The Taste of a Blue Goblin Outpost
After finishing my conversation with Han Suchang, the HR team leader, I stopped by the general shopping center again.
Was this not the place you visited earlier?
“I still have a few things to buy.”
Mid-grade Potion (2) — 100 million won.
Byproduct Collection Kit (1) — 20 million won.
The mid-grade potions were insurance in case something unexpected happened. The byproduct collection kit included things like a butchering knife and blood extraction tools—basically equipment for harvesting valuable parts from monster corpses.
If I use Devour to absorb the entire essence of a species, I might as well salvage whatever’s left of the carcass, right?
Thanks to the Pocket of Desire I received as a reward for taking first place in the tutorial, collecting byproducts had become much easier.
I left the remaining 400 million won untouched in my bank account. I’d need more money if I wanted to buy decent gear.
Accessories like rings and necklaces started at a minimum of Magic grade. Normal and Uncommon grades didn’t even exist, and even Magic-grade accessories were expensive for how mediocre their performance was.
It would be far better to save up and buy at least Rare-grade equipment.
I should’ve memorized a few companies worth investing in. I remembered several events that had a massive impact on the domestic economy, but they were all still years away, so there was no point in worrying about them right now.
When the whole world was collapsing, who the hell had the mental bandwidth to research investment opportunities after regressing?
Shaking off the lingering regret, I finished preparing to re-enter the tower.
It seems we must return to the Tower of Babel.
“Why?”
Did we not emerge from that place?
“Ah, that’s only for the tutorial.”
I lightly shook my smartphone. Among the countless apps installed on it, one icon shaped like a tall tower stood out.
“Just tapping this once is enough.”
Smartphones, computers—any device capable of transmitting Wi-Fi signals could connect to the tower.
How fascinating.
“It’s just one of the Old Gods’ tricks to make entry convenient.”
The Tower of Babel was essentially a giant Wi-Fi repeater. Once players finished the tutorial, they could challenge the tower’s missions from anywhere as long as they had a suitable device.
The more players connected at once, the faster the assimilation rate rose.
I pressed and held the app icon.
Launching Babel Tower Connection Application.
The space currently occupied by the user is stable.
Connection will proceed normally.
The only floor available for challenge is Floor 1.
Would you like to challenge Floor 1?
[Y/N]
I tapped the Y button. A spinning circle appeared in the center of the screen.
Matching for Floor 1 mission in progress.
Matching range — Global Server
[2/5]
[4/5]
[5/5]
Matching complete. Global Team (463).
Floor 1 mission will begin in 60 seconds.
That was fast.
The number 463 referred to the total number of teams currently attempting Floor 1 at the same time. Since each mission was handled individually, it didn’t really mean much.
I rolled my neck from side to side. A satisfying series of cracks rang out as my body loosened up.
You are attempting it again.
“I still have to keep my promise to the goddess, don’t I?”
This goddess shall place her faith in you alone.
The moment the timer on the smartphone screen hit zero, a blinding light surged out from the display and enveloped my entire body.
* * *
Harry Diaz, a Hispanic American, had cleared the tutorial stage just a few days ago.
Now that he was a proper player, Harry was overflowing with confidence.
I can become famous too!
His goal was to succeed as a player and win the adoration of the masses. After memorizing the strategy guides until he could recite them in his sleep, he finally challenged Floor 1.
Harry opened his eyes.
Chirp! Chirp!
The sound of birdsong filled the air as a massive mountain dominated his vision.
Floor 1 of the tower. The mission location—Mount Dreynak.
Babel Tower — Floor 1
You have entered Mount Dreynak.
Mission — Red Goblin Extermination
For countless years, the Red Goblin tribe has ruled Mount Dreynak as its dominant force.
Topple the goblins’ reign and restore peace to the mountain’s inhabitants.
Many races on this mountain are hostile toward the Red Goblins.
Understanding the interests of each faction will aid you in destroying their stronghold.
▶ Objective: Collapse of the Red Goblin Stronghold
The mission will begin in 5 minutes.
Please prepare equipment, role assignments, or gather information before the mission starts.
Once the allotted time passes, the stage will resume its normal flow.
A blue barrier surrounded the area. Inside it, the players selected as teammates for this mission had gathered in one place.
“Whoa, you really can enter through a phone?”
“I came in through my PC.”
“Excuse me, we’re not supposed to speak English right now, correct?”
The players chattered away in their own languages. Floor 1 missions matched players from all over the world, so multinational teams like this one were common.
Some people formed teams offline and challenged it together, but for solo players like Harry who weren’t in a guild, this would become a frequent occurrence.
I need to take the lead here.
Floor 1 was completely different from the tutorial. It was a difficulty level that required five teammates to coordinate perfectly to clear.
Harry had read the strategy guide five times before hitting the match button. There were still five minutes left until the mission started—plenty of time to coordinate with the team.
He approached the nearest person.
“You’re Asian, right?”
“I’m Korean.”
“Oh, nice to meet you. I’m Harry.”
“Yu Jinho.”
“Since we’re on the same team, let’s do our best.”
Harry extended his hand. Jinho stared at it for a moment, then turned his head away.
“What a shy guy.”
Harry awkwardly withdrew his hand and moved on to the next teammate.
“Hello. I’m Mei Lang, from China.”
“Peter, from England. Nice to meet you.”
“I’m…”
After greeting all the matched teammates, Harry clapped his hands twice to draw everyone’s attention.
“I’m sure you’ve all read the strategy guide, but just in case, I’ll give a quick briefing.”
The Red Goblin stronghold cannot be cleared with the power of ordinary players.
Therefore, to complete the mission, we must use the other factions living on the mountain.
The available factions are as follows:
Plan A. Blue Goblins (Difficulty: Low)
Plan B. Enslaved Trolls (Difficulty: Medium)
Plan C. Alliance of the Light Forest (Difficulty: High)
The man spent a long time explaining the Floor 1 strategy.
“Everyone understand?”
“Yes.”
“We’re going with the first option, right?”
The Chinese player, Mei, raised her hand to ask a question.
“Of course. It’s the easiest method out of the three.”
“And you’ll be the leader, mister?”
“Mister…”
Harry made a pained expression. The British player, Peter, chuckled.
“You should take the lead, mate. Better to listen to the most proactive one among us.”
“Thank you. Is that alright with the gentleman from Korea as well?”
Jinho remained silent. Harry took that as tacit approval.
5 minutes have passed.
Floor 1 mission is now beginning.
We wish you all the best of luck.
The blue barrier surrounding them vanished.
“First, we need to locate the Red Goblin sentries. Move carefully—”
Harry’s voice trailed off.
His eyes widened. Reflected in his retinas was the sight of Jinho sprinting toward the eastern side of the mountain.
“Yu Jinho?!”
“Wait, isn’t that the direction of the Blue Goblin stronghold?”
“If we provoke the Blue Goblins, won’t we be unable to use the first plan?”
The team members fell into panic, only able to glare at each other.
Harry was the first to regain his senses. He ran after Jinho, trying to stop him.
“Huff, huff.”
But even though Jinho had taken a single light step, Harry needed five strides just to keep up. The distance between them grew rapidly.
Jinho suddenly glanced back.
“Just stay put.”
“What?”
“Don’t interfere.”
He spat out those indifferent words and completely vanished from the team’s sight.
The remaining players stared at his retreating figure with dazed expressions.
A moment later.
“Crazy troll bastard.”
The British player cursed.
“Mister, what do we do now?”
“J-just give me a second. I need to reorganize my thoughts…”
Harry’s eyes darted left and right as he desperately tried to recall the strategy guide he had memorized.
* * *
I kicked off the ground and sprinted forward.
Contractor, is it truly acceptable to abandon them like this?
“I’ll explain later.”
A hint of boredom seeped into my voice.
The standard strategy? Sure, following the advice of the pioneer players would make things safer. But if I cleared it exactly as instructed, the rewards would be reduced.
The core of this mission was how many Red Goblins I killed. Separate from destroying the stronghold, the score was determined by the number of goblin heads I claimed.
“If I make the two tribes fight each other, my share will shrink.”
I see. How very like you.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Why ask this goddess? You should know yourself better than anyone.
Why did that sound so strangely ominous?
I wanted to press Nyx further, but I kept my eyes fixed forward. There was one more reason, but I couldn’t exactly say it out loud.
I recalled a connection from my previous life.
The Monarch of Destruction, Sergey. A Russian player and one of the few others who had earned the title of Monarch, just like me.
Before I regressed, Sergey had shared several opportunities he had obtained. One of them was hidden on Floor 1.
Hey, when you go back to the past, make sure you get that.
When we were gathering the holy relics needed for regression, he had emphasized Floor 1’s reward multiple times.
Alright. I’ll make sure to claim the opportunity you told me about.
A three-meter-tall wooden tower stood atop a hill. Below it, crudely built wooden fences were scattered about.
It was a goblin forward base.
“Kiiik, kik!”
“Kik, intruder!”
Green monsters wearing blue headbands on their foreheads. Blue Goblins had spotted me.
The one standing atop the tower raised the alarm. The goblins inside the base immediately prepared for battle.
“Kiiik!”
“Kik, kiiik.”
The horde of goblins simultaneously put the tubes hanging from their necks to their mouths. The ends of the tubes pointed straight at me.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
Tiny needles flew toward me with faint sounds.
Contractor, what are those tiny things?
“Poison darts.”
They were needles coated with a paralyzing toxin made by mixing poisonous plants with goblin blood.
What treacherous creatures. To use poison!
“They’re just weak, that’s all.”
With that many of them using poison, is it not somewhat dangerous?
I answered by covering my entire body with Thorn Armor.
Ting! Ting!
The poison needles bounced off in every direction without reducing the armor’s durability by even 1%.
The reason goblins used poison darts was simple. They were physically weak.
A goblin’s physical abilities were even lower than the Silver Fang I had faced in the tutorial. Only when combined with poison darts and their familiarity with group tactics did they become slightly more dangerous than a Silver Fang.
But their main weapon, the poison dart, didn’t work on me at all?
“These guys are officially my prey now.”
I dropped straight into the middle of the goblin horde.
My claws drew a diagonal line through the air. With a single use of the Blood Claw Technique, green blood sprayed everywhere.
“Kiiik! Five are down!”
“Kik! Kill him!”
The Blue Goblins swung clubs and stone knives at my legs.
Clang! Clang!
Thorn Armor durability has decreased by 1%.
Thorn Armor durability has reached 0%…
A message flickered every time the goblins struck. Yet even while surrounded and attacked, the durability loss was almost nonexistent.
If I had reinforced it with Greed’s Protection, it probably wouldn’t have even gotten scratched.
The ability I created by combining Thorn, Armor, and Iron Scales. Although it hadn’t reached three stars yet, its durability alone already surpassed Magic-grade equipment.
“Looks like grinding for essences was worth it.”
I grinned and manifested the power of Polar Night.
Shhhk—!
Blades materialized through Dark Dominion. The black blades that erupted from beneath my feet slaughtered every goblin within ten meters.
Whoosh!
A goblin from farther away shot another poison dart.
Blood Claw Technique
My claws read the trajectory of the dart fired from the tube and deflected it with perfect precision.
It does not seem like an attack that could harm you, yet you still go through the trouble. Is there a reason?
“I need to raise my mastery of the Blood Claw Technique.”
Martial arts comprehension. Parrying attacks or reading trajectories like this increased mastery much faster.
Ten seconds. That was how long it took to wipe out the Blue Goblin horde.
Contractor! One of them is escaping!
Ah, I suppose I should correct myself. Since I let one live, it wasn’t a total annihilation.
“It’s fine to let it go.”
Will they not strengthen their defenses once they learn of the intrusion?
“That’s exactly why I let it escape.”
The Blue Goblins controlled most of the eastern side of the mountain. There were dozens more forward bases. There was no way I was going to waste time searching for every single one.
“It’s much easier to gather them all in one place and clean them up at once.”
When I see things like this, I cannot tell who the real monster is.
Nyx’s lament(?) made the atmosphere of the devastated forward base feel even heavier.