Solo Max-Level Newbie
chapter-278

Chapter 278. How the Veteran Trains (1)

“Mwaaah!”

“Maaah!”

The one-eyed goblins swung their clubs around, each bigger than their own bodies.

“Spirit special forces! Tighten your waist and hips and hold your ground!”

At Jinhyuk’s command, the spirits at the very front put all their might into their defenses.

The sight of the happiest Undine eating lemonade was now gone.

Instead, all that remained was the sight of the elemental’s small, trembling arms and legs.

“Ma, Master!”

“These guys are just too aggressive. Besides, we’re not even close-combat types to begin with!”

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

“Everyone quiet down. My head hurts.”

Judgement Day. Would penitent sinners act like this before God?

Judging from their pleas for salvation, it felt a little like the heaviness built up over time was dissipating.

Of course, only about 3% of the 100% burden had eased.

There was still a long way to go.

“Crunch. Snack. Nibblenibble.”

Jinhyuk sat on the stairs, biting into a snack.

It had a savory yet salty taste that made him understand why everyone seemed to enjoy it so much.

And to add to that, a cold drink topped with floating ice.

Ah, this must be what happiness felt like.

“Can, can I stop now? I mean, a rapier? I’ve never even used this thing before!”

“Mosquito, mosquito.”

Ellis and Goguma sweat profusely.

Ellis was fighting with a rapier alone, her magical powers sealed specifically for combat training.

As a result, she couldn’t even draw out a hundredth of her true capability.

Goguma also limited his attacks to headbutts, donning a helmet with a single horn attached.

It was apparently effective against the ‘armor penetration’ of the Ancients’ bodily headbutts.

On the surface.

In reality, it was a penalty for failing to properly manage subordinates and for having a giggly time alongside them.

“Quiet! Do you, the head of the Ataraxia clan, really think it’s acceptable for vampires who primarily use rapiers as close-combat weapons to be unable to wield them?”

“But, but I am a queen…”

“So you just need to issue commands from the back?”

“Yes!”

“Then keep swinging that rapier in the front line until you leave the brain prison. I’ll personally test your swordsmanship later, so improve your skills.”

Although the master had said to meet the next morning…

This brain prison was never a place one could clear in a single day.

It would take at least three days, if not over a week.

“And just so you know, I ate all the snacks and drinks that you brought.”

“…All of it?”

“So you better put in the effort. The packed lunch I brought contains only pineapple pizza. Oh wait, I also brought plenty of mint chocolate for dessert. Wow. This will be a really enjoyable raid.”

“…Pineapple pizza? Mint…chocolate?”

“The trend’s been catching on recently, and it’s kind of to my taste. The sweet and crunchy texture is really not bad. Plus, I’ve added a generous amount of coriander for health, so look forward to mealtime.”

“…Uhhhhh…”

Ellis’s mouth hung open, frozen in place as if a soul or something similar had just left her body.

“Mosquito!”

Feeling the crisis, Goguma frantically appealed for innocence.

He was asking for consideration based on his exploits in obtaining treasures from Kunlun.

“That’s right, our Goguma has had his merits, right?”

“Mosquito! Mosquitoo!”

Goguma nodded fiercely.

However, according to the first veteran’s principle, only return half a favor or sometimes forget, but repay an enemy a hundredfold.

“For you, headbutt and take down low-level goblins by the dozen, and medium-level goblins one by one. If you slack off, I’m going to pour mint chocolate on top of a mana stone and make you eat it, so think carefully.”

“Mosquito?”

Goguma froze in place as well.

＊＊＊

Hours passed.

Once everyone was accustomed to their roles, the real raid began.

The goblins in the brain prison of the Heavenly Demon Church were originally practice opponents to train the parishioners.

Specialized more in defense than attack, they used various curses to greatly assist in improving one’s abilities.

Rumble! Roar!

Outnumbered, the elemental troops held the line solidly.

“Mosquitooooo!”

“Die! Die! Die!”

With the addition of Goguma throwing his whole body and Ellis swinging her rapier madly, they had considerable breakthrough power.

Now, a group of twenty goblins could be dealt with in under ten minutes.

‘This is progressing faster than I thought.’

Jinhyuk wore a satisfied smile.

Feeling each other’s breaths and thoughts—was that what teamwork felt like?

Indeed, trust and collaboration were crucial.

Just like the heroes in old comic books or animations.

“Will I ever have such a heartfelt experience where my companions risk their lives to save me in a crisis?”

Maybe Ellis and Goguma would even give a eulogy thanking him for saving them at the tomb of Cheonyuseong.

If they considered all the favors he had granted, such imagination was by no means far-fetched.

‘I really am sentimental. I almost shed a tear.’

Thinking of an uncertain future, Jinhyuk’s nose tingled.

At that very moment…

“Master! Stop daydreaming! A big one’s coming this way!”

Thud-thud-thud-thud!

The stone wall near Jinhyuk began to collapse.

1m… 2m… 4m.

Almost a 5m-wide giant hole formed.

“Mwooooah!”

Out of the hole emerged two goblins triple the size of ordinary ones.

Medium-level goblins, perhaps.

One was a warrior-type.

The other, holding talismans, seemed capable of using curses.

Given that he could see stairs leading to the second floor through the collapsed wall, these two appeared to be the last guardians of the first floor.

‘Hmm.’

The corners of Jinhyuk’s mouth rose.

Perfect timing.

He had come to the Heavenly Demon Church intending to refine and combine his skills, which was perfect for practice targets lined up in a row.

“I’ll handle this one. The rest of you, keep going.”

Without waiting for a response, Jinhyuk approached the medium-level goblin.

The greatsword ‘Armor Breaker’ was already in hand,

And his arm had transformed into the arm of the legendary giant hero ‘Tombgrave.’

“Mwak?”

The medium goblin cocked its head.

Suddenly, the much smaller enemy seemed enormously intimidating.

[The ‘Gap’ stat is activated.]

[As a result of the level difference, your target is intimidated.]

Jinhyuk, who had fought only against the strong, had never really felt it,

But the Gap stat didn’t just narrow the gap against the strong.

Due to the effect of disdain for the weak, it also exerted a certain oppressive presence to those of a lower level.

“Muh, Mwoooah?”

The medium goblin involuntarily stepped back, daunted by the ominous aura emanating from Jinhyuk.

But it was only for a moment.

[Medium goblin activates its innate ability ‘Guardian of the Brain Prison!’]

[Attack power and defense are increased by 10%!]

[Resistance to status ailments is increased by 30%!]

“Mwoooaaah!”

Zeal to slay the intruder outweighed its fear.

A huge horned club rushed toward Jinhyuk’s head.

Boom!

The ground split with a huge crack under the weight of the powerful impact.

But…

Shing!

The sound of iron clashing against iron.

Jinhyuk casually caught the blow.

“Not bad for a goblin, but pushing someone down with brute force isn’t as simple as that.”

While stating this, Jinhyuk tilted his sword’s angle by about 3 degrees.

The balance was broken, and the goblin’s club slid off toward Jinhyuk’s head once more.

At that moment,

[The unique ability ‘Domain of Wind’ activates!]

Jinhyuk disappeared.

A gust of wind whipped up.

He reappeared behind the goblin.

Layers of wind amplified the sword’s pressure, surging more violently.

And then…

[The unique ability ‘High-Speed Sword’ activates!]

The weight of the greatsword was forgotten as a swift blade joined the fray.

The blade vanished.

Then the hilt and the hand holding it also grew increasingly blurred.

Though invisible, a countless number of swords vibrated at high speed.

“Mwoaaah!”

Overwhelming despair.

Under the oncoming storm, the medium goblin couldn’t even twitch a finger.

Kaboom! Kaboom! Kaboom!

The attack known as ‘One Sword, Thousand Cuts.’

Jinhyuk thought, ‘I suppose it’s not bad to connect combos like this in close combat.’

Despite using three powerful abilities, his body didn’t feel any strain.

Thanks to his magical power stat of 273.

‘Next…’

Jinhyuk’s gaze shifted to the other medium goblin chanting curses.

“Mumoouu!”

Shocked by the effortless defeat of its compatriot, the goblin went all out without hesitation.

The three talismans in its hand shriveled up and turned into characters representing ‘flame.’

Flare up!

Gigantic and searing flames that seemed to engulf everything surged forth.

“Fire curses…”

They were incredibly effective in such an enclosed space.

But flames always succumb to greater flames.

[Lv1 ‘Hellfire’ activates!]

The color of the flames around Jinhyuk’s body deepened intensely.

At the same time, the temperature within the brain prison abruptly changed.

Just a level 1 skill.

Yet the hellish fire, so hot it could make one’s skin tingle, was clearly of a different caliber.

[The unique ability ‘Black Tears’ activates!]

A skill copied from Maria combined with one obtained from the Wailing Witch.

The flames turned a rich violet, a conflagration known as the cataclysm fire.

It faintly resembled a dragon.

The form of yet another unnamed ancient being.

“Mwo…”

The goblin seemed transfixed by the fire, losing the will to fight.

Its only option was to flee.

The goblin’s body floated into the air before shooting towards the second sub-level like a bullet.

“Sorry, but you can’t escape.”

A purple fireball rapidly caught up to the goblin’s back.

Fzzt!

In a flash, the cataclysm fire engulfed the goblin’s upper body.

＊＊＊

“Wow… Master? Is this really the master I knew?”

“He’s strong. We struggled even with the small goblins.”

“Mosquito.”

The elemental troops and Goguma watched with wide eyes, astounded.

“Well, it’s… quite impressive. But I can do that too. Watch.”

Ellis awkwardly swung her rapier.

Then she poked a low-level goblin in the backside.

“Mwoaaah!”

“Squeak!”

The goblin instantly clung to Ellis’s head.

As everyone casually wrapped up the raid, Jinhyuk’s eyes lingered on the corpse of the medium goblin.

A small flame burned within the blue crystal—also known as ‘goblin fire,’ a byproduct.

‘Individually insignificant, but when collected in mass and refined, they exhibit unique charming effects…’

Indeed, that was the known information.

The issue was…

This wasn’t a byproduct from the goblins of the 20th floor or so.

It was from the upper levels of the tower, at least the 30th floor or above.

‘It can’t be a natural phenomenon.’

Unless…

Unless someone had intentionally planted them there.