Chapter 18: Hidden – 3

Hobgoblin Champion.

The sheer pressure it emitted made my skin tingle.

A technique said to be reserved for only the elite among warriors.

Aura.

And this thing was radiating it naturally.

Grrrr…

It growled at me, eyes locked onto mine.

I met its gaze with an icy stare, keeping my composure.

“A Hobgoblin Champion—it has an Aggressive Assault trait and is prone to Berserk Mode. It has long reach and is highly aggressive, but its defenses are relatively weak.”

“What about its regeneration?”

“It can regenerate, but not fast enough to recover mid-battle. Still, its endurance is high, so don’t let your guard down.”

Shing.

Erme pointed her sword at the Hobgoblin Champion.

“If you sever its limbs or if it feels its life is in danger, be careful.”

“Why?”

Theresa asked, frowning.

Without taking her eyes off the enemy, Erme responded,

“It’ll trigger the Berserker Gift. You should understand better than anyone, Theresa.”

“…Yeah, I get it. I’ll be careful. Yuseong, you too.”

“I’m sure Yuseong can handle himself.”

…Berserker Mode?

I didn’t know the details, but I could guess—

An increase in ferocity, a bloodthirsty rampage.

In game terms, it was probably a power boost at low HP.

‘Does it have lifesteal too?’

Lifesteal is a vampire’s ability, is it not?

‘No, I mean, does it heal when it lands an attack?’

Hah.

A beast like that wouldn’t have such a broken ability.

Rishiel sounded almost offended at the thought.

And at that very moment.

KUUOOOOHH!!

The Hobgoblin Champion leaped high into the air, raising its greatsword overhead.

Normally, the best response would be to counterattack from close range.

But…

‘That’s dangerous.’

Erme, Theresa, and I immediately retreated.

BOOOOM!!

The impact shattered the ground, cracks spreading out like a spiderweb.

That thing is a monster.

Pure brute force alone might be too much for your party to handle.

Rishiel’s voice rang in my head.

She was right.

This thing was a beast.

I thought Volcan was a walking pile of muscle, but.

This was just pure muscle incarnate.

Of course, that’s only if you weren’t here. It’s fast and nimble, but at the cost of low endurance.

‘So a war of attrition?’

That’s not really your style, is it?

She had a point.

Dragging this fight out wasn’t ideal.

‘Glasses is the problem.’

If this turned into a drawn-out battle, we had no idea when his paralysis would wear off.

The rest of us could dodge, but he’d be a sitting target—one wrong move, and he’d die.

Besides…

Our party was naturally built for short, explosive fights.

‘I’ve got a plan.’

I rushed forward without hesitation.

Ssssshhh…

At the tip of my silver rapier, a pale green wind began to gather.

It condensed.

Sharpening into a razor-like edge.

The tip of my rapier locked onto the Hobgoblin Champion.

Ka-ga-ga-kak!

Sparks flew as my rapier clashed against the greatsword.

Looking closer, I noticed a red aura coating the blade.

‘Is it a weapon like Whisper of the Wind?’

There was no way this thing was just Level 5.

If it were, Erme wouldn’t have led us here.

That said, it wasn’t that fast.

And it didn’t feel stronger than Rishiel.

‘The problem is…’

It was as strong as Rishiel—but combined with the brute force of multiple elves.

I quickly leaped back and retrieved my bow and arrows from my weapon slot.

Twang!

The arrow soared through the air toward the Hobgoblin Champion.

Clang.

It barely even flinched.

The creature stared at me, expression unreadable.

As if asking, Did you really think that would hurt me?

‘The weakness of ranged weapons…’

My bow mastery wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t my specialty either.

My real strength was.

‘Swordsmanship.’

I charged.

The Hobgoblin Champion swung its massive sword.

At the same time, Theresa ducked low and closed the distance.

Erme leaped from above, her twilight-colored eyes flashing as her sword came crashing down.

‘Darkmoon Blade…’

I still couldn’t use it properly.

The casting time was too long.

And yet.

A faint blue line flickered in my vision.

A swordsman’s intuition.

But the line was unclear.

That only happened when I was up against an opponent far stronger than me.

‘Volcan mentioned this before.’

This thing—its movements were partially visible to me.

But against Volcan and Lucia, I couldn’t see anything at all.

Compared to them, this was still manageable.

Even if the blue lines appeared sporadically, at least they were there.

Hup!

I held my breath and slashed along the faint blue line.

Shhk.

…No resistance.

‘Too shallow.’

The Hobgoblin Champion’s gaze remained locked onto me.

Even as Theresa swung her mace.

Even as Erme slashed with her sword.

It blocked, parried, or deflected their attacks.

Yet it never took its eyes off me.

‘Why me?’

Was it because of my Fatal Allure?

Or did it instinctively sense that Darkmoon Blade was a threat?

‘But I haven’t even used Darkmoon Blade yet.’

I didn’t know.

But one thing was certain.

As long as it was this fixated on me, I wouldn’t be able to prepare Darkmoon Blade properly.

‘In that case…’

I’ll turn the tables.

I activated Fatal Allure.

Flinch.

For a split second, Erme and Theresa stiffened.

And as for the Hobgoblin Champion.

‘…Did its eyes just flip?’

Its pupils burned bright red, filled with undeniable certainty.

Like it had just confirmed something for itself.

KUOOOOHH!!

It swung its greatsword.

Its target—me.

Theresa and Erme tried to intercept, but the monster ignored its wounds and lunged toward me with a massive leap.

‘What the hell is this speed?!’

Shouldn’t something that big be slower?!

If you’re three meters tall, you should at least be a little sluggish!

The massive creature, wielding a greatsword the size of its own body, moved with an unnatural agility.

‘Why does it feel faster than me?!’

With terrifying speed, it swung its sword at me.

I thrust Whisper of the Wind forward.

I can’t take that hit head-on.

It wasn’t just the speed.

Its strength was monstrous.

Engaging in a direct clash would be the worst possible move.

So.

‘I’ll redirect it as much as possible.’

But… could I really pull that off?

I had never attempted something like this before.

‘No.’

It wasn’t about whether I could.

If I wanted to survive, I had no choice.

As I swung my sword, information flooded my mind.

I leaned back, shifting my weight—

And let its greatsword slide off my blade.

Ka-ga-ga-kak!

It didn’t work perfectly.

The sheer force was overwhelming.

But.

‘I threw off its trajectory.’

That was enough.

With Whisper of the Wind, I deflected its attack.

And in that opening.

The Blood-Soaked Dagger.

A crimson blur.

The dagger buried itself deep into the Hobgoblin Champion’s thigh.

Krrrghh!

Unlike my previous attacks.

This one sank in.

‘But… compared to its size, a dagger is too small.’

It wouldn’t restrain it for long.

Then.

The winds of Whisper of the Wind howled.

A strange sensation—like something draining out of me.

And then.

Shrrkkk!

I ripped through its leg, slashing it to shreds.

‘This should cripple its mobility—’

But then.

The Hobgoblin Champion’s eyes glowed a deep, crimson red.

The moment I shredded its leg, its greatsword came swinging down at me.

KRRRRK!

I crossed my blades, barely managing to block.

‘What the hell is this strength…?!’

I felt like I was about to vomit.

A sensation I had never experienced before—like my insides were being shaken apart.

‘So this is what it feels like.’

Its greatsword kept pushing forward.

Forcing me back.

Until.

BOOOOM!!

I was slammed into the wall with a deafening crash.

Through the dust, I caught a glimpse of.

Erme.

She rushed in, closing the distance in an instant.

Her sword gleamed.

A faint crimson glow tracing the blade.

Shhk.

Without hesitation.

She silently severed one of its arms.

“There’s a limit to underestimating people.”

Erme muttered as she stared down at the Hobgoblin Champion.

It wasn’t surprising.

Even though they were allies, sometimes.

Even she felt uneasy when Han Yuseong released his aura.

‘It’s unsettling.’

At first, it was like he would stab her if she let her guard down.

But now.

His mere presence was enough to make people struggle to breathe.

Han Yuseong himself might not have realized it—

But when he activated Fatal Allure, and the Hobgoblin Champion “confirmed” its target, it wasn’t just empty words.

Most people wouldn’t even be able to breathe properly in front of him.

Facing Han Yuseong directly was something Erme never wanted to do.

But the Hobgoblin Champion had done exactly that.

‘Still… I’m no pushover either.’

After all.

She had a reason for leading them here in the first place.

KUOOOOHHH!!

The Hobgoblin Champion let out a furious roar—

Its blood-red eyes flaring even brighter.

‘…The Berserker Gift.’

One of its pattern triggers.

At the moment it deemed its life in danger, its breath.

Its very presence changed.

A berserk state—a surge in pure offensive power.

Even if its limbs were severed, it would drag its enemy down with it.

Its greatsword swung wildly.

“Watch out.”

Theresa shouted a warning to Erme before charging forward.

‘So what if you’re a Berserker?’

We have one too.

Her cold, emotionless gaze sharpened, filled with pure fighting intent.

Theresa’s mace swung.

BOOOOOM!!

A direct hit to the Hobgoblin Champion’s stomach.

A solid blow.

Why?

Because Marcel, our Support Mage, had recovered and buffed Theresa just in time.

And now.

The Hobgoblin Champion, its stance broken, swung its greatsword again.

This time, its target was Theresa.

The massive blade came crashing down.

THUUUUD!!

Theresa deflected it upward with her mace.

But the monster wasn’t done.

It followed up immediately, preparing to cleave her in half.

Chill.

Even from a distance, a cold shiver ran down my spine.

The Hobgoblin Champion suddenly twisted backward.

Its instincts screaming.

It had lost focus for a moment after taking Theresa’s hit.

Erme smirked internally.

Theresa’s strike wasn’t just about damage.

It stole the Hobgoblin Champion’s attention, even if only for a moment.

And when that happened.

‘The most dangerous person gets their opening.’

Its stance was broken.

And then.

I saw Han Yuseong.

His Whisper of the Wind was raised before him, while his Blood-Soaked Dagger was held back slightly.

A dual-wield stance.

The attack from earlier hadn’t left any major damage on him.

‘But something…’

Something felt off.

Even in this dark cavern, it was as if the shadows had deepened further.

The room itself seemed darker.

‘No, this isn’t my imagination.’

Slowly.

Something dark seeped from Han Yuseong’s swords, corrupting the air around him.

The space around him was turning pitch-black.

His swords crossed.

And then.

“Darkmoon Blade.”

A pale white moon appeared—

And.

Fwoooosh!

Darkness engulfed everything.

‘I thought I was going to die.’

When the Hobgoblin Champion sent me flying,

I was more worried about my body than anything else.

‘But I’m… fine?’

Not because I was particularly tough.

But because.

“Cough.”

Glasses.

I didn’t know what spell he used, but he said he had reduced the impact and absorbed some of the force with telekinetic magic.

“…Phew, that was close.”

He pulled out a small vial filled with red liquid.

And gulped it down.

His pale complexion began to recover.

A recovery potion.

‘Right… those exist.’

But they were too expensive for me to even consider buying.

To be more precise, even with the money I earned last time, I was still a bit short.

‘At least Erme bought one for me, so I gave mine away.’

Glasses, now looking much better, adjusted his glasses and stood up.

“Thanks to you, I’m alive.”

“That’s my line.”

“Haha, well… Most parties aren’t generous enough to share potions, even if a teammate is injured.”

“…?”

Why?

If a party member weakened, wouldn’t that just put everyone in danger?

“There are plenty of people in this world who don’t even think that far ahead. Or more accurately, they can only see one step ahead—and you’ve already seen what happens to people like that.”

“…”

Scavengers.

I hadn’t seen much of them firsthand,

But what I had seen was enough.

Even Erme had killed one on sight in the Labyrinth.

That said everything.

“Anyway, let’s settle the loot. With an opponent like that, the mana stone should be high quality.”

“Yeah.”

Just as I was about to move forward.

Theresa suddenly froze.

A strange light began to shimmer around her entire body.

“…Oh. A rare sight.”

“What… is that?”

“Have you never seen someone level up before? Then I suppose this reaction makes sense.”

Leveling up.

Each level-up brought an overwhelming surge in strength.

However, the potential gain varied depending on one’s Gift.

‘I wonder… what would it feel like for me?’

Curiosity suddenly struck me.

By the time I snapped out of my thoughts, the glowing aura had completely absorbed into Theresa.

“…Ah.”

I stared at her.

The blue lines I had seen before—many of them had disappeared.

Previously, she had several openings, and I was confident that I could defeat her in a fight.

But now.

‘If we fought right now…’

My chances of winning had dropped significantly.

Which made me wonder.

What would happen when I level up?

While I was lost in thought, Erme walked up to Theresa with a bright smile.

“Wow, congratulations, Theresa!”

“…Thanks.”

“It’s been three months since your last level-up? That’s incredibly fast.”

Glasses muttered in admiration.

Three months?

So, had she been an adventurer for three months total?

‘That’s strange.’

Something felt off.

I could feel how experience flowed into me every time I defeated a monster.

And judging by that feeling.

‘I should be close to leveling up, too.’