The Heaven-Cursed Costs Life, But I Have Infinite Life-Chapter 16: Massacre of the Goblins, Clearing the Dungeon
"You’re dreaming! I’m not selling this Crystal Core," Allen said, stuffing it straight into his chest pocket.
The reason he agreed to work with Lilia was simple: there were too many Crystal Cores for him to carry alone, and he didn’t want to anger the Old Dean.
So, he dragged her into the deal. But as for this precious Stage 5 Crystal Core, he wanted to sell it himself.
"Hey, don’t be ungrateful," Lilia snapped, one hand on her hip. "You have Immortality all because of me. Even gifting you this Crystal Core isn’t enough to repay my help!"
"What do you want then?" Allen teased. "Should I just humble myself and marry you?"
"You! You scoundrel!" Lilia glared, furious. "Lucky me if you ever had a chance to marry me in eight lifetimes!"
The moment she said it, she felt a weird knot in her stomach.
Did I just think that without any resistance? Could it be that she really liked this guy?
"Shameless! Pervert! Flirt..." She started cussing again, red-faced and angry.
Allen didn’t bother to argue. "Okay," he said, changing the subject. "I’ll still sell you the materials from the Demonic Soldier’s body at half price, just like we agreed."
A Demonic Soldier was a Stage 5 monster. Its scales, horns, and even its flesh were all rare materials.
"No way! Give them to me for free!" Lilia protested, acting like a child. "I helped kill this guy. You can’t give me nothing in return."
"Fine, then the Demonic Soldier’s materials are yours," Allen agreed easily. He wasn’t a stingy guy.
Besides, he had already gotten a Rare weapon and a Stage 5 Crystal Core. The rest of the loot didn’t interest him much anymore.
"Hmph, at least you have some conscience," Lilia huffed. She didn’t mind the smell of the corpse and skillfully collected the scales and Devil Horns.
If she could carry them easily, she would have taken the whole body.
Allen didn’t waste time either. He started clearing the battlefield.
Apart from the Demonic Soldier, there were over seven thousand Goblin corpses lying around. They were all Level 3 or higher, consisting of Goblin Warriors, Goblin Champions, and Goblin Elites.
In this world, a Level 1 monster’s Crystal Core was worth 100 gold coins. For every level up, the value doubled.
These Crystal Cores alone were worth over 4 million gold coins. Even selling them for half price, Allen would still make 2 million gold!
The two of them worked hard until the sky fully brightened before they finally gathered all the Crystal Cores.
"Finally done," Lilia slumped onto the ground without any dignity, letting out a long sigh of relief.
Allen looked at the mountain of Crystal Cores before him, a huge smile spreading across his face. All of this was pure gold!
We’re rich! With so much money, he could finally move out of the slums.
"Hey, remember, we agreed to sell half the price of these Crystal Cores to the City Lord’s Mansion," Lilia said, making sure he wouldn’t back out.
"Don’t worry, I keep my word," Allen said grumpily.
As the sun rose, the forest came alive. The gentle breeze carried sweet bird songs, and everything felt full of life.
Allen stood up, slinging his long sword back over his shoulder. "Stop resting. Let’s take these Crystal Cores to the dungeon entrance first. We’ll go hunt more Goblins." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦
"Why hunt more Goblins? Didn’t you reach Stage 1 Level 10?" Lilia asked, not moving.
Last night, by teaming up with Allen, she had reached Stage 1 Level 10 and triggered the Advancement Quest.
She knew that before completing her Advancement Quest, killing monsters wouldn’t give any experience points.
"Of course I reached Level 10," Allen said. "There are still thousands of Goblins in this dungeon. I’m not letting them slip away."
Lilia looked at him, confused. "You don’t mean you want to wipe out all the Goblins here? Other students will be entering the dungeon tomorrow to level up. What about them?"
The monsters in the Academy’s Beginner Dungeon were Goblins caught by teachers over the past year and placed inside specifically to help students level up.
If Allen killed them all, the other students would have to risk their lives hunting monsters in the wild just to graduate safely.
Wild monsters were numerous and powerful. They were no match for students who had just awakened their classes.
"None of my business," Allen replied coolly. "Besides, I didn’t kill these Goblins. That Demonic Soldier did."
He had already prepared his excuse, pointing to the broken body of the Demonic Soldier nearby.
Lilia was speechless for a moment before it finally clicked.
Allen was probably trying to revenge on Old Dean Flynn.
She thought he was a sycophant, greedy, lustful, and cowardly. She never expected him to be this vindictive.
But to be honest, she didn’t like Old Dean either, so she nodded without hesitation.
After working hard for half a day, they finally cleared the Crystal Cores from the forest and the canyon, carrying them all to the dungeon exit.
To keep their cover better, Lilia also dragged the broken Demonic Soldier’s body over.
After a simple meal and a short rest, they resumed the slaughter of the Goblins.
Since Lilia could fly, she soared overhead, spotting Goblins from the sky much better.
"Hey, Lilia, can you fly me around one more time?"
Allen looked up at Lilia freely soaring in the sky, saying enviously.
"Dream on," Lilia said. "I already told you that was the last time. Don’t be lazy. There’s a Goblin squad to your left."
Allen moved toward the left, but he didn’t give up. "Lilia, I won’t ride on top of you this time. Just carry me in your arms. That way, we can clear the Goblins even faster."
"No way!" Lilia said, refusing flatly. There was no room for discussion.
...
They darted through the dense forest. The Goblins were in for a bad time; they had been almost completely wiped out.
It wasn’t until night fell that they finally stopped the slaughter.
The Goblins in the dungeon were nearly extinct. Even the few that survived were few and far between.
The only real downside was that most of the Goblins in the forest were Stage 1 Level 1 Goblins Minions. There weren’t many Goblin Warriors either, so their Crystal Cores weren’t worth much.
But luckily, the numbers were huge. Allen estimated there were over 20,000 Crystal Cores, which was still a huge payday.
They kept working until late at night before carrying all the Crystal Cores to the dungeon exit.
Tomorrow, the new Academy students would enter the dungeon, and they could sell all these Crystal Cores.
"I’m exhausted," Lilia slumped against a rock, too lazy to move an inch.
Flying for so long had left her back aching and her bones feeling like they were falling apart.
This jerk Allen had definitely been using her as a laborer!
Still, the trip hadn’t been a total waste. Aside from all the Crystal Cores, she was getting much better at controlling her wings. Her flying speed had improved noticeably, and she had even learned some basic combat skills.
"Nothing should happen tonight," Allen said with a smile, his face glowing as if he could already see mountains of gold coming at him. "Get some good rest. Tomorrow we’re going to be rich."
Lilia glared at him, then swallowed hard. A hopeful smile spread across her face. "Allen... can I take one more bite? Maybe it’ll boost your constitution again."
Allen jumped up and backed away, looking wary. "You better behave, or I’ll tie you up!"
He was actually scared now. Last time, his moment of kindness had almost resulted in him being drained dry by this woman.
"Don’t be so nervous," Lilia insisted. "I had no self-control last time because I was sick. This time is different. I promise, I’ll only take a tiny sip!"
She held up one finger, looking very serious. Her hot gaze fixed on the pulse thumping in Allen’s neck, and she swallowed again.
For some reason, Allen’s blood was incredibly tempting to her.
Allen took several steps back, angry. "I’m warning you. We need to stay at least ten meters apart. If you get any closer, I really will tie you up!"
"Hmph, stingy," Lilia snorted. She crossed her arms and sat in front of the bonfire, sulking.
Allen kept his distance, sitting cross-legged. He didn’t dare rest, worried that if he fell asleep, this girl would suck his blood.
Fortunately, his Art of Immortality had reached Rank 1 Level 2, which added three hundred years to his lifespan. Even if he didn’t sleep for three days straight, his body would be fine.
He felt the endless energy surging inside him, radiating immense vitality.
The Art of Immortality didn’t need him to practice it on purpose; it ran on its own, and its speed had jumped noticeably before, finishing a full cycle took over five minutes. Now, it only took about four.
But if he wanted to upgrade the Art of Immortality again, he’d need 2 million proficiency points.
One full cycle only gave him 1 point. So, 2 million points would take thirteen years!
"Does it really take that long?"
Allen was shocked by the number. Even if he practiced on purpose and doubled his speed, it would still take over six years.
Plus, that would mean six years of non-stop training without sleep. Even with the Art of Immortality, he couldn’t handle that kind of pressure.
