Chapter 8: Tutorial (8)

Once anything gains momentum, it becomes unstoppable. A train barreling across a vast plain, a rocket piercing the vast expanse of the sky.

The same applies to human endeavors. As the saying goes, “Starting is half the battle.” Even if the beginning is shaky and uncertain, once you gain momentum, you’ll sail smoothly, like a ship catching a tailwind.

“Ha-na! Two headed your way!”

“Got it!”

Our business had gained momentum. Since that day, Yoo Ha-na had become stronger, learning rogue-type skills at the vocational training center.

Dagger throwing, stealth, parkour, trap setting, and slashing techniques. These combat skills complemented her abilities, adding a layer of reliability to her hunting.

“Keeek!”

“Keeek!”

Two goblins, having escaped my crowd control, charged towards Yoo Ha-na.

Goblins were typically portrayed as bumbling !diots in fiction, but these were different.

Crude but functional weapons, clumsy but coordinated movements, and eyes that gleamed with cunning, driven by desire.

These were modern goblins, intelligent and dangerous, despite their simplistic nature.

“Hiya!”

As proof, the two goblins dodged Yoo Ha-na’s thrown knives.

A stark contrast to the gnolls and kobolds, who had been felled in a single blow. These goblins were more perceptive and agile.

“Kekekek!”

“Kekekekeke!”

They cackled, seemingly proud of dodging her attack, taunting her with their vile laughter.

But… that was the extent of their intelligence. The knives were a feint.

“Kekekeke… Kek?”

Distracted by the feint, they were caught off guard by the knives that suddenly appeared from behind, striking their vital points.

The rogue-type stealth skill, Hide. A technique that masked one’s presence. Frighteningly effective. Unless you had exceptional senses and reflexes, there was no way to counter it.

“Seriously… who’s worried about whom?”

It was a momentary lapse in judgment. Taking my eyes off her, even for a second, while she dealt with just two goblins was an amateur mistake.

I was no better than the goblins.

“Keeek!”

“Keeek!”

“Kekekekek!”

I was currently controlling the movements of eight goblins. The biggest weakness of our two-person party was our lack of numbers.

Therefore, our top priority when facing groups of monsters was crowd control.

I, capable of infiltrating enemy ranks and disrupting their formation, handled crowd control. Yoo Ha-na, with her agility, picked off stragglers.

With this simple but effective strategy, we were steadily overcoming our numerical disadvantage. That’s why taking my eyes off the fight was a grave mistake.

It was time to focus.

“Kik! Keeek!”

Just as I was focusing, the goblin leader pointed at Yoo Ha-na, diverting their attention. It had noticed her disappearing and reappearing to attack from behind and had become wary.

“Kekeke!”

“Keeek!”

Two goblins broke off from the group and attempted to flank Yoo Ha-na. But they weren’t fast enough.

Jang-gyo-bun-su (Long Jiao Spouting Water).

I quickly turned and brought my sword down on the head of the goblin that had exposed its back to me.

Even the legendary physician Hua Tuo used an axe to split open skulls. My blade, infused with killing intent, cleaved the goblin’s head like a soft tofu.

“You’re not getting away!”

I had eliminated one in a flash, but there was still another, and it had managed to put some distance between us. I needed a way to close the gap quickly.

Baeg-won-chul-dong (White Ape Leaving the Cave).

The stance of a white ape crouching, preparing to pounce. I raised my right foot and pulled my sword back as far as it would go, preparing to strike the distant target.

I contracted every muscle in my body, compressing myself like a coiled spring. Then…

U-chan-gyeok (Right Drill Strike).

I launched myself forward with my left foot, propelling myself with my right, and thrust my sword into the goblin’s unguarded back like a drill.

“Keeek!”

“Keeek!”

“Keeek!”

The two goblins targeting Yoo Ha-na were dead before they could react. The enraged goblin leader roared.

Multiple footsteps approached from behind. It had ordered a concentrated attack on me. Six goblins remained, including the leader.

Even against goblins, six was a tough number. But I wasn’t worried.

Judging by their predictable behavior and their inability to learn from their mistakes, they were still just a bunch of !diots.

“Throwing Knife!”

Yoo Ha-na still had to shout her skill name due to its low level. However, the skill’s power wasn’t limited by its level.

She had been training diligently at the vocational training center since our first outing, including throwing practice.

The understanding and proficiency she gained from training translated directly into her skill, making it faster and more precise.

“Keck!”

“Kekek!”

Two more goblins fell, knives embedded in their throats. Her masterful knife throws were a testament to the sweat she had shed in training, a substitute for the blood she might have spilled otherwise.

“Four left.”

Six was tough, but four was manageable. Even with four goblins charging at my back, I wasn’t concerned.

I focused all my senses on the sound of their footsteps. Tap… Tap… Four sets of footsteps. I turned towards the closest one.

The second one from the right, then the first one from the left.

“Kek?”

First, U-yo-gyeok (Right Waist Strike).

Then, Jwa-yo-gyeok (Left Waist Strike).

I stepped forward with my right foot, extended my left, and pivoted, using the momentum to slash upwards from the goblin’s left hip to its right shoulder.

“Keeek!”

“Keeeee!”

Only two remained, including the elite goblin leader.

They seemed enraged by the brutal deaths of their comrades, completely losing their minds.

But if they had any sense, they would have run, not charged.

Whoosh! Thud!

As they charged towards me, Yoo Ha-na’s knives found their throats. Only the leader remained.

“Haa!”

I stomped my foot, assuming a high stance. I was about to use Instructor Moo-yeon’s original technique, not part of Vagabond Bongukgeombeop: Rain Thunder Fall.

Raise your sword like a mountain, and strike like thunder.

A phrase echoed in my mind, guiding me. What was this? I didn’t have time to think, I simply followed the instinct.

“Rain Thunder Fall.”

I uttered the name of the technique as I swung my sword downwards.

When I came to my senses, the goblin leader was split cleanly in two.

“We’re almost done with the tutorial quest.”

Back at the edge of town, Yoo Ha-na spoke with a sense of accomplishment. She was right; we had worked hard to catch up.

And this was the result.

[Tutorial Quest 1: Monster Hunt]

[Time Remaining: 7 days 10 hours 30 minutes 25 seconds]

[Hunt the following monsters in the 1st-floor field:]
[Kobold 600/600] [Elite Kobold 30/30]
[Gnoll 500/500] [Elite Gnoll 15/15]
[Goblin 150/150] [Elite Goblin 10/10]
[Orc 0/60] [Elite Orc 0/5]

All requirements except for orcs were complete. Considering we were late starters, it was a significant achievement.

“Yeah, only one left.”

“Orcs, right? Honestly, I don’t really read fantasy novels, but I know what orcs are. Those ugly green-skinned things.”

Even in these dire circumstances, she maintained her social butterfly persona.

I wanted to reprimand her for her naivete, but I refrained, reminding myself that she was the heroine.

“Are you kidding me? Do you think orcs are pushovers? Do you think the Horde is a joke?”

“Huh? Huh? They’re not?”

She was like Sylvanas Windrunner. It seemed Yoo Ha-na had become a bit complacent after her string of victories. Confidence was good, but overconfidence was not.

[TL Note: Sylvanas Windrunner is a famous character from World of Warcraft, known for being confident, cunning, and merciless—often used as a comparison for strong but potentially overconfident women.]

“Ha-na, listen. So far, we’ve been hunting things smaller than us, right? At most, they were the size of middle schoolers.”

Kobolds, gnolls, and goblins were all smaller than humans.

Their smaller size limited their strength and made them physically weaker.

That was why my dismemberment techniques and Yoo Ha-na’s knife throws were so effective; their defenses were weak.

“But orcs are different. They’re as big as, or even bigger than, adult men. And their muscles are no joke. They’re monsters in the truest sense of the word.”

“Now that you mention it, they do sound dangerous.”

“Dangerous is an understatement. Their dense muscles are practically impervious to blades. Avant-garde dismemberment and professional stabbing won’t work on them.”

“Then what do we do?”

Good question, Ha-na. To solve a problem, you had to approach it from multiple angles, always asking, “What can we do?”

The solution could be a weapon, a skill, or leveling up. But what we needed most right now was one thing.

“Tonight, let’s recruit more party members.”