Chapter 4 - I Might Actually Be Pretty Strong
It was bizarre.
A potbelly sticking out from under stout forearms.
Disgusting eyes set without eyebrows, and a large nose and ears.
Its deep green skin made it hard to believe it was a natural being.
But it was small.
It only came up to about my waist.
Seeing its size, a confidence I never knew I had began to well up.
'There's no need to rush.'
I stood still and observed the battlefield. No matter how insignificant a monster might seem, you never know what it's really like in practice. In times like these, it was better to let the kids who liked to step forward take the lead.
"Let's start by taking on the one that's separated from the group. We don't know what they're really like yet."
The first one to act was Hong-seop. It was the wisest possible decision for a situation where someone had to go first.
"Wait, I'll go first."
The weapon Joo-hye had chosen was a bow. A bow as large as her entire upper body. I'd heard that bows of that size were incredibly heavy and difficult to draw, but Joo-hye drew it with ease.
It must be thanks to the goddess's blessing, right? Even so, a bow used for the first time is still a bow used for the first time. The arrow lodged itself in the ground instead of the goblin.
"Kiek?"
"Tch."
Joo-hye tried to nock her next arrow, but her body wouldn't move as she wanted in her haste. It took her a long time just to get one arrow on the string.
That was one of the reasons I hadn't chosen a complicated weapon. Because no matter how great an item is, it becomes poison if you can't handle it well.
"I'll take it!"
Hong-seop charged forward. Hong-seop's weapon was a sword. A longsword, the very symbol of a protagonist. A longsword and a bow. It already looked like a picture-perfect scene.
"Hyaap!"
"Kiek!"
Hong-seop swung his sword at the charging goblin. It was a magnificent stance, unbelievable for someone swinging a sword for the first time.
The goblin was split in half and collapsed.
"That's amazing, Hong-seop! How do you fight so well?"
"I learned Kendo before, so I tried to swing it similarly. More importantly, this is..."
"What is it?"
"My level went up. My stats rose too. It looks like there's more that we don't know."
"She said it was the blessing of growth. It looks like we get stronger by accumulating experience, just like she said."
"Wait, let's deal with those things first."
And so, the battle between the goblins and the heroes, who until yesterday had been university students, began.
At the very least, we had obtained the information that we could, in fact, kill goblins.
That gave the kids courage.
However, not everyone was a Hong-seop.
Some struggled, unable to adapt to their weapons, and some kids could be seen getting injured.
But a goblin was a goblin.
They weren't monsters capable of precisely exploiting an opening just because our side showed one.
The situation, which had been about 6:4 in our favor at the start, became easier and easier as time went on.
'At this rate, I guess it's okay for me to step in.'
Standing behind everyone.
At a glance, it might seem cowardly, but the most important thing in survival is gathering information.
Now that I knew we could handle the goblins as long as we were careful, all that was left was the actual combat.
Using the strength that even the goddess had acknowledged, I circled around to the opposite side of the settlement.
As expected, no one paid any mind to me breaking away from the group.
The reason I moved to the other side of the settlement was simple.
A battle was taking place, so there ought to be some non-combatant goblins who weren't participating.
For a first solo fight, that would be the perfect opponent.
'Let's see now...'
My judgment was correct.
While a war was raging at the front, I saw a lone goblin idling about in the deepest part of the area.
A goblin decked out in various flashy ornaments.
It looked like a goblin queen or princess; at any rate, it seemed to be of a higher rank.
There were goblins up front that were bigger and better armored than the one Hong-seop fought, but those types were all heading toward the battlefield anyway.
I waited for all the large goblins to leave before carefully approaching.
If the opponent had been human, I wouldn't have even needed to be careful.
They wouldn't have known I had come and gone.
But these were goblins.
Monsters are often depicted as having a superior sense of smell or hearing than humans, so I was preparing for the unexpected.
I crossed the wall-less settlement and approached to within arm's reach of the goblin. Up close, it looked even filthier. Like seeing an elementary schooler made entirely of muscle?
That alone was enough to plunge me into the uncanny valley, but its skin was even green. Yes. In a way, it was a relief that I felt such disgust.
It would be a huge problem if it looked too much like a human and I hesitated to stab it when the time came.
I took the dagger from my belt. In my head, I had already mapped out all the escape routes in case the assassination failed. To save my own skin even in the worst-case scenario.
I steeled my resolve and moved toward the goblin. The strategy was simple. Approach as stealthily as possible and stab it in the back.
It might seem crude, but what could I do? Until yesterday, I was a university student. Being suddenly thrown into a new world doesn't mean some grand battle strategy will just pop into existence.
I was merely finding a way to utilize the job of 'Assassin' and the passive skill 'Rear Attack.' My presence deceived even a goddess, so it had to work somehow.
"...!?"
All my plans turned to dust. It wasn't that I was caught by a huge goblin hiding in the shadows, nor was it that the flashy goblin was actually a hidden powerhouse.
No, if that had been the case, maybe I could have become the protagonist of some movie-like scene. But I was a shadow-like being that could never be caught. I had no such opportunities.
Instead, there was only an event so simple it was anticlimactic.
I walked right up and stabbed it.
That was really all there was to it. The goblin didn't notice me until my dagger was piercing its neck.
Its face, which only turned to look at me after a knife was sticking out of its throat, was filled with surprise. Of course, since its neck was properly pierced, it couldn't even scream.
Phew, aiming for the back was indeed a wise choice. No matter the monster, if there are combatants, there must be non-combatants....
[You have defeated the chieftain of the goblin settlement, the Goblin Shaman.]
[You have defeated the greatest enemy of the goblin settlement. The combat power of the goblins who have lost their chieftain will decrease.]
[Goblin Settlement Members' Combat Power -10%]
[Your level has risen.]
[Your level has risen.]
[Your level has risen....]
"Excuse me?"
This thing was the chieftain? A boss monster? No, what kind of chieftain dies so absurdly? Why was it alone? It wasn't skilled enough to be that confident, was it?
I looked down at the collapsed corpse. The Goblin Shaman, who had fallen so easily. If that thing was that formidable, it meant that I, who had defeated it, was even more formidable.
And so, having awakened the path of the sword, I would start with goblins and move on to orcs, trolls, and eventually the Demon King… as if I'd ever defeat him.
Let me be clear, a goblin is a goblin. No matter how strong, it's still a goblin. It was absurd to believe I could take down the Demon King just because I killed this thing.
That damn goddess.
Is she hoping I'll gain confidence by throwing a weakling at me in the first village?
Not a chance.
I am the only human who knows of the goddess's dark intentions.
I won't fall for that temptation!
Just then, the goblins, realizing their shaman was dead, began to swarm toward this location. Hmm, with numbers like that, even Hong-seop would probably die.
I could escape using the pre-planned route, but there was no need for that yet. The strongest goblin, the Goblin Shaman, hadn't noticed my existence until the moment it died.
In other words, goblins, just like humans, couldn't sense my presence.
'Special Move! Sit Motionless!'
I plopped down right where I was. My weapon, my presence, was more trustworthy than my legs that hadn't run in over a decade.
And indeed, the goblins couldn't find me. In the meantime, I checked the things I got from killing the shaman. My level had instantly jumped to 4, and my stats had risen by a ton. My combat power had already surpassed 150.
There was loot, too. A jet-black orb that the Goblin Shaman had been holding. As I looked at it, a description of the orb appeared in mid-air.
[Goblin Shaman's Humble Jewel (Rare)]
[Contains the spell Fireball, created with the Shaman's entire life force.]
[Uses: 3/3]
[Activation Word: Gorakurak]
"Gorakurak? What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
I didn't know what it meant, but I could clearly see its effect.
The moment I chanted the activation word, flames erupted from the black orb.
Fireball is often depicted as a very basic magic spell, but the Fireball I saw in person was different. With a single shot, it incinerated half of the goblin settlement.
[You have burned down the goblin settlement.]
[You have killed a Goblin Warrior.]
[You have killed a Goblin Warrior.]
[You have killed a Goblin....]
[You have massacred the goblins.]
[You have massacred the goblins in the cruelest way possible. The incinerated goblins left no corpses to be found.]
[Goblins now feel fear towards you.]
'No, I didn't mean to go this far....'
The goblin warriors that had swarmed in to avenge their shaman were turned to ash in a single blow. The few that survived were busy running around in all directions, on fire.
The fleeing goblins set other buildings on fire, more goblins burst out, and they too burned to death. Listening to the smell of burning flesh and the screams, I started to feel like I had done something wrong.
[A title is bestowed upon you for your great contribution to the subjugation of the goblin settlement.]
[Title: Goblin Slayer]
[Goblin Slayer: Goblins who meet the Goblin Slayer will be intimidated. This is a fear embedded in their very existence, and no goblin can escape this effect.]
[Goblin Slayer: Goblin stats -30%]
'Huh? This might actually be pretty good.'
The guilt lasted only a moment.
Weren't they creatures we couldn't coexist with anyway?
It's like when you watch a video of a pig being slaughtered; you feel sorry for a moment, but that's it.
If the enemies were this easy, it was right to farm experience points now.
I crept up behind the goblins fleeing in terror and stabbed them.
One kill per stab.
A massacre too pathetic to even be called a massacre began.
[Lv.6 (Assassin) - Strength: 12, Agility: 15, Intelligence: 15, Total Combat Power: 230]
[Assassin Exclusive Skill]
[Rear Attack (Lv.2)]
[Delivers a critical strike when attacking an enemy from behind.]
A level and combat power incomparable to when I first left the village.
A skill that had also grown.
More important than that, however, was the appearance of a new skill.
[Double Step - Dagger Exclusive Skill]
[Quickly stab twice.]
[Its power increases as proficiency rises.]
Upon reaching level 5, a new skill appeared. It was a skill that would make hunting the already easy goblins even easier.
Hitting twice where I used to hit once. That alone should be powerful enough. But what caught my eye even more was the next skill.
[Smoke Bomb (New) - Assassin Exclusive Skill]
[Detonates a smoke bomb to hide your presence.]
[The smoke becomes denser as proficiency rises.]
The description was extremely simple, but its effect would be anything but. The smoke that billowed up from the burning goblin settlement. When I hid my body in that smoke, the goblins lost me even when I was right in front of their eyes. What if I could create such smoke at will? There wouldn't be a goblin in the world that could find me.
I returned to the group of students.
I had annihilated the strongest enemy and taken its loot, but I had no intention of taking the glory as well. Glory and honor were fundamentally troublesome things. All I needed were tangible benefits. In that respect, having obtained the Goblin Shaman's jewel and gems, the first battle could be called a great success. At least, that's what I had thought.
"This is strange. Are you saying no one has the Goblin Shaman's Jewel? Without it, we cannot proceed to the next village..."
Troublesome matters came flooding in like the tide.