TL : enigma3555
PR : forgotten_one
Episode 5
Chapter 1: My efforts were not in vain (5)
“Is this a dungeon? It seems surprisingly ordinary,” I remarked as I stood in the sunlit field, taking in my surroundings.
Being my first time entering a dungeon as a hunter, everything felt somewhat unfamiliar.
[You have entered an F-class dungeon.]
[Clear the dungeon by defeating the boss monster.]
As I passed through the opening, the landscape transformed into a forest, and a message appeared, informing me of the dungeon’s objective.
Now, I had to locate the boss monster, defeat it, and escape through the portal when it opened.
“It seems like the monsters are over there. Shall we proceed?”
In the distance, at the far end of the field, underneath a cliff, the entrance to a cave came into view.
Equipping my trusty old sword and broken shield, I made my way through the field and entered the cave.
I ventured into the passageway adorned with luminous stones, providing soft illumination.
A new encounter awaited me.
“Gerrruk!”
It was an F-level monster, the lowest level goblin.
I hadn’t even taken a few steps before a monster emerged from the depths of the cave.
It resembled the random mobs in the game, with its green skin, short stature, and a crude weapon adorned with nails.
“It may look similar to the game, but it’s definitely nonsensical and hostile,” I thought to myself, preparing to engage in battle.
Despite being the lowest level, a fierce aura emanated from the small body of the goblin.
I could understand why people would be so shocked that they couldn’t move their feet when encountering a monster for the first time.
However, I remained unfazed.
Not only had I already faced this monster once before, but I also possessed the perfect means to defeat it.
“Appear, I’ll Miss You.”
With a flash of light, my game character, whom I had diligently raised, materialized before me.
Speaking softly, I pointed towards the monster blocking my path.
“Take care of it.”
“As you command, my lord.”
Upon receiving the order, Taeseng GilgeoI kicked the ground and charged forward.
Thud-!
“Wow.”
I couldn’t help but be filled with admiration.
Though I had witnessed it before, the speed at which “I’ll Miss You” moved was so fast that it was difficult to track with my eyes.
I wasn’t the only one taken aback.
“…!”
Even the goblin turned around, eyes widening, as Taeseng GilgeoI rushed towards it at high speed.
In that brief moment, the goblin realized that fighting was futile.
But it was already too late.
Swiftly!
“Slash!”
Before the goblin could even turn its body, Taeseng GilgeoI‘s sword sliced through its form.
“As expected, it’s a one-shot.”
Just as the E-class monster Gray Rock Bear was defeated in a single blow, it was no surprise that the Goblin, an F-class monster of the lowest level, met the same fate.
Perhaps that’s why…
“Gerrr…!”
Ten goblins emerged one after another from within the cave, but I remained unfazed. In fact, I found it rather enjoyable.
“It’s a good thing they’ve gathered together. Go and take care of them.”
“I understand, my lord.”
With a short nod, Taeseng GilgeoI prepared to strike the ground once again.
Considering the sheer number of goblins, the difference was more than tenfold.
But I wasn’t worried.
The level of “I’ll Miss You” was remarkably high, and as witnessed earlier, it took less than a second to take down one goblin.
However, things took an unexpected turn.
Suddenly! Sigh-! Shuhuaaaaaaaaa!!
During the battle, Taeseng GilgeoI, the knight that had been mercilessly slaughtering the goblins, disappeared into thin air, leaving behind an afterimage.
[Insufficient mana.]
[Character summoning canceled.]
All of my mana had been depleted.
It was an embarrassing situation, but I remained calm.
“As expected, the maintenance time isn’t long. Does it consume 2 mana per second?”
In reality, this was a test with the little mana I had left.
On the way from the Hunter’s Office to the hunting ground, I had almost no mana remaining, yet I chose not to consume a mana potion.
This was because, with such limited mana, it was more efficient to squeeze out every last drop.
It seemed necessary to measure the maintenance time of “I’ll Miss You.”
When not summoned, the mana consumption rate was approximately 2 per second.
In other words, with 300 mana, I could summon for about 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
“First and foremost, it’s crucial to increase the amount of mana.”
No matter how powerful my abilities were, they would be rendered meaningless if I couldn’t sustain them. Currently, in an F-level dungeon, it was possible to defeat enemies in a single blow. However, even a slight increase in difficulty would leave me with no choice but to rely on my limited mana.
While pondering my mana situation, I heard an ominous sound coming from behind me.
“Kerruk?”
“There’s only one left. Would you like to catch it yourself?”
The battlefield lay in ruins, and a lone goblin sat on the ground, looking around.
Even though the summoning had been canceled, in that brief period of time, Taeseng GilgeoI had managed to take down nine goblins before disappearing.
I could have chosen to drink a mana potion and summon Taeseng GilgeoI again, but I decided to handle the remaining goblin on my own.
Not only was it the weakest monster, but I also considered myself a capable hunter, so it seemed fitting to face the monster directly.
“Kuwaruk!”
At that moment, the goblin, realizing that I was alone, stood up and swung its club.
Its movements were surprisingly fast for a creature of its size.
However…
“What, you’re slow?”
I effortlessly evaded its attack by slightly twisting my body.
I wondered if it was due to my previous encounter with the rock bear, but it felt different.
My body felt light, and my reflexes and visual acuity seemed to have sharpened.
In that moment, it felt like I was reenacting the most iconic scenes from my life every time I dodged a monster’s attack, but now it felt natural.
That wasn’t the only surprising thing.
With ease and precision, I swung my sword after evading, striking the goblin’s side. The goblin let out a scream and fell to the ground.
It was a stark contrast to the rock bear, which had barely been scratched.
“Is this the power of awakening?”
It was undoubtedly different.
A different emotion coursed through me as I continued to vanquish the dungeon.
Instead of the fear of death, a sense of confidence in my ability to emerge victorious enveloped my entire being.
Let’s give it a genuine try.
“Haaaaa!!”
With that battle cry, I felt a surge of relaxation.
I charged towards the goblin, who had stood up once again.
Easy profit-! Suddenly! Puck-!!
“Kuryuek!!”
[You have defeated the lowest level goblin (F).]
[The monarch’s trait, Sovereignty, is activated.]
[You have gained 10x experience.]
After a few swings of my sword, the goblin was reduced to dust.
It was a one-sided massacre, not allowing the enemy to land even a single effective hit.
It was my first time personally killing a monster, so there was a sense of joy, but my feelings were different.
“Haha… Whew, I’m out of breath.”
I realized that landing hits was harder than I had anticipated, requiring physical strength.
And my efficiency had also dropped.
It took me about 3 minutes to defeat a single low-level goblin on my own.
Compared to Taeseng GilgeoI, who could take down nine creatures in less than 10 seconds, my hunting speed was far too slow.
“As expected, summoning a character is the answer. Appear, I’ll Miss You.”
“Did you call me, my lord?”
Having come to a conclusion, I consumed all of the mana potion and summoned Taeseng GilgeoI once again to continue the hunt.
But this time, I managed to catch around 15 goblins.
[Mana – 140 / 300]
Less than half of my mana remained.
The monsters were not gathered together but spread out, and their movements took time, resulting in longer summoning times.
As the mana potion I had was of the lowest level, the amount of recovery it provided was minimal, and I quickly depleted both potions.
We were only at the beginning of the dungeon, but if this continued, it was clear that we would run out of mana before reaching the boss monster.
“This can’t go on. I need to come up with a groundbreaking method…”
Furthermore, there was no way to replenish mana, and since I planned to continue running dungeons in the future, I needed to devise a strategy.
How could I clear dungeons quickly while conserving mana?
After canceling the summoning of “I’ll Miss You”, I looked around the cave and pondered for a moment.
But then, I noticed the goblin items scattered around.
“Wait a minute, if I think of this as a game…?”
An idea sparked in my mind.
* * *
“We must protect the base!”
Since when did it start?
The one-eyed goblin, the boss monster of an F-class dungeon, had been thinking that way ever since he regained consciousness.
He couldn’t think of anything else.
From the moment he opened his eyes, his mind was consumed with the thought of protecting this place.
And so, he continued to do just that.
He couldn’t remember his name, nor did he know where he had woken up, but alongside his fellow goblins, he remained vigilant, keeping a watchful eye out for any signs of danger.
For several dozen minutes, they stood their ground.
“Come on, you filthy goblin bastards!!”
“Kerrrrr!!”
The surroundings grew noisy.
As I turned my head, I saw a human rushing into the cave, wielding an old sword and a broken shield.
“You’re an intruder, I must kill you!”
The one-eyed goblin charged forward, raising its club.
Thump thump-! Doo doo doo doo!
The sound of footsteps reverberated through the cave.
Other goblins also joined in, chasing after the human.
Their numbers were likely in the dozens.
The one-eyed goblin eagerly joined the pursuit.
“You foolish human, I’ll catch you!”
The one-eyed goblin instinctively knew.
The human appeared weak at first glance. There was no way such a feeble creature could defeat dozens of goblins, including himself.
Was the human running away because they knew they would lose?
The other goblins seemed to understand this as well, laughing in delight as they followed after the human.
“I’ve won!”
A smile crept onto the one-eyed goblin’s lips.
But…
“Whoa, did you gather them all? There are so many monsters in this small dungeon.”
Despite their impending defeat, the humans showed no signs of fear.
In fact, what was fear?
The human suddenly came to a halt, turning around and wiping away their sweat.
They extended their arms towards the goblins and smiled.
“Come on, you bastards!!”
“Keruuuu!!”
“Kerrrrrr!!”
The goblin’s eyes rolled back in their heads.
I couldn’t bear to witness their feeble attempts any longer.
The one-eyed goblin charged at the human, accompanied by its fellow goblins.
Soon, the humans would be skewered with countless spears and reduced to a pulp.
However, as the club swung through the air, the one-eyed goblin’s vision was met not with human blood, but with a dazzling light.
“Come out, I’ll Miss You!!”
Flash-!!
A burst of light illuminated the cave. In an instant, where there had been only one human moments ago, an iron-armored knight appeared.
“I will obey your orders, master.”
The path of a sharp, purple longsword reflected in the one-eyed goblin’s eyes.
And with that, the one-eyed goblin’s consciousness faded away.
Meanwhile, in the field of view of Han Sang-woo, the human who had been collecting goblins throughout the cave…
[Character: Taeseng GilgeoI has defeated the lowest level goblin (F).]
[Character: Taeseng GilgeoI has defeated the lowest level goblin (F).]
[Character: Taeseng GilgeoI has vanquished the rare one-eyed goblin (F).]
[The monarch’s trait, Sovereignty, is activated.]
[You have gained 10x experience.]
[You have gained 10x experience.]
[You have gained 10x experience.]
[Your level has increased!]
[…]
[Your level has increased!]
[You gain +1 strength and +1 agility.]
The cave was filled with messages formed by beams of light, indicating my level advancement and attribute boosts.
