Love Has No Bounds: Goblin edition
Because this time, YuWon didn't care about the hobgoblin. Instead, his mind wandered to the creature's daughter.
As I thought... She looks nothing like the hobgoblin. Did I get trolled by a goblin...? No, that's absurd.
As he thought about her, he realized there was no way he could get strong enough to defeat her before she finds him. His usual tactic of respawning and farming wouldn't work against her, because he did not know how strong she was.
But then a strange thought crossed his mind. As far as he remembered, the woman only got pissed when she saw the hobgoblin's club in his hand. It was a stupid thought, but he believed the club gave him away.
As long as he didn't take the club, she shouldn't attack him immediately. That would give him time to grab the cache and plan his next move. YuWon knew it was a flawed plan, but it was better than nothing.
But there's one problem.
YuWon glanced over at Soo-Ah and Min-Joon, who were still with him. He wanted to get rid of them, but he didn't want them dead either. Besides, Soo-Ah had fought for him back when he was in the auditorium. Therefore, he didn't want to harm her.
However, he couldn't allow them to witness him killing the hobgoblin for two reasons. He didn't want Soo-Ah to raise the hobgoblin's skeleton, as the crazy daughter might target her for it.
Secondly, YuWon was planning to blame the hobgoblin's death on someone else, preferably Hoon and his lackeys. But for his plan to work, he had to get rid of witnesses, so he had to send them away before killing the darn thing.
"Change of plans," YuWon said, turning to them. "We can't win against it. It's better to run."
"But you just said—" Soo-Ah frowned.
"Trust me, it's not worth it," YuWon cut her off. "There's a safe zone around the ground floor auditorium. We should head there instead of dying by that bastard's hand."
"Boss... you know that bastard you're talking about is right in front of us, right?" Min-Joon smiled nervously. "Besides, can we even outrun it?"
The constant questions were chipping away at YuWon's patience. But he suppressed his irritation, trying not to cause a mess that would bite him in the ass later.
"Leave the hobgoblin to me," he said firmly. "I'll handle it. You two just need to go."
Soo-Ah hesitated, glancing at Min-Joon, hoping he could talk YuWon out of his crazy plan. However, Min-Joon looked all too eager to leave.
"Are you sure?" she asked YuWon.
YuWon took a deep breath. He was really close to forgetting everything she did and throw her before the hobgoblin himself.
"Yes. I can outrun it. Now go, before it's too late."
Thankfully, Min-Joon's cowardice made the job easy for him as he grabbed Soo-Ah's arm and started running, pulling her along with him.
"You heard him! We need to get out of here!"
Even as she was being dragged, Soo-Ah looked at YuWon for a last time before disappearing down the stairs. Now that they were gone, he could focus on his plan.
"I guess it's the seventh time," YuWon mumbled, stretching his leg. "If everything goes right, I won't have to see your ugly face again."
The Hobgoblin didn't like the tone of his voice and charged alongside its minions.
***
[You've hunted an Elder Hobgoblin! Exp +25%, Gold +100]
[You have slain the Zone Boss! Exp +50%, Gold +500]
[You have found Hobgoblin's Cache Key!]
"That was easy enough," YuWon mumbled, grabbing the key.
However, he didn't have time to celebrate and needed to get to the terrace. When he finally reached the terrace, he paused for a moment.
The markings on the ground were the same as before, but the pillar in the center was only half-constructed. It made him worry if the key would work on the altar or not.
Thankfully, the key reacted as it was supposed to and YuWon hurried to get the treasure. But like before, the moment he got close to the altar, the female goblin appeared behind him like it was a cut scene of a game.
"Who are you?" she demanded to know.
YuWon sighed. He knew he was on the verge of dying. One wrong move and history will repeat itself and he couldn't let that happen. Slowly, he raised his hands as if surrendering to her.
"I'm not here to fight," he said, showing off the rusty key. "I'm just here for the treasure."
"Where did you get it from?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
YuWon knew he couldn't tell her the truth or she would rip him to shreds. So, he quickly made up a story.
"I… I stole it from someone," he said. "There was this guy. He killed a big monster, and I took the key from him when he wasn't looking. I swear."
"One human killed my father?"
"No! He wasn't alone," YuWon replied. "He was with a group of others. They were all working together to kill the monster."
"Stop calling him a monster!" she growled and lunged at YuWon, grabbing him by the neck and lifting him off the ground. "Where is the one who killed my father? Tell me!"
"I—I don't know!" YuWon yelled, struggling to breathe. "He—he was heading toward the lower floors. I lost track of him there!"
However, as he said that, the woman's grip around his throat tightened. For a moment, YuWon thought she would crush his throat right then and there.
But then the key glowed again, and the woman's grip loosened. A moment later, she put him back down.
"That key... I remember now," she mumbled. "My father always said that the one who holds the key would become my mate…"
"Eh? Mate? I think you misunderstood him—"
"You are my husband now," she said, cutting YuWon off. "You have the key, so you must be strong. The perfect mate for me."
A moment later, a notification appeared before him, informing him about a new achievement.
[Achievement Unlocked!]
[Love has no bounds: Goblin edition.]
[Description: Form a romantic relationship with a Goblin.]
[Effect: Goblins ranked lower than your mate will cease to be hostile towards the Awakener.]
YuWon's eyes widened in shock as those words sank in. The title's effects were immediate. The goblin woman's hostility faded, and she kneeled with her head bowed before him.
"I'm yours to command, my beloved," she mumbled. "You are my destiny and now I have you... if you'll accept me."
YuWon didn't know how to respond. He thought back to the first time he had encountered her, how she had attacked him without hesitation.
But now, this goblin woman—the one who had killed him in another timeline—was kneeling before him, calling him her husband.
However, there was something else that confused him. He also had the key when she attacked him before, yet she killed him with no mercy. And now she was treating him like he owned her and patiently waited for him to accept her.
He wanted to know why, but didn't want to trigger the woman's rage again. Moreover, he did not know how a relationship between him and a goblin would work and what she even meant by becoming his mate.
But then another thought appeared in his head. One that aligned with his goals. With her by his side, killing Hoon was a piece of cake. Hell, the entire apocalypse thing would get much easier for him.
"I... accept," YuWon said with a crooked smile.
Upon hearing those words, the goblin woman's eyes lit up with happiness, and she smiled for the first time since they met.
"Thank you, my beloved."
YuWon didn't know what the future had for him. But for now, he had a new ally—a powerful one at that. And with her, taking revenge on those bastards would be so much fun.