NOVEL NEXT Chapter 16
The moment we stepped into the unique barrier,
And the moment I closed and opened my eyes again,
The Forest grew darker and a chilling wind blew.
Edwin, who was at the front, began to slowly take steps forward.
What the hell?
“Hey, hey, hey.”
“…Huh? Me?”
Finally turning to look at us, Edwin seemed lost in some thought, looking like he had lost his mind.
Traditionally, the tank is supposed to lead the party…
“You’re the one in front. You need to give us some directions.”
“Ah, yeah.”
Even though he awakened as an executioner, I still couldn’t trust him.
Did the Author deliberately take away his intelligence to push Caeran forward?
“Then I’ll take the lead, so everyone keep a certain distance…”
“Ha…”
Frustrated, I spoke in his place.
“First, we don’t have time, so let’s talk while moving. The positions are already set anyway.”
“True.”
“Yeah…”
Aria and Hazel nodded in agreement.
Just as we were about to set off,
“Wait!”
At that moment, it was Melissa who interrupted me.
“Why are you giving out orders so naturally?”
“What?”
“You’re the one who cheated on the test. You want us to listen to someone like that?”
“Then you can take the lead.”
“Uh?”
Melissa stammered.
She tends to get flustered when she actually has to take charge.
A typical second-in-command style.
“As the lecture taught us, Edwin in front, you on the right, I’m in the back, Aria on the left, and Hazel can keep an eye on everything. Isn’t that enough? Got a better idea?”
As I casually remarked, Melissa began to nitpick at something else.
“You, you, you’re in the rear. Isn’t it dangerous having someone who might mess up the test back there? How can we trust you?”
Well, that was a controversial statement…
Edwin began to intervene, sensing trouble.
“Melissa, you didn’t have to say it so harshly… We’re a team…”
Though he said that, Edwin also showed a slight hint of anxiety.
He was probably still haunted by the memory of our duel.
But this confirmed it.
Even if I was suspicious, the fact that they weren’t probing me showed that Aria and Edwin didn’t seem to exchange any information.
Given Aria’s personality, if she doesn’t open up, she usually keeps secrets to herself.
“Okay, then…”
I arrived at a simple conclusion.
“I’ll go to the front. Is that good?”
“What?”
“If you’re worried, then let’s switch places. You can take the blame for any deductions?”
“Uh… then what about the rear…? Deductions?”
It seemed like Melissa hadn’t anticipated this reaction, and as she deliberated, I passed the turn to Aria.
“Aria, what do you think? You were the one who invited me to the party.”
Aria answered in a monotone voice, as if she didn’t care.
“…I think it’s correct to go by the original positions. Changing roles during a test could lead to deductions, and Melissa and I need to chant spells, so the mid-position is appropriate, and Hazel wouldn’t suit the rear either.”
After Aria’s blunt statement, Melissa had no choice but to concede.
“If Ria says so… Ugh… fine.”
“Oh dear, I’m so disappointed. I wanted to try leading at least once.”
Melissa shot me a glare before turning her head sharply, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
.
.
.
As the one in the rear, I began to walk slowly behind everyone.
“It’s… so scary…”
As Hazel put it, the deeper we went into the Forest, the darker it became.
Fortunately, there was no problem with Aria’s holy magic illuminating our path.
Although it was a bit annoying that Melissa was glancing back at me every now and then.
“I told you I won’t betray you…”
“Sorry, but it’s just that I can’t trust you, so I need to check.”
“Yeah, yeah… I guess so.”
According to the novel, there are three types of demons appearing in the test.
– Goblin
– Goblin Necromancer
– Rag (the seeker)
‘The key is to take out the necromancer.’
The necromancer can resurrect goblins for a certain time, so it’s better to take care of things thoroughly.
The newly revived goblins wouldn’t drop loot, meaning with each resurrection, we’d be losing health or time.
A while later…
“Behind us.”
I stopped the party.
“What?”
“I sense something coming from behind. Aria, light over here.”
Kieeek!
Kieek, kieek!
From the darkness, the demons began to twist their necks and howl.
Uggh!
Among them, Hazel let out a short scream.
And in time with that sound, a dark shadow slowly began to reveal itself.
As the bright light poured from Aria’s staff, the charging black shape came to a halt.
‘So, it’s just goblins to start with.’
Two large hobgoblins.
[Hob Goblin]
[Normal F+ Rank Demon]
[Humanoid]
[Danger Level: Low]
[Features: Summon of Professor McClone]
A low-level monster that a gamer would be quite familiar with.
However, since they are humanoid, they possess at least some intelligence, so they can execute surprise attacks.
Thus, we must remain on guard, and,
‘What an ugly-looking creature.’
Whether it’s reflecting game inflation or the author’s preference, it wasn’t just a regular goblin but a hobgoblin.
The difference from a regular goblin is just its dark red skin and irregular demonic horns.
I thought I’d feel familiarity with a monster I had seen a lot in games, but seeing it in real life made me glad I had chosen the rear.
After all, I wasn’t really ready to face such a grotesque face up close.
“Ugh…”
As expected, with a universally disliked appearance, Melissa was also grimacing while chanting her spell.
Kieeek!
The goblin spewed something out, then,
“?”
Ran past me and charged toward Edwin.
“!!”
“Hazel, this way!”
“Ugh… Okay!”
Just as Edwin was about to clash with the hobgoblin, a fire magic arrow exploded against the hobgoblin.
Kieek!
That’s right, it was the casting speed befitting the top student,
Melissa’s 3rd Circle magic, Fire Arrow.
From the shape and the impact sound, I could tell it was a well-crafted magical arrow piercing the hobgoblin’s body.
Kieeek!
However, the creature wouldn’t go down that easily.
Instead, its tough skin burned, emitting a foul odor as it became more grotesque.
And I was just watching this unfold.
No?
In fact, my presence faded entirely in this chaos.
[The Recluse – Gamer Trait is activating]
[The Recluse][Aggro: 2]
[Aggro will reach 100, the enemy (demon) will recognize you]
Even though I was closest, the hobgoblin targeted only Edwin.
The reason for this was simple: my inherited ability gained as a reward for a confession attack, which can never be changed, a once-in-a-lifetime skill.
The Recluse.
——————————————————
Currently registered skills
[Passive] – The Recluse
[Common Skill 1] – Demon Eye
[Common Skill 2] – Registerable
[Common Skill 3] – Registerable
[Ultimate Skill] – Demonization
——————————————————
This ability I thought was garbage turned into a passive with the gamer trait and changed its functionality.
It reduced my presence, meaning in gaming terms, it served as a way to avoid aggro.
“Die.”
Fwoosh!
Oh wow…
With Melissa’s fire arrow, one of the monsters was already grilled and knocked out.
Kieek!
Now, the hobgoblin, who had suddenly lost its ally, rushed toward Edwin once more.
But against Edwin, who had awakened as an executioner, it stood no chance…
“Guh!”
“Gah! Hah… No more…”
Oh, come on…
Edwin was struggling in just one exchange.
I guess he needed to work harder…
While everyone’s focus was diverted, I drew the string on the crossbow.
Rustle.
“Easy, easy.”
Sure enough, at this timing, the goblin necromancer would try to crawl in and find an opportunity to save the hobgoblin.
“!”
“At this distance, even if I can’t see it, it’s easy to hit.”
I had practiced all weekend, focusing only on my basic stamina and aim.
“Hey, what are you doing…!”
Ignoring Melissa’s shout as she finally spotted me,
I took a deep breath, aimed steadily, and, slowly letting my breath out… I pulled the trigger.
Pech!
As I felt the recoil resonate in the crossbow, the arrow flew.
It was a blunt yet crisp feeling.
Thwack!
The arrow traced a slight arc and pierced something in the dark.
[Critical Hit!]
[Aggro: +12]
[Aggro: 14]
Kieeek…
Thud.
Guess it was a one-shot, one-kill.
As Aria illuminated the spot where I shot the arrow,
“…Hieek!”
“This… this is…”
A goblin, crudely adorned with a skull-shaped ornament, trembled and then finally collapsed.
“Did… did you see it?”
As everyone stared blankly between me and the goblin, I casually tossed out a line.
“What are you waiting for? Let’s do maintenance, and grab the loot.”
As I rummaged through the necromancer’s belongings, Aria followed along to help.
“Ow…”
And our princess, Melissa, also squatted down to search the corpse.
“Ow ow…”
Whether it was her cat-like hands or if it was genuinely hot, she fumbled, unable to touch it easily.
“You singed it too much. Didn’t the certificate burn too?”
At that, Melissa shouted back.
“No, it didn’t!”
.
.
.
But really, that was a solid hit.
A necromancer should have had some sort of protective barrier, but it went down just like that.
This doesn’t mean I’m strong enough to take it down in one hit.
It simply happened because I scored a critical hit; it’s not just due to the 2% luck I had from crossbow proficiency.
In [Reincarnated Hero], there’s only one way to guarantee a 100% critical hit rate.
That is, an attack against an enemy that cannot recognize me results in a guaranteed critical hit, inflicting a damage multiplier of 300%.
That was a perk every character inherently possessed.
The game company’s intent was to give an advantage for attacking from a hidden state once, but because I have the Recluse trait, as long as I manage my aggro, it’s essentially infinite critical hits.
The gap between fanfiction and gameplay,
Exploiting the flaw of only I receiving the game system,
[Fundamental Gamer]
Indeed, this was a fraudulent passive.
‘Next up, bring on the rag.’