Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Unique Item (1)
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1.
There were countless reasons why adventurers went wild over the appearance of the Mystic Gate.
For most adventurers—your average ones, at least—the sheer convenience of adventuring was enough to send them into a frenzy.
Before the Mystic Gate showed up, pulling off a proper adventure had been way too damn tough.
Veteran adventurers, though? They saw it differently.
“Beyond the Mystic Gate lie monsters and items unlike anything we’ve ever seen in Maple World.”
They were thrilled by the unknown they could only encounter on the other side.
And that made perfect sense.
‘The unknown is an adventurer’s dream.’
Venturing into uncharted territory no one else had touched—that was the true romance of being an adventurer.
‘But in war, the unknown is a nightmare.’
The problem hit the moment monsters started pouring out from beyond the Mystic Gate.
Maple World was home to plenty of heavy hitters: adventurers, hunters, Cygnus Knights, you name it. Some of them punched way above their weight against monsters.
But that wasn’t just because they were individually strong.
‘Knowledge is power.’
It came down to accumulated experience and know-how.
Hunting monsters over centuries, even millennia, had built up that edge, letting them exceed their raw abilities.
Flip that around, though, and without that experience and knowledge, even the mightiest could crumble like paper.
Maple World learned that the hard way.
Adventurers they trusted, knights, hunters—all of them fell helplessly before monsters from the unknown.
“Green Hob?”
The Green Hob that had just appeared before them was a perfect example.
It wasn’t some monster completely absent from Maple World.
But it was one you rarely ever spotted. Only a handful of adventurers even knew about it.
“Yeah, a Green Hob.”
El Pam knew it well, though.
“It’s strong.”
Very well.
“Stronger than any adventurer warrior here.”
He knew exactly how terrifying the damn thing was.
“And it hunts in packs. That one’s just the scout. There’s at least ten more coming.”
That’s why it clicked for him.
‘So that’s why no one’s ever cleared this place.’
Green Hobs were smart as hell to begin with. Especially in combat, where their instincts were off the charts.
Practically veteran adventurers in their own right.
Not like your brainless brutes that just charged in swinging.
‘They’re clever enough to set traps.’
Hell, Green Hobs could rig up crude but effective traps.
‘They already know adventurers have come in here. But the adventurers... they’re different.’
Meanwhile, the adventurers who’d entered were busy slaughtering each other over that troll bullshit.
‘Total wipe.’
A惨 defeat was inevitable.
The real kicker came after.
‘Then the Green Hobs would’ve looted all their gear.’
These adventurers were elite from their groups, armed to the teeth with top-tier items as proof.
If all that gear ended up in Green Hob hands?
Shit got real ugly, fast.
El Pam knew it better than anyone.
‘The second wave into a failed 100-man Mystic Gate? They’re here for item recovery, not adventure.’
The guys who rushed in after a wipe weren’t chasing thrills.
From the Green Hobs’ perspective? Easy prey walking right in.
‘Not my problem anymore.’
El Pam didn’t dwell on it, though.
He wasn’t here to piece together the before-and-after of his pre-regression days.
Only one thing mattered.
Could El Pam and Dibo take down that Green Hob?
He didn’t agonize over it long.
“Dibo.”
“Yeah, Boss.”
El Pam had his answer the second he laid eyes on the Green Hob.
“Not one minute.”
“So we hold out longer? Hell yeah, bring it...”
“No.”
“Huh?”
“Hold out for thirty seconds.”
2.
Sniff!
A Green Hob—humanoid with green skin, long ears, and a long nose—snuffled coarsely as it prowled through the reed fields.
It didn’t move like your typical monster at all.
Sniff!
Cautious. Quiet.
Every step minimized its presence, more like a seasoned hunter than a beast.
Then its stride halted.
Snuff-snuff!
It snorted like a pig, eyes rolling back as it whipped its head around.
That’s when it saw it.
Whoosh!
A polearm blade streaking down like lightning, aimed straight for its skull.
A flawless ambush.
The kind that should’ve pulverized the Green Hob’s head on impact.
But the Green Hob parried it with its longsword, drawn in a flash.
Clang!
A sharp metallic ring exploded.
Grit!
Amid the echo, teeth ground from the adventurer swinging the polearm—Dibo.
‘Insane!’
One exchange, and Dibo got it.
‘This bastard’s no joke.’
This Green Hob outclassed your average veteran adventurer warrior.
The outcome of that clash was downright shocking.
‘Not just the power.’
Dibo had slammed down with his polearm.
Obvious, but the sheer force of that heavy weapon dropping was worlds apart from a sword strike. Like a massive boulder crashing from above.
Yet the Green Hob blocked it with a single longsword.
Not blocked, exactly.
‘Its technique is nuts.’
Deflected it.
Like swatting a falling boulder aside mid-drop.
Gulp!
Dibo’s throat went dry.
He knew what came next.
‘It’s coming.’
Ambush failed. Now it was a straight-up brawl with the Green Hob.
Sniff!
Right on cue, the Green Hob charged with its longsword, closing the gap.
Going for close quarters.
Smart move.
‘Damn, clever bastard.’
Bad news for Dibo.
Polearms weren’t ideal against a longsword wielder—especially one stronger.
Normally, you’d ditch the polearm for a shield.
Dibo didn’t.
“Come on!”
He met the Green Hob head-on, polearm in hand.
Two reasons.
‘If I can’t handle this, I should quit adventuring and open a bar.’
First: fail at this level, fear this kind of adventure? No point calling yourself an adventurer.
But the second was bigger.
“I’m Dibo, hero of the polearm!”
Confidence.
Confidence he could face this monster with his polearm.
And it wasn’t blind arrogance.
Swoosh!
Dibo thrust his polearm at the approaching Green Hob like a spear.
Swoosh!
Fast. Precise. Right for its head.
Grarl!
Startled, the Green Hob skidded to a halt and rolled aside.
Dibo pursued the tumbling beast.
Another thrust. The Green Hob, off-balance, rolled across the dirt.
Rustle!
Reeds toppled as the Green Hob kept rolling.
That was Dibo’s play.
‘Can’t rely on swings alone.’
Mastering the thrust.
Not a skill you picked up overnight, of course. Even nailing swings took years.
But Dibo wasn’t average.
A short training stint, and he’d reached a level where his thrusts landed effectively against a Green Hob.
Genius at work.
The results spoke for themselves.
Effective, sure—but a few days’ practice wouldn’t let him dominate the thing.
Especially since Green Hobs were clever.
Grarl!
Amid Dibo’s relentless thrusts, it quickly read his timing—and acted the instant it did.
Swoosh!
Dodging the thrust, it sprang up in that split-second as Dibo recovered his polearm.
Grarl!
Longsword forward, it glared at Dibo.
He couldn’t press the attack easily now.
One mistimed thrust, and he’d eat a counter.
Worse, the Green Hob was way stronger.
Head-on clash, raw power exchange? Winner was obvious.
Truth was, fighting like this, the outcome was already set.
‘Straight fight, I lose.’
Dibo knew it.
‘Eh, whatever.’
No sweat, though.
‘Forty seconds.’
Prep was done.
“Boss!”
Whip!
The second Dibo yelled, a rope snaked out like a viper, looping around the Green Hob’s neck.
Gack!
The sudden choke drew a gurgling gasp from the Green Hob.
No creature adapts to having its throat crushed.
Instinct kicked in. It clawed at the rope.
The rope bit deep, but the Green Hob’s strength won out.
It snapped free easily.
Huuuuh!
It sucked in air with everything it had.
Right then, a glob of poison appeared before its nose—and naturally, it inhaled the whole thing.
Not a speck left behind.
Keeeech!
Poison flooding its lungs, the Green Hob vomited blood in one heave.
Not instant death.
“Little shit.”
But with blood spewing and its body numb, facing a pissed-off Dibo? Only one outcome.
Crunch!
Hunt over.
The instant it ended, El Pam and Dibo moved fast, faces tighter than ever.
“Dibo.”
“Yeah, Boss.”
No telling what the fight noise might draw. No time to relax.
Not much they could do, either.
“Gear first.”
So they grabbed the loot.
Dibo snatched the Green Hob’s longsword, then started yanking off its boots.
El Pam checked its fingers and body.
He spotted a ring on one finger—his eyes lit up.
‘A battle skill item?’
Any haul was a win.
Then—
“Gah!”
Dibo yelped in shock.
“Fire Arrow.”
El Pam whipped around, casting Fire Arrow on reflex.
“B-Boss, sorry.”
Dibo faced El Pam, still geared for battle.
“A, a snail just popped out of nowhere.”
His face mixed shame, irritation, anger, embarrassment.
Fair enough.
Jump like a girl at a damn snail?
Maple World snails weren’t your garden-variety mollusks, though.
Fist-sized monsters—or bigger.
Classified as such, they hit harder than expected.
Some packed venom or acidic slime.
Prime examples: red and blue snails. They’d sneak up on sleeping adventurers and leave ’em for dead.
“Fucking snails.”
No adventurer liked ’em.
Dibo sure didn’t.
He raised his foot to crush the snail shell and all.
“Stop!”
“Huh?”
El Pam barked, halting him.
“It’s a flower.”
“Huh?”
“A flower bloomed on the snail.”
“What the...”
To stunned Dibo, El Pam explained.
“It’s a snail pet.”