Chapter 8: The Secrets Of The Goblin Sorcerer Part I
December 14, 12:43 PM – Shinjuku, Tokyo
Some secrets haunt the brave. Others choose their own moment to return.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The shrill ring of a distant phone, then silence. Noonlight crept like a thief through the torn blinds, landing right on Rin's eyelids. His first thought was, "It's way too quiet in here." He listened for a moment, no bickering, no Momo singing Yuna in the kitchen, no Taji glued to HGO clips at the table, and of course, no Chiyo.
"It's been so long since the place was this quiet…"
A flashback hit Rin, recalling the same emptiness he felt when he was preparing for his dad's funeral. The memory of never seeing the body snapped him out of the daze.
He peeled himself off the futon, bones cracking, every muscle stiff in the same clothes he'd worn yesterday. The apartment reeked of emptiness. Last night's food lingered in the air, cold and sticky. The twins' room, beds made, toys lined up like sentries, untouched. No scuffed shoes by the door, no Chiyo's purse on the hook. Just that damned quiet, thick enough to choke on.
His phone blinked on the table.
12:03 PM.
One unread message from Chiyo, timestamped four hours ago on Ping:
"We left for the field trip. I've got the twins. Don't forget to eat. Call if you need anything. Also, I handled the situation with the Tabuchis. Just focus on Tochi. I will handle that bastard. Let the adults play ball. Ohema would have told you to stay in a child's place you've seen too many of this world's uglies already… and I am no fool, Rin. I know they had something to do with Ikko's death."
The message stung. Seeing his mom and dad's names always did that, but knowing Chiyo at least knew his father's death was off only fed the fire in his chest.
"I'm seventeen. You can't hide me from this world forever, but if you can buy me some time, I'll use what I know…"
He let himself wonder what success he could've had if he'd never shared his ideas with someone like Eren.
"Can't blame anyone… Even if I could, I couldn't afford a drive or pod at that time. Someone was bound to figure out that class before I gave it to Eren."
He glanced at the restraining order PDF Chiyo had sent and knew Tabuchis wouldn't sit still. He had to act fast. First step: make sure the Tabuchi influence at Tochi is gone. He needed the school's backing for safety and the proper training to survive. Once Tochi started, sneaking off to Sakura would be a nightmare.
Another notification, government sender:
"Notice of Legal Restraining Order Processed."
The attachment was a PDF, unread, but the subject line was enough.
Rin thumbed it open anyway, scrolled past paragraphs of legal language stamped in red: Chiyo's name, his, Taji, and Momo's. The Tabuchi name is in bold. Do not approach. Do not attempt contact immediate enforcement.
His gut twisted. He closed the message, thumb shaking. Chiyo had really gone through with it. He pictured the Tabuchi men the way they never backed down, never forgave a public slight. Deep down, he knew the family had painted a new target on all of them.
"Survive, move fast, never let them get close," his father's voice echoed, half memory, half threat.
Rin set his phone on the table and headed to the fridge. He cracked open the egg carton. "Damn, we really are low on food," he muttered, grabbing a skillet and setting it on the burner. While he cooked, the TV still blared from last night, the anchor talking circles around the Kazuku drama, way too energetic for a Monday.
"Kazuku: 'This is the new. Bring your business here. Anyone can rule. The future is ours.'"
"Resource wards up for grabs when the expansion drops."
"Winter Bash and Siege Esports: Triangle map, three lanes, jungle, new monster minions, green buff, sudden death rules."
"Markets fluctuate. Nexus, Kazuku, new sponsors, and more governments on board. Bear mascot promises double loot for new players."
He forced himself to swallow. Every headline screamed about things bigger than one person, a city that never slept.
"I already know I'm broke. With me quitting WhatsUp, there's no point in wasting time. I have to get into HGO and grind. Eren streamed, ranked, and his build helped him carry the load. I need to get on track. If Chiyo is handling Kazuto, I'll handle Eren and take back what that bastard stole from me. I won't stop until that family pays and until my family is safe."
He finished the eggs, wolfing them down, fluffy texture gone before he even tasted them. He stretched his long frame, arms almost brushing the ceiling.
"Let me get out of this trash and get going. I have to get to Sakura and get this started. I didn't want to be a goblin, but with all the hype, I can't let it go to waste. This might be my only shot to climb… I was trending just last night, and my name's only grown with the weight of this quest. Right now, I can use it to really grow."
He ducked into the twins' room once his parents grabbed what he needed, then hit the shower.
He dressed. "Gotta stay dripped out, can't get caught looking bad like that again," he said, slipping into clean street clothes, bomber jacket, and black-and-white E0s the new shoes from Chiyo's birthday surprise, more precious now than almost anything except his e-Beat and HGO drive.
The forest-green HGO drive went into his pocket, along with his phone keys and a protein bar, in the jacket. He locked the door behind him, boots thudding down the concrete stairs, drawing in cold December air that cut sharper than usual.
Out on Shinjuku's streets, everything felt washed out, wary. Rain from last night left the world slick, neon lights smeared along puddles and shop windows.
A white Nexus van splashed muddy water barely missing his sneakers; he barely flinched, heart jumping as he knew his shoes were expensive.
Rin climbed onto his Haya e-Beat, seat still damp, battery just above half. Zipped his jacket, checked the drive was still there, and kicked into traffic, neon flickering across his visor, city rushing past in blurs of red, blue, and green. Every block was a reminder: Tokyo wasn't waiting for him.
People moved, deals closed, games were won and lost faster than a train thundered overhead. Posters for Winter Bash glowed on every shopfront.
"Damn, the city is buzzing overnight. You'd have to be an idiot not to get into HGO, especially with Kazuku buying everything… For sure, it'll attract crowds, like Eren, which I want to avoid altogether."
The ride to Sakura Arcade was long as always. Akihabara wasn't close, but today, it felt shorter. Rin's mind spun, running next moves. The city felt tenser with every block. Police at every intersection, hawkers shouting, all the usual Tokyo chaos for a Monday
A Loop notification buzzed in his helmet:
@HGOUpdates
"First, look at the 3v3v3 triangle map! Unique monsters, lane buffs, and green buff revealed for speed and jungle control. Match starts at level 1, scaling to 15."
(40K Reloops – 20K Comments – 4M Impressions – 7 mins ago)
He shrugged. "I played some retro games like this with Dad, but HGO is full dive, you can't predict anything in there."
He cut through an alley, dodged a delivery scooter, and two cackling high schoolers skipping class. Pulled up to Sakura Arcade, parked under the flickering "OPEN" sign, rain dripping off the awning in fat, rhythmic beats.
Inside, the arcade was a blast from the past, and traffic was low, even for a Monday at noon.
Leon's usual spot was empty. That threw Rin off. He'd expected the older guy, not some red-haired girl with a long ponytail, slim in a black crop top and jeans with a street biker vibe, a silver HGO drive clipped to her belt. White headphones around her neck, half her attention on a gaming tablet, watching HGO clips, the other hand juggling receipts.
She didn't notice him at first, half her attention on her tablet. The other was on a stack of receipts she shoved into a drawer. She was a head shorter than he, but not by much.
"She's kinda tall," Rin thought, watching her sharp eyes beneath the red hair. Her screen showed two windows, one on Bash info, the other on Quest research. That window was turned away from him. Her whole vibe was confidence, but sharpened to a dagger point.
He finally spoke. "Hey, what's up… is Leon here?" He stumbled over the words as he got closer to the counter.
"Who's asking?" she shot back, eyes flicking up more bored than hostile, but definitely not interested in being interrupted.
"Um… I'm the tech support he brought on. I repaired one of his pods already," Rin replied, not sure who this sharp-tongued woman was, but not backing down either.
"You mean the pod my brother won't let me touch now? So you're the guy who fixed it, huh…" Her words were soft but edged, voice trailing as she looked back at her screen. But as her eyes slid away, she caught his HGO drive. Green. She knew what that meant.
Goblin. Why? That race is useless. Nobody mains goblin unless you're a meme lord or a masochist… she thought, but didn't say anything.
"Sorry about that. Yeah, I know some things about those pods managed to tweak some settings. Should be able to figure out what's wrong once I get a full look." Rin didn't want to give away too much, just enough to sound legit.
"They're over there. My brother won't be here until later he had to grab inventory. Don't leave without having a chat," she said again, eyes back to her tablet, interest fading.
Rin walked away, but turned back. "May I ask your name? I'm Rin Kazehaya."
She gave a lazy wave without turning. "Aria. I'm Leon's younger sister."
Rin smiled, then kept moving toward the pods. As he walked, Aria started typing fast, eyes flicking between the quest window and Rin's name.
Rin stared at the pod, heart pounding with a cocktail of nerves and adrenaline. This was it, three days, no distractions, nothing left but the grind.
He slipped into the pod, the old vinyl seat hissing under his weight, the world outside shrinking to the hum of circuits and the login screen's glow. For the first time in days, he felt a tiny spark of hope.
"Alright," he whispered, settling in, breath steady. "Let's see what you've got, Eldora."
The pod door shut with a hydraulic hiss, drowning out the arcade, the city, the world. The login screen flared, green light bleeding across his vision
The crash of full dive. Everything from the real world was silenced; everything else disappeared as he entered.
END PART 1
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 9:THE SECRETS OF THE GOBLIN SORCERER PART II
The Spirit of Shiv
"Before Shiv, goblins were shadows feral, forgotten, uncounted. He made them more than monsters; he made them a clan."