Chapter 31

“This sly bastard knows that, which is why he came to me first. I’ve never lied so far. I always say exactly what I mean.”

He had promised to kill Derek if they ever crossed paths again.

And he had also been upfront about saving people during the rescue quest.

Even when others had complained, he had made it clear that he wouldn’t help any more than necessary.

Derek must have realized that Jason wasn’t someone who played games with his words.

“Other people might trick him into joining their team, only to kill him later. But me? If I don’t like him, I’ll just reject him outright. At least he knows he won’t get stabbed in the back by me. That’s why he’s here, isn’t it?”

“….”

Derek avoided eye contact, refusing to answer.

Jason wasn’t waiting for one, anyway.

“So there’s no need to treat him kindly. He’s already burned all his bridges. But if he betrays us too? That’s the end.”

Even if Jason did nothing, the moment Derek crossed them, everyone else would jump on the chance to get rid of him.

People would see him as a threat to the entire community.

“And if this idiot still tries to act like we’re equals, then I will lose my patience. Completely.”

He stared down at Derek, his eyes cold and detached.

He had worked in customer service before—he had seen all kinds of people at their worst.

There were plenty of people out there who wouldn’t feel guilty, no matter how much harm they caused others.

Whether it was watching someone else die, or even killing someone themselves—some just didn’t care.

And from what Jason could tell, Derek was exactly that kind of person.

People like that didn’t deserve sympathy.

Even if it came down to killing them.

Under Jason’s icy gaze, Derek swallowed hard and nodded frantically.

“U-Understood! I understand!”

“Good. You got it?”

“Yes! Really, I understand!”

“Good. That’s all I needed to hear.”

There was no need to clarify what had been understood.

In that moment, the meaning between them was clear.

And if it wasn’t?

‘Well, then I’ll just kill him for real.’

Some people would never change, no matter how much danger they faced.

Those people were better off gone.

It had been about 30 minutes since the four-man team left the village.

They had expected to run into monsters quickly, but so far, nothing.

They had walked for a solid half-hour without encountering a single creature.

“Is this place just… empty?”

Ethan, who had been keeping watch, sounded exhausted.

Jason thought for a moment before answering.

“Actually, this might be normal.”

“Huh? Normal how?”

“In World Breaker, monsters never spawned near villages.”

The only time monsters ever invaded settlements was during a monster wave event.

Under normal circumstances, they didn’t appear near populated areas at all.

In the early stages of the game, when fighting other civilizations wasn’t an option, players had to go out of their way to find monsters.

It was the only way to level up.

“The strange part was the beginning. Remember the skeleton? It was barely twenty steps outside the safe zone. That shouldn’t have happened. Normally, the game worked exactly like this.”

“Still… shouldn’t we have run into something by now? We’ve been walking for thirty minutes straight.”

“Yeah, but—”

“Brother! Over there!”

Nathan suddenly shouted, pointing ahead.

They turned to look.

At first, it seemed like a person.

But as they got closer, its true form became clear.

“Hobgoblins.”

They resembled goblins, but were built differently.

With yellowish skin and a height just a little below that of a human woman, they were physically stronger than goblins.

Even in the game, their stats had always been noticeably higher.

The hobgoblins snickered as the group approached.

“Grrrrr! I’ll give it to you!”

“Kihic! I’ll give it to you! I’ll give it to you!”

“…!?”

Nathan froze.

He hadn’t expected monsters to speak.

“T-They can talk?!”

“Yeah, I’m a little surprised too. But I doubt we can hold a conversation with them.”

“What do we do? Are they stronger than goblins?”

Jason nodded.

“Yeah. Way stronger.”

“How much stronger?!”

“They’re about as strong as skeletons. Their strength is close to a human’s, and they know how to use weapons.”

“…Skeletons?”

Nathan, who had been worried, suddenly froze.

He turned toward Jason and Ethan, his eyes wide.

“…As strong as skeletons? Did you just say… skeletons?”

His gaze flickered between the two of them, realization dawning.

A shriek cut through the air.
“Kiieeek! I’ll kill you!”
“Kyaaaak!”

The hobgoblins didn’t wait for conclusions to be drawn.

Six of them charged forward simultaneously, swinging blunt clubs and dull blades.

Justin, already prepared for the attack, responded immediately with a sharp command.
“Black Missile, Black Missile!”

Thud.
“Kiek!”
“Kkek…!”

Two hobgoblins toppled backward, skulls pierced by the magical assault. They were dead before they hit the ground.

The remaining four, however, didn’t flinch. It wasn’t so much that they were prepared for this—it was more like they simply didn’t care what happened to their comrades.

Facing these relentless creatures, Ethan and Derek stepped forward.

“Hup!”
“Kraah!”

With different battle cries, both men swung their weapons in unison. A sword and a mace crashed into the advancing hobgoblins.

One lost its head; the other’s skull was smashed beyond recognition.

The last two took advantage of the distraction, flanking from both sides in a surprise attack.
“Kieek!”

Clang!

“Not so fast!”

With a grin, Ethan raised his shield, effortlessly blocking the dull blade aimed at him. His raised level made such attacks almost trivial now.

Derek, however, reacted to a beat too slow. His mace faltered, and—

Thwack.
“Guh!”

A club struck Derek’s forearm, making him stagger. The hobgoblin grinned wickedly, lifting the club high for a finishing blow. Just as Derek was about to scream—

“Black Missile.”

Thud.
“Kieeeek!”

The spell tore through the hobgoblin’s leg, sending it sprawling with a shriek.

Justin stepped in swiftly and finished the creature off with an Energy Drain.

The last hobgoblin attacking Ethan collapsed as his sword found its neck.

The fight was over. Justin approached the injured Derek.

“Hey, pig, you okay?”

“Ugh… I think it’s broken…!”

“Quit whining.”

A warrior leveled up to Level 3 wouldn’t break a bone from a simple blow like that. It hurt, sure, but it wasn’t a serious injury.

At Justin’s signal, Ethan stepped forward and muttered softly.
“Lesser Heal.”

Fwoosh.