Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Swift Hunter
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“Hmm...”
Woojin paused for a moment in front of the boss room, lost in thought.
Surprisingly, the number of goblins he'd taken down to reach this point was fewer than ten.
[Kruk... Kruk...]
Only goblin champs—those somewhat tougher ones—had dared to charge at him, costing him a little time.
The rest hadn't even dreamed of approaching, simply cowering in hiding.
"The dungeon board has a name-hiding feature... but records that are too outlandish might cause issues, right?"
Players wouldn't find out right away, but dodging the admins' scrutiny was impossible.
"Well..."
But soon enough, he chuckled.
He was fretting over something that didn't need fretting.
"Clearing in five minutes or ten—either way, I'll draw eyes."
Why?
Because he was alone.
Topping the board with a solo play record?
Impossible from the start.
"If suspicion's coming anyway..."
Better to etch it in deep and clear, not some half-measure.
Kwang—!!
Woojin brutally kicked aside the branches barricading the entrance.
[Human...]
A decrepit room reeking of foul stench. An aged goblin perched atop a rickety chair crudely pieced from wood and stone.
[How dare... this place...]
Slash—.
"Talkative."
Woojin closed the gap in a flash and slammed his sword into the Goblin Lord's shoulder.
[Kr... Kaaaaak!!]
The lord shrieked in agony.
But the more it writhed, the deeper Woojin's blade burrowed into its flesh.
"As expected of a boss."
Woojin yanked his sword free and addressed the lord.
"The others dropped in one hit—I couldn't really test it out."
[Kr... Kruk...!! You... your sl...ave!!!]
Dragon Heaven 1st Gate - Sever
Tzzzz... Tzzzzz...!!
Azure sparks crackled along Woojin's blade.
With a slight push of force,
Slash—.
The lord's body parted smoothly, like slicing tofu.
[...Kruk?]
As if oblivious even to its own death, it stared blankly at Woojin.
Like a death sentence from the executioner, the system announced its end before its eyes had even closed.
As the Goblin Lord crumbled to ash, a wooden chest appeared in its stead.
The reward chest.
'Beginner dungeon, so nothing impressive inside, probably...'
The moment he reached for it, a chime rang in his ears.
Woojin shook his head.
Admins would find out inevitably, but players were another story.
'My specs are barely mid-30s level at best. If my name leaks, the top ten clans might come knocking.'
He briefly considered recruitment by a top clan but dismissed it.
'Skills and runes from another world. My stats are beyond normal play.'
Leaning on them to dodge interference would only fuel more suspicion.
"Good."
Woojin smirked at the updated board.
"Oh...?"
As the title took hold, a green glow enveloped and dispersed from Woojin's body.
[Swift Hunter]▶ Rank:Heroic▶ Description: Title granted to one who claimed 1st in time attack for Field Dungeon - Goblin Nest via solo play ▶ All Stats:+5▶ Trait:Swiftness - Body speed +10% ▶ Trait:Presence - Monsters take longer to detect you ▶ Skill:Acceleration - Doubles speed of all skills for 1 second ▶ Effect rises each time you update rankings in time attack dungeons
(Note: If another surpasses the title holder's rank, current effects diminish; title may vanish.)
"Ha..."
Woojin was speechless at the title's power.
"Boosts every time I top a board..."
Insane already—shattering the rest? What then?
"Status window."
'Even Faith and Tactics rose—stats runes can't touch.'
Satisfied, Woojin nodded at his stats.
Years into Evil Tail's service, some traits remained mysteries.
Like Faith.
Listed plain as day, yet debates raged on its effects and growth.
'High Faith unlocks second-job holy orders like Saintess or Holy Knight...'
Hypotheses abounded: grow via dungeon relics, undead hunts, and more.
But with no one hitting 99 for second jobs, who knew if Faith even mattered?
'Odd, though. Why assume Faith ties only to holy classes?'
In-game forums treated it like priestly must-have.
Thus, dungeon holy relics fetched sky-high prices.
'Need specific quests or conditions to absorb holy power from relics...'
Consensus theory—but zero proof anyone succeeded.
'Just rumors that top-ten Glory Union—holding most priests—still hoards them, keeping folks hooked.'
The weak's blind faith: if the strong do it, it must be right.
'Glory Union's said zilch on Faith.'
Even if for other reasons, masses couldn't ignore top clans' moves.
'Willing or not, top clans sway hearts. Without someone overpowering them, Evil Tail stays theirs.'
Click—.
Woojin flipped open the reward chest.
Opening reward chests was always a thrill, but low-tier dungeon fare was predictably meh.
One item caught Woojin's eye, though.
'Goblin Lord's mana stone?'
In Evil Tail, mana stones fetched premium prices.
Especially named ones.
'Still... just a Goblin Lord. How much could it go for?'
Even beginner zones teemed with superior magic beasts like nagas or nymphs.
What intrigued him was the prefix.
'Never seen that before.'
Name: Goblin Lord's Swollen Mana Stone Rank: Rare Description: Rare variant from magic beasts slain mid-spell. ▶ Holds over 2x mana of standard Goblin Lord stone. ▶ Handle with care.
▶ Swollen mana may trigger intense explosion with minor force.
▶ [Swollen] effect: Boosts mana gain 1.5x on use.
As he'd suspected, a first-time sight.
"..."
Reading the description, Woojin rubbed his eyes unwittingly.
'...1.5x?'
Mana stones boosted mana by fixed amounts on absorption.
Fixed integers—not multipliers.
'Mages would riot if they knew.'
Multiplying mana stats? Priceless for mana users.
'How'd this stay hidden?'
Woojin pondered, then smirked.
Impossible, that's why.
Dungeons had level caps.
Over level? Entry ok, but no loot drops.
'High-levels could one-shot Goblin Lords easy, but no rewards past cap.'
Even top gear couldn't one-shot at 15—impossible now.
'Probably prepped for next patch.'
Issue: when's the patch?
Months? Years?
'Not the last one.'
"Every remaining dungeon..."
Woojin eyed the board with his record, eyes gleaming.
"I'll shatter them all."