SSS-Class Revival Hunter-Chapter 165: Rain, Mud, and Fire (2)

When I took a step into the light, I reflexively closed my eyes.

“Grr.”

The darkness in the underground city was thick. As dark as it was, it affected me and the goblins quite drastically now that it was gone. With every step that we took, it felt as if more and more light was washing over us.

“Ke-ker!”

The goblins quickly looked down. So far, they had only known life in the underground. Their eyelids were thin, and their eyeballs were enlarged, making them weak to light. For a while, we walked while looking down at our feet.

The wind blew. In the distance, we could see the sunset.

“The sky...” the goblins muttered.

It was already evening outside. Red light dripped down from the sunset like the juice that dripped from grilled fish.

“It’s red.”

For the first time in their lives, the slaves looked up at the endless sky. This was a right every being was supposed to have, but for the slaves in the underground, it was a luxury they were now enjoying for the first time in their lives.

“What the old goblins said is true. That’s the sky.”

“Why is it red? Goruk, is it bleeding?”

“Red...”

“The world is on fire.”

Astonishment, fear, or indescribable thrill. As the goblins submerged themselves in these emotions, they murmured among themselves while taking in their surroundings.

[Terras have been freed from slavery.]

[The status of Terras has changed!]

Terra

Extinction risk level: B (Caution)

Motto: “We are fire.”

Description: A species whose every ability is at the lower end of a bell curve. The abilities of each Terra are insignificant. That’s why they come together as one!

Terras came up with only a very small amount of symbols. Every Terra, from the humblest to the noblest, knows these symbols.

Their writing system consists of very few symbols and they have minimal language skills. Knowledge cannot divide the Terras.

“We are fire.”

Even though fire spreads in many directions, it always burns as one. Terras have devised many cultures in order to become one. They hold meetings shielded by the night, so they are indistinguishable from the dark. Therefore, all Terras who participate in the meetings can speak under the guise of anonymity.

May the Terras’ fire continue to burn bright!

Traits: Cavefire, Goru Doctrine, Legacy of Records, Maximum Greed

Evolved Form: Unidentified.

—Terras are capable of two evolutions.

Other Names: Goblin.

※Caution! Some traits are in danger of disappearing.

I narrowed my eyebrows.

Ahhh... With the high priest dying, Cavefire is in danger of being lost.

The Guardian shrugged.

—Well, a high priest not only has to know how to use aura, their aura also has to be red, so it’s tricky.

Right... Mmm, I should at least solve the aura issue during this stage.

—Is there a way? If you want to buy it from the Civilization Store, you’ll be ripped off.

Yes, I’m aware. That’s why I’ll buy something else.

I opened the Civilization Store.

Oracle Message: 20 points

Animal Possession: 40 points

Dream Appearance: 100 points

Prey Search: 5 points

Bronze-Grade Settlement Search: 80 points

Tribe-Grade General (Random draw): 100 points

Bronze-Grade Technology Invention (Random draw): 1,000 points

I bought an item I had never used before, hearing the sound effect of coins jingling.

I’ll buy one Dream Appearance.

[You have purchased Dream Appearance.]

[You have used 100 species points!]

[The total of your species points is 70.]

Okay.

There was a specific goblin I had in mind, a young one, so I turned to him. His name was Gorke, and he was sleeping peacefully, using another goblin’s buttocks as a pillow.

His name means clear water.

Gorke muttered, “Kerukke.”

Rain.

“Kerreuk.”

Mud.

“Goru.”

I used Dream Appearance on Gorke, whose dreams were carrying him somewhere far away.

Swishhh!

The world around me distorted and turned white.

* * *

A moment later, I was standing in the middle of a field.

“Whoa.”

Rain seemed to be pouring down as if there was no tomorrow on a seemingly endless field. The ground was soggy and dark from all the rain.

In the middle of the muddy field, Gorke was lying with his mouth open, happily swallowing rainwater.

“Gorrr... Gorr...”

He looked like he could wish for nothing more in this world. This was the dreamscape of a young goblin who wanted to return to his homeland.

“I see... Goblins and humans aren’t that different.”

Gorke swiftly sat up. Perhaps he heard my voice. “Goruk? Who are you?”

“You can both hear and see me, right, Gorke?”

Gorke tilted his head in confusion. “Gor...? A Puren?”

I stood as solemnly and seriously as possible. “I’m not a Puren, you poor kid. My name is Kekerukker. I’m your holy White Lion and the one who led you to Goru, the promised homeland.”

“Keruk...? Kekerukker? Impossible!” Gorke snorted.

Goblins had big noses, so when they snorted, it sounded like a fart.

“Kekerukker is a lion. He has a beautiful mane and thick hide, but look at you. You have spiky black hair and are bone skinny. Kekerukker isn’t as ugly as you!”

“You little fucker...”

“Fucker? Keruk? What does that mean?”

“It’s what people call those who should be shoved into a hole head first. ”

“Y-you Puren have a foul mouth, ker. There is no way someone as shallow as you is the White Lion!”

“Gorke, I taught you how to write and hunt. Kekerukker is me, and I’m Kekerukker. How can you doubt me?”

“Prove it!”

“Alright.” I dug a hole in the mud, then grabbed Gorke by the ankles and shoved him into the hole headfirst. “Is this good enough for you?”

“Keeeeeeer? Kerr! Devil! You’re the devil!”

“What? It’s not good enough? That leaves us no choice. I’ll take pity on you and show you some more proof...” I scooped up a handful of mud and threw it into the hole.

The downpour was still going strong, so the dirt and rain mixed together, giving Gorke a full-body mud pack.

He screamed, “I believe you! Okay, I believe you! You really are Kekerukker!”

I pulled Gorke out of the hole. “Hmm. I like that you catch on quickly.”

The goblin was trembling, his head covered with mud. I wiped it off.

“Gorke, I showed up in your dream today for a grand purpose. I want to teach you how to use aura.”

“Aura?”

“Do you remember the high priest showing you his Cavefire? His hands were enveloped with red energy, right? That’s aura.”

“Ah, are you talking about Holy Blood?”

“Holy Blood?”

“We are made of a body and a soul. Everyone has their own body, but we share one soul that completes us. Those who overcome the limitations of the body and reach the soul can bleed not only from their body but also from the soul...” Gorke frowned. “Weird. This is Kekerukker’s teaching. If you really are Kekerukker, why the heck would you forget your own teaching?”

“Kid, I never taught you guys anything like that. What I taught you is how to write, count to three, and hunt.”

“Ker? Are there any idiots who can’t count to three?”

It had only been two hundred years but these punks had forgotten everything about their origins. I had gone through hell trying to teach these guys Arabic numerals.

“Forget it. If you doubt me, get up in the morning and go find the lion Kekerukker. You’ll realize that’s me and that I was in your dream, so shut up now and listen to what I’m about to teach you.”

“Are you talking about Holy Blood?”

“That’s right. Let’s start class right away.”

I raised my fists and started beating him up.

“Keruk? It hurts! Krrrr! Why are you hitting me?”

“The fastest way to learn how to use aura is to get hit.”

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This was how the Guardian had taught me a long time ago. Actually, this was the only method I knew. If there was a normal method of sitting in the lotus position to meditate on something, blah blah blah, I would have liked learning it that way but, oh well...

“From now on, I will beat you until you start thinking it would be better to die. During this process, I’ll continue to spread my aura within you. Feel the flow of my aura and memorize how your veins are stretched out like a spider’s web.”

“Kerr! Hurts! It hurts! Kerrruk?”

“Huh.”

Gorke crouched. I lightly grabbed his wrists, straightened his arms, and then kicked his palms, wrists, shoulders, and chest.

Thwack! Thwack!

My aura made it into Gorke through my strikes.

“Keerrrr?”

“These teachings are as vital as your flesh and blood. Concentrate.”

“My flesh and blood will be the only things that are left of me after this!”

“That’s it. You said aura is Holy Blood, right? To see Holy Blood, your soul has to be wounded and shed blood.”

Despite my logical statement, Gorke continued to argue. “You’ll kill me!”

“No, this isn't the real world. It’s a dream. No matter how much of a beating you will suffer, you won’t really die. The pain still feels real though, as if you truly are going to die. It’s the perfect environment to learn how to use aura.”

“Kerub!”

The dreamscape changed from the muddy field to Slimepolis’ colosseum. From Gorke’s perspective, what he was going through right now was no different from the gladiator fights.

I was delighted.

“Wow, this is better! Now, Gorke, gladiators are staring at you. Their gazes are quite intimidating, and it looks like they’ll do anything to slit your throat. Even if this is a dream, it’ll still hurt if your throat is slit. Hurry up and fight back to survive!”

“Oh, this is a nightmare, ker, a terrible nightmare!” Gorke cried. “Kekerukker! You saved us from hell, so where are you now? A devil is tormenting your sheep! Save me, Ker! Save me!”

“I’m Kekerukker. I told you this already”

In the dream, time progressed slowly. Although the beating had been going on for quite a while, Gorke was still asleep. Thanks to the seemingly never-ending dream, the young goblin suffered nonlethal deaths countless times under my “relaxing” lead.

After who knew how long, flames flickered in Gorke’s palms. Although the sparks were faint, it was definitely aura.

“Ooooh! Look, Gorke! That’s aura. You can now use Holy Blood!”

“Kerrr...” The young goblin looked down at his palms. His eyes were blank as if he had lost something precious during this process. “Kill me... Let me go, devil... I can’t hold on any longer...”

“If you don’t mind dying, the fastest way to learn is by dying. The universe is filled with martial artists who can’t use aura even if they practice martial arts all their lives, yet you learned this secret in one night. Isn’t fate strange, as people claim?”

“Please just kill me...!”

I smiled and placed my hand on Gorke’s shoulder. “From now on, you will have to work hard to serve the Terras.”

Gorke flinched. “W-work for them?”

“Since the high priest died, there is no one left who can demonstrate Cavefire. You should take over. I find Cavefire beautiful, so you have to keep your beautiful culture from disappearing.”

“Kerrr. But I don’t have what it takes to become a high priest...”

“You do seem a little lacking in using your aura. Gorke, what do you think about doing this for ten more days and mastering it?”

“I’ll do it! I, Gorke, will become a high priest!”

Satisfied, I nodded. “Excellent. Then I’ll leave your dream now. When you wake up, come find me. To show you that I’m really Kekerukker, I’ll pat you on the shoulder.”

Just like that, I woke up from the dream.

It was quiet at dawn. The goblins were already awake and were preparing to resume their march toward their homeland. Mothers were catching fish in the river, while children grilled the prey. Many goblins quietly watched the rising sun.

“Kerukk...!”

Nearby, Gorke stood up. His green forehead was all wrinkled because of his furrowed brows, and he was drenched in cold sweat.

“Kerrr... I-I’m alive? I’m alive, ker?” he asked, breathing heavily.

The goblin slapped himself six times, perhaps trying to determine if he was still dreaming or not. Realizing that the nightmare was finally over, Gorke heaved a deep sigh of relief. After a moment, he hesitantly approached me.

The young goblin was looking at me with earnest eyes. “Kekerukker... Last night, a devil invaded my dreams to harass me, ker. He dared to impersonate you and tormented me. I thought I was going to die, I really did. I wish you'd show me that you aren’t the devil...”

“Krrrr.” I slowly lifted my front paw and placed it on Gorke’s shoulder.

Gorke’s face was slowly overtaken by despair.

“Krrr. Gor, grrr. Krrr.”

Don’t forget what I said and do your best, kid.

Although he couldn’t have understood a lion, Gorke was shaking.

[A new successor to Cavefire has appeared.]

[Terras are free from the risk of losing Cavefire, ]

That’s good. It went well.

The Guardian had watched the lesson I taught Gorke from beginning to end.

—Come on... Your method of teaching was too ignorant and violent... Don’t do that ever again... Treat your students nicely...