Episode 4
‘Does that bastard want me dead or something?’
The red-haired woman who was also the “Quest Master”—the one who had, before he knew it, become “that bastard.”
He couldn’t fathom the reason.
She tells me to kill the Calamity, and then gives me a quest like this?
Isn’t this basically telling me to go out and die alone?
[A Quest Given Out of Boredom]
[Fill four volume-rated trash bags with food from the convenience store up ahead and get out! I’ve been sitting still for an hour, so I’m bored!]
[0/4]
[Time Limit: 30 Minutes]
[Reward: It’s an item this time!]
[Failure: It’s annoying to write it down every time.]
[Difficulty: E]
‘Bored? That’s absurd. Seriously.’
Iun, a slave who had to do anything for her amusement.
It was infuriating, but if he didn’t want to die, he had to finish this quest within 30 minutes.
That was why he was currently asking if anyone would be willing to go crazy with him.
“Iun-hyung. You’re telling us to suddenly go to a convenience store?”
“Are you crazy?”
When Gang Jiun and Cha Suyeon answered,
“In this situation, wanting to go to a convenience store... you certainly are a carefree friend.”
Choe Jinsu, a 64-year-old middle school principal, followed up by rebuking Iun.
“Iun oppa. If you’re hungry, drink some water from the purifier at least.”
“Yeah. Hyung. Why are you trying to go outside?”
Next, a man and woman in their twenties spoke.
They were the siblings Gim Suhui and Gim Taejin.
“If you’re hungry, should I bring you some snacks? It’ll just take a moment. Ah? Though they might be stained with blood.”
Finally, the woman called nurse I Suji looked at Iun pitifully and asked.
It was exactly the reaction he’d expected.
Iun wouldn’t have moved either if it weren’t for the quest.
‘They probably think I’m crazy, don’t they?’
He was a hundred percent sure.
But now that he’d accepted the quest, their strength was absolutely necessary.
They had simply been too afraid of the goblins to use their abilities properly.
‘They unexpectedly have useful skills.’
They were people who could be of great help in battle.
So to increase his chances of survival, he had to persuade them.
“This is preparation for the future.”
When Iun opened his mouth, feigning as though he had something in mind, Choe Jinsu immediately asked in a dumbfounded tone.
“Future? What future? It’ll all be over once the army arrives soon anyway.”
“Is that really true? Have you already forgotten what the Master said?”
Those who had given traits in dreams.
“They said we must use traits to grow stronger so that we don’t end up destroyed like them.”
They were beings from dimensions destroyed by entities called Calamities.
However, unlike the red-haired woman, they hadn’t spoken directly of the Calamity to Iun.
“Is it what you were talking about earlier? That strong monsters who bullets won’t work on will appear?”
Thankfully, Cha Suyeon added an explanation to Iun’s words.
“Right. There’s no way those who gave us this power would fall to goblins, right? So let’s prepare food in advance. That’s what I’m saying.”
When Iun finished speaking, everyone fell silent as if lost in thought.
Because it was a sufficiently reasonable argument.
‘There is one flaw, but it seems no one noticed...’
“Why does it have to be right now?”
No.
Someone had noticed.
“Can’t we just practice our skills for about a day and go slowly? I don’t think monsters suddenly much stronger than goblins will appear.”
It was Gang Jiun.
“Right! There’s no need to rush out like this!”
“We still have time to observe the situation, do we not?”
Kim Taejin and Choe Jinsu agreed.
At the same time, everyone began to nod.
‘He’d make the best ally, but having him on the opposite side is a headache.’
But he couldn’t exactly reveal his trait now and ask for help.
There was nothing in it for them.
They had no reason to risk their lives for Iun’s quest.
‘Time remaining: 25 minutes.’
Time kept flowing, and at this rate, Iun would die in 25 minutes.
Moreover, when he looked around, several people were making uncomfortable expressions.
Even adding looks that seemed to say, ‘Who does a mere runt like you think you are, stepping forward?’
‘If it had been Jiun instead of me, they would have followed without even asking why.’
This was reality.
The world had already begun to revolve around the strong.
‘And here he threw me away immediately. Son of a bitch.’
Gang Jiun had simply chosen the trait of the newly joined person over Iun’s ‘Strong Heart’.
“I understand everyone’s will.”
He had no time to talk further, nor time to make armor from books.
Iun hurriedly headed for the door.
“Oppa, are you really going?”
Cha Suyeon grabbed Iun.
“I have to go. This is absolutely necessary.”
He answered with feigned gravity, pretending to prepare for the future, all because of his pride.
“I see. Okay.”
‘Damn. She’s agreeing way too easily.’
He had wondered if she might follow, but it seemed he couldn’t help feeling somehow disappointed.
Now there was no lingering attachment!
Without hesitation, Iun opened the door and headed out to the stairs.
‘I can handle a maximum of two goblins. Then the best course is to go quietly without being noticed.’
He had to give up on their help and think of a way to survive.
He arrived at the first floor.
Iun surveyed his surroundings.
The convenience store was one block away.
‘For now, I don’t see anything.’
But they could be hiding somewhere.
Using ‘Silent Footsteps’, he used the terrain for cover and moved quietly toward the convenience store.
‘They’re not inside.’
The convenience store he arrived at was a mess. There were broken and destroyed things, but also intact food and supplies.
Perhaps because of the sudden situation, it seemed no one had thought to stockpile food.
He quickly pulled out the volume-rated trash bags at the counter and held them in his hands.
‘Fill them quickly and run.’
He stuffed the convenience store’s food inside like mad.
He filled one bag and moved to the second.
‘Good! Smooth sailing.’
If he just filled all four bags like this and got outside, he’d be done.
Tuk!
An alien sound rang out.
Iun’s head slowly turned toward the convenience store entrance.
“Kieeek!”
A single goblin outside the convenience store was staring at Iun and screeching.
‘Info.’
[Lv.2 Goblin Soldier]
Just as he’d heard at the hospital, when he shouted ‘Info’, its level and race name appeared above its head.
‘What? It’s not charging?’
But it was strange.
The goblins he’d seen until now had always attacked unconditionally.
‘No way.’
The worst-case scenario.
The bastard was definitely screeching to call its comrades.
‘I have to stop it from making noise.’
Without hesitation, Iun dropped the bags in his hands and charged at the goblin.
His target was the goblin’s flank.
Puaak!
The goblin tried to swing its dagger at Iun’s sudden movement, but his spinning kick struck first, accurate and solid.
“Kieek!”
The goblin groaned at the breathtaking pain, clutching its side and staggering.
Iun plunged his kitchen knife into the goblin’s exposed neck.
Puaak!
Having struck the flank to expose the nape, Iun finished it off.
He had already grown accustomed to life-or-death combat.
‘I have to hide that.’
He grabbed the fallen goblin’s head.
Ziiiiik.
And without hesitation, dragged it inside the convenience store.
Thinking that more might swarm if they saw the goblin corpse.
‘As fast as possible.’
Time remaining: 15 minutes.
Iun watched the entrance and hurriedly stuffed food inside again.
“Kiriririk!”
“Kiririri!”
“Kirik?”
‘Damn.’
The chilling sound of goblins could be heard from somewhere.
They were definitely approaching after hearing the goblin he’d killed just now.
As expected.
Three goblins stood in front of the convenience store, drooling as they looked at Iun.
‘I have to lure them in and fight.’
It wasn’t just one—three goblins had no reason to call more comrades.
To them, humans were prey.
There was no need to share.
Moreover, three goblins were more than enough to handle one human.
“If you’re confident, come in. You bastards.”
Without taking his eyes off the goblins, Iun carefully retreated deep into the convenience store.
Walls, pillars, collapsed structures.
The goblins would surely charge head-on.
He naturally positioned himself in a favorable spot.
“Kikik!”
“Kieekik!”
They laughed mockingly and entered boldly.
‘Now!’
Iun, who had been retreating, instantly charged at the goblin walking at the front, swaggering.
The kitchen knife embedded directly in its neck.
The price of letting its guard down, thinking it had caught its prey.
“Kiek?”
“Kieeek!”
The two flustered goblins screamed and thrust their daggers at Iun.
But he had already expected this.
Ppuk!
He kicked one away and dealt with the remaining one.
His target was, again, the neck.
Because it was a short goblin, it was the best target.
Puaak!
Once again, Iun’s kitchen knife pierced the goblin’s neck.
Puk!
‘Damn.’
The bastard’s dagger also accurately stabbed Iun’s abdomen.
A wound so severe that without ‘Pain Resistance’, he wouldn’t have been able to move.
Red blood flowed from between the deeply embedded dagger’s gaps.
‘If I pull the dagger out now, I’ll hemorrhage.’
He had no choice but to deal with the remaining one in this state.
Iun quickly turned his head.
A curse immediately burst out.
“Shit....”
He didn’t know where they had been hiding, but the goblins had increased by five.
‘Even so, I have to move.’
With blood flowing from his abdomen and no knowing how many more goblins would appear.
He had to keep moving while their numbers were small.
Plus, time remaining: 8 minutes.
Without hesitation, Iun charged at the goblin horde and used ‘Hoan’.
‘Damn. It doesn’t work.’
He had been aiming for a moment of rigidity.
Perhaps it was because Iun’s level was lower.
Or maybe because they hadn’t expected Iun to charge even in this situation?
His kitchen knife easily embedded itself in a goblin’s neck once again.
The goblin collapsed, bleeding.
Puk! Pupuk!
As expected, five with this body was too much.
At the same time, other goblins’ daggers stabbed into Iun’s arm, thigh, and chest.
‘If I give up and stop, I die.’
With his ‘Pain Immunity’ and ‘Strong Heart’.
Thanks to the synergy of the two skills, Iun moved like mad even as daggers embedded themselves in his body.
It was truly a dogfight.
Goblins and Iun began injuring each other’s bodies with daggers, not retreating an inch.
Puk! Puk! Puaak! Pupuk!
Green and red blood splattered around like paint on a white canvas.
Somehow he killed one more, but a problem arose.
‘My right arm won’t move.’
It seemed there was a problem with the muscles.
Three goblins remained.
One seemed to foresee victory, laughing as it leaped at Iun’s neck.
At the same time, Iun turned his body sideways and raised his shoulder.
Puaak!
The goblin’s dagger embedded in his right shoulder, and Iun instantly switched the kitchen knife to his left hand and stabbed it in the chest.
Had he exhausted his strength despite minimizing damage and making the best choice?
Or was it because it wasn’t his dominant hand?
‘No....’
He had lost his only weapon, the kitchen knife.
There were only two left now.
It couldn’t be helped.
Puaak!
Iun pulled out the dagger embedded in his abdomen.
“Heh heh... let’s see if my blood runs out first, or if you bastards die first.”
Pure madness.
The goblins were overwhelmed by Iun’s eyes for a moment and unknowingly stepped back.
And Iun didn’t miss that opportunity.
He charged boldly, aiming for the one on the left, but.
Puaak! Puaak!
It seemed too much with his ruined body.
The goblin’s dagger instead embedded itself in Iun’s chest, and his dagger fell to the floor from the instantaneous impact.
“Kuh-huk....”
Blood poured from his mouth.
But because he felt no pain, his mind was clear.
‘The way for me to kill them now is....’
Only one.
He painfully grabbed the head of the right one among the two in front of him.
Crunch.
And bit its neck.
With all his strength!
Until his teeth shattered!
“Kieeek!”
The goblin shrieked at Iun’s unexpected attack.
Then the other one tried to attack Iun with surprised eyes, but he was faster.
“Kiek?”
Iun covered the bastard’s face with his remaining hand and shoved his fingers into its eyes.
It was vicious.
Could this truly be called a fight between human and monster?
They were merely beasts writhing with only the instinct for survival remaining.
But Iun had already exhausted his strength to the limit. His attacks could not deal effective damage.
Eventually, the left goblin stepped back, and the moment some vision returned, it stabbed its dagger into Iun’s body again.
Puaak!
As if that weren’t enough, the goblin whose neck was being bitten also wildly thrust its dagger to survive.
Iun’s body had truly become a rag.
He was barely holding on by covering his vitals with his arm; it was a miracle he was still breathing.
‘Fuck.... So this is how I die.’
He was still putting strength into his teeth, refusing to give up until the end.
‘Five minutes left on the quest. If only my body would move properly.’
There was no hope.
Iun’s eyes slowly closed.
“Kikik! Kikik!”
The goblin whose eye had been gouged shrieked with the joy of victory at the sight.
Puaak!
And stabbed its dagger fiercely.
“Kiek?”
But what it stabbed wasn’t Iun, but the comrade he was biting.
Iun had used the now-dead goblin’s corpse as a shield to block the dagger.
And.
Puaak!
Iun’s fist struck the bastard’s face.
“Kieeek?”
The goblin held its face and retreated at the incomprehensible event.
[Level Up.]
“I’m surprised too, so don’t be shocked, bastard.”
[HP and MP are restored.]
Iun picked up the fallen dagger with his right hand, which hadn’t moved until moments ago.
[Wounds are healing.]
And fiercely plunged it into the bastard’s chest.
With a miraculous level up, he survived.