Thievery Is My Nature
The goblins, orcs, and ogres—known as the Three Kings of Humanoids—were notoriously aggressive monsters that never backed down from a fight. Watching them with bloodshot eyes, frantically searching for an archer whose origin they couldn't pinpoint, I could feel the air grow thick with tension.
I cautiously approached the closest one and activated an attack skill for the very first time.
Heavy Strike Lv.1 - Strikes with 250% of attack power. Mana: 3/6(-1)
Among the basic skills, Heavy Strike was considered one of the more useful ones. As I channeled it into my club, a faint blue aura gently wrapped around its surface. Then I swung with all my might at the goblin’s exposed skull.
THWACK—!
“Kek—!”
Even with my pathetic stats, a low-grade weapon, and the lowest-tier attack skill, it was apparently enough to take down a single goblin. Maybe the surprise blow from behind had triggered a critical hit?
The creature collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut. I followed up by mercilessly beating its limp body with my club until the kill message appeared. I shook my head to scatter the floating text and immediately moved to block the remaining goblin’s escape route.
Its two comrades had been taken out in the blink of an eye. Panicking, the last goblin hunched low and tried to change direction to flee, but I cut off its path and ruined its chance.
Whoosh—!
THUD—!
“Kyaaak!”
This time the arrow pierced straight through the goblin’s kneecap, the tip emerging so deeply that I could see it clearly. Just as expected from a skill with a penetration bonus.
Even while thrashing in pain, the goblin bared its filthy teeth and swung its club at me after I dropped my stealth. The attack was so sloppy it nearly made me laugh out loud.
But despite my thoughts, my body refused to move as I wanted.
CRACK—!
‘This damn club…!’
I’d hastily raised my weapon to block the swift incoming strike, but it seemed the club’s durability had already run out.
‘I can’t even dodge a goblin swinging from a seated position… What the hell…’
It was a fresh shock in its own way. The goblin smirked, one corner of its mouth curling up as it watched my bewildered state.
‘This isn’t exactly a laughing matter, is it? Their intelligence really is…’
THUNK—!
“Krrgh…!”
Too focused on me, the goblin failed to notice the arrow flying in from an angle. It let out a final death scream.
Had my presence been enough to make it forget about the archer? Probably not. Maybe this had been its first real battle too?
Rustle—
Even though the fight hadn’t been particularly difficult, Yeonhee emerged from the bushes with her bow drawn, cautiously scanning the surroundings as she moved into the clearing.
‘She’s already sticking to the basics from the start…’
Seeing this side of her—the one once labeled a walking manual, a young fossil, and zero flexibility—actually made me feel relieved. It also raised a question.
‘Wasn’t she supposed to get injured in this dungeon? She doesn’t seem overly relaxed, though.’
Since I was already spreading my senses to their limit to watch the surroundings, there was no need to worry. Still, I decided to keep observing a little longer.
“Clack…”
With a trembling heart, I checked the delayed messages.
‘Why am I so nervous about this…’
I was genuinely curious what the Thievery trait had stolen this time. Surely it wouldn’t be nothing?
Goblin defeated!
Obtained a tiny amount of experience.
Obtained a lowest-grade magic stone.
The magic stone has been moved to the Summoner’s inventory.
‘Hmm, the stones go to Yeonhee. That makes sense.’
Trait Thievery has activated.
Randomly stealing a skill from the goblin.
Acquired skill: Dagger Throw!
‘…Huh? Dagger Throw? Since when do goblins use daggers?’
I searched my memories, going all the way back to hobgoblins and goblin champions, but I couldn’t recall ever seeing one use daggers.
Assisted in defeating a goblin.
Obtained a tiny amount of experience.
The last goblin hadn’t been directly struck by me, but blocking its escape seemed to have been recognized as a contribution.
“You look so relaxed! Hehe.”
Yeonhee juggled three magic stones in her small hands before pocketing them, then skillfully began looting the goblins’ pouches.
“Ilwol, grab yourself a new weapon. Yours broke.”
I nodded and stored the three clubs they had been using into my inventory.
◈ Attack Power +2
◈ Durability 15/20
‘Oh! It’s actually better than that worn-out junk!’
Having obtained a weapon with double the attack power of my previous one, my mood lifted slightly.
Jingle—
“Only two silver? How disappointing, my goblin friends.”
‘Where did she learn those middle-aged uncle lines…’
I stood beside Yeonhee as she frowned and clicked her tongue. She reached out toward me.
“Shall we see what skill Ilwol got? Here—”
She took my bony hand and nodded, then tilted her head in confusion.
“Dagger Throw? Did these things even have a skill like that? And why didn’t they use it?”
Any hunter would probably have the exact same reaction.
“Well, their intelligence is so low they might not even realize what skills they possess. Anyway, you really can steal skills! That’s amazing!”
After making a big fuss for a while, she began cutting off the goblins’ ears with a knife.
Slice—
“Look closely, Ilwol. If you cut off the tips of their ears like this and bring them out, you get bounty money, okay?”
She expertly sliced the ears, stuffed them into a brown leather pouch, tied it shut, and stored it in her inventory.
“Think you can do it?”
“Clack clack clack—!”
What did I do most often as a guide in my previous life? Exactly this—collecting proof of subjugation and dismantling byproducts.
When too many monsters accumulated in a dungeon, the gate would burst and they would pour out. This system was designed to motivate hunters to clear them. You took the tokens to the office at the dungeon entrance, got them verified, and received payment a few days later.
‘I think it was about 3,000 won per goblin…’
It wasn’t much, but every little bit added up.
“Let’s go, Ilwol.”
We moved again, searching for the lake. There were usually many monsters near water. Yeonhee spoke far less than she did back in the room. It was partly to avoid attracting monsters with sound, but the scariest thing in a dungeon was still other people.
The Goblin Dungeon was the lowest rank, so the hunters who entered were usually nobodies. That was exactly why ridiculous incidents tended to happen—like the six men brawling viciously right in front of us.
During our movement, we heard a savage argument that should never occur inside a dungeon. Six men were slashing at each other with blades. One of the main reasons people fought in dungeons was the extremely low chance of obtaining a Rune.
All of them were roughly equal in skill. They were covered in cuts and bleeding, but none had suffered a fatal wound yet. Between them lay a leather bag, and beside it, a dark red stone the size of a baby’s fist.
‘Rune of Vitality…’
The familiar engraving of three overlapping circles. Simply keeping it in your inventory would permanently raise your stamina by a certain amount.
The six men kept glancing at the stone while warily watching their opponents.
‘Did they try to kill the person who got the rune to make it drop, only for things to go wrong?’
Loot given inside a dungeon was assigned based on contribution, so it became bound to its owner. Before binding, anyone could take it. But once bound, killing the owner had a chance to make them drop equipment or runes.
Unlike equipment that usually vanished upon the owner’s death, runes had a high drop rate. That was why scenes like this happened from time to time. The stone on the ground had probably been dropped during a surprise attack while someone was admiring it.
‘Still, risking your life over a low-grade rune from a goblin dungeon… These guys must be completely brain-damaged.’
But just like those brain-damaged fools, I found myself wanting it too. My skull already had cracks in it, so this much should be fine, right?
Naturally, my eyes met Yeonhee’s.
(Ilwol… Can you do it?)
Her whispered words, filled with many unspoken implications, were immediately clear to me.
I nodded.
Mana: 1/6(-2)
Consuming two mana to activate Stealth, I dashed forward without hesitation. Stealth consumed an additional point of mana every thirty seconds, so speed was everything.
Yeonhee had already secured an escape route and was slowly backing away.
BOOM—!
“Kehek—!”
“Cough, cough—!”
“Damn it!”
One of the men who seemed to be the rune’s owner threw a small vial at the enemies. The bottle shattered on the ground, releasing thick greenish smoke.
‘Poison gas? Perfect timing.’
I had already reached the bag. I snatched the fallen rune and immediately sprinted at full speed toward Yeonhee.