The Goblin King
The Goblin King stretched out his arm, fingers fully extended. A massive club materialized in a puff of black smoke—dense and foul like the miasma cloaking his body.
— Run! Si-woo shouted.
Even though Il-seong couldn't hear him, he followed the advice with surprising reflexes. He burst from his hiding spot and darted behind a statue.
A life-saving move—the corner where he'd been just moments before exploded into pieces under the monster's swing.
Il-seong crouched, panting hard. He didn't even notice the stone beneath his feet begin to glow.
Chains burst out.
Iron snakes coiled around his legs.
Empowered by his stats, Il-seong managed to tear himself free. But the Goblin King had already locked his dead eyes on him. By trying to break free, Il-seong had stepped right into the boss's field of view.
SMAACK!
He didn't even feel the impact right away.
His body flew across the room and slammed into the wall behind the throne. The pain only hit when he crashed to the floor—sharp and searing from cracked ribs. He fumbled for a potion—his last—and gulped it down.
— The system couldn't give more loot?
— You should've looted the dungeon!
Si-woo checked his friend's health bar—shown as a segmented ring. Half of it had gone red before the potion took effect.
— Half. HALF! He's never gonna beat that thing!
The summon had completely paralyzed him. The attack had been too fast, too sudden—he hadn't even had time to react. But the worst part was that damned shaman! Yoh was still waving his staff around, chanting something that sounded suspiciously like a nursery rhyme. Si-woo was almost certain he was doing a little dance.
— You freakin' monster…
The goblin kept enchanting the tiles Il-seong stepped on. That dumb little trick forced the Player to stay in the Goblin King's path.
Another club strike.
[Alert! Player is in Critical Condition!]
The message hit Si-woo like a slap. He opened a control window, fingers flying across the keyboard as the boss lumbered closer.
Every time Il-seong took a hit, the system spat out a new notification:
[Congratulations! You're fighting your first D-Rank enemy!]
You've gained a temporary HP boost for the duration of the dungeon quest.
[Congratulations! That's the fifth hit you've taken from the Goblin King!]
Your resistance is now doubled for the remainder of the dungeon.
[Congratulations! You've escaped 15 traps!]
Perception has been doubled for the rest of the quest.
— Forget boosts—give me a damn weapon! he begged.
Half of his pathetic wooden stick had been shattered during a poorly timed dodge. Sure, the tip still had some jagged edges, but let's be real—he needed a sword.
— I'm doing what I can! Si-woo snapped back.
Just a few seconds.
That's all he needed to open the catalog, unlock the boss control upgrade, and take command of the goblin shaman. He could force him to unsummon the King.
Just a few seconds… which he didn't have.
Every second brought more hits, more traps, more chances for Il-seong to die. Si-woo had to focus on keeping him alive first.
— Get up and run! he yelled as his friend collapsed again.
The Goblin King lumbered forward, club dragging across the cracked floor. Chains slithered around Il-seong's limbs, pinning him in place.
— No no no—!
— Would you shut the hell up?!
Another customer had barged into his booth, annoyed by the constant shouting.
— Screw off! Si-woo screamed.
He don't know if it was the Master Authority or just the bloodshot eyes, but the guy ran off without another word.
Si-woo kicked the door shut.
— I'm gonna get fired—and Il-seong's gonna die. Great.
His exhaustion was messing with his priorities.
[Skill Activated: "Hunting Mode"]
Strength doubled. Il-seong snapped the chains and rolled away just in time to dodge the Goblin King's next blow. He activated his stealth and vanished into the room. The sudden disappearance left both bosses in a dazed confusion. They sniffed the air, uncertain.
— Finally, Si-woo exhaled.
An opening!
The moment he'd been waiting for during all those painful, frantic minutes.