The path to the lower floor was a giant, pitch-black void located directly beneath the Governor's Mansion, in the middle of a wide castle plaza. Akshi said there was an elevator there that led to the [Meat Pit] on the floor below.
"Forget the nobles, even ordinary Goblins wouldn't want to go there, it stinks too much..."
The [Meat Pit] was where the Goblins "farmed" Kobolds. They too were once monsters born from the borderlands, and they were the first of the other races to be conquered by the Goblins.
However.
Unlike the other races that submitted to the kingdom, the Kobolds were completely integrated into Goblin society—as "livestock."
All male Kobolds became either hunting dogs or mounts, and the nobles would even keep some particularly well-grown ones with exceptional fur as "pets."
"My family has a Kobold named [Bedi]. It has incredibly rare, snow-white, curly, and slender fur. It's one of a kind in the kingdom!"
Akshi chattered on, as if still trying to prove he was indeed a noble of the kingdom. At the same time, he complained.
"I wonder what it's like down there now. Those lightless bastards have rebelled, I hope the Kobolds didn't follow them... The gate to the Border Fortress was also closed. I was originally planning to hide out over there..."
Clearly, this guy had no idea that the Kobolds of the [Border Fortress] had also risen in rebellion.
Isagi found a document on the governor's desk. It was purely a story item. It stated that a rebellion had broken out at the Border Fortress, and after the Kobolds there killed the garrison, most of them had come here. Consequently, the governor had ordered the shortcut he previously opened to be closed.
Afterward, the Kobolds and the War Shadows probably teamed up to finish off the Goblins here, including the governor, right? Isagi thought for a moment.
He still had no leads on the Lightless King, so checking out the next floor first seemed like a good idea...
...
Hmph~
"Meteor Hammer! Take this!!"
The gold-armored Goblin, tied to a rope, was swung around by the Amazon girl and violently smashed into a nearby War Shadow soldier! She's actually using an NPC as a weapon, isn't she?!
But it had to be said, while Tiona's idea was wild, it was genuinely effective!
Because.
These War Shadows seemed to hold a special hatred for Goblins. Seeing the glittering gold Akshi being flung at them, they immediately raised their swords to strike.
But the War Shadow soldiers' weapons couldn't even scratch the golden armor; they would just clang and bounce right off!
As they attacked, they naturally became tangible. And just like that, they were hit by the swinging "Goblin Meteor Hammer" wielded by Tiona and were instantly killed in one blow!
"Wow, this thing is really useful!"
It really was. Don't say it, really, don't say it, but maybe this is how this NPC was meant to be used!
However, Isagi noticed a small problem. The rope tied to the Goblin would occasionally be cut by the stray slashes of the War Shadow soldiers. If that happened, Tiona would naturally lose control of her... target.
So Isagi came up with a plan!
He simply tied Akshi horizontally onto the greatsword the girl carried with her—Tiona's weapon was a large saber, though for now, she preferred fighting with her fists and feet.
What else was there to say. She said that once she reached Lv. 5, she would forge her own "Personalized Weapon"! For now, it didn't matter what she used.
But after Isagi's "modification," the girl quickly grew to adore her new weapon. Tied to her greatsword, she could see that the gold-armored Goblin's head could be used like a hammer.
"This is so awesome! Isagi just gets it, I love it! Not like my sister, who just tells me to stop messing around, hmph!!"
"I'm telling you, that's enough!"
Akshi protested, but to no avail. This also prevented him from doing anything strange.
Isagi hadn't forgotten the time they were locked in a room by that Goblin NPC named Pal. Although Pal later helped lure away the Lightless King, that was a separate matter.
In a game, you can't tie up and carry away an NPC.
But you can in reality!!
Besides, there was nothing Akshi could do about it now. He was completely at Isagi's mercy.
Isagi even wondered if he could bring this guy to the surface.
Theoretically, special monsters and areas generated by his skills should be reabsorbed by the Dungeon after he leaves. But if he brought it to the surface, the Dungeon wouldn't be able to reabsorb it, right?
Or would it be forcibly recalled even if it was right next to him before he left the Dungeon?
Pondering such questions.
Before they knew it, the three of them had been away from the governor's office for a while. Following Akshi's directions, they had traveled downward, leaving the original castle and arriving outside.
Within the pitch-black city, looking up, they could vaguely see a pale green fluorescence serving as illumination. But it was still quite faint.
Isagi and the girls took out their Magic Stone Lamps to light up their surroundings.
The situation here was similar to that in the castle. The long streets were littered with broken fences and low walls built of stone. Amidst them were numerous Goblin fragments.
Besides that, one could also see quite a few Kobold corpses.
Lefiya's eyes lit up almost instinctively! She then began to pull out a small knife and, as they walked, skillfully extracted the Magic Stones from the intact monster corpses.
I feel like if an Elf girl acts as a supporter for too long, she develops an occupational hazard, doesn't she? She's acting just like a little miser!
Along the way, the girl collected a few more pages that looked like story items. They read:
[Rules for Managing the Meat Pit · Part One: "There is a prescribed upper limit to the number of Kobolds born each day. All soldiers, please note that any Kobolds exceeding the limit must be executed immediately!"
Kobolds, like Goblins, are monsters with extremely large populations.
The difference is.
Goblins are born from darkness, while Kobolds are born from the body of a queen.]
[Rules for Managing the Meat Pit · Part Two: "Forbid any Kobold from returning to the queen's body. If any attempt to approach the queen is discovered, execute them on the spot!"
As monsters, Kobolds also worship "darkness."
But having been born from the queen's body, they are inherently drawn to the warmth provided by blood and flesh. This causes the Kobolds' "darkness" to differ from that of other monsters.]
In the distance, under the dim light, the outline of the large hole in the wide plaza was already visible.
As they approached.
A warm, sticky wind carried a foul stench. It was an indescribable odor, like rotting corpses mixed with the scent of blood scum and hot water that rises when boiling raw meat.
Having just collected the story items, Isagi and the girls already had a bad feeling. That "Kobold Queen" below the large hole...
The front of the wide plaza was piled even higher with the corpses of Kobolds and Goblins, their fragments and flesh churned together, alongside defensive lines constructed at the plaza's edge.
Isagi picked up a piece of paper on the ground labeled [The Governor's Order]. Another story item. It stated that they must prevent any Kobold from returning to the [Meat Pit] at all costs.
But from the looks of things, the Goblins had failed.
"We're doomed..."
Looking at the fragments of his kind strewn across the ground, Akshi, still tied to Tiona's greatsword, let out a despairing cry.
Obviously.
The Kobolds had returned to the [Meat Pit] where their queen resided, and they certainly weren't going there to "play house." Something terrible was about to happen.
Isagi, however, felt it was manageable. The situation was simple: if they wanted to proceed deeper into the [Goblin Kingdom], they had to fight a boss.
Either the [Meat Pit] before them; or challenge the [Colosseum]; or go to the 9th Floor and assault the city gates guarded by the elite Goblin legion.
Since they were already here.
Isagi had no intention of turning back now. Besides, wasn't there a "King's Knight" at the Colosseum? He didn't sound like an easy opponent.
As for the 9th Floor, that was even more out of the question. With such an obvious entrance, the difficulty was surely maxed out.
"Prepare for battle," Isagi said to the two girls.
Soon after, the three of them arrived at the edge of the pit in the center of the plaza. The sticky, sweltering, rotten stench was even more pronounced.
Moreover.
In the pitch-black pit, illuminated by the Magic Stone Lamp, the air was filled with a sort of pinkish dust, like tiny scraps of flesh. Billowing clouds of steam surged up from the depths, bringing with them the stench of blood and decay.
And, a distant, completely unintelligible whisper.
Beside the pit, Isagi saw a swaying, blood-stained elevator. Good, it seemed they wouldn't have to rappel down with grappling hooks.
"Are you really going? What lies ahead is hell itself!!"
Akshi clearly knew what would happen in the [Meat Pit].
"Kobolds are born from the queen's body. Every one of them is the queen's blood and flesh."
"By eating, she constantly grows, which requires her to constantly give birth to maintain a weak, non-threatening state."
"What does she eat? Everything! Including those Kobolds!! So if they all run back, the queen will reclaim all her power, and then..."
The rickety elevator continued its descent.
In the darkness.
Both girls were pinching their noses with furrowed brows, especially Lefiya. This filthy environment was truly awful for an Elf!
Inside the sweltering, fetid pit, even breathing became difficult, let alone speaking.
Only Akshi was still chattering away, because it wasn't just him and the girls heading to "hell," but him as well.
Hmph, trying to escape?
Bringing an NPC to a boss fight is a perfectly normal thing to do in a soulslike game.
After a long while.
The elevator stopped at the bottom of the pit. Surprisingly, it was terrifyingly clean here.
Bare cliff walls, bare stone floors. Other than the bloodstains and filth splattered upon them, there was nothing else.
"Everything... has been eaten..."
Akshi's voice was filled with despair.
It seemed many things were supposed to be here originally, like the Goblins guarding this place, houses for the newborn Kobolds, facilities for training Kobolds, and pits for burying the executed ones... But now, there was nothing.
Under the light of the Magic Stone Lamp, the surroundings felt as desolate and void as the depths of the ocean.
And right in front of the three of them, a massive fog gate spanned the space between heaven and earth, appearing out of thin air before Isagi and the girls.
___
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