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***
The sensation of entering the second gate was unfamiliar.
In fact, it had to be unfamiliar.
The ‘Gathering of Withered Souls’ that Jeonghyun had entered before was a dark, corridor-style gate. However, the starting point of the ‘Atarok Goblin Stronghold’ that they entered this time was a forest.
Compared to the corridor, it was remarkably bright and comfortable. The sunlight filtering through the leaves was warm, and the gently blowing breeze was refreshing. It almost seemed like an ordinary forest on Earth.
Certainly, if there were gates like this, places like the corridor wouldn’t be popular. But it also stimulated Jeonghyun in its own way.
As expected, heightened senses were the issue. The sounds of unfamiliar insects, the distant cries of creatures he had never heard before – every rustle made him wonder if it was a goblin.
All of it made Jeonghyun unusually sensitive.
“Ugh… I still can’t get used to these senses. What will happen when I reach a higher level in a place like this?”
Jeonghyun consciously tried to divert his attention from trivial things and casually looked around.
Perhaps because it was still the beginning, Hanseok and Gareng were a bit ahead, while Jeonghyun and Jiyoon lagged behind.
Watching their backs, Jeonghyun thought, ‘Maybe this is a guild request, and the guild helps secure places like this?’
Even though gate reservations were divided into regular formations and guild formations, the influence of the guild was subtle but effective.
It was maybe a decent-sized guild, he thought, but suddenly Jeonghyun realized he had overlooked something.
“Hey, Jiyoon, do you know which guild those people belong to?”
“Huh? Oh? What did you say?”
However, instead of an answer to Jeonghyun’s question, Jiyoon was surprised and asked back.
Jeonghyun awkwardly smiled and changed the subject.
“Is this your first time entering a gate?”
“Uh… yes. I’ve only awakened recently, and I find joining a party a bit scary.”
“I’m on my second time.”
“I see. You seem very natural.”
Indeed, Jiyoon seemed more tense compared to when Jeonghyun entered the corridor.
‘But why am I only realizing this now?’
In the Sunhyung’s party, they exchanged simple information in a cafe. Of course, since Jeonghyun was involved there, he only needed to disclose his experience, but this time, it seemed like he was being dragged in from the outside.
“Am I more relaxed?”
“Huh?”
Jiyoon reacted to Jeonghyun’s muttering.
Jeonghyun looked at Jiyoon for a moment, contemplating whether to honestly express his suspicions. It might unnecessarily alarm Jiyoon, who was already nervous.
“Jeonghyun, it’s time to take positions!”
“Oh, yes!”
However, such concerns gradually faded away after Hanseok’s call.
“Although I confidently say this, neither I nor Gareng can directly go to the stronghold.”
“Huh? Why not?”
After a long time, Jeonghyun’s attention turned to Hanseok.
With a bitter smile, Hanseok explained, “Inside the goblin stronghold, there are thousands of goblins. To deal with them all, you need at least two B-rank hunters at a high level.”
“Really? That’s why you mentioned only sticking around outside the stronghold.”
“Yes, that’s right. And once they’re dealt with, there’s nothing left for other hunters to snatch. There’s no need to attack the stronghold.”
Jeonghyun nodded. Dealing with thousands of goblins with just a few people was an unrealistic feeling.
‘If I see the shadow of the stronghold, I should run away.’
Jeonghyun also had to face goblins directly to know, but he had no intention of going on an adventure where he face thousands of them.
“Kirelak-”
In that moment, an unfamiliar sound reached Jeonghyun’s ears.
Unlike the noises he had dismissed as possibly goblin sounds before, this one was unmistakably an enemy, surpassing all the others.
Jeonghyun raised his mace to chest height, alert to his surroundings.
“It seems there are goblins. About 50 meters in the 10 o’clock direction.”
“What? Already? No, how did you…?”
A slightly bewildered reaction came from Hanseok.
While the rest of the group was surprised, Jeonghyun’s senses were much stronger than before.
Jeonghyun casually surveyed the area.
“I naturally had sharp hearing, and being having an Agility Attribute, the effects were enhanced as well.”
“Wow, agility is indeed different. I’m all about brute strength.”
Perhaps what surprised Hanseok was not the emergence of goblins but the fact that Jeonghyun had detected them before anyone else.
Hanseok, with a nonchalant expression, adjusted his axe and informed the people at the back.
“Gareng, goblins are estimated to at 10 o’clock, 50 meters. Get ready.”
“What? Alright.”
However, unlike the tense Jiyoon, Gareng showed no significant signs of alertness, except for a slight adjustment in the position of the wand in her hands.
It was actually Jeonghyun who seemed perplexed.
“Do we not need to prepare?”
Hanseok laughed loudly.
“Don’t worry. If goblins see us, we have to give them a sign that we haven’t noticed them. It makes them relax.”
So, Jeonghyun, relax a bit.
Hanseok tapped Jeonghyun’s back.
“Is that so?”
At the sight of it, Jeonghyun lowered his mace a bit.
Hanseok added, “Always be ready to attack, but don’t give any signs to the enemy. Remember, it’s the basics of a fight.”
Jeonghyun acknowledged and lowered his mace completely.
But still, his grip remained firm.
Hanseok chuckled again.
“Yes. Those fools will easily overlook us even with just that level of readiness.”
And with Jiyoon behind them now in a state where she could move naturally without tension, Hanseok led the group forward.
Soon, Jeonghyun figured out why Hanseok was so confident.
“Is that, like, a hidden signal?”
It seemed he had been overestimating goblins.
The goblins were hiding in one side of the bushes, but it was questionable whether their hiding could be called hiding.
They can be seen immediately.
“Keruk-”
“Kiruk-”
Goblin’s howls were carelessly echoing, and the crude blades were even visible above the bushes.
In the moment of contemplating whether he should pretend to have noticed or just wait until Hanseok signaled, Hanseok turned back and said,
“Gareng, give them a shot.”
“Okay.”
Gareng, standing still, began shooting with magic.
Since it was Jeonghyun’s first time seeing magic directly, he watched closely.
With F-rank “Meager Mana Sensitivity” (F, Lv.1),” the magic he could perform was at most on the level of shooting condensed mana bolts.
‘What about D-rank?’
D-rank, at a low level, was not expected to produce anything flashy.
Gareng’s chosen magic was also mana bolts.
However, instead of just one, there were dozens of bolts being generated.
It might seem insignificant, but at this level, it was not a shame to say she reached the end of D-rank Level 2.
Moreover, to someone unfamiliar with magic, there was a fascinating aspect to just watching it.
Jeonghyun, too, slightly opened his mouth in awe, watching the creation of mana bolts.
It didn’t take long for the shooting to end.
As Gareng opened her eyes, the mana bolts that had been created flew into the bushes.
The speed itself wasn’t remarkable.
Jeonghyun could easily dodge them.
But for the goblins, it would feel like an unexpected disaster.
Tubababak-
“Keaaak!”
Rough sounds that were hard to believe were produced by mana followed, and at the same time, the screams of goblins were heard.
“I controlled it moderately. They might be injured, but they shouldn’t be dead.”
“Good. A bunch of them gathered.”
‘She can controlled it to that extent?’
While Jeonghyun was once again surprised, Hanseok gave a thumbs up to Gareng.
And six goblins, looking not so good, emerged from the bushes.
“Jeonghyun, how many can you handle?”
“Um… I think two should be manageable.”
“Alright. I’ll take the aggro.”
Hanseok jumped forward energetically.
As if attracting the attention of all six, he soon diverted two of them.
At first glance, it might seem like he accidentally aggroed them, but to Jeonghyun, it looked different.
If it were just a lack of ability, he would evenly engage all six and release a few after getting tired.
But intentionally excluding the two from the beginning, both in attack and defense, and even naturally positioning them behind the remaining four.
The two left out couldn’t help but turn their attention elsewhere.
And the result was that Jeonghyun was the closest.
“Keruk!”
Perhaps it was rising tension.
The momentum of the two attacking against Jeonghyun was quite imposing.
However, that didn’t mean Jeonghyun would just let them attack him without a fight. Although they were definitely faster than zombies or skeletons, their level was still somewhat mediocre.
Jeonghyun, with his agility-based attributes, effortlessly pushed them back three steps, making it look like child’s play.
Yet, Jeonghyun didn’t easily take down the goblins.
“It seems that adapting to newly gained attributes is easier when moving in battle.”
Instead, he carefully observed the goblins’ attack patterns and focused on dodging.
Despite the attacks being slower, they were still life-threatening.
Getting hit by their lively attacks, would still take a toll.
Jeonghyun quickly adapted to the unfamiliar sensation of movement.
Additionally, he deliberately avoided attacks in careful manner, not wanting to reveal everything.
“Maybe… No, even if not, there’s no need to show everything.”
This was due to the gazes that were watching him. Jiyoon, ready to use healing at any moment, was one thing. But even Gareng, who had already used magic, and Hanseok, who was facing the other four goblins, had their eyes on him.
If it was just consideration for an F-rank newbie hunter lower than himself, it was fortunate.
Regardless, in such a situation, even if the F-rank newbie hunter had suffered injuries, if he casually dealt with two goblins, wouldn’t they find it strange?
“However, I shouldn’t appear as relaxed as over there.”
In the end, Jeonghyun finished the battle a little later, timed with Hanseok roughly finishing off the four goblins.
One goblin had its head severed with the iron ball of the mace, and another…
“Cheolyong, the Mace you recommended in my hands is deadly.”
Jeonghyun pierced the goblin’s throat with the Mace Cheolyong gave him.
[You have earned 1 coin.]
At the same time, the ringing notification was a bonus.
“Wow, Jeonghyun, you’re really good at fighting. You’ve got talent.”
Hanseok, who had been watching Jeonghyun, approached while applauding. It seemed he successfully imitated a decent F-rank hunter.
“This quest might end faster than I thought, right Hanseok?”
“Yeah, it seems so.”
With the well-matched pair, Hanseok and Gareng, they happily resumed walking. Originally, there would have been a lot to harvest from the goblin corpses, but Jeonghyun simply followed them, not showing much interest.
He was still feeling uneasy about something.
Whether it was him seating on the bus without hesitation or something else,
“There’s something bothering me.”
It was because he hadn’t completely relaxed yet.
