As soon as we entered the Hobgoblin Forest, a message popped up.
The tip’s content was stuff I already knew.
“Whether here or there, hobgoblins are all the same.”
Yena and I stepped into the dungeon.
It was definitely a different space from the ‘open world’ outside.
This forest wasn’t just a simple area; it obviously had game mechanics involved.
“There’s a 40-minute time limit, but we should wrap this up in about 10 minutes.”
Yena breezed through the forest, spinning a small dagger effortlessly in her hand.
The dagger sliced through the green branches and trees blocking our path without any restrictions.
[So what’s up with the ability!!!]
[Then why aren’t you telling us about the ability?]
[Let us know the ability!]
[You’re asking for it after messing with Lily, huh? LOL]
[Ah, I don’t care about that, just tell me! LOL]
“Right. I didn’t ask about the ability.”
“Oh, true.”
I can’t believe I couldn’t say it because of someone.
I shot a glare at Yena, and she gave an awkward smile in return.
“So, what is it?”
“Hold on.”
I muttered “ability interface” quietly and read the text that appeared before me.
“Body Enhancement Level 3. All physical abilities are drastically increased.”
“…Body enhancement?”
[?]
[?]
[Not super speed?]
[?????????????]
“Yes.”
[What? I mean, body enhancement doesn’t even make sense.]
[Isn’t body enhancement just a useless trait? It barely boosts anything.]
[Seriously, if it’s ‘all,’ then there’s no reason for speed to skyrocket like that.]
[Then what’s up with that speed? Is it a bug?]
[But what does level 3 even mean?]
[? Good question.]
“Wait! Level 3?!”
“Yes. It says level 3.”
Yena gulped.
Normal body enhancement traits are considered balanced but aren’t highly rated because they’re often too mundane.
Also, that so-called stat boost doesn’t increase all that much, and jobs usually prioritize two or three stats over others.
So, while it might be convenient at the start, it’s a deadly trait for veterans aiming for the top ranks or pros.
Traits.
Because of this, when veterans see this trait, they immediately buy new IDs and start rerolling again.
But what if that “not so small amount” exceeds the predetermined limit?
If it increases significantly enough to go beyond that limit?
Its value is higher than any unique trait.
[What the heck? Is this an update? That kind of thing is coming out?]
[How much does it increase at level 3?]
[Isn’t that OP?]
[Lily! Lily! Lily! Lily! Lily!]
[Rankers and pros are in a rush, lol. I’m buying new IDs to reroll like crazy, lol.]
[Why would you update something like this without a word?]
[Did Lily just get lucky or something?]
The chat window was in chaos.
I swallowed a bitter smile.
Luck, huh.
Should I consider this luck?
After 30 years of dodging death and going through hell, not to mention losing my original body and returning in Lily’s form, calling this luck feels off.
A hollow laugh escaped me.
Yena, with a blank expression, seemed to snap out of it and hurled a dagger toward the forest.
Assassin-like skills erupted from Yena’s dagger, cutting down trees in droves.
And underneath them lay the pattering Hobgoblins.
“First, let’s clear the dungeon. We’ll talk about this later.”
“Sounds good.”
Whatever happens, I’ve returned, and there’s no going back to that place.
That’s all I need to know.
■
The great chief of the Hobgoblins was an exceptional warrior.
From a young age, he became the strongest in the tribe, and by the time he passed adolescence, he had even hunted giant monsters many times his size.
There was no rival for him, the conqueror of the Hobgoblins.
“Are we going to catch this thing?”
Just a moment ago…
■
The Hobgoblins stealthily approached, using the forest terrain as cover.
Their bodies resembled those of Goblins but had the distinct feature of orange stripes, and their hands held sharper daggers than those of Goblins.
Yes, they held them.
I swiftly pierced through the Hobgoblin’s body as it launched a surprise attack between the trees with its spear.
The Hobgoblin, shrieking, lost its weapon and spewed out a sickly green blood, dying instantly.
Then, another Hobgoblin targeted me from behind and above.
I was very familiar with the Hobgoblins.
While traveling, I had come across two races annoyingly often: Goblins and Hobgoblins.
These Goblin types were abundant wherever I was possessed.
After discarding the pierced Hobgoblin’s corpse, I shot down another Hobgoblin coming down from above.
I pierced another hobgoblin falling down after taking care of the first one.
Here comes another hobgoblin.
Seems like there’s not enough time to retrieve the spear.
I could do it, but it’d take a bit of effort, and if I show off too much like this, the already chaotic chat window will go into complete mayhem.
Instead of retrieving the spear, I grab the neck of the charging hobgoblin with my bare hands.
“Grrr!” The struggling hobgoblin sounds off.
I slammed it down hard.
Boom! The sound echoes through the tree-filled hobgoblin forest with a thundering crash.
All three of them were wiped out before they could even react.
[Wow]
[So good at fighting haha]
[How do you catch them without taking a hit?]
[Looks like you’re good at bare-handed combat too?]
[Must be because of body enhancement?]
[Even with good stats, if you can’t fight, you’re just a punching bag.]
[For real, an average player using paid assists would lose 99% of the time against a seasoned player without gear.]
[Insane, for real haha]
[What’s Yena going to give you?]
“Why aren’t any items dropping?”
“Since this is a dungeon, items don’t drop immediately like in open hunting grounds. You’ll receive rewards all at once after clearing or failing the dungeon.”
Yena said with a surprised expression after taking care of most of the hobgoblins.
She seems pretty surprised, but from my perspective, Yena is also quite skilled.
No matter how good the specs or equipment, humans aren’t that strong of a race in that place.
If she had been in a different location, Yena would have been regarded as a continental powerhouse.
[Lily, which character are you? Hurry up and tell me!]
[Stop acting like a newbie!]
[You’re banned.]
[Don’t slander me! You’re the one slandering haha.]
[As Baby Lily’s squad, we protect ‘us’.]
[I just asked on the Deoen official site, and they said it’s part of a large update for the 3rd anniversary. It has an extremely rare chance of dropping.]
[?]
[? Why didn’t they post that in the notice?]
[No idea.]
[So there are more people besides Lily?]
“I’m not a sub-character.”
[Really a newbie?]
[I’m a newbie, definitely a newbie haha.]
[Lily, don’t explain! Kick them out!]
[Honestly, I’m curious haha. With skills like that, why are you in this situation?]
[Aren’t you already a pro?]
“Not a pro at all.”
[Then what are you?]
“No, I’m just a pure newbie! Why don’t you believe me?]
[Just believe it haha.]
[As a veteran in Deoen, I can say Lily is indeed a newbie.]
[It’s been 3 years since the game launched. Where is there anyone who isn’t a veteran?]
The burning chat window.
I feel like no matter what I say, they won’t believe me, so I just closed the chat window.
Yena leaned in towards the camera, clearing her throat.
Yena’s face fills the screen.
[Ah!]
[Lily, show us!]
[Move it!]
[It’s Yena’s broadcast, you crazy peopleㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
[Move it, you idiotsㅋㅋㅋ are you all insane?]
[ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ]
“Alright~ What did I say, guys? If you make wild guesses, your heads are gonna roll?”
Yena’s ban spree began.
Still, there were about 30,000 viewers, but with the follow-up chat and hourly chat limits, the chat had calmed down somewhat.
Yena turned to me with a proud expression.
“There are two types of dungeons. One is the ‘Hunting Dungeon,’ where you take down the dungeon monsters and face the boss after a short story scene. The other is the ‘Adventure Dungeon,’ where you explore for hidden treasures.”
“So, this is the Hunting Dungeon.”
“That’s right. Now that we’ve taken down most of the hobgoblins, the boss room should be open. Once we defeat the boss, the dungeon will be clear.”
We walked a bit further.
Deeper into the forest.
Towards the boss that lurked within.
[You face the Ruler of the Hobgoblin Forest.]
[The Hobgoblin Overlord, Kroctus, sees you as enemies!]
Unlike the other hobgoblins that were about 150 cm tall, this one looked to be over 3 meters.
In his hands, he wielded a blunt greatsword instead of a dagger, with significantly more orange stripes than the other hobgoblins.
Kruk! The hobgoblin snorted audibly.
“Are we supposed to take him down?”
“Yes.”
Yena said this and stepped back.
She seemed more interested in watching my skills than teaming up.
[The Hobgoblin Overlord, Kroctus, lets out a roar.]
Suddenly, with a crack! a shockwave burst forth.
I instinctively took a guard stance and was pushed back slightly.
‘…He’s pretty tough?’
Although he was much weaker than before, the very aura of the boss couldn’t be ignored.
“Low-level bosses reveal their skill patterns beforehand! So it shouldn’t be too difficult!”
I nodded and slowly moved my spear.
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