ALL NOVEL chapter 9
9 – Stabbed
Arriving at the second-floor trial, he encountered the most adversaries yet. Battling with seven goblins granted Gangwoo profound realizations.
Surprisingly, the shabby daggers of the goblins were sharp.
Perhaps from repeatedly aggravating sore spots, every step he took was excruciating, making movement difficult.
[Strength increased by 0.1.]
[Strength increased by 0.1.]
As a result, a joyous yet agonizing situation occurred with a total strength increase of 0.2.
[Name: Choi Gangwoo
Strength: 7.3
Stamina: 6+(1)
Agility: 5
Intelligence: 7
Magic Power: 5+(1)]
Seemingly not much different from the beginning, yet diligently rising attributes.
Possibly due to his robustness, his stamina also increased by 1.
In an unfortunate twist, the injured area happened to be the back, where a dagger was drawn, and amidst this, the flesh was torn long. The notification sound suddenly rang out, adding to the bewilderment.
Anyway, now the health, including the stats provided by the shield, had reached 7.
Next is the second realization Kangwoo gained.
This was a truly serious and crucial realization.
“Ah, seriously. This is driving me crazy.”
Unless he was determined to discard it, using the edge of the shield to obliterate the goblin’s facial features was an extremely unfavorable choice.
The shield stuck gracefully into the bulging eye and embedded nose.
Taking it out was troublesome, and the blood clinging to it couldn’t be dealt with easily.
To make matters worse, blood even splattered on the handle… every time he held it, the miserable sight from earlier flashed before his eyes.
And finally.
Passing the trial relies on luck.
Three blue stones appeared during looting.
And among them, one guy had two.
“…”
Joyfully looting up to two, Kangwoo stopped moving when he discovered the last one.
Based on his experience, that blue stone sparkled and emitted light when grabbed. Probably acknowledging acquisition upon touching.
If he grabbed that blue stone now, there was a high probability that the trial would end.
“No… What kind of trial is this?”
Even if it was easy, it felt too easy.
Of course, he had only defeated 25 goblins so far, with serious injuries in one place and four more elsewhere, causing a substantial increase in strength. However, Kangwoo momentarily forgot about such a past.
No. Perhaps the memories of the first-floor trial were so vivid that, without healing or potions, he had come to consider wounds severe enough to cause excessive bleeding and death as ordinary.
In truth, if several people had formed a party and advanced through the first floor as expected, Kangwoo wouldn’t have experienced such hardships. But anyway.
“What is this? Is there a trap?”
In genuine panic, Kangwoo cautiously placed the pouch with the blue stones on the floor, gripping the end.
“Why is it so easy? Did I miss something?”
Kangwoo was lost in thought. Again, let it be clear, battles were never easy. However, to justify, his healing abilities eased the difficulty.
If he hadn’t dispelled the paralysis poison, by now, he would be wandering through the first floor.
“Is the second floor easier because the first was challenging…?”
A conclusion reached after much contemplation.
Satisfied with his own reasoning, Kangwoo carefully placed the pouch into his backpack.
He nervously wondered if putting it in the backpack meant collecting it or if the trial was over. Fortunately, the system remained silent.
Relieved, Kangwoo tidied up his surroundings and stood up.
Having rested enough, it was time to venture into the hunt again.
***
Kirk, kirk-kirk!
Kirk? Kirk-kirk?
Kirk! Kirk-kirk!!
The peaceful resting place of the goblins.
Emergency had been declared there.
The deepest part of the forest, where a goblin enclave was hidden, making it nearly impossible for most to find.
Not even a commander existed separately. Goblins who served as each other’s supports, sometimes like comrades and other times like family.
They trembled in fear one day, dropped from the sky, due to a human.
Kiiir! Kiiririr.
Rumors about the human were abundant.
Someone said it was a giant wielding a massive mace, and someone else claimed it was a devil that dyed the bodies of its kin with blood.
Every time the colossal staff swung down, their kin split into two. The devil’s whispers during that moment were truly terrifying.
Kwaack!
“hehehehe, points gained.”
Kiir… Lerrurrr…
Goblins gathered in the cave shivered.
Already, more than 80 of their kin had lost their lives.
What was even more terrifying was that despite massacring their kin, the devil, when encountered again, wielded the staff with red eyes gleaming, completely healed.
Goblins halted their hunting, gathering in the cave, holding their breath.
The devil… was tightening its grip on their lives.
***
“What’s this? It’s time to come out now?”
The instigator who terrified the goblins, Kang Woo, roamed the forest in search of the unseen goblin.
Step by step.
With each step, red drops of blood splattered on the ground, leaving a trail.
All of it was goblin blood.
Bloodstains cover the clothes and shield, no need for a staff.
The black top and bottom set, purchased for 50 points before coming here, had long turned into a red set.
“Hmm… Could everyone be dead?”
After wandering through the forest for a while, Kangwoo hesitated and sat down on a sturdy fallen tree.
It was unclear how much time had passed since he entered this created space, where the sun never set. However, subjectively, it seemed like he smoothly crossed a day.
Encounter goblins, fight. After looting, take a short break, move to a different spot, and repeat the process.
When fatigue piled up to the point of occasionally closing his eyes, he would climb a tree and doze off dozens of times on thick branches.
His once-skinny backpack had long swelled with loot.
“Ah… I’m going to die.”
He hunted like a madman, not even taking a breath.
For some reason, this trial was a jackpot!
The thought of extracting as much profit as possible from this trial filled his mind.
Well, now that the goblins were becoming scarce, that seemed impossible…
Key, Keer… Leer…
Kangwoo, lying flat on the ground, smiled at the sound coming from beside him.
Goblins decreasing rapidly.
Sensing something unusual at the time, Kangwoo intentionally spared one goblin.
Key, Keer…
“Punk. Who killed you? Stop pretending to be tough.”
Key, Keerkeerkeer!
The goblin collapsed to the ground in a fit, just with a single word uttered.
“Tsk. I wonder if it can be useful like this.”
With a deep sigh, Kang Woo rose to his feet and sat in front of the goblin.
The others were probably not even visible with their heads down. It was the time to make use of the goblin he had carried around, despite the inconvenience.
Carefully opening his backpack, Kang Woo pulled out a dagger from inside.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The goblin trembled as the dagger landed in Kang Woo’s hand.
“Hey.”
Kang Woo placed the dagger near the goblin’s head.
“Stab.”
The reason Kang Woo spared the goblin’s life was to increase his strength, which had only risen by a meager 0.4 despite killing numerous goblins during the second-floor trial.
***
The ‘Rugged Dagger’ purchased from the safe zone resonated in the bound hands of the goblin.
Shiver, shiver, shiver, shiver.
The goblin’s hands holding the dagger trembled mercilessly.
Its face showed a level of fear that bordered on pathetic.
“No. Did I ask you to do something difficult? Here! Stab here. Like this. This is what you guys are good at. Stab!”
Kang Woo, extending his left leg, demonstrated how to stab.
However, despite repeated instructions, the goblin stubbornly refused to comprehend.
Frustrated, Kang Woo grabbed a staff as his anger surged.
“Hey. Aren’t you gonna stab me? If you don’t stab, you’ll die…”
Swoosh!
“Ah-!!”
Unlike the shabby daggers that were all beaten up from goblin attacks, the rugged dagger purchased from the safe zone had a distinct feel from the touch.
The smoothly slicing dagger penetrated all the way to the bone in one swift motion.
“Ugh, damn! I’m talking here…!”
Swirl…!
It hurts. Much more than expected.
Unconsciously clenching the hand holding the staff, Kangwoo took a long breath, looking at the goblin lying flat on the ground.
No matter how angry he was, he had to endure. What was the reason for doing such a ridiculous thing?
Wasn’t it to safely increase his strength using that weak goblin?
Of course, trials would become more dangerous as he progressed. Perhaps later on, those monstrous beings that would destroy the world three years later might appear.
If he increased his strength for those beings by sacrificing his body, he would likely be easily defeated in one blow.
So, for now, in the lower levels.
In this relatively easy difficulty with a feeble goblin, he had to suck up all the advantages he could. Who knows when another chance to safely increase his strength would come again.
“Ugh-! Damn it…!”
Kangwoo pulled out the trembling dagger with his shaky hand.
“Holy… Touch…!”
A warm glow descended over the wound, and the pain subsided.
“Please…”
As confident as he was in borrowing the goblin’s strength, seeing the results in front of him made his heart pound.
If only this nonsense of his could turn out to be useful…
[Strength has increased by 0.1.]
“Hah… It worked!!”
Raising both hands triumphantly, Kangwoo beamed brightly.
“That’s it!!!”
Looking at the cheering Kangwoo, the already pale face of the goblin turned even paler.
Though the agitated goblin’s eyes were those of someone witnessing a lunatic, Kangwoo remained oblivious.
“hehehe. I am now the strongest!!”
Kangwoo’s actions upon discovering the cheat code were predictable.
Stab-!
And again.
Stab-!
Once more.
Whoosh-!
Stabbed again.
So much time passed this way.
Despite being soaked in blood, his clothes, once resembling human attire, had become tattered.
While the upper garment was used to subdue the goblin and only the pants remained, those pants were now in shreds, leaving little to cover the primitive being as they fluttered in all directions.
“hehehe!”
However, what does it matter if such trivial clothes get torn? What he had already gained far surpassed that.
Kangwoo couldn’t conceal his laughter as he looked at the status window.
[Name: Choi Kangwoo
Strength: 10
Health: 7+(1)
Agility: 5
Intellect: 7
Magic: 6+(1)]
His strength, once 7.4, had now become 10. He had used skills a whopping 26 times.
He squeezed out the depleted magic, over and over again. Despite his dizzy head and exhausted state, he crawled and healed, shouting at the goblin.
“Heh. hehehehe…. Heh!”
Kangwoo staggered and rummaged through his backpack.
His slowly blinking eyelids indicated that their limit had been reached.
“Here… it is…”
Simultaneously grabbing the found blue stone.
Crack!
The blue stone sparkled, and the awaited notification sound echoed.
[Trial will end.]
[Measurement of contribution for reward will commence.]
“Ah… I’m gonna… die…”
Kang Woo lay down just like that, closing his eyes.
A deep smile spread across his face as he basked in the bright light.
“hehehe. I wonder how much the points will come out.”
It was a moment eagerly awaited for the reward.