Brute

The hobgoblin charged at Aaran. But instead of running or dodging, he smiled.

It was classified as a hobgoblin, but looked like an ogre. At first, Aaran thought it was the work of the gods, but after learning about its past, he realized that wasn't the case.

Its abnormal growth resulted from the hobgoblin's resentment, not some divine intervention.

The quest wanted him to get rid of the creature's resentment. But after seeing his strength, Aaran changed his mind. Resentment was fueling the hobgoblin's strength, so why would he get rid of it?

The hobgoblin's crimson eyes gave off a murderous glare as it ran on all fours, like an overgrown gorilla. Aaran summoned the vault, retrieving the [Twilight Requiem] from it.

It was the perfect moment to test the weapon, but Aaran wasn't hopeful. The issue was its incomplete state. Not only could the weapon misfire, but the [Roulette] could essentially fire blanks.

The revolver has three slots for each element. But I can only use darkness at the moment.

It meant Aaran could only fire three shots . The rest would be blank since he didn't have any divinity. On top of that, the misfire rate of 25% made things difficult.

"Die—!"

BANG!

The hobgoblin roared, but its voice was cut off by a deafening shot. The bullet scraped past the hobgoblin's cheek, leaving a thin line of silvery essence leaking.

Aaran had accounted for the misfire and aimed for the hobgoblin's chest, thinking the misfire would still hit it somewhere on the broad torso. But the bullet flew towards the head instead.

[Misfire triggered. Compensation will be issued. The next shot will be more accurate.]

Aaran clicked his tongue.

The next bullet has higher accuracy, but it could be a dud. Fuck my life!

Without wasting time, he fired again.

BANG!

"Argh!"

The hobgoblin howled in pain as its leg buckled. The bullet hit the creature in the knee, yet it didn't fall. Instead, the pain intensified its anger. The creature limped but did not give up its charge.

"What a tenacious creature you are!"

Aaran's smile widened. He had to tame this beast at all costs.

He would have used [Hypnotic Gaze] on the hobgoblin, but holding eye contact in its frenzied state was impossible. Aaran had to weaken it first before doing anything.

But the frenzied state made the hobgoblin's actions predictable. It lunged at Aaran, but he rolled to the side. The attack missed by mere inches, slicing through the empty air.

"Too slow."

Before the hobgoblin could get up, Aaran pressed the gun's barrel against the creature's forehead and prayed.

It was the perfect opportunity to end it. No matter how strong the hobgoblin was, he wouldn't survive a shot at point-blank range.

If the hobgoblin died, so will its resentment. After all, Aaran wasn't interested in the creature's spirit, just the corpse.

Click.

"Goddamnit!"

The gun didn't fire.

Upon hearing the blank shot, the hobgoblin grinned. He thought the gun was out of bullets. Aaran's eyebrow twitched. The sight of the hobgoblin's smug smile annoyed him more than he thought.

"The hell are you laughing at?" Aaran scowled, raising the revolver in the air.

He swung the revolver, using its butt like a club to hit the hobgoblin square in the jaw. The metal handle smashed against the creature's jaw, but it didn't even flinch.

Only then did Aaran realize his mistake. The revolver held no weight, and he had no strength to bridge the gap.

The weapon was made for shooting, not brawling. If it had been a different gun, the attack would've hurt the hobgoblin back, but not his revolver.

The attack did nothing but make the hobgoblin angrier.

Aaran looked down. The hobgoblin was staring at him. A nervous smile formed on his lips as he gently caressed its jaw.

"Why do we need to fight? Let's talk about this, okay?"

There was complete silence, and then the hobgoblin let out a low, rumbling growl.

It swung its claws at Aaran, who ducked to dodge. Without wasting a moment, Aaran pressed the gun against the hobgoblin's chest and took a deep breath.

"Don't fuck it up now..."

BANG!

The explosive shot turned the hobgoblin inside out. It clutched its chest, heaving, yet his gaze remained as furious as ever.

Aaran tilted his head. He couldn't believe one hobgoblin could be this strong.

Silver essence oozed from the gaping hole in his chest, but the creature didn't get up. It had given up. He was powerless.

Even in death, he couldn't take revenge.

Tired, Aaran sighed and slumped down next to the wounded spirit. No one said a word for a while.

"You're strong," he acknowledged.

The hobgoblin scoffed but said nothing.

How could it be strong when he couldn't protect his children and tribe?

"I get it," Aaran continued. "You lost everything. I know that pain. And that's why I want to help you."

The hobgoblin tilted his head, looking at Aaran before laughing. It wasn't a chuckle or a bitter scoff, but a maniacal laugh.

The one before him was a child, a human child at that. How could he possibly know what the hobgoblin had gone through? How could he know the pain of one's family being hacked to death right before them?

"Help me? A human?" The hobgoblin sneered. "You think I'd ever trust one of your kind?"

"Of course you won't," Aaran sighed and got up. "At least I tried."

A golden glow enveloped Aaran's eyes as he activated [Hypnotic Gaze]. He realized killing what's left of its spirit might cause problems later. It was better to seal it away.

If words wouldn't work, then he'd just force the hobgoblin to submit. But before he could do anything, the hobgoblin spoke.

"...can I trust you?"

"That's up to you."

The hobgoblin stared at the endless darkness before and shook its head. It couldn't bring itself to trust a human. Not after what happened.

"Do what you have to do," the hobgoblin said.

"...I understand."

For a moment, Aaran had hoped the creature would change his mind, but the resentment it carried was too much to get rid of through words. The only thing Aaran could do was seal away those memories and hope it was enough to clear the quest.

***

A few moments later, the darkness around Aaran faded, and he was back in the dungeon.

[Quest Cleared!]

Aran sighed in relief upon reading those words. But that wasn't all. The hobgoblin's corpse had changed. It had risen to its knees, its head lowered before him.

[Bestow a name to your soldier.]

"A name, huh? How about... Brute?"

The hobgoblin grunted, bowing even deeper.

The creature couldn't speak any longer.

To get rid of the resentment, Aaran had to do more than seal its memories. He had to turn the hobgoblin into a brainless brute, hence the name.

[Undead tamed!]

+++

Name: Brute

Level: 12

Race: Undead Hobgoblin

Rank: Warrant Officer (Capable of leading small undead squads)

Type: Brawler

Obedience: ★★★★☆

Stats:

>> Strength: ★★★☆☆

>> Agility: ★★☆☆☆

>> Defense: ★★★★☆

>> Endurance: ★★★☆☆

>> Intelligence: ★☆☆☆☆

Affinity:

Goblin Horde: Gains a small buff to strength and endurance when fighting alongside goblin-type undead.

+++

"Alright... Let's see what you can do."