Chapter 28
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Spotted at the Goblin Village
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They spotted me.
With no other choice, I used the mana I'd been saving to summon two more succubi.
At first, I felt like it was a waste of mana, but now that things had come to this, I figured it was for the best. After all, it would be tough to hold off the orcs while I was out hunting. Better to burn through all my mana for safety.
Paaah!
Sure enough, a beam like something out of a mobile gacha game shot out from the dungeon crystal, and two succubi appeared.
One had short black hair and half-lidded eyes with a cool, detached expression. The other had pink hair and eyes brimming with some unhinged madness.
"Your job from now on is to scout the path to the goblin village and... Got it?"
After explaining at length, I asked if they understood. The short-haired succubus gave a curt "Yes." The one with the mad eyes flashed a creepy smile and whispered, "Of course. I understand everything about Master."
Somehow, these characters felt familiar. I came up with names on the spot.
"Alright. From now on, you're Cool and Yan. Like it?"
"Fine."
"As long as it's from Master, I'm happy with anything."
A chill ran down my spine at Yan's response, but I felt satisfied knowing I'd named them fittingly to their personalities.
"Go! Scout out everything in the goblin village before the weekend hits!"
Cool and Yan flew off toward the nearest goblin village.
* * *
"Alright! Training's over for today. Have a good weekend, and I'll see you all on Monday."
A week flew by in the blink of an eye. Friday night was back. The instructor clocked out right on time at 6:00 p.m., not a second off.
The academy resembled the military at a glance, but it wasn't the army.
For starters, the instructors and assistants were civilians by principle. Most were retired hunters making ends meet after injuries, so they took weekends off as expected.
Trainees got weekends free too. Most headed out for fun or to visit family, though a few model students stayed to train.
I'd been one of the latter.
Honestly, I wanted a break too. The backlog of anime episodes was insane—I'd need the whole weekend just to catch up.
But the moment I saw Assistant Instructor Song's expectant gaze, I couldn't say no.
'How could I refuse when she's giving up her weekend to teach me?'
Today, though, I turned her down flat. It was the day I'd planned to hit the goblin village.
"You're heading home?"
Assistant Instructor Song Hye-rin looked disappointed.
"Yeah. Dad's been saying he misses me too much."
I pulled a sulky face, like I was being dragged there against my will.
"Can't be helped. Alright, have a good trip. Don't forget to practice in your downtime."
"Yes, ma'am. You rest up at home too, Instructor Song. You've barely seen your family because of me."
"Yeah, I should."
She nodded with a strangely wistful expression.
'What's that about? Don't tell me Instructor Song...'
Something was up. If my guess was right, that reaction meant one thing.
'She likes me?'
Yeah, that had to be it. Nothing else explained it.
'First Huh Min-ah, now Instructor Song Hye-rin. Sigh. The curse of being this irresistible.'
* * *
"Alright, geared up!"
I strapped on a bandolier crossing my chest, packed tight with darts.
On my back, a backpack stuffed with rations. One hand held a trident for staff and spear duty. The other gripped a sling as I set out.
I'd stowed bulky stuff like spears and axes in my inventory, prioritizing compact weapons like darts and throwing knives.
Since today's prey was small fry—goblins—light weapons fit the bill better than heavy hitters.
"This the right way?"
"I'll check."
Cool said so and flew up, scanning the surroundings. She came down and pointed slightly left.
"This way, Master."
"Sigh. Wrong turn again."
No paths in sight, and the dense forest made navigation a nightmare. We checked directions every ten minutes.
"This won't do. Too slow like this. Cool, fly up and map the terrain. Then use illusion to show me a map. Like Moe-chan did before. You get it?"
"Yes."
Cool answered shortly and took to the skies. She projected a 3D terrain map just like Moe-chan had.
"Scale it down a bit. Yeah, perfect. Now move the map to the bottom right of my vision... Mark my position and the target? Awesome. Spot on."
As you might guess, I was crafting a full-on RPG minimap.
Making full use of the succubi's flight and illusion skills.
Thanks to that, I navigated straight to the target without getting lost. Cool and Yan looked on the verge of collapse from exhaustion, though.
"Whew. This the place?"
Following the minimap for a full day, I finally reached the outskirts of the goblin village.
It was the closest one around—and the smallest.
The sun had dipped west, sunset fading away. Bedtime approached, but I decided to scout a bit more. Darkness would lower the odds of detection.
'Huh? They're patrolling?'
There had to be a boss-type here. I knew goblin habits inside out. They didn't grasp patrols.
Something smarter was calling the shots. Like a goblin shaman, say.
"Krr, krruk!"
Right on cue, an old goblin with a staff emerged from the central hut.
Unlike the obese, sackcloth-wearing runts, this one was huge—maybe morbidly so—and wore decent clothes.
Two hobgoblins trailed it like bodyguards.
'Goblin shaman, two hobgoblins, about forty regular goblins... Experience points-wise, this'll do nicely.'
Strangely, I didn't feel like I'd lose.
'After the orcs, goblins barely scare me anymore.'
I hid and counted the patrols for exact numbers.
Three per group, five groups on duty. Assuming three shifts, that made about forty-five goblins total.
'Too many for a straight fight. Better pick off patrols in their blind spots.'
Might as well hunt a little. I whispered to Cool, holding the minimap.
"Cool. Overlay goblin movements on the minimap. Rough positions are fine."
A moment later, red dots appeared. Trios circling on patrol. Goblins.
"Full map hack cheat mode."
A group heading out far caught my eye.
I looped around their optimal route. Slipped behind in seconds and unleashed a flurry of three darts.
"Kuk!"
"Kyak!"
"Krruk!"
Three down in a flash. Aimed for throats and lungs to muffle noise. Sounds blended into wind and birdsong.
One by one, I cleared distant patrols. My safe zone grew with each. Soon, I'd dropped nearly all.
'Fifteen down? Thirty left...'
Then it happened. The village stirred. No patrols returning—they'd caught on.
Sure enough, the shaman stepped out, yelling at the goblins.
'Sorry, too late. While you search all night, I'll crash hard.'
Goblins poured out as I pulled the golden key.
Shaman, two hobs, thirty goblins... Too many at once.
Better head home, return tomorrow when they're worn out, and whittle them down via assassinations.
I turned the key.
'Huh?'
Something wrong. The portal that opened fine this morning wouldn't respond.
'What? Why's it busted now?'
[Dimensional interference detected, Master. There's a gate nearby.]
'A gate?'
[Mana waves from near the goblin village. Need to be a safe distance for dimensional travel.]
Gotta back off then. As I turned—
"Kyik! Kikirik!"
"Danger, Master. They spotted you."
Succubus Yan burst from my chest, warning me. When'd she hide there? No time to dwell—I loaded a steel ball into the sling fast.
Three hundred meters out. Cleared trees around the village—no cover. Perfect for sling showtime.
Whirr whirr—
"Kraek!"
Every three seconds, a goblin dropped.
But they were quick. After six shots, they closed to a hundred meters.
I holstered the sling, drew darts.
'Not part of the plan...'
Bottom-right minimap blazed red.
* * *
"Kyaek!"
Goblins sprayed blood and fell with each toss. Dart hits were one-shots, never to rise. Throwing weapons shone here.
But my brow stayed furrowed.
'Too many enemies.'
Six-plus down quick, but twenty-ish remained.
Worse: the shaman and hobs hanging back. The shaman had been muttering a chant.
"Master! Tree behind!"
Yan's heads-up let me dodge the obstacle barely.
'Whew. Fighting while fleeing ain't easy.'
Chased, so retreating while battling. Forest hell—trees, rocks everywhere.
Uneven ground, mossy patches. One slip and down.
'Still, not bad...'
Then the shaman's staff flashed. Yellow mist clung to me.
"Urk! What the—?"
"Slow debuff curse, Master."
No wonder—movements sluggish since the mist. Like swimming through water, resistance everywhere.
"Damn, they'll catch up."
Planned to chip away with superior stats via hit-and-run. Curse wrecked that.
Stopped to throw, they closed fast. Too many for illusion.
Worse, shaman chanted again. Who knew what next? Anxiety spiked.
'No way out like this...'
Checked escape. Gate near village, so flee opposite woods.
'Pitch black.'
Dense trees, new moon—no light. Forest swallowed in darkness.
A plan sparked. I eased speed to let them catch up.
"Krrruk!"
Hypped, they charged close. I slipped into shadows; they plunged in blindly.
Ssshh—
'Stealth ON!'
Presence vanished, blending into dark. Goblins halted, confused, looking around.
I fanned chaos with a spark.
'Illusion.'
Hit a central goblin—made it attack others.
Ambushed from behind, it lashed out wildly. Pitch black—who hit who? Chaos.
Yan's illusions piled on, amplifying.
"Kyak!"
"Krarak!"
Panic set in—they slaughtered each other.
I restocked weapons from inventory. Finished off the wounded—they barely resisted.
Soon, minimap showed just three red dots left.