Lord of the Apocalypse Read online

  A skill that grants you the authority to pass through the Dimension Portal. Only Goblin Workers and above are granted this skill. You will need to use a Rift to activate the skill.

  Consumes 75% of Maximum Mana Pool

  I clenched my fists. Finally, with this, I could go back to the Human Realm.

  All that was left was to go to where the portal was.

  And I think I have an idea where it was.

  Chapter 7: Back in the Human Realm

  After evolving into a Goblin Worker, I immediately tried getting out of the tunnel. It was an arduous task, considering the fact that I had ran too deep within. Thankfully, after some trial and error, I eventually made my way back to the exit. Of course, I properly disposed of the corpses of the other goblins.

  Goblin Nick

  Species

  Goblin Worker

  Level

  3

  Health

  48/48

  Mana

  8/8

  Strength

  7 (+2)

  Agility

  7 (+2)

  Vitality

  1 (+2)

  Intelligence

  1 (+2)

  Dexterity

  3 (+2)

  Luck

  3 (+2)

  Experience Points

  19/948

  Unallocated Points

  0

  Skills

  Identify

  Level 1 (8%)

  A skill that grants the user the ability to appraise things. Rate of Failure depends upon the item or creature being appraised and level of the skill.

  Mana Cost: 1

  Scurry

  Level 1 (2%)

  Increase movement speed by 50% for 6 seconds.

  Mana Cost: 2

  Frenzied Rage

  Level 1 (3.5%)

  Consumes half of the user’s remaining HP in exchange of bonus stats for 30 seconds.

  + 60% Increased Movement Speed

  + 75% Increased Attack Speed

  + 30% Increased Attack Damage

  Portal Access

  Passive

  A skill that grants one the authority to pass through the Dimension Portal. Consumes 75% of Maximum Mana Pool.

  Title

  Cannibal (+2 Bonus to all Stats)

  Currently, this was how my status looked like.

  After allocating my bonus points to Strength and Agility, change was starting to be noticeable. Previously, I found it hard to run while holding my beloved pickaxe. But now, I could do so without much effort and worry. Well, the bonus stats I obtained from the title Cannibal may have made a significant contribution to that.

  I looked around me. Just like before, the Goblin Spawns were dragging the human corpses towards the carnivorous plants, producing Meat Fruits one after another.

  “The Portal should be nearby,” I whispered to myself. Since this place was filled with human corpses, the entrance towards the Human Realm should be nearby. Otherwise, it would make no sense.

  I was still trying to figure out the exact location of the Portal when an opportunity suddenly presented itself.

  Lord Osiris has ordered the Goblin Clan to procure more human meat.

  The Portal towards the Human Realm has been opened.

  The quest, “Give Me More Meat!” is now available!

  Do you wish to proceed?

  Reward: 500 Experience Points

  Immediately, I said yes. This was the perfect chance to cross over towards the other realm.

  A jazz-like music resounded in my ears, a Ting! sound echoed, and a blue window popped up.

  Give Me More Meat!

  After a rift has been opened towards the Human Realm, the food shortage in Muhar ‘Tava has been resolved. Human Meat is an exquisite treat.

  Go to the Human Realm and bring back two female human corpses.

  An indicator within my mind appeared, showing the route towards the portal. I noticed that several Goblin Workers were also headed that way.

  I remembered the time when I first encountered these goblin bastards. It was the time when my family and I, together with the female student, were hiding in the comfort room. We were terrified of the Minotaurs outside. If these monsters had not given out our location, maybe things would be different right now. Maybe, just maybe, I would still be with my son and ex-wife.

  I gripped the pickaxe in my hand as I reminisced. Along with the other Goblin Workers, I followed the path indicated in my mind. A convenient thing, indeed.

  We passed through a large crack in one of the walls. Then, we climbed a slope that lead us to a large tunnel. Outside, just right at its entrance, four Goblin Warriors stood guard. I noticed that there was a particular goblin I had not seen before. A goblin holding a small wooden cane. Its limbs were thinner than the warriors, probably even thinner than mine. So, that was what a Goblin Mage looked like?

  The Goblin Mage smugly watched as our group entered the tunnel. Even from this distance, I could hear a soft, wooshing, sound. It was probably the Portal.

  We kept walking inside the tunnel.

  It was hot here.

  At first, I thought I was simply nervous, and that that was the reason why sweat started flowing down my skin. But then I noticed that those around me were like that too.

  The temperature kept increasing as we neared the portal, and I soon understood why after seeing it.

  The Portal itself reminded me of a sphere of lava. It was gargantuan, probably large enough to fit seven Minotaurs in, with room to spare afterwards.

  The Goblin Workers continued marching in, not bothering to stop as they entered the sphere of fire one after another.

  Honestly, I was afraid. That thing looked dangerous. My human mind was screaming at me that I would become nothing but a scorched meat once I touched it. It would not even be an exaggeration to say that nothing would be left of me afterwards.

  Our group kept marching in. Soon, it was my turn to enter the sphere of fire. I felt my skin scalding from the heat alone. I might instantly turn into crisp and dust even after a moment of touch.

  My second of hesitation was evident, as a Goblin Leader nearby stared directly at me. I knew that if I did not step sooner, he would have personally pushed me in.

  I swallowed the lump in my throat, gripped the pickaxe in my hand, then jumped headfirst into the sphere of fire.

  Surprisingly, the heat vanished the moment I entered it. It was not painful at all. Contrary, it was cool and soothing.

  You have entered the Rift!

  75% of your Maximum Mana Pool has been consumed.

  You shall now be transferred to the Human Realm.

  A split-second deafening Ting! sound echoed for a moment, and I suddenly found myself falling down a cavern. My body hit the ground with a loud thud, before rolling four times. I groaned in pain as I painstakingly tried to stand up.

  “Damn it,” I grumbled.

  I heard noises above. Upon looking, I saw that numerous other Goblin Workers were falling down the sky. No, to be more accurate, they were falling down from the Portal located above.

  “What the fuck?!”

  Just now, I saw one of the Goblin Workers die after hitting the ground. Unlucky for it, the ground it landed on was spiked. Blood splattered to the air on the moment of impact.

  Hey. Hey. Hey. Couldn’t they at least position the Portal on the ground? Why above? Thankfully, the distance between the ceiling and ground was not much, probably three times the height of your average human. Coupled with the soft ground, it was possible to survive the fall. You would end up with broken bones and torn flesh though.

  As I was cursing the creator of the Portal, I grabbed my pickaxe that I dropped on the ground. Goblin Workers were still falling down from the sky above me, and I quickly moved to a remote location where I would be safe from “falling monsters.”

  You have arrived in the Human Realm!

  Time left before the Portal closes: 51 Hours 14 mins

  In shor
t, I have two days to obtain two female corpses and bring them back with me to the Goblin’s Cavern. The reward Exp this time was a bit decent compared to the previous one. Still, it was not enough for me to obtain an instant level up.

  “Wait, how do I actually drag the corpses back with me?” I asked myself. Right now, my size was that of a toddler, probably even smaller. Furthermore, I wondered how I was supposed to reach the Portal in case I did manage to bring back two corpses with me. The damn Portal was in the ceiling.

  I groaned as these thoughts ran through my mind. I guess that for now, I had to trust in my Stats. After all, I did prioritize the distribution of points into strength and agility.

  I did not know if the concept of levels and statuses existed within monsters. I hoped not.

  Every time I allocated some points into strength, I did feel a great boost in raw power. It would be terrifying if a high-level monster that prioritized putting all points into strength suddenly appeared. It would probably need a simple flick of a finger to send this body of mine flying.

  I really hoped that these statuses were only applicable to me.

  For a moment, I started looking around. This place was small, probably less than one-third of the cavern we were in before.

  Hundreds of Goblin Workers were currently gathered here, their dumb and ugly faces indiscernible from each other.

  Some of them started going out through a nearby tunnel. It would probably lead to where the humans were. I decided to follow.

  After walking through the tunnel, we began climbing a rocky cliff. This was actually hard for me since I was carrying my pickaxe.

  After the cliff, we once again walked through another tunnel. By now, I was starting to see some light outside. We reached the exit and hell unfolded before my eyes. The scene that I saw was something straight out of a nightmare.

  We were currently in a large mound at the center of the city. Maybe it would be more appropriate to call this place a hill, since it was almost as tall as some of the buildings. I did not know how a hill suddenly appeared at the center of this city, but this was most definitely due to the Portal below.

  Buildings were toppled all over, burning, sending large clouds of smoke into the sky. It was currently night, but the fire that engulfed the city made it bright as day. Cars were burning, dead bodies were turned into crisps, and the scent of blood filled the air. Every now and then, screams of pure terror would echo from the distance. Roaming the streets were monsters I was very much familiar with: Minotaurs.

  “Collect the Meat,” said a cold voice. Upon looking, I saw a Goblin Leader overlooking our entire group. It stood proud and tall as it looked at the carnage before its very eyes. Damn, fucking bastard.

  “Collect the Spoils of War! Go!”

  On that signal, our group started descending the hills.

  I have two days before the Portal closes. I have two days to look for them.

  Please, be safe.

  Chapter 8: The Other Humans

  Gerald’s POV

  Along with two others, I tiptoed towards the school cafeteria. We made sure to make the least amount of sound possible, as not to attract the monsters that lurked inside this campus. Three days ago, this world of ours had suddenly turned into a living hell. A nightmare without a way out.

  “I’ve confirmed it with my magic. This place’s currently safe. Gerald, use it,” whispered Mark the moment we arrived at the cafeteria.

  “World of Silence!” I said, my face a bit flushed from embarrassment. Saying the words was the only way I knew to activate this magic.

  You have activated World of Silence!

  For the next 45 seconds, everything within 20 meters radius will be engulfed in absolute silence.

  I nodded at my companions, and they immediately understood that the magic had taken its effect. From a tiptoe, we immediately transitioned into a run. We opened the cabinets of the cafeteria, not bothering to restrain the speed and strength of our actions.

  But despite all these, there was not a single sound heard around. It was as though the entire world was sleeping, and all our actions meant nothing.

  I opened the large refrigerator in the cafeteria.

  “Jackpot!” I said, but not a single sound came out. In front of me were kilos of raw meat. Although power had been gone for days now, the meat was still fine. Well, there was a faint weird scent coming out from it, but I was sure it would still be edible. I immediately shoved them inside my backpack.

  Aside from the half-rotting vegetables, unopened packs of milk and cold water, there were bottles of alcohol. I deliberated for a moment if I should take the alcohol with me. Eventually, I decided to take them. They would make for excellent antiseptics, probably.

  I looked at Mark and John. The two of them also had their backpacks full.

  Since my magic would end soon, we decided to make it a day and go back to our ‘base.’ Right now, people were starving, and these goods we have looted would be like rain in parched land. Everyone would surely be surprised once we got back.

  World of Silence has ended.

  Once again, the sound of chaos outside the campus reached our ears. We had become quite accustomed to the sound of the city burning, the occasional screams of terror outside, and the roars of monsters that would roam the hallways of this campus.

  “How much did you get?” excitedly asked John, his sunken eyes expectantly looking at the bag on my back.

  “A lot,” I simply said. “Now’s not the time for chitchat. Those monsters might come here soon. Let’s go.”

  My body was bigger than most people, definitely overweight, and it made moving quite difficult. It was a struggle trying to move around while trying to avoid creating any kind of noise.

  Mark, who was moving silently next to me, whispered, “Next time, we should also send that damn Principal here. He should know how hard and dangerous it is to find food for our group. Fucking bald bastard!”

  I totally agree, but I decided not to stoke the flame of resentment any further. Our goal right now was to successfully go back to our base. My sister was waiting there for me. I cannot just simply die here and leave her behind.

  I heard footsteps nearby. I immediately signaled everyone to take cover and hide. We entered an empty classroom, and through the shattered windows, we could clearly see a cow-like monster pass through the hallway.

  It was a good thing that we were quick to hide. Otherwise, that mass of destruction would have seen us.

  I was trembling. I’ve got to admit, this was really freaking scary. I almost pissed my pants from that sudden encounter.

  A few days before, I’ve witnessed a lot of my classmates and friends die from those very same monsters. I’ve witnessed their bodies turn into mincemeat, their heads and limbs bent and crushed like paste. Those bastards were immortal. Winning against them was impossible. All we could do was hide and prolong our survival.

  “H-Hey, the Minotaur’s gone, right?” said John. His entire body was trembling. This mission to procure food was definitely too much for high school kids.

  Despite the fear that shackled my body, I craned my neck to the window and looked at the hallway. There was no one there.

  I nodded, and the other two heaved sighs of relief.

  “Mark, we should probably wait for your mana to recover. Then use your skill again,” I said after considering all kinds of scenarios. “We need to make sure that our path back to the base is safe. If we die here, those guys will also die of hunger.”

  Mark frowned for a moment, then acknowledged my suggestion with a nod.

  His skill was called Monster Tracker. Just like the name implied, it was a skill that tracked the movement of monsters nearby. It was a pretty accurate and useful skill that gave us the exact number and location of monsters within a 25-meter radius. The only downfall was that it consumed way too much mana.

  It was because of his skill that we were able to survive until now. Of course, my skill also took an active role in that. W
orld of Silence, despite the embarrassing name, was actually useful in dire situations like these.

  As for John, he was skill-less. A non-magician, we could say. The reason we always brought him with us whenever we went gathering food was because of his raw strength. He could carry twice the luggage, and when it came to fighting, he also knew a bit of self-defense.

  We waited for Mark’s mana to recover. It took more than a hour to regain, and the moment he had enough mana to cast Monster Tracker, we immediately resumed our journey back to the base.

  Right now, we came to the conclusion that it was good thing we waited for the Monster Tracker skill. It seemed that the path we took before was filled with monsters: Goblins, Minotaurs, and there was even a rare monster called Stone Golem. I have never seen the last one before.

  Knowing the location of the monsters, we took an alternative path. We took the long way round: through a flight of staircases, decrepit hallways, and empty rooms. Eventually, we found ourselves back in our base.

  The base was an amphitheater, a large room formerly used for forums.

  “It’s us,” I said to the door. “Open up!”

  A few seconds after I said those words, a pair of eyes peered through a previously blocked hole, scrutinizing our group. I was sure that its owner was looking if there were monsters chasing after us. After confirming that it was safe, the bolt clicked open, the sound of tables and chairs being pulled out was heard, and the door opened.

  A middle-aged man, red hair disheveled, black eyes fierce and sharp, greeted us. “Welcome back.”

  Behind him were two other students, their hands holding wooden poles.

  “How’s it in the outside?” said the middle-aged man. He scratched his chin. “I’m sorry. I should be with you guys, but the Principal insisted I stay here to protect the group.”