“Thank you. Here are the potions you purchased and the equipment you requested.”
As the guild staff placed the potions and equipment on the counter, they disappeared instantly into Woojin’s inventory.
▶ Lowest-grade potion x 10
▶ Bread x 5
▶ Water-filled canteen x 1
The hum of voices filled the air.
People began to murmur as they noticed him.
“Isn’t that him?”
“Looks like he’s not hanging around the plaza anymore.”
“See? I told you. Once people stopped paying attention, he gave up.”
“…”
Woojin ignored their comments.
It didn’t matter how they judged him anymore.
He had something he needed to do.
“I’d like to take on a quest…”
“You haven’t received your emblem yet, correct? In that case, please select one of the requests posted on the bulletin board over there.”
Following the staff member’s guidance, Woojin turned to the right-hand wall, where numerous notices were pinned.
[C Rank – Hunt Gray Wolves]
[E Rank – Collect 30 Wild Herbs]
[D Rank – Gather 10 Goblin Teeth]
As he approached the bulletin board, windows listing the quest details began popping up.
‘To leave this beginner’s area, Moretti Village, for another village, you must complete at least ten quests here.’
Afterward, he would need to register officially at the adventurer’s guild to move on to a mid-tier city.
‘In the mid-tier city, I’ll need to reach level 50 to travel to the central continent where the Labyrinth Tower is.’
Only by crossing into the central continent would he qualify to tackle Evil Tale’s main storyline: conquering the tower.
‘From what I’ve seen in the community, just reaching the central continent can take a minimum of three months.’
It would be no easy journey.
‘Whatever the case may be…’
Even so, the rune he had acquired—something even those who completed such long journeys struggled to obtain—was a significant gain.
‘…I wonder if I can go back again?’
The thought crossed Woojin’s mind.
If low-tier monsters like gray wolves could drop runes, what about other monsters?
But he quickly shook his head.
‘Too dangerous.’
He still didn’t know how he had crossed into that other world or how he had returned.
‘If I’m not careful, I might never be able to come back.’
It was better to focus on finding a way within the reality he knew.
“Goblin, huh…”
Woojin selected one of the quests.
Among the monsters in the Shadow Forest, the strongest were the orcs.
Though they were level 10, with his current stats, Woojin could easily clear an orc stronghold on his own.
He had completed nine quests so far.
Just one more, and he could leave Moretti Village.
That was why he chose this quest.
[D Rank – Gather 10 Goblin Teeth]
[Quest accepted.]
There was something he wanted to confirm.
“Recruiting party members!”
“Looking for a tank for a nest raid!”
“DPS slot open!” ( DPS : Damage per second )
As Woojin left the village and entered the Shadow Forest, he saw people forming parties.
The reason for forming parties was simple:
To hunt monsters more quickly and efficiently.
‘But it’s unnecessary for me.’
Thanks to the “Solitude” trait he had gained from Raul’s essence, hunting alone was more advantageous for him.
‘The traits I got from the essence all seem to relate to Raul.’
This thought left Woojin feeling slightly bitter.
How long must Raul have wandered the continent alone to develop such traits?
‘Well, it works out for me, though.’
After the logout incident, Woojin’s face was widely recognized. He wanted to avoid unnecessary interactions as much as possible.
“Looking for a DPS under level 15 for a Goblin Nest Time Attack!”
Then, amidst the calls for party members, a voice caught Woojin’s attention.
‘…Time Attack?’
Woojin turned his head.
‘Right, there was something like that.’
Clearing a dungeon within a set time rewarded an achievement.
“Hmm.”
He approached the monument standing at the entrance to the Goblin Nest and placed his hand on it.
[Dungeon board activated.]
A window appeared above the monument.
[Current Record Rankings]
[1st Place – Kerga’s Party (4 members): 15 minutes 37 seconds]
[2nd Place – Tramell’s Party (4 members): 16 minutes 21 seconds]
[3rd Place – Lycan’s Party (4 members): 19 minutes 10 seconds]
‘As expected… quite the elite.’
Woojin let out a low murmur as he read the rankings.
The first-place holder, Kerga, was the leader of The Phoenix Order, widely considered the best raid team.
Since players above level 15 didn’t qualify for the rankings, it was a record set during Kerga’s early days and remained unbroken to this day.
‘Back then, the trading market wasn’t even properly established.’
Woojin glanced at the player recruiting for a Time Attack party.
His gray-toned armor gleamed faintly under the sunlight.
‘Armor crafted from Ashmane’s hide, a rare monster that spawns occasionally in the Shadow Forest.’
And it wasn’t just the armor.
The iron sword he carried wasn’t standard guild fare but a high-grade piece forged by blacksmiths from the central continent.
Woojin’s eyes landed on the emblem pinned to the man’s shoulder.
A crest of a sword and hawk.
It was the mark of Jaina Clan, one of the top ten clans in Evil Tale.
‘Figures. Only a major guild would bother with a Time Attack.’
“20-minute clear, going for the basic achievement only! Join us!!”
Despite having top-tier gear, the man didn’t seem interested in competing for the leaderboard.
And with good reason.
‘Kerga’s record was set four years ago, but the second-place record by Tramell was only six months ago.’
Tramell Clan’s leader, Muran, had challenged Kerga’s record to prove himself, but his attempt only highlighted Kerga’s greatness.
‘Even elite teams from major clans can’t break it.’
Woojin exhaled, acknowledging the sheer difficulty of the task.
“Hmm.”
Woojin slightly furrowed his brow.
It wasn’t just the Goblin Nest—top ten clans often created new accounts to re-clear dungeons in beginner areas like this.
‘They claimed it was to challenge Kerge’s record.’
But their true motives were obvious.
[Titles are awarded to the top three teams on the dungeon leaderboard, with effects scaling based on the number of party members.]
Woojin glanced at the note written at the bottom of the dungeon board displaying the rankings.
‘What they’re after is that title.’
In Evil Tale, titles earned from achieving specific accomplishments provided a variety of powerful effects.
‘Titles are great, sure, but that doesn’t mean they’re resetting accounts just for that.’
As Woojin mulled it over, a group nearby grumbled about the top clans, their distaste evident.
“Don’t you think those top-tier clan guys are scummy?”
“They’re filthy. Seriously. If anyone else even comes close to ranking, they reset and spam their way back up just to block others from getting titles.”
“Typical rich-getting-richer behaviour.”
“Hey, keep it down.”
“Ahem… fine.”
Even though the pettiness of blocking others from obtaining what they couldn’t was loathsome, no one openly antagonized the top clans. Listening to their chatter, Woojin couldn’t help but taste the bitterness in his mouth.
‘Thinking about it, Kerga really is something else.’
Despite countless challenges from top-tier clans, no one had managed to break the record Kerga set in the Goblin Nest.
“The title’s effects scale with the number of party members…”
The most critical factor in a time attack was clearing the dungeon as quickly as possible. Naturally, the more members in a party, the faster monsters could be hunted. A full party was a basic requirement for these attempts. Trying to be clever by using fewer members for better rewards risked not making it onto the leaderboard at all.
“No matter what underhanded tactics the top clans try, they still can’t break Kerga’s record. But there’s one thing even Kerga didn’t achieve.”
Woojin suddenly found himself curious.
‘What if someone broke Kerga’s record with fewer people than his party had?’
A sly grin crept onto his face.
Why hesitate? If you’re curious, just try it.
[You have entered the Goblin Nest.]
[Kiiieeeek―――!!!]
As soon as he entered, goblins rushed at Woojin. There were five of them in total.
‘Four regular goblins and one Goblin Swordsman.’
He quickly assessed their composition. Thankfully, there were no ranged attackers. From his time in the otherworld, Woojin understood well how much easier battles became when there was one less element to worry about.
Srrng―.
He drew his sword.
Without hesitation, he slashed at a goblin swinging a crude club.
Puhk―!!!
The goblin’s head exploded, its body turning to ash before it even hit the ground.
“…?!!”
It was over in a single strike. Both Woojin and the goblins were equally stunned.
[Krr… Krrk.]
Among the hesitant goblins, the Goblin Swordsman stepped forward, gripping a shabby blade. The short dagger trembled pitifully at its tip.
[The goblins begin to feel fear.]
Could anyone else in this Level 15 dungeon one-shot a goblin?
Not even the legendary Kerga could accomplish such a feat.
But Woojin had just done the impossible.
[The goblins lose their will to fight in the face of overwhelming power.]
Clatter―.
The Goblin Swordsman dropped its weapon, frozen in place.
[The goblins have fallen into panic.]
[Their movements are severely restricted.]
“…Hmm?”
It was a feat no one had ever achieved before. Naturally, no one knew the results that would follow.
Swish―.
Woojin decapitated the paralyzed Goblin Swordsman in a single stroke.
[Kiiieeeek―――!!]
The remaining goblins screamed in terror and scattered, turning to ash as they fled.
[Kek… Kekek…!!]
The goblins that met his gaze retreated in horror, letting out strange cries as they ran away.
“A monster that should hinder me is now running for its life…”
Woojin chuckled dryly as he watched them scatter.
The once-crowded cavern was now eerily silent. Without a second glance, Woojin continued walking deeper into the dungeon.
[Dungeon entry time: 41 seconds.]
A historic record.
