My objectives in this strategy battle were two.
One was a quest that arrived during class.
[Side Quest: 2nd Week Strategy Battle]
▷Objective: Clear the strategy battle dungeon.
▷Deadline: ~midnight on Sunday.
▷Reward: Varies based on the remaining time (?/5 minutes).
The more time I saved while clearing the dungeon, the better the rewards would be.
In addition, though it was not mentioned in the quest details, if I performed well in both the single and double dungeons the rewards would be greatly enhanced.
My objective was, of course, to achieve the highest reward.
I will finish both within one minute.
If successful, I could acquire a powerful class trait.
The number of skills and traits I had now was far less when compared to other students.
I was managing with [Copy], but if I were to keep relying solely on the skills of others I would eventually hit a limit.
To ascend beyond a certain level, I needed my own set of skills/traits.
A set that is synergistically interlinked with each other.
The trait I would gain this time was to be the first piece of that set.
My second goal was the growth of Seo Ye-in.
Having repeatedly tackled the [Goblin Swamp], there was nothing new for me.
However, this dungeon would be a first for Seo Ye-in.
Sure, if I just revealed the shortcuts and tricks in the double-person dungeon, that would help us clear it quickly but that wouldn’t allow Seo Ye-in to gain enough experience.
A true expert doesn’t just forge ahead alone but waits and guides a newbie so that they can learn at their own pace.
I planned to support her steadily and then achieve a high score together.
After finishing a simple lunch,
Seo Ye-in and I headed to the ground floor of the dungeon building which was already bustling with first-year students.
In the duel battles, you lose points immediately upon defeat, but in the strategy battles, as long as you performed well there was no need to be concerned about what others thought.
This would mean it’s advantageous to engage in practice mode whenever there’s spare time.
– Looking for someone to join a double dungeon!
– Hey… would you mind teaming up with me for just one game?
– But then, wouldn’t we have only mages?
– Anyone interested in taking down the [Strong Enemy] with me!
Students who hadn’t prearranged partners were desperately seeking teammates.
Shouts here and there intermingled, creating a scene as busy as a marketplace.
On one side, teams that had already gone through practice mode and returned were visible.
– No, why would you rush into that…
– How many times must I say it! If we don’t get it, we have to go a long way around the other side, right?
– Then let’s go around! Can we even beat it if we fight?
Watching their bickering, it seemed like there were conflicts of opinion happening.
Such incidents are common when two people collaborate.
“Shall we go in too?”
“Okay.”
We alternately scanned our student IDs on the terminal and a teleportation portal nearby opened its mouth.
I entered first, followed by Seo Ye-in.
As the portal closed behind us, the previously noisy environment quieted down instantly and silence ensued.
The Goblin Swamp.
Twisted trees blocked the sky, allowing little light to penetrate, and large and small swamps stretched as far as the eye could see.
[↑]
An arrow engraved at our feet was emitting a faint light.
This was the minimum guide for beginners.
If you followed this direction roughly, it would lead you to the totem which was this strategy battle’s objective.
Then, a notification message appeared.
[Timed attacks will start soon.]
[Remaining Time: 5:00]
“Ignore the remaining time. Since it’s our first attempt, let’s not rush and go slowly.”
“Okay.”
Seo Ye-in did as I told him and dismissed the notification message.
When you are pressed for time in an unfamiliar place, your field of view becomes smaller.
Timed attacks were something to consider only after understanding the overall picture.
So, while others were rushing, we walked.
Not leisurely like a stroll, but at a slightly brisk pace.
Since swimming through swamp puddles wasn’t an option, we walked around them, changing direction to avoid the next swamp.
Naturally, our path became winding like an S-shape.
“…..…”
Seo Ye-in moved in silence yet her eyes diligently scanned the surrounding environment.
She was doing well so far.
“Gurrr.”
“Keke”
Sensing our presence, goblins began to appear one by one.
Emerging from the swamp, their heads surfaced first as they clumsily crawled out.
Their bodies were sticky and slimy and they wielded sharpened bone knives in their hands.
There was a total of five.
“What should we do?”
Should we engage in battle or avoid it?
The decision was entirely up to Seo Ye-in.
Seo Ye-in grasped the pistols holstered at her side with both hands.
“Let’s fight.”
“Let’s do it. I’ll take the front line.”
I too drew out the [Earth Staff] and slung it over my shoulder.
This time, my role was to protect so that the ranged attack dealer could safely unleash firepower.
“Keeek!”
Starting with a goblin’s screech as it charged, Seo Ye-in’s pistols alternately emitted blue light.
Tututututu!
Firing magic bullets in rapid succession, she took down one, then two… up to four goblins.
And when the fifth goblin tried to stab Seo Ye-in with a bone knife,
“Where do you think you’re going?”
I kicked it in the side, sending it tumbling back into the swamp.
The half-submerged goblin floundered in the swamp only to be finished off by one last magic bullet.
“Kerkkerk.”
“Kirk.”
Hearing the commotion, more goblins began to reveal themselves from various places.
There were roughly a dozen.
It was starting to feel like a true goblin swamp.
Again, I left the decision to Seo Ye-in.
“Shall we go? Or shall we fight?”
“Let’s fight while we move.”
As we moved towards our destination, we intercepted only the goblins that approached too close.
Tututututu!
“Kereek!”
Some of the goblins threw sharp bone shards like daggers at us.
I let Seo Ye-in dodge those she could and I took care of the more challenging ones.
By guarding and assisting in this way, the ranged attack dealer could decimate the enemies with overwhelming firepower.
Of course, calling it “decimation” might be an overstatement since the opponents were just goblins, and there was nothing extraordinary about this fight.
I guess things are about to get more interesting.
Boom!
As soon as I had this thought in mind, a large mass landed right in our path.
This goblin was noticeably larger than the others, with thick, muscular arms and legs.
It held a large broad cleaver in one hand, and its rusted blade shimmered with blue mana.
“Grrrrr…”
The Beheader Goblin.
This was the boss monster of the Goblin Swamp and the [Strong Enemy] of our current expedition.
Tututututu!
Upon spotting it, Seo Ye-in immediately opened fire with her two pistols.
The beheader used the cleaver like a shield, deflecting the incoming mana bullets; some, however, struck its body.
Yet it seemed to suffer little damage.
“Should we kill it?”
“Better to avoid it, I think.”
“Let’s do that, then.”
We automatically changed our positions without anyone saying a word.
Seo Ye-in will break through the goblins in the front line, while I will keep the beheader goblin in check from the rear.
Seo Ye-in turned her back and started to run.
Just as the beheader goblin was about to chase her, a hummingbird swooped in.
“Grurk?”
The creature swung its cleaver while running, intending to slice the hummingbird in half.
Its movements were so swift and controlled that it was hard to believe it was just a monster.
I couldn’t help but nod in acknowledgment of its skill.
It’s better than Yang Ji-hong.
That guy didn’t even know what hit him.
Of course, this didn’t mean the beheader goblin succeeded in slashing the hummingbird.
Right before the knife could touch it, the bird deftly twisted and struck the goblin’s forearm.
Fzzzt!
“Grrrrrrr…!”
Perhaps it had some resistance as its body wasn’t completely paralyzed.
Still, the goblin’s movements had definitely become slower than before.
It seemed wise to create some distance now.
I quickened my pace to join Seo Ye-in.
As we ran side by side, I asked her.
“Why did you say we should avoid it?”
“It looked like it would take too long to defeat it.”
It wasn’t just because it looked strong or difficult to kill; it was a calculated decision to choose the more advantageous option.
It was an answer worthy of some approval.
After all, the time it takes to defeat a monster is important.
We’re almost there.
I could see a crudely carved goblin statue in the distance.
Bright sunlight was shining only around that area as if it was spotlighted.
Destroying that totem would be the end.
“Kerrruk!”
As if refusing to allow this, goblins swarmed to protect the totem.
We would have to break through dozens of them to destroy it.
“……….”
Seo Ye-in suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Two pistols were swiftly reassembled into a rifle.
“Cover me.”
“Got it.”
Seo Ye-in positioned herself and then aimed at the totem.
I fended off the approaching goblins with the earth staff, kicking and paralyzing them with hummingbirds in the process.
Meanwhile, a strong presence was rapidly closing in from behind.
It must have been the beheader goblin catching up to us.
But before it could reach us,
Bang—!
The rifle emitted a blue light and the bullet lodged in the goblin totem.
The statue’s upper and lower halves separated and the statue was shattered into pieces.
At that moment, all the swarming goblins evaporated.
Dungeon clear.
“Well done. Now, check the time.”
“Okay.”
During the first attempt, I deliberately avoided being conscious of the remaining time, but now it was necessary to check the outcome.
[Remaining Time: 0:17 seconds]
+ [Goblins Killed: 22]
—————
[Remaining Time 0:39 seconds = 39 points]
+ [Clear Bonus: 500 points]
—————
[Total Score: 539 points]
We had nearly used up the entire five-minute limit.
For each goblin slain they added an extra second and each remaining second was converted into one point.
In total, this amounted to 39 points.
The good news was that simply clearing the dungeon awarded us a whopping 500 points.
The scoring was more generous as this was the first week of the strategy battles.
Of course, since this was practice mode, these points were not saved.
“Let’s get out of here.”
As soon as we stepped through the teleportation portal to the outside, a wave of loud noise immediately assaulted our eardrums.
Seo Ye-in silently covered her ears with her hands.
– Is that beheader goblin really made to be defeated? It’s too strong.
– They probably didn’t make it to be defeated, more like they made it so we’d learn to dodge properly.
– Ah, it’s so annoying when the paths get tangled.
– Let’s keep practicing until we get used to it.
Victims began to emerge, having suffered at the hands of the beheader goblin.
If you were to compare it in a duel battle context, its abilities would be over 900 points.
Not only was its basic value significantly higher than that of a regular goblin, but it also possessed an enhanced physique through mana and a trait that boosted all its abilities in swampy terrain.
So if one were to confront it naively, they were bound to be thoroughly defeated.
It was not without reason that it was tagged as a [Strong Enemy].
“Should we rest before going in again, or Should we go right away?”
“It’s okay to go right away.”
Up until now, there were no signs of sleepiness in Seo Ye-in.
It was probably because she had slept soundly during class.
We entered the dungeon for the second time.
The same goblin swamp, identical in every aspect from one to ten, greeted us once again.
[Timed attacks will start soon.]
[Remaining Time 5:00]
“Okay, from now on, we’re going to start speeding things up a bit.”
“All right.”
[3]
[2]
[1]
[Start!]
[Remaining Time: 4:59]
Seo Ye-in and I dashed out at the same time.
We sprinted along the winding path while dodging the swamp puddles.
Since it was our second time, there was much less hesitation.
“Keureureuk.”
“Kreuk.”
Tutututu!
A barrage of magic bullets rained down on the goblins just as they sensed our presence and began crawling out of the swamp.
Having experienced it once, there was no need to wait for the creatures to settle into their positions a second time before attacking them.
The sound of the magic pistols’ firing drew goblins from all around.
And then,
Boom!
“Grrrrr…”
The beheader goblin landed in a unique position that was different from the last time.
While everything else repeated in the same manner no matter how many times we tried, only this creature’s appearance time and location were randomized.
“Should we avoid it this time too?”
“……..”
Seo Ye-in glanced back and forth between me and the beheader for about three seconds, then, as if something came to her mind she asked me.
“…Do we get points for taking that one down too?”
I couldn’t help but smile slightly.
It was a very welcome question.
She’s quick-witted.
Most would be so focused on the strength of the opponent that they’d be slow to realize this, but Seo Ye-in wondered about it on her second attempt.
Killing a regular swamp goblin adds one second per goblin.
Then, how many seconds would be added for defeating the beheader goblin who was marked as a [Strong Enemy]?
“120 seconds.”
“……..!”
“What do you want to do?”
We would receive a bonus of a full two minutes.
Seo Ye-in switched her pistols for a rifle.
“…Let’s try taking it down.”
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