"And the chances of actually defeating it after finding it are even worse. Probably around one percent."
Silence followed that statent.
"Most clans simply focus on hunting the hordes instead," he finished. "It’s far safer and more consistent."
I slowly nodded as I listened.
But that didn’t an I fully agreed with him.
If the reward for killing the king was truly that absurd, then there was no way I could ignore it completely. Risky or not, I was more than willing to take the challenge if the opportunity presented itself.
Especially if it ant gaining a massive advantage over the other clans.
Still...There was no point in thinking too far ahead yet.
Before worrying about kings and point totals, we first needed to qualify for the King’s Gas properly and strengthen the clan enough to survive them in the first place.
Caius leaned back slightly afterward.
"As for the second phase..." he said, shaking his head faintly, "I don’t know much about it. I never made it past the first phase."
I frowned slightly.
Then sothing about the way he said that caught my attention.
"Wait a minute," I said, narrowing my eyes at him slightly. "What do you an by ’you never made it past’?"
Because the way Caius said it...It sounded less like hearsay and more like personal experience.
"Yes," Caius replied calmly. "I participated once. But I didn’t make it past the first phase."
I stared at him for a second before the realization properly settled in.
"You participated with Crimson Bastion?"
"No," he answered, shaking his head faintly. "At that ti, I served under another chief."
The room beca quieter after that.
"He died by my blade shortly after the gas ended," Caius continued without hesitation. "That’s how I obtained the domain ability. Afterward, I left alongside so of the survivors and ford my own clan."
My eyes narrowed slightly as I processed that.
"So your forr chief originally possessed the domain skill line."
"Yes," Caius confird. "I killed him to acquire it."
I paused for a second. The way he said it was disturbingly casual.
But then again, considering the kind of world this was, maybe it wasn’t strange at all.
I leaned back slightly before letting out a small breath.
"And then I killed you and got yours," I said.
Caius nodded once.
"And afterward, I killed another Chosen and obtained [Foresight]."
"Exactly," he replied.
"It’s also why I said I can’t afford to die again," he added calmly. "Because now you understand what happens afterward."
I nodded slowly.
He wouldn’t be able to beco Chosen again. Not a third ti.
The first ti, he lost his skill and reclaid another. The second ti, he lost his domain to and recovered by killing another Chosen for [Foresight].
Honestly, it was still strange hearing that Caius had once served under soone else.
For so reason, I had unconsciously assud he had always been a chief.
Maybe because of the way he carried himself. The confidence. The composure.
Even when he was my enemy, he never once felt like soone’s subordinate. He always gave off the impression of soone who stood at the top naturally.
I already knew Caius was experienced, but hearing all of this made realize it went far deeper than I originally thought. Which was exactly why another question slipped out before I could stop myself.
"How long have you been in this world as a goblin, Caius?"
Caius answered almost imdiately.
"Twenty-three."
I frowned slightly.
"Twenty-three what?" I asked. "Months?... Years?"
He nodded once.
’Years.’
For a mont, I genuinely just stared at him.
"Twenty-three years..." I repeated slowly, unable to completely hide the shock in my voice. "That’s... a really long ti."
Two whole decades. Actually, more than that.
He had spent over twenty years surviving in this world as a goblin. Fighting. Growing. Killing. Watching clans rise and disappear. Participating in the King’s Gas. Losing abilities. Taking new ones.
anwhile, I hadn’t even been here for two weeks. Insane.
Caius himself didn’t react much to my surprise. But Flogga did.
"Why are you so shocked, Young Totem?" she asked with a snort. "I’ve been here even longer."
Right. That was true, too.
I already knew Flogga had existed here for an absurd amount of ti.
Sohow, though, hearing it from Caius felt different.
Maybe because Caius still looked active, dangerous, and deeply involved in the current power struggles of the world, while Flogga sotis felt more like an ancient existence quietly sitting in the background of the clan.
"Sorry," I muttered, collecting myself slightly.
I just genuinely hadn’t expected him to have spent that much ti here.
No wonder he wanted to leave this world so badly.
Caius had a family waiting sowhere beyond all of this.
Or at least... they once had been.
For twenty-three years, he hadn’t seen them.
Twenty-three years of surviving in a brutal world as a goblin, fighting endlessly, climbing through bloodshed and power struggles, all while carrying the hope that one day he might return ho again.
Honestly, that was depressing to think about. And it also explained a lot.
It explained why he was willing to do almost anything for a chance to participate in the King’s Gas again, even if it ant lowering his head to soone younger and weaker than him in terms of experience.
That alone earned a certain level of respect from . Because of how committed he was to his goal.
Most people would’ve broken long ago after spending over two decades trapped in a world like this. Even if they survived physically, ntally, they would’ve given up on the idea of ever returning ho. But Caius hadn’t.
Even now, he was still moving forward with that sa objective in mind.
And the harsh reality was that after twenty-three years, there was a good chance his family had already moved on with their lives.
His parents might be dead. Any siblings he had would’ve grown older. If he had a wife or children before arriving here, they would’ve spent decades believing he was gone forever.
Yet despite all of that uncertainty, he was still willing to give everything he had for even the least possibility of seeing them again.
Honestly...that was admirable. Because I couldn’t confidently say I possessed that sa level of resolve toward anything.
I wasn’t being driven by so overwhelming emotional goal like revenge, grief, or the desperate need to reunite with soone important to . Compared to Caius, my motivations felt... lighter.
And maybe that wasn’t entirely a bad thing.
At the very least, it ant I hadn’t experienced sothing tragic enough to shape that deeply. Hopefully, it stayed that way.
Though...With the stakes around rising this quickly, I doubted things would remain peaceful forever.
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