Kill the Hero
Chapter 6
A goblin was hanging from a tree.
Nah, it is more accurate to say that a goblin was decorating the tree.
If the goblin was hanging there to be an emergency food source, it would not be hanging from the most conspicuous place. It was very easy to notice.
Moreover, although the goblin was alive, it appeared no different from a corpse. Precisely speaking, it was yet to be a corpse but it was just barely alive. If Woo-jin had intentions of eating the goblin, he didn't need to keep it alive like that.
In conclusion, there was a different reason for letting it live.
Krrkrr…
Kieeee…
Fifteen. In total, fifteen goblins were hanging from many different trees, each of them barely alive. They were issuing rescue signals, begging other goblins for their help. They weren't all gathered in one place, they were arranged more like a fence.
For the goblins, it was as if the very definition of fear became a reality. Instead of feeling sympathy or fury at the sight, the scene filled the goblins with dread. They had no recourse but to turn their backs in despair rather than to fight in indignation. Despite the fact that a grievous astrocity had befallen their kin, for goblins, it was obvious what needed to be done.
Kieee!
They did not dare to approach the horrendous arrangement of ornaments. They did not heed the rescue calls of their own kind.
This was a characteristic of the ways the goblins as a species functioned.
It was a natural instinct for them to want to survive, even at the expense of their peers. It was also how they coped with unbeatable enemies in a brutal world. There was, of course, no such thing as revenge.
Kieee!
Rather than seeking revenge, the goblins reduced their radius of activity to avoid facing the same tragic fate as their peers. Additionally, they also limited the types of activities performed outside.
Kie ee, kieee…
Most of the goblins decided to lodge in their den. They buried themselves in the deepest parts of their den if they could. It was cramped, even though goblins were small.
Kaa!
As if that was not enough, the goblins blockaded the entrances to their den. They put up as many defensive barricades leading to their fortress as they possibly could. The fear that suffocated the goblins was terrible to such a degree.
As one may expect, the goblins lacked proper craftsmanship. Their craftsmanship and constructions were very sloppy and deficient. Fortunately, there was someone there to help the goblins fix that problem.
Tuk! Tuk!
Kim Woo-jin used a shovel he had prepared in his inventory to cover up all the entrances to the goblin's den with dirt. He even put up a wooden fence with the help of an axe. Kim Woo-jin turned the goblins' den into an impenetrable fortress and prevented both entry and escape. A few minutes later, smoke rose from the goblin's den.
A player's networth was out of the boundaries of common sense. It was illogical that a level 1 player would receive over 100 million won just for signing a contract. Then they were given the social status, respect, and dignity befitting a government official. Nevertheless, the reason behind such treatment was rather simple. The main reason was because it was normal for them to die. The nature of their jobs was just that dangerous.
'Shit…'
Bang Joo-seop and his colleagues realized this truth from fighting the goblins. No, they realized it now that it was undetermined whether or not they would survive.
'To think we would end up like this against mere goblins…'
If their lives were threatened by something stronger like an orc, fought desperately, and defeated it at the end, they may have a felt a great sense of achievement instead. However, weren't monsters like goblins closer to fodder or prey than an enemy?
To Bang Ju-seop and his party, who were struggling as their lives were threatened by mere goblins, the dungeon was no longer felt like a land of opportunity. It was a world of full of monsters that could kill them at any time.
'Shit.'
When they realized this, Bang Ju-seop and his party could no longer hunt. They were too afraid to leave their camp and they were even more scared of fighting the goblins. So Bang Ju-seop and his party decided to spend their first day resting. Regrettably, the party did not move out on the second day either.
To be exact, they couldn't advance. The fear of death, that undeniable fear, prevented them from even getting a proper rest.
Fatigue grew in intensity with each passing day. The fear of death also persisted and became more apparent. It was a situation where nobody had the will to move. They would only act if they were forced to do so. However, no one opened their mouth.
Bang Ju-seop, their leader, also avoided confronting the problems.
"Anyway, I wonder what happened to that person, Kim Woo-jin."
"He probably died already… I mean we haven't heard from him since then."
"Damn it. It would have been better if we just moved together. Having one more person would have made the hunting easier."
In the meantime, Kim Woo-jin's absence further heightened the fear felt by the party.
Ultimately, Bang Ju-seop and his party also spent their second day resting, without taking any action. On the third day, they finally changed their minds.
"We can't stay like this."
It wasn't courage.
"At this rate, the food will run out first. We have to kill the goblins before that."
The fear of dying of starvation won over the fear of goblins. It forced their priorities to change.
"They are only goblins after all."
Under these circumstances, Bang Ju-seop told his colleagues, "It's true that it was hard at first, but here we are, all safe. We still have enough food as well. There's no reason we can't mop up the goblins. We can do it if we try."
"We can do it!" He spoke as if he were giving orders to himself and his colleagues. Such orders were surprisingly effective.
"Yeah, there's no reason we can't do it."
"We can just hunt them one by one!"
"I'm not going to die before I spend the signing bonus I got from the contract first!"
The fear that dominated them gradually subsided. Determination and resolve filled the gaps where the fear receded.
It was at that moment…
"What?"
"Huh?"
The dungeon was cleared.
'I wonder what's the most effective way to hunt goblins who hid themselves in a den?
Go inside the den and hunt them? That's the stupidest idea. Not only was the den made by the goblins, the paths are too cramped and uncomfortable for humans to move in.
Furthermore, no living being will peacefully submit when an enemy invades their homes and tries to kill them.'
'Then, should we wait for the goblins to come out? It's not a bad idea. If sufficient and proper traps were prepared, there was no easier way to hunt. There is a limit to the food the goblins can store. However, there is a better way.'
Hwaruruc!
It was setting the den on fire. To be more exact, it was putting smoke inside the den. That was what Kim Woo-jin chose to do.
'I think all the exits are blocked.'
When he was ready, he made the entrance to the den look like the opening of a kiln, set the fire there, then kept adding fuel to the fire.
'Considering the size of the den, about ten minutes will be enough.'
Snakes named heat and smoke crawled inside the den. Then, the smoke inflicted critical damage on the goblins.
Ki ek?
Kiee!
The goblins suffered from headaches and dizziness. The carbon monoxide poisoning and oxygen depletion had begun.
Kieeehh!
The goblins sensed something was off and naturally began to move towards the exit. However, getting outside was not easy.
The reason was simple.
Kiee! Kiee!
They were hiding too deep inside the den. In order to avoid the monster that butchered their kin, most of the goblins were gathered deep inside the den. It was the place where that monster was the least likely to go.
'Since they are inside the deepest areas, it would not be easy for them to come out.'
This was obviously Kim Woo-jin's intent. He knew how the goblins would behave if he afflicted a devastating terror upon them. He knew it better than anyone. When all the goblins tried to stampede out of the den at the same time, accidents were inevitable.
Moreover, some sickly goblins were mixed in.
'Some of the poisoned ones should have died by now.'
There was some of Kim Woo-jin's toxic blood inside the prey that he intentionally let escape.
Although not toxic enough to be immediately evident on their body, it was poisonous enough to eventually be fatal.
Thud!
Some of the goblins that attempted escape collapsed on the floor, while other goblins tripped over them and fell.
Kieeehh!
As if a series of crashes broke out on a path, the entrance to the den was utterly obstructed. In the end, only about six or seven goblins got close to the entrance. However, one could not say that they were lucky. What the goblins faced was a road of fire. Before the blazing road of fire, the goblins could not help but stop.
Kieeehh!
One of them plucked up his courage and rushed through the flames.Unfortunately for him, his attempt was effortlessly blocked by something solid. The entrance to the den was blocked. Nevertheless, the goblins repeatedly smashed their bodies against the entrance in an attempt to get outside.
Kieeehh!
The goblins were desperate to survive any way they could.
Kieeehh!
They cried with excessive determination.
Kek, Kek!
The thick smoke made it difficult for the goblins to even scream. It was a gruesome sight to witness. Was it necessary to be so cruel? The scene was so appalling that one would wonder.
Waiting outside the entrance to the den, Kim Woo-jin was very well aware of the aftermath of his methods. He knew better than anyone that his actions were inhumane.
'Last ditch effort I see.'
That was all. Kim Woo-jin did not have to think deeply about the facts.
He didn't have to.
What he faced were monsters, actual monsters. The word, humane, did not apply to them.
'This hunt was much easier than I thought.'
He wasn't there to play games. Kim Woo-jin was not interested in the fierce and frantic competition the other players engaged in to prove their value. He wasn't interested in competing by hunting stronger monsters or obtaining powerful items.
Nor did he desire self-satisfaction by killing monsters with his overwhelming ability as if he were challenging a game.
That is why Kim Woo-jin did not dispute that "hunting dog" should be his nickname.
Kim Woo-jin did not wish to achieve, be recognized, be applauded, or be appreciated like most human beings.
'Looks like Johann Georg played the game more mundanely than I thought.'
He was satisfied just by the recognition from his halo.
Like that, Kim Woo-jin's first dungeon clear ended.