Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Kobold Nest Assault
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The first ones they ran into were regular kobolds. Unlike the usual packs that traveled in twos or threes, the kobold group they encountered now numbered five.
“Shall we start with those?”
Moonlight Starlight drew her short sword. Yuseong pulled his gun from its holster as well.
Under the duo’s combined assault, the kobold pack was annihilated in seconds. They scooped up the items dropped by the kobolds and pressed on.
“There’s another group over there.”
This kobold pack had six.
‘The gaps between packs are much shorter than in other areas.’
That meant the chances of getting jumped by another pack mid-fight were way higher. And with the larger group sizes to boot.
‘Definitely tougher.’
Even so, he felt no real sense of danger.
Bang!
He shot the last charging kobold. The creature flailed its club pathetically before collapsing in a heap.
“As expected, it’s so much easier with you around, Yuseong.”
Moonlight Starlight grinned from ear to ear as they advanced through the dungeon. After taking down several kobold packs and delving deeper, they spotted kobolds that differed slightly in appearance from the ones they’d faced before.
‘What’s that?’
【A Kobold Warrior. One level higher than a regular kobold.】 Unlike the regular kobolds who wielded small wooden clubs, this bulkier specimen among its peers carried a rusted sword and wore crudely fashioned leather armor.
“This is where the difficulty really ramps up, Yuseong.”
Tension laced Moonlight Starlight’s voice. Yuseong eyed the Kobold Warrior. Out of the five-strong pack, there was one Kobold Warrior. It bared its sharp fangs with a guttural growl.
Bang!
-Kyeng!-
The Kobold Warrior took Yuseong’s bullet straight to the head and toppled backward. Its appearance may have differed from the regulars, but the outcome was the same.
It vanished after spitting out coins and items with that single shot.
Yuseong’s gun barked repeatedly. The onrushing kobolds dropped one by one with each crack of gunfire.
“…….”
Moonlight Starlight scratched her head as she surveyed the pile of kobold corpses.
“Yeah, the difficulty definitely went up. For real this time.”
But there was no conviction in her tone.
* * *
As Moonlight Starlight had said, the difficulty climbed steadily the deeper they went.
Kobold Warriors started making up a larger share of the packs, and Kobold Mages began appearing mixed in among them.
Clad in tattered robes, these Kobold Mages hung back behind the Kobold Warriors and regular kobolds, hurling basic spells with their stubby staves. They were genuinely threatening.
Or they would have been, without Yuseong.
No matter how hard the Kobold Warriors and regulars tried to shield their mages, they couldn’t stop incoming bullets.
-Kyeng!-
At most, the regular kobolds served as meat shields.
But that only caused a brief inconvenience. The second and third bullets punched clean through the Kobold Mage’s skull.
As he reloaded his magazine, Yuseong glanced at the fallen kobold packs.
‘The difficulty has gone up, sure.’
But the change meant little to him. Regular kobold, Kobold Warrior, Kobold Mage—it didn’t matter. One bullet to the head finished them all the same.
The most precarious moments came when the enemies outnumbered his magazine’s capacity.
Yet Yuseong had thrived hunting with nothing but a single-shot break-action shotgun. And now he even had Moonlight Starlight up front to draw aggro.
Clearing the dungeon posed no challenge.
“How many bullets do you have left?”
Moonlight Starlight asked.
“There are a ton of kobolds in this dungeon. With guns, ammo management is key.”
“Plenty for now.”
Yuseong had drilled strict ammo conservation into himself back in reality due to scarce supplies. The habit didn’t vanish just because this was a game.
“That’s a relief. Let me know if you start running low.”
“Will do.”
As if to prove Moonlight Starlight’s concern wasn’t just lip service, the kobolds kept coming relentlessly. The dungeon’s scale dwarfed any ordinary den.
Still, they carved a steady path forward, slaying kobolds all the way until they reached a cavern.
“Odd spot.”
Moonlight Starlight muttered as she scanned the surroundings. Yuseong did the same.
Countless small holes pocked the cavern walls. Yuseong furrowed his brow.
‘Looks just like a beast’s nest.’
Moonlight Starlight clearly shared his unease about the holes.
“Hmm, this has to be the end of the dungeon, but what the heck are those holes for?”
It was right then that Yuseong moved to consult the strategy guide.
Boom!
A massive rumble echoed from behind. Yuseong whipped around to see the passage they’d just come through blocked by a heap of boulders.
‘The way back is cut off!’
His grip tightened on his gun.
“Wha-what the...?!”
Moonlight Starlight’s face twisted in panic. Yuseong’s eyes, meanwhile, darted everywhere, searching.
-Kieek! Kieek!-
An ominous cacophony assailed their ears.
“Kobolds?”
Moonlight Starlight had caught it too amid her fluster.
“No way... how many are there?!”
It wasn’t just one. Nor was it a mere five or six like before. At least dozens.
The chorus of kobold shrieks whipped through the air like a mournful gale over forsaken ruins.
“You’d better get ready.”
“Y-yeah!”
Kobolds emerged the instant Moonlight Starlight fumbled her sword into guard position. Yuseong’s beast-nest impression hadn’t been off—they were crawling out of the holes in the cavern walls.
The small figures swinging crude wooden clubs looked almost comical. But the endless stream pouring from the holes was anything but.
“No cover or escape routes in sight. Looks like we’ll have to wipe them all out here. You got enough ammo?”
Yuseong checked his inventory. Then he eyed the kobolds massing for a charge.
‘Nearly a hundred... not quite, but still a lot.’
He shook his head.
“Not enough to take them all.”
“Not ideal. Still, thin the herd as much as you can. I’ll handle whatever’s left.”
Yuseong replied by squeezing the trigger.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
His magazine emptied in a flash. Six leading kobolds crumpled lifelessly. With deft hands, Yuseong reloaded and opened fire again.
“Hraaah!”
Moonlight Starlight charged into the fray. She looked liable to get swept away and shredded by the kobold wave, but she adroitly avoided encirclement while striking back.
She dodged the occasional Kobold Warrior as best she could, focusing on dropping the regulars. Her efforts paid off.
The advance slowed markedly on her side, at least.
Yuseong kept firing without pause. More kobolds toppled in heaps. He ejected the spent cylinder, loaded fresh rounds, and fired again.
Unlike Moonlight Starlight, he didn’t dodge the Kobold Warriors. He targeted only the frontrunners.
Regular or warrior, they all dropped in one shot—no need to differentiate.
He even covered for Moonlight Starlight whenever she seemed in a pinch.
Marksmanship bordering on the divine.
Even so, the six-round limit proved a hindrance. The kobolds surged right up to him.
Whoosh!
A wooden club whistled through the air. Yuseong sidestepped it and plugged the kobold charging from his flank. Dodge, shoot, dodge, reload.
He ate a few hits unavoidably, but he meticulously avoided getting surrounded.
How long had they fought? The kobold numbers had thinned considerably by now.
Moonlight Starlight, with some breathing room, fell back to join Yuseong.
“You okay, Yuseong?”
“Fine. You?”
“HP’s still good.”
As she answered, Moonlight Starlight sized up the remaining kobolds.
“Still, we’ve cut them down a lot.”
The pack had dwindled to about twenty.
Yuseong’s gun had accounted for most of them.
“Bullets left?”
“Fifteen, loaded ones included.”
“That should get us through.”
Moonlight Starlight plunged back in. Yuseong provided covering fire.
The rest fell swiftly. Six more dropped to Yuseong’s shots, and Moonlight Starlight mopped up what remained. Yuseong swiftly reloaded and unleashed his final barrage.
‘That’s all of them.’
Yuseong grimaced.
Without ammo, the gun was little more than an iron club. Actually, a pistol that small was worse. Yuseong stowed the gun in his inventory and drew the sword he hadn’t sold yet.
But Yuseong never had to swing it.
As if sparing a thought for his empty ammo, Moonlight Starlight rapidly finished off the stragglers.
-Kieek!-
Moonlight Starlight drove her blade into the neck of the last kobold. It let out a dying screech before going limp.
The battle was over.
“Whew! That’s that.”
She shook off her sword as she spoke.
“No more coming, right?”
“Doesn’t look like it.”
Just as Yuseong said, no more kobolds crawled out.
Rumble!
Another boom came from the boulder-choked passage. The rocks shattered into dust and scattered, reopening the way.
At the same time, cracks spiderwebbed across the opposite wall, splitting it apart to reveal a new tunnel.
“Guess this really was the dungeon’s end.”
Moonlight Starlight shook her head.
“Didn’t see that finale coming. If I’d come alone, I’d be toast. So glad I’m with you, Yuseong.”
She let out a relieved sigh, her gaze shifting to Yuseong—to the sword in his hand, precisely.
“Looks like you’re out of bullets.”
“Yeah.”
“If a few more had come, it would’ve gotten dicey. But hey, good outcome is what matters.”
Yuseong and Moonlight Starlight began gathering the items left by the kobolds. Mostly from regulars, so nothing valuable.
But with nearly a hundred drops, the sheer volume promised a decent sum if sold.
Here too, Moonlight Starlight yielded most to Yuseong.
“Clearing the dungeon is reward enough for me.”
She shrugged as she said it.
Once they’d collected everything, Yuseong and Moonlight Starlight entered the new tunnel. It led to yet another cave.
‘This isn’t the giant kobold lair.’
Much like the cave with the entrance, the exit lay within another den.
As the pair emerged, the exit sealed shut behind them without a trace.