Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: A Crooked First Button
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Discovered the kobold cave.
Hid and scouted it out before pulling back.
"Kobolds, right?"
Before we set out, Mandy had told us about earth dogs.
But it wasn't knowledge from her own firsthand experience.
Yu-na and I had figured they sounded like kobolds based on her description.
"Yeah. Matches the features."
This was our first time actually seeing kobolds too.
We only knew about them from the info Jang Ho-seop had gathered at the plaza.
Still, we recognized them at a glance.
They had standout traits.
"They all have those gem-like things embedded in their foreheads."
"Yeah. Not many monsters like that."
Kobolds walk upright on two legs.
They're short, with oversized heads.
They can use their fingers like humans to wield weapons.
The most striking feature is the mineral embedded in their forehead.
Kobolds have a deep groove there that they can clench and release at will.
They love jamming stuff into it.
Minerals, gems, or even shiny rocks.
That's why the prophet said we could recoup our investment.
Kobolds tend to go for things valuable to humans too.
"They look just like senior described. Why do all monsters have to be so ugly?"
A kobold's big head looks like a mix of rat and dog.
They have a mohawk-style tuft of fur on their crown.
Their molars are developed, making their jaws especially prominent.
Taking all that together, we concluded the monsters we'd spotted were kobolds.
"So, what do we do?"
We'd prepared assuming kobolds were the target all along.
Since they use weapons, we brought sturdy small shields.
Along with heavy clubs we could swing one-handed, supposedly made from monster parts.
There were swords and such as options, but Yu-na and I weren't familiar with them, so we passed.
"Let's hit 'em now."
"Got it."
Crucially, kobolds were just a step above goblins in strength.
Weaker than gnolls.
That's part of why we picked clubs.
I figured a fast, free-swinging weapon would be best since any solid hit from my strength would be lethal anyway.
"Oh, you got that thing, right?"
"Yeah. Should I decide when to use it?"
"Yeah. Use it if you're in danger."
We finished our checks and headed for the kobold cave.
Arrived at the kobold cave.
There was a big tree near the entrance.
I got Yu-na and Mandy up into it.
"Krrrng."
We hoisted Mandy up first, and while helping Yu-na, the kobolds spotted us.
"I'm good!"
"Okay."
A pack of kobolds charging with weapons.
Lots of them wielding clubs like mine.
But theirs were wooden and shorter than mine.
I charged straight at the kobold pack.
Whoosh.
Dodged the kobold's straight-line attack with a simple upper-body twist.
At the same time, my swung club connected with its head.
Crack.
The head exploded.
Its blood and brains splattered onto me.
'Damn.'
I'd put too much power into it.
Was thinking of gnolls.
Their heads are especially tough.
'Lighter.'
I relaxed my body and moved.
Not smashing, just tapping with the club.
Thwack―
Good enough.
I easily cleared the kobolds swarming from all sides.
"Mister! The cave!"
I glanced back at the kobold cave.
Those gathered at the entrance must've been just a fraction.
A massive horde of kobolds was pouring out.
Thud.
They were even pelting me with stones.
Not very effective, though.
With threat detection, I could dodge plenty.
Even if they hit, it probably wouldn't matter.
Pathetic throwing power.
"Kekeke."
The kobold horde moved to surround me.
I dove right into their midst.
Not confident?
In winning?
There were a lot, but not as bad as the big orc pack.
Kept threat detection at a moderate level and toyed with them.
"Krahng!"
Then the one I'd been eyeing finally stepped up.
A mutant twice the size of the others.
'A bit harder.'
In Jang Ho-seop's terms, maybe a 'kobold warrior'.
The kobold warrior wasn't much of a wildcard either.
I smashed the crown of a kobold lunging from the side with my club.
At the same time, swung my shield low to slam the kobold warrior's snout as it charged.
Thud.
It lost balance and flattened face-first on the ground.
Crunch.
Stepped on its neck as I moved forward.
That was it.
'Yu-na might not even need to step in.'
There was an uncrossable gap between me and the kobolds.
Their numbers dwindled fast.
Yet they didn't run.
Like they still had something to rely on.
"Krrreeeong. Krrng!"
It happened when their numbers had halved.
A long howl echoed, and they scattered back.
"Help us!"
The fight ground to a lull.
Then a human voice called out unexpectedly.
A red-haired white woman.
A kobold with a huge lump of gold embedded in its forehead appeared.
About my height, carrying a woman in its arms.
That must've been their ace.
"Please save me. Please... sob."
Beside it, another kobold held a man.
The man looked already dead.
"We had no idea places like this existed! We're from a place called Earth...."
The naked woman kept sobbing through her words.
The kobold behind her leered sleazily.
Shockingly, it was actually making a facial expression.
"Please... Ah, language...."
Gate-crossers, apparently.
The two whose whereabouts were unknown had been captured by the kobold pack.
Assuming I couldn't understand, the woman clasped her hands in plea.
"Krrreeeong."
The gold-lumped kobold let out a triumphant howl.
'So... hostage situation?'
Maybe they'd grabbed one first, saw it worked, and now trying it on me after snagging the other.
Ridiculous.
'That a kobold shaman?'
The gold-lumped kobold had a bit more energy than the warrior.
Held a long branch like a staff in one hand.
A transparent gem embedded at the tip.
The transparent gem was the energy stone.
'Found it.'
The system mission conditions were all in place.
Joy and irritation hit me at once.
Reminded me of the first goblin shaman fight.
Hostility toward the golden kobold surged.
"Please. Please... help me."
I reached into the pouch on my belt.
Grabbed a handful and scattered it into the air.
Clinkclinkclink.
"Krrng?"
What I tossed were gold coins from the prophet's safe.
Our trump card.
'Works like a charm.'
The kobold pack's eyes followed them skyward.
Irresistible sparkle.
Taat.
The kobold shaman too.
I launched myself in the gap as its gaze lifted.
"W-wait!"
I didn't slow my charge.
The woman's eyes widened.
Led with my shield and barreled right into them.
Bam!!!
The kobold shaman and white woman toppled together.
Thud thud thud.
Mounted them and shoved the shield down hard three times.
Thud.
The woman's hand flopped limply to the ground right below me.
The woman's energy was pretty substantial.
Leveled up, and I thought to myself.
Open gates? I'm going in every time.
The fight with the kobold horde was over.
I'd taken out most of them solo.
Yu-na just tossed a few skills at the tail end for form's sake.
"What if there's no response by the ten-day mark?"
We were gathering mana stones.
Yu-na asked with a hint of worry.
"Can't be helped then."
She was fretting because I'd killed the prophet.
The system missions were two-fold.
We'd cleared both.
Yet we were still hanging around here.
"Should be fine, though? It said fulfill her request, not 'don't kill her'."
"You think?"
Yu-na tilted her head.
She was picking up the habit from Spring noona.
'Even if the mission fails, we've got all the monsters anyway.'
Nothing to do but wait.
We moved spots and kept mining mana stones.
Pulled one from the dead woman's body too.
Yu-na nodded and headed to Mandy.
She wasn't one to dwell on worries long either.
"Mandy! Why the kobold heads?"
"Oh, heard they sell for money. But they're not cutting easy...."
Mandy was mining valuables from the kobolds' foreheads.
Even picking up the gold coins I'd scattered.
Now she was crouched by a kobold corpse, trying to hack off its head.
A relatively small specimen compared to the others.
"This one? Why?"
"Not sure. Something about how kobolds use their forehead muscles."
The two women chatted amiably.
They'd gotten close fast after a few hours.
"Guess I should give up."
"Yeah. Don't push too hard. So, Mandy, what's your plan now?"
"Oh, that... back home...."
"Home? No way! What are you talking about."
I finished extracting mana stones and stood.
Planned to check inside the cave.
Might be stragglers.
"Didn't they sell you into slavery for their debts?"
"Yeah... but nowhere else to go."
"Still no. Go independent. They're not even your parents."
I approached the two women.
Time to take her along.
"You've got the prophet's money too. Can't live off that?"
"Oh, no, I can. The slave tattoo's gone too."
"See?"
"But that woman's fortune belongs to benefactor and sis...."
"Pfft. We can't take it anyway."
Money goes a long way here too, apparently.
Keeping it safe was another story, though.
"Repeat after me. Mandy is free now."
"Mandy is free now."
"Louder!"
"Mandy is free now!"
I'd overheard their chat and patted Yu-na's shoulder.
Grabbed the lantern and entered the dark cave.
"Ugh... the smell."
The cave was pretty big.
And reeked of something indescribable.
"Something's there."
A bit deeper in, threat detection pinged energy.
One big, some small.
"Uh... mom and pups?"
"Looks like."
The mother kobold was sizable too.
Mutant maybe.
But it just lay there even after we entered.
Like it'd given up.
"Mandy. Wanna try killing one?"
"Pardon? Oh... sure."
Wondered if people here awakened fundamental skills too.
I smashed the mother kobold's limbs and had Mandy finish it.
Stab.
Mandy stabbed its throat with a dagger.
"Feel anything? Any changes?"
"No. Sorry...."
"Nah. Try the pups too."
She hesitated briefly, then killed them quick.
Still no changes, she said.
"You have knights and mages here. How do they get strong?"
"Dunno. Never heard."
Mandy was basically a country girl.
Not short on book smarts—just zero education.
Aside from scraps overheard as the prophet's slave, she knew zilch about the world.
"Weird."
"Huh?"
"Think hard. Close your eyes and focus. Or listen for a voice."
Mandy tried as instructed.
There was a reason for this.
'Was just curious, told her to kill it.'
The moment Mandy killed the mother, a system message popped.
"Ugh...."
A little time passed.
She seemed to just have her eyes closed on my say-so.
"Feel anything?"
"Well... yeah, sorry."
"It's fine. Let's head out."
Guess the worrying fell to me.
Recalled the system message.
[3. Spend the night with Mandy.]
A new mission had appeared.
Wondering if literal or figurative.
In a dark, cramped room.
A woman of indeterminable age knelt in prayer.
She continued without stirring.
How much time passed?
Fwaa―
Her robes fluttered faintly.
"Ah, ahem."
The woman suddenly opened her eyes and rose.
She wobbled a moment, then reached out.
Creeeak.
The door opened, flooding in bright light.
She stepped into a grand hallway that felt majestic.
Mana lamps densely embedded in the ceiling emitted steady glows.
"Sir Orbit."
A hulking man now stood at her side.
"Prepare for a trip. We'll use the spatial transfer portal."
"May I ask why?"
The man inquired politely.
Her answer shattered his stern expression.
"The Saint of Prophecy has appeared. Heading to the Ratsilva region."
"You mean...."
"Yes. Hurry the preparations."
This was while Yi Hyun was inside the kobold cave.