Chapter 10
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Goblin Lord (2)
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Shortly after Jinovan submitted his report to Baron Dortagon, the fortress commander, about the golem's core...
"Just as expected, they're gathering mercenaries."
Jun muttered as he gazed out the window at the overall atmosphere around the fortress.
The moment the commander's orders were posted at the mercenary guild, the mood at Black Forest Fortress shifted dramatically.
Like Jun, the other mercenaries were showing keen interest in this subjugation operation.
"I see some adventurers mixed in there, wearing high-grade gear. ...And those are mages? What are they doing here?"
Cloi, who had been handling paperwork beside him, responded to Jun's soliloquy.
"They must have come because of the Goblin Lord sighting. A field boss means an area lord could appear soon after. But those adventurers might have a tough time. The Azure Cloud adventurer party already set up camp in the Black Forest."
"Azure Cloud? Oh, the adventurer party that claimed a territory at level 3?"
"That's right. They've been gearing up to take down the area lord since last year. I hear the Imperial Family even gave them permission."
"What about the mages, then?"
"The area lord's appearance is earlier than usual this year. They're probably here related to that."
Cloi shot him a seemingly casual but worried glance.
Jun didn't have the best history with mages, after all.
Jun picked up on it and replied.
"My so-called master hid my existence thoroughly from the start. Then he croaked. So I don't have to worry about that side of things."
"True... that makes sense."
Still, it wasn't a comfortable topic, and Jun quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, what about those items I mentioned?"
"Got them. Managed to get them at a decent price, too."
Finishing her paperwork, Cloi pulled out the prepared items one by one from her subspatial pouch.
Various potion ingredients and new spellbooks.
"Total comes to 7.2 million gold."
"Damn. That's ridiculously expensive."
Most of the money he'd earned raiding the goblin village had vanished without a trace.
But it couldn't be helped.
The Goblin Lord had appeared faster than anticipated, and to prepare for what came next, he needed appropriate spells.
Seeing Jun's sullen expression probably amused her, as Cloi smiled faintly.
"That's why I told you to invest. You think money just multiplies on its own if you sit on it? And we're still a long way from Blackout's reset timer. Perfect time for investments."
"I'm not saving it to take to the grave. Right now's the time to invest in reputation, not gold."
Cloi shrugged.
As a merchant, her perspective on spending gold differed greatly from Jun's as a mercenary.
"By the way, it's been a while since I've seen a spellbook, huh? First time since then?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
Jun's expression grew somewhat distant as he caressed the high-quality spellbook.
It wasn't so much a memory of 'Lee Jung-jun' as an instinct from the body he'd entered.
'Is this what they call bittersweet?'
In Jun's memories, the original owner of this body had an immense thirst for magical knowledge.
But from fragmented recollections, he'd eventually grown disillusioned with magic.
More precisely, with mage society.
By then, he'd instinctively sensed his master coveting his heart.
'Not sure if that's why he made that choice.'
When Jun first opened his eyes in this body, he'd seen a noose dangling from the ceiling and...
'Hmm. Touching a spellbook after so long must be stirring up old memories.'
Either way, it was irrelevant now. Jun quietly tucked away the smooth leather spellbook and stood up.
"Alright, I'm off. Catch you later."
Time passed, and Jinovan volunteered for the scouting party as planned.
No one else wanted to join the high-casualty scouting mission, but Jinovan's enthusiasm delighted Commander Baron Dortagon.
"Sir Jinovan. You're the most eager of the bunch. I leave the scouting to you."
"Thank you for trusting me, Commander."
Unlike the two attack squads still in preparation, the scouting party was deployed first.
Their goal: locate the Goblin Lord.
To that end, the scouting party including Jun and Aiden headed into the Black Forest.
Unlike the relatively peaceful forest entrance, battles grew frequent after a day of marching.
"Corrow Bee swarm ahead!"
"Form up! Brace your legs!"
"Don't raise your spears, you idiot! They'll kill themselves! Just hold shields tight, no gaps!"
Corrow Bees, dog-sized pests with corrosive venom sacs from their waists to hips.
Dealing with them was simple: hold shields steady and watch them kamikaze into oblivion.
But Outer Wolves appeared right after.
The clever beasts noticed the scouting party's exposed rear and moved just before...
Keng—!!
Aiden burst from hiding in a nearby tree, ambushing them.
One of the three Outer Wolves took a deep gash to its flank.
Aiden grabbed the wounded beast's tail, dragging it away from the party.
Krrrng!!!
Awooooo—!!
True to their pack nature, the wolves charged Aiden with fierce loyalty.
But Aiden, unlike before, met them head-on.
'I see it!'
During the gap before the scouting party formed, Aiden had trained daily in the Black Forest with Jun, battling various monsters.
Jun's advice was gold, and Aiden absorbed it like a sponge, internalizing every lesson.
Now, the Outer Wolves' movements were crystal clear.
He could handle them without mana.
'What talent.'
After watching Aiden briefly, Jun turned to the soldiers.
The Corrow Bee swarm was clashing with them now.
The moment the bees hit the sturdy shields, their bodies shattered spectacularly.
Chiiiiiik—!!
Venom sacs burst, filling the air with a horrific stench and sizzling sounds.
"Urk!"
"You fool! Don't give ground! Hold the line!"
"Close those shield gaps! The poison's getting in!"
Inexperienced soldiers faltered, drawing bellows from veterans.
No major losses yet, but many bees remained.
The formation couldn't break now.
Then Jun's [Shield] expanded over the soldiers' shields.
Pfbt-bt-bam!!
Not reinforced with extra mana, it shattered under the next wave's assault—but it bought time to regroup.
'This'll do for now.'
Ranged attacks were ideal for these suicide bugs.
'With almost no defense thanks to their kamikaze nature, a few [Wind Cutter]s would shred them.'
But Jun held back deliberately.
The troops were still adapting to the Black Forest.
He'd coordinated this with Jinovan already.
"Got 'em! Almost done!"
"One more push!"
"We held!"
"Wooooah!"
Blocking the swarm boosted morale sky-high.
The battlefield reeked, but faces were bright.
Jinovan issued orders smoothly.
"Gather the Corrow Bee corpses and scatter them around camp. It'll keep other monsters away."
They'd suffer the stench all night, but so would the beasts.
Intrusions would drop sharply.
As camp setup finished, Jinovan called Jun over.
"Jun. What's your take on the situation?"
"Seems monster habitats are shifting already."
"Hm. As I thought."
Corrow Bees normally appeared deeper in.
This was due to goblins rapidly expanding northeast.
The bees had relocated from goblin pressure.
Small detail, but it all pointed one way.
"He's definitely northeast."
"How about scouting pace?"
"Slow it down. The men need more time to adapt. And the main force won't reach base camp for a while."
True to his reputation for valuing subordinates, Jinovan decided cautiously.
Jun didn't object much.
It meant more chances for him to shine.
Having observed Jun and Aiden consistently since scouting began, Jinovan mentioned their contributions.
"At least you and your comrade... Aiden, was it?"
"Yes."
"Eased my worries. Perfect timing on your interventions."
Jun scratched his head sheepishly at the genuine praise.
"Has your comrade trained formally with the sword?"
"...Heard he had some connections in the past."
"Hm. Maybe apprenticed under a famous knight."
Jun smirked inwardly at Jinovan's obliviousness to Aiden's imperial blood.
As a knight himself, Jinovan recognized talent in Aiden's moves.
But interest ended there.
"Keep buying time from the rear like now. My soldiers will adapt soon."
"Understood."
And as Jinovan said, the soldiers soon mastered Black Forest combat.
Prior goblin subjugation experience and daily battles honed their edge.
From stumbling in the wooded terrain, they now moved to positions fluidly.
Yet the Black Forest resisted easy conquest despite their efforts.
"Man-eating plants this time..."
Habitat shifts were bigger than expected.
Jinovan eyed the plant-type monsters slain by his men with a grave expression.
An Imperial Military Academy elite graduate, he knew Black Forest intel well; his sources were solid.
Even to him, this anomaly was unprecedented.
And Jun felt it too.
'This... feels off.'
His veteran instincts rang alarm bells again.
Day three of scouting.
Soldiers' battle sense sharpened; monster attacks intensified accordingly.
Soon, they spotted a goblin village.
Nearby, totems marking the Goblin Lord hung everywhere, as expected.
"Finally!"
"We found their base!"
"Time to show those bastards—no mercy, haha!"
Not the main base, but confirming the Goblin Lord's presence was a morale booster.
Now just wait for the main force from the fortress.
Last field boss failure was decades ago; victory seemed assured.
"...Too close to the entrance."
Unlike the soldiers' excitement, Jinovan's face soured.
Found at the northeast fringe—meaning the whole expanse beyond was goblin territory.
Vast. Too vast.
"Jun. Your thoughts?"
Having relied on Jun's input, Jinovan asked.
Jun's expression mirrored his: troubled, deeply thoughtful.
"I suspect... an Irregular."
As Jinovan anticipated, Jun recalled Blackout memories, narrowing to the truth.
"An Irregular Goblin Lord...?"
Mutant monster. Irregular.
Term for beasts transcending their kind's limits.
Regular monsters turning Irregular? Lucky break.
They dropped skillbooks, game-changers for early growth.
'Communities had dedicated Irregular hunters.'
Field boss as Irregular?
Veterans would cheer.
100% skillbook drop? Jackpot.
But...
"Can we subjugate it with current forces?"
Jinovan voiced the downside: massively increased difficulty.
"I've read on Goblin Lord Irregulars. With our numbers, it's doable... assuming full prep."
"Not guaranteeing victory."
Jinovan pondered, then asked again.
"When was the last Goblin Lord Irregular?"
"Not sure."
"72 years ago. Last failed subjugation, too."
"..."
72 years: multiple generations in Blackout.
"Will command take this seriously?"
"..."
"Sigh. Headache incoming."
But what could he do?
Only report upward.