Chapter 52
Chapter 52
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Capture
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Kim Min-jun stared at the whip, still smeared with goblin blood and flesh.
He hadn't even swung it with full force—just a casual flick—and it had this much power.
Was this what happened when the power of the stars got involved?
"Your weapon seems pretty impressive."
"Even with a good weapon, who does that with a whip? High strength stats shouldn't make it work like that... Anyway, you handled it well."
"Thank you, sir."
During the fight, the platoon leader had noticed Kim Min-jun breaking formation and was about to warn him.
But he'd wondered what the guy was up to, only to see him spot and take out the ranged goblin.
*Ranged types have a habit of hiding behind structures, which makes them time-consuming to deal with.*
Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min announced to the platoon that they'd adjust formation since ranged goblins were mixed in.
"There were ranged types? I had no idea...."
"Min-jun took them all out with his whip. I only noticed midway through."
"Whoa... For real? According to the manual, we should clear the regular goblins first before dealing with them, right?"
"I caught a glimpse earlier—his whip was wriggling around like a snake."
The platoon members watched Kim Min-jun with wide-eyed curiosity for a moment.
"Alright! Re-form ranks to prepare for the second wave! Move out!"
"Yes, sir!"
They shifted formation on the platoon leader's orders.
"Intel says they're swarming deeper inside the dungeon. Make sure not a single one survives!"
"Understood!"
Dungeons where goblins appeared became dangerous if left unchecked for too long.
The creatures multiplied explosively at regular intervals.
If the overgrown horde ever burst out of the dungeon, dealing with them got a lot trickier.
"Is the special gas ready?"
"Yes, sir! All set!"
"All hands! Don your gas masks!"
"Understood!"
After finishing the first wave, the platoon moved deeper into the dungeon, but no goblins showed up at the expected spots.
Following protocol, Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min prepared the special gas to flush them out.
The first-wave goblins had charged mindlessly, but the ones deeper in were intelligently trying to lure the platoon inside.
"No need to step into their home turf. Lob the special gas!"
"Special gas away!"
Whoosh! Thunk!
On Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min's command, a few hunters hurled the grenade-like special gas canisters.
Pssshhhh—
No sooner had they rolled inside than yellowish smoke began billowing out.
Unlike the gas used in hunter mobility drills, this stuff could actually harm you.
"Kieek! Kek!"
"Grrrk...."
As the smoke spread, the goblins lurking silently inside clutched their throats and stumbled out.
Some scratched frantically at their bodies; others foamed at the mouth.
That was how potent the special gas was.
"Finish them off like this! Stow your primary weapons and use only batons to strike!"
"Yes, sir!"
There were good reasons hunters mainly used military knives or spears.
If they'd deployed the special gas from the first wave, it would've been easier—but each of those little cans cost 8 million won.
Mana rounds were expensive too, since they required mana stones to produce.
In the end, it all came down to money.
"Forty-eight goblins down! All five ranged types confirmed eliminated!"
"Double-check every corner! Not a single one can be left alive!"
"Yes, sir!"
After wrapping up the second wave smoothly, the platoon scoured every nook and cranny of the dungeon to ensure no goblins survived.
"Don't drop your guard. Hold position for now."
"Yes, sir!"
Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min pulled out his radio and reported to the command center.
"Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min here! Second Platoon's dungeon is cleared clean! Yes, sir! We'll withdraw immediately!"
After the report, he ordered the platoon to pull out.
"The other platoons are clearing their dungeons without issues too. We'll head outside and—"
Before he could finish, a support request came in from the command center.
"Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min here! Yes, sir! Third Platoon? They've got an Irregular? We're on our way!"
Word was, an Irregular monster had just appeared in Third Platoon's dungeon.
It was a goblin the size of an orc—a Big Goblin.
"Support request from Third Platoon! Load mana rounds and move to that dungeon!"
"A B-Big Goblin?"
"Why'd it have to be a Big Goblin... Wasn't there one two years ago?"
The mention of Big Goblin put the platoon on edge.
Goblin in name only—it was as tough and strong as the burliest orcs.
Two years back, it'd taken a full company dumping mana rounds like crazy just to kill it.
"Other platoons are wrapping up to join us! Third Platoon already inflicted heavy damage, so we just need to finish it off! Move!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Got it!"
**
*Whoa. Definitely a big bastard.*
By the time Second Platoon arrived, the Big Goblin was wheezing on the brink of collapse.
Kim Min-jun eyed the beast—several times bigger than an orc—with sparkling interest.
"Second Platoon here! We got the heads-up from command and came to support!"
Third Platoon's hunters had exhausted their mana rounds and were just waiting for it to drop.
Rushing in recklessly could mean eating a punch from the thing.
One hit could be instant death, so they kept their distance and watched warily.
"Y-Yeah! Perfect timing! Just finish it off!"
Third Platoon's leader said they'd burned through their ammo with no spare mags.
"Got it! Leave it to us! Second Platoon, form firing line!"
"Firing line up!"
On Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min's order, the platoon formed ranks.
"Load mana rounds and fire at will! Don't skimp—keep pouring it on till it drops!"
"Understood!"
Boom! Kaboom!
The dungeon shook with thunderous blasts.
"Groooar... You humans...."
Even in exhaustion, the Big Goblin crossed its arms to weather the mana rounds.
"Never seen a tougher bastard. Two platoons unloading on it, and it's still up...."
Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min scowled at the unyielding Big Goblin.
"Backup platoons will arrive soon, so we'll keep our distance too and—"
"ROOOAR!"
"What the—?!"
Before he could finish, the Big Goblin made its move.
It lurched to its feet and charged straight for the dungeon entrance.
"That sneaky fucker! It was playing possum! Everyone out! Get outside!"
"Retreat! Fall back!"
The hunters bolted for the exit.
Mana rounds were the only effective weapon against it right now.
With ammo depleted, retreat was the best play.
"Kim Min-jun! Even you can't take that thing!"
Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min yelled at Kim Min-jun, who was advancing instead, to fall back quick.
"Letting it escape outside is way more dangerous! Leave it to me!"
"W-What? That's suicide! Even for you, no!"
"I'm good! You all pull back first!"
*You guys get out of here. I'll handle this one.*
*Man, wonder how many performance points I rack up for bagging this guy.*
Kim Min-jun grinned brightly and swung his whip at the charging monster's heavy footfalls.
*With Magic Whip on top, this'll sting like hell.*
Crack!
"GRAAAAAH!"
One lash from Kim Min-jun tore chunks of flesh off the Big Goblin.
"Feels good!"
Slash! Crack!
Each swing sent the Big Goblin thrashing in agony.
"Add a wrist snap like this!"
"GRAAK! GRAAAAAH!"
*Perfect. Not killing it.*
Kim Min-jun's whip mastery, the high-quality whip, and Magic Whip synergized beautifully.
"Y-You human! I was wrong! Please! P-Please... stop!"
The pain was so bad, the goblin was even signaling surrender.
"Oh? For real? Hmm... Stats or performance points...."
Kim Min-jun beamed down at the trembling heap on the ground.
"Performance points win. Hey. You know what happens if you try anything stupid, right?"
"Y-Yeah! Human! I'll obey!"
"Stay right there like that. Got it?"
Kim Min-jun stepped outside and reported the live capture.
"What? Live capture? That possible...?"
Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min and Third Platoon's leader cautiously entered the dungeon at his words.
"Speak."
"I s-surrender! I'll obey humans!"
"......"
"Wha... What the hell...."
The platoon leaders gaped at the Big Goblin, utterly broken of its will to fight.
"You captured a Big Goblin—an Irregular—alive?"
"Min-jun. What... how the hell...?"
"Hit it a few times with this, and it begged to surrender."
"...Holy shit."
They clicked their tongues at the whip crusted with goblin flesh and blood.
Live captures scored way higher performance points than kills.
And this wasn't just any monster—it was an Irregular.
A Big Goblin, no less.
The kind said to be impossible to capture alive.
*Jackpot....*
Only three Big Goblins had ever been captured alive.
They rarely showed up, especially not in low-rank dungeons.
"Lieutenant Kim Cheol-min here! We've live-captured the Irregular monster, Big Goblin! Requesting monster capture team and special transport vehicle!"
-What? Live capture? A Big Goblin? You sure?
"Yes, sir! Positive!"
Command was so stunned by the live capture report that they double-checked.
*Ooh. Their reaction says it was tougher than I thought.*
Tough hide, for sure.
I'd gone all out, and it surrendered instead of dying.
*Wonder how many points this nets me.*
Kim Min-jun smirked at the Big Goblin still huddled in the corner.
**
Back at the barracks after the dungeon clear.
"No way... That make sense?"
"Right? It's nuts."
"Even after blasting it with mana rounds, Min-jun stopped it solo?"
The squad mates gawked at the Big Goblin being loaded onto the special vehicle.
Above all, the live capture was unbelievable.
"It was barreling at us like it wanted to flatten everyone, then what happened inside?"
"Platoon leader said a few whip cracks and it surrendered."
They were dying to know what went down in the dungeon, but Kim Min-jun wasn't back at the barracks yet.
He'd been summoned to the platoon leader's office.
*Wonder what they'll give me this time.*
Meanwhile.
Kim Min-jun waited alone in the platoon leader's office.
*Dunno if this merits corporal, but...*
Live-capturing a Big Goblin was huge, but special promotions were subjective.
*They'll give me something, at least.*
He sipped his tea, thinking that, when—
Ding.
"What the? Never seen this skill before."
A message popped up in front of his eyes.