episode_0018
by fnovelpiaHobgoblin Champion.
Its presence sent shivers down my spine. My skin prickled.
A technique only the chosen among high-ranking warriors could wield.
Battle Aura.
It was radiating from it.
—Grrrr.
It snarled as it glared at me.
I met its gaze with the coldest eyes I could muster.
“The Hobgoblin Champion has the trait of relentless assault and is prone to frenzy. Its reach is long, and its aggression is savage, but its defense is relatively low.”
“What about regeneration?”
“It does have regenerative abilities, but not enough to noticeably recover mid-battle. Still, its vitality is tenacious, so don’t let your guard down.”
Whoosh.
Ermé pointed her sword at the Hobgoblin Champion.
“Be careful when severing its limbs or when it feels its life is in danger.”
“Why?”
Teresa asked in response to Ermé’s words.
Ermé kept her eyes fixed on the creature as she spoke.
“Because its Berserker’s Gift will activate. Teresa, you of all people should know why you need to be cautious, right?”
“Yeah, I’ll be careful. Yuseong, you be careful too.”
“Yuseong will handle himself just fine.”
“…….”
I don’t know what a Berserker is.
But I can roughly guess. It probably means its aggression becomes even more savage, consumed by bloodlust.
In game terms, it’s likely a power-up in that vein.
‘Does it have something like lifesteal too?’
—Isn’t lifesteal a vampire’s skill?
‘No, I mean, does it heal when it attacks?’
—No way a creature like that would have such a broken ability.
Lixiel made a face like she didn’t understand.
At the same time.
—GROOOOAR!!
The Hobgoblin Champion leaped high into the air.
The massive greatsword in its hands rose with terrifying force.
Under normal circumstances, countering at close range would’ve been ideal.
‘That’s dangerous.’
Ermé, Teresa, and I quickly retreated far back.
BOOM!
The impact was like a cannon blast.
The ground cracked like a spider’s web.
—A monster. In terms of sheer brute force, it might be a bit much for your party.
Just as Lixiel said.
It was a monstrous creature.
I thought Vulcan was packed with muscle, but this thing was just a mass of raw power.
—Of course, that’s assuming you weren’t here. It’s fast and agile, but its stamina is low as a trade-off.
‘So a battle of attrition would work?’
—You weren’t planning on that anyway, were you?
True.
If possible, a drawn-out fight wouldn’t be bad, but—
‘Angeon’s in danger.’
If this drags on, there’s no telling what’ll happen to Angeon, who’s still paralyzed.
The rest of us can dodge, but if things go wrong, Angeon could die.
‘And.’
Our party is specialized for short battles anyway.
‘I’ve made my estimate.’
I charged straight at it.
Swoosh!
A verdant wind began swirling at the tip of my silver-gray Rapier.
It soon transformed into a cutting gale.
The edge of the Rapier aimed for the creature.
CLANG!
Sparks flew as it clashed against the greatsword. Upon closer look, the greatsword was shrouded in a crimson aura.
‘A weapon like Whisper of the Wind, perhaps.’
It didn’t feel like a Level 5 monster.
If it were, Ermé wouldn’t have brought us here.
And it wasn’t that fast either. It didn’t feel stronger than Lixiel.
‘The problem is—’
Its strength felt like a fusion of Lixiel and a few elves.
I leaped back and pulled out a bow and arrow from my weapon slot.
Twang.
The arrow I fired with full force traced an arc toward the creature.
Thud.
The Hobgoblin Champion stared at me with indifferent eyes, as if to say, “Do you really think something like that can hurt me?”
‘The downside of ranged weapons.’
My bow proficiency isn’t low, but I wouldn’t call myself specialized.
My real strength lies in—
‘Swordsmanship.’
I rushed at the Hobgoblin Champion. It swung its greatsword in a wide arc. Teresa ducked low and closed in.
Ermé dashed in from above. Her twilight-colored eyes darkened as her sword came down.
‘Dark Moon…’
I still can’t use it properly.
The casting time is too long.
‘The blue lines in my vision—’
The lines shown by a Sword Master.
They were barely visible. This rarely happened—only against opponents far stronger than me.
‘Vulcan was like that.’
Against this thing, they were faint but still visible.
With Vulcan and Lucia, nothing showed up no matter what I did. Compared to them, this thing is manageable.
The blue lines were faint but there.
“Hup!”
Holding my breath, I slashed along the visible blue line. A clean, slicing sensation ran through me, but—
‘Too shallow.’
The Hobgoblin Champion’s gaze remained fixed on me.
Even as Teresa swung her mace.
Even as Ermé slashed with her sword.
It parried their attacks, sometimes taking hits, but its focus never left me.
‘Why me?’
Is it because of my Fatal Constitution?
Or does it instinctively sense that my Dark Moon is dangerous?
‘I haven’t even used Dark Moon yet.’
No way to know.
But if it’s fixated on me, then preparing Dark Moon will be difficult.
‘In that case—’
I’ll do the opposite.
I’ll draw its attention.
I activated Fatal Constitution.
Ermé and Teresa flinched for a moment.
And the Hobgoblin Champion—
‘…Its eyes turned red?’
Its eyes had turned crimson.
A look of absolute certainty, as if confirming its target.
It stared at me with an intense glare.
—GRROOOOAR!
It swung its sword.
Aimed at me. Teresa and Ermé tried to intercept, but it took the hits and lunged at me with a massive leap.
‘What kind of speed is this?!’
For its size, it should be slower.
At 3 meters tall, it should be sluggish.
But the creature wielding a greatsword as large as itself moved with agility unbefitting its bulk.
‘Somehow, it feels faster than me.’
It swung its sword at me with terrifying speed.
I raised Whisper of the Wind in front of me.
‘I can’t block this head-on.’
Its speed was one thing, but—
Its raw strength was monstrous. Trying to match it in a contest of power would be the worst possible move.
In that case—
‘I’ll deflect it as much as possible.’
But can I even do that?
I’ve never tried something like this before.
‘No.’
It’s not about whether I can.
If I want to live, I have to.
As I swung my sword, information flooded my mind. I retreated as far as I could while redirecting the greatsword’s force.
CLANG!
But it didn’t work in one go. Its strength was too overwhelming.
Still—
‘I twisted its trajectory.’
That was enough.
Whisper of the Wind deflected it.
‘Bloodsoaked Dagger.’
The crimson dagger pierced deep into its thigh.
—GRUOOOH!
Unlike before.
The Bloodsoaked Dagger sank deep into its flesh.
‘But the dagger itself is too small compared to its body.’
It won’t hold for long.
The wind from Whisper of the Wind howled. A sensation like something being sucked out from within.
SLICE!
I shredded its leg.
‘This should cripple its mobility…’
The Hobgoblin Champion’s eyes glowed red.
Just as I inflicted countless wounds on its leg.
Its greatsword came down at me.
CRACK!
I crossed my two swords, barely managing to block the greatsword.
‘What kind of strength is this?!’
It felt like something inside me was about to burst. I never knew what it felt like to have your insides rattled by sheer force.
‘So this is how it feels.’
The greatsword kept pushing. It drove me back until I hit the wall.
BOOM!
The sheer force sent me crashing into the stone.
In that brief moment, I saw—
Ermé rushing toward the Hobgoblin Champion.
Her sword gleamed scarlet, and then—
Slice.
Silently, one of its arms was severed.
“There’s a limit to underestimating someone.”
Ermé muttered as she stared at the Hobgoblin Champion.
It wasn’t hard to understand.
Even as allies, the battle aura Han Yuseong occasionally emitted was enough to make her flinch.
‘Honestly.’
It’s terrifying.
Different from before. The killing intent that made you feel like he’d stab you if you let your guard down at first—
Now it’s just his presence that suffocates people.
Han Yuseong might not realize it.
But when he activates his constitution, the term “Discernment” wasn’t just empty praise.
Most people wouldn’t even be able to breathe properly in front of him.
Facing him head-on is the last thing anyone would want to do.
Yet the Hobgoblin Champion did just that.
‘I’ve got my own skills too.’
Han Yuseong isn’t the only one to watch out for in this party.
Otherwise, there’d be no reason for her to pretend to “discover” this place and lead them here.
—GROOOOAR!
The creature roared in fury. Its crimson eyes burned brighter.
‘Berserker’s Gift.’
One of its patterns.
When it feels its life is in danger, its offensive power spikes to extremes. Even if it loses limbs, it’ll take its enemy down with it.
The greatsword swung down.
“Careful.”
Teresa warned Ermé as she lunged forward.
‘You might be a Berserker, but—’
We’ve got one too.
Her emotionless eyes filled with battle aura. Teresa swung her mace with full force.
CRASH!
It struck the Hobgoblin Champion’s unguarded stomach.
‘A direct hit, but—’
There was a reason it landed.
Marcel, the support caster, had regained consciousness and buffed Teresa at some point.
And now that she’s unleashed—
The Hobgoblin Champion swung its greatsword again. Aimed at Teresa. The massive blade—
CLANG!
Sent Teresa’s mace flying upward. Just as it was about to deliver the killing blow—
A chill.
Even from a distance, goosebumps rose.
The Hobgoblin Champion spun around abruptly.
Teresa’s strike had briefly stunned it.
Ermé smirked inwardly.
Teresa’s attack wasn’t just about damage—it stole the creature’s vision for an instant.
And in that moment—
‘The most dangerous one—’
Was unleashed.
Han Yuseong came into view.
Whisper of the Wind held forward, Bloodsoaked Dagger slightly drawn back—a dual-wielding stance.
Fortunately, the earlier hit he took didn’t seem too severe.
‘Something’s…’
Off.
Ermé felt it.
Even in the dark cave, it felt like the surroundings had grown darker.
Had it gotten even darker? Was that possible?
‘No, it’s not my imagination.’
Creeping darkness.
Something pitch-black was spreading from Han Yuseong’s sword, staining the area around him.
He crossed his two swords.
“Dark Moon.”
A pale white moon revealed itself.
SLUMP!
Darkness descended, swallowing everything.
‘I thought I was going to die.’
When the Hobgoblin Champion sent me flying.
I was genuinely worried about my body.
‘But I’m fine.’
Not because I’m tough or anything.
The reason I’m relatively unharmed is—
“Cough.”
Angeon.
I don’t know what kind of magic it was, but he said he reduced the impact and used telekinesis to absorb the recoil.
“Whew, I’ll live.”
Angeon pulled out a vial filled with a red liquid and gulped it down. Color returned to his face.
A healing potion.
‘Right, those exist.’
They were too expensive for me to even consider buying.
To be precise, the money I got from the last settlement wasn’t quite enough.
‘But Ermé bought me one and gave it to me.’
Angeon, now with color back in his face, adjusted his glasses and stood up.
“I owe you my life.”
“That’s my line.”
“Haha, still, not many parties would just hand out healing potions like that, even if I got hurt.”
“……?”
Why wouldn’t they?
If the party weakens, aren’t we all in danger?
“There are a lot of people in this world who don’t understand that common sense. Or, more accurately, people who can’t see beyond their own noses. And you’ve seen what happens to them.”
“…….”
Scavengers, was it?
I didn’t see them properly, but—
It was a shocking sight.
Ermé killed them on the spot just for encountering them in the dungeon.
“Anyway, let’s settle up. It should drop some decent magic stones.”
“Yeah.”
Just as we were about to move forward—
Teresa’s reaction was strange.
Light began scattering from her entire body.
“Oh, a rare sight.”
“What is that…?”
“First time seeing someone level up? That makes sense.”
Level up.
Every time you advance a level, you grow exponentially stronger.
Though the ceiling varies depending on your Gift.
‘I wonder how it’ll feel for me.’
I suddenly felt curious.
As the light was absorbed into Teresa’s body—
“……Ah.”
I looked at her.
Unlike before, most of the blue lines had disappeared.
Before, there were enough gaps that I’d have a good chance of winning in a fight.
‘But now—’
It feels like I’d lose more often than not.
What would happen if I leveled up?
As I pondered, Ermé walked up to Teresa with a bright smile.
“Wow, congratulations, Teresa.”
“Thanks.”
“Three months since your last level-up? That’s incredibly fast.”
Angeon marveled.
If it’s been three months, does that mean three months since she became an adventurer?
‘That’s weird.’
But something felt off.
Experience points are something you absorb after defeating monsters.
But—
‘I feel like I’m close to leveling up too.’
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