Chương 13: 12. Sponsorship Offer, No Strings Attached

Twenty feet separated us from the building's main entrance, and yet there wasn't a single goblin to be seen. It was pretty much a given that most of them would be waiting inside, but I was still expecting something more. There was no reason for Harlequin to have placed a goblin leader on the building top just to be inactive. My guess was that he'd be an archer or sharpshooter. Those were always a pain. Cowardly and precise, they could hide in any hole or crack and keep shooting arrows until they ran out.

Of course, it was also within the rule master's powers to re-equip any participant within the trial, including monsters. So far, not a single arrow had come from above. There hadn't been a yell, the sound of a horn, or anything indicating that we had been spotted. At the same time, it was a practical impossibility that we weren't. The fight at the post office, the run on the bank, and even the slaughter of the goblin patrols had, without a doubt, told the goblin boss where we were.

"What do you know about the boss?" I asked Cathy.

"Nothing," the woman looked at me in surprise, accustomed to me having all the answers. It was safe to assume that he was a level five at the least. In Harlequin's shoes, I probably would have made him a level seven. But that would be too much even for talented newbies. The goblin had to be level five, or six at most. The cards remained the real question.

"When we rush inside, I'll take the lead," I said.

"You provide cover." Cathy nodded. I tightened my grip around the machete's handle, then drew a knife from my belt. Taking a deep breath, I counted to five, then charged forward. The entrance was a revolving door, which complicated matters. Kicking it in would have been preferable; sadly, even with the buster's boost, I didn't have the strength for that. I pushed against the metal bar, forcing the door into a half-rotation.

The moment I saw a large enough space to get out, I did so, ending up in the middle of a very large lobby. Unlike all of my previous encounters, the room was brightly lit by four giant chandeliers. As with the moon outside, the light wasn't for my benefit. Three rows of six goblins each stood there, expecting me. If I had been a few moments slower, they might well have cornered me in the revolving door, bringing my second chance to a quick conclusion.

"Smoguu!" one of them yelled and charged forward. Like carnivorous lemmings, the rest quickly followed.

"Isn't that nice?" I asked, all for the entertainment of the deities watching.

"You've come to play." Up to an hour ago, I would have taken special care to exclusively target the necks of my attackers. Thanks to my strength increase, I had the option to be a bit less precise. The machete slashed through the air, cutting off the head of the nearest gobbling, then went on to slice through another's arm. High-pitched screams pierced through the attack yells as the creature grabbed its stub in an effort to slow the blood that was spraying everywhere.

I didn't even pause, quickly moving to the side as I engaged my next attacker. My blade sliced through its waist, severing the creature's spine in the process. The slash was instantly followed by a forward thrust as I sank the knife into another goblin. Damnit! The strike had gone too deep. Normally, that would be a good thing, but due to the low quality of the weapon, pulling it out would prove more time-consuming than I would have wanted.

Some of the more paranoid participants had told me that it was all a ploy to keep the trials as bloody as possible. Maybe there was a grain of truth in that, but personally, I jotted it down to the low quality of the weapons themselves. Shoving the stabbed goblin at the ones behind him, I quickly leaped back. The new set of boots gripped the floor precisely where I wanted them to. Getting them was probably the greatest boon I was likely to get from the entire trial, except for the cards, of course.

Seeing me lose one of my weapons, a pair of goblins slashed in my direction, eager to take advantage of the situation. Unfortunately for them, not all my skills relied on dual-wielding. One good strike and both their arms flew into the air. An arrow whizzed inches from my ear, striking one of the screaming goblins in the forehead. A split second later, another goblin collapsed to the floor, this one uninjured. Cathy had entered the lobby. Quickly, I pulled back.

Just as she was watching my back, I had to do my best to protect her, which meant killing any creatures that tried to move past me. Up to now, seven goblins were dead or dying, with roughly twice as many remaining. It was time to pick up the pace. Spotting a convenient knife held by the corpse, I charged forward again, swinging my machete. Arrows flew past, providing support. I didn't even care whether they hit anyone or not, solely making sure that no creatures were within my area of attack.

All that were, got a head or limb cut off. A new knife made it into my hand. Its handle was sticky with blood, causing an unpleasant squishing sensation the first time I tightened my grip. After that, things returned to normal. The more goblins died, the easier things became. Confused which of the two of us posed a greater threat, the creatures failed to organize a coordinated attack, dying in the process. When two-thirds of them covered the floor, their mental fortitude collapsed.

Finding us scarier than the fear their leaders had imposed, the monsters turned around and ran. In all other cases, that would have been a good thing—a chance for a momentary pause so we could catch our breaths. Not when a boss was concerned, though.

"Keep shooting!" I shouted, chasing after the scattering goblins. A piercing attack drove my machete through a creature's back, emerging from the other side. I quickly kicked the monster off, sprinting to my next target. Beside me, another fell, struck by Cathy's arrow. Roughly five remained. Three sought refuge in the lobby elevator. The remaining few ran into any obvious space they could see: the stairway, the space behind the reception desk, even an open closet. I focused my efforts on the trapped trio.

Trapped in a metal box, they were too panicked to be dangerous, and too stupid to get the elevator running. Strike after strike, my blade thrust forward, turning the creatures into mincemeat. Ignoring their cries or the notions of mercy and logic, I kept on hacking even after they were long dead. It was only when I sensed a noise nearby that I stopped, briskly turning around. Cathy was standing there, her face white with horror. For several seconds we looked at each other, neither knowing what to say.

I probably looked like a maniac covered in goblin blood. It was easy to blame the adrenaline for my actions, but that would be a lie. The years spent in the Grand Arcana's trials had taught me that hesitation was for the stupid and mercy for the strong. Right now, I wasn't either.

"Two escaped," the woman said at last.

"That's fine," I forced myself to say. Deep inside, I was hoping she'd be able to get them.

"As long as it's not a lot, we'll be fine."

"You think they'll regroup and try to ambush us?" Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

"No." I glanced at the bloody mess on the elevator floor.

"They'll join the next group. Bosses rarely fight alone."

"Right." Cathy nodded. No one discussed the elephant in the room. Even for someone forced to fight for his survival, I clearly gave the impression of liking it too much. In the dark it didn't show, but now with light everywhere, Cathy had gotten a good look at me and seen what I was willing to do in order to survive. If I were lucky, she'd probably assume that was the requirement of my sponsoring deity. If not, working with her would get a lot trickier in the future.

"Check if anything's hiding in the staircase," I said.

"I'll check if there's anything worth taking and be with you." The woman didn't need telling twice. I could see the disgust on her face. If anything, it was a good idea for me to clean up a bit. I bent down and retrieved three crude daggers. All were carefully tucked into my belt. With that done, I quickly went to the area behind the reception desk. A single goblin lay on the floor, reaching for the staff door. A large wound in its back suggested that it was the one Cathy had taken out.

I stepped over it and opened the door. The room was larger than I would have expected. A large section was composed of shelves with room numbers underneath, likely places to store guests' luggage. To my relief, there was another section with a single white towel folded neatly.

"Thanks," I said as I reached out and grabbed it. The moment I did, a dark purple rectangle appeared in the air before me. SPONSORSHIP OFFER! A deity was impressed by your performance and is offering a sponsorship pact. Do you agree? How nice. I finally got noticed. In my previous run, I would have jumped at such an opportunity, taking the offer without a second thought. Most participants did that. Ironically, that was the worst choice one could make.

Despite Harlequin's assurances to the contrary, deities were, for the most part, picky, petty, and fickle. They only went after people with promise and made sure to sink their clutches into the person for the rest of their lives. As a general rule, the weaker the deity, the more eager it was to be the first to make an offer. The powerful gods and goddesses had the luxury of patience, making their moves only after the potential candidates had met their high requirements.

"I decline," I said and started rubbing off the blood from my face and hands. SPONSORSHIP OFFER! The deity has amended its offer, granting you a rare weapon upon acceptance, along with a superior holding item. Do you agree? A new message appeared, replacing the previous one. I must have made quite the impression for the deity to be so insistent. Normally, they'd move on after a rejection. A pity that Harlequin's Sight had no effect on deities or sponsorship messages.

If I had any idea who stood behind the offer, there was a chance that I'd make a different choice. As things stood, I couldn't afford to risk it. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, the sponsor was a low-level entity no one had ever heard of. It was incredible luck that Cathy had gotten scouted by Diana this early on. The odds of such luck occurring to two people within the first trial were virtually zero.

"I decline," I repeated and tossed the bloody towel on the floor. Just as I was about to leave, a short, curved sword fell onto the floor in front of me. SPONSORSHIP OFFER! The deity has changed its proposal to an open offer, allowing you to form the pact anytime. You have also been given a gift, with no strings attached. No strings attached? I laughed on the inside. That was a joke. Whoever this was, they definitely were persistent.

Tempting me with a rare item might have worked if I didn't know that two more levels of rarity existed. There was no way I'd sacrifice my long-term development for short-term gains. Even so, getting a boost was nice. Once the message vanished, I bent down and retrieved the weapon. GOBLIN-KILLER SHORT SWORD (Item – Rare) A short weapon made of metal that infects goblin physiology, causing wounds to spread. It has an extremely sharp and durable edge.

"Thanks," I said. This was more than a trinket. The weapon was specially selected to help me complete the challenge. I could no longer dismiss the deity as a petty wannabe. Rather, this looked like the start of a long-term investment. Whoever stood behind the offer wanted me, but at the same time didn't want other deities finding out about it. There was a very good chance that more offers would follow. And, unlike last run, I planned to take full advantage of the situation.

Moving the machete to my left hand, I went back to the lobby. Cathy was waiting for me at the base of the staircase. I made no effort to hide the new weapon I had obtained. It was better that she believed that I had made a pact.

"There was one," she said as I got near.

"I got him."

"Great. Let's go." Running up flights of stairs wasn't an eventful or emblematic experience. At the same time, it always succeeded in exhausting people before the fight. After seven floors, I could hear Cathy's breathing get louder. Even if she were an athlete, we had gone through a lot up till now. This final spring was just another straw on the camel's back. Thanks to the monster sphere, I was handling things a lot better than I expected.

It would be a lie to claim that I wasn't getting tired, but for someone who had spent most of his youth browsing online and playing computer games, this was a major achievement. Constantly, we'd kept an eye out for goblins. So far, there hadn't been a peep. The goblin leaders were clearly smart enough not to expose their minions to an accomplished archer.

"Pause," I said as we reached the tenth floor. In an attempt to outdo me, Cathy rushed through the staircase door into the corridor. There must have been no goblins there, for she returned moments later.

"We're good," she said.

"Good thinking." I nodded in support.

"We rest here for a few minutes, then we go on." The good news was that we were progressing a lot faster than I had expected. Through a combination of luck, skill, and prior knowledge, we were almost at the boss with half an hour to spare, at least.

"How do you think he's doing?" Cathy asked. It took me a few moments to figure out what she meant.

"Marcus?" I leaned against the wooden railing beside me.

"I'm sure he's fine. He's not someone who'd get killed by goblins."

"You know each other from before?"

"Nah," I laughed.

"Never seen him before this whole Grand Arcana thing. He looked like someone who'd take no shit. Also, he was the only one to be given a weapon before the trial. That probably means he can use it." Layers of doubt were visible on the woman's face. I couldn't blame her.

"So, you really have no idea what the boss will be?" she probed.

"No," I shook my head.

"It has to be a goblin of some sort, but that's about it." The next two minutes passed in silence. Originally, I had planned for the break to last five, but seeing that the inactivity was getting Cathy anxious, I decided to cut it short. Nothing of significance occurred as we went up to the fifteenth floor. The pause there was even shorter. Given that three floors separated us from the final enemy, both of us were on guard. Climbing became slower, with me taking the lead.

Each time we approached a door, I expected a horde of goblins to charge out. To be on the safe side, I peeked into every hallway as we went on.

"Eighteenth floor," I whispered as we stood on either side of the door.

"Same approach as the lobby."

"How many do you think there will be?" Cathy readied her bow.

"It's a tight space, so maybe not that many," I lied.

"Whatever happens, don't panic." I took a deep breath and kicked the door in.