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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: JayM
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His blood ran cold.
The mage had collapsed with a bolt in his back.
Jeong Yoo-shin turned and looked at Ditto.
The gnome was still huddled in a corner, trembling while clutching his crossbow.
Friendly fire.
‘First aid first.’
Treating the mage was more important than grabbing the clueless gnome by the throat.
If their main source of firepower was down, they would have little chance of surviving the next battle.
Enraged roars echoed from beyond the ice wall.
He approached Kelton and ripped open his robe. The mage was wearing a thin chain mail shirt underneath. The bolt had pierced the chain mail and embedded itself in his back.
Del came over to Jeong Yoo-shin.
“How’s Einhorfer?”
“He’s alright. Just a scratch on his neck.”
Del examined the wound and sighed.
“Ditto’s handiwork. Damn it, I shouldn’t have brought him here.”
“Is the fear imprint that serious?”
“It’s one of the worst imprints an explorer can have. If you get it, you either have it removed at the temple or retire.”
Jeong Yoo-shin clicked his tongue inwardly at Del’s reply.
“Can you treat him?”
“Yes. But it’ll take some time.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Bring me any undamaged arrows. I’m running low.”
Del pointed at the scattered goblin corpses.
Jeong Yoo-shin stood up, approached the bodies, and pulled out the arrows.
Most of them were embedded in the eyes, necks, or hearts.
As he pulled them out, Einhorfer approached, his neck bandaged.
“I’ll help.”
“Thanks.”
They searched the goblin corpses for arrows.
Just as they had collected a decent amount and were about to return to Del…
The ice wall shook violently.
Boom!!
Everyone’s eyes turned towards the ice wall.
A goblin three times the size of a regular goblin was standing outside.
“…A Goblin Warrior!!”
Del’s voice trembled.
The Goblin Warrior struck the ice wall again.
Boom!!
Crack.
A crack appeared on the ice wall.
“How can a monster from the fourth or fifth level be here?!”
Del clutched his head.
“Calm down. Idiot.”
Kelton, having regained consciousness, spoke. He was still lying on the ground, but his voice was clear.
“Kelton! Can you use magic?!”
“It’s difficult. My magic circuits are messed up. I took a bolt to the back mid-chant. Idiot.”
“Ugh…”
Del groaned in despair.
A dwarf with low stamina.
A gnome who had shot a party member in the back in a fear-induced panic.
And an injured mage who couldn’t move.
Del was the only one in relatively good condition even though he was a goblin and on the verge of a panic attack.
A bleak situation.
‘Truly a reject party. Shit.’
How could they be so incompetent even in the face of an unprecedented crisis? He couldn’t believe they were intermediate-rank explorers.
Jeong Yoo-shin slapped himself.
‘Shut up. Stop blaming others. Just focus on what you need to do.’
What he could do. What he had to do.
‘Think. Think!’
He looked around.
Boom!!
A chunk of the ice wall broke off. It was about to collapse.
“Barbarian. Idiot.”
Kelton called him.
“What is it?”
“Check my bag. There’s a scroll inside. Idiot.”
He searched Kelton’s bag and quickly found it.
A rolled-up parchment sealed with a red wax seal.
“What’s this?”
Kelton chuckled.
“A holy spell I acquired during my travels in the western continent. It’s nothing special. Use it when the goblins swarm us. And then run. Idiot.”
“Why should we run?”
“You can’t defeat a Goblin Warrior. You might be able to injure it, but that’s about it. Idiot.”
“So we can deal with the regular goblins. If we can just take care of the Goblin Warrior, we can survive.”
“…”
Kelton was silent at Jeong Yoo-shin’s calm words.
“A Goblin Warrior is a notorious elite-level monster even on the fourth and fifth levels!! A newbie explorer like you can’t defeat it!!”
Del, in a full-blown panic attack, shouted.
“Weren’t you an intermediate-rank explorer?”
He was so dumbfounded that he spoke informally.
“Del is a rear guard. He has his doubts about a newbie frontliner. Understandable. Idiot.”
Kelton interjected.
Rumble!!
The ice wall shook. The cracks spread. One more hit and it would shatter.
Jeong Yoo-shin picked up the scroll.
“Should I use this when there are as many goblins as possible in front of me?”
“That’s right. Just remove the seal. Idiot.”
Jeong Yoo-shin turned and faced the entrance.
Einhorfer stood next to him, holding his broken axe.
“Protect Del and Kelton.”
“Got it.”
Einhorfer readily agreed and stepped back.
The light from Kelton’s spell began to fade.
The rest area was slowly being consumed by darkness.
The magical light dwindled, leaving only the torch flickering in the center of the rest area.
He could hear them beyond the ice wall.
The triumphant laughter of the monsters.
Their malicious cries promised a gruesome death.
Crash!!!
The ice wall shattered, sending shards of ice flying.
Boom!!
The massive goblin stepped into the rest area, a giant club in its hand.
As the Goblin Warrior entered, dozens of goblins poured in behind it.
“Kiiieeeek!!”
“Kee kee kee!!!”
The goblins, frothing at the mouth, charged at them.
Jeong Yoo-shin didn’t move.
“Use it!! Use the scroll!!”
Del shouted from behind.
He ignored him. Never listen to a ranged attacker.
The goblins were almost upon him. He could see their gleaming eyes and gaping maws.
“Skaaaaar!!”
Del’s desperate cry echoed through the rest area.
He ripped off the seal. A bright light emanated from the unfurled parchment.
“[Solar Smite]”
The spell echoed in his mind.
Sunlight flooded the rest area. Even the sound seemed to have been swallowed by the light.
The intensity of the light, far exceeding Kelton’s Light spell, forced Jeong Yoo-shin to close his eyes.
When the light faded, so did the voices of the goblins.
He opened his eyes and saw dozens of charred goblin corpses, burnt black and stuck to the floor.
But the last one remained.
The Goblin Warrior was shielding its face with its arms. Steam rose from its body. It looked like the spell had injured it.
This was his chance.
He dropped the parchment, grabbed his arming sword, and charged.
The Goblin Warrior lowered its arms and met Jeong Yoo-shin’s gaze.
“Kiiieeeek!!”
It roared and swung its giant club.
He ducked low, dodging the blow.
Whoosh.
The heavy club whistled past his head.
‘Ankle!’
He swung his sword. Blood sprayed, and a scream echoed.
‘Knee!’
He plunged his sword into the Goblin Warrior’s knee and twisted. The Goblin Warrior stumbled, losing its balance.
Whoosh.
The club descended, aiming to crush his skull.
Jeong Yoo-shin dropped his sword and rolled to the side.
Crash!!
The ground shook. The charred goblin corpses around them shattered into fragments. A piece of debris flew into his helmet.
“Ugh.”
The hot shard stung his eye, forcing him to close it.
He didn’t see the Goblin Warrior’s next swing.
Wham!!
The giant club struck him.
Jeong Yoo-shin flew through the air and crashed into the wall.
“Skaaaaar!!”
Del shot an arrow. It struck the Goblin Warrior, but the wound was shallow. His arm, exhausted from shooting dozens of arrows, had reached its limit. The Goblin Warrior nonchalantly pulled out the arrow, snapped it in half, and discarded it.
Einhorfer charged, wielding his broken axe.
The great axe sliced through the air, embedding itself in the Goblin Warrior’s arm. Blood spurted. The half-severed arm dangled.
The Goblin Warrior roared in pain.
“Kreeeeeek!!!”
Wham!!
It swung its club wildly, striking Einhorfer, who then collapsed. The great axe flew through the air and clattered to the ground.
With a roar of rage, the Goblin Warrior swung its club again.
Wham!!
Einhorfer’s helmet caved in. Blood seeped from the cracks.
Del screamed and shot arrows frantically, but the massive goblin ignored him.
Finally, Del charged, wielding his dagger.
Wham!!
The club struck Del, breaking his arm. He flew through the air, his head hitting the wall, and collapsed.
“Aaaaagh!!!”
Ditto, unable to bear it any longer, ran towards the entrance of the rest area. The Goblin Warrior swung its club, but it missed Ditto, who then disappeared into the darkness.
The Goblin Warrior growled in frustration but didn’t pursue him. Instead, it turned and faced Kelton.
The old mage gasped for breath.
‘Is this the end?’
He closed his eyes as the Goblin Warrior approached.
He had made it this far with his shameful imprint.
He just hoped the club would send him straight to the afterlife.
He heard a rustling sound from the corner of the rest area.
“You son of a bitch.”
Both the goblin and Kelton turned their heads simultaneously.
Kelton’s eyes widened.
“…Skar. Idiot.”
Jeong Yoo-shin threw off his dented helmet and ran a hand through his blood-matted hair.
Every bone in his body felt broken.
But he stood up.
If he didn’t, he would die.
He saw the broken great axe lying on the ground. He picked it up.
He also saw a dagger. Ditto’s. It looked strangely familiar. He picked that up too.
He held the dagger in a reverse grip and slung the great axe over his shoulder.
Jeong Yoo-shin stumbled toward the Goblin Warrior.
His eyes glowed redder than the torchlight.
The Goblin Warrior roared and swung its club.
Whoosh!!
He ducked, dodging the blow, and thrust the dagger into the goblin’s abdomen.
“Kreek!”
The Goblin Warrior flinched, and Jeong Yoo-shin swung the axe.
Slash!!
The Goblin Warrior’s dangling arm was severed, and blood spurted out.
Wham!!
The Goblin Warrior swung its club wildly, striking Jeong Yoo-shin and sending him rolling across the floor. His arm, the one that had been holding the dagger, dangled uselessly, broken.
The pain was excruciating, but he gritted his teeth and stood up again.
The Goblin Warrior charged, swinging its club wildly.
Wham!!
Wham!!
He dodged and weaved, his broken arm swinging wildly, desperately avoiding the blows.
Whenever he saw an opening, he swung the axe like a demon.
Blood splattered, and screams and roars echoed.
He knew instinctively that the axe wasn’t enough. He needed something more decisive.
‘Imprint!’
The thought flashed through his mind.
Sacred Weapon.
But it took too long to create.
And it would leave him incapacitated afterward.
‘I have to do it! If I don’t, I’ll die.’
He steeled his resolve. He only had one chance.
Seeing Jeong Yoo-shin standing motionless, the Goblin Warrior chuckled darkly and raised its club high. Perhaps it thought he was too exhausted to move.
Whoosh!!!
The club descended, ripping through the air.
At that moment, Jeong Yoo-shin threw the axe. The club struck the axe, altering its trajectory. He used the opportunity to close the distance and get inside the Goblin Warrior’s guard.
‘Now!!’
At that critical moment…
The magic power within him surged into his hand.
The completed dagger of light pierced the Goblin Warrior’s throat, tearing into its brain.
Pierce!!!
“Gah!!”
The Goblin Warrior collapsed with a final cry.
Instant death.
Jeong Yoo-shin stumbled, then collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath.
He had done it. He had won.
“Ha… Ha… That wasn’t even… a challenge… Fuck.”
He coughed up blood and spat it out.
He felt a strange sense of relief.
He didn’t know if he would survive the second level of the Great Labyrinth, but he had won this battle.
Jeong Yoo-shin, his mind hazy, looked at Kelton.
“Are you alright? Idiot?”
“Stop calling me an idiot.”
“My apologies. Idiot.”
“I need to rest for a bit.”
“Alright. Idiot.”
He heard voices from beyond the entrance of the rest area.
“Here!!”
“Get more people!”
Did someone arrive?
He didn’t know. Jeong Yoo-shin’s eyelids grew heavy. His vision then darkened.
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T/N – Nothing more satisfying than seeing an MC grow stronger. But why was Ditto’s dagger familiar to the MC? Hmmmm…
If you find any mistakes, feel free to point them out in the comments.
Thanks for the chapter.
The fights in this series have been quite hype so far!
Right? They just keep getting more and more metal! 🤘