Chapter 33 ….
“Excuse me. Have you found a party, by any chance?”
A low voice came from somewhere.
The words themselves were polite, but the tone oddly felt blunt, almost tossed out carelessly.
Because of that, Dohyun initially didn’t think the man was talking to him.
So he ignored it…
“…Excuse me?”
“……”
“The one wearing the warrior set over there?”
“?”
After the repeated—and now very specific—call, Dohyun turned his head.
A man was frowning slightly. It seemed he was annoyed, thinking Dohyun had been ignoring him on purpose.
But the moment their eyes met, the man quickly composed his expression and got straight to the point.
“Yes. If you haven’t found a party yet, would you like to join us?”
“…You mean me?”
“Yes. It looks like you’re having trouble finding a party… If you don’t mind, join ours.”
“You do know I’m a swordsman, right?”
“Of course. We’re actually higher level—we’re just doing this for a quest. Our gear is good too, so it doesn’t matter.”
“……”
“Judging by the fact you even got the warrior set, you must be serious about God of Swords. Honestly, someone like that is better.”
The man showed a kind smile.
Gone was the curt attitude from earlier. At a glance, he almost looked like an angel generously extending a helping hand after recognizing sincerity.
When Dohyun glanced behind him, the man’s party members—one mage and one tanker—smiled brightly and waved.
‘This guy is… a swordsman too?’
Noticing Dohyun’s gaze fixed on the sword sheath, the man scratched his head awkwardly.
“Haha… I’m actually a swordsman too. I couldn’t just ignore a fellow swordsman’s struggles.”
“Ah.”
“Honestly, isn’t there no class more appealing than swordsman? Even that ‘Annihilator’ is technically one—who do they think they are, looking down on us…?”
As he rambled about how swordsmen dominate in the late game, there was a clear sense of grievance in his voice.
He almost seemed like a young man full of dreams and hope.
Even though there were two swordsmen, the party still had a mage and a tanker, and just as the man claimed, their equipment all looked at least rare-grade or higher.
From Dohyun’s perspective, it was a situation where he should gratefully bow and join the party.
And yet… what was this strange unease?
‘Something smells off…’
He couldn’t explain it exactly, but their kind expressions, tone, behavior—every little thing about them bothered him.
And this irritation was something Dohyun knew very well.
It was a sensation he had felt countless times in Demrock.
“Swordsman?”
Perhaps noticing Dohyun’s silence, the man met his eyes again.
And in that instant, Dohyun realized.
‘Ah… so that’s it.’
That guy was wearing a mask.
Because in the brief eye contact, Dohyun sensed a very familiar emotion.
Hostility.
It was faint and ambiguous, which was why Dohyun had been unsure at first.
‘What is today? Why are events popping off back-to-back all of a sudden?’
Yesterday had felt as peaceful and warm as spring.
Wasn’t today way too different?
All he had done was diligently level up…
Yet the moment he graduated from the beginner city, events were exploding everywhere. Dohyun let out an internal sigh at the reasonable suspicion that someone might have marked his coordinates.
‘Well, if this is my fate, then so be it.’
They were practically broadcasting that they had ulterior motives, so the wise move would be to simply avoid getting involved…
‘But that leaves a bad taste.’
Dohyun wasn’t generous enough to ignore someone who showed hostility toward him.
Whether he paid them back or not was secondary—he simply couldn’t stand the lingering discomfort.
How many times had he ignored something like this before, only for the snowball to grow and explode later?
“Ah, sorry. I was just caught off guard… If you’re offering, I’d be grateful.”
“Haha, not at all. Then I’ll send the invite.”
So Dohyun put on a mask as well.
Pretending to know nothing, pretending to be naive, he smiled and accepted.
Ding—
[‘BastardSword’ has invited you to join a party.]
[Do you accept?]
When he pressed confirm, the translucent hologram window that appeared in the lower left briefly halted the conversation.
And Dohyun saw it.
[‘BastardSword’’s party has been formed.]
[Party Leader]
BastardSword <LV24>
[Party Members]
IBuyCrazyOrgans <LV24>
Ultimate10ClassArchmageNoCap <LV24>
Kaiser <LV20>
The moment he saw the party list, BastardSword flinched slightly.
And the two behind him did the same.
All of them—just for a moment—the hostility in their eyes deepened.
‘They know me.’
That was strange.
Dohyun hadn’t done much yet, and this was his first time seeing them.
He didn’t know how they recognized him in this situation.
But he would find out soon.
They would end up talking.
“Then we’ll enter. You ready?”
“Yes. I’m ready.”
“Alright, here we go~!”
With BastardSword’s energetic shout, they moved to the entrance, and a message appeared.
[Dungeon entry accepted.]
[Entering the dungeon ‘Goblin Chieftain’s Habitat’ shortly.]
[Goblin Chieftain’s Habitat]
Grade: Rare
Type: Normal Dungeon
Description: The dwelling of a once-legendary Green Goblin warrior who was cursed and exiled from his tribe.
[Entry limit: 4 players]
[Level limit: LV24 or below]
[Entering dungeon.]
‘Let’s see what you’re planning.’
Dohyun waited calmly as the dungeon transition began.
Soon, his vision flashed, and he entered the dungeon.
* * *
[You have entered Goblin Chieftain’s Habitat.]
“Hmm.”
After checking the message, Dohyun looked around and let out a small sound of admiration.
The dungeon’s interior was very different from the outside.
Externally, it had looked like nothing more than a cave sitting in the forest—but inside, it clearly felt like a residence.
Like a cave converted into living quarters.
Torches lined the walls neatly, and there were even stairs and decorations.
‘You could believe an indigenous tribe lives here.’
It was developed enough to truly deserve the name chieftain’s habitat.
Next, Dohyun checked his party members.
Since they had entered the dungeon, there was a chance they might reveal their true colors.
“Oh, this place has a vibe.”
“Well, if he’s a chieftain, of course his place is different.”
“For them, he’s basically the president~ It should look like this.”
“True enough. Heh.”
Contrary to expectations, they were just chatting casually with innocent expressions.
As if they were too busy sightseeing the dungeon to pay Dohyun any attention.
Someone inexperienced might have thought they were mistaken.
Even Dohyun briefly wondered.
‘We’ll see.’
Whether his instincts were right or not would become clear while clearing the dungeon.
Either way, it didn’t look like they’d make a move just yet.
As he slowly walked forward, looking around—
Kirrik? Kirrik!
“Huh?”
The moment they turned a corner in the corridor, they encountered two goblins.
At a distance of less than 20 meters.
Caught off guard, the goblins shrieked. BastardSword immediately drew his sword.
“Looks like scouts.”
“No need to even set positions. I’ll handle it.”
At the same time, BastardSword shot forward.
Like gliding over ice, his blade swept across a goblin’s waist.
Charge Slash.
Since it was a basic skill every swordsman took, he had it too.
Slash—!
‘Hmm?’
But something about his Charge Slash was unusual.
After the initial strike, he slid slightly further and cut once more.
‘Is that a trait?’
Whether it was a unique ability or a trait, since it didn’t exist in Demrock, it had to be one of the two.
“Kiek!”
Enraged after taking the hit, the goblin leaped forward—but it never reached BastardSword.
Clang!
Because IBuyCrazyOrgans had suddenly appeared and raised his shield.
The goblin looked dumbfounded at having its full-force attack blocked so easily.
“Whoa, nice. But you didn’t have to help.”
“If I don’t do at least this, I get restless. Just finish that one.”
“Sure— huh?”
Boom! Kyaek!
Before BastardSword could finish speaking, a fireball struck the remaining goblin.
The goblin writhed in intense pain.
The two men turned back simultaneously.
There stood Ultimate10ClassArchmageNoCap, casually twirling his staff with a grin.
“If you don’t finish it quick, I’ll take it.”
Red flames gathered at the tip of his staff.
“That won’t do.”
Though frowning, BastardSword quickly moved, unwilling to give it up.
The goblin tried to attack him, but BastardSword deftly dodged, deflected the weapon, and thrust his sword into its neck.
[Red Goblin Scout defeated.]
[Contribution distribution: ‘BastardSword’ obtained Red Goblin Scout’s Claw.]
…
[The scout’s death has been reported to the chieftain.]
“Whew.”
“Easy.”
After instantly dealing with the two scouts, they shrugged as if it were nothing.
Then they belatedly noticed Dohyun and gave awkward smiles.
Seeing their innocent expressions, Dohyun thought:
‘Not bad.’
Their claim about good gear was true—their damage was solid, and their control wasn’t bad.
Their coordination was decent too.
Among them, the mage’s firepower stood out especially. Seeing that, it was obvious why fire mages were considered top-tier in damage.
[The goblins, sensing the scout’s death, are approaching.]
“Ah, more are coming.”
“No problem.”
Just as the notice said, goblins soon appeared.
Kiek! Kek!
This time there were three.
Unlike the scouts with daggers, these wielded long spears and had sturdier builds.
Yet the party members didn’t step forward.
Instead, they took a step back.
“How about you take this one, Kaiser?”
“If it gets dangerous, we’ll jump in right away.”
“We cleared everything earlier—you must be itching. Go ahead and try. Good chance to sync up.”
At their seemingly generous suggestion, Dohyun smirked inwardly.
Three soldiers—after the three of them had only just handled five scouts together?
Their intentions were obvious.
‘They want to test my skills.’
If they were curious about his level, he had no reason not to show them.
Leaving the motionless trio behind, Dohyun slowly walked toward the goblin soldiers.
‘Let’s play along for a bit.’
A faint, dangerous smile spread across Dohyun’s lips.
