Chapter 25
Chapter 25
Group Project - 3
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The Golden Goblin.
A frequent Easter egg in fantasy novels, unlike the typical green-skinned goblin, this one was gold.
It was a special monster that collected “treasures” in the bundle it carried on its back.
And it was also a monster whose life was tragically cut short by the protagonist whenever it appeared.
This common Easter egg also appeared in *Hidden Piece Academy*.
As mentioned before, it showed up when the protagonist was flirting with the main heroines during the [Dungeon Practical] group project.
According to the original story, the Golden Goblin traveled between dungeons of various ranks through self-summoned portals, collecting treasures.
This meant that even if it was found in a C-rank dungeon, it could be carrying treasures from an S-rank dungeon.
That's why it was a highly sought-after monster among Hunters, especially lower-ranked ones.
Of course, some Golden Goblins only collected junk, but they were rare creatures nonetheless.
They were practically called the lottery of the dungeon world.
And now, one had appeared before us.
Judging by its entrance, it seemed to be the same one from the original story, but I couldn’t be certain.
There was a 1/1000 chance that a similar Golden Goblin had appeared by coincidence.
Well, it seemed like the one from the original, though.
Anyway,
We started running like hell.
Well, only *I* did.
-[Keek! Humans! Get lost!]
“Stop right there—!! You bastard!”
“Stop, money bag!”
“Oh, Golden Goblin conceived by the Holy Spirit, please bestow your holy grace upon our party…!!”
The reason the Golden Goblin could travel between dungeons of different ranks…
A creature with negligible attack and defense, comparable to a passing slime, could perform such dimension-hopping feats thanks to its ‘Agility.’
With its unparalleled speed, ability to run on air, and swift dodging skills aided by its sharp eyesight, it could weave through any terrain, taunting its pursuers while carrying a bundle as big as itself. It was a difficult monster to hunt by simply chasing it.
Of course, for an A-rank Hunter, it would be a piece of cake.
But we were still just F-rank newbies, so we started running, chasing it through the F11 sector.
-Keek! Keek!
The Golden Goblin occasionally looked back and laughed.
Its already hideous face contorted into a mocking grin, infuriating me.
“Multi-Shot”
- *Whoosh!*
I tried firing arrows while running, but, unsurprisingly, my accuracy was terrible. I couldn’t properly draw the bowstring, so the power was also pathetic.
-Keek! Keek!
The Golden Goblin laughed again.
Its small size, about half that of an adult male, made it a difficult target.
If it would just stop for a moment…
There was no point in endlessly chasing it like this.
The Golden Goblin’s stamina was likely on par with an A-rank Hunter or higher.
‘I need another method.’
I was the only one in the group capable of ranged attacks.
If I were a mage, attacking would have been much easier. Unfortunately, I was an archer.
Even with their long casting times, mages could attack with one hand, making it easier to attack while pursuing a target.
One-handed attack.
‘Ah…!’
A brilliant idea struck me like lightning.
Archers typically used two hands to attack.
They had to hold both the bow and the string to fire an arrow.
But what if I could fire an arrow with one hand?
“Raging Arrow.”
I gripped the handle of the bow, nocked an arrow, and cast the skill.
Magic arrows were essentially materialized mana.
If two-handed firing was difficult while chasing, I could throw the arrow like a javelin.
The power would be significantly weaker than a regular shot, but the accuracy would increase proportionally.
The Golden Goblin had exceptional dodging skills, but its defense was on par with a low-level monster. If I could just land a hit, I had a high chance of inflicting damage.
-[Keek! Human! Stupid! Slow! Keek!]
I used its taunts as fuel for my focus and calmed my mind.
The distance was about 20 meters.
I synchronized my breathing with my steps.
I pulled out a thick arrow, gripped it in my right hand, and slung the bow onto my back for easier throwing.
Fortunately, the arrows created by Raging Arrow were thicker and larger than regular arrows, making them easier to throw.
‘Detection.’
[Trait Detection (Lv10) activated.]
[Target within 3km zoomed in.]
I focused my gaze on the Golden Goblin and activated the ‘Detection’ trait. The distance closed in my vision, and the goblin’s body enlarged.
I aimed for its heart.
I would end this chase with a single shot.
All other noises faded away, leaving only the sounds of the goblin and myself. The world seemed to slow down, and I prepared to fire, syncing with the rhythm of my breath.
I tensed my arm muscles, then my trapezius and latissimus dorsi muscles to maximize the throwing power.
I channeled magic power into my right arm, concentrating it in my muscles.
Ready.
“Haa…”
I quickened my pace, and the moment my left foot struck the ground, I released the arrow with swift precision.
- *Whoosh!*
The magic arrow cut through the air.
It was noticeably slower than a regular shot, but it should be enough to pierce the goblin’s weak defenses.
- [*Keek?!*]
The goblin turned around, startled.
Its face contorted in surprise; it clearly hadn't expected a one-handed throw.
It frantically tried to dodge, but the arrowhead, gleaming sharply, was already about to pierce its flesh.
It was too close to completely avoid.
- *Kieeek—!!*
A moment later, the Golden Goblin’s shriek echoed through the silent forest once more.
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“Huff… huff…”
[Trait Frail (Lv3.0) activated.]
[Stamina and endurance decreased due to excessive cardio.]
[Penalty: 3 minutes of rest required. Failure to rest will result in a sharp decline in stamina and endurance.]
After sprinting at full speed for about twenty minutes, the Frail trait, my old friend, activated.
The Limit Break trait, which used to activate like clockwork, seemed to have grown a bit too proud for its own good with its increased level and didn't make an appearance.
“Is everyone… huff… okay?”
“Haa… I-I’m okay…”
My group members were all panting and wiping away sweat.
‘Damn… it dodged.’
Just five minutes ago, I experienced firsthand why Golden Goblins were so difficult to hunt.
It had dodged my arrow at point-blank range with an unbelievable move.
Although the arrow grazed its shoulder, tearing off some flesh and its bone necklace, it avoided a fatal blow.
And the chase continued.
Its speed decreased due to the injury, but the Golden Goblin, living up to its reputation, still managed to escape our sight.
“Haa… Anyway, that was amazing, Tae-jin.”
“What was?”
“I’ve never seen an archer throw an arrow by hand. But the power and accuracy were impressive.”
As we caught our breath, Mi-jin approached me and complimented me.
I was still awkward with compliments, so I just gave her a small smile.
“Well, it was my first time trying that.”
“Still, it was amazing. You looked incredibly skilled for a first-timer.”
“I was surprised as well. I didn’t know you had such combat sense and instincts, brother.”
“…That’s a compliment, right?”
“Of course, hoho.”
Soo-ah joined in with a compliment of her own.
We didn't have time for idle chatter; we were about to lose the Golden Goblin. I sharpened my gaze, shifting the mood.
After catching my breath, I quickly searched for the goblin’s footprints and bloodstains.
Injured and exhausted from the long chase, it couldn't have gone far.
‘Hmm… it shouldn’t be too far.’
Like other goblins, Golden Goblins were cunning.
If it knew it couldn't outrun us, it might be lying in ambush.
But the sparse bloodstains made it difficult to pinpoint its location.
“Should we split up and search?”
Seo Yoon-ji suggested, but I refused.
“That’s too dangerous. Even a Golden Goblin has some fighting power, and if we run into other monsters, we’ll be in trouble.”
“I agree.”
“I concur.”
Lost in thought, I suddenly had another idea.
‘Wait, what if I use the Tracking trait?’
[Tracking], one of the randomly assigned traits acquired upon awakening, allowed the user to track a target within a certain radius by possessing an item related to them. The radius increased with the trait’s level.
Along with Detection, Stealth, and See-Through, it was a highly coveted trait among archers.
This [Tracking] trait was probably how the original Han Tae-jin managed to stalk the four main heroines all over the place.
I retraced our steps.
My arrow had definitely torn off some of the goblin’s flesh and its bone necklace.
If I could find that, tracking it would be easy.
I decided to suggest going back to find the necklace.
“We didn’t come that far, so let’s go back quickly. If we have the bone necklace, I can use my trait to track it.”
But then…
“Um… i-is this it?”
Baek Mi-jin shyly pulled the necklace out of her mana pocket.
…When did she manage to grab that during the frantic chase?
Her gathering skills were top-notch.
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“Impressive, sister. You even managed to loot during the chase.”
“Oh, um… I just happened to pick it up. I’ll distribute the profits later…! For this.”
A simple bone necklace like that couldn't be worth much.
I brushed aside her offer to share the profits and grabbed the bone necklace.
I immediately activated [Tracking].
[Trait Tracking (Lv8) activated.]
[Locating target within a 1km radius.]
[Possessed item: Golden Goblin's bone necklace]
[…Tracking…]
A moment later, a map of the 1km radius appeared before my eyes, displaying a red dot and a blue dot.
The red dot seemed to be the Golden Goblin, and the blue dot was my current location.
…But…
“This is a problem.”
“Wh-what’s wrong?”
“That bastard ran into the F12 sector.”
“…What? B-but that’s the boss sector!”
The Golden Goblin had entered the boss sector, located north of F11.
In the original story, it was easily hunted by the protagonist.
Not finishing it off with the last hit had backfired.
“Hmm… what should we do? Should we vote? It could be dangerous, so if even one person objects, we’ll just go back.”
“I want to go, even if it’s just for the loot. I’m in.”
“Well, it’s a cleared sector anyway. I’m in too.”
“I’ll follow the group’s decision.”
We decided to take a majority vote, and now we were standing at the entrance of the F12 sector.
It was unanimous.
We couldn't just let the Golden Goblin escape, especially since the boss sector was already cleared. Retreating would be foolish.
There was no record of a boss respawning.
We might get reprimanded for entering an unauthorized area, but we couldn't just let the injured Golden Goblin go, especially after a unanimous vote. If the vote hadn’t been unanimous, I would have turned back.
The rune from this Hidden Piece wasn’t crucial for my growth.
Anyway, we entered the F12 sector and made our way through the undergrowth, following the red dot.
“Two o’clock from here.”
..
..
“About 20 meters, then three o’clock.”
We held our breath and lowered our voices.
The distance was closing.
If we took too long, the goblin might create a portal and escape to another dungeon.
“Stop. There it is.”
We stopped about 50 meters away.
I pointed to a makeshift barricade of wooden planks. The goblin was hiding behind it.
Golden Goblins were crafty.
If it sensed our presence, the chase might start all over again.
Since it hadn't moved from that spot, it was either creating a portal or weakened by its injury.
If we didn’t finish it off now, it might escape deeper into the boss sector. We had to end this in one shot.
I asked Soo-ah, Mi-jin, and Yoon-ji to cut off its escape route and focused my mana.
I pulled back the bowstring powerfully and cast the skill.
“Multi-Shot.”
Three arrows nocked themselves onto the string, and I aimed at the barricade 50 meters away.
All I could see was the thin barricade.
That was the limit of the red dot tracking.
The barricade looked flimsy, so I activated my new trait.
‘See-Through.’
[Trait See-Through (Lv10) activated.]
[Can see through objects up to 30cm thick.]
[Duration: 10 seconds]
Beyond the barricade…
I could see the goblin panting, creating a portal.
Without hesitation, I fired Multi-Shot, focusing all three arrows on a single point.
- *Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!*
Then, I nocked another magic arrow onto the string.
The Multi-Shot was just to clear the barricade.
I immediately fired the fourth arrow.
- *Crash!*
- *Crack!*
The first three magic arrows exploded, destroying the barricade. The fourth arrow pierced through the debris and struck the Golden Goblin in the back.
- *Thud!*
- [*Kieeeek?!!*]
Success.
After a grueling hour-long chase, we finally hunted down the Golden Goblin.
A holographic window appeared, and a system voice rang out, confirming our victory.
The Hidden Piece, ‘Mandrake’s Rune,’ which should have gone to the original protagonist, would now be generated. This rune allowed for free switching and, upon equipping, provided a one-time 100% recovery of health, mana, and any physical damage. It had a seven-day cooldown, after which it could be re-equipped for another use.
While it didn’t have any additional effects, it was a valuable rune for long battles or duels against strong opponents.
[Congratulations!]
[You have completed the Hidden Piece: The Golden Goblin’s Demise.]
[You will be rewarded with the ‘Berserk Potion’.]
…Huh?
Wait a minute.
[You have acquired 1 Berserk Potion.]
[Expiration: 24 hours. The item will disappear 24 hours after acquisition.]
[However, if the total sum of basic stats exceeds 100, a penalty or side effect may occur depending on the user’s mental strength.]
…That wasn’t the reward from the original story.
The Hidden Piece system appeared, confirming that this was the same Golden Goblin from the original story…
So why was the reward different?
[Upon consumption, all stats except Luck will be increased by 100% of their base value, excluding bonus effects.]
[The effect is permanent.]
Holy shit, this is amazing.
[T/N: Lucky Bastard]