Chapter 166 Saizou’s Evolution and the 13th Floor
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
It had been a while since Saizou started glowing. Just as I began to think the process was dragging, the black radiance finally ebbed away. Having completed his Rank Up¹, Saizou – who had been hunched over in a tight ball – stood tall.
His transformation was staggering.
His height had surged from five-foot-three to nearly six feet, and his skin had deepened into a rich, dark bronze. His once-rounded face had narrowed into a chiseled, mature oval with a prominent, high-bridged nose. The small nub on his forehead had matured into a long, thick horn, and his eyes were now sharp, almond-shaped slits. The only thing that hadn’t changed was his lack of hair.
”Hmm. If it weren’t for the horn, he’d look almost human,” I mused. He’d become a ruggedly handsome bastard, too.
”He certainly has a more human face now,” Sheena said. “I’ve never seen a goblin like this.”
”He’s totally hot!” Karen chirped.
”Hmph. He definitely looks more like us now,” Sanae added. “He’s taller than me, and his muscles look tighter. He looks dangerous.”
”You’ve become quite gallant, Saizou-san,” Sayaka noted with a smile.
”Arf! Arf!” Lucy barked, hopping up and down as if to agree that he looked cool.
Rock clapped his colleague on the shoulder, grunting in approval of the evolution. Hanako, however, simply tilted her head, her eyes vacant as if asking, ‘Who’s the new guy?’ She’d probably never seen a monster evolve before and couldn’t wrap her head around it.
”You certainly look the part,” I said, looking Saizou over. “Gain any new Special Abilities? If you did, let’s see ’em.”
”Gyoi²,” Saizou replied.
His voice had dropped into a gravelly baritone, but when he opened his mouth, his serrated teeth were the same as ever. I gave a wry smile at his still-clunky articulation. Suddenly, Saizou vanished.
”What?” I blinked.
My Physical Reinforcement³ had just flickered out, and I couldn’t track him at all. No – it wasn’t just a visual thing. Even with my presence-detection forged on the battlefield, I had no idea where he’d gone.
”Yip!”
I spun around at Lucy’s cry. Saizou was standing directly behind her, his hand resting calmly on her head. Lucy froze, her fur standing on end from the shock. Karen, standing right beside them, looked just as stunned; she hadn’t sensed him either.
”Sheena,” I barked.
”I saw him move from your side, Master… but after that, I lost him completely,” Sheena reported.
”Even with your ears?” I asked.
”Yes. There was no sound at all. It was like tracking a ghost-type monster.”
”I see. A stealth ability.”
”Gyoi,” Saizou affirmed, removing his hand from Lucy’s head and dropping to one knee in a respectful bow.
It wasn’t just ‘presence’ – it was sound. If he could move without a sound, he was likely manipulating the airflow around him. In the manga Karen was always reading, they’d call this a ‘God-tier Stealth’ skill. Even with my buffs active, I’d probably only notice him a split second before he slit my throat. It was a terrifying ability.
”Sheena, you ever hear of a goblin with a skill like that?”
”I’ve heard of high-ranking Direwolves doing it, but never a goblin,” Sheena said. “Usually, goblin evolutions focus on leadership or pack-wide buffs. I’ve never heard of one specializing in individual lethality like this. For us Beastmen who can’t detect Mana Capacity, he’s honestly more of a nightmare than a Goblin King.”
”Mana detection, huh… I get it. Good work, Saizou. I guess ‘Assassin Master’ was just the beginning.”
If Stealth could be pierced by Mana detection, I’d eventually need that magic book. But it was 100,000 DP. A bridge to cross later.
”So now Saizou has ‘High-speed Poison Generation’ and ‘Concealment,’ right?”
”Igya,” Saizou grunted, shaking his head.
”Igya? You mean ‘no’?”
Saizou nodded, stood up, and moved away from the group toward an empty thicket. He brought his right hand to his mouth, forming a hand-sign with two fingers, and took a massive breath.
”Gyaton-jutsu⁴!”
He spat the words in a distorted tongue, and in the next heartbeat, a violent torrent of fire erupted from his mouth. It was a literal flamethrower. As he swept his head, the flames followed, incinerating a wide swath of the tall grass.
”What the – !?” I yelled.
”No way!” Karen screamed.
”He… he breathes fire?” Sanae stammered.
”Saizou-san… incredible,” Sayaka whispered.
We were floored. Who the hell expects a goblin to breathe fire?
Saizou finished his display and turned back to us, striking a cool, detached pose as he smirked. He was playing the part of the ‘nihilistic ninja’ to a T. He was definitely doing that on purpose.
”He said Gyaton-jutsu,” I muttered.
”He probably means Katon-jutsu – Fire Style,” Karen explained, eyes sparkling. “It’s a classic ninja move!”
”Did Saizou want this, or was it the Queen’s influence?” I wondered.
The dungeon management was clearly leaning into the tropes. They were putting kunai and chain-sickles in treasure chests, after all. Saizou’s ‘Ninja’ path had probably been mapped out the moment he started reading those manga.
”So he’s a Goblin Ninja now?”
Well, Saizou looked satisfied, so that was good enough for me.
”I can’t believe you’re a real ninja! That’s so cool, Saizou!” Karen cheered.
Saizou formed another seal and bowed deeply to Karen. It looked like he was thanking her – as if her ‘guidance’ through her manga collection had shown him the way. She’d been cramming ninja lore down his throat every chance she got, after all.
”Either way, he’s a powerhouse now. Stealth and Fire Style… our exploration just got a lot easier.”
Rock didn’t have fancy abilities like this, likely because he was from a more basic evolutionary line. Even humans needed magic books to keep up with Beastmen. If that was the case, I wondered what Hanako would become.
I glanced at her. Hanako was staring at the scorched earth, frozen. She wasn’t scared. In fact, her skin was flushed, her expression was slack, and she was literally drooling. She was probably getting off on the idea of being turned into roasted pork by those flames.
Is it really safe to Rank Up this girl?
With a mounting sense of dread, I led the group toward the Barrier Checkpoint gate.
* * *
We reached the gate, still buzzing from Saizou’s reveal. The Guardian battle had gone perfectly. We’d stuck to the plan: long-range kiting. We avoided a slugfest with a high-STR Guardian, and the lack of Green Wolf adds meant the girls could focus purely on DPS. The Succubus ‘Management’ was actually being fair with the balance for once.
Next up: Loot.
I pushed open the iron-reinforced doors. Inside was the familiar black gate, and sitting before it was a silver treasure chest.
”Silver! I wonder what’s inside!” Karen was vibrating with excitement. Last time we got a Black Steel Machete and a rapier. I just hoped it wasn’t another magic gun with only two shots.
”Go ahead, Karen.”
”Yay! Come on, big money!”
Karen flung the lid open. Inside was a leather pouch and a delicate silver chain. A blue gemstone, the size of a fingernail, was embedded in the center of the chain. It was surprisingly stylish.
”Wait! Is this the same as yours, Yakumo?”
”Yeah, a Magic Pouch⁵. And the other one… I’ve seen this in the Shop.”
”Anklet of Swiftness⁶,” Sheena interrupted, her voice uncharacteristically bright. “I used to wear one of these.”
”That’s right. It’s like the Bracelet of Power, but for your legs. It boosts speed by 1.5 times. Sheena, this is yours.”
I took it from Karen and handed it over.
”Are you sure, Master? Shouldn’t you wear it?”
”You’re our mid-liner. You need to be able to flex to the rear-guard in a heartbeat. The more speed you have, the better.”
Besides, Sheena’s ears were twitching – she clearly wanted it. She never asked for anything but carrots, so I wasn’t going to pass up a chance to gear her up.
”Thank you, Master. Hehe… you’ll never catch me now.”
”Great. Now I have to buy one just to keep up,” I grumbled. She was already faster than me; at 1.5 times speed, I’d be eating her dust. But 100,000 DP was a steep price just to win a footrace in training.
”I’m teasing, Master. I’ll take it off during our sessions.”
”Appreciated. Sayaka, you take the Magic Pouch. I’ll move half our supplies into it. Use the potions whenever you see fit.”
This meant Sayaka could carry Sanae’s spare arrows and the monsters’ snacks, freeing up my inventory.
”Understood. I’ll look after it.”
”Sayaka-sama,” Sheena added. “Please make sure my carrot salad packs are in there.”
”Hehe, of course.”
Sheena’s ‘carrot salad’ – which was just a box of sliced carrots – was a staple. Lately, she’d been obsessed with different dressings, and having to dig through my pouch to find the specific one she wanted every break was becoming a chore. I’d never say it, but I was glad to pass that job to Sayaka.
”Good haul. It’s late, so let’s take a peek at the 13th floor and then head back.”
”I’m nervous,” Karen whispered.
”It’s going to be another city street, isn’t it?” Sanae sighed.
I pushed open the black gate. As expected, another town spread out before us.
But there was a catch.
”Tch. Rain?”
The city was being lashed by a cold downpour.
”Ugh, seriously?” Karen groaned.
”Accuracy is going to tank in this,” Sanae muttered, checking her bowstring.
”The rain will sap our body heat,” Sayaka added, her brow furrowed.
This was a classic environment debuff. The drop rate for Entry Shards would probably be lower, and the monsters would be more numerous. It was a grind designed to wear down our spirits.
I signaled Rock and Saizou to scout ahead. Once they cleared the immediate area, we jogged to the Teleportation Array.
Next expedition was going to be a miserable one.
===
Bonus Scene
Yakumo: “So, Saizou. That Fire Style… how many times a day can you do that?”
Saizou: (Gives a cool, silent thumb-up, then holds up one finger.)
Yakumo: “Wait. Just once? That’s it?”
Saizou: “Gyomanhougyue⁷.”
Yakumo: “What? ‘Gyoman’? You mean it’s a ‘Romantic Cannon⁸‘?”
Saizou: “Gyoi.”
Yakumo: “Don’t give me that smug look! I don’t need a one-shot wonder. Lower the output and increase the frequency.”
Saizou: “!!?” (Visible shock)
Yakumo: “Go practice at the beach. And stop listening to Karen.”
I later caught Karen coaching a depressed Saizou on the beach, telling him about the ‘Rule of Cool.’ I just held my head in my hands.
—
Summary:
Saizou undergoes a dramatic Rank Up, evolving into a humanoid Goblin Ninja with stealth and fire-breathing powers. The party loots a silver treasure chest containing a Magic Pouch and an Anklet of Swiftness after a successful Guardian battle. Finally, they enter the 13th floor, only to find a city street plagued by a cold, accuracy-sapping rainstorm.
—
Trivia:
- Saizou’s height changed from 160cm to 180cm.
- The ‘Gyaton-jutsu’ is a mispronunciation of ‘Katon-jutsu’ (Fire Style).
- Sheena used to wear an Anklet of Swiftness in the past.
- Mana Capacity detection is a specific magic that can counter stealth, costing 100,000 DP.
- Hanako’s reaction to Saizou’s fire is a hint at her masochistic personality and potential future evolution concerns
—
Character Insight:
Yakumo shows his growth as a leader by delegating inventory management to Sayaka and prioritizing Sheena’s mobility over his own stats. Saizou’s shift into a ‘nihilistic ninja’ persona shows the influence of Karen’s otaku-teaching on monster evolution.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The ‘Romantic Cannon’ (Roman-hou) is a Japanese internet/gaming slang term for a weapon or move that is highly impractical but ‘romantic’ because of its excessive power or coolness factor.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Saizou – A newly summoned Goblin. Intelligent with a small horn on his forehead and jagged teeth. Wears ninja-style clothing (shinobifuku) and uses poison daggers/knives.
• Sheena – Beastman Soul-less Doll with rabbit ears and a large chest. Flawless face, approx 165cm height, F or G cup, narrow waist, large hips, and a fluffy tail longer than a rabbit’s. Now, her ego is back.
• Karen – An international student from America who often runs to school late with bread in her mouth. Considered a ‘main target’ by the protagonist. Voice acting major, huge breasts, same height as Sana.
• Sanae – She struggles with the sexual training and often shows frustration. Vice-captain of the Archery Club. Described as tall with a model-like build and sharp features. She has approximately C-cup breasts and is ranked as a 1st Rank Slave. She is Sayaka’s best friend. Black ponytail, hooded/sharp eyes, kyudo practitioner, average height.
• Sana – Black ponytail, hooded/sharp eyes, kyudo practitioner, average height.
• Sayaka – The academy’s premier beauty and a member of the swimming club. Currently classified as a Rank 1 Slave. She is seventeen years old and a virgin. E-cup. She has blue, short, boyish hair. Her best friend is Sanae.
• Lucy – A female Kobold familiar resembling an American Eskimo Dog. Now, she evolves into a Kobold Thief. Her height increases to approximately 140cm, her limbs become sturdier/leaner, and she retains a cute face. She wags her tail when happy.
• Hanako – A female Orc tamed monster equipped with two large iron shields and a black iron helm. Large breasts, wrapped in rags with a grass skirt. Revealed to be a extreme masochist.
• Rock – A male Kobold summoned from a Magic Sealing Crystal. He has grey fur, round eyes, and a face resembling a Shiba Inu. He wears a leather jacket and a pilot’s cap
• Yakumo – A 25-year-old human male. He has facial scars, stab wounds, and gunshot scars from his time in a war zone. He works as a school guard.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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