Chapter 36: Bandit Leader
Whoosh!
The goblin fled with a terrified expression, its movements surprisingly swift.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Cheoldu lunged forward like a darting bird and seized the goblin by the scruff of its neck.
"Kihihihi!"
The creature was unmistakably a goblin raider. Seeing one for the first time since the Final Trial, I even felt a twinge of nostalgia.
Goblins were rare in Nova, making the encounter all the more fascinating.
"Kihik!"
Whoosh!
Then, though the goblin wasn’t dead, its body dissolved into light and gradually vanished.
"What… what just happened?"
Cheoldu, uncharacteristically flustered, stared at the empty space. It was the first time he’d seen a living monster disappear like that.
"Huh."
"What? What’s wrong?"
Jintae rushed over, sword drawn, eyes scanning their surroundings.
"It was a goblin. It vanished right after I caught it."
"A goblin? They say you need insane luck to even encounter one…"
Cheoldu and Jintae turned their attention to the bundle still lying on the ground.
"Loot drop."
Jintae rummaged through the bundle and froze.
"What… what is this?"
"What?"
"Cigarettes?"
"Huh?"
Cheoldu untied the bundle to find it stuffed with military-grade cigarettes—20 crates in total.
"Is this real?"
"Cigarettes…"
The two returned to their campfire and reexamined the haul. Genuine cigarettes, military-issued yet undeniably Earth-made.
……
……
They stared at the pile in silence.
"Should we light one up?"
At Jintae’s suggestion, Cheoldu snorted.
"No."
"But these’d sell for a fortune."
"Now I get why people say goblins are a jackpot."
"Ugh, same."
Jintae shook his head. Goblins dropping Earth goods… Those thieving little—
So this was why goblin raiders were infamous. They’d pocket anything in Nova and drop it wholesale when defeated.
"Wait, so guns could drop too?"
"Probably."
"That’s broken."
"You’ll outpace bullets soon enough."
"Right…"
If this kept up, becoming superhuman was inevitable.
"Teach me that thing."
"What?"
"The Barbarian meditation method or whatever."
"Humans can’t do it."
"Why? Can’t I learn it? Isn’t it like martial arts?"
"Different. Without a Barbarian’s heart, it’s impossible."
"Ah."
Jintae sighed bitterly.
"Why?"
"My growth’s been sluggish lately."
Despite absorbing countless stat stones, his progress had plateaued. No matter how many he consumed, his current state refused to improve.
"Don’t rush, Jintae."
"But you adapt instantly!"
Cheoldu’s body acclimated to every new limit—strength, senses—as if flipping a switch. A +100 stat meant an instant +100 power.
Jintae, however, struggled to extract even 1% efficiency from the same.
"Jintae."
"Yeah?"
"Are you insulting a lifetime of warrior training?"
"Huh?!"
"You haven’t walked my path, yet you crave such power?"
"Sorry—I didn’t mean—"
"Stand up."
"Huh?"
"Training."
"Now?!"
"Endless training is your only path forward."
Cheoldu’s stern expression silenced Jintae’s protests. He was right.
"You’re correct."
"Exactly. You’re right."
"Wait—"
Thud!
The forest echoed with the clang of blades as their training resumed.
Three nights passed.
Jintae, now more bruised than a overripe peach, still hadn’t unlocked [Observation] or [Swordsmanship].
"Ugh… I’m close…"
"Eat first."
"But I’m on a roll!"
Cheoldu stood, abandoning his half-eaten meat.
"Eat. Then I’ll teach."
"You’re a hands-on learner."
"Huh?"
"Three days of training proved it."
"Me?"
"You thrive under life-threatening pressure."
"…?"
Who doesn’t?
Swish.
"Attack me."
"What?"
"Now."
"Wait—"
Creeeak! Clang!
Jintae barely parried Cheoldu’s lightning strike.
"You lunatic! This is a real sword!"
"Hence your improved reflexes."
Clang! Shing! Crack!
"No!"
"Focus on your breathing!"
Slash! Wham!
"Ghk!"
Jintae’s retort died as he desperately deflected blows.
Clang.
Cheoldu watched, satisfied, gradually increasing his speed.
Clang! Clang! Shing!
Lost in the rhythm, Jintae suddenly lunged backward at a crystalline chime.
"Hold on! I got it!"
<You’ve unlocked [Sword Proficiency].>
"Holy shit! A skill!"
Cheoldu grinned as Jintae celebrated.
"Well done."
"Damn, it worked!"
"Take pride, Jintae."
"Feels good!"
Cheoldu sheathed his sword, then drew it again, unleashing a dazzling flurry.
Swish! Clang!
"Whoa…"
Jintae gaped at the moonlit blade dance—precisely the mastery he’d envisioned.
Insane.
Perfection.
That’s swordsmanship.
The system agreed.
<[Sword Proficiency] has leveled up.>
Click.
Cheoldu checked his status and frowned.
"Swordsmanship reached Level 2."
"Talent cheater…"
Jintae shook his head. If that was Level 2, he had light-years to go.
"Exciting."
Every ounce of his childhood kendo training had crystallized into this. And there was still room to grow—the thrill was undeniable.
"Hm?"
Cheoldu hurled a stone toward rustling bushes.
Thwack!
One hit, one miss.
"Tch. One got away."
He retrieved the fallen owl, unbothered by the mediocre loot.
"Fuck yeah! It dropped!"
Jintae hugged him, clutching an [Observation] skill stone.
"Thanks, man!"
"Use it well."
"Obviously!"
Three days of farming Nouls had earned enough coins to activate it immediately.
"Ah… this feels weird."
Jintae’s excitement dampened.
"Why?"
"Still no mana."
"Right."
Mana orbs were scarce, and Jintae remained mana-less.
"Then that’s our next target."
"Okay."
They pored over maps by the fire. Jintae pointed to a mountainous region two days east.
"Here. Five-peaked area. An ogre shaman’s there."
"Ogres?"
Cheoldu tilted his head. Though a four-day trek from New Seoul, it was worth it for iron.
"Why’s there an iron shortage with ogres around?"
"Beats me."
"Shamans might not drop iron weapons."
"Wrong."
Jintae tapped the map.
"Each peak has a camp—shamans and warriors. We’ll hit them all."
"Let’s go."
Ogre weapons would be a bonus, but the shaman’s mana orb drop sealed the deal.
Captain Choi Jun-seop returned to camp, catching Sergeant Giyongsu’s eye.
"Sir, you’re hurt?"
"This?"
Choi touched the scratch on his temple and laughed.
"That brat’s instincts are unreal."
"Sir?"
"He dodged my rock. Barely."
Even evading last-minute, the stone had grazed him. Further observation was pointless.
"Time to make contact. We’ve seen enough."
"Understood. What’s our cover this time?"
They needed civilian disguises.
"The usual."
"Yes, hyung."
"Starting tomorrow, punk."
"Yessir."
They’d tracked Cheoldu and Jintae all day, inching closer by nightfall.
Unbelievable senses.
How many perception orbs had he activated? A rookie shouldn’t adapt this fast…
A natural.
Born with high sensory affinity.
Anticipating tomorrow’s meeting, Choi turned in early.
Their business in Noul Forest concluded.
Unlike sporadic owl hunts, relentless Noul farming had granted both [Sprinting] skill stones—plus an extra to sell later.
They set out for Ohbong Mountain, named for its five peaks. Two days’ march.
Once they secured a mana orb, Yeongho’s workshop would have their battle-axe ready.
"Why’s this area so empty?"
"More prey for us."
"There’s the shrine."
The neglected shrine’s blessing offered a minor stamina boost.
<Stamina slightly increased for 24 hours.>
As they prepared to leave, two men approached.
"Hey, just the two of you?"
"Yes."
A mild-mannered man continued, "Avoid the direct route to Ohbong. Bandits infest those woods."
"I see."
"Join us? We’ll detour and party hunt—"
"Real men charge forward."
"…What?"
"We’ll crush their den."
This guy—
