Chapter 62: Goren: Eyes Unveiled

  After his last meeting with Dolos, Goren couldn’t find inner peace anywhere.

  The god’s words had shaken him. Not only was Dolos set on making Spellsword’s god suffer – and even indirectly kill him, he also quite literally stated he was willing to let the world fall into ruin just to fulfil his deep desire for revenge - Goren's world.

  Goren couldn’t be sure if everything Dolos had said was true. But whether it was or not, the fate of the world was not a price he was willing to pay for that crazy bastard’s revenge.

  His family was part of this world. He had fought to protect and provide for them most of his life – he was fighting to protect them even now – and he wasn’t about to let some random god he had never even heard of before this quest sacrifice them.

  All his life, Goren had suffered as the world seemingly made decisions for him.

  As a child, he had been a diligent student, showing great promise. But then his father abandoned them, and his mother fell into a deep depression. Constantly worrying about her had made him neglect his studies and fall behind, until he was eventually forced into the life of an adventurer.

  And because they needed the money badly, he had no choice but to pick the class that promised the highest income – a Rogue.

  He never even wanted to be a Rogue…

  And then fate had decided to have another laugh at his expense. At level 57, he hit a dead end. Again.

  And now, this…

  At first, he had been willing to go along with Dolos’ whims, trusting the god’s promise to make a hero out of him. Dolos had assured him riches so his family would never go hungry or cold. He had told him everything he was doing was justified – that the grand cause was worth every sacrifice and death.

  Seeing Dolos’ powers firsthand, Goren couldn’t help but lower his head and once again accept that the world had made a choice for him – and that he would just have to oblige. Even when the question of erasing Spellsword from existence came up, despite his fear of committing such an act, he had agreed to it.

  But after their last conversation? Like hell he’d let another life-altering decision be forced onto him!

  This time, he would take matters into his own hands. He was done letting the world decide his fate. He would forge his own destiny.

  You could say Spellsword had inspired him in a way…

  “Speaking of Spellsword, where the hell do I find him now? He’s not with team four…” Goren muttered under his breath, breaking away from the other adventurers.

  Spellsword was the talk of town at the moment. Apparently, he hadn’t returned with his team from the chambers they had cleared. His girlfriend was frantic with worry, literally being dragged back by Mikaela, who was reluctant to let her go searching for him alone.

  Mikaela, unbeknownst to her, was right, of course…the dungeon would seal itself any minute now, and the Undead Wolves would attack.

  Goren continued putting distance between himself and the others, slipping into the shadows.

  This morning, when he was still unsure about what to do, he had defected from his usual team with Spellsword, asking Old Dalton to replace him.

  That was a mistake.

  Now, he needed to find Spellsword – fast.

  If Dolos had said that Goren holding the third shard of the Darknessbound Core was what ensured his inevitable battle with Spellsword, then Goren didn’t want it anymore.

  He would gladly give it to Spellsword.

  He nodded to himself. “Spellsword would know what to do with it.” He continued talking to himself, not finding it weird anymore. “Then, he’ll finally trust me, and we’ll end it together.”

  With his mind made up, Goren hurried to the shortcut room – the easiest way to traverse the tomb and search for Spellsword.

  He reached the wall and pressed the right bricks to open the hidden chamber. Cat Eyes activated immediately as he entered the dark space and pulled the lever behind him.

  He peered down the edge of the Void.

  Starting from the surface, he would work his way down, floor by floor.

  He could only hope Spellsword wasn’t too deep down.

  As he descended the ladder, something felt off. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it – until it finally hit him.

  “The snake!” he exclaimed, but he couldn’t sense it anywhere.

  “Huh?” he mumbled, surprised, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

  After a moment of pondering, he understood why it hadn’t attacked yet – and the general area where he’d likely find Spellsword.

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  ***

  Goren watched from afar as Spellsword battled the shapeshifting Razor Basilisk, showing incredible skill and power. He decided he would join only when it seemed like he truly needed assistance. There was already enough bad blood between them for Goren to force his help onto him.

  Eventually that moment came, and wielding the Protector’s Shield – a powerful shield he had previously obtained from Greyson Riley – a high-level tank from Mikaela’s guild – Goren jumped and smashed it into the Razor Basilisk’s head, redirecting the creature into the wall to prevent it from striking Spellsword.

  The shield proved its worth, leaving Goren unscathed from the impact. But at the end of the day, it wasn’t an offensive item. Goren just utilized his elevated position to make it so, and he wouldn’t be able to do it again.

  For his second wish with Dolos, Goren had asked for his inventory to be “frozen”, ensuring that every weapon he looted would carry over into future runs. He didn’t want to waste a wish on this originally, but he finally gave in. Now, he no longer needed to kill the adventurers who originally owned these weapons – he possessed permanent duplicates of them all. His mind didn’t fully grasp it yet, but it was a win for his deteriorating mental state.

  After a brief spat caused by Goren’s mistake – one he fully acknowledged – he led Spellsword to the Void, the Razor Basilisk’s – and the Axul’s remnants – lair. The time loop had made him crave every bit of XP he could, and for a moment, he had forgotten that his goal was to earn Spellsword’s trust, not jeopardize it. He shouldn’t have tried to kill the snake...

  On the way there, he debated whether he should hand Spellsword the Darknessbound Shard now. But seeing how tense Spellsword was due to Goren’s earlier mistake, he decided to wait.

  In the Void, Spellsword once again amazed him.

  He was talking to the monster.

  ‘How?!’ Goren screamed internally after Spellsword gave him no answers.

  Eventually, he left him be. Using Living Shadow, Goren traversed the Void’s depths, slipping through the vast darkness around him to its opposite end.

  There, he leaned against the wall and gazed at the ground beside him.

  He couldn’t shake the thought – this was never about him.

  Spellsword – he was the true hero. The one to end Erebus.

  Goren was stronger, for the moment, but Spellsword’s System was superior, allowing him to even converse with monsters. And his god? Almost certainly more righteous. Definitely not a bloodthirsty lunatic like Dolos. While Spellsword uncovered the secrets of the tomb through sheer effort despite his amnesia, Goren had “cheated”, learning most of what he knows from Kelltins and a random encounter with the Razor Basilisk.

  He punched the wall hard, feeling a pang of guilt inside him.

  He had mocked Spellsword’s System for wiping his memories between runs. It had seemed absurd – still did, though far less now – but Kelltins was right…there was a reason behind it.

  But far worse than that, he had killed Spellsword eight times – having fun at his expense in the process. He even killed his girlfriend just to make him suffer even more. And earlier, he had even threatened to kill him for a ninth time.

  And now?

  He couldn’t even remember his name. His real name.

  Again.

  “A…Something with an A, right?” he whispered, but the answer remained out of reach.

  Perhaps he wasn’t that much different from the god he said he despised. Perhaps that was why Dolos had truly chosen him – he likely found it easier to work with people who were just as broken as he was.

  “What the hell is wrong with me…” Goren muttered, rubbing his eyes with a deep sigh.

  He stood there in complete silence as his mind raced. He knew that he was marked for the longest time – the reason why the dungeon kept changing and adjusting to his every attempt to conquer it, making his earlier knowledge useless. But Spellsword wasn’t…

  “At the end of the day, Spellsword will be the one to save the world. I’m sure of it.” He whispered, his resolve growing. “And I’ll help him, whether he wants it or not.”

  With his confidence in his decision growing, he prepared to return to Spellsword’s side – only to hear the all-too-familiar whistles. The Dark Hunters.

  “This is bad.” He muttered before rushing back to who he hoped was his soon-to-be ally.

  ***

  “Thinks, Spellsword, think!” Goren called out as the whistles slowly grew closer. “Don’t you have a skill that can get you out of here?”

  Spellsword rubbed his temples, as if mentally sifting over his arsenal of skills. “No…I don’t think so.”

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake…” Goren exhaled in frustration.

  He could escape easily with Living Shadow, but it only worked on himself – he couldn’t bring anyone else along. That meant leaving Spellsword behind, and that was out of the question. But what else could he do? Spellsword cannot get marked no matter what happens!

  “Ok, I’ll hold them – “ Goren started, but Spellsword cut him off.

  “Kill me.”

  Goren’s eyes widened.

  Before, he wouldn’t have hesitated. He had gained a significant amount of XP each time he killed Spellsword. But now? All he could say was: “What?!”

  “You heard me.” Spellsword said. “That’s the only way I don’t get marked, right?”

  Goren frantically looked around. He wanted Spellsword to trust him, but if it came to this, he was only pushing that goal further away.

  “Listen, I really don’t want to.” Goren replied, shaking his head.

  “Oh, come on.” Spellsword snapped, his voice tense. “You’ve already killed me eight times. Hell, earlier, you said you’d kill me again – and now you’re chickening out?”

  Goren exhaled. “It’s not that. And I was never actually going to kill you again – I was just…emotional.”

  “Then what’s the problem?” Spellsword demanded, growing frustrated.

  Goren considered showing him the third shard of the Darknessbound Core, but with the Dark Hunters so close, he decided against it.

  “Because I already told you – I’m not your enemy!” Goren said firmly instead.

  A tense silence settled between them, broken only by the whistles of the approaching monsters.

  Then, Spellsword spoke again.

  “Then prove it. Prove that you’re not my enemy by killing me.”

  Goren clenched his fists. “You realize how contradictory that is?”

  Spellsword nodded. “Doesn’t matter. Just do it.”

  Goren sighed. He didn’t want to – but the whistles were getting closer, and he had no other option.

  He growled. “Fine! But remember – you asked for this!” he then rolled his eyes. “Oh, who am I trying to fool – you won’t remember any of this…”

  Spellsword ignored his words and just nodded. “Make it painless.”

  Goren nodded back, speaking up even though he knew it would be pointless. “In the next run…I really need to show you something.”

  Spellsword raised an eyebrow but nodded slowly. “Sure…”

  Taking that as a small victory to gaining the ally he yearned for, Goren stepped forward, summoning his dagger from his inventory. He met Spellsword’s gaze – then, with precision, drove the blade straight into his heart, ensuring the death was almost instantaneous.

  [+77,777 XP]

  As Spellsword’s life faded, Goren carefully and respectfully lowered his body to the ground.

  “What now?” he whispered to himself, preparing to fight the incoming Dark Hunters and claim some more XP.

  But before he could, the world around him crumbled –

  - and he ceased to exist.