Chapter 10

'Damn it!'

"Gob! Gobgobgobgob! Gobuuu!"

'...!'

Before he could even be surprised, a bright light began to flash brilliantly behind Chan-seong, which was the effect of the magic used by the goblin shaman.

It was a spectacle of dazzling flames gathering, and since Chan-seong was not familiar with games and rarely watched movies, he couldn't help but be amazed by the unrealistic magic appearing in reality.

'One should not rashly confront what cannot be understood. That is recklessness.'

The moment he saw it, his master's words came to mind, and Chan-seong quickly made a decision.

'For now... I have to run! This is no good!'

After a moment of shock, Chan-seong quickly regained his composure and started to run.

The direction of his escape was naturally the entrance of the dungeon. Since this was the first section, it wasn't far, but something blunt hit his back, and a system message appeared brilliantly.

'Once I start getting hit, my HP drops rapidly.'

Beep beep beep beep!

Moreover, because it was from behind, the damage was greatly amplified.

The sensation in the hit area was much stronger than before, and with the significant damage, his vision turned red, and the system window made a loud noise.

'Am I going to die? Damn it!'

Thinking it was very dangerous, he used the sprint skill and ran at full speed, barely managing to escape through the blue portal.

"Phew~ I don't get attacked outside this blue portal. That's a relief."

"Hua... Right. Potions! They were in the beginner's support box! And... and... durability... durability! Ah! There it is! Equipment repair kit!"

Chan-seong drank a potion to recover his HP and began repairing his equipment and weapons with the equipment repair kit from the beginner's support box.

'I almost died. But this is what real combat is, right? Phew~ Unexpected variables, things I didn't prepare for... Yes, I still have a long way to go. Heh.'

Thinking he still had a long way to go, Chan-seong smiled.

He had always been surrounded by praise and encouragement, being told he was talented, the best, and born in the wrong era, making it hard for him to feel a sense of crisis.

'But I like it. Even though it's a game, this is more thrilling than reality!'

This sense of danger and excitement was actually a good stimulus for him. With renewed enthusiasm, he headed back into the dungeon as soon as he finished repairs.

'Shall I try again?'

Feeling his desire to challenge grow, Chan-seong re-entered the dungeon, determined not to repeat the same mistake and to target the goblin shaman first.

And because he needed more speed,

Swish.

Chan-seong was once again in his underwear.

'Good. Now...'

He pounced on the goblin shaman like a predator on its prey.

The goblin shaman, having heard the sound, noticed Chan-seong, but it was too late.

"Gobgob go..."

"I won't fall for that again. Double Slash!"

"Gobuuu!"

Chan-seong quickly dispatched the goblin shaman with a double slash, precisely targeting the back of the neck.

Next were the two goblin archers. One was already engaged by Chan-seong, so he only had to worry about one archer's arrows!

However, he had to endure the damage.

'There are too many of them! Heh!'

'Without armor, getting hit... really drains my HP. But if I can take out this one!'

One more goblin archer fell, and now only the archer, warrior, and raider remained. Chan-seong moved nimbly, dodging arrows while dealing with the warrior and raider.

In close combat, the goblin raider and warrior were no match for Chan-seong.

Their attacks, though wild, were ultimately ineffective because they were the size of children, making it easier to counter.

'It feels like playing with overzealous kids.'

"Gob! Gobuuu!"

"Gobshaaa!"

Most players found direct combat difficult, so close-range classes often used shields or spears, or relied on magic or ranged attacks. Even skilled melee fighters often took hits from enemies.

'Ha ha ha!'

But Chan-seong was different.

With his innate talent and a lifetime of sword training, the attacks of the goblin raider and warrior, who swung their swords and shields wildly, were nothing more than futile struggles.

"Gobuuu!"

"That's it. Phew~"

Swish...

Although there was no blood on his sword, Chan-seong instinctively shook it off and sheathed it, then put on his armor.

"Hmm, is there a better way?"

While collecting items dropped by the fallen goblins, Chan-seong continued to think.

He only had the skills 'Double Slash' and 'Sprint.' He wished there were other means and methods.

Leveling up should bring growth, but even at level 5, he hadn't noticed any significant improvements.

"Hmm, I wish I had more skills... Should I ask my sister? She's still playing..."

Checking the friend list, he saw she was still raiding, just as she was before.

Seeing this, Chan-seong considered asking for advice but realized it was a weak thought to seek help before fully failing.

'Right, I should ask after reaching my limit and failing. I haven't died yet... I still have a long way to go.'

Just this morning, he was a person on the verge of death, like a withered plant in a hospital, losing the will to live.

Now, with a vitality that overflowed and a burning determination and will, Chan-seong decided to tackle the dungeon again on his own.

'Good, let's go. This time, properly...'

He crouched and cautiously explored the first floor of the tower, discovering another group of goblins by the next bookshelf!

"Let's take out the shaman first!"

Just like before, he ambushed the shaman first! After wiping out another group, he made repairs.

As he became more familiar with the enemies' patterns, Chan-seong cleared out all the goblins on the first floor with ease.

Agility: 20

Intelligence: 5

Health: 25

Magic Adaptation: 5

Luck: 10

HP: 35/35 Stamina: 25/25

'Hmm, my stats are increasing, but... I can't really feel the changes. Hmm... Is it because the increments are small?'

After leveling up again and checking his stats, Chan-seong tilted his head.

Compared to level 1, his stats were now about double, but he didn't feel a significant difference.

Thinking he needed more growth, he climbed the stairs to the second floor, only to be greeted by arrows as soon as he reached the top.

"What's this?"

"Gobgob!"

"Kikikik!"

Looking ahead, he saw a new group of goblins in formation, staring at him.

Three raiders, two warriors, two archers, and one shaman. The same composition as before, but this time they were waiting for him and launched a preemptive attack.

"Gobgob! Kieeek!"

"Gobuuu!"

"Kieet!"

'Oh, this time... they were waiting for me? Hmm!'

While deflecting arrows with his sword, Chan-seong tried to charge forward, but it wasn't easy.

This time, two goblin warriors formed a wall in front of the shaman, and the raiders tried to flank him.

A common formation in RPG games, but for monsters to use it from the very beginning was frustrating for players.

This dungeon's design, which drew constant criticism, was hellish.

Thinking this time was really dangerous, Chan-seong decided to target the goblin shaman first.

However, with two goblin warriors holding shields and axes, breaking through was difficult.

'Smart bastards, they're not coming down the stairs.'

For some reason, the goblins on the second floor stayed in their positions and didn't chase him.

Thinking he had bought some time, Chan-seong began to consider how to break their formation.

'If I can sprint as long as my stamina allows and deflect arrows to reduce damage... the problem is the magic.'

What Chan-seong found difficult was the goblin shaman casting Fire Bolt.

Since it was magic, he couldn't deflect it with his sword.

Worse, it seemed to be guided, chasing him even as he tried to dodge.

On the first floor, a surprise attack or preemptive strike would have been enough, but this time, the shaman was protected by two goblin warriors, making it hard to deal with.

'If I can just deal with that... Ah! This!'

While checking his inventory, Chan-seong noticed something and thought it might help. He took it out, applied it to his sword, and headed back to the second floor.