IRHHAC 07

Chapter 7

“Let’s get moving. Come on, let’s go.”

Ledel spoke as he took hold of the carriage reins. His tone was noticeably more respectful than before.

The carriage carrying Kim Jun and the Han Guild members passed through Thebe’s eastern gate.

He really killed a dragon…

Ledel glanced at Kim Jun, lost in thought.

Just a few days ago, when he had taken him to the scorched land, Ledel had thought Kim Jun was a pitiful young man walking to his death.

But not only had he returned alive within hours, now rumors had spread throughout Thebe that he had obtained a hidden class.

Dragon Slayer.

Ledel tightened his grip on the reins.

“Hyung, why are we in such a hurry?”
“I think we could rest a bit more.”

Park Minsoo asked, and Ryu Jia grumbled.

They had spent a day in Thebe repairing equipment and buying potions, but there were still many places they hadn’t explored.

“If you want to rest more, you can stay in Thebe.”

At Kim Jun’s words, Ryu Jia frowned.

“How can you go without me? I’m coming too!”

Lee Seoyeon chuckled and patted her shoulder.

“We’ve arrived.”

They stood before the massive stone gate marking the entrance to Floor 6.

“Let’s go.”

Kim Jun stepped forward and pushed the gate open.

Rumble—

Beyond the gate stretched a vast grassland.

Rolling hills lay in the distance, with a forest beyond them.

At first glance, it looked peaceful—but scattered across the plains were small moving shadows.

[You have entered Floor 6.]
[Quest Generated: Subjugate the Goblin King]
[Objective: Defeat the Goblin King.]
[Reward: 100 EXP, 500 Coins]

From Floor 6 onward, the difficulty changed completely.

If Floors 1 through 5 were a prologue, then Floor 6—after the class advancement—was where the real climb began.

The monsters were stronger, and the boss patterns far more complex.

Still, it was only the beginning.

“Hmm.”

Kim Jun observed the goblins scattered across the plains.

With green skin and grotesque faces, they were far larger and stronger than those on Floor 1.

Their weapons were more refined, and some even wore crude armor.

This meant one thing: the goblins here had a more developed level of civilization.

The group moved across the plains toward the nearest goblin pack.

Park Minsoo led from the front, opening the path with his shield. Behind him followed Kim Jun with his greatsword.

Lee Seoyeon and Ryu Jia stayed in the center, preparing healing and attack magic, while Han Suin circled the group, watching for ambushes.

“Graaah!”
“Grrak!”

The first group had about thirty goblins. Noticing the party, they charged forward with shrill cries.

“They’re coming!”
“Leave it to me!”

Minsoo’s shield slammed into the lead goblin, sending it flying. But it quickly got back up and resumed its attack.

“They’re tougher than I expected. Are these really goblins?”

As if answering him, Ryu Jia raised her staff. Blue mana gathered at its tip before bursting outward.

“Frost Nova.”

Whoooosh—

A freezing wind swept through the goblins. Ice shards pierced their skin, freezing some in place.

Kim Jun didn’t stay idle. His greatsword moved fluidly, almost like a living creature, slicing through goblin necks.

Slash—

Meanwhile, Han Suin appeared behind the goblins, striking their hearts with the Serpent Fang dagger Kim Jun had given her.

The curved blade slipped through gaps in their armor, delivering fatal blows.

One strike, one kill.

She moved silently, dropping goblins without a sound.

“Man… I thought we’d just kill one boss and be done.”

Minsoo wiped his sweat.

He wasn’t wrong.

The condition to clear Floor 6 was to defeat the Goblin King.

But across the vast plains, dozens of goblin groups patrolled, ambushing hunters at intervals.

Their territory was wide, and if one group sensed danger, it would signal nearby groups to attack together.

Reaching the boss without dealing with them was practically impossible.

So—

They would just kill them all.

Shing—

Kim Jun took on his familiar stance.

“O–oh! Hyung! Are you going to show us?”

The air began to swirl around him, and his eyes glowed red like molten lava—

“Accelerate.”

—!

His body shot forward like a red arrow across the plains.

In a straight line spanning kilometers, his path carved a river of fire into the earth. Every goblin along that path turned to ash without even screaming.

After gaining the Dragon Slayer class, his signature skill Accelerate had become incomparably faster and more destructive.

In a single dash, he reached the goblin settlement.

Behind him, his teammates followed as fast as they could along the blazing trail he left—but it would take time for them to catch up.

The settlement, nestled among massive trees, was sizable.

Dozens of huts stood irregularly, and a large bonfire burned at the center.

“Kuhahaha!”
“Grrala!”

Around the fire, goblins danced grotesquely, as if performing a ritual.

Hundreds of them.

Some were elite goblins in armor, others massive goblin champions.

And at the center—

A Goblin King stood before a large hut, clad in golden armor.

“Right… it was around here.”

But Kim Jun’s gaze wasn’t on the king.

It was fixed on a cave in the forest behind him.

A faint green light leaked from within.

The Goblin Shaman.

The hidden boss of Floor 6—and the key to a hidden clear.

In his previous life, Kim Jun hadn’t known this.

The Goblin King had been nothing more than the shaman’s summon.

As long as the shaman lived, the king would endlessly regenerate, turning the fight into a grueling nightmare.

Back then, it had taken nearly four hours.

This time, there was no need to waste time.

Step—

“Grrak?”
“GRAAAAH!”

Alarm bells rang throughout the settlement.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Hundreds of goblins rushed toward him at once.

Elite soldiers surrounded him with spears and shields, while archers perched in trees aimed their arrows.

“Grr… grr…”

But their momentum didn’t last long.

The overwhelming pressure emanating from Kim Jun froze them in place.

Before a being far beyond Floor 6, their instincts screamed danger.

Slash—

Ah, I should leave some.

Even while slaughtering them, Kim Jun considered his teammates’ experience.

Not just me. All of us together.

If he killed everything alone, their growth would slow.

So he deliberately left some goblin champions and elites behind—just enough for his team to handle.

And most importantly—

He intended to leave the Goblin King to them.

Because the king wasn’t what mattered.

“GRAAAAH!”

The Goblin King roared as its Achilles tendon was severed by Kim Jun’s blade. Its massive body tilted, losing balance.

Green blood poured from gaps in its golden armor.

“Hold on a little longer. My teammates will finish you.”

Slash—

His greatsword flashed again, severing the tendons in both arms and the remaining leg.

Even with regeneration, burns from dragon flames would take time to heal.

That should do it.

Leaving the screaming Goblin King behind, Kim Jun headed toward the cave on the hill.

The entrance was covered in strange runes, and an ominous green glow seeped out.

He stepped inside without hesitation.

A sinister aura enveloped him.

The cave walls were covered in bizarre glyphs, and strange patterns were drawn across the floor.

At the deepest part, beside a small pool—

A figure slowly revealed itself.

The Goblin Shaman.

Thin, hunched, with wrinkled green skin like an old crone.

Its eyes gleamed sharply. A crown of bones and feathers adorned its head, and it held a staff made of what looked like human bone.

“Krrrk… human. How did you find me?”

Its voice cracked like breaking branches.

Kim Jun didn’t bother answering.

He raised his greatsword.

The moment the shaman’s staff flashed—

Kim Jun was already gone.

One second.

The shaman’s head floated in the air.

Kim Jun’s sword was already back on his back.

Ding—

[Hidden Boss ‘Goblin Shaman’ defeated!]
[Hidden Quest ‘Ruler in the Shadows’ completed!]
[Reward: 1,000 EXP, 1,000 Coins]
[Skill ‘Detection C’ acquired!]
[Level Up! 32 → 33]

“Good. I’ll take this too.”

From the shaman’s crumbling body, Kim Jun caught a floating staff.

It radiated powerful magic.

[Item Acquired: “Branch of Sorcery”]
[Grade: C]
[Effect: Magic Attack +20%, Mana Consumption +15%]

“Mana consumption goes up, but it’ll be enough for now.”

He thought of Ryu Jia.

As he stepped out of the cave, he saw his teammates running up the hill.

“Hyung! You were here?”

Minsoo waved.

Behind them lay the corpse of the Goblin King.

“You finished already? Impressive.”

At Kim Jun’s remark, Han Suin quietly replied,

“You did most of it, Guild Leader…”

For someone usually so silent, it was a long sentence.

Her eyes held gratitude—she had understood his intention.

A silent bond.

The kind only forged through countless battles.

Kim Jun liked that.

“Let’s go together.”

Everyone looked at him.

“…What?”
“To the top of the tower.”

There was a brief silence.

“…Hyung. You know that sounded kinda cheesy, right?”
“Shut up! It sounds great! Oppa, don’t change—stay like this!”
“Hehe, I like it too. You’ve really changed since entering the tower~”

Smack!

“Ow!”
“Quiet.”

Kim Jun’s face remained stoic—

But a faint smile lingered at the corner of his lips.