Chapter 0084: The Snorlax with a Story

This was an exceedingly clever and keen little creature, remarkably adept at reading people's minds. The moment it entered Grim's room, it swiftly set about its assigned tasks. It cleaned, arranged the books, ink, and quill pens on the desk, removed traces of sorcery, helped Grim take off the heavy, tightly fastened traveler’s cloak... In short, all the chores a magical servant could do, it completed within moments of entering, then bowed respectfully by the desk, awaiting Grim’s orders.

Grim watched the Kabibest finish all this, a smile lingering in his eyes, before calmly giving his instruction. "Tell me about Lord Pridca."

The green-skinned goblin's body trembled slightly; it stole a glance at the young apprentice opposite, only to meet Grim's cold, steady gaze. Shaken, it quickly lowered its eyes, stammering as it began.

The story was much as Grim had anticipated: this goblin, called Kabibest, was indeed a fortunate runaway slave—exceptionally fortunate, in fact. To recount the whole matter, one would have to go back fifteen years. Simply put, the second-tier sorcerer Pridca had captured a horde of underground creatures for some soul experiment. As with most sorcery experiments, this one was dangerous and difficult to control; nearly all the experimental subjects died in agony, but Kabibest survived by sheer luck.

Kabibest’s memories of the soul experiment were sparse and incomplete, but from its simple description, Grim suspected Pridca had been attempting soul transference—a process that was an essential step in the quest for immortality, and thus a subject most sorcerers with such ambitions studied in secret.

The so-called wizard’s treasure Kabibest mentioned was merely one of many laboratories Pridca had established underground. Because Kabibest had unexpectedly gained sentience during the soul experiment and survived, Pridca, eager to observe any changes, promoted it to a personal servant and even taught it some sorcery out of interest.

The three spells Kabibest had mastered dated from this period.

Though Kabibest possessed only rudimentary intelligence, it had its own brand of cunning. It had chosen those three spells purely to facilitate escape. While it lacked the sorcerer's intellect and vast knowledge, it understood that as an experimental subject, its fate was likely to end on the operating table. From the moment it gained sentience, it had been preparing for its escape.

Listening to Kabibest’s tale, Grim couldn’t help but suspect the creature was a child of fate, blessed by the will of the world. After eleven years with the sorcerer, Kabibest finally seized an opportunity to flee.

Five years ago, during a subterranean purge, the Scattered Tower Sorcerers’ Association sent a swarm of wizards to raid the City of Extremes. Pridca was forced to relocate most of his fallen sorcerers deeper underground, abandoning Kabibest in the laboratory. Logically, Kabibest should have perished alongside the city’s destruction. Yet, fortune favored it once more: it escaped before the city was obliterated. Unseen and unknown, Kabibest became a wandering creature in the underground world.

What followed was easy to surmise. Armed with its unusual sorcery, Kabibest, though lacking in combat prowess, was beyond the grasp of ordinary subterranean creatures. After a period of wandering, it gathered a large group of kin and established a camp in the upper reaches of the underground, becoming the leader of the green-skinned goblins.

After hearing Kabibest’s story, Grim silently marveled—it was practically an otherworldly tale of inspiration. Yet, however miraculous, no story could move him. Grim, furious, snapped his fingers; the fine needles embedded in Kabibest’s collar immediately sent a surge of powerful electricity through its body.

Kabibest began to smoke, convulsing violently on the ground.

“Hmph. Your story is beautiful, and nicely told. But tell me, what benefit is there for me in rescuing you? Was it just to hear your bizarre, convoluted nonsense?” Grim raged, looking ready to flay the creature alive.

“Master… I… can... offer you a second-tier sorcerer’s laboratory,” Kabibest managed, proving itself a resilient creature. Even as it was shocked, it managed to utter the words that might save its life.

“Where is this laboratory?”

“In the City of Extremes!”

“Damn it, you filthy goblin! Do you think a surface apprentice like me can stroll into a city swarming with fallen sorcerers? Do you want another taste of electrocution?”

“Master, I mean the ruins of the City of Extremes, not the current city!” Kabibest, terrified, nearly screamed the words.

“Oh? Tell me more.”

“I don’t know all the details, but I do know that the so-called City of Extremes has been destroyed three times. Each time surface sorcerers invaded the dark caverns, the city was destroyed, and the fallen sorcerers would build a new one elsewhere. The city I mean is the last one to have been destroyed in the war—the ruins. The current City of Extremes was built after that.”

“After such self-destruction, is anything left in those ruins?” Grim asked with feigned disdain.

“Master, Pridca’s laboratory was protected by the tightest sorcery arrays. It can’t be entirely intact, but some resources surely remain. Even a small cache left by a second-tier sorcerer is worth your risk!”

Grim fell silent.

“Chip, analyze the truth of Kabibest’s words.”

“Beep. Data compilation complete... Preliminary judgment: the statement is true... Reference materials: 'Chronicle of the Dark Caverns', 'Secrets of Subterranean Creatures', 'Biographies of Fallen Sorcerers'... Note: The subject showed abnormal mental fluctuations when mentioning the laboratory ruins. Initial assessment: there is something inside it that the subject particularly desires...”

“Hmph. It may also be a chance for it to escape someone’s control again!” Grim added quietly in his mind.

Of course, all this remained hidden within Grim’s thoughts. Outwardly, he smiled warmly, helped Kabibest to its feet, and promised that if Kabibest guided him to the laboratory, he would grant its freedom and a bounty of magic crystals.

To win over his new subordinate, Grim even ordered a noble’s three meals a day for it. So, as Grim enjoyed his own magic-infused meal, Kabibest squatted in the corner, devouring its food with wild abandon.

With the agreement sealed, Kabibest became Grim’s loyal servant. Its first duty was to be thrown into the bath for a thorough cleaning.

In the underground world, all resources were rare and precious, and green-skinned goblins had no habit of bathing. Their foul stench was intolerable to Grim, so he bought a bottle of deodorizer, scrubbing Kabibest from head to toe, inside and out.

Once all was done, Kabibest stood before Grim again, now bearing a trace of the whimsical, adorable charm of a chibi green-skinned monster from a previous life.

“All right, now show me your abilities.”

“Master, which would you like to see first?”

“The disguise spell,” Grim replied.

Kabibest took a small, worn wooden stick from its waist, murmured an incantation, and tapped itself. With a burst of magical light, its skin color matched the floor exactly. When it crouched in the corner, one might easily overlook it if not paying close attention.

“And the partial transformation spell?”

At Grim’s words, Kabibest’s ears sprang upright, gradually twisting into the shape of a wilted flower stalk. Not flawless, but convincing enough to pass muster.

“Hmm,” Grim nodded. “Now, the invisibility spell?”

Kabibest shook itself, dispelling all other changes. With a low chant and a flash from the stick, its body turned hazy and indistinct. Five seconds later, it vanished completely.

Grim tilted his head, observing. Without elemental vision, and if Kabibest moved more lightly, the invisibility spell would be quite effective.

“Walk a few steps for me.”

A line of damp footprints appeared on the floor; Kabibest had just bathed, leaving water traces. As it moved, Grim caught a faint anomaly in the way the light refracted. But as Kabibest stood still, the phenomenon vanished.

“Here, take this book,” Grim said, handing him a volume.

At first, the book hovered oddly in midair. But after five seconds of stillness, even the book faded and finally disappeared.

“Oh? You can turn objects invisible with you! Are there any restrictions?” Grim asked, curious.

“First, it can’t be a living thing. Second, its size can’t exceed one-fifth of my own.” Kabibest’s answer was just as Grim had expected; such effective sorcery always came with strict conditions.

Grim hesitated for a moment, ultimately abandoning his thought of temporarily switching disciplines to learn the invisibility spell.