Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Imp Bait for Mimic
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“Kee-eek! Take it!”
“Kyaak!”
The hobgoblins didn’t wait for any conclusion.
Six of them charged all at once, swinging clubs and dull blades.
I’d prepared in advance and shouted right away.
Black Missile
x2 casts
Boom!
“Kee-ek!”
“Kik...!”
Two hit in the head by Black Missiles toppled backward.
Holes punched through their skulls—they died instantly.
The remaining four didn’t flinch in the slightest.
Less like they were prepared and more like they couldn’t care less about their comrades.
Stepping up against those hobgoblins were Min Jae-yoon and Park Sang-gu.
“Hup!”
“Kraaap!”
With utterly different kiais, the two swung their weapons.
Sword and mace hammered the hobgoblins at the same time.
One’s head flew off; the other’s skull caved in.
The last two seized the opening from their dead allies to strike from both sides.
“Kee-ek!”
Clang!
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Min Jae-yoon laughed as he casually blocked the dull blade with his shield.
Thanks to all the levels we’d grinded together, this was a piece of cake.
Park Sang-gu, though, was a beat slow—fumbling to hoist his mace.
Thud!
“Guhk!”
The club whipped his forearm, staggering him.
The hobgoblin flashed a savage grin and hoisted its club high.
Just as it reared back to crush his skull—right before Park Sang-gu could scream—my mouth opened.
Boom!
“Kieeeek!”
The Black Missile blew through its leg; it shrieked and crumpled.
I closed in on the crippled beast and finished it off with Energy Drain.
The last one lunging at Min Jae-yoon went limp with a sword jammed in its throat.
After the fight, I headed to Park Sang-gu, nursing his clubbed arm.
“Piggy, you good?”
“Ugh! Feels busted...!”
“No need to ham it up.”
A warrior at level 3 wouldn’t snap a bone from one hit like that.
Painful, yeah—but nothing serious.
I shot Min Jae-yoon a look. He approached the groaning Park Sang-gu and muttered.
Flash!
A green glow from the Holy Knight skill settled over Park Sang-gu.
Moments later, he flexed his arm in shock.
“Oh, ooh! Zero pain now!?”
“Looks basic, but it’s a heal skill. Minor tier, still packs a punch.”
Min Jae-yoon smiled, sticking to polite speech despite my jab earlier.
Waste on a guy like that—but his call.
“Ho-chan! Get over here and harvest the magic stones!”
“Huh? Oh, right!”
Yoon Ho-chan snapped out of his daze and hustled over.
He’d seen plenty yesterday, yet combat still floored him?
More thrill than terror—fine by me.
He circled the corpses, then gave a sheepish look.
“Uh, sorry—mind slicing them open? No tools on me.”
“Hold up. Here’s the sword I used before.”
“Thanks!”
Yoon Ho-chan beamed, took the blade from Min Jae-yoon, and carved into the bodies.
Then he plunged a hand into the split hearts and rummaged.
Bold as hell, even against safe corpses.
Soon, he fished out a small gem and held it up.
“This the magic stone?”
“Looks like.”
A gem swirled with half-mixed paint hues.
Matched the game’s image perfectly.
I took it from him, and a tooltip popped up.
“Bingo.”
Verified, Yoon Ho-chan moved corpse to corpse, harvesting the rest.
Done, he wiped bloody hands and grinned.
“All set!”
“Good work. No weapon yet? Didn’t pick a class?”
Adapts this fast—should’ve grabbed one day one. Weird he’s even missing basics.
His face fell at my question.
“Picked Warrior, actually. Got a sword too.”
“Wasn’t with you when we leveled.”
“Parents called it dangerous—left it home...”
“Eh, fair enough.”
Man, tough family to judge.
Super normal reaction—but normalcy’s a liability here.
Least one’s quick on the draw.
Team sync’s solid, though.
Me and Min Jae-yoon go without saying; even Park Sang-gu pulls weight.
Yoon Ho-chan’s no squeamish drag—volunteering for stones.
Level-ups’ll tweak the rhythm, but no major hitches.
Play smart, this could last awhile.
New squads always snag somewhere.
No gripes post-fight? Great omen.
I pressed on, smile tucked away.
“Ing-gan! Ing-gan-da!”
“Give! Take it! Kee-ee!”
Crossed a threshold—monsters poured nonstop.
Prior boredom felt like a dream.
Luck favored us: spawns frequent, but capped under six.
“Black Missile! Flanker incoming!”
“Krahap!”
“Vitals only—block ‘em! I’ll patch you up.”
Three, four scraps in—team links clicked.
Sole holdout: lowbie Yoon Ho-chan, benched.
Far from deadweight, though.
“Stones harvested! Move out!”
“Nice.”
Rinse-repeat honed him; harvest times slashed under five minutes now.
Post-fourth brawl...
My eyes snapped wide at the alerts.
Stalled post-9... finally broke through.
I pulled up the skill menu and checked the new one.
A grin crept up as I read.
Prime reason I picked Black Mage.
Sensing my vibe shift, Min Jae-yoon approached.
“Good news?”
“Hit 10 this fight. New skill unlocked.”
“Nice!”
His eyes lit—more firepower for the team, attack or support.
“What kind? Offensive? Utility?”
“Summon type. Imp Summon.”
“Imp?”
Excitement crashed into dismay.
“That bottom-rung demon? Goblin-tier?”
“Yeah. Magic attacks make it goblin-plus, though.”
“Game Black Mages summoned beasts...”
“This evolves. Like my Black Missile.”
Growth skills shift summons to heavies at higher levels.
Lowbie? Imp’s your lot.
“Ah... late-bloomer skill, then.”
“Plays fine now, right use.”
Bitter smile stuck.
I got it—told the others casual.
“Er... congrats.”
“Dunno it, but good one?”
Park mirrored Min Jae-yoon; Yoon Ho-chan just cocked his head.
Shrugged it off as usable enough.
No point demo-burning a daily cap.
Energy Drain won’t refill dailies.
Passive recharge at reset—nothing forces it sooner.
Waste to burn now; midnight maybe, not yet.
Stashed Imp Summon; Black Missiles only.
Sucks no test-run, but time’d come.
One more clash after.
Four hobgoblins—routine by now.
Sent packing easy.
Yoon Ho-chan went for stones, eyes bugged.
“H-hyungs! It’s gone!”
“Gone? What?”
“Curse! Sloth Curse—vanished!”
“Hell yeah—congrats!”
Bouncing with joy.
Made sense: stones-only gig till now.
Needs scraps for fat XP—benched all this time.
No formal parties, but XP splits clear: fighters feast, support scraps; killers cash in big.
Hence my lead, Min Jae-yoon next, Park trailing.
Yoon Ho-chan nursed crumbs—curse lift a godsend.
“So I fight now!?”
“Not yet.”
“Why?”
“Goblin? Maybe. Hobgoblin at 1’s dicey. Stones till 3, then strap in.”
“Oh...”
Deflated but nodded—solid logic.
“Jae-yoon, level tease?”
“One, two more maybe...”
“Pig?”
“Ding 7 just now.”
Quashed a smirk.
Stuck at 3—now soaring on one break.
“Jae-yoon levels up, we bounce. Sync fatigue’s real—call it smart.”
Quest’s timed, sure—but quota screams week-plus.
Shorter? Mass fail bar elites.
No sprint; steady safe wins.
Team nodded—mid-stride...
“...Treasure chest?”
Sudden chest dead-center path—all dumbfounded.
Seconds ticked; I eyed Min Jae-yoon and Park.
“Mimic vibes.”
“Screams mimic.”
“Mimic, period.”
Beta testers synced nods.
Roadside chest, no ruin? Mimic guaranteed.
Yoon Ho-chan blinked clueless.
“Mimic? What’s that?”
“Monster cosplaying chest.”
“What!? Real!?”
“Yup. Lures suckers—lunges, chomps, gulps.”
Early-mid insta-gib; late-game halves HP.
Worse: afar pokes? Legs sprout, bersprint—shell tanks warrior swings.
Yoon Ho-chan quivered terrified.
“S-so what now?”
“Ignore it. Lowbies detour.”
“Bypass stat!”
Our faces twitched.
Safest play... but.
“Kinda wasteful, though.”
“Why!? Dangerous!”
I chuckled at his freakout.
“Dangerous, true—but real loot inside.”
Mimics pack actual bling to sell the act.
Slay or purge? Treasure’s yours.
Min Jae-yoon sighed wistful.
“Purge method’s the snag—no dice now.”
“How purge?”
“Stuff fresh chow. Gorged? Yawns wide, naps.”
Fresh meant live meat.
Cooked/dead? Nah.
No shop live stock—hunt our own.
Monsters? Won’t heel.
“No helping it. Pass the prize...”
“Nah—got a way.”
“What way!?”
Min Jae-yoon gawked; I grinned and cast.
Imp Summon
Duration: 1 hour | Uses left: 2/3
“Imp Summon!”
Whoosh!
Purple haze billowed; something materialized from the ground.
Waist-high, red-skinned, tiny horns, bald, whip-tail.
Little devil incarnate.
I poked around the novelty; it smirked.
“Hee hee hee! Master dear, you rang?”
Bowed with lip-curl—no reverence.
Play-pretend lord-lackey.
Arrogance irked me.
“Yeah. I called you.”
“Oho. To what do I owe? Tiny weak me’s combat trash.”
Demon shtick fueling the sass?
Shrugged cheeky.
“Orders are orders, but you’ll regret. Use proper, yeah?”
Now preempt-blame on me?
I glared... then snickered.
Perfect spot for his type.
“No regrets. Mission tailor-made.”
“Ooh? Do tell.”
Imp stroked chin intrigued; I pointed at the roadside mimic.
“Open that treasure chest.”