Chapter 9
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Whoa, It Actually Works?
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Whoa, this actually works?
“Cough—ptui!”
Kim Cheol-min spat out phlegm mixed with blood and stuck a cigarette in his mouth. His lip was torn from getting hit by Lee Joo-hyuk, but that didn’t mean he could quit smoking over a little pain.
His pride was in tatters, and he was on edge.
‘Damn it, no way I lost to that pathetic otaku bastard…….’
Kim Cheol-min still couldn’t believe it.
“But seriously, you think that guy will show? An otaku keeping his loyalty?”
“Doesn’t matter. If he doesn’t, his friend dies.”
Kim Cheol-min glared murderously at the rooftop door. He and the delinquents who’d helped him yesterday had set up camp on the roof, waiting for Cha In-hyeok.
As far as he knew, O Deok-hun was Cha In-hyeok’s one and only friend. If Cha In-hyeok had any sense of loyalty, he’d come to the roof in his friend’s place.
“But what the hell happened yesterday? How’d you get knocked out by an otaku?”
“……That bastard hit me in the back of the head with a rock, I told you. Fucking prick. If he shows, I’ll kill him.”
“How do you know it was a rock if he hit you from behind?”
“I just know, you idiot! Shut up and grab your weapons.”
Stung, Kim Cheol-min yelled for no reason. He pointed at the wooden bat wrapped with tape for a handle, telling them to gear up.
“It’s just a basic otaku. Do we really need bats?”
“Don’t let your guard down. He’s not normal. There’s something off about that guy.”
“I’ve always wondered—why do you hate him so much?”
“Eh, how do I put it? Just looking at him pisses me off. That shady vibe makes me feel shitty too. Unlucky? Creepy? Anyway, he gives me the creeps.”
The delinquents were grabbing weapons and stretching when a scream suddenly echoed from downstairs.
“Kyaaah!”
“G-Goblin!”
* * *
“Ow…… I’m so tired.”
Huh Min-ah dragged her weary feet up to the fourth-floor classroom.
She was still only a sophomore, but with the seniors taking their college entrance exams, she’d officially started cramming mode. Morning classes started an hour earlier, and they ended an hour later.
Sleep was in short supply. Her half-closed eyes missed the blue sparks flickering on the mid-level stair landing—one of the classic signs of a gate opening.
Crackle—!
She only noticed the gate after stepping onto the fourth floor. Turning at the beastly growl behind her, Huh Min-ah froze like a statue.
She’d locked eyes with a green monster emerging from the gate.
“Grrr!”
“Kyaaah!”
“G-Goblin!”
The three goblins’ eyes fixed on her. They grinned sleazily, like predators spotting prey, and drew their daggers.
They looked ready to pounce any second. She knew she had to run, but her feet wouldn’t move.
‘How…… Mom.’
She knew she had to dodge, but her body wouldn’t obey. All she could do was squeeze her eyes shut.
Just as terror gripped her and she braced to die, someone yanked her back from behind.
“Gasp!”
Huh Min-ah’s eyes flew open in shock. A blade flashed right in front of her face, barely grazing past overhead.
Thud!
Whoever had pulled her embraced her from behind and tumbled to the floor.
“Keeek!”
Furious at the miss, the goblin leaped high, dagger poised to strike down.
“Kyaa—ahh!”
Before Min-ah could scream, the person behind her rolled them both aside, dodging the attack.
Mid-roll, he released her to keep tumbling alone, then sprang up to block the goblin’s path.
“Ugh…… dizzy.”
Even as her vision spun, Huh Min-ah stared at her savior. She hoped it was a man with a mana crystal who could definitely take down the goblin.
But the guy in front of her was small and scrawny, with thin arms that screamed “never works out.”
Disappointing. She knew she shouldn’t feel that way after being saved, but she couldn’t help it. No matter how she looked, this guy seemed weaker than the goblin.
And there were multiple goblins—with knives, no less. No chance of winning. Not just him, but she’d die too.
‘Mom…… I’m scared.’
Hugging her shoulders, Min-ah suddenly realized she was clutching something.
A name tag. She must’ve grabbed and torn it off him unknowingly during the roll.
‘Cha…… In-hyeok?’
That was the guy’s name.
* * *
What do I do?
I’d saved her in the heat of the moment, but facing three goblins alone made my heart pound like mad.
I glanced around for help, but the hallway was empty—everyone must’ve bolted.
‘Damn it. Should’ve run too?’
Of course, then the girl behind me would’ve been goblin chow, torn apart alive.
If I couldn’t win here, I’d end up as the human buffet next.
No way was I going down easy. I snatched a small fire extinguisher from the hall and yelled back.
“I’ll hold them off! Run down the other stairs!”
“Huh?”
“Can’t fight while protecting you—go, now!”
“Y-Yes!”
The girl bolted without looking back. Kinda hurtful. Couldn’t she hesitate a bit? At least ask my name. I’m her lifesaver……
No time to sulk, though. The goblins charged, hyped up now that she was gone.
“Kee-hee—!”
Why’s this hallway so damn wide? Even with three goblins rushing at once, there was plenty of room.
Dodging the onslaught, I slid into a classroom. Then hurled the extinguisher at the face of the one following.
“Kee-ek!”
“Okay. One down!”
One out of commission. Now it’s 2v1. I toppled desks wildly, retreating to the back of the room.
The goblins tripped over desks, snarling in frustration. Dodging by a hair, I reached the rear.
Grabbing the mop there filled me with confidence. Less power maybe, but the handle was way longer than their daggers. First strike advantage—mine.
“Kyaak—gack!”
A goblin vaulted the desks.
I swung the mop at its head without hesitation.
It flew sideways, slamming into a desk. Temple hit clean—went limp, out cold.
“Phew. Now it’s fair.”
“Ki, ki-hik!”
I could feel the last goblin’s panic. It hadn’t expected its buddies to drop so fast.
Time to finish. I strode forward. They weren’t dead yet. Could wake up and counter anytime.
‘Gotta cut ’em off before that.’
Then—bang—the classroom’s back door burst open. Three more goblins slunk in, grinning wickedly. Back to 4v1 in a flash.
“Kikik!”
The goblin that’d been panicking switched to mocking me. I muttered pathetically without thinking.
“How about we call it a tie?”
“Kiaak!”
“Yeah, figured not?”
* * *
“Ki-hihik!”
The goblin with the white face tattoo grinned slyly and raised its dagger.
The human had been tricky, but numbers win out. Surrounded on all sides, it lost the will to fight and backed away hesitantly—like a frightened deer.
No mercy, though. Goblins got crueler the more scared the prey was. Same here.
It dodged the human’s stick swing easily and lunged, stabbing the dagger into its chest.
“Gasp!”
The human froze like stone, offering no resistance. As the goblin smirked and went for another stab, a human voice came from behind.
“Where’re you looking? That’s just my afterimage.”
“Kik—!?”
The stabbed human smiled and dissolved into smoke. The goblin whipped around in horror—the human stood there unscathed, mocking it.
“Kieek!”
Looking back, the stab hadn’t felt right. Like stabbing air.
Realizing the trick, it charged again, thrusting the dagger deep.
Squelch!
This time, it felt real. Flesh and blood parting.
But the human turned to smoke again—and in its place, a wide-eyed yellow goblin appeared, dagger in its throat.
“Wow! You fall for it easier than I thought?”
The goblin fell into chaos. Why did the human keep coming back to life? Why were innocent allies dying instead?
“What’re you doing? Snap out of it. Two more to go.”
Looking up, a human man and woman stood at the door, swords drawn. As it hesitated, a fellow goblin approached from behind with a stick.
Good. Backup still alive.
They charged the humans together. The humans fought fiercely, but couldn’t beat goblins who’d leveled up from killing their ally first.
Its fellow goblin took down the other human easily too.
“Kikik! Ki-hihik!”
Victory.
A bit confusing, but satisfying hunt.
The pride didn’t last. The human it had felled turned into a goblin.
“Grr?”
As the goblin struggled with confusion, its nearby ally slyly raised a stick. Then……
Whack!
The goblin crumpled to the cold floor from the blow. Even closing its eyes, it never figured out what happened.
* * *
“Whoa, this actually works?”
I chuckled hollowly at the results of my Illusion skill.
Illusion was better than I’d thought. Used right, it could turn an enemy completely to my side, just like now.
Maintaining Illusion while fighting wasn’t easy, though. Multitasking two things at once was key. Luckily, I was a pro at that.
“Reminds me of those days multitasking games and anime. Heh. Who knew lack of free time would pay off like this. Life’s unpredictable.”
Anyway, leveled up—goblins feel easier to handle now.
‘Wait, they really are easier?’
These guys…… slower and frailer than yesterday’s goblin.
That one took forever to kill even with rocks. These dropped after one or two hits.
‘Whatever. Weaker’s better. Less risk.’
Nodding to myself, I finished off the surviving goblins. Level-up message followed.
[Level Up!]
[Cha In-hyeok. Lv 5. (3.9%)] [Mana 1/5]
[Strength 14, Agility 14, Vitality 11, Intelligence 20]
[Unallocated Stat Points: 8]
[Monsters available for revival as limbs exist. Revive Goblin(★)?]
“Goblin here? Is that okay?”
[King’s limbs revive in the Demon King’s Castle by default. To summon minions where the master is, raise Demon King’s Castle level first.]
“So not helpful right now? Pass, then.”
Dumped points in stats right away. Never know when more goblins show.
[Cha In-hyeok. Lv 5. (3.9%)] [Mana 1/5]
[Strength 16, Agility 16, Vitality 15, Intelligence 20]
Awakened just days ago, and already level 5. No clue if that’s fast or slow compared to others, but I was growing steadily for sure.
“Alright. One step forward today.”