Chapter 37
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Academy's Summer Vacation (6)
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Schwick, schwick, schwick.
Whenever I encountered a goblin, I sliced off both shoulders before severing its head.
Right now, I couldn't cut straight through to the bone in one go.
To sever it, I had to aim precisely between the bones, but I still lacked that level of finesse.
The battles I experienced while possessing Lee Sian had been fairly straightforward.
To survive, I measured the distance before I got hurt or infected, then smashed the zombie's head in a single blow.
That's why, when I went to the mart, a bit of practice controlling my strength had quickly boosted my combat power.
'Still pretty weak, huh.'
Even as I practiced controlling my strength and wasted three attacks, the goblins I faced were weaker than expected.
At some point, my level had gone up enough to unlock Insight from the Survival Rules, but Composure didn't even trigger against these goblins.
Fighting these goblins didn't feel like a crisis situation, and they weren't worth using Insight on anyway.
Maybe it was just my imagination, but they felt much weaker than the goblins I'd fought in the practical exam.
I was using good gear instead of supply equipment, and I had the experience from possession, but they shouldn't have been this easy for me to handle.
After slicing through the sixth goblin, I decided to ask Guide Torres, who had been watching me.
"Guide, are the goblins here usually this weak? The ones from the final exam seemed stronger."
"That's right. This place is basically a beginner dungeon. Freshly spawned goblins are about this strong."
"I see."
Then it seemed right to clear this place as easily as I was doing.
I shouldn't get complacent here.
*
Except for the last three goblins that were grouped together, there was no point where I got attacked.
And that one hit was barely a graze blocked by my armor.
As expected of a beginner dungeon—it wasn't that tough.
"No loot to show for it, though."
I'd taken down a total of 17 goblins in the dungeon, but their byproducts had no value, so my earnings were zero.
I'd gained experience and growth, but it was a bit disappointing not to make any money.
"That's why we guides offer consultations."
"And sell stuff to students?"
"We don't rip you off, so don't worry. If you need gear maintenance, feel free to drop by anytime."
Guide Torres didn't seem to pity me as much as when we first met.
I guess I'd shown I could fight without being a burden today.
On the way out of the dungeon, I asked a bit more.
"What's a good next step after the beginner goblin dungeon?"
"Already thinking ahead? From what I saw today, you've got the spare capacity, so yeah. How about a dungeon with stronger goblins? They won't just stand there like idiots. Or switch targets to undead—low-grade zombies or skeletons. Goblins are small, after all."
I had plenty of experience with zombies, so I didn't pull the trigger on that right away.
Stronger goblins sounded good.
Come to think of it, the orc from the exam assignment came to mind.
"What about orcs?"
"Orcs would be tough for Yoo Sian right now. No skills, and your physical stats aren't there yet. You could probably beat one, but you'd take heavy damage."
"Stronger goblins are fine. Got it."
I should farm goblins a bit more to boost my combat power, then go for orcs.
Zombies and skeletons seemed good for gaining experience against humanoid enemies too.
Wait—haven't all my enemies so far been humanoids? Goblins count as small humanoids.
"Guide, what about non-humanoids?"
"Those are way stronger."
I dropped the idea at the guide's firm tone.
Thinking about it, most monsters worth calling beasts weren't humanoid-shaped.
Humanoids varied wildly in combat power depending on their tools, making them easier than beasts whose entire bodies were weapons.
Completely different anatomy would make it hard to target vital spots like the heart.
We returned through the cracked space back to the normal world.
Following the red line from earlier, we reached the warp gate, used the pass to open it, and headed back to Global Academy.
"You can return from dungeons now that you're back in Utopia. See you around."
"Thanks for answering all my questions."
After parting with Guide Torres, on the way to the dorm, I opened the Student Support app, entered the dungeon menu, and hit the return button.
Easier than I thought.
Once you get assigned a dungeon at the management office, the rest can be handled via the app.
"What do I do when I want to hunt monsters worth money?"
I forgot to ask.
I'll check with Counselor Lee Da-young later.
For now, I still needed more goblin hunting.
Roina Naen was having a really tough time lately because of her friend.
Kim Seo-yeon, the beautiful sky-blue-haired healer known throughout the academy, that idiot friend, was the cause.
"Go talk to him right now and be honest. What are you doing moping around?"
Naen had no dating experience herself, but she was certain Seo-yeon was acting like a total fool right now.
She hadn't even asked how her final exams went, just kept staring from a distance where Yoo Sian wouldn't notice.
That was fine at first, but things got this bad when Yoo Sian, recently called the academy's weakest, started hitting dungeons.
"Sian seems to be really growing... Does that mean I should distance myself even more?"
Yoo Sian, who couldn't even properly take down the goblin from the practical exam, had gotten noticeably stronger after breaking up with Kim Seo-yeon.
He was going to dungeons alone every day and coming back unscathed, with tons of witnesses.
Naen had discreetly asked a friend of a friend where he was going, and apparently he was clearing mid-grade goblin dungeons—places groups of at least two, or up to four, usually tackled—solo.
Rumors were starting to circulate among students that maybe the "weakest" label was wrong.
And that's why Seo-yeon was like this.
At first, Naen had worried excessively. She'd thought even going to dungeons would be hard for him solo, but he was doing great.
Even Naen, who had thought Hoshino Mai was just filling Seo-yeon's head with nonsense, now wondered, "Is this actually working?"
The problem was, it was working, so Seo-yeon couldn't approach him again.
"His growth is picking up steam now. Wouldn't a supporter make it even better? Who have you been grinding skills for all this time?"
"If I'm there, he might... stop again."
Naen, tired of their looping conversation that always ended back at square one, decided to step in for her crumbling friend.
"Want me to talk to Yoo Sian and clear the air?"
"No way. You're a girl too."
Jealousy after being the one to suggest breaking up.
Naen knew it wasn't a real breakup—just some space—but the guy on the receiving end was the issue.
Would Seo-yeon have gone back if Yoo Sian started hanging out with another girl?
She'd probably cry blood just seeing that, so best not to think about it.
"Sigh. Fine. But are you just gonna hole up in the dorm stalking Yoo Sian? Use vacation to hit dungeons and build your skills. Make the time he's not around count for you too."
"It's all pointless..."
Naen couldn't stand her idiot friend's thick skull and smacked her on the head.
After finishing my daily routine of gear checks—especially sword maintenance—I pulled up the Status Window.
"Combat power's not going up anymore?"
Clearing the beginner goblin dungeon had given a huge boost.
It broke into the three digits, even unlocking Insight, the second Survival Rule.
After that, I'd soloed junior and mid-grade goblin dungeons, but growth stalled at some point.
It had ticked up by 1 or 2 before, but today? Nothing. What was wrong?
"Hmm..."
On a whim, I used Lower World Possession to check my compatibility with Lee Sian in the paused world.
It was up to about 42%—higher than before—so I'd grown, but still not enough for re-possession.
"Time to go smash some zombie heads?"
Not smash—slice now—but I'd maxed out goblin experience.
High-grade goblin dungeons had packs, making solo tough anyway.
This was where a counselor came in handy.
Time to ask the expert I saw almost daily.
*
"Sick of goblins?"
Counselor Lee Da-young asked casually.
We'd met often when I checked out goblin dungeons, so she'd let me drop formalities.
"Not sick, exactly—growth has stalled. Is that the same thing? Anyway, anywhere else I can solo?"
"Soloing might slow growth too. Hang on."
She typed rapidly, then found something and read intently.
Found something?
"How about this? With mid-grade goblin experience, you should handle it."
She showed me the screen: a mid-grade goblin dungeon with up to two Hob Goblins.
"Mostly goblins, but Hob Goblins max at two. Might want one extra person just in case. Anyone free?"
Nope.
Vacation meant my daily face was Vulcan Rudric at evening workouts—and I'd declared I'd surpass him, so no chance he'd team up.
As I sat silently, Counselor Lee offered a solution.
"Want me to find someone? I'll let you know if a student around your level signs up, and mention teaming with you."
"Please do."
*
That evening, the Student Support app notified me of tomorrow's teammate.
"A girl. Roina Naen. Where do I know that name from?"