Chapter 34
Chapter 34
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 34
>Chapter Title: Suspicious Companions
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>Thud!
Kee-yek! Kee-ik!
Do-hyun charged boldly into the midst of the soldiers and cut down a goblin soldier without hesitation.
It was a Charge Slash, one that Bastard Sword was all too familiar with.
‘...No, is it really a Charge Slash?’
The speed was so fast that it was hard to believe he was wielding a greatsword, but the motion itself was unmistakably a Charge Slash.
As they watched Do-hyun swing his sword amid the soldiers.
“...That’s him, right?”
A low voice came from behind.
It was the Holy Knight, who had also been watching Do-hyun.
The innocent smile he’d worn in front of Do-hyun was gone, replaced by a cold expression and a low voice.
Bastard Sword replied as if it were the most natural thing.
“Kaiser’s Warrior Set... and that greatsword. It’s definite. There can’t be more than one guy like that in this section.”
“Well... the Warrior Set isn’t exactly common.”
“So, what do you think?”
After pondering for a moment at Bastard Sword’s question, the Holy Knight answered.
“Not bad. He dodges vitals well, and he’s fast even with a greatsword.”
“Is it the gear? His damage seems high, and he looks quick. That guy went down without taking more than a few hits.”
Bastard Sword nodded in agreement with the Holy Knight’s words, adding his own thoughts.
He was definitely fast and powerful.
To the point where it was hard to believe he was only level 20. With that, he wouldn’t be outdone by gear in this section.
But.
“Something’s off.”
“What?”
It didn’t make sense.
“How does a gearhead like that beat an assassin?”
High damage? Fast?
He’d admit that.
But the Assassination Boy he knew wasn’t weak by any means.
Plus, his class was Assassin.
With Stealth and Paralysis Poison, he rarely lost in PvP.
That’s why they’d been on edge when they heard he’d lost 3v1...
“He’s just your typical gear-pushing brute.”
“Hmm... now that you mention it, it does seem weird. Even if the new guys are subpar, it doesn’t add up.”
The Holy Knight stroked his chin, clearly puzzled.
They were the Assassination Boy’s old friends and former comrades.
The original party that had tagged along on his farming runs.
They knew his tendencies and skills better than anyone.
“He’s not the type to let his guard down.”
“He’s a ruthlessly thorough bastard.”
No matter the opponent, Assassination Boy never fought fair.
Even they, his allies, found it brutally meticulous.
On the other hand, what about this guy?
Strong, sure, but that was it.
“His combat sense is iffy, and his judgment’s iffy.”
“You could say he just brute-forced through with damage output... but even accounting for that, it’s amateur level.”
He dodged vitals well, but he didn’t land clean hits either.
Charging into the soldiers to get surrounded from the start was a poor choice too.
In every way, he didn’t feel seasoned in combat—just the typical movements of a middle-aged gear-pusher.
Of course, a swordsman facing three spear-wielding soldiers had no choice.
He had to close in to attack.
“That approach is just dumb.”
“Still, be careful. His damage is no joke.”
“I know. The assassin probably didn’t expect that output and got caught off guard.”
“They didn’t have a tank either...”
That didn’t mean they’d let their guard down.
They’d done this plenty of times. Back when they partied with Assassination Boy at his peak, they’d wiped countless groups.
Now they’d lucked into guild recruitment and stepped back, but they considered themselves experts in this field.
And that’s why they were hunting for Kaiser.
“Of all things, a kill order... It’s leaving a bad taste.”
“Honestly, you didn’t believe me until the kill order dropped.”
“We’ve been mooching off him steadily. If we don’t want our past exposed, we at least owe him some revenge.”
If they ignored it and an enraged Assassination Boy leaked their history to the guild?
They’d all be done for.
That’s why they couldn’t refuse his request.
They’d agreed to search, but only until graduation. They hadn’t expected to find him this quickly.
“Well, it worked out better. This’ll shut him up.”
“Let’s quit after this.”
“If he brings it up again after, we’ll just go all in.”
“We’re taking risks too. He’s got a conscience, so he won’t push it.”
Tsk. Bastard Sword clicked his tongue, looked ahead, and composed his expression.
“Alright, time to head in. Keep your faces straight.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Just like always.”
With their discussion over, they slipped back into their innocent young men personas.
The Holy Knight rushed in to block a goblin’s spear, and the others joined late to pile on damage.
The tide turned in an instant once they linked up.
They quickly finished off the remaining goblin soldiers, and messages popped up.
[You have defeated a Red Goblin Soldier.]
[Through contribution distribution, ‘Kaiser’ has obtained the Red Goblin Soldier’s Leather.]
“Whoa.”
At the same time, they opened their mouths in what seemed like genuine admiration.
“You’re amazing! Is this what the Warrior Set’s like? Your damage was insane!”
“We joined just in case, but you probably could’ve cleared them solo.”
“Yeah, no swordsman can do what you just did! That’s a swordsman~.”
Do-hyun waved them off with a smile at their display.
“No, no. You all have serious skills.”
“We’ve partied a lot, so we sync well. You’ll match us in no time, Kaiser.”
“What’s a pro like you doing slumming it with us?”
“It’s all my eye for talent.”
Do-hyun was baffled inside as they shamelessly heaped on praise.
Testing a party member’s skills by throwing them in alone was bad manners.
It pulled all the aggro, and they could ditch and run—or worse, drop gear if things went south.
It was just plain rude...
‘They’ve done this before.’
Pulling that and then acting all innocent with compliments was ridiculous.
Most low-level players would shake off the unease and feel flattered.
They’d joined eventually, and who doesn’t like praise?
So Do-hyun played normal too.
He moved sloppily on purpose, took visible attacks, and dealt damage clumsily.
This would definitely bait them eventually.
“Then let’s try syncing up properly this time?”
“Sure.”
Bastard Sword extended a hand with a kind smile. Do-hyun shook it.
‘I’ll dunk him quietly when the chance comes.’
‘Play dumb... play as dumb as possible...’
Harboring different intentions, they shook hands wearing the masks of the friendliest party ever.
And so their uncomfortable continued.
* * *
[You have defeated a Red Goblin Soldier.]
....
[The Goblin Chieftain is filled with fear.]
About an hour into the run?
As the goblin soldier pack fell, Bastard Sword wiped his sweat.
“Phew. Break time?”
“Yeah.”
“Right, let’s rest. I’m dying.”
The party collapsed, all showing exhaustion.
It made sense.
The difficulty ramped up—now ten or more soldiers swarmed at once.
These soldiers were tougher and tankier than forest goblins. They wore armor and swung spears, naturally.
Facing a dozen like that? Overwhelming.
‘No wonder swordsmen get treated like that.’
Swinging a sword against ten spear soldiers?
Good luck reaching them.
Rush in for damage, get surrounded instantly. Keep distance, no attack chances.
Ranged DPS could comfortably output like Simon X if a tank held front, so melee preference was obvious.
This party had two swordsmen—worst setup imaginable, but...
“Man, Kaiser, your damage is nuts.”
“Two swordsmen at this speed? Huge win.”
“Brute force DPS makes a real difference. Step it up, you.”
Do-hyun wasn’t an ordinary swordsman.
Even in bad conditions, one opening meant wizard-level firepower from this gearhead!
It shone here too.
That was the reason.
‘...Why’s this guy so strong?’
‘It’s not bad control—he doesn’t need to control?’
‘Sigh...’
Why they hadn’t targeted Do-hyun rashly yet.
His overwhelming damage made them wary. Plus the precedent with Assassination Boy’s party.
No, they’d tried.
‘Aim properly. Why can’t you hit?’
“No... I swear I aimed right, but it misses weirdly.”
‘What? He’s standing still, and you’re shooting weird.’
‘This is unfair.’
They’d faked mistakes during hunts, firing spells with That Stir-Fry, but nothing connected.
Goblins intercepted, or Do-hyun got pushed by attacks—lucky dodges.
The highlight: Fired at him mid-move, he suddenly stopped.
Like a robot with auto-sensors...
‘No way he knew to stop... how’s his luck that good?’
Control looked poor, but every shot missed.
He’d laugh and yell ‘Nice!’—not dodging on purpose, which drove That Stir-Fry mad.
Wanted to smash him, but that monstrous damage loomed.
Why gamble when safe paths exist?
‘Next time...’
‘Next time, hit him.’
‘No. Too frequent looks suspicious. Take it slow.’
Smiling outside, panicking inside.
Do-hyun wasn’t much different.
‘I went all out playing bad—why aren’t they biting?’
He’d dodged spells instinctively a few times, then consciously offered himself.
They still missed.
Offering body and they whiff? Infuriating.
‘No, not taking the bait? Should I force it?’
Gave more openings after, but they just hunted quietly. Frustrating.
If anything, worse for him.
Do-hyun agonized multiple times.
Provoke first? Wait?
Their game of chicken led here.
[Boss stage has opened.]
[You may now enter the Goblin Chieftain’s room.]
“Boss room already.”
“Two swordsmen at this pace... impressive even on second thought.”
Boss room imminent.
The jittery ones regained composure.
‘Yeah, no way we fail here.’
Goblin Chieftain.
Needs a wizard to take down.
Tricky for swordsmen—perfect chance to use him.
“Then we’ve rested enough. Let’s go?”
“Got it.”
“Let’s do this.”
Bastard Sword flung open the boss door with a bright face.
Creak-.
[You have entered the boss room.]
[The Goblin Chieftain has detected intruders.]
[A Red Goblin Elite Soldier attempts to block the intruders.]
Rusty metal scraped as the boss stage opened. Bastard Sword immediately sought Do-hyun.
“Kaiser. Take the elite soldiers for now.”
The Goblin Chieftain’s Lair boss room differed from others.
Not a solo boss—with two elite soldiers.
[Red Goblin Elite Soldier]
-Title: Elite Monster
-Type: Goblin
-Trait: Tenacity
-Description: The strongest, best-trained among Red Goblin Soldiers.
Guards the Goblin Chieftain with immense tenacity toward recognized foes.
An elite monster with a trait, unlike normals.
These elites were tricky.
‘Tenacity’ kept aggro fixed until the initial target died—a huge headache.
Reason for sub-tanks or healers here.
One tank couldn’t handle boss plus elite.
Healer to endure or sub-tank on elite was standard.
“Kaiser?”
They planned to assign it to Kaiser.
Monster with unbreakable aggro. While he fought elites, slip in and...
‘Rape a rooted guy? Easy as pie.’
Why they boasted 100% PK success here.
5v1 impossible to lose.
Even this guy couldn’t handle two elites plus three of them, strong damage or not.
This time, certain success.
“Kaiser...?”
“...?”
“Where’d the kid go?”
But...
Kaiser had vanished.