Chapter 11: The Goblin Swamp (2)
“They’re coming!”
“Get ready!”
From afar, they could see the figure of a part-timer running frantically toward them.
Nineteen years old, his name was Kim Sinho.
Having previously trained as a track and field athlete, he possessed an Agility stat far superior to the others. Capitalizing on this trait, he had learned Thief-class skills.
The perfect qualifications for the task of luring goblins!
Kim Sinho glanced at the goblins hot on his heels and twisted his expression.
“God dammiiit—!”
He had been struck by paralytic poison, and his speed was gradually dropping.
He had judged that he could easily outdistance the goblins’ small frames, less than a meter tall, but the cunning creatures had recognized his superior speed and immediately used paralytic poison.
If Akan had informed him beforehand about the poison, he could have prepared, but he hadn’t been given such detailed information.
Barely forcing down his ragged breath, Kim Sinho ran like a madman toward the place where the others were gathered.
Kihihik!
Kyahk!
The moment the goblins hopping across the ground caught up to Kim Sinho!
The people who had been hiding in the bushes revealed themselves all at once.
“Power Strike!”
Go Changhyeok’s sword pulsed with red energy and swung directly at the goblin.
Power Strike, which increases the power of a single blow!
Go Changhyeok, who had utilized his high physical abilities to learn Warrior-class skills, cleaved through the goblin’s torso in a single strike.
Srrk!
Kkae-gaek!
It was different from the hounds’ tough hide.
The fragile skin split wide open, and dark red blood sprayed in all directions.
The goblin tried to retreat in confusion from the ambush, but the people had already surrounded the goblins.
The number of goblins Kim Sinho had lured was five.
The number of people was nine, greater than that.
“Kill them!”
“They’re weaker than expected! Don’t be afraid!”
The people swarmed the goblins all at once.
A goblin who had suffered a fatal wound hurriedly attempted to blow its whistle to contact the others, but Akan had already prepared for this.
“Fire Bolt.”
Fwoosh!
A 1st-Circle fire-attribute spell!
A small sphere of fire flew directly toward the goblin.
The goblin, which had just placed the whistle to its lips, was exposed to the Fire Bolt before it could even dodge.
Boom!
An explosion erupted from the goblin’s face.
Through the thick rising smoke, the collapsing goblin was visible.
A 1st-Circle spell should have been impossible to take down a goblin in one blow, but Akan’s magic was different.
‘Salamander’s Blessing.’
Rainbow Tower’s secret technique, Rainbow Bless.
It was a unique technique of Rainbow Tower that received the blessing of each attribute, increasing the power of elemental magic.
The Salamander is a spirit of fire.
Through Salamander’s Blessing, Akan’s fire-attribute magic rose in power.
Furthermore.
‘I obtained the Heart of Flame from Blaze Tower.’
Akan had handed over a special technique he had developed, and attained the Heart of Flame, the foundation of Blaze Tower.
The Heart of Flame was an even stronger blessing!
To the extent that Akan invested mana, the Heart of Flame devoured that mana and exhaled powerful flame mana.
The mana Akan had just invested was basic MP.
Nevertheless, through Salamander’s Blessing and the Heart of Flame, Akan’s magic unleashed more than twice the power of ordinary magic.
Sizzle.
Black smoke billowed from the charred corpse of the goblin.
Watching that sight, Akan’s lips twitched.
‘Yes.’
His heart pounded.
The fierce battle unfolding looked like a slow-motion video.
Overcome with rising ecstasy, Akan broke into a bright smile.
‘This is who I am.’
Ten years.
Akan’s life had been off-track for a full ten years.
Now, Akan finally felt that everything was returning to its rightful place.
* * *
The mission progressed more smoothly than expected.
Having learned of the paralytic poison’s existence, Kim Sinho had no trouble luring the goblins, and a small number of goblins was no match for the people.
Goblins possessed combat abilities that placed them in the lowest tier among monsters.
A Hunter who had learned Warrior-class skills could handle two goblins alone.
If there had been a large number of goblins, their inherent cunning could have made the situation difficult, but from the first battle, the people learned that goblins possessed whistles for communication.
Because they desperately blocked any attempts at communication, the goblins had no capacity to withstand the people’s ambushes.
“Whew.”
“So there’s thirty-two left now?”
The people were taking a brief rest.
To minimize casualties, they had gone all out in every battle.
Therefore, after each battle, the people recovered their stamina and magic power through sufficient rest.
The expressions of the people, which had been filled with despair when they first received the mission, now overflowed with vitality.
Survival.
They felt confident that, if things continued like this, they could survive this mission.
“This mission wasn’t as hard as I thought. Honestly, the hounds we fought in the last mission were stronger.”
The people nodded at Kim Sinho’s words.
Due to the mission’s smooth progress, the people underestimated the goblins.
In truth, goblins were far trickier monsters compared to hounds, but Akan’s strategy had neutralized their advantages.
Also, unlike when they had carried out their first mission, the people had grown stronger.
They had gained the power of the other world through skill books, and over the past month, they had steadily trained their stamina in preparation for the mission.
“When we get down to about twenty, let’s wipe them out at once.”
The people agreed with Go Changhyeok’s words.
Against goblins weaker than expected, they felt they could win against about twenty at once.
While people chatted during the rest, Jang Minho, who had always been talkative, sat in uncharacteristic silence.
Contrary to his quiet appearance, his blazing eyes were locked onto Akan, unable to look away.
‘...Just what.’
Jang Minho had a question that had been circling his mind throughout the battle.
Akan.
There was something special about Akan that set him apart from others.
‘How does he use magic so proficiently?’
At first, he hadn’t noticed it.
But as the battles repeated, Jang Minho realized how outstanding Akan’s skill was.
As a student at a prestigious university, Jang Minho judged that Mage-class skills, which actively utilized his outstanding intellect, were suitable for him.
Therefore, he had learned the ‘Fire Bolt’ embedded in the skill book.
Since they were using the same magic as Akan, Jang Minho could tell that Akan’s skill was extraordinary.
‘It was truly magic on a different dimension from mine.’
\- To be continued in Episode 12 -