I Stepped on Their Shadows and Skills Started Copying Like Crazy - Chapter 43

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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43
As usual, I’d climbed the Tower today and was in the middle of completing the Basic Mission on Floor 12.
When I heard a shriek from somewhere—”Krrgh!”—I followed the sound and found someone I knew.
“Why are you out here alone busting your tail while your friends are gone?”
“Kee-eh… Kee-rook.”
The creature spat out incomprehensible metallic sounds in response to my question.
This was exactly when I needed a particular someone.
“Come on out. Translator.”
A moment later, Snig popped cheerfully out of my Inventory.
“My lord! You’ve summoned me to the Tower again today! Is it my aid you require? Then your humble servant Snig shall gladly—”
“Quiet. Just translate. Ask him what he’s doing out here alone.”
“Yes, my lord! I am honored to convey your words!”
Snig then began conversing with the goblin I’d found.
“Kee-rook! Kee-eh! Kee-kek—!”
The grating noise soon ceased, and Snig explained the whole story.
“His elder brother, it seems, has falsely accused him of the most heinous betrayal—selling his own kin to snake-men, that is to say Lizardmen, my lord! For this reason, he has been cast out from his clan!”
“Is that so? No wonder he was wandering alone. But the accusation—are you certain it’s a misunderstanding?”
“According to this wretched creature, his brother could never do such a thing, my lord.”
“Hmm, if he was expelled, it wasn’t just idle gossip from one or two people. But then, it’s no concern of mine.”
Whether it was a misunderstanding or the truth, the petty affairs of goblin-kind were none of my business.
“Go on your way, then. I’m busy.”
The Basic Mission was nearly complete.
I was just turning to leave without hesitation.
“Kee-eh-eh! Kee-rook!”
The goblin suddenly seized my trouser leg and hung on desperately.
“Hey. Hey. Let go. What’s this?”
“My lord! This lowly creature recognizes your greatness and dares to beg permission to follow at your side!”
“I’m not interested.”
I was already picking up more followers than I’d intended—what with Snig and now that talking cat. If I added another hanger-on, I might as well bury myself alive.
“Kee-eh-eh! Kee-roo! Kwah-kyah-rook!”
“He claims that as the village’s appointed forager, he knows the forest paths well and offers himself as a guide, my lord.”
“That’s… something I need to think about.”
I could find my way alone well enough.
Some trial and error was inevitable, but manageable.
‘If he pulls his weight better than the effort I’d spend navigating alone, then there’s no reason not to take him.’
In his favor was the fact that he’d been cast out by his own clan and was appealing with his one useful skill—he understood his position and wasn’t posturing.
I decided to give the creature a chance.
“All right, then. I won’t hire you outright just yet, but let’s see how you do. Think of it as an Internship, if you will.”
“I… my lord, what is a test and an Internship? I learned ‘okay,’ but…”
Why could he rattle off human speech so smoothly yet understand nothing about English?
If I was going to bother making him understand people, I might as well do the job properly.
“A qualification trial, and… yes, probation. A probationary period. I’ll put you to work temporarily, and if you prove your salt, I’ll keep you around. If you’re useless, I’ll cut you loose.”
Snig slapped his knee and nodded decisively.
“To grant such a wretched creature—whom you could abandon here to rot—the sacred Trial to prove his worth! Truly, you are a lord! Such compassion, such wisdom!”
As Snig relayed the meaning, the goblin’s expression brightened noticeably.
I held up two fingers in front of him.
“Once from the Lizardmen, once from that cat just now. You owe me your life twice over—you understand? So do your best. This is your third chance, after all.”
The creature just nodded without waiting for the translation to finish.
I wasn’t especially confident in him.
“And one more thing.”
I pulled a cheap dagger from my Inventory—something I’d picked up yesterday—and tossed it onto the ground.
“Kee-eh…?”
“I noticed you earlier just standing there with no intention to dodge, eyes shut tight like you’d already accepted death. Carry a blade. Don’t spend your days staring at the place where you’ll die.”
It was a dagger the Lizardmen had used as a secondary weapon, but it would serve as a proper arm for such a small goblin.
The little coward trembled at the sight of it, but soon steadied himself and picked up the Dagger.
“That’s right. You have to protect your own life.”
Whether he’d be able to wield it properly was another question, but with a weapon in hand, he could at least make a stabbing motion when needed.
The beginning mattered.
I hadn’t been born comfortable with steel and blood either.
Do something long enough and you find yourself doing it.
“Stay close behind me. And Snig—you head back now.”
“…But won’t it be more reassuring for you if I remain at your side, sir?”
“Enough. You’ve got the combat prowess of a flea. You’ll only get yourself killed. I’ll call for you when I need you—now get inside.”
“Master…!”
Snig went on for quite a while, moved by the thought that he was being sent back out of concern, before finally shuffling back toward the outpost.
“Ah, finally some peace and quiet.”
Then something occurred to me.
In my haste to send him off, I’d forgotten something important.
“Damn it… I should’ve asked his name before he left.”
If I called him back now, he’d insist he needed to stay with me again.
‘I can’t subject my ears to that.’
Instead, I tapped my chest with my index finger and gave him my name.
“Kim Si-hyun.”
“Kee-shee-yong…?”
Even outsiders spoke differently enough to struggle with the proper pronunciation, so I’d set my expectations too high for this creature.
There was only one option left.
Tap, tap.
“Ashkarath.”
“Ashkarath…!”
The moment I offered a familiar word, he pronounced it with perfect clarity.
Now it was his turn.
“And you?”
The creature showed decent intuition.
Watching him point to himself and repeat a single word the same way I had, it was clear he understood.
“Roga.”
“Roga?”
He nodded eagerly.
“Good. Let’s see just how useful you can be, Roga.”
* * *
It wasn’t long before I’d finished clearing the monster quota for Floor 12.
[Basic Mission completed…]
[Calculating rewards…]
“Skip, skip. Put it all in Inventory.”
I dismissed the familiar notifications, and right on cue came the Trial alert.
[Do you wish to challenge the Trial of Floor 12?]
This one I couldn’t skip.
“I accept.”
[Initiating ‘The Trial of Judgment’.]
[Mission Objective: Rescue the goblin prisoners being held in the Slaughterhouse of the Noll faction.]
So that’s why I’d been seeing mostly Noll lately instead of Lizardmen—there was apparently a Noll settlement nearby.
After the translator, it was time for navigation to earn its keep.
I nudged the trembling Roga at my feet and called to him.
“Hey, intern.”
“K-keh, keh-look…?”
“You’re supposed to know the forest layout better than anyone, right? Any idea where this is?”
“Keh…?”
Of course such an explanation wouldn’t work.
“Grrr! Woof! Arf!”
When I barked like a dog, his eyes snapped open and he immediately set about the task.
He crouched low on the ground, studying the grass and running his fingers through the soil like a child playing in dirt, before carefully pointing in a direction.
“Good. Lead the way.”
“K-kee…? Kee-eh?”
“I’ll be right behind you. Just go. Hurry. Or your kinfolk will end up as dog food.”
Roga moved hesitantly ahead, clearly reluctant.
I followed silently behind him—it must have been about ten minutes of walking.
A massive wooden palisade, crudely lashed together, appeared in the distance.
The Noll settlement.
“Well, you found it perfectly. You’re more useful than I thought.”
“….”
I reached over and gave his shoulder a pat of encouragement, but Roga didn’t respond. He’d gone completely rigid.
“Scared of everything, aren’t you?”
“Kee…!”
The creature’s gaze fixed on something in the distance.
Curious what had caught its attention, I squinted and peered over—and spotted a heap of bleached bones far ahead.
Goblin bones.
‘This… I can see why it’s frightened.’
From its perspective, the sight would be no different than a mountain of human skeletons piled high.
“They picked them clean—gnawed the cartilage right off.”
I felt sorry for the dead, but there was no recovering those already lodged in the bellies of beasts.
For now, our only priority was rescuing the ones still trapped somewhere in this Slaughterhouse, trembling in their cage.
“First things first—I’ll handle the sentries quietly, then figure out the rest.”
The only guards visible were two posted on either side of a ramshackle entrance.
If I assassinated them, I could proceed without raising an alarm.
‘This is a rescue mission. No reason to turn it into a bloodbath.’
But first, I had to separate the small one.
“Roga, you hide over there. Don’t come out and get yourself cut.”
“Kee… kee-eh?”
I pointed at the brush and crouched down to mime hiding. The creature caught on with uncanny understanding and tucked itself away.
Then I pressed a finger to my lips and whispered “Shh”—the creature nodded obediently.
Now that the liability was secured, I activated Swamp Veil and Light Steps, cloaking my presence.
‘I didn’t plan to use both together, but the combination works surprisingly well.’
Operation commenced.
In perfect concealment, I crept forward one step, then another, closing the distance to the guards.
The gap narrowed, and when a faint animal stench reached my nostrils, one of them sniffed—sniff-sniff.
‘Been spotted?’
The dog-head likely had a sharp nose to match.
Fortunately, Swamp Veil’s masking effect held.
‘Of course—smelling like earth and soil, there’s no way it should notice. This cost me a fair price, too.’
I’d cleared the crisis and reached optimal striking distance.
‘Fast and clean. I need to take both down nearly simultaneously.’
One was already within arm’s reach.
Tap!
With the Dagger already in my hand, I drew it like lightning and slit its throat.
Slash!
It couldn’t manage even a death rattle—just dropped, neck severed.
“…!”
The second one scrambled to draw a Horn Whistle from its belt. In that instant, I hurled the blade.
Whistle—thunk!
The Dagger spun through the air and lodged perfectly in its throat.
“Ghk…! Gasp!”
It convulsed in agony, fingers scrabbling at the hilt. I slipped up quietly, wrenched the Horn Whistle from its grip.
“Shh.”
“Gurgle…!”
And that was the end.
I caught its collapsing body and lowered it gently to the ground.
‘All right. Entry secured.’
Clean start.
Inside, the reek of blood and animal musk hit far stronger.
‘Ugh—these filthy creatures stink. Really need a bath after this.’
That was when it happened.
“Woof woof!”
“Howl!”
A pack of barks echoed not far off.
Not just one or two.
‘They’ve gathered somewhere?’
I figured that might actually be convenient, so I looked around casually—but saw no guards in sight.
‘Seems the dogs have something going on today….’
Just as that thought crossed my mind, they found us.
‘Hm? Here we are.’
But something felt off.
‘But why the hell…’
The door that should have been sealed tight hung wide open, and the chamber inside lay empty.
‘Don’t tell me they’ve all been eaten already.’
That couldn’t be.
The Trial might be itching to kill me, but it had never set a Task that was physically impossible to complete.
I’d come straight here without even stopping to rest, and the goblins were already gone? The Tower didn’t work that way.
‘Then what…?’
A thought flickered across my mind.
‘…It’s a feast! That’s why I haven’t seen any Lizardmen.’
Everything fell into place.
The sounds I’d heard from one direction earlier, the absence of goblins, and this eerie silence—it all made sense now.
I’d wanted to move as little as possible and earn as much as I could, but that plan had just fallen apart.
“Well, so much for taking the easy route.”
I wheeled around and headed toward the source of the commotion.
It wasn’t far.
Before long, what I saw proved my suspicion right.
A large tent sat at the center, and all around it squatted a pack of Lizardmen, drool dripping from their jaws.
“Heh-heh-heh!”
“Woo-woo!”
They looked ready for a meal, but at the heart of their gathering sat no boiling pot, no fire.
Only goblin prisoners, bound tight with rope like dried fish, and a pack of beasts licking their chops in anticipation.
‘Might as well crash their little banquet.’
Staying hidden, I slipped into the gaps between them.
The moment I reached my target position.
“So today’s special is raw goblin? I didn’t bring anything, but mind if I join the feast?”
“Kuh?”
The Lizardmen’s heads snapped toward me in unison as Night Song sang a long, clean arc through the air.
Whoosh—!
One stroke, four corpses.
Four Lizardmen who’d been lounging around chatting now sprayed blood into empty space from severed necks.
Pat-pat-pat.
Their heads were cut off at the same moment, but they fell in different places, at different times.
I kicked one dog’s head away with my boot and added, “Honestly, I can’t say raw meat’s my thing. Too expensive, for one.”
“Anyway, that’s not how you do sashimi.”
“Grrr, kuh! Kuh!”
The Lizardmen sprang into combat stance, drawing their weapons and rising to their feet.
There were maybe a dozen of them.
“You won’t cut it.”
Noble as their desire for vengeance was, the gap in fighting strength was insurmountable.
All they could do was bark menacingly, their courage already failing them—they didn’t dare charge.
“If you won’t come, then I will.”
I was about to step forward to finish them off when—
RRRAAAAAAHHH!
Something massive emerged from the great tent at the front, walking with heavy, deliberate steps.
Its frame was nearly twice the size of the other Lizardmen, and the musculature was unlike anything I’d seen before.
It wore a blood-stained apron, and in its hands it carried a Butcher’s Cleaver that matched its enormous bulk.
No wonder it had seemed too easy until now—this was the real Trial.
“The restaurant owner, I take it?”
“Grrr!”
In that instant, a message flashed across my vision.
[Additional Objective: Defeat Barg, the Butcher.]
※ This Additional Objective is not mandatory. However, upon completion, one of the target’s Unique Spoils will be guaranteed as a reward.
Not mandatory? That was almost funny.
“Right, as if I’d skip this and go rescue goblins instead.”
The creature looked ready to bite me in half on the spot.
But what really caught my eye was the blade in its grip.
That rust-covered cleaver, crusted with dried meat and filth.
Using that thing to butcher goblins.
The equipment gap between the Lizardmen and the Riders had been huge, and now I was seeing why—the Lizardmen’s gear told the whole story.
“Tsk, tsk. Look at the state of that blade. How does it expect to fight the Riders with that? They’d all be dead from food poisoning before the battle even started.”
Eating goblin meat is natural law—the strong prey on the weak—I can accept that. But the hygiene standards here are abysmal.
This place deserves to be shut down on sanitation grounds alone.
“No, this won’t do.”
I leveled the blood-stained Night Song at him and made my declaration.
“As of today, this establishment is closed.”
Just by stepping on shadows, I’m copying skills left and right
Author |
Killing Part
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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