The Corrupted Goblin Mage's Agonized Scream

While hearing the corrupted goblin mage's scream, I thrust the two swords I gripped with all my strength.

'The weakness of typical undead is decapitation or burning them, but artificially created undead require destroying their core, not just severing the head.'

The goblin's body wasn't large, and I remembered roughly where its core was located.

Puuk...!!

As I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠poured strength into the Young Hero's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sword, pzzt--!! clang--!! The worn blade got caught in the goblin's rotten flesh and shattered.

In that instant, shards of the blade exploded inside its body like a whirlwind, and through the shredded flesh, a red core embedded in its chest became clearly visible.

"Gaaahhh!!!"

I gripped Kael's battle sword with both hands in place of the shattered worn blade and slashed from its collarbone straight to its heart with all my might.

Craaaack--!!!

The corrupted goblin mage's red core shattered into pieces against the sword.

[Gu... guk...]

In that moment, along with a flashing alert window, the goblin mage thrashed as if unable to breathe, finally dropping its staff and collapsing to the floor.

Shaaa...!!

With black smoke, its corpse oxidized in an instant, leaving behind a magic stone, a small silver box, and the staff it had wielded.

"Haa, haa, haa..."

Only then did I release the tension from my hands gripping the sword. My wrists felt numb from how tightly I'd been clenching.

"Fuck... I gotta lower the pain sensitivity or something. This is bullshit—playing a game and nearly dying for real."

It had been a fiercer fight than even in my dreams. I practically threw the sword down and slumped to the ground, panting heavily.

"Kuh... kuhehe."

The flood of alert windows and level-up sounds ringing in my ears made me burst out laughing without realizing it.

'Skills can wait until after the first job change anyway, but I didn't expect titles too.'

'Oh... this is good?'

The effects were simple, but incredibly helpful in my current situation. It was like gaining two levels' worth of stat points, but more importantly, it made raising favor with the reclusive Northern tribes much easier—this was the title's true value.

'Normally, at Neutral, reputation quests don't open, so you waste time just hunting for quests. At least from Slightly Friendly, reputation quests start popping up, saving a ton of time.'

I nodded lightly.

I pulled up the next title, First Dungeon Hunter.

'First hunt, huh... Yeah, even the Eight Great Clans couldn't take down a Heroic-grade boss monster.'

Bosses in low-level dungeons topped out at Rare-grade anyway.

'Maybe because it's a server-wide first-clear title, but the effects are insane. Five levels' worth of stat points...'

I smacked my lips reading the title's effects.

'Hunter Guild... Probably not in the North; gotta head central. I'll stop by eventually. That's where he'll be.'

The unexpected title effect brought one person's face to mind.

'Prickly guy... Wonder if Leadership will make him more obedient? Personality's shit, but his skills are top-notch.'

I chuckled thinking of him. Our first meeting in my memories wasn't pleasant, but he'd had my back till the end.

'We'll meet someday.'

But memories were just that. Focusing on reality was key.

'The Eight Great Clans' top players are probably grinding quests and rep for hidden class-related first jobs. Dungeon clears likely wait until their leaders snag first hidden classes.'

Most might think leveling fast for high-level dungeons and gear is better. But top-tier players hit limits with normal classes—regular players couldn't bridge the hidden class gap without billions in cash.

Ultimately, endgame was Eight Clans competing. And they thought alike:

'No one else can clear our dungeons anyway.'

So they prioritized hidden classes over rushing dungeons.

But they didn't know about me.

'I focused on arenas, so my dungeon connections are thin. Large clears need big parties, so arena players like me were excluded.'

I smirked.

'But they never dreamed I'd solo clears with NPCs. Might even sweep first-clear titles faster than them.'

Countless dungeons dotted the continent. Targeting just hidden ones wasn't impossible for me.

"..."

I suppressed a grin, picked up Kael's dropped sword, and turned my head.

'Feat Rankings... DW1 had it optionally, but now it's mandatory? The Eight Clans will flip.'

Rankings fueled competition—more faithful to the core than DW1. Public or not, exact positions were visible, intensifying top-rank rivalries.

"Private."

I decided after a moment. With no clan, early fame made me a target.

Good—changeable. As expected, I nodded.

'DW has full customization: dye weapons, change skin, even face morphs. All cash cows.'

As expected, no one else had hit 1000 Feat Points yet—I was the only one listed.

'Eight Clans will shit bricks seeing this.'

I gazed at the sparkling rankings with a faint smile.

"Sorry. Looks like I took down the goblin mage."

I turned to Kael.

"Nay. I should apologize. My momentary lapse put us in peril. You nearly lost your life aiding me."

Kael took the sword I offered, speaking formally.

"Glad you're alive."

"Nonsense. Even without my interference, you'd have handled it alone."

He shook his head with a faint smile at my words.

"Strong or weak aside, I received your aid—that fact remains. To me, it's a life debt."

'...?!'

I looked at him with slightly widened eyes at the unexpected favor surge.

"I thank thee for thy kindness and admire thy courage. A true warrior's deed."

'Just hoped favor wouldn't drop—didn't expect it to rise.'

I shrugged awkwardly, grasping Kael's extended hand.

'Anyway, now for the important part.'

I eyed the small silver box left by the corrupted goblin mage, smacking my lips.

Monster loot boxes change color by item grade.

'If it's like DW1: gold for Legendary, silver for Heroic, bronze for Rare, wooden for Normal.'

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Minimum Heroic drop, then.

"Mind if I open the box?"

"Of course. You slew it. No interest in monster leavings. Retrieving Gullak's sword suffices."

With Kael's permission, I grabbed the fallen magic stone and nearby staff first.

I couldn't help but be shocked at the regular drop staff's specs.

'Rare-grade with insane options? Young Hero's sword (Heroic) had Attack 150—Magic Power 80 is top-tier Rare for magic damage.'

But beyond attack, the extra ice damage and cast speed caught my eye.

'Considering goblin mages are at least 50+ Heroic-grade, no early-game spot beats this.'

Priceless item. I smacked my lips.

'This'll be fun.'

A use popped into mind, making me chuckle.

I stowed the staff in inventory and seized the box.

I hit [Accept] without hesitation.

Click--!!

The lock released, lid popping open.

Shiiiine...!!

Brilliant light burst before my eyes.

But peering in eagerly, I froze in confusion.

"...Huh?"

Just a worn scroll inside.

"Hm? Guess the goblin only had this old parchment. Chin up, though."

Kael peered in nonchalantly.

But with trembling hands, I seized it.

"...Jackpot."

Red string-bound scroll. Only players would know its meaning.

World Quest Scroll.

The spark of game-changing history.