Chapter 12
Chapter 12
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: What Would've Happened Without the Moon?
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Title: Anyone from Manhae here?
Author: One-Second Sword Saint
Isn't this just too much?
An S-Grade Gate isn't some joke.
They're acting like this 'cause they're scared we'll set a precedent and snag their gate rewards later if one pops up on their side. Total bullshit.
Reality and the Tower.
Both Galleries were buzzing with heated debates over this S-Grade Gate incident.
After the news broke that Cheon I-ryeong had requested S- and A-Rank Hunters from Busan's Manhae Guild and Daejeon's Guardian Guild for a safer, more reliable raid, only to get rejected.
Seoul had issued evacuation advisories for citizens in anticipation of the worst, and even without that, droves of people were fleeing the city.
'We need to stop it, not just run away like that'll fix everything.'
When a gate breaks, erosion spreads according to its grade, demonic energy floods out, and every living thing in that land dies.
A deadly wasteland survivable only by awakened Hunters. It's said to become a hell on earth overrun by animals and people mutated into monsters.
And the gates that linger afterward, sporadically spewing more monsters.
In the end, the government barely holds the line with barricades along the erosion boundaries, Hunters, and the military deployed.
But if that disaster hit Seoul, anyone could predict the damage would spiral out of control.
With the academy on temporary shutdown, leaving me with nothing to do, I headed into Tower Floor 4.
I don't want my home turning into a mess either, so I'd love to help, but there's nothing I can do right now. Gotta power-level first.
Entering Floor 4 like that.
This time, the dungeon-like scenery featured a straight corridor stretching out, filled with rowdy shouts.
"Kak, kahak- kararak."
"Karararara-"
Five goblins appeared. A normal number this time, but one red freak was mixed in with the pack.
Feeling uneasy at the sight of it raising a suspicious staff high and chanting what looked like a spell, I—
—just wiped them out.
The mage-looking one got engulfed in flames without doing a thing, collapsing from my barrage of Fireballs.
Acting all atmospheric for a low-floor mob?
The flames swept through the corridor, leaving only two magic stones behind—the goblins vanished without a trace.
"(๑╹ڡ╹๑)"
...And then Moon—er, snack-farming time as it zipped off.
Pshwoom pshwoom. Even climbing the Tower, some Hunters can't make a dime?!
That's me.
Damn, it's so cute eating, I let it slide.
Eating magic stones should help it grow somehow, right? Hope it doesn't rack up maintenance costs or turn into a pig or something tragic.
Still, with the hefty meeting fee from Cheon I-ryeong mostly intact, living's no issue for now.
'Still got mana for about two more Fireballs.'
Gauging my roughly felt mana pool, I cleared Floor 4, took a short rest to recover mana, then pushed into Floor 5.
Might as well clear 5 too and snag some special reward.
Floor boss, huh? Warned Moon thoroughly before entering.
The moment I transferred in, acrid smoke stung my nose, mixing with the dank air in an unpleasant haze.
Goblin Lord...? Ominous name, and the quest reward was a skill to boot.
Bad feeling Floor 5 wouldn't go easy.
'This place...'
Familiar cave layout, deep cavern inside with piles of charred wood, and smack in the center, one red goblin.
It stood amid the ashes like in mourning, its size impressively bulky.
Three times a normal goblin's bulk, uniquely armed with a staff in one hand and a massive cleaver in the other.
No movement from it yet, so I whipped open Tower Gal.
Title: Urgent* What's that red goblin on Floor 5?
Author: Angry Picasso
Huge and looks vicious af. Is that the floor boss?
It's not like, super strong or anything, right?
...Feels like he's talking about something else entirely.
Sounds like the shaman he's describing is the one from Floor 4.
But the one in front of me is what the quest calls the Lord.
Gulp.
Call it presence or whatever—unlike scrawny regular goblins, this one's muscular red body oozed intimidation. Plus, dual-wielding? One wrong move and it'd shred me.
Nah, why am I psyching myself out?
It's just Floor 5.
Four or five Fireballs and what can it do? And I've got trusty Moon by my side...
"｜−・;）"
It hid.
Moon, who went invincible on normal goblins, was cowering behind my leg against the Goblin Lord.
You're supposed to protect me from the front, not use me as a shield—what gives?
Sighing, I gripped my brush to feed it a Fireball before it could move.
No biggie~ One spell and done~
Flames sparked in the air, and the Goblin Lord, sensing the anomaly, whipped around with a roar, crimson eyes blazing.
But I was locked and loaded—fired the Fireball without hesitation.
Aim and fire—
The sizzling blaze rocketed toward it. The Lord dodged at first, then gave up and raised its cleaver to block.
Boom! Flames erupted—I didn't let up, unleashing another volley.
'Did that do it?'
As the fire died down at the end of the path...
It had jammed its massive cleaver into the ground as a shield, hunkering behind. The Goblin Lord rose, red eyes glowing, skin bubbling from severe burns.
Ssssk—
Its cleaver, glowing cherry-red like fresh from the forge, scraped the earth; the bell on its staff clanged wildly.
"તમારા શ્વાસ રોકી રાખો."
⟨ Curse of Breath Seal ⟩
"Khup?!"
The moment its red eyes flashed, prepping another Fireball, sudden breathlessness hit me—panic surged.
Vision tinted red and blurred; my head floated dizzily as vertigo engulfed me.
'Curse...?'
A low-floor boss pulling curses? What the hell...
Struggling to stay conscious, it felt like my mind would snap any second.
Splash-!
A bone-chilling cold jolted my eyes open. There was Moon, shielding me from the boss with a water barrier.
"⁝( `ᾥ´)⁝"
One hand maintaining the barrier, the other splashing water on me and patting my cheeks.
Moon's round water dome looked precarious, about to shred under the boss's cleaver.
"I... I'm up. Thanks."
Dripping like a wet rat, but Moon had snapped me out of the Goblin Lord's curse. Up close though, its sheer size overwhelmed me—I bit my lip.
'Mana's razor-thin after the Fireball interrupt... One more shot and I'm tapped.'
If it blocks or dodges, I'm dead.
Couldn't rely on Moon—it was struggling just to hold the barrier.
Had to end it in one hit somehow...
Then my eyes caught Moon's barrier.
Dome-shaped.
A wall of water, fire's opposite—could it trap an exploding Fireball even briefly?
"Moon. Lure it in, I'll Fireball inside, then you bail. Can you hold a sec?"
"(„• ֊ •„)੭"
"Good. Go out, ease the front barrier a bit. I'll lure it and pull back."
Moon got it, slipped out, and carefully manipulated the barrier.
It parted like crumbling curtains.
Through the gap, the snarling beast bared its fangs and charged in.
"Ugly mutt."
"Kararak! Kahat!"
It roared deafeningly right in my face.
I stayed still, so it thought the curse still held.
Backing up stealthily so it wouldn't notice, I frantically sketched a Fireball.
"Showtime, you bastard."
Whoosh—the flames licked greedily as I darted out of the barrier.
The dome filled instantly with fire, gleaming like a crimson jewel for a split second.
"Kaaaaak! Kyahaaak!"
The boss screeched; the barrier hissed, spewing steam. Moon strained, finally shattering the rear wall—trapped flames erupted outward.
"દેવી કૂતરો…."
⟨ Final Curse ⟩
Its charred body crumbled to ash with a thud.
"Did we get it this time...? Moon, you saved my life."
"- ̗̀ (⌯ˊᗜˋ⌯) ̖́-"
Exhaustion nearly floored me; I grabbed only the huge magic stone from the Goblin Lord and bailed.
+ All Stats +1
+ Skill Level Up