017. Return (1)
「Remaining time – 14 hours 37 minutes」
Inside the fort city on the 4th floor late at night.
A medieval townscape that blends in with the beautiful starry sky.
Originally, the atmosphere would have been comparable to being a minister, but that was not the case now.
“Keeeeek!”
hooked!
He thrust his dagger into the heart of the screaming goblin and hurriedly turned his body.
Huong bang!
A huge club slammed into the floor the moment I felt a cool touch on the back of my head.
Feeling chills, he retrieved his sword and swung it backwards.
Chow!
“Kkeukkeukkeukreuk…!”
Damn, I couldn’t cut it all at once and cut it halfway through.
A short sword in the form of a one-handed sword suitable for close combat is not bad, but in this area, I feel regret for the long sword that was abandoned before.
But soon, I shook off my regret and struck the goblin’s head again as it bubbling blood.
Only then did the goblin’s head fall to the ground with a creaking sound.
I don’t think I’m getting very tired even after moving like this.
‘As for the goblins… I guess this is the end.’
It has already been several hours since the ordeal was properly carried out.
As before, they fought a couple of battles, and as you can see, all of them were complete victories.
However, the expressions of Lee Seong-hoon and Lee Ha-yeon following me were not very good.
Lee Seong-hoon, who only cast auxiliary magic behind him so that he wouldn’t die, had a face as if Lee Seong-hoon would die, even if it was less.
“Sir, what kind of dog is this? There’s no way he can be this strong for a goblin subject…”
Lee Seong-hoon muttered, perhaps it’s hard to just protect Lee Ha-yeon.
But there was some truth in what he said.
Goblins aren’t really monsters that can come out this strong.
‘Even when taking the test at the Hunter Association, most of the test takers easily beat the goblins if they didn’t get scared.’
There were many flaws, such as a small body, weak abilities, and low intelligence.
Most monsters called goblins do not handle weapons well and are not strong.
It’s just that the group life and the occasional cleverness are annoying.
However, these goblins have gone far beyond the normal goblin category.
「You have absorbed the spirit of the Goblin Warrior.」
「 You have absorbed
the spirit of
the Goblin Assassin
.
」
Skill level increases by 12%.”
The goblins on the 4th floor have a set job group, and each job group has different characteristics.
The Goblin Warrior was big, the Assassin was learning how to assassinate, and the Goblin Knight used neat swordsmanship as if he had mastered the skill.
‘I’m sure he’s actually learning related skills.’
There were so many movements that I couldn’t show otherwise.
Of course, the situation did not go to the worst because it was only used when the abilities were boiling.
The stats that went up each time I killed the goblins made it easier to overwhelm them.
Even though I didn’t get the skill through Necromancy, it was still not a bad result.
Rather, I thought I might be able to get to the Goblin King faster than the other teams.
But the thought was just a thought.
It was because my teammates were twice as late as me in finishing the battle.
Lee Ha-yeon cast auxiliary magic and searched for it, so even so, Lee Seong-hoon was the problem.
‘Because I’m so confident, I thought I might have something hidden…’
It turned out that it was completely out of whack.
The unique characteristics were a little usable, but they weren’t special.
Even if it has resistance to attacks containing all skills or magical powers, it can only serve as a shield.
Unbecoming a Hunter, it seems that he only learned a few skills.
Among them, the lack of a single weapon-related skill also contributed to its weakness.
‘It won’t be too late to reach the Goblin King, but I won’t be able to get ahead of it.’
Then how to prepare accordingly.
Leaving behind Lee Seong-hoon, who was half-sitting on the ground from exhaustion, he asked Lee Ha-yeon for a conversation.
“Can we go inside and talk for a minute?”
I asked while pointing to one of the abandoned houses on the street, and Lee Ha-yeon stunned and opened her mouth.
I don’t know why, but I was nervous and even stuttered.
“Are you two alone now?”
“Yes, I think now is the best time to talk.”
“I think it will be a bit difficult now…”
“If it’s not now, there’s nothing we can do about it because the ordeal will progress further.”
“…”
For some reason, Lee Ha-yeon’s face turned dark, but she didn’t want to say it here.
What I’m going to say from now on will be sensitive to Lee Seong-hoon. Well, looking at the atmosphere, it seems like
they misunderstood
that any item was being extorted…
I did not abandon my humanity to the extent that I made such demands on my team members who played their role.
At least he wouldn’t act like that to a sane person.
Well, I don’t know if it’s people like Lee Sung-hoon.
Lee Ha-yeon nodded slowly, probably realizing the meaning.
“…All right. But it won’t be for long.”
“I know, because the ordeal is still going on.”
The conversation ended there.
Lee Ha-yeon lowered her head slightly and walked towards the abandoned house.
I followed him into the abandoned house, and soon I was able to enter the living room of the abandoned house.
Only then did I open my mouth, which had been closed all along, and get to the point.
“Lee Ha-yeon, if you run into a competitor, could you use auxiliary magic on me?”
“…yes?”
“It may sound selfish, but it is because I want to receive the buff effect of the auxiliary magic when fighting a competitor.”
Lee Ha-yeon was embarrassed and stuttered.
“Oh no, that’s not it, didn’t you ask me to come to the abandoned house for something else?”
If it was something else, it would mean extorting items.
“Not like that.”
It wasn’t that he didn’t have a conscience, and he wasn’t corrupted enough to steal other people’s items.
In fact, it’s not even the point where I feel like I need an item.
There are also black iron daggers and assassin’s cloaks, so it’s not a situation to be obsessed with items.
“…”
Lee Ha-yeon, who calmly took a breath at my words, nodded.
Perhaps he knew he had made a big mistake, but his face was slightly red.
“Hmmmm.”
However, that was short-lived, and Lee Ha-yeon, who regained her composure, spoke cautiously.
Knowing it was a misunderstanding, his voice softened even more.
“…all right. But then we’ll just have to hold out for a while.”
It was somewhat expected.
“I know. All you have to do is cast a secondary magic that increases agility. After that, I’ll take care of it myself.”
Perhaps Lee Seong-hoon and Lee Ha-yeon alone won’t be able to fight against competitors, so I should receive the buff instead of Lee Sung-hoon.
Even so, it was necessary to create an advantageous situation.
Even though murder is also an ordeal with another challenger for the first time, the will gradually becomes firmer.
Lee Seong-hoon is not helpful and Lee Ha-yeon is the most suitable position for the rear.
In other words, I am the only one who can properly fulfill the role of a vanguard among them.
‘Then, even if I get a buff, it’s only right that I have to put more pressure on my competitor.’
At least that would be the best for now.
Of course, if Lee Seong-hoon knew this, he wouldn’t be able to stay still…
‘Lee Seong-hoon isn’t here, so what?’
Right now, Seonghun Lee sat down beside the corpses of the goblins, lamenting.
There was no sign of eavesdropping on conversations going on in this abandoned house, so there was nothing to hesitate about.
“I will deal with as many competitors as possible while Mr. Lee Seong-hoon endures.”
“Then I guess I just need to cast auxiliary magic from behind.”
“Yes, there is no need to prepare offensive magic if it is difficult, and I only need to give the agility buff.”
“I can give you other buffs, but that’s…”
“It would be nice if you gave Lee Seong-hoon a buff other than agility. Anyway, it’s Lee Seong-hoon’s role to protect the rearguard.”
If Lee Seong-hoon, the shield, collapsed, I would be in big trouble, so I had to keep the buff moderately.
Of course, if you roll Lee Seong-hoon like that, you may not be
able to handle it.
“Even if Lee Sung-hoon protests later, I will stop him.”
As much as I threatened once, it will work properly then.
Hearing that, Lee Ha-yeon looked at me blankly and then said as if she didn’t understand.
“Why are you even doing that? You could just not care…?”
Well, I’m not really good at profit and loss, but I did one thing for sure.
It is foolish to increase the number of enemies without any reason.
And the enemy that needs to be increased is the type of Lee Seong-hoon, and the right decision was to avoid friction as much as possible with the other type.
Lee Ha-yeon was a pretty good team member, so I’m being considerate like this.
Of course, I didn’t spit out all the snobbish thoughts, but rather beautified them and sent them out.
“You can just think of it as consideration given to the same team members.”
Whether this was an appropriate answer, Lee Ha-yeon did not ask further.
“…”
I just smiled softly.
It would be fortunate if it was fortunate that the nervousness was a little less than before.
If I had kept the uncomfortable atmosphere like this all along, I would have been concerned about that as well.
“Then, please take care of me, Mr. Lee Ha-yeon.”
Saying that, I stretched out my hand, and Lee Ha-yeon responded with a handshake.
“Yes, I’d like to take care of you too.”
It felt like a team right now.
***
When I went outside and joined Lee Seong-hoon, he tilted his head like it was strange.
While I was left alone, he seemed to notice that Lee Ha-yeon and I had disappeared.
“…What is it, where did everyone go?”
“I moved because I had some business to do.”
Of course, even that was spit out, so I didn’t even ask any more questions.
I just turn my head away as if I’m not sure what’s going on.
“…”
Watching Lee Seong-hoon become quiet, I opened my mouth.
“That’s it. Let’s start again.”
After fighting the goblins a few times, the team play became smoother.
When I said let’s start, I stood up like a knife and headed towards the inside of the fortress city with formation.
To the area where the Goblin King was captured by the search ability.
I tensed my whole body with every step and tried to catch the presence as much as possible, but something was strange.
Even though I was moving pretty fast, not a single goblin came out.
‘Obviously, goblins came out periodically earlier…’
First at the gate, then at the entrance of the fortress city, and then inside the city.
Periodically, goblins appeared, and their ranks and numbers gradually increased.
But now it’s quiet as if it was all a lie.
Of course, there seemed to be a little bit of commotion in other parts of the city, but not here.
And that mystery was solved when we reached the heart of the fortified city.
“It looks like the other challengers passed by.”
“You said you went faster than the crazy us?”
“…”
The corpses of goblins floating around the fountain with rippling water caught my eye.
A sight of menacing goblins wearing heavy armor.
They have unusual physiques and equipment, but they are all dead.
“But I don’t think he’s been dead that long.”
I said that while touching the body of a fallen goblin on the street.
The answer came out neatly with simple information without considering various factors.
‘The warmth remains, so it’s not an old trace.’
Yes, obviously this is a trace that has just passed by.
That is, the distance does not differ that much.
Other challengers just passed by by a narrow car.
“Perhaps you have entered the place where the Goblin King is in front of you.”
As if to add weight to those words, a system message appeared before my eyes.
“Someone broke into the Goblin King’s spire.”
“The Goblin King senses an abnormality and other goblins begin to gather in the center.”
As the Goblin King, no matter how strong he may be, he cannot delay any longer.
If other goblins swarm in, it’ll get even more difficult from then on.
“Everyone prepare for battle.”
Then there was only one answer.
“We will quickly stick together and fight.”
The days of dealing only with goblins are over.
Now it was time to fight challenger versus challenger for real.
