Chapter 51
Chapter 51
-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 51
>Chapter Title: Does This Make Sense...?
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 51
>Chapter 51.
>- Does this make any sense...?
>Jihard couldn’t believe the scene unfolding before his eyes.
Roooar!
>[Parrying successful!]
>[Attack deflected.]
>The sight of Do-hyun effortlessly dodging or parrying every single furious swing from Karuk was utterly alien.
It was as if he knew exactly what attack was coming next—his reactions precise, without a single millimeter of error.
He didn’t even seem to be moving all that fast, yet every attack was being blocked.
Slash—thunk!
And then, exploiting every gap that opened up, he struck with deadly precision.
Groooar!
>[Hidden field boss ‘Goblin Great Warrior Karuk’ unleashes ‘Ruthless Strike.’]
Karuk, enraged, seized a moment without a parry and lunged at Do-hyun, who was backed against the wall, pouring everything into a single blow—but that was exactly what Do-hyun had baited.
Tap, whoosh—.
The moment the axe came crashing down toward his skull, he kicked off the wall briefly, using the momentum to roll away swiftly.
[Using Charge Slash.]
Then, planting one foot, he unleashed Charge Slash diagonally backward, positioning himself in Karuk’s blind spot.
In an instant, their positions had flipped completely—from disadvantageous to advantageous.
Stab! Bam-bam-bam!
He jammed his greatsword into Karuk’s side, following up with a barrage of punches.
The brutal sounds of impact echoed through the lair.
-Ugh, right. That’s what got me.
Jihard grimaced at the sight, as if he couldn’t bear to watch.
Seeing what had beaten him from a third-person perspective was heartbreaking. At the same time, a wave of relief washed over him.
-Of course I lost...
Now it was clear: Do-hyun had designed it so there was no way to win.
He’d irritated the enemy with parries and his unique movements, deliberately letting himself get backed against the wall to bait the ultimate attack, then countered by shifting behind.
It stripped away the enemy’s finisher while landing the most devastating blow possible.
When it had happened to him, he hadn’t understood why—but watching from afar, every piece clicked into place.
The only difference was that this time, instead of vanishing like he had during their fight, Do-hyun had rolled away visibly. The principle was identical.
-...Is that really a human?
Even as his master, Jihard had to admit he was doubting it.
Not taking a single clean hit while deflecting and dodging everything—not to mention how masterfully he exploited the enemy’s psyche. Was that even human?
In that moment, Jihard thought to himself sincerely.
-Good thing I didn’t resist...
What if he’d let his pride get the better of him and stubbornly fought back?
Wouldn’t he have ended up just like that Karuk?
...The thought sent chills down his spine.
From now on, he’d obey every order without complaint, listen well, and pick up loot properly. The resolve bubbled up inside him.
[Loyalty +2.]
‘Huh? Suddenly?’
He hadn’t done anything, so why now?
Do-hyun flinched at the loyalty message popping up mid-battle, but his movements remained flawless.
Whoosh—crack!
Even as he startled, he dodged the double-headed axe, stepped on the axe embedded in the ground to force Karuk to bend over, then unleashed a soccer kick.
After creating some distance, Do-hyun pulled the ‘Iron Axe of the God of the Honest Axe’ from his inventory and hurled it.
Whoosh—.
A hidden field boss after all—Karuk casually tilted his head to dodge with ease.
But that was the bait.
Thud!
>[Effect of ‘Assassin’s Dagger’ activates. Goblin Great Warrior Karuk afflicted with ‘Bleed.’]
>[Bleed skill activates.]
He’d thrown the Assassin’s Dagger straight at Karuk’s heart while it was paused to dodge.
Lucky option proc stacked on top of the bleed damage. Karuk roared in agony as his HP drained steadily.
[Hidden field boss ‘Goblin Great Warrior Karuk’s’ HP has reached 30%.]
>[Trait ‘Great Warrior’ activates.]
>[Goblin Great Warrior Karuk enters Combat Continuation state.]
Phase 2 began.
-Great Warrior! Be careful—nah, you’ve got this, right?
Jihard started to shout urgently but nodded to himself mid-sentence.
Great Warrior trait?
Dangerous, sure.
Combat Continuation was like an upgraded version of a warrior’s Berserk—it didn’t debuff the enemy, but the stat boost was massive.
Above all, the cheat effect of ignoring pain meant no more gaps from agony.
[Karuk’s physical abilities rise due to Berserker trait.]
>[Physical abilities enhanced due to Body Strengthening trait.]
And that was just the start.
A Berserker that grew stronger the lower its HP, combined with Body Strengthening.
A monstrous combo that made it deadlier the closer it got to death—but so what?
Whoosh—whoosh—.
Rooooaaar!
-There we go.
No matter how much faster or stronger it got, it couldn’t hit.
No more gaps from pain?
The openings from crumbling form during attacks had nothing to do with pain.
Stab—!
>[Bleed activates.]
And so, Karuk was being hunted—slowly, but surely—by Do-hyun.
Karuk realized Do-hyun wasn’t some annoying fly, but a predator, only when death loomed.
[Hidden field boss ‘Goblin Great Warrior Karuk’s’ HP is below 5%.]
>[Goblin Great Warrior Karuk is afflicted with ‘Bleed.’]
The sensation of blood draining away, his body growing cold and stiff, spread through him.
Facing cold death, Karuk realized the truth.
Gurgle....
From the start, he’d been nothing but prey.
Just like the prey that always thrashed desperately before him, he’d done the same.
Feeling his body refuse to move any longer, Karuk closed his eyes while standing.
* * *
[Hidden field boss ‘Goblin Great Warrior Karuk’ defeated.]
>[First to defeat the boss of hidden field ‘Warriors’ Habitat.’ Rewards amplified.]
>[Essence orb of hidden field ‘Warriors’ Habitat’ field boss ‘Goblin Great Warrior Karuk’ appears.]
>[Recorded in the Book of Adventures.]
>[Swordsmanship proficiency greatly increased from maximizing sword usage.]
>[Swordsmanship proficiency reached LV12.]
>[Sword-related attack damage increased by 11%.]
>[Level up.]
>[Graduation level achieved. Graduation quest generated.]
>[The Trials of the Continent...]
>[Recording ended.]
“Whoa...”
Do-hyun stuck out his tongue at the dizzying barrage of messages.
But despite his reaction, a smile bloomed on his face.
‘Level up and swordsmanship proficiency too!’
How could he not be thrilled?
He’d hit his target level, and even swordsmanship proficiency—which had been stubborn—had finally risen.
The rumor that learning kendo boosted swordsmanship turned out to be true.
He’d pushed parrying to its limits for that extra proficiency XP.
[Guardian Jihard Black’s level has risen.]
[Jihard Black]
>[Title: Hero-grade Named Guardian]
>[Type: Goblin]
>[Level: LV6]
>[Loyalty: 23 / 100]
>[Traits: Bloodline Factor, Curse Shaman, Necromancer, Nimble Hands]
>[Guardian Traits: Strong vs Weak, Weak vs Strong, Opportunist]
>[Description: Survivor of a fallen clan.
>Jihard, inheritor of an exceptional bloodline, is a goblin who has lived for hundreds of years. But now, he lives as a human’s guardian.]
>[Most abilities sealed due to low level.]
>[Available Skills: 1]
>- Undead Creation
Not only had Do-hyun leveled up—Jihard had too.
He’d gained a little during the hunt, but entering this hidden field had skyrocketed him to level 6.
Sure, just 6? But guardians leveled slowly by nature.
‘Guardians max at 70, right?’
Unlike users who capped at 100, guardians topped out at 70.
They required far more XP, which was why they were often dismissed as trash—except divine beasts, who at 70 could rival level 100 users. No wonder they were called broken.
‘He didn’t even fight directly, and he surged like this.’
For some reason, loyalty had risen to 23.
Now he was solidly in safe territory.
Moving on from Jihard, Do-hyun eyed the essence orb.
‘It’s guaranteed equipment, right?’
The rewards from beating Jihard had gone right back to him, so he’d been a bit bummed.
A melee boss this time—maybe something useful?
He itched to harvest the orb, but it wasn’t time yet.
[Linked quest ‘Great Warrior’s Trial’ completed.]
>[Sudden quest ‘Warriors’ Trial’ completed.]
>[Reviewing trial performance.]
>[Exceeded completion conditions of the original trial ‘Blood Battle.’ All trials completed with absurd scores. Rewards greatly increased.]
>[Rewards: 200 gold, ample experience, 2 Intermediate Skill Draw Tickets, Karuk’s Leather Top & Bottom Set.]
“Jackpot...”
The sudden quest rewards were welcoming him with open arms.
And they’d shattered the baseline!
200 gold? Ample XP?
Meaningless at level 24.
Do-hyun’s eyes locked on just two things.
‘Two Intermediate Skill Draw Tickets!’
Two of them—up from one!
Even one would’ve sent him over the moon; two was mind-blowing.
The old Do-hyun would’ve sweated bullets hoping for a rare skill.
But now?
“Ahh, me, the man with the Eye of Truth...”
He had his cheat key: Eye of Truth.
-...Here we go again. I’m not watching.
Jihard shook his head at his master, who was tearfully thanking the gods for the first time.
A demon in battle, but a total space case during card pulls—that was a talent in itself.
Ignoring Jihard, who was literally covering his eyes with black hands, Do-hyun pulled out an Intermediate Skill Draw Ticket.
[Use Intermediate Skill Draw Ticket?]
“Yeah.”
As expected, the card pack ripped open with a flutter, scattering ten cards into the air.
A slightly brighter glow than the basic version.
[Eye of Truth activates.]
Even visibly, the light was a touch more brilliant.
The problem? Only a touch.
Seven browns and three silvers. A brutal 7:3 ratio.
‘This is an intermediate draw...’
At least it included rares—that showed God Ose’s iron will to never make it easy.
The drop rates were as bad as ever, if not worse.
‘No wonder I bombed draws nonstop.’
No hard feelings anymore. Water under the bridge.
Do-hyun reached out boldly, venting his old frustrations.
The moment he drew the second silver card, a pleasant silver glow flooded his vision.