A newly generated Rare-grade linked quest.
But Rough’s joy did not even last five seconds.
[The Goblin Chieftain has been subjugated by someone else. The linked quest has been canceled.]
“...What?”
The corners of Rough’s mouth stiffened.
‘It was taken down? The Goblin Chieftain?’
After blinking for a moment, he burst out in frustration.
‘Who the hell was it?! Which bastard took my precious Goblin Chieftain! My Rare item!’
Furious, Rough set out to find the unknown culprit.
The Goblin Chieftain’s location.
It was not entirely impossible to guess.
‘Those goblins that ran away earlier. If I follow the traces they left, I should find it.’
Rough and Jaar followed the retreating goblin horde.
Before long, they arrived at the Goblin Chieftain’s hideout.
“Whoa, what happened here?”
Rough frowned at the gruesome sight.
[Goblin Chieftain]
[Lv: 10]
[Title: None]
[Classification: NPC]
[Affiliation: Goblin Tribe]
[Disposition: Evil]
[HP: 0/1000 MP: 176/300]
[Strength: 34 △▽ Agility: 35 △▽]
[Intelligence: 18 △▽ Luck: 15 △▽]
[Total Combat Power: 1,826]
Just as the system had said, the Goblin Chieftain was now a cold corpse.
And it was not just the chieftain.
The corpses of elite monsters—Centurions, Squad Leaders, and more—were scattered all around.
During the Tutorial, the moment their HP reached zero, they had turned gray and crumbled into dust.
But after the Tutorial, it seemed that corpses did not immediately disintegrate.
“How many people do you think did this?”
“Without question, just one.”
Jaar’s answer was quite shocking.
“I do not know who did it, but they possess remarkable skill. Do you see that?”
Jaar pointed at a severed goblin body part that had been thrown carelessly aside.
“What about it?”
“You cannot tell? Wait a moment.”
Jaar fitted the severed pieces of the goblins’ bodies together, then asked again.
“How about now? Can you see it like this?”
“Hmm. It looks like the cut surfaces line up.”
“Exactly. And the cuts are extremely smooth.”
“You mean...?”
“It means that the Goblin Chieftain and numerous goblins were cut down in a single strike. And it did not even take much effort.”
“...”
Rough’s expression hardened.
‘What if I had been the one facing the Goblin Chieftain?’
He did not need long to think it over.
‘Its Total Combat Power is lower than the Kobold Lord’s. It would not have been easy, but I think I could have handled it somehow at my current level.’
But—
Whoever had subjugated the Goblin Chieftain had utterly overwhelmed it.
At minimum, for now—
There was a strong possibility that, if not Jaar, they were stronger than Rough himself.
‘Tsk. Then it is safe to say both the gloves and the Skill are gone.’
Rough clicked his tongue in disappointment.
While he sighed regretfully, Jaar, who had been searching the area, urgently called for him.
“Rough!”
Jaar’s voice was somewhat excited.
“Hm? What is it?”
“There is something here. Come and see.”
Heading toward Jaar, Rough found the entrance to a cave concealed by brush.
[You have discovered the entrance to a Disposable Dungeon!]
‘Huh? A Dungeon? All of a sudden?’
Rough’s eyes immediately lit up.
[Basilisk’s Nest]
Unlike hunting grounds, Dungeons displayed no information: no recommended Level or Combat Power, no appearing monsters, no loot.
There was only its name.
But Rough was different.
Using his Personal Trait, he could inspect every detail of the Dungeon.
[Recommended Entry Level: 20 or higher]
[Recommended Combat Power: 1,500 or higher]
[Recommended Party Size: 3 or more]
[Appearing Monsters: Goblin Worker, Juvenile Basilisk]
[Main Loot: Random Rare-grade Item]
There was also an unfamiliar line.
[Exploration Rate: 32%]
‘Wait. An Exploration Rate of 32% means...’
Someone had already begun clearing it.
Who it was could not be more obvious.
‘The person who killed the Goblin Chieftain. Whoever it is, they must be attempting to clear the Dungeon right now.’
“What shall we do? Shall we enter?”
Jaar asked what Rough intended.
“If this gets taken too, I will be too bitter to sleep. You have no objections, right?”
“Of course not.”
“Good. Let’s go.”
Rough and Jaar entered the Dungeon.
The cave was so dark that not even a trace of sunlight entered it.
As time passed, their eyes completely adjusted to the darkness.
The passage was fairly wide, and goblin corpses had been left strewn throughout.
‘Something seemed strange when I saw the list of appearing monsters. Why are there goblins inside the cave too? Did they take refuge here?’
Rough shook his head and dismissed the thought.
‘That is not what matters right now. Let’s chase the person who came in first.’
Soon, the two arrived at a fork in the path.
“Two paths. What should we do? Stay together, or each take one?”
“...”
Rough fell deep into thought at Jaar’s question.
‘What would be best?’
Each choice had its advantages and drawbacks.
If they split up, one of them would surely be able to catch up with the unknown person.
The person who entered first would have to clear the monsters blocking their way as they advanced.
But Rough and Jaar only had to follow the path that had already been cleared.
What worried him, however, was this:
‘What if the person ahead is a malicious player who makes a habit of PK, or an Evil-aligned NPC?’
There was a high chance they could run into trouble.
On the other hand, moving together would guarantee their safety.
And if they were lucky enough to choose the same route, they could still catch up.
‘The odds are fifty-fifty...’
As Rough could not make a decision, Jaar urged him on.
“Would it not be better to hurry and move rather than spend so much time thinking?”
Rough gave a small laugh as a brilliant idea suddenly crossed his mind.
“Ah, I just had a clever idea.”
“A clever idea? Let me hear it.”
“Look. The person who came in first must have chosen one of these two paths.”
“Right?”
“If we split up and move, one of us will find that person’s traces.”
“Right?”
“The one who finds them keeps following, while the other returns to this fork and takes the other path. What do you think?”
That way, they could secure both safety and their objective.
“It is a good idea. Whether we continue forward or turn back, the time it takes to regroup will be similar. And as you said, it will expose us to less danger.”
“One thing. If you find someone, never reveal yourself. Just tail them.”
“Understood.”
“See you in a bit.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Rough vanished into the darkness.
Jaar moved down the other path as well.
After running aimlessly for some time—
Jaar encountered a group of goblins.
There were no signs that anyone had passed through.
The path he had chosen had not been taken by anyone.
‘This is not the way. I should clear them out quickly and return.’
Jaar drew his sword and readied himself for battle.
***
“Bingo. This is the right way.”
Rough grinned as he discovered traces of the person who had passed through earlier.
“They really tore through this place, huh?”
To confirm it, Rough touched a monster’s corpse, and the corners of his mouth gradually rose.
“The body is still warm, and rigor mortis has not set in yet. It does not seem like it died very long ago.”
In other words, if he hurried, he might still catch up.
Just then—
Rumble—
A faint vibration came from somewhere not too far away.
Rumble, rumble—
The tremors continued intermittently.
Rough was certain.
It was the noise produced by battle.
And battle with a boss monster, at that.
“We are almost there.”
Rough hurried toward the source of the sound.
Once he left the passage, a fairly large cavern came into view.
And, just as he expected, a fierce battle was taking place between a boss monster and a single user.
[Juvenile Basilisk]
[Lv: 35]
[Total Combat Power: 4,500]
‘Combat Power 4,500? This really is a boss monster.’
Those were numbers worthy of the Dungeon’s master.
Then Rough checked the user’s information, and his eyes widened in disbelief.
[Kiting]
[Lv: 33]
[Class: Archer]
[Title: First Pioneer]
[Classification: Player (Human)]
[Affiliation: None]
[Disposition: Neutral]
[HP: 879/950 MP: 354/550]
[Strength: 39 △▽ Agility: 43 △▽]
[Intelligence: 32 △▽ Luck: 31 △▽]
[Total Combat Power: 2,621]
‘What the hell? What is that monster?’
The Level was one thing... no, even the Level was absurd.
But that Combat Power was insane.
‘His weapon is not that great, so how is his Combat Power that high? Does he have something special?’
That was despite the fact that his weapon was not particularly impressive.
There was something else suspicious about it.
The Goblin Chieftain and elite monsters had mostly died from stab wounds or slashing wounds.
Yet Kiting was currently equipped with a bow.
Rough came up with two hypotheses.
‘Either the person who killed the Goblin Chieftain and that guy are two different people. Or he is skilled with both swords and bows.’
While examining Kiting’s information, Rough found the answer.
One of his pieces of equipment bore a familiar name.
The Goblin Chieftain’s Gloves.
‘It is the same person.’
Rough nodded to himself and silently watched the battle.
After carefully observing the situation, it seemed there was plenty of room for him to intervene.
Perhaps because his weapon was not very effective, Kiting was having a fairly difficult time against the Basilisk.
Their Combat Power difference was nearly twofold to begin with.
It was only natural.
If anything, it was remarkable that he had reduced the Basilisk’s HP by half on his own.
‘What should I do? Wait for Jaar to get here...? No, when will he get here? If Kiting kills it before then, it will all be for nothing!’
Rough shook his head.
‘Should I suggest that we work together? Looking at the situation, it might work if things go well.’
It was a somewhat reckless idea.
But Rough was confident that he could persuade him.
‘Let’s do it.’
Having made his decision, Rough cautiously approached Kiting.
***
“Phew. I hurried here because I was worried someone might snatch it first, but perhaps I was too hasty. I should have prepared more before coming.”
Kiting sighed deeply, looking troubled.
“I cannot deal much damage because its hide is too tough.”
Just as Rough had observed, Kiting was clearly struggling.
Biting his lip, he muttered to himself again in a meaningful tone.
“Should I leave, regroup, and come back? No, but it would be troublesome if someone discovered this place in the meantime. I have to obtain ‘that’ no matter what.”
Just as he wavered, unable to decide what to do—
“Excuse me.”
Rough spoke to him.
“...!”
Kiting’s eyes widened at the sight of Rough suddenly appearing.
“Uh.”
‘How did he get here...?’
His gaze darted around in confusion.
[Rough]
[Lv: 24]
[Class: Beginner]
[...]
[...]
[...]
[Total Combat Power: 1,744]
After quickly reviewing Rough’s information, Kiting saw that both Rough’s Level and Combat Power were below his own.
His Class was Beginner as well.
If Kiting acted quickly, he could deal with Rough without suffering any losses.
‘...I am truly sorry, but should I PK this person?’
Just as Kiting considered taking care of Rough—
“I have a proposal.”
Rough spoke first.
“I am sure it will be a satisfying proposal for both of us.”
“...”
Faced with Rough’s inexplicably confident composure, Kiting had no choice but to put off PKing him.