Chapter 7

“Thank you. Here are the potions you purchased and the supplies you requested.”

The moment the Adventurers’ Guild employee set the potions and supplies on the counter, they vanished into Woojin’s inventory.

▶ Lowest-grade Potion x 10

▶ Bread x 5

▶ Waterskin Filled with Water x 1

A murmur spread through the crowd as people spotted him and began whispering.

“That’s him... right?”

“Yeah. Looks like he’s stopped standing around in the square.”

“See? I told you. He gave up once people stopped paying attention.”

“...”

Woojin ignored their remarks. He no longer cared what they thought of him. He had something to do now.

“I’d like to take a quest...”

“You haven’t received your badge yet, I see. In that case, simply choose whichever request you like from the bulletin board over there.”

Following the guild employee’s directions, Woojin looked at the notices covering the wall to his right.

[Grade C - Hunt Gray Wolves]

[Grade E - Gather 30 Wild Herbs]

[Grade D - Collect 10 Goblin Teeth]

As he approached the bulletin board, a flurry of pop-up windows appeared, displaying the details of the requests.

‘To leave the beginner village of Moretti for another town, you have to complete at least ten requests here.’

After that, he would need an official registration certificate from the Adventurers’ Guild before he could travel to an intermediate city.

‘Then I need to reach level 50 in an intermediate city before I can go to the central continent, where the Labyrinth Tower is...’

Only after reaching the central continent would he qualify to challenge the tower—the main storyline of [Evil Tale].

‘According to the community, just getting to the central continent takes at least three months.’

It was no easy journey.

‘I don’t know how any of it happened, but...’

He had obtained runes that even players who had completed that long journey struggled to acquire. His experience in the other world had truly yielded an enormous reward.

‘... Could I go there again?’

A sudden curiosity struck him. If even low-tier monsters like gray wolves dropped runes... what might other monsters yield?

But he soon shook his head.

‘It’s too dangerous.’

He didn’t even know how he had crossed into the other world in the first place, or how he had returned.

‘One wrong move, and I might never make it back.’

Rather than pin his hopes on a risky gamble, he ought to look for a solution within the reality he knew.

“Goblins, huh...”

Woojin tapped one of the quest windows.

Orcs were the strongest monsters in the Dark Forest. Although he was only level 10, his current stats should allow him to wipe out their stronghold single-handedly.

So far, he had completed nine quests. Just one more would allow him to leave Moretti. That was why he chose this destination.

[Grade D - Collect 10 Goblin Teeth]

[Quest accepted.]

There was something he wanted to check.

* * *

“Recruiting party members!”

“Looking for a tank for a Nest run!”

“DPS looking for a group!”

After leaving the village and heading into the Dark Forest, he saw people looking for parties. Their reason for grouping up was simple: to hunt more monsters, faster.

‘But I don’t need to bother with that.’

Thanks to Solitude, the Trait he had acquired from Raoul’s essence, he was better off hunting alone.

‘All the Traits I got from his essence are connected to Raoul.’

The thought left Woojin feeling a little bitter. Just how long had Raoul wandered the continent alone to develop a Trait like that?

‘Well, I’m grateful for it, but...’

The logout incident had already made Woojin’s face recognizable. He wanted to avoid getting involved with other people as much as possible.

“Looking for one DPS, level 15 or below, for a Goblin Nest time attack!”

That was when one voice caught Woojin’s attention amid the calls for party members.

‘... A time attack?’

Woojin turned his head.

‘Right... There was something like that.’

It was an achievement that rewarded players for clearing a dungeon within a set time.

“Hmm.”

He reached out to touch the stone monument standing in front of the Goblin Nest.

[Dungeon Board activated.]

A window appeared above the monument.

[Current Record Rankings]

[1st: Kerga’s Party (4 members) 15 min 37 sec]

[2nd: Tramel’s Party (4 members) 16 min 21 sec]

[3rd: Lycan’s Party (4 members) 19 min 10 sec]

‘Sure enough... He stood out right from the start.’

Woojin let out a quiet sound of admiration as he studied the rankings. Kerga, whose name occupied first place, led the [Phoenix Corps], reputed to be the best raid group currently active.

Once players reached level 15 or higher, their results no longer counted toward the leaderboard. That meant no one had beaten the record Kerga had set as a beginner years ago.

‘The game was still in its early days back then. Even the marketplace couldn’t have been very active.’

Woojin glanced at the player recruiting for the time attack. His grayish armor gave off a soft sheen whenever the sunlight struck it.

‘Armor made from the hide of Ashmane, a rare monster with a low respawn chance in the Dark Forest.’

And that wasn’t all. The iron sword at his side wasn’t something sold at the guild, either. It was high-quality equipment made by blacksmiths on the central continent.

Woojin looked at the insignia fastened to the man’s shoulder: a sword and a hawk. It belonged to the [Jaina Clan], one of [Evil Tale]’s ten great clans.

‘I suppose you need the backing of a major guild to even attempt a time attack.’

“Just going for the basic twenty-minute clear achievement! Come join us!”

Despite his top-tier equipment, the man had no intention of aiming for the rankings. He had little choice.

‘Kerga’s record was set four years ago, but Tramel’s second-place record was set just six months ago.’

Muran, leader of the [Tramel Clan], one of the ten great clans, had made that attempt under his clan’s name in hopes of beating Kerga’s record.

The advances in equipment and techniques over those four years were clear. Everyone had expected Muran to set a new record, yet, surprisingly, Kerga’s remained unbroken.

‘His attempt only ended up proving how great Kerga was.’

Several clans had tried after that, but none had beaten Kerga’s time. And so the record had stood.

‘Those records were set by elite members of major clans after extensive preparation...’

It was only natural that the man wouldn’t dare aim for a place in the rankings.

“Hmm.”

Woojin frowned slightly. In fact, the Goblin Nest wasn’t the only dungeon involved. The ten great clans had created new accounts to clear every dungeon in the beginner areas all over again.

‘They claimed they were doing it to challenge Kerga’s record.’

But their goal was obvious.

[The top three teams on the Dungeon Board receive titles. The effects of these titles vary depending on the number of team members.]

Woojin read the text at the very bottom of the Dungeon Board’s rankings.

‘These titles are what they’re after.’

Titles earned by completing specific achievements in [Evil Tale] granted various effects.

‘Titles are certainly useful... but they aren’t starting over on new accounts just to earn them.’

As Woojin considered that, a nearby group who clearly disliked the ten great clans began muttering among themselves.

“Seriously, aren’t those bastards in the ten great clans pathetic?”

“Fucking scum. If anyone else makes it onto the leaderboard, they create new accounts and keep pushing the rankings higher just to stop them from getting a title.”

“The ones who have everything are always the greediest.”

“Hey, hey. That’s enough.”

“Ahem...”

People resented such petty behavior—denying others what they themselves couldn’t have—but no one openly antagonized the ten great clans.

Listening to them left a bitter taste in Woojin’s mouth.

‘When you think about it that way, Kerga really is impressive.’

Even after all those attempts by the ten great clans, his Goblin Nest record remained unbroken.

“The effects of these titles vary depending on the number of team members...”

Ultimately, the most important part of a time attack was clearing the dungeon quickly. More party members naturally meant faster hunting, so bringing a full party was standard practice. Reducing the party size in pursuit of a better reward could leave you outside the rankings altogether.

“Kerga’s record stayed unbroken no matter what the ten great clans tried. But there’s something even he didn’t get.”

A sudden question occurred to Woojin.

‘What would happen if I beat his record with fewer people than his party...?’

A small grin spread across his face.

Why bother agonizing over it? If he was curious, all he had to do was try.

[You have entered the Goblin Nest.]

* * *

[“Kieeeeeek!!!”]

The moment Woojin entered the nest, goblins charged him. Five in all.

‘Four regular goblins and one swordsman.’

He quickly assessed their lineup. Fortunately, none of them were ranged attackers.

His battles with monsters in the other world had taught him firsthand how much easier hunting became with one less thing to worry about.

SHING!

He drew his sword and slashed without hesitation at a goblin swinging a shabby club.

THWACK!

The goblin’s head burst, and its body turned to ash before it could even hit the ground.

“...?!”

Just one blow. Woojin was every bit as surprised by his own attack as the goblins were by their companion’s death.

[“Kr... Krrk.”]

The goblin swordsman stepped out from among its hesitant companions, clutching a crude blade. The tip of its short dagger—hardly worthy of being called a sword—began to tremble feebly.

[The goblins are beginning to feel fear.]

Could anyone kill a goblin in a level-15 dungeon with a single hit? Even the great Kerga would be incapable of that. Yet Woojin had just done the impossible.

[The goblins lose their will to fight in the face of overwhelming power.]

CLATTER!

The goblin swordsman dropped its sword and froze on the spot.

[The goblins are panicking.]

[The goblins’ movements are restricted.]

“Well, look at that.”

No one had ever accomplished this before. Naturally, no one knew what would happen as a result, either.

SLICE!

As easily as cutting down a training dummy, Woojin sliced off the head of a goblin standing motionless before him.

[“Kieeeeeek!!”]

Unable to put up any resistance, the goblins screamed and vanished into ash.

[“Keh... Kekek...!!”]