The First Hobgoblin
Everyone from the dungeon shared breakfast together, followed by dandelion flower tea for dessert. While sipping the tea, Han Yeoreum called over Jeong Yu-na and Choi Jin-hyeok to join us. It was all to benefit from the buff effect in my tea.
"How's Winter's tea? Pretty amazing, right?"
"Yeah. This is definitely..."
Choi Jin-hyeok downed the steaming tea in one gulp. He didn't even flinch at the heat. Top-tier hunters must train their insides as tough as the rest of them.
"Winter, sis'll pay you for the tea after we get back from the dungeon, got it?"
"No need. There are plenty of dandelions around here anyway."
They'd helped me so much. I didn't want to charge them every time they had a cup.
"Nah, you don't get it—how incredible this buff is."
Exactly, exactly. Jeong Yu-na and Choi Jin-hyeok chimed in agreement with Han Yeoreum's words.
"Still, it's just a cup of tea..."
"Sis doesn't know about that stuff. She's heading out now anyway—see you later?"
Han Yeoreum grabbed the other two and dashed off somewhere. The dungeon they were hitting this time was Level 5, right? Something I couldn't even dream of tackling right now. It was almost laughable that the monsters there were just horn rabbits.
...To think the day would come when I'd look down on horn rabbits.
I used to struggle against a single one, and now here I was, taking down goblins left and right. It hit me belatedly: everything was thanks to Han Yeoreum.
If only she didn't have to hide so much.
Still, she had done me a solid. Brewing her free tea every day seemed like the least I could do.
After digesting, I slung my bow and quiver over my shoulder and slipped on the shirt I'd mended that morning. Taking a page from the guild folks, I planned to head to the dungeon bright and early.
"...Winter, you're really planning to go out in that?"
Sophia eyed my outfit with clear disapproval. I knew it was in rough shape, but what could I do? I wanted something I wouldn't mind losing at a moment's notice. A hard lesson learned from last night's thief.
"Yes. It's like my good-luck charm."
Come to think of it, I'd been wearing this shirt when that horn rabbit gored my belly too. I found myself stroking the hole absentmindedly.
"Lady Sophia, I think it's a pretty cool outfit, personally."
"Right! The captain's got that wild vibe!"
En Sia and Argo flanked me. Unlike Sophia, they always had my back. Not that I disliked Sophia for it—she was giving advice for my sake. If anything, I should watch out for Argo and En Sia's constant yes-man routine. Nice guys, sure, but still.
"...Fair enough. Fashion's a matter of personal taste, after all. Maybe I'm the one being stubborn."
Sophia nodded, grabbing her cane. Clothes settled, time to hit the hunting ground. I led the group there. It still felt weird being out front, guiding everyone.
Thwack! The arrow pierced the goblin's skull. It was a long shot, but I wasn't getting cocky over something like that anymore.
"That's ten for today."
"Then let's head out. Culling too many would be rude to the other hunters."
"Got it."
Just snag the mana stones quick and go. As I pulled a knife from my pocket—
A pack of goblins rustled in the distance. Sound picked up about five of them. But mixed in was something ominous. Heavier footsteps than a regular goblin. Rougher cries too. Could be one of those named monsters.
"Hm?"
"Something wrong?"
"Yeah. There's a weird goblin over there."
"Hmm..."
Sophia stroked her chin thoughtfully, then tapped my back. "Let's check it out."
"Isn't that dangerous?"
"With En Sia and Argo here, we'll be fine."
"...Yes, ma'am."
A monster stronger than goblins. My heart pounded with tension, but some reckless thrill bubbled up too. Bad idea, getting arrogant like this. I took a few deep breaths, then guided everyone toward the named monster.
"That's..."
"A hobgoblin."
"Hobgoblin?"
"Yes. If a regular goblin's just some average citizen, a hobgoblin's like a well-trained soldier."
Soldier goblin. I wanted to take a swing at one. But today's quota was already met. I fiddled with my bow in disappointment when Sophia asked in a serious tone:
"Want to give it a shot?"
"Can I?"
"Of course. Your growth comes first."
With her permission, I nocked an arrow without hesitation. It wore an iron helmet—could my arrow punch through? As I drew the string, hesitating, a strange energy erupted near my heart.
"...!"
An intense power I'd never felt before. My muscles felt amplified, like every fiber was supercharged. This'll do it. Seizing the moment as the hobgoblin barked orders at the others, I loosed the arrow.
Thwang!
The shot flew faster than ever before, slamming straight into the hobgoblin's iron helmet. I could see it crumple, a hole punching through—right into the brain beneath.
Kek—
The hobgoblin crumpled with a tiny screech. I couldn't believe I'd one-shot a named monster.
"Whoa."
I blinked up at Sophia, but she prodded my shoulder. "Too early to celebrate. Stragglers left, aren't there?"
"R-Right."
She was spot on. No slacking till the rest were down. I grabbed two arrows from behind me.
If I nail this...
I nocked both at once. Maybe it was bravado, but in this state, I knew I could pull it off. A subtle finger tweak to adjust angles, then fire at the goblins freaking out over their dead boss.
Thwang!
Two arrows streaked out simultaneously. Incredibly, each nailed a goblin dead-center.
"Whoa...!"
It actually worked. Confidence surged like never before. I decided to clear the remaining goblin trash the same way.
Today, we took down a total of fifteen goblins. One was the named hobgoblin. Lying on the mattress in my container, I examined the mana stone from it. About the size of my knuckle, shimmering beautifully.
"Wow..."
I'd never imagined bagging anything bigger than a horn rabbit. Stunned by the miracle, I stared at the goblin stone until I bolted upright.
"Sophia, can you help me with something?"
"What is it?"
"I want to sell all today's mana stones and cook food for everyone."
I'd grown this far thanks to those around me. Failing to show gratitude would make me worse than a beast. First, though, I'd split the party stones properly. I'd done all the hunting, but their presence made it possible. No greed here.
"A splendid idea. I'll gladly help."
"Thank you..."
I bowed to Sophia in thanks, then headed out to sell the stones. Going into the guild building still felt awkward—I wanted to ask someone else—but I'd handle what I could myself. A matter of sincerity.
"Ex-Excuse me..."
I slipped through the guild doors. Not sure who to sell to, I wandered around when I noticed the hunters inside buzzing about frantically.
"Hey, the team that went into the dungeon today—they've lost contact."
"Today? You mean Han Yeoreum's squad?"
"Yeah. Mana block from the dungeon's trait means no comms."
Han Yeoreum's signal cut off. The words hit like a gut punch.
"...A mana-blocked dungeon?"
"Yep. Can't reach 'em, can't clear it either."
"No wonder—a Level 5 with horn rabbits..."
"This is bad..."
The two hunters dashed off. I stared after them blankly, then slipped out of the guild. Everyone looked swamped, so the stones could wait.
My hunch was right...
Hunting horn rabbits with no mana. Life-or-death stuff. Could Han Yeoreum's crew handle it? Anxiety churning, I trudged back to the container. It dredged up memories of my own mana-less rabbit hunts—left a bad taste.
They'll pull through.
They were top hunters who'd staked their lives on battles before. No need to worry too much. For now, I'd focus on my own tasks.