The Brainwashed Guards

Whoosh! Every swing of the sword made the air scream.

Boom!!

But the monsters struck by those merciless slashes couldn't even cry out. Their bodies swallowed the screams as they burst apart.

"...Feels more like a blunt weapon than a sword."

These weren't weakened foes from a beginner zone anymore, but even in the boundary area, Vulcan's overwhelming attack power and strength stats crushed them effortlessly. The very name "boundary area" meant nothing before him. A simple swing of his longsword mangled them like a flail or exploded them like a blast spell.

Thanks to that, the exploration went smoothly. The monsters couldn't drain his strength at all, and the swarms gathered in areas untouched by players for ages were scouted with Dragon Eye and lured away strategically. He reached the red pillar quickly and safely.

"A rocky mountain?"

But what appeared before Vulcan's eyes was a barren peak, not even covered in trees. A mountain of nothing but rocks, low enough to survey entirely without climbing, with no signs of life scurrying about. To most, it was terrain not worth approaching—just a quick glance from afar.

Yet the red pillar of light was definitely here.

So the task was simple.

"Huh?"

As Vulcan probed the interior, he detected traces of some shamanic spell draped over it. And surprisingly, a red glow began flickering from his own body at the same time.

"Inventory?"

Vulcan tilted his head briefly before it clicked. The Goblin Champion's Longsword. Could that be the key to dispelling the veil?

Linked quests like this often revealed answers along the way, so he immediately pulled it out and gripped it.

'As I thought.'

The red glow on his body shifted to the Goblin Champion's Longsword. His hunch was spot on.

— Hoh, so that's how it is? Up to some sneaky tricks, huh.

"Can you see inside?"

Just as Vulcan stepped toward the barrier, Tud muttered from above, as if spotting something first. Vulcan's own vision was shrouded, unable to pierce it.

— Still can't see, huh? Well, makes sense. A human can't fully digest a dragon's power right away.

It sounded like a jab, but Vulcan wasn't offended. If anything, it fueled his expectations. If Tud could see beyond the veil when he couldn't, maybe he'd gain that ability someday too?

'Just can't digest it fully yet.'

It was entirely plausible. That possibility alone satisfied him. Vulcan stepped through the veil.

— You might wanna hold off on going in right now.

"...?"

Tud's casual warning came too late. The moment his foot crossed the threshold, a power sealed in the Goblin Champion's Longsword unleashed. It interfered with the shamanic energies lunging at him, scattering them.

"!!"

Screeeeech—

The rocky mountain vanished.

But what emerged wasn't welcoming—it was a single sword hurtling straight at him.

"Whoa!"

Vulcan ducked on pure instinct, the reflex that had saved his life countless times.

"Not bad!"

His high defense might've mitigated damage even if it hit, but the strike was fierce enough that dodging required exceptional reflexes regardless of his agility stats.

"Huh?"

Was there something around here capable of that kind of attack? A grin crept onto Vulcan's face from the rare thrill as he looked up to identify his foe.

At that instant, two spears thrust toward him.

"An entrance combo's a bit much!"

Clang!

Despite his grumbling, Vulcan parried them with ease. The timing was solid, but they were the wrong opponents. Brutal close-quarters brawls with heavy-hitting blows were Vulcan's specialty, especially decked out in over-spec gear.

"Knock 'em down first, think later... Huh?"

Regaining his composure, Vulcan finally got a good look at them.

And with it came a peculiar notification.

"Hey? Wait a sec?"

His attackers were none other than the quest targets themselves. Vulcan couldn't help but panic a little.

He'd accepted a quest to find traces or sightings of the three missing guards and report back—only for them to attack on sight.

"Let's talk this out! I'm here on the village chief's request... Whoa!"

Why were they attacking? A trap? Could he fight back? Amid the whirlwind of thoughts, the fierce assaults continued. They weren't impossible to block or dodge, but one wrong move could kill them, making pure defense tricky.

— No use. They're under shamanic control. Words won't get through.

"What? Then what do I do?"

Tud, hovering briefly overhead, offered advice. As expected, they were spellbound. Maybe Tud knew a solution?

Vulcan's hopes were dashed as Tud soared high into the sky instead.

"Ugh, should I just kill 'em?"

Another notification appeared instead. He hadn't reported to the chief yet, but the quest updated.

"Damn. Can't back out now!"

Fleeing would've netted 3 gold and bonuses guaranteed. But digging deeper usually inflated rewards. With a base of 3 gold, what would the payout be? The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠update sharpened his focus.

'The red glow's still there.'

While parrying and dodging, he noted the glow lingered on the Goblin Champion's Longsword. Beyond dispelling the veil, it had another role?

Vulcan quickly checked the item info.

'This maybe?'

One line caught his eye: Nullifies low-level shamanism.

Tud confirmed they were spellbound, so maybe this sword could break it? With no other way to avoid killing them, Vulcan swapped weapons—from Berserker's Longsword to Goblin Champion's.

He twisted his wrist, slapping the flat of the blade across the nearest guard's face.

"Guh!"

"Oh?"

A single blow, yet something astonishing happened. The struck guard crumpled like a puppet with cut strings, knocked out cold.

It was a Unique-grade sword with solid attack power, sure—but against Lv 50 heavily armored guards, no less.

'This is it.'

He'd found the solution. The mental shamanism likely shattered, leaving them unconscious.

"Urgh...!"

With the method clear, subduing them was simple. No need for hard hits—just a tap, and they dropped.

Makes sense; pitting a beginner against three Lv 50 guards would've been unreasonable otherwise. Guards typically out-spec'd their levels anyway.

The fallen guards soon stirred, clutching heads and chests in agony.

"You alright?"

"Ugh! My chest... it hurts so much!"

— Huh? Who the hell forced the spell off like that?

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

Tud, who'd flown up earlier, landed back on Vulcan's head, tilting quizzically.

"Wasn't I supposed to?"

— Not wrong, but breaking an active spell or curse improperly leaves aftereffects. Powerful ones can turn you into an idiot.

"An idiot?"

He thought he'd nailed it, but it was a loophole. Mental spells were rare even to glimpse, let alone experience.

Feeling awkward, Vulcan scratched his head, glancing awkwardly at the pained guards ignoring his mutterings.

— For powerful spells, yeah. This'll just be a lingering headache. But the real issue's the bugs inside them.

"Bugs?"

— Yeah. Goblins implant pain-inflicting, mind-clouding larvae to make shamanism stick better. Weak shamanism gets amplified, and even if broken, they can reapply. Victims might submit to the pain anyway.

"So what now? De-worming pills?"

— De-worming? No idea what that is, but luckily there's a way here.

Thankfully, it wasn't ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠severe. The shamanism was weak, using bugs as medium, and Tud knew the fix.

"What's that?"

— Feed 'em that cold moss nearby. The Pain Eater larvae hibernate below a certain temp. Cool their guts with special herbs to trick their senses.

Just peel the cold moss from nearby trees and feed it. Vulcan knew it only as alchemy fodder; this solo use was new.

No time for doubts. He scraped off moss and stuffed it into the dazed guards' mouths.

"Urgh."

The reaction was immediate. They twitched, then relaxed, twitching ceasing as faces eased.

"No way to kill 'em off besides sleep?"

— Lowly demon larva, vulnerable to even faint holy power. Expose and expel. Rest up, and they'll recover.

Tud even shared the cure, easing Vulcan's worries. Leaving them in goblin turf felt wrong.

"Head back to the village. If pain returns, share this. Report to the chief, get holy treatment. I'll investigate more here."

"Ngh. No, we'll... with you..."

"You'd just hinder me. Going helps."

He handed over remaining moss, ordering them to report. Everything here would wrap before they arrived, of course.

"Understood. We'll never forget this grace."

The battered trio limped out. Boundary monsters might attack en route, but a guard quest would've triggered if risky. Beyond that, Vulcan tuned out, refocusing on the goblin village.

Even deaths en route were unavoidable.

"No internment camp, huh."

Heading inward post-sendoff, he soon spotted the culprits. The rocky mountain revealed a swampy, humid forest hosting a grotesque goblin village. Captives weren't just humans—beasts and monsters drooled mindlessly, bizarre totems of shamanism everywhere.

— Stock up on Pain Eaters. Trash mobs, but dried and powdered in water, neat reagent effects.

"Got it."

Neither Vulcan nor Tud worried. His gear-overpowered combat prowess outmatched them all combined. The equipment gap was so vast, fearing them would've been weirder.

"Hmm. Should've swapped sets."

One concern: shamanism. Physical attacks were negligible thanks to gear, but spells ignored physical defense.

He regretted not grabbing magic-defense gear from storage despite lower defense, but changed his mind. He already had the perfect item.

"Wait... why use just one?"

Goblin Champion's Longsword nullified low shamanism. Grip it, and goblin shamans' spells were null too?

Then another thought: Two hands, two weapons. Why choose between Berserker's and Champion's? No shield anyway.

"Not my first dual-wield. Should manage."

He'd dabbled in dual swords—aka "two-sword style"—for fun before. Why not wield level-appropriates for raw damage, options, and profit?

Gripping both triggered a new alert.

A sinister smile curled Vulcan's lips. As expected, Item Master granted mastery for any weapon—not just swords—matching its rank. Tougher to rank up, but versatile perfection on demand.

"One champion, five shamans, about a hundred regulars, huh."

Confidence surged, but no arrogance. Vulcan scouted the village thoroughly: goblin and thrall counts, positions, Pain Eater farm, champion's quarters.

Quest conditions met. Unexpectedly.

A Main Scenario Quest. He'd pegged it as a hidden beginner village chain, but he'd boarded a massive storyline capable of reshaping the continent—beyond world events.