Chapter 16
Chapter 16
-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 16
>Chapter Title: The Beginner Killer
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 16
-Supreme Shield LV9
>-Brow Snapper LV9
>-Yubinpoof LV9
>-Kaiser LV9
They had all leveled up a whopping five more times to reach level 9.
Of course, not all level 9s were created equal.
While they had gained 25 points, Do-hyun had earned 35.
Even in the early game, he was already 10 points ahead.
[Player: Kaiser]
>[Level: 9]
>[HP: 1,170 / 1,200]
>[MP: 120 / 250]
>[Stamina: 100 / 230]
>[Class: The Last Adventurer [Apostle of Kasiyar]]
>[Titles (2)]
>- Max Affinity from the Start?
>- First Slayer
>[Stats]
>[Strength: 28(+22)] [Agility: 27(+20)]
>[Vitality: 5(+19)] [Senses: 16(+18)]
>[Mana: 5(+18)]
>Remaining Points: 0
This time, Do-hyun invested 14 points each into strength and agility, and 7 into senses.
He still hadn't felt any issues with his vitality.
‘These are level 9 stats... Talk about overpowered.’
No wonder the goblins melted away with a single critical hit.
But that wasn't the end of it.
[Swordsmanship Proficiency LV6]
>[Dagger Mastery Proficiency LV3]
>[Blunt Weapon Proficiency LV4]
>[Poison Needle Proficiency LV2]
Hunting while switching between all four weapon types had raised his proficiencies across the board.
Even accounting for his skill with them, the growth rate was abnormally fast.
It was a weapon master perk allowing explosive proficiency gains.
Combined with First Slayer and the necklace, it meant pure burst damage.
Proficiency increases boosted damage too.
[Sword-related damage increases by 6% due to level 6 Swordsmanship Proficiency effect.]
‘Nice, very nice.’
A full 1% per level, no less.
Most players graduated beginner city with proficiencies around level 3 or 4, but Do-hyun was already at 6.
Even his off-hand weapons were at 3 or 4.
No wonder weapon master was called broken.
In actual combat, he could feel how both latent dragon and weapon master were top-tier traits.
"This party's looking pretty good now, right? Did you see how I nailed every shot?"
"Yeah, right. If Kaiser and Supreme Shield hadn't tanked all the aggro, you'd have wiped us back when you messed up at the start, remember?"
"Hey now, that's ancient history. I'm not that greenhorn Brow Snapper anymore. And you were blasting manabolt at corpses too?"
"...That was just making sure."
"Oh please, making sure my foot. You were shooting at a corpse long dead. Right, Kaiser bro?"
Glancing sideways, Do-hyun could hear his party chattering.
Now that goblin slaying felt easy, their confidence had soared, erasing their initial panic.
Supreme Shield gave an awkward smile as Yubinpoof and Brow Snapper bickered.
"Haha... They're a bit immature, huh? Always fighting over nothing."
"I understand."
Do-hyun replied casually, then added,
"...I'm used to it too."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing."
Do-hyun shook his head with a smirk.
‘People are all the same, huh.’
His two squabbling companions stuck like frenemies, and him and his teammate watching like it was kids' play.
It felt like déjà vu.
That must be why.
Partying with them didn't feel all that awkward.
‘Anyway...’
With this, the Green Goblin quest was cleared.
Only one quest remained.
"Shall we head out then?"
At Do-hyun's casual remark, the bickering Yubinpoof and Brow Snapper froze.
Brow Snapper scratched his head, while Yubinpoof fidgeted worriedly with her staff.
"...We have to, right? But... whoo. I'm tense."
"They call it the beginner killer... We got this, yeah?"
"With my form right now, I could pierce its brow..."
"Nope, you couldn't."
Do-hyun checked his quest window while listening.
[Blood of the Variant Goblin]
>-Rank: Rare
>-Description: A quest from the veteran alchemist 'Kalde,' who has lived for ages.
>He's recently taken an interest in variant goblins and seems to have found a clue.
>Fetch him fresh blood from the 'Variant Goblin Warrior' dwelling in a cave deep in Arde Forest.
>-Defeat Variant Goblin Warrior (0/1)
>-Variant Goblin Warrior's Blood (0/1)
>-Clear Reward: 1 gold, experience, silver ring crafted by Kalde.
>-Failure Risk: Kalde's affinity may decrease.
>-Time Limit: None.
‘Looking forward to it.’
Variant Goblin Warrior.
It was the first elite boss players faced in God Ose.
* * *
[How do you even beat Variant Goblin Warrior?]
>[Godnoob just failed their third try. Was this even meant to be clearable?]
>[Just follow the guide and it's doable.]
>[No... It is doable, but it's brutal. One mistake and the whole party's dead. Makes no sense.]
>[True, I struggled a ton with it as a noob too.]
Variant Goblin Warrior. Aka the Beginner Killer.
More famous by its nickname than its actual name, it was iconic in Arde.
Not just as the first elite boss newbies faced, but as the dungeon infamous for first wipes.
First try? Instant death.
Appetizer raid.
Infinite Tsukuyomi-level nightmare.
Arde's graveyard.
Not one hopeful nickname among them.
The 'Variant Goblin Warrior's Lair' boasted hellish difficulty, always echoing with wails.
"Shit!"
"No way... How does this even die?"
"Shotgun marry that dev, for real."
To be precise, curses outnumbered the wails.
Players warping in spat profanities in unison.
Their faces were pure bewilderment.
"Tsk tsk, first try, huh."
"Looked like they died in phase 2."
"You can't fill up on the first drink."
And they were all first-try parties, every one.
Even these tongue-clickers had reacted the same at first—it hit newbies that hard.
The reason was simple.
"Insane difficulty!"
"They made this to clear?!"
"Fuck, might as well make it soloable. Every teammate mistake is a death sentence."
Difficulty incomparable to goblin packs.
Plus patterns demanding perfect teamplay.
The combo turned it into hell.
Parties cocky from goblin farming got cornholed, turning tight-knit groups into ones questioning family trees.
Even calls to assign group projects instead—self-explanatory outrage.
You played perfectly?
One teammate screw-up and you die.
Forced team sync in this dungeon had newbies cursing, demanding God Ose devs show their faces.
Veterans praised it though.
"Looking back, beating that thing helped a lot."
"Upper content's all high diff anyway—if you can't clear this, you won't reach it."
"Better to rip the band-aid early and build patience... What choice you got."
"No death penalty in Arde anyway, right?"
Later, fear of penalties stops practice.
But Arde has zero penalties no matter how many deaths.
So just treat it as training, take it slow.
It pissed you off in the moment, but clearing felt rewarding.
Plus, it filtered trolls early.
Wiping to teammate error on later bosses with penalties? Way more rage-inducing.
That was the issue.
"Never beaten Variant Goblin Warrior?"
"Sorry... Can't join our guild."
"No thanks, don't wanna party with trolls. Who knows if you'll bail mid-run."
Even companies prefer experienced hires over new grads—games no different.
Worse in games, really.
No one wants anxiety factors in their stress-relief.
With death penalties later, scrutiny intensified.
Skipping this boss was a massive red flag.
Just lie?
God Ose made that impossible.
"Show me your Book of Adventure?"
"Seeking ranged DPS for elite boss tries. 3+ clears only."
Book of Adventure.
The massive chronicle players filled through God Ose adventures.
Gathering rare mats, clearing quests, exploring regions—it auto-updates.
Problem: Boss kills get recorded too.
Fine later with stacks of clears, but for next city's boss recruitment? No record meant no party spot.
Next city bosses? Must-clear, unlike Arde.
No connections? Grit your teeth and clear.
"Tadpole forgetting pollywog days? How's this 'good' exactly?"
"I'm about to ragequit right now!"
"Ugh, just wanna clear and grad already! Lemme sling some fireballs!"
Newbies desperate to clear now were dying inside.
Yubinpoof shuddered watching them.
"...Sounds really tough."
"Yeah... Infamous, in the bad way."
"We can clear it, right?"
"We got secret weapon Kaiser bro."
"That's the problem. One mistake and we wipe—I'm just dead weight."
"...True."
Supreme Shield and Brow Snapper felt the same.
They knew the rep, but the vibe hit different up close.
Do-hyun just calmly scanned around.
Hearing the furious chatter, he smirked.
‘Of course. They rigged it here too.’
One mistake wipes the party.
God Ose subverted beginner-friendly expectations perfectly.
And more.
[Variant Goblin Warrior's Lair]
>-Rank: Rare
>-Type: Party Dungeon
>-Feature: Single Boss
>-Description: The lair of a warrior once legendary and brave among green goblins, now cursed and exiled from his tribe.
>[Entry Limit: 4 Players]
>[Entry Level Limit: Under LV10]
Party dungeon, no solos allowed.
‘Full 4-man entry only—recipe for complaints.’
Exactly 4 players, no more no less.
Precisely four flawless players dodging patterns to clear.
Fresh from goblin packs, no less.
Devious system designed to maximize suffering, but nothing new.
Party dungeons?
‘Daily bread in Delock.’
As familiar as breathing now.
Countless party dungeons conquered by Kaiser.
A fully guided one? Piece of cake.
"Shall we go in?"
"Y-Yes...! Ready."
"Whew... Nervous."
"I read the guide ten times over! No mistakes!"
Leaving the stiff-with-tension party, Do-hyun stepped to the entrance.
Glancing at Supreme Shield, who belatedly rushed up.
"Ah...! Entering."
Party leader had to initiate.
Stepping into the warp, the message popped.
[Party leader 'Supreme Shield' requests entry to Variant Goblin Warrior's Lair.]
>[Agree?]
"Yes."
"Yeah."
"Yep."
Do-hyun and the rest accepted.
[Checking party size.]
>[Confirmed.]
>[Checking entry levels.]
>[Confirmed.]
>[Entering Variant Goblin Warrior's Lair.]
‘Time to loosen up a bit.’
Feeling his vision flip with the message, Do-hyun smiled.