Chapter 48
Chapter 48
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 48
>Chapter Title: The Excellent Pet
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As soon as I brought my fist down, a ghostly message popped up.
-Why, Master?
It was a message that didn't match at all with Jihad's innocent, wide-eyed stare.
'Did I see that wrong?'
His demeanor was so natural that Do-hyun doubted his own eyes for a moment.
It was so serene that he would've believed it if the loyalty had gone up instead.
He rubbed his eyes, wondering if he'd really misread it, but the message stayed the same.
Just in case, Do-hyun raised his fist again.
Jihad flinched.
[Loyalty has increased by +1.]
Jihad's body twitched for an instant, and his loyalty went up again.
He lowered it.
[Loyalty has decreased by -1.]
And down it went like a ghost.
In this absurd situation, something bubbled up from Do-hyun's throat and came out as a mutter.
"This crazy little..."
-M-Master. I'll go pick up the items!
Sensing the danger, Jihad scurried off to loot the items, bringing the situation to a close.
Even his frantic retreating backside was ridiculous, but the cheerful ding of the increased loyalty trailing behind was even more absurd.
Do-hyun let out a hollow chuckle, unable to hold back his exasperation.
'Is this the Opportunist trait?'
It was a Guardian trait that truly deserved the word "legend" in every way.
Only after taking hundreds of hits did he finally give up on backstabbing...
In any case, the end result was a net +1 loyalty, and he was obeying well, so Do-hyun decided to let it slide with a sigh.
'Yeah, he listens well, so whatever.'
Most RPGs were like this, but Godose required players to pick up items manually.
Special rewards or contribution payouts were auto-distributed as exceptions, but normally, you had to grab them yourself.
In parties, after contributions were calculated, items went around in turn...
'I was hoping for a pet function or something, but this works out great.'
It was meant for realism, sure, but honestly, it was a hassle.
In that context, getting an excellent pet was a welcome development. And it wasn't just talk—this was genuinely an excellent pet.
Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—.
[Trait: Quick Hands activates.]
[Acquired Giant Spider Fangs.]
[Acquired Forest Red Goblin Hide.]
....
"......?"
True to its name, Quick Hands scooped up the junk items at an insane speed.
Maybe because of his small size, but watching him nimbly sweep everything clean made Do-hyun understand why goblins were often portrayed as thieves in fantasy stories.
'Maybe he's more useful than I thought?'
That was the moment Do-hyun gained an excellent auto-pet.
* * *
The auto-pet's efficiency was beyond imagination.
Slash—.
[Defeated Forest Blue Goblin.]
"Jihad."
-Yeah!
Swoosh—swoosh—.
[Trait: Quick Hands activates.]
[Acquired Forest Blue Goblin Hide.]
Kill a monster and call Jihad, and he'd automatically grab the loot. No more worrying about junk items—Do-hyun could focus purely on hunting.
Her herding them up and looting only worked once or twice; repeating it ate up serious time.
And leaving them behind? That stuff piled up into money... a painful loss.
[Defeated Forest Red Goblin.]
[Defeated Giant Centipede.]
Swoosh—swoosh—.
[Acquired Giant Centipede Fragments.]
[Acquired Forest Red Goblin Claws.]
But now?
No such worries. Just charge ahead, blasting monsters left and right, while Jihad picked them up faster than anyone and followed along.
Considering Do-hyun's hunting speed, it was a ridiculously fast collection rate.
"Hey, be honest. You're not a shaman—you're a thief, right?"
-Comparing me to some lowly thief? That's too much, Master!
"No, it doesn't make sense. How are your hands that fast?"
-A-hem... I am a bit quick. Among shamans, no one's faster with spells than me.
He puffed out his chest and cleared his throat, looking pleased by the praise. Normally it'd be annoying, but this time Do-hyun acknowledged it.
He'd discovered an unexpected talent in Jihad.
'Is Quick Hands a more insane trait than I realized?'
It wasn't just faster spellcasting—it seemed to speed up everything hand-related.
At this level, it'd have a huge demand.
Thanks to it, hunting was smoother, but levels still weren't rising.
'How is it not going up at all? Way slower than expected.'
No more high-xp hunting quests.
Grinding in town would be the same old, and at this rate, who knew how many hours it'd take.
Two whole levels to graduation— an unexpected roadblock.
No wonder there was that joke about exp bars doubling every 10 levels starting at 20.
"Sigh... If only a boss would spawn. Elite mobs haven't respawned yet..."
Field bosses weren't ready...
Party dungeons were a pain and awkward, so nothing beat elite monsters for times like this.
Dungeons had elites spawn occasionally, and field hunting grounds had them too, aside from bosses.
Catching one wouldn't guarantee a level, but it beat several packs of normals—perfect bonus exp.
The problem? They only appeared in specific areas at specific times.
'For the western forest, usually 12, 6 PM, and 9 PM, right?'
Exactly three times a day.
With tons of players but only three respawns, getting a shot was like plucking stars from the sky.
The rewards weren't great, but the exp was juicy—hence why players swarmed like crazy for these honey monsters.
'Two levels left... Guess I have no choice but to check out a dungeon.'
Raven was full of villains posing as people...
As an All-Master he had to hide, Do-hyun hated partying if possible, but at this rate it'd take all day.
That was when the scales tipped toward compromising with reality.
-Huh? Elite mob? You mean the elite guys, Master?
Jihad's sudden interjection snapped Do-hyun from his thoughts.
He'd been in hiding for centuries, apparently.
Still, as a former boss, he must know about elite monsters. Surprising, but plausible—no big reaction.
"Yeah. Harder to see than a star right now."
He planned to brush it off casually.
If not for what came next.
-I know where those guys are?
"......What?"
Do-hyun froze, his gaze whipping around.
Jihad tilted his head, genuinely baffled as their eyes met.
-You're talking about the tribe's warriors, right? Why can't you find them? Except the exiles, they're always just sitting there.
"......Exiles? Sitting there?"
-Yeah. Otherwise, they never leave the tribe.
"Wait a sec."
...If that was true.
Before that, how did this guy know?
Jihad shrugged coolly at the question.
-Of course I know, Master. I was the ruler of this forest—nothing happens here I don't know about. Unless they moved the whole territory, they're still there?
"My god."
-Huh?
"You're... way more capable than I thought?"
-Kehm! Finally noticing, Master? Want me to take you right now?
Do-hyun nodded vigorously.
The first time this guy truly looked cool.
* * *
Forest Goblin Warrior.
Any user in Raven knew of this elite monster.
They were warriors like the 'Variant Goblin Warriors' Do-hyun had suffered through endlessly in Arde, and everyone hoped to encounter them.
Not just for the exp, but the rewards.
'They drop the Warrior Set—fire version.'
Inferior in options and grade to the Variant Goblin Warrior Set, but higher level restriction meant solid performance.
Effects weren't goblin-only, so thinking ahead to the next city, they were practically semi-graduation gear.
Plus, being so rare, drop rates were generous.
No wonder queues formed the instant they respawned.
But Forest Goblin Warriors had one odd trait.
[Forest Red Goblin Warrior]
-Title: Elite Monster
-Type: Goblin
-Trait: Warrior
-Description: A great Goblin Warrior from the Red Tribe.
Only the tribe's greatest warriors earn the Warrior title. Known for masterful greatswordplay and ferocity.
[Forest Blue Goblin Warrior]
-Title: Elite Monster
-Type: Goblin
-Trait: Warrior
-Description: A great Goblin Warrior from the Blue Tribe.
Only the tribe's greatest warriors earn the Warrior title. Known for masterful longswordplay and high stamina.
Red Tribe warrior or Blue Tribe warrior.
It was random.
No real pattern—just one of the two spawning randomly.
Sometimes even both at once.
" Luck of the draw."
Hence, players called it gacha.
Given the party-heavy spot, Red or Blue affected advantages based on comp, so it was pure luck.
Blue Goblin Warriors had massive HP and regen, demanding high DPS.
Red ones needed a solid tank to hold aggro.
Thus, Warrior hunters stuck to the textbook basic party: tank, DPS, healer.
'With tank, DPS, and heals, anything's fine.'
No speedruns, but no losses either.
Even if both spawned, easy catch.
'Some even divine their daily fortune with this gacha?'
Blue or Red right? Good day ahead. Both? Luck exploding.
Communities full of weirdos meant odd rumors, but only a few did it.
Do-hyun had tried similar, but not that.
-How about it, Master? These guys, right?
"Yeah, spot on."
Ignoring the smug Jihad, Do-hyun swallowed hard.
'Jackpot.'
He played it cool for master's dignity, but he was genuinely shocked.
And understandably so.
Kirik! Kiririk!
Kuruk! Keruk!
'How many is that?'
Far from one spot, warriors swarmed in a pack.
Five visible from afar.
Deeper in? Definitely more.
[Warriors' Habitat]
[Discovered hidden field 'Warriors' Habitat' for the first time.]
[First discovery grants first-clear benefits.]
[Success on first encounter guarantees boss-related gear drop.]
[Experience gain +20%.]
[Drop rate +20%.]
A blatant hidden field named Warriors' Habitat.