Chapter 17

017. Return (1)

"Remaining Time – 14 hours 37 minutes"

Late at night, inside the 4th floor castle city.

Medieval-style streets blending with the sky where stars shine beautifully.

It would have been a magnificent sight, but not now.

"Kiiiiii!"

Thud!

I plunged a dagger into the heart of a goblin charging at me with a scream and quickly turned my body.

Whoosh, Bang!

The moment a chill ran down the back of my neck, a massive club was plunged into the ground.

Feeling a shiver, I retrieved my sword and swung it widely backward.

Swish!

"Grrrrr…!"

Damn, I couldn't cut it cleanly again.

The dagger, suitable for close combat, isn't bad, but I miss the longsword I discarded before in such situations.

But I soon shook off my regret and struck the goblin's neck again, which was foaming at the mouth.

Only then did the goblin's head fall to the ground with a sickening sound.

It really feels like I've become a monster, not getting tired even after such intense activity.

'The goblins... this is the end, it seems.'

It had been a few hours since the trial began.

I had engaged in a couple of battles, and as you can see, I won them all.

However, the expressions of Lee Sung-hoon and Lee Ha-yeon, who were following me, were not good.

Lee Ha-yeon, who was only casting support magic from behind, was less affected, but Lee Sung-hoon looked like he was about to die.

"Damn, what the hell is this... goblins shouldn't be this strong..."

Lee Sung-hoon muttered, seemingly struggling just to protect Lee Ha-yeon.

But his words had some truth to them.

Goblins are not supposed to be this strong.

'When taking the Hunter Association's exam, most candidates easily defeated goblins as long as they didn't panic.'

Goblins have many weaknesses: small size, weak stats, low intelligence, and so on.

They can't handle weapons well and aren't particularly strong.

The only nuisances are their pack behavior and occasional cunning.

But these goblins are far beyond the typical goblin.

"You have absorbed the command of a Goblin Warrior."

"You have absorbed the command of a Goblin Assassin."

"You have absorbed the command of a Goblin Knight."

...

...

"Current number of commands held – 8/15"

"Proficiency increased by 12%."

The goblins on the 4th floor are divided into classes, each with distinct characteristics.

Goblin Warriors are larger, Assassins are trained in assassination techniques, and Goblin Knights wield clean sword skills as if they have learned specific skills.

'They must have actually learned related skills.'

Otherwise, their movements wouldn't have been so proficient.

Of course, this only applies when their stats are on par, so the situation didn't worsen to the worst extent.

As my stats increased with each goblin I killed, it became easier to overwhelm them.

Although I didn't gain any skills through necromancy, it was still a decent achievement.

I even thought we might reach the Goblin King faster than other teams.

But that was just a thought.

Because Lee Sung-hoon took twice as long to finish battles compared to me.

Lee Ha-yeon helped with support magic and exploration, but Lee Sung-hoon was the problem.

'I thought he had some hidden ace, given his confidence...'

But it turned out to be completely useless.

His unique trait was somewhat useful, but not particularly special.

Even if he had resistance to all skill or magic attacks, it would only make him a shield.

He didn't seem to have learned many skills, which is uncharacteristic for a Hunter.

The lack of weapon-related skills also contributed to his weakness.

'Reaching the Goblin King won't be late, but we won't be able to overtake others.'

So, I needed to prepare accordingly.

Leaving Lee Sung-hoon, who was half-sitting on the ground from exhaustion, behind, I asked Lee Ha-yeon for a conversation.

"Can we go inside and talk for a moment?"

Pointing to one of the abandoned houses scattered on the street, I asked, and Lee Ha-yeon, startled, opened her mouth.

For some reason, she seemed very tense and even stammered.

"R-right now, just the two of us?"

"Yes, I think now is the best time to talk."

"I, I think it might be a bit difficult right now..."

"Unless it's now, the trial will progress further, and there won't be any other chance."

"..."

For some reason, Lee Ha-yeon's expression darkened, but I didn't want to talk here.

The content I was about to discuss would be sensitive to Lee Sung-hoon.

From the atmosphere, it seemed she thought I was trying to steal an item or something...

'If I explain it slowly inside, it will be fine.'

I wouldn't abandon my humanity to the point of making such demands of a team member who is doing their job.

At least, I wouldn't treat a person with a sound mind that way.

Well, I can't say the same for someone like Lee Sung-hoon.

Soon, Lee Ha-yeon slowly nodded, seemingly understanding my meaning.

"Alright, but I can't stay for long."

"I understand, the trial is still ongoing."

That was the end of our conversation.

Lee Ha-yeon slightly bowed her head and walked to the abandoned house.

I followed her inside and entered the living room of the abandoned house.

Only then did I open my mouth to get to the point.

"Lee Ha-yeon, if we encounter competitors, can you cast support magic on me?"

"..."

"Maybe it sounds selfish, but if we fight the competitors, I want to receive the buff effect of the support magic."

Lee Ha-yeon, taken aback, stammered.

"Ah, no, I thought you called me here for something else..."

If it was something else, it would mean stealing an item.

"It's not that."

I'm not devoid of conscience, and I haven't degenerated to the point of stealing someone's item.

Besides, I don't feel the need for items at this point.

I have a black iron dagger and an assassin's cloak, so I'm not particularly in need of items.

"..."

Lee Ha-yeon, quietly catching her breath after hearing my words, nodded.

She seemed to realize she had misunderstood, and her face turned slightly red.

"Hmm."

But it was only for a moment, and she soon regained her composure and spoke carefully.

Her voice was softer, perhaps because she realized it was a misunderstanding.

"...I understand. But then, we can only hold out for a short while."

I had expected as much.

"I know. Just cast the agility-boosting support magic on me, and I'll handle the rest from there."

With just Lee Sung-hoon and Lee Ha-yeon, it would be difficult to fight the competitors, so I need to take the buff to create a favorable situation.

The idea of killing, even in a trial with other challengers, is becoming more and more firm.

Lee Sung-hoon is no help, and Lee Ha-yeon is best suited for the rear position.

So, I am the only one who can properly perform the front-line role.

'Then, I need to take the buff to put more pressure on the competitors.'

At least, that's the best option for now.

Of course, if Lee Sung-hoon knew this, he wouldn't just stand by... but he's not here, so it doesn't matter.

Lee Sung-hoon was sitting next to the goblin corpses, lamenting.

There was no sign of him eavesdropping on our conversation in the abandoned house, so there was no need to hesitate.

"During the time Lee Sung-hoon holds out, I'll try to take care of as many competitors as possible."

"Then I'll just cast support magic from behind?"

"Yes, if you find it difficult to prepare attack spells, you don't need to. Just give me the agility buff."

"You can give other buffs too, but..."

"Other buffs would be better for Lee Sung-hoon. After all, protecting the rear is his role."

If Lee Sung-hoon, the shield, falls, it will be a big problem for me, so I need to monopolize the buffs to some extent.

Of course, if I push Lee Sung-hoon too hard, it might backfire...

But as long as it's not too extreme, it shouldn't be a big issue.

"I'll stop Lee Sung-hoon if he protests later."

Given that I had already intimidated him once, it should work again.

Hearing this, Lee Ha-yeon stared at me blankly and then spoke, seemingly not understanding.

"Why are you doing so much for us? You could just ignore us..."

Well, I'm not the type to calculate gains and losses, but I did make one thing clear.

Increasing unnecessary enemies is foolish.

The enemies I need to increase are people like Lee Sung-hoon, and it's the right judgment to avoid friction with those who aren't.

Lee Ha-yeon was a good team member, so I was showing consideration.

Of course, I didn't reveal all my pragmatic thoughts and instead presented a more polished answer.

"Just consider it as a courtesy to a fellow team member."

It seemed to be an appropriate answer, as Lee Ha-yeon didn't ask further.

"..."

She just smiled slightly.

It was fortunate that her tense demeanor had eased a bit compared to before.

If the awkward atmosphere had continued, it would have been a concern.

"Then, I'll count on you, Lee Ha-yeon."

Saying this, I extended my hand, and Lee Ha-yeon shook it.

"Yes, I'll count on you too."

Now, it felt like we were a proper team.

***

When we went outside and joined Lee Sung-hoon, he tilted his head, looking puzzled.

He seemed to have noticed that I and Lee Ha-yeon had disappeared while he was alone.

"...What's going on? Where did everyone go?"

"I had some business to take care of."

Of course, I answered curtly, and he didn't ask further.

He just turned his head, looking uncomfortable, not knowing what had happened.

"..."

Seeing Lee Sung-hoon quiet down, I spoke.

"Alright, let's get moving again."

After fighting the goblins a few times, our teamwork had improved.

When I suggested moving, he stood up promptly, forming a formation and heading into the castle city.

Toward the area where the Goblin King had been detected.

I tried to stay alert and detect any signs, but something was off.

Despite moving quickly, no goblins appeared.

'They were appearing periodically just a while ago...'

First at the city gate, then at the entrance to the castle city, and just now inside the city.

Goblins appeared periodically, and their classes and numbers increased.

But now, it was eerily quiet.

Of course, there seemed to be some commotion in other parts of the city, but not here.

The mystery was solved when we reached the center of the castle city.

"This looks like the work of other challengers."

"Damn, they got here faster than us?"

"..."

The bodies of goblins, clad in heavy armor, floated in the fountain.

They were formidable-looking goblins, but they were all dead.

"But they don't seem to have been dead for long."

I touched the body of a goblin lying on the ground and said so.

Without needing to consider various factors, the answer was clear from the direct information.

'They still have some warmth, so it's not an old trace.'

Yes, this is a trace of someone who just passed through.

In other words, the distance isn't that far.

They just got here a split second before us.

"Perhaps they have already entered the area where the Goblin King is located."

As if to confirm this, a system message appeared before my eyes.

"Someone has infiltrated the Goblin King's tower."

"The Goblin King has detected an anomaly and is gathering other goblins to the center."

The Goblin King, no matter how strong, we can't afford to waste more time.

If more goblins gather, it will become more difficult.

"Everyone, prepare for battle."

Then, the answer was clear.

"We'll also fight quickly and follow behind."

The time to only face goblins is over.

Now, it's time for challenger against challenger.