Chapter 3
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Goblin Forest and the Mage (1)
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Though it was a rude thought, he couldn't shake off his initial impression of her as sinister.
She was a head taller than Park Jungwoo. Her curly black hair, tinged with red, cascaded down to the middle of her back. Her eye corners drooped. Beneath them gleamed deep purple irises. A mole near her mouth exuded a distinctly alluring aura.
She wore a loose dress that reached her ankles, cinched tightly at the waist with a belt. Even the baggy fabric couldn't hide her ample bosom, which contrasted sharply with her slender waist and asserted its presence.
Her outfit seemed plain enough on its own, but the subtle makeup and slightly heeled shoes made it objectively more suited to a resort than a gate.
Her lips twitched upward incessantly, and she occasionally licked her full lips. She displayed plenty of suspicious behavior, but Park Jungwoo's gaze was fixed elsewhere.
"A mage...!"
She held a staff of enormous length in her hand. The wooden rod, roughly as tall as she was, twisted in curves, ending in a hooked tip. A bright red gem nestled in its coiled center. It was identical to the staffs he'd seen in interviews.
Mages were exceedingly rare among hunters who relied on magic as their primary power. They needed either a blessed unique ability or innate genius, plus exceptional aptitude for mana.
But rarity came with strength. Unlike other hunters who used mana merely as a supplement, mages wielded fantastical power most aggressively and diversely. They excelled at turning situations around in unexpected ways.
Park Jungwoo harbored a romantic fascination with mages. Naturally, his eyes lit up with admiration as he looked at her.
"Y-yes... I'm a mage..."
He didn't notice the way her voice trailed off or how her breathing grew ragged as she looked at him. His vision was blinded by the presence of someone he'd long admired.
Thus, he dismissed from his mind the fact that a mage equipped with a dedicated weapon had no reason to be in a beginner zone like this. Or that she'd been watching him intently since he entered.
Snap. Park Jungwoo seized her empty hand. He gripped her slightly sweaty palm firmly with both of his, his eyes sparkling like a rabbit's.
"Absolutely, I'd love to! No, actually, let me beg you to team up! I'm Park Jungwoo!"
"Kh..."
She tensed so hard that veins bulged on her slender neck. Her cheeks twitched repeatedly. But in Park Jungwoo's eyes, it all looked heroic through a filter of awe.
The woman's hand fidgeted in his small grasp. She finally clasped it back like a handshake.
"I'm... Moon Hayeon. Nice to meet you, Jungwoo."
"Yes! Wait here, I'll go tell the team we're joining up! Be right back!"
He turned back a dozen times before he'd even walked six steps. Waving his raised hand enthusiastically, he looked utterly defenseless, as if worried she'd vanish.
Watching his retreating back, she slowly raised her hand. As if holding back something, she pressed her nails into her lower abdomen. She forced down the grin stretching to her ears.
After catching her breath, she lifted her hand again. Inhaling deeply as if savoring the fresh scent lingering on her palm. Covering her nose and mouth with it, she sniffed greedily. If Park Jungwoo was a rabbit, her face was pure fox.
Goblins don't fuck humans.
There are various theories, but the most plausible is that goblins and humans look too different for their aesthetic standards to align.
Not just goblins—most monsters had no sexual interest in humans. Of course, some humans viewed monsters as mating partners, but that's beside the point.
The key takeaway? Goblins look nothing like humans—at least by human standards. They're ugly, smelly little shits.
"Urk...!"
The dense forest inside the gate felt oppressively dark despite sunlight filtering through. Every gust of wind made branches scrape with eerie whispers. Now, those natural sounds drowned under harsh gunfire.
Bang! Bang!!
Park Jungwoo's arm ached like it might detach from recoil, but he kept pulling the trigger. He'd never practiced shooting, so his aim was abysmal.
Goblin corpses littered around him. Six, no, seven maybe. Desperation etched his face as he dueled the last one.
The goblin wasn't unscathed. Red gashes streaked its body where bullets had grazed. Dripping red blood onto the green grass, it relentlessly swung its bone dagger at exposed arms and thighs beyond greaves and armor.
Something felt off, though. All the corpses on the ground bore identical wounds. A single line piercing the temple. Traces of highly condensed mana, no bullet marks anywhere.
"Jungwoo, hang in there... Left, left!"
Moon Hayeon gripped her staff with both hands, shouting loudly. Waving it like a cheerleader, she looked almost comical.
Her cheers didn't reach Park Jungwoo's ears amid the chaos. In the moment he glanced away to check on her safety, the goblin seized the opening, thrusting its dagger toward his chest.
Stab!
"Kuh...!"
Had it changed tactics because his unarmored torso was so well-guarded? The full-weight thrust tore through his leather armor and burrowed in. Searing pain exploded from his side.
"Ugh, it hurts, hurts...!"
Park Jungwoo clenched his teeth. He couldn't die here—that thought fueled his desperation. Gritting through the agony of his first blade wound, he grabbed the goblin's arm barehanded.
"Hang in there, Jungwoo! Just a bit more!"
"Uwaaaah!"
Kieeeek!
His cry was more scream than shout. The goblin shrieked in response. His fingers dug into its wound.
He strained to extend his arm. As the muzzle touched its jaw, the goblin thrashed wildly. The dagger scraped shallowly across his skin.
His trembling fingers wouldn't obey. But he couldn't die here. Summoning every ounce of strength, he barely squeezed the trigger.
Bang!
The dull gunshot made his already ringing ears throb worse. A hole widened from jaw to crown. The goblin staggered and collapsed. Park Jungwoo followed soon after.
"J-Jungwoo, are you okay?"
Moon Hayeon rushed over, helping him up. Half-buried in the blood pooling on the ground, his clothes and half his body were soaked red.
"Hah, hah... I'm... fine. Hayeon, you... hurt anywhere...?"
"Th-this, it's poisoned..."
She picked up the bone dagger from the bloodied ground and showed it to him. Its blade gleamed faintly green. No time to question why it wasn't red despite the gore.
His body felt utterly limp. The burning pain from his gut faded, leaving limbs heavy like waterlogged cotton. Poison? Am I really dying here? Even that useless S-rank skill I finally got, unused. All my efforts wasted like this?
"D-don't worry, I know the antidote... There's a cave I saw on the way... no, let's go there, I'll treat you, heehee..."
"...Thank you, Hayeon..."
Sniff, sniff.
Grief welled up. Relief crashed in alongside it, and Park Jungwoo unwittingly shed tears. Ashamed to let her see, he bowed his head. Only faint sniffles escaped.
Moon Hayeon watched him—head lolling near her chest, dragged along without resistance.
She stuck out her tongue, wetting her parched lips openly. Walking with a peculiar waddle. No concern in her downward gaze.
If Park Jungwoo's body were fine, he wouldn't worry much either. Goblin poison in an F-rank dungeon was common knowledge: hardly lethal.
The classic example was paralysis toxin. Crude stuff, though. It only kicked in fully when blood flow slowed—i.e., tension eased.
No effect mid-battle. Weak too: just limp limbs and weak muscles. No antidote needed; rest a few minutes and recover. Some even self-inflicted to build resistance.
Unless you forced movement during the effect, spreading it deliberately.
"L-let's walk a bit faster... Might be dangerous if we dawdle..."
"Y-yes, please..."
Park Jungwoo dragged his floppy legs. Moon Hayeon eyed him like a rabbit hopping into her trap, gaze dripping greed.