; the game's code won't give you a chance to mess around.
Of course, this only applies to games...
Bang--!
In Gorth's incredulous gaze—
The purple vortex, symbolizing the entrance to the next level, trembled violently, and slippery blue tentacles emerged from it, pressing down firmly on the ever-rising treasure chest.
Gorth immediately activated the vines to bind himself and threw himself toward the white teleportation portal.
But as if knowing what Gorth was thinking, the tentacles extending from the portal suddenly turned and blocked the way.
Damn it!
Gorth was forced to stop, and the tentacles detected his presence, with foul black mist continuously pouring out of the portal.
Click--
With a crisp cracking sound, the white portal, symbolizing departure, shattered.
There's no way out... we have no choice but to fight a desperate battle!
Gorth gritted his teeth, the shadow beneath his feet expanding, and the stored seeds growing into a forest, a sea of trees ready for battle.
Just as Gorth expanded the shadow, crimson light surged from it.
It's hot, but it doesn't hurt.
However, compared to Gorth's experience, the blue tentacles, which were also illuminated by the light, reacted violently, like an octopus being pressed onto a red-hot iron plate.
The purple portal trembled violently, and the black mist stopped flowing out and instead flowed into the tentacles that had already extended.
The next moment, the purple portal shattered as well, and tentacles surged out, leaping across the ground like fish on the shore, before expanding along the broken line.
The remaining mist coalesced into a garment, like a tattered cloth woven from rotting flesh and blood.
Beneath the cloth robes, the hands, feet, mouth, and nose were all slippery tentacles that constantly wriggled; just looking at them sent a shiver down Gorth's spine.
[Lord of Endless Darkness - Projection - Fragment]
"[Sacred!]"
Under the [Holy] enchantment's immunity to abnormal status effects, Gorth's sanity returned to normal.
But the enemy did not disappear, and the forest, which was on high alert, immediately launched an attack.
Spears, hammer blows, icicles, flames... countless attacks engulfed the Lord of Endless Darkness.
Faced with this overwhelming attack, the Lord of Endless Darkness simply stretched his tentacles toward the ground.
The moment it touched, the starry oil stains spread along the contact surface, instantly forming a vast area.
At the same time, all the attacks pierced through the body of the Lord of Endless Darkness as if penetrating a phantom.
It's blurring again! Damn it! If only the fourth brother were here...
Before Gorth could think further, the Lord of Endless Darkness did not ignore the attacker and launched a counterattack with barrages of distorted light.
The uprooted forest blocked the attack, but the bark at the point of contact changed from black to blue. At the same time, Gorth sensed that the connection at the point of change had been severed from him.
Pollute!!
He immediately abandoned the trees, Gorth mind rapidly integrating the strengths and weaknesses of the battle.
His attacks are ineffective against his opponent, while the enemy's attacks are corrupted; without maintaining a [holy] state, contact with them results in instant death.
Isn't this invincible?!
Subconsciously, he applied another debuff to the opponent, Gorth's gaze followed the opponent's tentacles to the point where they connected to the ground...
That's right! It's not the physical form; to be stable in reality, it needs...
Anchor point!
The moment they realized this, the sea of trees surged like a swarm of serpents toward the starry sky paint beneath the enemy's feet.
The moment he touched it, a familiar feeling welled up in Gorth's heart.
It was the feeling of energy being drained, but unlike before, this time it was him who was having his energy absorbed.
Attack! It must be cut off!
The Lord of Endless Darkness also realized the threat posed by Gorth and took this "little thing" seriously for the first time.
The starry sky paint spread instantly, and countless twisted, enormous tentacles surged out from it, colliding with the sea of trees.
The two cancel each other out, but under the corruption of the Lord of Endless Darkness, the consumption on Gorth's side is obviously greater.
Watching all this, Gorth breathed heavily.
A complete show of restraint, with absolutely no hope of victory.
But at this moment, instead of despairing, he felt a surge of relief.
"Very good..."
It wasn't the bosses who confronted Him.
Even the boss might not be able to beat this kind of troublesome guy, right?
Despite being in dire straits, Wendigo's jaws split open, revealing a somewhat ferocious smile.
"It's so good that I'm up against you."
Beneath the Lord of Endless Darkness, the trees abandoned by Gorth and already corrupted suddenly exploded, their shadows spreading along with the poisonous circle, disrupting the starry sky's paint.
The ground, walls, and sky... the interwoven canopy of trees blocks out all directions from which light can pass through.
As the world plunged into darkness, Gorth launched his final decisive battle.
[Domain Expansion!]
Yes, in reality, especially with the projection of the Lord of Endless Darkness already present, Gorth has no way to defeat this powerful enemy.
The only possibility is to pull the other party into one's own domain.
He wants the Lord of Endless Darkness to pull him into his body for a final battle!!
With the anchor point connecting him to reality severed, the Lord of Endless Darkness uttered a piercing whisper, preparing to deal with the "little guy" who had interfered with his arrival.
But can he still be considered a little guy now?
Shadow World devoid of light—this is also another body of Gorth.
Here lies all the war reserves he has accumulated to this day.
100,000? 1 million? 10 million?
Gorth himself couldn't remember exactly how many seeds were stored here.
With death so close, only one thought occupied his mind.
We must win!
A crimson light shone in the dark world—the glow of the Magic Stone.
With the awareness of impending death, Gorth pressed it into his chest.
A agonizing roar drowned out the Evil God's low murmur as the master of the Black Forest launched his final offensive.
The Wendigo Spirit embraced Gorth, with the Shadow Wolf Shadow Crow close behind.
The Shadow World, devoid of light, was like a furnace, merging Gorth with his summoned creatures and countless war reserves.
Spine as steep as a mountain range rises up, with black, withered branches extending on both sides—the bones of Behemoth.
The black sea of trees weaves a net, dotted with frost and flames, like the hide of Behemoth.
Gluttony is His nature; the God of heaven wants Him to eat all His flesh, leaving only emptiness between His skin and bones.
What is that head that's just a skeleton? It's the mouth of Behemoth, a symbol of an eternally hungry, devouring heart.
What shone from that chest was not light, but fire, magma.
It seared the Behemoth's heart, forcing it to continue its agonizing journey.
Who is He?
[The Desolate Behemoth - Gugalanna]
A terrifying Behemoth stood in the Shadow World, its enormous size making even the Lord of Endless Darkness appear small.
As if proclaiming His word, the moment Gorth completed the fusion, he felt an endless hunger.
Without hesitation, Gugalanna launched an attack.
The overwhelming, sky-covering claws slammed down, Lord of Endless Darkness tumbled and fell into the seabed formed of shadows.
But that's not enough; extraterrestrial Evil Gods are not afraid of physical attacks.
The Behemoth opened its mouth, and it was like a beam of light piercing through the world.
The flames conjured by the Magic Stone did indeed harm the Lord of Endless Darkness; at least the Lord emitted a low groan of pain.
But that's not enough, not enough at all.
The difference in size alone was far from enough to defeat this formidable foe. The Lord of Endless Darkness stepped forward and entangled himself around the Behemoth's bones like a parasite.
Despite the small attack, the Behemoth let out a mournful cry.
Pollution, visible even in a world without light, is spreading along the contact surface.
The Lord of Endless Darkness did not intend to defeat his opponent, but rather to merge with and control this body.
Gorth wanted to expel them, but was powerless to do so.
The fire-attribute Magic Stone was incompatible with the Behemoth's body, and he could not control its immense power.
So what can be done? Simply rely on body size to prolong the approach of death?
No, he would never allow himself to sit idly by and wait for his death!
Gorth willingly accepted the contamination and removed the Magic Stone.
He intends to directly transform the Lord of Endless Darkness into the core of Behemoth!!
Sensing Gorth's intentions, the Lord of Endless Darkness cooperated and accelerated the process.
Is Gorth death?
Of course not.
Numerically, Gorth was confident he could crush this projection, but unfortunately, the opponent was also a formidable adversary in terms of mechanics.
Then actively merge, and at the final moment of merging, use the [divine] mechanism to drive it away!
But is that even possible?
Nothing is impossible!
Vane's words echoed in his ears once more. Gorth released his body, awaiting the final decisive moment.
The Evil God merged into the Behemoth's body, with black mist filling the space between the bones and skin.
Beneath the hollow chest cavity, enormous tentacles dangled into the Void.
The Lord of Endless Darkness is actively modifying this body.
Did Gorth lose?
As the fusion neared completion, countless hissing words filled Gorth's mind, and his clear will grew increasingly chaotic.
Who is he? Where is he? What is he going to do?
Countless questions and absurd answers intertwined, and in the endless darkness, Gorth saw a glimmer of white.
A small snowman with two withered branches stuck in its head.
At the same time, the villagers in the Black Forest began their daily prayers.
[Thanks to the Black Forest Lord, we are able to have enough to eat every day and a warm place to live...]
[Thank you, Black Forest Lord, for saving my child and reuniting us...]
[Thank you, Black Forest Lord...]
Someone is calling upon Him...
I wonder how my supervisor is doing, and whether he'll be able to get back for dinner in time...
"Feel sorry..."
The light representing victory spread and shone forth as the [holy] power expanded, turning the Behemoth into a sacred gold.
"I've won this battle."
A painful whisper arose, and the will of the Evil God was swiftly removed.
After opening the passage, Gorth, now in human form, grasped [Dark Afterimage] and swam upwards.
"After all, there are people waiting for me to come back for dinner."