Chapter 5
350,000 diamonds equate to approximately 17.5 billion won.
I bought it for less than 1.75 million won.
“Okay.”
{The hidden quest ‘Corrupted Goblin Shaman’ has begun.}
As the system message appeared, I was instantly transported to a new world.
Pop.
The scenery was not much different from where I had just been.
The only difference was that in the distance, there was a burning fortress surrounded by wooden palisades.
“Shall we begin?”
The moment I stepped forward, a goblin rushed at me.
I couldn’t kill that one.
Otherwise, it would complicate matters.
“Help! Help!”
It spoke in a halting manner.
No, it spoke in Korean.
I wondered if the system adjusted the language to the participant’s mother tongue; regardless, that goblin was speaking in a way I could understand.
“Over there! Our home! The demon! Everyone is dying!”
“Yeah, yeah. I know.”
There was no need to listen to a long explanation.
I was already familiar with the quest details.
In summary, the shaman in that burning goblin fortress summoned a demon and was killing all the goblins inside.
This goblin was one of those who escaped.
“Where is your camp? Hurry, let’s get there.”
“Ah, got it!”
After walking a bit behind the goblin, I came upon a camp where survivors expelled from the fortress had gathered.
Awakeners can either help these goblins fight or kill them all and collect loot before handling things alone.
Naturally, helping the goblins is better than going solo.
Because it reduces the number of tasks I have to do.
“Gyaah! Gyaah!”
They began to communicate among themselves.
Roughly, the conversation seemed to revolve around what that one was saying, how we would help them, and questioning whether to trust a human.
No one could interpret the exact meaning, but it was evident.
“Have you finished talking? Let’s go quickly. You need to find your home.”
“Human! Really? Will you help us?”
“Yeah, it’s true, so hurry up.”
The goblin from earlier understood my words, told its friends a few more things, and then, finally.
“Kyaaah!”
They all erupted in enthusiasm, grabbing their weapons and rising from their spots.
Dozens of green-skinned dwarves gathered in the camp began charging up the hill.
I followed behind them.
***
Grrr!
From the entrance of the burning fortress, goblins of similar shapes greeted me.
Demon Goblins.
They had horns on their heads and red skin.
Just as the demons summoned by humans resemble humans, the demons summoned by goblins resemble goblins.
Whoosh!
Instead of wielding spears, they threw fireballs from their hands.
Of course, the attack was laughable to me.
‘Evil Dragon Magic Arts.’
Boom!
As I advanced, I easily dodged with The King and smashed its head with a straight punch.
No matter how they were summoned as demons, they were still just goblins.
To someone like me, who was over ten times stronger than before, they were merely weaklings.
“Get out of the way.”
Boom! Thud!
Countless Demon Goblins blocked my path, but they posed no hindrance.
These creatures were weaker than the centipedes I had hunted before.
Aside from their use of magic and their overwhelming numbers, there was nothing threatening about them.
In fact, their intelligence was even lower than that of regular goblins, and since they charged without tactics, they couldn’t even leverage their numerical advantage.
After defeating about a hundred of them.
{The synchronization rate with Azidahaka has increased. 0.02%}
{The proficiency of <Basic Martial Arts> has increased. 3/100}
Messages appeared simultaneously, indicating the increase in synchronization rate and skill proficiency.
‘It seems like the martial arts proficiency rises quite quickly, but why is the synchronization rate so slow?’
Perhaps it’s because Azidahaka is a legendary guardian spirit; the rate of increase in synchronization felt painfully slow.
‘To think I’m only gaining 0.01% despite defeating all these enemies…’
Of course, it was partly because my opponents were of such a low calibre, but even taking that into account, it was still too slow.
The synchronization rate is essential for enhancing abilities.
To fully utilize the power of the guardian spirit, I need to raise it.
‘I need to find a way to boost it.’
To do that, I first needed to address my weakness regarding mana consumption.
Because of that, I must clear this quest.
“Phew.”
After some time fighting and advancing, I momentarily paused in front of the room where the final boss of this quest would appear.
I needed to recover the mana I had spent while using Evil Dragon Magic Arts.
Click. Gulp. Gulp.
I took out a mana potion from my bag and drank it.
The mana potion was a large 500ml can that tasted like an ion drink.
“Phew. This is really….”
The price is 10,000 won each. It’s expensive, but not so exorbitant that it’s out of reach.
However, there are clear limitations to managing mana with this.
The size makes it impossible to carry a large quantity, and
“…I’m too full.”
Because of the feeling of fullness, I can’t drink a lot.
In the end, potions are merely an emergency measure and not a proper recovery method.
“Shall we go now?”
Anyway, after recovering my mana, I entered the area where the boss would appear.
– It smells unpleasant.
Soon, a grotesque voice rang out, and the final enemy revealed itself.
The goblin shaman responsible for all this summoned a demon.
Its entire body was covered in black fur, with hooved feet and massive muscles, standing at three meters tall.
And it had a goat’s head with curled horns.
It was an utterly different sight from the goblins I had killed until now— a goat-human hybrid standing on two legs.
{The minion of Baphomet has appeared.}
The moment it appeared before me, I couldn’t help but swallow hard and clench my fists.
From here on, the difficulty level was distinctly different.
‘There’s a reason why the quest activation conditions are so strict.’
This hidden quest activated in a mere goblin dungeon.
However, the reality is that only those who have achieved a certain level of growth can activate and clear this high-difficulty quest.
‘Be careful.’
Considering this, I was definitely arriving quite early, even with a legendary guardian spirit.
But to earn money quickly, clearing this quest was essential.
Even if it weren’t for the money, I needed to do it to compensate for my weaknesses.
– Are you alone? You look weaker than the ones who came before.
“…Huh?”
However, the demon’s reaction was a bit peculiar.
– It’s not entertaining. A human has come to kill me after such a long time, and yet this is how it is.
It spoke as if it had experienced this situation many times before.
‘Is the quest not like a scripted play?’
This quest must have been executed thousands, even tens of thousands of times since I arrived here today.
And yet, the goblins had sought my help as if it were their first time.
Just like in a game, where multiple players might complete the same mission countless times, yet the NPCs always display the same reactions.
In this system, such behaviour was a sort of unwritten rule.
Yet, that demon appeared to be free from such constraints.
As if it were fully aware of the timelines of reality.
– Why don’t you try to entertain me as much as you can?
Thud! Thud!
The minion of Baphomet summoned a massive double-headed axe from its hands and charged at me.
Its movements didn’t appear slow at all.
Even to me, whose cognitive abilities had improved through the activation of Evil Dragon Magic Arts.
Boom!
“Gah!”
It swung the axe horizontally, targeting my head.
I immediately dropped flat on the ground to dodge the attack.
As the axe passed by, I darted out between the demon’s legs.
‘That must hurt your thigh!’
Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
Simultaneously, I landed four punches on the inside of its left thigh.
Demons don’t have vital points like humans do, but this could still sap the strength from its legs.
– Hoh! You’re quicker than I thought!
The demon responded as if it were no big deal.
However, if it lost strength in its legs, all its attacks would…
– But why is it that you, having come to face my body, rely on the power of evil?
“What? …Ah.”
At that moment, I realized my mistake.
I didn’t expect it to work this way.
***
All monsters generally possess a slight degree of dark attributes.
Among them, the ones with the darkest attributes are naturally demons and undead creatures.
But now, my guardian spirit, Azidahaka, also possesses dark attributes.
With the activation of its special ability, Evil Dragon Magic Arts, it seemed my punch attacks were also imbued with dark attributes.
The demon’s thigh, which had been momentarily limping from my strike, instantly recovered and returned to its original state.
‘To think that basic attacks would carry dark attributes.’
Typically, stat-boosting traits are unrelated to the attributes of the guardian spirit.
If it’s strength, it’s strength. If it’s concentration, it’s concentration—these traits clearly enhance those specific stats.
However, Evil Dragon Magic Arts isn’t just a simple stat boost; it’s a mana-using activation skill.
Perhaps that’s why it functioned differently.
It was my oversight for not grasping the mechanism of the traits correctly.
There is so little information about legendary guardian spirits that I never thought about this aspect.
‘If this is the case… there’s no way to strategize.’
Bang!
– Hahaha!
The demon began wildly swinging its axe, destroying the surrounding objects as if it were excited.
I kept running while pondering what to do.
‘Should I just give up and come back later?’
“Do I need to get a weapon with holy attributes before retrying?”
Retrying itself isn’t a huge burden.
While for others, starting this quest is an incredibly difficult task, for me, all I need to do is buy an entrance ticket for 1,750,000 won.
‘Should I give up the quest….’
{Would you like to give up the quest?}
If I accept here, I will be immediately bounced back outside.
‘That amount of money is something I can easily earn.’
Boom! Whoosh!
Once again, an axe flew toward me from behind, and I narrowly avoided it.
At the same time, my body instinctively reacted due to my martial arts skill, delivering a counter punch to its abdomen.
Boom!
– Hah! Your attack doesn’t work! No matter how much you hit, the wounds will heal quickly!
‘…Wait a minute.’
At that moment, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
‘It’s not that it doesn’t work at all; it heals quickly?’
Physical damage from my punch.
And the recovery caused by the added dark attribute.
In other words, even if the damage is healed instantly, it still means the wounds are inflicted in the first place.
───
<Pain: Sphere of Inferno>
The black hellish flames erupting from Azidahaka’s entire body.
(Level 1) Black flames wrap around the knuckles. When they touch an enemy, they ignite and deal continuous fire and dark damage.
Mana cost: 100
───
And the same goes for this ability that inflicts two types of damage.
Moreover, this isn’t a one-time attack but a skill that inflicts continuous damage.
The problem lies in the mana consumption.
‘Could it be… will this work?’
In that moment, an idea flashed in my mind.
I don’t know if it will work or not, but it’s worth a try.
If it doesn’t work, I can just give up the quest right there.
This feels like a gamble with guaranteed returns.
‘Pain, Sphere of Inferno.’
Whoosh.
I immediately cast the ability onto my right-hand knuckles.
Then, black flames began to dance above them.
– Ha! What trick are you trying this time? Come on, give it your best shot!
Just in time, the demon stopped its attack and taunted me, opening its chest as if inviting me to strike.
– I can sense strong evil from those flames! If that’s the magic you’re using, then I welcome it!
Of course, this is likely a bait to draw me into its embrace.
The moment I recklessly approached to attack, all my stats, now reduced by 10, would make me an easy target for an instant kill.
So instead of doing something reckless, I took off my right-hand knuckles.
And I threw them with all my might.
“…Hah!”
Whoosh!
The black fireball flew toward the demon’s chest.
Fire knuckleball.
If I were to name it, that would be the name.
– Hmm? What’s this…?
The knuckles collided with the demon’s chest and thudded to the ground.
But the flames that were attached did not fall off; instead, they clung to its body.
– Hah! Such flames…!
Whoosh!
The relentless, sticky flames began to blaze brightly.
– This… this is?
At that moment, the demon displayed a shocked expression, completely losing its earlier confidence.
– You! How could…!
‘Looks like it worked.’
Continuous damage from the flames and darkness.
The fire burns continuously without giving its body a chance to recover.
And the idea of throwing my weapon to ignite the flames seemed to have worked perfectly.
However.
– How could those flames…!
“Hmm?”
It wasn’t just due to the fire damage.
– Gyaah!
The black flames burned the demon much more intensely than I had expected.
The recovery from dark damage didn’t occur; instead, it seemed to devour the demon even more.
It was like a higher being consuming a lower being with its power.
That’s the sight it resembled.
“What… what is happening…?”
After incinerating everything, all that remained was a large orb, the demon’s core.
I was taken aback as well.
Originally, I only intended to inflict continuous damage to create a wound in its chest and expose the core.
And then just stab it with an item that would appear at that timing.
“Human! You brought this…!”
The goblin, who had first sought my help, came rushing in with a dagger in hand, panting.
But the situation had already concluded.
Before the lonely core, the goblin and I exchanged glances, blinking in surprise.
{You have consumed the lower demon, the minion of Baphomet.}
{Error occurred!}
{A critical flaw has occurred in the hidden quest <Corrupted Goblin Shaman>.}
{New activation of this quest is not possible until the error is corrected.}
—
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