Chapter 13 – Shinrim Station’s 7th Exit

(TLN: I finished translating this a little bit early. It’ll count toward next week’s regular chapters. I’ll try to have Elqueeness out by Monday~ Please turn off adblockers if you are able to. Thanks.)

Woojin discreetly asked Sunggoo a question.

“Hey, do you hear that sound?”

“Yes? What kind of sound? The sound of the wind?”

“Yes. The wind is blowing pretty hard.”

He guessed only he could hear it.

Woojin was closely related to the Dungeons and the Alphen Planet. So he realized this was limited only to him.

“Ok. Let’s get into position.”

At Bae-dohsoo’s words, 4 team members stepped forward. The four of them were all short ranged fighters, so they carried some pretty sturdy shields. Bae-dohsoo and the other teammates positioned themselves behind the four.

Bae-dohsoo was a Roused with an Ignition ability, and the other person had a bow.

Basically, the formation was a combination of 4 short ranged fighters, and two long ranged fighters.

“Well, the two of you are new to this, so please position yourselves in the rear. Let’s try to be in sync. If we turn upcoming corner, 4 normal goblins will be summoned.”

This was the first time Bae-dohsoo attempted a 2 star Dungeon, but it seemed he had studied this place thoroughly. He knew this place like the content of a manual.

“Keek?”

When they turned the corner, four goblins rushed towards them. Goblins were small monsters with hideous faces, and they swung short clubs.

Tahng, Tahng.

The clubs were blocked by the shields, so it didn’t do much damage. This was when Bae-dohsoo’s Ignition ability shone.

Hwaroo-rook.

The flame suddenly sparked in front of their faces. The goblins lost their sight, and they became disorganized. At that moment, the closed combat fighters raised their weapons, then they stepped forward.

Ssssskuk, puk!

They mercilessly cut down the fallen goblins with their weapons. One goblin tried to run away when an arrow appeared like a ghost. It flew and embedded itself in the goblin’s head.

Ssweeeeehk.

It wasn’t shot like an Olympic archer, but the archer was still a member of the Roused even if he was Rank F. It was an attack that would sufficiently threaten a monster.

They cut off the head of the goblin, who had become a bloody mess. Woojin and Sunggoo watched silently from the side.

Woojin had seen more gruesome sights, so it didn’t bother him. Hong-sunggoo was also experienced from the 1 star Dungeons, so he just frowned. He didn’t disgrace himself by doing something like dry heaving.

“We are lucky. There are two blood stones. If it’s only this size, then we’ll at least be able to receive 20.”

Woojin was surprised at Bae-dosoo’s words. The blood stones were smaller than the size of a finge yet they were valued at 20. He thought he had done the right thing to come to this Dungeon even though he was risking his life.

‘I guess 100,000 won isn’t too expensive.’

Until a moment ago, it was a burdensome amount of money, but now it was laughable.

“Ok. Let’s fight together at the next corner. What’s your ability again?”

“I can summon a fire ball. After I throw one, I can throw another one after 3 seconds. I can throw 6 in succession.”

“Ok. How about you?”

Bae-dohsoo’s gaze touched Woojin. Woojin looked around his surrounding then he raised his hand towards a goblin’s corpse.

Puh-uk.

“Kekekeek.”

A single Skeleton Soldier showed up. Everyone was surprised, so they looked towards Woojin once again.

“Huh huh. You are a summoner type. Well, do you have another ability?”

Woojin picked up the club dropped by a goblin, then he started swinging it through the air.

“Well, I have enough power to keep myself safe.”

The party was too busy looking at the Skeleton Soldier.

“This is the first time I’ve seen a Necromancer.”

“Whoa. This is amazing.”

“I think it’ll be great for searching or reconnaissance?”

While everyone was admiring it, Bae-dohsoo decided on the positions.

“We’ll keep the same positions, but Woojin’s summoned being can act as a scout. Mr. Honggoo will let a fire ball fly when I give him a signal.”

Woojin, while carefully turning the corner, opened his Skill Window. Then he increased the summoned Skeleton Soldier’s Skill.

———————————————

The monster’s corpse was given as sacrifice, and a Skeleton Soldier of [Strength 14 Agility 17 Health 14] was summoned.

Magic Consumption : 1, Reguired Control : 1

———————————————

He used 8 points to increase its Skill Level. The Skeleton Soldier’s ability was increased in one sitting, and it was capable of exhibiting a powerful combat capability greater than a fully grown male.

When the Skill Level reached 10, the Skeleton Soldier’s appearance goes through a change, so he only raised it to lvl 9. It would be annoying for him to explain the changed appearance.

‘It should be able to pull its own weight.’

Woojin decided not to do too much. He’ll just make a decent amount of money. He wanted to attempt the Dungeon by himself when he had enough money.

“The next corner will have 6 goblins!”

At Bae-dohsoo’s direction, the Skeleton Soldier drew the gaze of the enemies from the front, then the close combat fighters built a strong shield wall.

Sunggoo’s fire ball was surprisingly effective.

Hwa-roo-rook. Boom.

The goblins’ formation collapsed when the head-sized fire ball flew towards them.

Bae-dohsoo’s Ignition ability couldn’t directly cause damage, but it was good at creating a tactical advantage.

The spark of flame would suddenly form in front of a goblin’s face. While the surprised goblins were flailing about, the close combat fighters would run in and beat up the goblins.

Woojin also participated as he used the Skeleton to kill the goblins.

“The pile of bones is faster than I had expected.”

“It is also powerful. Isn’t it better than most F ranks?”

Bae-dohsoo’s team acknowledged Woojin and Sunggoo. As the battle continued, they became more in sync, so the hunting speed increased.

At first, their goal was not to clear the Dungeon. They had decided to kill all the summoned monsters to extract the blood stones then exit the Dungeon. They didn’t take the shortest route to the Return Stone located in the lowest floor. They hunted everything as they descended.

They caught a good number of monsters, so Woojin leveled up once as he became lvl 5. The goblins also gave more Achievement Points compared to the Drabbits, so every kill gave him 2 points.

Woojin used the Skeleton Soldier, so he didn’t have much to do. The original team had grown experienced together in the 1 star Dungeons, so they worked harmoniously.

Since this was a 2 star Dungeon, Bae-dohsoo was initially very cautious, but he was slowly gaining confidence. The drop rate of the Blood stones couldn’t be compared to the 1 star Dungeons.

They had already acquired 17 Blood Stones. The Blood Stones came in various size, but if they exchanged it to money, they’ll receive around 400 at the very least. If they split it between the party members, each member would receive money of over 100.

Of course, this was only counting the Blood stones they currently have. They still had more monsters to kill, so they’ll make more money in the end.

‘The 2 star dungeon is a jackpot.’

Of course, the original team was taking an active role, but the danger level was decreased by Woojin’s Skeleton Soldier taking the brunt of the attack. Moreover, the battles were also helped by Sunggoo’s fireball.

They had pretty good powers, so teams would probably covet after these outstanding individuals. Even Bae-dohsoo thought about giving them an offer when the Dungeon Attack was finished.

“This is the last floor. Let’s all work hard.”

They had to clear the Dungeon and exit within an hour, so the break time was short. The party was in a hallway and they were about to step on to the stairs leading to the last floor.

There were 5 goblins and one hobgoblin standing at the entrance. One was much larger than the others, and it was holding on to a very large cane.

“Let’s go forward in our basic formation.”

Woojin turned his head in confusion at Bae-dohsoo’s confident words. He had fought the Demon Lord’s army at the Planet Alphen. He had crossed path with countless number of monster, and it included the hobgoblins.

This bastard was very troublesome compared to the normal goblins. It wasn’t because its larger body. The bastard had the highest intellect amongst the goblins. It was a goblin magician. Moreover….

‘I don’t think this will successful.’

Woojin clicked his tongue as he saw his teammates inch forward.

“Shouldn’t we be a little bit more careful?”

Bae-dohsoo nodded his head at Woojin’s word. Still, his face was filled with confidence. His continuous victories made him forget the fact that he was attempting a 2 star Dungeon for the first time.

“I’m well-acquainted with the manual. That bastard’s main attack is magic. Jongchul’s ability can be used to create a barrier. He can delay it by blocking it once, then we’ll rush in for a decisive victory.”

One of the shield carriers had an ability to make a barrier. Woojin shrugged his shoulder, and he decided to follow his lead. Bae-dohsoo was the team leader, and he was just a hanger-on.

Of course, the team leader also held all the responsibility.

“It’s coming. Block it!”

At Bae-dohsoo’s word, the man name Jongchul activated his ability. A gray barrier spread out, and it collided with the lightning.

Pah-ji-jeek!

As the barrier disappeared, the lightning also disappeared.

“All right. Let’s go!”

Bae-dohsoo immediately used his Ignition ability, and he messed with the hobgoblin’s field of vision. Then the party members charged. Even Sunggoo threw a fireball towards the hobgoblin.

‘It should still be dangerous.’

Hobgoblins had very high intelligence. It was high enough for them to cast magic. Moreover, magic wasn’t the only reason why hobgoblins were dangerous.

“Ggeee, ggeek.”

The hobgoblin let out a bizarre sound, and the goblins nearby bunched together. The goblins had crude shields attached to the hand grasping their clubs.

They had dismantled signs, newspaper stands and various items to make makeshift shields. Then they pulled out pipes that was hidden within their body, and they took aim.

“Attack! We just have to kill the hobgoblin first.”

At Bae-dohsoo’s words, the archer aimed and fired at the hobgoblin. However, the bastard had already hidden its body behind the stair’s balustrade. Moreover, the goblins should be in disarray from the fireball, yet the goblins stood in formation as they fortified their line of shields.

The goblins and the team collided with each other.

“I…I think something is different about these bastards?”

The bastards, who they were grappling with, had the same body and strength as the previous goblins. However, the difference was they were fighting in a shrew manner. The party felt a strange sense of danger, and the battle was basically shifting against them.

Pew-pew-pewk.

The goblins, who were hiding, shot their unique weapon, paralysis needles. Some even used poisoned needles.

“Ah, it stings. What is this?”

“Uh uh, my body.”

Their bodies weren’t entirely paralyzed, but the region hit by the paralysis needle became rigid. Even if it lasted only for a moment, it became a huge source of danger where weapons were swung indiscriminately in battle.

Puh-uk!

“Uh uh?”

One person fell over after being hit by the club swung by a goblin. As if his heart was being strangled, Bae-dohsoo felt a feeling of suffocation. The bastards, who should be dead from one swing of his sword, was responding in an organized manner. It was very troublesome to fight against them.

‘Tsk, this is why I knew they would fail.’

Hobgoblins were dangerous not because of their physical ability nor their magic. They were able to command other goblins with their superior intellect. The goblins stopped being a 1 star monster when they obtained a commander. The whole group should be looked as a single entity.

“E…scape. Get out of there.”

Bae-dohsoo yelled from the rear, and the close combat fighters fought each other to be the first to run away. However, it was after one had completely lost his consciousness. If they continued to run away, the person would inevitably die.

Hwa-roo-rook, Puhng!

After the cool time had ended, Sunggoo threw a fireball towards the goblins, who were chasing after them. Two goblins quickly retreated as they were set on fire. The close combat fighters used this time to quickly retreat.

“I don’t think we can do this. Let’s retreat first!”

“What about Jongchul?”

“He’s already dead! Can’t you see it?”

At Bae-dohsoo’s indignant shout, their faces became rigid. They felt sorry for their comrade. Moreover, they also felt fear and the desire to live, so their expressions was extremely gloomy.

Even if they thought about it, their decision was obvious.

Nothing was more precious than their own lives.

“Retreat!”

At Bae-dohsoo’s shout, the party members quickly ran away. Still, it wasn’t as if the band of goblins did nothing.

Pah-jee-jeek!

The hobgoblin regained its senses. It let out a lightning strike, and it directly hit Sunggoo’s body.

He couldn’t even let out a scream. Sunggoo’s eyes flipped over as his mouth stayed wide open.

“Chet, hurry up and run away!”

Sunggoo wasn’t even part of their original team, so they didn’t feel sorry for him. The Roused were basically beings hiding within death’s shadow when they decide to enter a Dungeon.

He was just unlucky.

“Kee-eek, keek!”

The goblins feigned chasing after them, but after awhile, they returned to the hobgoblin’s side. Woojin, who was hiding behind a pillar, revealed himself.

“It’s been awhile since I hunted a group.”

There were two casualties, and the rest ran away. Woojin laughed as he looked at the bunched goblins.

He had enjoyed being a spectator, but that had come to an end.