Oh! Use It, Use It!
Golden-skinned goblin mutant. That's what the hunters called it—the Golden Goblin.
Back when I was active as a hunter, only six had ever succeeded in taking one down. And their common trait? They all skyrocketed to worldwide fame not long after.
They each dominated different fields, but every one of them reached the top of their game. What tied those six together was that before slaying a Golden Goblin, they were just your run-of-the-mill hunters. The kind who'd never once caught anyone's eye.
That only fueled people's curiosity. Their question was simple: What the hell changed to make them that successful?
But the weird part? None of them ever spilled a word about what happened after bagging a Golden Goblin. In this self-promotion era where everyone's bragging about how awesome they are, the fact that they all clammed up made folks even hungrier for the secret. Was it a skill? Some item? No one could figure it out.
Speculation ran wild, but they kept their mouths shut to the end. And after that, no one else ever claimed to spot another Golden Goblin.
It shows up right in front of me?
In that moment, I couldn't hear the horde of goblins shrieking, or feel the massive mana waves from their charge. It was like all the light in the world had vanished, leaving only that bastard shining brilliantly before me.
No, hold up. Skills first—check its skills before I go for the kill!
I shook my head hard to snap out of it and decided to scan its skills first.
To do that...
I had to get close. I glanced at our side's formation, locked in a standoff with the goblin swarm.
Up front, the squad leaders stretched out in a long line, casually loosening up. Twelve C-rank awakeners in total. That was enough firepower to tackle most B-rank dungeons.
No matter how mutated and buffed these goblins were, they topped out at D-rank. Sheer numbers or not, our guys weren't in any mortal peril.
Plus, there's an A-rank mixed in.
I turned my gaze back to the 101 students tensed up behind them.
Nothing for me to worry about there.
Most were new to this, sure, but they had the chops to adapt after a few scraps. Jae-wook caught my eye mid-chaos and flashed a goofy grin.
Damn, what an airhead.
That big dumb bear was a mild concern, but...
Our side looks solid. No need to babysit.
Professors Kim Tae-min and his assistant in the rear? Way beyond my worry level. I'd never gotten close enough to peek at their skills, but...
What the hell are they hiding?
Given how high the average skill level was among this academy's staff, they could handle themselves just fine.
With our formation squared away, I plotted my exit from the battlefield at the right moment to snag that Golden Goblin.
First up: learn Stealth.
I eyed the tall, skinny squad leader. Nothing beat that skill for slipping away unnoticed.
At that moment, Professor Kim Tae-min stared down the goblin horde, their aura surging like they were about to charge.
"How much time until the dungeon entrance opens?"
"About one hour and forty-two minutes left, sir."
Kim Cheon-wook, Professor Kim's assistant and a C-rank hunter. To the public, he was just a recent grad who'd volunteered for the gig. In truth, he was the Thunder Emperor's twelfth disciple.
"Hm, your mana-reading's improved a fair bit."
"Thank you, Master."
Kim Cheon-wook bowed deeply, showing his respect. Professor Kim watched his disciple with a pleased smile, then shifted his gaze elsewhere.
"Cheon-wook."
"Yes, Master?"
"Keep a close eye on that kid."
"Kang Min-ho... you mean him?"
He glanced at the student his master indicated, his face a mix of surprise and unease. His master wasn't the type to take initiative in showing interest in anyone.
"Yes, that's the one."
"...Understood."
He hesitated a moment before bowing again. Professor Kim's lips curved into a faint smile as he regarded his disciple.
"What, does my interest make you uncomfortable?"
"N-no, Master! How could I—"
Startled, Kim Cheon-wook bowed frantically.
"Hahaha, jealous, are we? It's just a spark of curiosity. Don't take it to heart."
"I-I'm sorry."
Professor Kim patted his flustered youngest disciple's shoulder and cast his gaze afar. A shadow of deep regret flickered in his eyes.
"Seeing that kid just reminds me of my first disciple."
"..."
Kim Cheon-wook couldn't lift his head at the unexpected mention—the name of their exiled eldest brother.
"And make sure none of the freshmen get hurt, no matter what."
"Yes, Master."
"Right. We can't afford to lose valuable assets to something like this. Of course not."
He murmured as his eyes took in the long goblin line and the golden one in the center, radiating alien mana.
"Kieeeek!"
At the Golden Goblin's screech, the waiting goblins charged.
"Incoming!"
"Battle stations, everyone!"
"Don't break formation, no matter what!"
The squad leaders' voices boomed over the tightly packed team, huddled like turtles.
"Huff, huff."
I clapped Jae-wook on the shoulder as he caught his breath.
"Don't sweat it. Think of 'em as a beefed-up zombie horde."
"Better than a ghoul swarm, right?"
He grinned at me, all sunshine.
"Heh, yeah."
His tension eased just right. Looked safe to leave him.
I leaned in close and whispered, "If shit hits the fan, forget hiding skills—just survive."
"Huh? Oh, got it."
From his reaction, he had no plans to use Warrior's Cry anyway. What a lovable idiot, still thinking about skill secrecy mid-fight. It was just a C-rank skill anyway.
He acted like someone might steal it. If I showed him my status window, he'd probably faint.
"Kieek!"
"Kraaak!"
"Krooo!"
The Wolf Riders on werewolves hit first. Dozens of the beasts howling as they barreled in—enough to make any thrill ride feel like child's play head-on.
The goblins rode those werewolves like their own steeds, pulling off insane mounted maneuvers—what, wolf cavalry tactics? Anyway, it was flashy as hell, clearly meant to break our morale.
"Where do you punks get off baring your teeth?"
A burly man charged them without flinching—the hairy squad leader I'd been watching.
"Raaah!"
His body tripled in size with a massive roar. He swung his battle axe horizontally in a wide arc.
Whoosh!
The air screamed as the axe cleaved left to right. Three werewolves between him and victory bisected in an instant.
Gigantification into Powerful Strike. A clean combo of two skills.
"Whoa."
It was that slick—straight out of a highlight reel. Nearby werewolves yelped and wheeled away. Goblins clinging on got flung off by the sheer momentum.
"Come to papa, you shits!"
Waiting for them: the man's axe, revved up and hungry.
"Kieek!"
"Ki-ek!"
Slash, slash.
He diced them mid-air and bellowed.
"Uwoooo!"
Warrior's Cry effect: All abilities +10% for 30 minutes.
We're the ones dominating morale here.
The remaining werewolves tucked tail and fled amid the surging aura.
"Kieeeek!"
The Golden Goblin screeched in fury. Instantly, the eyes of goblins across the field turned bloodshot red.
What the—? Mass frenzy?
A goblin shaman exclusive: mass hypnosis that doped them into charging full-tilt until death.
"Yo! These fuckers are juiced!"
"Everyone, forward!"
"Mutants on drugs now? What the hell?"
"Today's your funeral, bitches!"
"Raaah!"
Warrior's Cry effect: All abilities +10% for 30 minutes.
Boosted by another hunter's buff—stackable even from the same skill— the squad leaders surged forward.
Rumble.
The charging goblins all veered to one spot. We'd rigged structures to narrow the entrance, funneling them dead center.
The collision:
BOOM!
A massive explosion rocked the middle.
"Kieeeek!"
"Ugh, what the fuck—these bastards hit hard!"
"Don't let 'em leak back! If we need freshmen backup, I'll die of shame!"
"You handle your shit, asshole!"
The squad leaders held the line with gritty curses, steadily repelling the doped goblins.
Huh, C-rank tanks are no joke.
Tanks got respect from D-rank up. Their skills were efficient, and class gaps weren't huge.
As tanks held front, other classes fanned left and right.
I zeroed in on one scrawny guy in the mix.
Oh! Use it, use it!
In that instant, his form blurred—vanishing from sight.