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Chapter 60: The Final Puzzle
There was a website where countless people, starting with the Great Explorer Jackson, shared information they possessed. It was called ‘Playpedia’, and it was an open-collaboration encyclopedia site like Wikipedia.
The habits and unique traits of each monster were naturally important subject matter for civil service students to study, and that was also a field I had a personal interest in.
The ‘Thin Hobgoblin’ is a spirit monster that is capable of growth. This growth-type monster that has only been found a few times across all the servers experiences a total of three stages of evolution.
Three stages of evolution: Thin Hobgoblin. Chubby Hobgoblin. And finally, Fat Hobgoblin.
This monster with three evolution stages was considered fairly important.
‘It appeared a total of four times, and only in Italy.’
The ‘Fat Hobgoblin’ appeared for the first time in Italy, where 400 people were eaten by it. The Fat Hobgoblin’s second name was ‘Maneating Hobgoblin’.
At the first and second stages, it is simply a ‘slightly dangerous’ monster that enjoys playing pranks. It is skilled at apparition or illusion magic. In addition, it excels at creating spatial distortions and likes to harass Players.
The monster that appeared before my eyes was a ‘Thin Hobgoblin’.
Once its true form is discovered, the Thin Hobgoblin is not all that difficult to defeat.
And that was because—
‘When it panics, its intelligence drops to that of a young child’s.’
They were skilled in apparition or illusion magic and had an uncanny ability to create spatial distortions. When I first realized that this place was a ‘fake’, the first monster that came to mind was this ‘Thin Hobgoblin’.
‘Even for a special hidden piece, a Fat Hobgoblin wouldn’t show up.’
Special hidden piece or not, this dungeon was still generated from the beginner-grade Seoul Station Dungeon. If a Fat Hobgoblin showed up here, I would have to find some way to escape, strategies or whatever be damned, because that would be the only way I could survive.
‘No. I would die without even being able to escape.’
Such a monster was impossible to oppose with my current abilities. However, the monster that appeared before my eyes was a ‘Thin Hobgoblin’, a humanoid monster with blue skin. It was generally thin, but had a protruding belly like ET.
‘That tiny horn on its head is the weak point.’
It had a head of dry and brittle, brown hair. Underneath was one big eye. It didn’t have a nose or ears, but had a mouth even bigger than its single eye.
‘The average level is around 31.’
Thin Hobgoblin LVL ?
Even considering that this was a hidden field, its level shouldn’t exceed 35. My current level was 29, and I had far better stats than other Players. It wouldn’t be hard to fight a single Thin Hobgoblin. I just had to watch out for one attack.
The Thin Hobgoblin that had revealed itself yelled, “Don’t lie!”
I grinned. “What are you saying I lied about?”
“There’s no way a mere human can figure out where my treasure is.”
The treasure the hobgoblin was referring to was a ‘mana crystal’. The one this Thin Hobgoblin was using was specifically an ‘amplification mana crystal’.
“Hmm. Is that really so?”
I took one step closer to the Thin Hobgoblin. As expected for a monster that could talk, I was able to read its state with Eye of Perception.
State: Panicked / Doubtful / Denial
When Thin Hobgoblins panicked, they would become as smart as a young kid. This one was still immature and far from becoming a Fat Hobgoblin. If I couldn’t face an opponent this easy, I would be putting the regressor name to shame.
“But it’s very clear to my eyes.”
I pointed in the direction of the Thin Hobgoblin.
“N-No! It can’t be.”
The hobgoblin stumbled three steps backwards. I took one step forward, but the hobgoblin didn’t move.
It screamed frantically at me. “You lying conman! If you come any closer, I’ll cut out your tongue!”
Thanks to its actions, I figured it out.
‘So that’s where the mana crystal is.’
For a Thin Hobgoblin to make a field of such scale, one as big as the ‘Forest of Unknowns’, it would require a very high-quality ‘mana crystal’. Finding the location where it was hidden was, of course, impossible with my abilities alone. Even though my Eye of Perception was upgraded, it couldn’t detect the exact location.
Thin Hobgoblins tend to have an obsession over things they consider their treasures. Sometimes, that can be a worthless piece of shit, and sometimes, it can be a truly valuable gem. The Player must judge which of the two the ‘treasure’ is based on the situation.
And I had made my judgment—there, right under the hobgoblin’s feet, was an ‘amplification mana crystal’.
“Of course I don’t know.”
“I-I knew it!”
At that moment, I used the naive hobgoblin’s relief as an opening to use Flash Step. There was no way a hobgoblin that wasn’t even a Chubby Hobgoblin would be able to read Flash Step’s movements.
‘I can see it.’
I saw its little horn. That was the monster’s weak point. I couldn’t be slow to attack. If it detected danger, the hobgoblin would hide its horn under its skin, making it harder to defeat.
“H-Huh?”
I saw the Thin Hobgoblin’s body instantly stiffen. Its muscles went rigid, freezing the hobgoblin in place for the slightest moment. As fleeting as the moment was, it was more than enough time for me. Holding the dagger well-suited for quick attacks, I made a powerful vertical stab.
[Using the special skill Excellent Strike.]
An additional 20% damage, plus—
[Critical hit!]
This time, I was lucky and landed a critical hit. The Thin Hobgoblin and I weren’t that far apart in level. If you took my stats into consideration, you could even say I was stronger than the Thin Hobgoblin.
‘On top of that, I hit a weak point.’
And it was even a critical hit.
“Uwagh!”
With a short cry, the Thin Hobgoblin fell onto its butt and jumped back onto its feet.
“Y-You fucking dickhead!!!” squealed the Thin Hobgoblin.
This. I just had to get past this crisis. The Thin Hobgoblin was probably channeling the mana crystal right now. It would be difficult for me to handle a blast from an amplification mana crystal capable of creating a field of this size.
‘I have to believe in it. The Great Orc Warrior set.’
I had three Great Orc Warrior items on me.
[Great Orc Warrior’s Iron Armor.]
[Great Orc Warrior’s Leather Shoes.]
[Great Orc Warrior’s Leather Pants.]
Of course, I had them all equipped, which triggered a ‘partial set effect’.
Partial Set Effect: Defends against a physical attack the wearer cannot handle, limited to once per day. However, the wearer’s level must not exceed level 30. If their level exceeds 30, a damage reduction effect will be triggered depending on the attack’s power.
A huge club was formed above my head.
‘It’s huge…!’
It looked to be at least five meters large. This huge club was the lethal move the Thin Hobgoblin could use only one time.
“Vroom, vroom! Hobgoblin Club!”
The shadow of the hobgoblin club covered my head.
‘I can’t dodge anyway.’
It was a special attack I couldn’t dodge with my current physical abilities. Even if I tried, I would still get hit. I had no choice but to defend.
‘While getting hit… I’ll also attack.’
I would believe in the power of the Great Orc Warrior set while unleashing a blow of my own, something like cutting off an arm to save the body.
‘It’s coming down…!’
I clenched my teeth. It was possible there would be some momentary pain.
Thud!
From my head to my toes, I felt a massive impact.
[Registering unmanageable damage.]
[Damage is negated once per day.]
There was an impact, but I didn’t take any damage from it. I just recognized mentally that I was attacked.
‘If you use a technique this big… you’ll leave an opening.’
I wouldn’t miss it. I switched from my dagger to the sword. For this humanoid monster, even though their horn was their biggest weak point, the throat and heart were also significant weak points.
‘The heart.’
It wasn’t hard to hunt a Hobgoblin that had lost its cool.
[Thin Hobgoblin has been killed.]
[EXP acquired.]
[42 Coins acquired.]
Since I killed a hobgoblin, I was hoping that something like a Spirit Art Club, a pretty pricey item, would drop.
‘Darn, it didn’t drop.’
Unfortunately, it didn’t drop. The notices continued.
[The ‘Forest of Unknowns’ distortion has been recognized.]
[The hobgoblin controlling the ‘Forest of Unknowns’ distortion has been eliminated.]
[The clear condition of the ‘Forest of Unknowns’ has been satisfied.]
I satisfied the clear conditions of the special hidden piece generated within the Seoul Station Dungeon’s hidden piece.
‘I can’t be sent outside.’
Since I cleared the ‘Forest of Unknowns’, I would be kicked out of this place after the rewards were distributed.
‘I have to find the mana crystal.’
I pushed aside the hobgoblin’s body and set to digging. The Item Shop had most things, but strangely enough, it didn’t sell a shovel. In the end, I had to dig with my hands.
[Distributing the clear rewards for the ‘Forest of Unknowns’.]
Once the rewards were fully distributed, I would be sent out.
‘Before that happens, quick!’
An amplification mana crystal that could create a field of this scale would be worth at least $10 million in just three years. I had to find it.
My hands didn’t stop moving. It would’ve been really nice if I had a digging skill or something like that.
[500 Coins acquired.]
[1 level up point acquired.]
[One new trait for ‘Eye of Perception’ has been added.]
[‘Hobgoblin Perfume’ acquired.]
I was so busy looking for the mana crystal that would become $10 million in three years that my ears didn’t even register the notices.
‘Where is it?’
Even after digging what appeared to be twenty centimetres into the ground with my bare hands, I couldn’t see it.
‘It shouldn’t be buried any deeper than this.’
If the mana crystal was buried too deep, its power would be greatly weakened. No matter how outstanding the amplification mana crystal was, the hobgoblin wouldn’t have buried it this deep.
‘I messed up somewhere.’
Digging any further was a wasted effort. The tips of my fingers were bleeding, but I didn’t give a damn. I straightened, looking around.
‘What am I missing?’
And then, I realized something.
‘It definitely said the clear conditions were satisfied… yet I’m still in the dungeon.’
There wasn’t even a remaining time indicator. That meant there had to be something else here.
‘An exitless dungeon?’
A dungeon without an exit, one you couldn’t leave even after satisfying the clear conditions. There was no way such a ridiculously difficult dungeon would have appeared already. I had to believe that.
‘Exitless dungeons… could only be forcibly pried open by magic class Rankers seven years later.’
If this place really was an exitless dungeon, I would either die of starvation, loneliness, or wait for seven years. In any case, it would definitely be a shit situation.
‘What am I missing?’
There had to be something.
“Huh?”
Some distance in front of me, I saw something on the ground.
“What’s that?”
Something very small with four limbs was standing on the ground like a person and staring at me.
‘A squirrel?’
It was a squirrel, but the expression on its face was almost humanlike. The squirrel was looking at me with what I could swear was a pompous expression, laughing at me like a human.
‘Was there ever… a squirrel like that?’
It didn’t appear to be a monster, at least, and it was obviously not an NPC. Even for a person who had knowledge of the future, this squirrel was an unfamiliar existence.
‘Seeing as Senia hasn’t appeared, it’s not a bug.’
The squirrel stood on two legs and held out an arm(?) to me, wearing an expression of ‘I get it, so hand it over’.
‘Is it asking me to give it something?’
The squirrel spread out its other palm. When it did so, a huge mana crystal the size of a watermelon appeared over its tiny palm.
‘The squirrel’s using magic?’
It had an Inventory, or was using summoning magic. Or maybe it had something like its own innate squirrel ability. It was definitely no ordinary squirrel.
It finally struck me.
‘That is… the final puzzle of this place.’
And I had the feeling I could solve that puzzle.
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