The Game of the Greatest Black Mage

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]

Chapter 33

3.

Adum's Cave.

A 5-person dungeon where goblins and hobgoblins appear together.

It was also one of the more difficult dungeons in Sekan.

The hobgoblins and goblins attacked fiercely, and their numbers were not to be underestimated.

And perhaps because it was heavily populated by goblins?

It was full of traps and poisons.

It wasn't designated as a 5-person party dungeon for nothing.

This was also the reason why Manhu and his group chose this place as their hunting ground.

It had to be this difficult so that they would die quickly.

What good were good items?

If the skill to handle them was poor.

If they fell into a trap or were swarmed by goblins, isolating the two at the front was all it took.

They would die on their own.

It should have been the same this time.

"Hmm, this is too easy for a 5-person dungeon."

"??????”

"?!?!?!?”

"!!"

"Wow! Brother Seonghyun! Really, amazing."

He sheathed his sword after the battle.

It really wasn't much.

The attacking hobgoblins and goblins.

There was only one higher-level monster, a hobgoblin, but that hobgoblin was a problem.

It gave systematic commands to the goblins.

It would be a mistake to think they were the same as the goblins he had encountered before.

However, in front of Seonghyun's sword, they were no different from the previous goblins and were cut down.

"Hmm, is that all?"

"R-Really amazing!!"

"Y-You're really amazing..."

"Y-Yeah..."

"Indeed."

Creak.

He heard a teeth-grinding sound for a moment, but he ignored it.

It was certainly easy.

'Is it because of the sword?'

Apprentice Hero Hindel's Sword.

Its performance was certainly undeniable.

He felt sorry for the Steel Sword, which he had used well in the beginning, but there was no comparison.

But even considering that,

'It's too easy.'

Judging from their reactions, Manhu's group seemed surprised, but

Seonghyun smiled inwardly and thought,

'Is this all?'

Would they have set a trap with just goblins?

It was a thought that would make Manhu's victims and Manhu himself furious if they heard it, but fortunately, there was no one who could hear it.

As Seonghyun swept away the goblin horde,

Manhu, with trembling eyes, immediately checked the party window.

『Jinwoo - Lv.23 - (Sword and Shield Warrior)』

『Seonghyun - Lv.25 - (????)』

『Amir - Lv.26 - (Archer)』

『Nuel - Lv.27 - (Elemental Mage)』

『Manhu - Lv.29 - (Swordsman)』

Clearly, his level was lower than theirs.

But how could he display such prowess?

At first glance, it didn't seem like he was borrowing the power of skills.

The faint teal light was only visible to Seonghyun and those with keen senses; it was invisible to them.

How could they know?

Manhu chewed his lip nervously and muttered,

'L-Lucky.'

It was rare for only one group of goblins to appear at the beginning of Adum's Cave, even though he had been in and out of it countless times.

Of all times, only one group appeared when Seonghyun stepped forward.

But it's okay.

The number of enemies that will appear in the future won't end with just one group.

To be so arrogant after dealing with just one group.

'So cocky.'

‘The true terror of Adum's Cave, this dungeon, begins now!’

...That's what Manhu thought.

When three groups of goblins appeared at once,

Seonghyun stepped forward without hesitation, and they were swept away like leaves in the wind.

Jinwoo, the Sword and Shield Warrior next to him, didn't even tank or draw aggro; he just ran through them, wielding only a sword with a shimmering blue aura.

In his other hand, he held a dagger as sharp as an awl and swept through them.

In less than 5 minutes, he had wiped out all the goblin groups.

"Wow!! That's amazing, Brother Seonghyun!"

"...Hmm, it's nothing much. We should be careful because it could be dangerous if we go further."

"...."

"...."

"...Ha."

Seeing this, Manhu stared at Seonghyun in a daze.

How could a person be like that?

When three groups of goblins attack in Adum's Cave, shouldn't he at least get hurt a little as a courtesy?

He didn't even look tired, let alone lose any hp.

And although Manhu and his party didn't attack Seonghyun to kill him,

Why was that Jinwoo guy just watching?

Everything was incomprehensible.

Looking at Manhu, Amir and Nuel chatted in bewilderment.

[Amir - What should we do? I mean, is that even possible?]

[Nuel - This is really troublesome. Should we just let it go at this point?]

Their chat.

They had a point.

Although it hadn't worked yet, they still had some things left.

[Manhu - There are still many traps. Swordsmanship doesn't work against traps. Let's see what he can do.]

Nuel and Amir agreed with that chat.

Pure combat power and traps were different matters.

Above all, there was no thief in this party, so

No one could dismantle the traps.

Of course, Nuel could do it, but

Would he?

Surely Seonghyun, who was leading the way, would fall victim to a trap, right?

Some of them had that expectation.

"Oh dear, there's a trap here too. I'll dismantle it and then we'll go."

"Whoa!! What, Brother Seonghyun is good at dismantling traps too!?!?"

"...Indeed."

Creak.

What kind of combatant dismantles traps too?

Moreover, as if he had the vision of a skilled hunter, he even dismantled all the traps far away.

But Seonghyun still said,

"The traps are obvious. Still, there might be more dangerous traps, so please be careful, Jinwoo."

"Yes! I'll keep that in mind!!"

"...."

‘Is he mocking us?’

The trap that Seonghyun just dismantled was the most difficult trap in Adum's Cave.

Knowing this fact, the expressions of Manhu and his party hardened rapidly.

'...There's no more...'

Way.

Usually, there were no users alive by this point.

They had come this far too easily.

How was this possible?

Not only was his physical ability ridiculous, but he also had detection abilities?

Where did such a cheat character come from?

Manhu glared at Seonghyun, grinding his teeth.

'Could it be... he's a similar kind of guy?'

A hunter who, like them, targets users' items?

No, that can't be.

If that were the case, he would have already made a move.

Then what is his identity?

As Manhu was lost in thought,

Seonghyun, on the contrary, was inwardly questioning Manhu and his party.

'When are they planning to attack?'

Recalling the words of the child ghost, he said they would make him fall into a trap, but

Surely they didn't rely on these insignificant traps or monsters.

Although that was true, Seonghyun thought it couldn't be.

Who would die from something like this?

He thought that Manhu and his party hadn't made their move yet.

'Ah! They're probably planning to attack during the boss fight.'

Indeed, it could be quite fatal if they attacked during the boss fight.

He needs to be prepared for that.

Unaware of Manhu's thoughts,

As Seonghyun came to that conclusion,

Manhu and his party were holding an emergency meeting.

[Amir - What do we do now?]

[Manhu - Hmm.]

[Nuel - If he's fine even after all those traps, shouldn't we give up?]

[Amir - That's true, isn't it?]

[Nuel - All that's left is to attack him ourselves...]

[Amir - That's... a bit much, isn't it?]

Amir showed a negative reaction to Nuel's words.

Indeed, it was true.

There was a significant penalty for attacking a user first.

It was something you couldn't do without覚悟 (resolve).

Manhu wouldn't normally go that far either.

But.

"..."

Manhu glanced at Seonghyun, who was looting items while slaughtering goblins.

More precisely, at the Apprentice Hero Hindel's Sword, enveloped in a blue aura, that Seonghyun was wearing.

Should he just let him go like this?

At that moment, a burning desire could be felt in Manhu's greed-filled eyes.

No, he couldn't do that.

It was better to take the risk than to give that up.

[Manhu - Attack in the boss room.]

Coincidentally, things went exactly as Seonghyun had predicted.

4.

Adum's Cave, one of the dungeons in Sekan Village.

The boss here, unsurprisingly, was a hobgoblin named Adum.

His race was Hobgoblin Warrior.

Unlike goblins, who were the size of young children, hobgoblins, with a height similar to that of an adult, were tricky monsters for users.

They were humanoid monsters and cunning, making them difficult to deal with.

They were also skilled with weapons, often counterattacking if one was careless.

And so was the hobgoblin Adum, located in the final boss room of this Adum's Cave.

He was tricky enough on his own, but there were also four hobgoblins next to Adum.

This was the reason why it was designated as a 5-person dungeon.

"Hmm."

"Wow, four hobgoblins and the Hobgoblin Warrior Adum!?"

As Jinwoo expressed his admiration and tension simultaneously,

The boss room came into everyone's view.

A wide, natural cavern, and in it, a larger hobgoblin sat as if he were the king of the place.

[Lv.35 Hobgoblin Warrior 'Adum']

Clearly different from the others, the name of the Hobgoblin Warrior Adum was embroidered in red.

As he rose,

The other hobgoblins around him also took their positions.

[Lv.32 Hobgoblin]

[Lv.31 Hobgoblin]

[Lv.30 Hobgoblin]

[Lv.30 Hobgoblin]

As Adum stood and the hobgoblins took their places,

Seonghyun naturally looked at Manhu and his party.

It seemed they hadn't made their move yet.

In that case, it was only natural to make the first move.

Seonghyun's eyes lit up as he grabbed the hilt of the Apprentice Hero Hindel's Sword at his left side and charged.

He dashed forward in a low stance, almost as if he were about to fall to the ground. Jinwoo, seeing this, quickly followed with his shield and sword.

Until now, Seonghyun had been fighting alone, but with the boss Adum present,

He intended to help.

And this time, Manhu also grabbed his sword and swiftly ran forward.

Although he was running leisurely, Manhu realized,

'He's faster than me?'

That Seonghyun's speed was faster than his own.

How was that possible?

His level was clearly higher, so his stats should also be higher.

It might be different if he was going all out, but if not, Seonghyun's current speed was abnormally fast.

This was possible because Seonghyun was more attuned to this world than anyone else, utilizing all of his stats.

Seonghyun dashed forward and, in the same motion, drew his sword and beheaded a hobgoblin that couldn't react in time.

Swish!

[Critical Hit!]

[The effect of 『One Strike!』 is activated!]

The sharp blade vibrated as it sliced through the hobgoblin's neck, leaving a red fissure.

Blood gushed from the fissure like a fountain, but the hobgoblin endured, perhaps due to its tough neck muscles.

"Kruk! Kek!"

It writhed in pain, but its fighting spirit still burned. As it tried to turn towards Seonghyun, who had just passed by,

Jinwoo, who had rushed in with his massive shield, shouted,

"Take this!!"

Crash!

As if hit by a car, the hobgoblin tumbled backward from the tremendous impact, rolling pathetically on the ground.

Seonghyun, unfazed, completely drew his sword, holding the Apprentice Hero Hindel's Sword in his right hand and the Tiger's Fang in his left.

He immediately charged towards another hobgoblin.

The hobgoblin, having witnessed its comrade's fate, was prepared and swung its club at Seonghyun.

Clang!Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The club and the sharp sword collided, and both were deflected.

Seonghyun closed in on the hobgoblin, adjusting the grip of his right sword, which had not been sheathed, and repeatedly thrust the dagger-like Tiger's Fang.

Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab!

[Critical Hit!]

[The effect of 『One Strike!』 is activated!]

[Critical Hit!]

[Critical Hit!]

[Critical Hit!]

All four stabs landed as critical hits.

The hobgoblin's eyes rolled back, and it began to tremble.

Seonghyun kicked the creature with his foot and simultaneously swung the sword in his right hand.

[Critical Hit!]

Swish!

With a sharp slicing sound and a critical hit message,

The hobgoblin fell to the ground.

However, it was still alive, showing incredible resilience.

Seonghyun, as if expecting this, tried to finish it off with his sword, but the other goblins didn't just stand still.

"Kerheuk! Kek!"

"Kehu! Kehuuu!"

Two hobgoblins charged, full of excitement.

Even for Seonghyun, it was a sight that seemed a bit overwhelming.

Even in this situation, Seonghyun tried to maintain his composure and calmly swing his sword.

But at that moment, with a chilling sensation, Seonghyun moved from his spot, and as soon as he did, a massive sword fell where he had just been standing.

"Kehuuuuuuuuk!!"

Kuuuuuung!

With a roar-like cry, the massive sword struck down, shattering the cave floor and sending countless fragments flying.

Was it the boss's appearance?

Just as Seonghyun was about to attack the boss, Adum, with his sword,

Whoosh!

He felt a scorching heat behind him!

If he were to be hit by that, he wouldn't die immediately, but he would surely suffer!

At the same time, a message popped up.

[Party member 『Nuel - Lv.27』 is attacking you.]

[Entering complete hostile state.]

[Party member 『Nuel - Lv.27』 has left the party.]

[This user has infamy.]

[Attacking will not accumulate infamy.]

It was a critical situation, but Seonghyun moved as if he had already known.

He had known even before he felt the heat behind him.

As Seonghyun dodged it, Nuel stuttered,

"He dodged that?!?"

It was truly a surprise attack.

And seeing this, Jinwoo shouted in surprise,

"N-No. A-Attacking an ally?!?"

Unlike Jinwoo, who was surprised by the unexpected situation, Seonghyun spoke as if it was about time.

"Finally revealing your true colors."

Seeing Seonghyun speak as if he had already known,

Manhu and his party were equally bewildered.

But it was okay.

Since they had already made their move, there was no turning back.

All they had to do was fight with all their might.

If they outnumbered him and also used the boss monster, they could easily win.

Thinking so, Manhu shouted to Amir and Nuel,

"There's nothing those two can do anyway..."

As he tried to gain the upper hand by saying there was nothing they could do,

"Two?"

Seonghyun responded to Manhu's words with a rare smile.

And then,

A huge teal portal appeared behind Seonghyun, and goblin undead, clad in black darkness and overflowing with teal energy, poured out.

There were as many as twenty of them.

And.

-Khehehehe! It's time for slaughter!! For Master!!

A Wraith appeared, scattering a ferocious aura everywhere.

It exploded with teal energy, clad in black darkness.

The surrounding air felt several times heavier.

Manhu and his party's eyes trembled violently at the overwhelming presence.

No, not only their eyes, but their legs and arms also shook like aspen leaves.

[Lv.40 Death Soldier - Wraith, Barpur]

With the appearance of an undead stronger than the boss here.

[Translator - Prøks]

[Proofreader - Prøks]