NOVEL WEB
Chapter 26
[Translator – Pr?ks]
[Proofreader – Pr?ks]
Chapter 26: Unique Items (5)
10.
“We’re hunting the boss monster.”
When El Paume said that, Dibo was startled for a moment, but then he nodded.
“I see. I’ll get ready.”
He had already adapted to El Paume’s style.
But Kiri was different.
“That’s crazy!”
El Paume’s actions made no sense to her at all.
Above all, she was in a hurry.
“If we die, it’s all over! Everything that happened here will be buried!”
She wasn’t afraid to lose her life. After all, she had faced death several times in this place.
“The fact that there are traitors within the Knight’s order and the guilds, the truth that there is a traitor buried!”
What she feared more was the disappearance of a very important truth.
“Tell me two things,” El Paume said about that part.
“One, go outside and tell people what happened today like this. Say that you were attacked by someone you don’t know. So you narrowly escaped.”
Kiri’s eyes narrowed at that fact.
“Hide the truth?”
And the moment she spoke, she suspected.
El Paume, maybe he’s a traitor too.
Of course, El Paume was no traitor.
“No, I’m telling you to hide it for a while because you need to reveal the truth.”
He knew.
“This isn’t just a personal escapade. Can you be sure there are no more traitors within the Cygnus Knight Order?”
That the followers of the Black Mage are now taking root all over the world, even in the deepest places.
“If you reveal that there is trolling, it’s one of two things. Those involved will either hide deeper or eliminate the possibility of trouble. Either way, it will be difficult for the trainees to fight back.”
Kiri didn’t know that, but she too could understand what El Paume was saying.
There was no way that a group of people, no matter how clumsy, could have intentionally killed adventurers inside the 100 Mystic Gates.
El Paume also knew.
“And another thing, there’s a Green Hobgoblin here.”
“Hobgoblin? That dwarf hobgoblin?”
“It’s a bit different. It’s so big that it can’t be called a dwarf, a variant. And it’s very smart.”
Despite being expertly trolled by the 15 adventurers, followers of the black magician, and even having one of them with the Phoenix Feather, they were ultimately unable to leave this place.
‘The Phoenix Feather is a powerful item.’
El Paume was well aware of the power of the Phoenix Feather.
‘But they still couldn’t get out.’
So why did the 15 adventurers with it fail to find the exit?
The answer was obvious.
“I guarantee you, the Green hobgoblins are probably setting traps near the exit and waiting.”
The Green hobgoblins were already prepared.
And the Green hobgoblins were intelligent and cunning monsters capable of doing so.
“They must have figured out most of the situation by watching the adventurers fight each other.”
Those guys couldn’t have missed what was happening in this reed field.
“They probably also recovered quite a bit of the adventurers’ items.”
And they’ve strengthened their power by taking advantage of the situation.
“So if you want to get out, you have to kill them.”
When he said that, Kiri could no longer question El Paume about hunting the boss monster.
The only question left was this:
“So, boss, can you kill it?”
To that question, El Paume replied.
“From now on, Kiri and Dibo, you two will be the bait.”
11.
Hobgoblins were dwarves who lived in the Minar Forest and were surprisingly threatening monsters.
One of the reasons why hobgoblins were scary was that variants were born among them.
The most fearsome among them were the Green Hobgoblins.
They were so big, fierce, and intelligent that the term “dwarf” could hardly be applied to them.
And the Mystic Gates were full of such variants.
Considering that Green Hobgoblins were intelligent, they knew that traveling in groups was advantageous.
The Green Hobgoblins in the reed forest were no different. They were a group of twenty-one Green Hobgoblins.
This group of Green Hobgoblins consisted of various Green Hobgoblins.
Kreer!
The most numerous were the warrior Green Hobgoblins wearing armor and carrying swords and shields.
The next most numerous were the archer Green Hobgoblins carrying bows.
Two of them had discarded their weapons and were wearing large shields and thick armor.
Colorful figures.
However, they had one thing in common.
Hobgoblins were dwarf-like creatures who lived in the Minar Forest and were surprisingly threatening monsters.
One of the reasons why Hobgoblins were scary was that variants were born among them.
The most representative was the Green Hobgoblin.
They were so big, fierce, and intelligent that the term “dwarf” could hardly be applied to them.
And the 100 Mystic Gates were full of such variants.
These Green Hobgoblins, as explained earlier, were intelligent, and so they knew that it was advantageous to travel in groups.
The Green Hobgoblins in the reed forest were no different. They were a party of twenty-one Green Hobgoblins.
This party of Green Hobgoblins consisted of various types.
Kree!
The most numerous were the warrior Green Hobgoblins wearing armor and carrying swords and shields.
The next most numerous were the archer Green Hobgoblins carrying bows.
Two of them had discarded their weapons and were wearing large shields and thick armor, acting as tanks.
Colorful figures with different roles.
However, they had one thing in common.
Krrrok!
They all showed signs of being ravenous.
This was surprising.
No matter how intelligent Green hobgoblins were, they were still monsters at their core. They couldn’t help but be more faithful to instinct than reason.
Krrr!
Despite this, the reason the Hobgoblins were holding their breath and suppressing their hunger was because of the Hobgoblin Shaman who was holding a staff with his robe turned upside down.
Kyaah!
The Hobgoblin Shaman spoke.
Kya! Kya!
He said to wait for the right moment, as the intruders here were killing each other.
He said to hunt down the survivors after they had killed each other.
At these words, the other Hobgoblins silently endured their hunger.
Of course, it wasn’t because the Hobgoblins were very rational and logical. As mentioned earlier, Hobgoblins were monsters. Monsters that couldn’t help but be more faithful to instinct than anyone else.
That’s why.
Kyaah!
The reason they followed the Hobgoblin Shaman’s words was because of instinct.
Keei!
The Hobgoblin Shaman wielded a very mysterious and powerful power, completely different from the other Hobgoblins.
Keeiii!
The power of the fire magic used by the Hobgoblin Shaman was on a different level than that of other shamans.
That’s why it was scary.
As the Hobgoblins waited for the right moment, cowering in fear of the Hobgoblin Shaman’s terror, it was then.
“Hey there, you Hobgoblin pups!”
A voice came from near those Hobgoblins.
“I am Dibo, the Polearm Hero! And this is Kiri, the Order Leader of the Cygnus Knights!”
The Hobgoblins held their breath when they heard that voice.
Was it time to act?
Keei!
However, the Hobgoblin Shaman ordered all the Hobgoblins to hold their breath.
This was because he thought it might be a trap by the humans.
So the Hobgoblin Shaman was going to let them be.
He intended to be patient.
“What do you mean? The Order Leader is Mikhail, the great one, so how can I be him?”
However, the two humans who appeared before them, who were chewing on such patience, did not back down.
“Ah, so you’re doing this because you’re the real Polearm Hero? What are the conditions for being bait? Is this a setup? So follow me. I’m Kiri, the Order Leader of the Cygnus Knights Order!”
“Oh, what an outrageous thing.”
Instead, they showed a comedy skit that wasn’t even funny.
“Oh, didn’t you come here to be bait? Then let’s at least act like bait. Let’s at least earn our keep, shall we?”
“That, that’s…”
“Is the Cygnus Knight Order unable to follow the orders of the benefactor who saved their lives?”
“…I am Kiri, the Order Leader of the Cygnus Knight Order!”
“Ehehe! Your voice is small! Can’t you speak up? Is that all the voice of a knight-in-training can muster?”
“I am Kiri, the Order Leader of the Cygnus Knight Order!”
“What did you say? I can’t hear you well?”
“I am!”
At that sight, the bodies of the Green Hobgoblins trembled.
It wasn’t that they understood the words of the two humans or anything like that. They didn’t know human language.
But they could feel it.
That they were making fun of them right now.
The Green Hobgoblin shaman was the same.
That’s why.
The Green Hobgoblin shaman gave an order.
Kiiiiii!
An attack order!
It was nothing strange.
The fact that those humans were making fun of them now meant that they didn’t know they were there.
In other words, it meant that this was not a trap.
Even if it was a trap, it didn’t matter.
If they were to just let those idiots who were acting like fools go, the dissatisfaction of the other Green Hobgoblins who followed the Green Hobgoblin shaman would explode, leading to a riot.
Now was the time to release them.
Krrrr!
The hunger that the Green Hobgoblins had been holding back surged forth as they were unleashed. They charged at the two humans with all their might.
Their ferocity was indescribable.
Krrrr!
All of them rushed forward, determined to devour those humans alive and fill their bellies.
Kii, kii!
Seeing this, the Green Hobgoblin shaman was satisfied.
Hungry Green Hobgoblins were more merciless than any other monster! In fact, that was why he had deliberately starved them.
In other words, at that moment, the Green Hobgoblin shaman did not doubt victory in the slightest.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a fire arrow appeared before the Green Hobgoblin shaman’s eyes, and the moment he saw it, the Green Hobgoblin shaman let out a chuckle.
A single fire arrow like that would not be able to stop the Green Hobgoblins.
Kii!
Even so, the Green Hobgoblin shaman acknowledged the presence of the fire arrow, and the warrior Green Hobgoblins who noticed it raised their shields as if to mock it.
That’s when it happened.
Swoosh!
The fire arrow flew over the shield and pierced the Green Hobgoblin’s right eye before bouncing out of its left eye.
Krrrr!
While the Green Hobgoblin let out a roar of pain, the fire arrow moved swiftly and turned towards the next Green Hobgoblin.
Pfft!
This time too, it pierced the Green Hobgoblin’s right eye before coming out of its left eye.
In an instant.
Krrrr!
In this way, the fire arrow followed the sounds of the Green Hobgoblins and instantly blinded them all.
Kyaaaaa!
In an instant, the ferocious roars of the Green Hobgoblins turned into screams of agony.
At the sound of the Green Hobgoblins’ screams, the Green Hobgoblin shaman felt a sense of bewilderment.
He had no idea what had happened at all.
That’s when it happened.
Kyuing!
A sound came from somewhere near the Green Hobgoblin shaman, and the moment he heard it, the Green Hobgoblin shaman instinctively turned his head.
And then the Green Hobgoblin shaman could see it.
Kyuing!
A snail.
That was the last thing the Green Hobgoblin shaman saw.
Pfft!
A fire arrow that had flown in at some point instantly took away both of the Green Hobgoblin shaman’s eyes.
And then the voice of someone reached the ears of the Green Hobgoblin shaman who had lost his eyes.
“So you were here.”
12.
The Green Hobgoblin hunt was over.
“It ended without any major problems.”
It was easier than they thought.
“It’s all thanks to the boss, of course.”
Of course, it was only possible because it was El Paume.
In the first place, El Paume knew.
What state the cowering Green Hobgoblins were in, how the bait had to behave in order to lure them out.
Once they took the bait, it wasn’t difficult.
The Phoenix Feather, the Fire Arrows of El Paume who carried it, exerted a power beyond common sense.
However, El Paume did not rejoice or feel satisfied with the fact that it ended easily.
In fact, there was something really important.
“It’s not too late to celebrate after we check the items.”
To check for unique-rank items that the Green Hobgoblins might have.
El Paume’s mind was a bit complicated in anticipation of that check.
‘I hope something I can use comes out.’
The value of unique-rank items was indescribable, but if they were unusable, the value was still good.
Of course, even unusable ones could be sold for a lot of money, but that was very difficult for El Paume.
‘If I sell it secretly, I’ll get caught.’
Dealing with such items meant taking a great risk.
Kyuing!
As El Paume was thinking about various scenarios in his head, Mano started poking at the body of the Hobgoblin shaman.
Kyuing!
And then he brought back an item.
“Huh?”
“What’s that?”
Dibo and Kiri looked surprised when they saw it.
El Paume was the same.
El Paume, who didn’t get surprised by anything less than a big deal, was surprised.
He couldn’t help it.
“It’s the same as that one from before, isn’t it?”
This time, it was none other than the Phoenix Feather.
“Lucky you.”
And El Paume smiled at that fact.
He knew.
‘The Phoenix Feather becomes stronger with each additional feather you have.’
That this item’s effect was stackable.
It was obvious, but with two Phoenix Feathers, El Paume’s combat power was bound to be off the charts.
Even an Orange-rank Mystic Gate wouldn’t pose much of a threat to him unless it was an extremely dangerous one.
He had achieved an upgrade beyond his wildest dreams.
‘It was worth coming here.’
El Paume’s participation in the 100-man Mystic Gate had been worth it.
Of course, El Paume knew.
‘If only I could have it.’
That there was one more truly important thing left to do.
“Let’s start looking for the exit.”
That’s why.
“And once we find the exit, Kiri, there’s something I need you to do.”
El Paume said to Kiri.
“What is it?”
“I need your sword.”
“My sword? What for?”
At this question, El Paume nodded and pointed to his stomach with his finger.
“Cut me.”
[TL/N: If anyone has played the game (Maple Story) or has any insight into the world’s setting and nuances. Please DM me on Discord.]
[Translator – Pr?ks]
[Proofreader – Pr?ks]
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