Everyone Except Me is a Newbie

The stairwell was filled with the goblins. Seeing this in reality felt like a living hell.

Kiiik!-

Kii!

The long line of green monsters stretched from the 30th floor, where Kim Yi-seo was holding the line, all the way down to the lobby on the 1st floor and out to the main street.

Kiiik!!

Kiiiiiik!

Kim Iseo and his group were understandably unaware of the full extent of the situation.

“Dammit! Draw your swords!!”

This may be why Kim Iseo found the courage to act. 

*Swish! Swish!*

His figure, tearing through the green leather with his short sword and advancing forward, gave courage to his comrades. The first to be inspired was Development Team Leader Heo Won-mu.

“Ahhhh!!”

He closed his eyes tightly and leaped down the stairs in one bound, simultaneously swinging his sword.

*Swish!*

A goblin that Kim Iseo hadn’t dealt with was split neatly in half.

“Oh. What the…?”

Heo Won-mu seemed stunned by his own swordsmanship and was momentarily dazed. 

“Take this!!”

“Haaah!”

All of them drew their shortswords with determined expressions and ran down the stairs. 

The battle with the goblin horde, which began on the 30th floor, started pushing down to the 29th and 28th floors as the entire development team joined the fray.

* * *

After the battle with the goblin horde began, Kim Iseo received two messages. 

One was about the constellation showing interest. 

‘That’s not something to worry about right now.’

The constellation’s interest was the good news, but not important at the moment. 

The other message, however, was directly relevant to the current situation.

*Ding.*

[Prologue Event: Goblin Swarm]

▻ Quest Difficulty: D

▻ Objective: Eliminate all goblins!

▻ Current Kills: 21

▻ Remaining: 479

▻ Completion Reward (Pioneer Bonus): Rapid Evolution Stone ★

▻ Failure Penalty: Death

‘It’s up… An event quest.’

The prologue event quest had appeared. One of the reasons Kim Iseo had rushed in was also because of this.

‘If I have to kill them anyway, it’s better to get the quest.’

It was a quest for those who encountered the goblin swarm. The earlier you start fighting, the better the rewards. In other words, Kim Iseo had received the best possible reward for the event quest.

‘Indeed, it’s the Rapid Evolution Stone. This is fixed.’

The Evolution Stone. It’s a mana stone that instantly upgrades the Mana Sword to the next level. In a game where swords are everything, it was a crucial item.

‘But… something’s odd about the number.’

▻ Remaining: 479

The remaining number. 479 goblins. This meant there were originally 500.

“Oh… Five hundred??”

Kim Iseo blurted out the number without realizing it. Lee Hae-won had mentioned there were about 200.

“Five hundred? What the hell… No! This is crazy!!”

Heo Won-mu shouted. It seemed he also had the event quest window open.

– **Kiiiii!**

A goblin that hadn’t been dealt with yet grabbed Kim Iseo from behind.

*Thud!*

The youngest developer, Choi Seo-yeon, pierced the goblin’s heart with her shortsword.

“Gasp… Gasp… This is quite something… But is it really 500?”

It seemed Choi Seo-yeon had received the message as well.

“We’re only facing about twenty at a time.”

Kim Iseo said decisively and swung his sword again.

‘No need to create unnecessary panic now.’

*Clang!*

His sword clashed with the goblin’s axe. As the goblin that received the sword’s strike tried to become complacent, Kim Iseo’s foot kicked him straight in the abdomen. *Thunk!*

– **…Cough!!**

Though not dead, the goblin, pushed back, coughed up. Meanwhile, Kim Iseo swung his sword forward.

*Swish!*

A goblin leaping forward was sliced in half.

‘Again…!’

The goblin he had just cut down was about to come back. He directed his sword towards that direction.

– **Cough!!**

With the sword thrusting deeply, the goblin wriggling around fell limp.

“Gasp… Gasp…”

His heart felt like it was about to burst. The combination of tension and the excitement from seeing blood made his head go white. Amidst the repeated battles in the narrow stairwell, it was a situation that could easily wear someone out.

▻ Current Kills: 40

▻ Remaining: 460

The problem was that he had only managed to kill just over 40 goblins so far.

‘At this rate, we’ll get exhausted first.’

Heo Won-mu and Ji Ho-tae were blocking the stairwell entrance, so Kim Iseo took a moment to look around.

‘Speaking of which, what about the company employees?’

Donson was a large corporation. This meant there were more employees than goblins. If they all joined in, this situation could be resolved without too much difficulty.

‘No. They’ll be more likely to get killed.’

There was a practical issue. The WePlug developers, who made the Mana Swords, adapted quickly, but what could the unfamiliar employees do against those green monsters? They would probably just scream and run away.

“Choi Seo-yeon. Lee Hae-won!”

“Yes!”

“…Yes?”

Choi Seo-yeon and Lee Hae-won. The two were only dealing with a few goblins trying to come around from the back.

“We’re going to fight in rotation. With 500 goblins, you’re up next.”

Although they were the smallest in WePlug, but they had no choice. They were the one who designed the part of the combat force and would have to adapt.

* * *

The rotation strategy worked quite well.

‘Better than I thought.’

Choi Seo-yeon, whom Kim Iseo had expected to be too scared, fought surprisingly well.

Lee Hae-won also wielded his sword without hesitation. Though he looked delicate, he had good agility.

The rest of the team also managed to push the goblins back by changing positions skillfully.

‘They clearly understand this as a game.’

They saw the situation as a game, so they could “play” through it. If they were ordinary citizens instead of developers, they might not have rushed in like this.

‘Even so, they’re fighting well.’

Especially Choi Seo-yeon, who had the image of a pampered youngest daughter, was swinging her sword without caring about the blood flowing from her shoulder.

Because survival was at stake.

*Swish! Thud!*

The terrifying sounds of their swords continued.

Even though they fought bravely, there were just too few of them, and that’s why a lot of goblins managed to get by.

– **Kiiik!!!**

A goblins were trying to sneak up behind them. Kim Iseo, who was closest, immediately stabbed them with his sword.

“Now switch with Ho-tae and Seo-yeon.”

“Yes!”

Ji Ho-tae and Choi Seo-yeon switched positions. The combination was now effective. The number of goblins coming from behind was significantly reduced.

1 tank, 1 agility.

Maintaining this seemed to be the best strategy.

“Good. Lee Hae-won, fall back!”

Now Kim Iseo took over. The 1 tank, 1 agility setup was still maintained. They calmly cut down goblins and gradually pushed the front line down.

“Team Leader… Gasp… That rotation!”

“Hey! I’ll go!”

Without needing Kim Iseo’s orders, Heo Won-mu and Ji Ho-tae switched positions. They were experienced pros in the game and adapted to Kim Iseo’s strategy easily.

“Die!!”

– Kieeek…!

They hacked, stabbed, and kicked wildly, stepping down one stair at a time.

“Pant… Pant…”

“Ugh… Ugh…”

“How many have we taken out?”

▻ Current kills: 110

“One hundred and ten!”

“Damn it!”

“Shall we switch?”

“No, not yet!”

Kim Iseo barely had time to wipe the goblin blood smeared on his face.

“Damn it, it feels like this is never going to end…”

The number of goblins seemed to be just as overwhelming as before. Despite the rotation, it was still a tremendous effort. His arms were going numb, and his breathing was becoming labored.

“Still, my combat skills are improving.”

Despite the fatigue, his combat prowess was steadily increasing.

[Skill Acquired: Choke Lv. 1 (Colorless)]

[Skill Acquired: Kick Lv. 1 (Colorless)]

[Basic Slash Lv. 1 → Lv. 2 Increased!]

[Basic Thrust Lv. 1 → Lv. 2 Increased!]

Kim Iseo now managed to pierce one goblin with his right hand.

– Thud!

And strangle another with his left hand.

– Crunch!

He even managed to kick a goblin coming at him from the front.

– Thud!

– Kieek!

– Kek! … Kehk!

He could now handle three goblins at once.

“There’s the 15th floor!! Hang in there!!”

Heo Won-mu shouted from behind. It was now Ji Ho-tae’s turn.

“Understood!!”

Ji Ho-tae, though visibly scared, was holding his ground well. The biggest problem now was speed.

“We’re descending too slowly.”

Even though they had cleared many goblins, progress was minimal. Kim Iseo couldn’t see past the line of goblins stretching out from the first floor, making it hard to gauge the situation.

Rumbling……

The building started showing signs of instability, signaling that time was running out.

“Team Leader… Is this an earthquake?”

“No. It seems like a prologue is going to end.”

The background music was transitioning to the next movement.

Boom…… Boom boom!

The drum beats grew louder, and the grand orchestral strings intensified, signaling an impending change in the scene.

“An end?! Earthquakes or ending, it’s all the same!”

Choi Seo-yeon, now at the forefront, swung her sword while sobbing. Her words rang true. In the prologue ending of this game, the building was supposed to collapse, much like an earthquake.

“Still on the 12th floor, damn it.”

Heo Won-mu took another drag from his cigarette.

“Does that make any sense in this situation?”

“It’s a habit of mine when I want to give up on life.”

“What…? You smoked every day at the company.”

“Even then… Hey! Ho-tae! Get back. I’ll go!”

Heo Won-mu confessed his daily desire to give up on life and switched positions with Ji Ho-tae again.

Rumble!

At that moment, the building’s shaking intensified. One of the buildings next to Donson’s collapsed into the street.

“Eeeek!”

Choi Seo-yeon screamed as the building wobbled, losing balance.

“Catch her!”

Lee Hae-won, who was in the rear position, rushed over and caught Choi Seo-yeon, who was about to fall over the railing.

“Hold on…!”

Lee Hae-won, with surprising strength, pulled Choi Seo-yeon up.

Seeing this, Kim Iseo had a sudden idea.

“…Wait a minute.”

With that, he dashed off, and surprisingly, leaped over the railing where Choi Seo-yeon had almost fallen.

“Eeeek! Team Leader?!”

* * *

The emergency stairwell at Donson was spacious due to the high-rise design, leaving the middle open. This means jumping over the railing can let you fall on several floors in an instant. Naturally, but the result of this was broken bones.

“No, I can do this.”

Kim Iseo’s thought was different. He had envisioned jumping over the railing and descending several floors at once.

“…I have to jump!”

Determined, he leaped over the railing and propelled himself to the stairs below, effectively covering about two floors in one jump.

– Kieeek!!

– Kieek!!

The goblins, startled by the shadow falling from above, scrambled to move aside.

Boom!

Kim Iseo landed in the open space below. Though painfully, he managed to endure it. Normally, it would be expected to have broken legs, but he held on. In fact, he didn’t need to endure much.

“It’s not that painful…”

Mana Sword Online has a surprisingly lenient fall damage system.

“I trusted my strengthened body, and it seems this design was applied too…”

When Choi Seo-yeon was about to fall, he thought of escaping by jumping down. Seeing Lee Hae-won lift Choi Seo-yeon with his slender arms confirmed his belief in his enhanced physical state.

“A skill for a sturdy body should make two floors manageable.”

Jumping down with the belief that he could withstand two floors, he found that it was almost no trouble at all. The fall damage system in Mana Sword Online was indeed lenient.

“Now the problem is these guys.”

The problem with this plan was that with the rotation defense line breaking, goblins surrounded him from all sides.

– Kieeek!! Kieek!

– Kieek!

As goblins surrounded him, they seemed excited to attack.

“It’s alright.”

Kim Iseo had anticipated this. He had faith in his strategy.

“Red-tier constellations love situations like this.”

Red-tier constellations are known for their love of dangerous situations and expect players to show their combat will.

“Basically, just keep dealing damage in any situation…”

In game data terms, it means to keep dealing with damage without stopping.

Even surrounded, Kim Iseo continued to swing his sword, slashing through the goblins’ abdomens.

[The Red-tier constellation is intrigued by your will.]

[10 Red Mana points are charged.]

“Just as I thought…”

Kim Iseo’s plan worked. The Red-tier constellation was intrigued and granted him mana.

When obtaining mana for the first time, a related skill is generated.

“I wonder what it will be…”

A dise appeared in his view, rolling uncontrollably.

Rrrroll.

In the midst of the goblins rampaging all around, Kim Iseo could only focus on the rolling dise.

“Please… Heroic? No, Super Rare… Am I being too greedy?”

In Mana Sword, skills are categorized into Common, Rare, Super Rare, Heroic, Legendary, and Mythical. Usually, Common or Rare skills suffice until the player reaches three stars. Obtaining a Super Rare skill at this early prologue stage would be quite beneficial.

Kim Iseo was only at one star.

“Please, please! Super Rare! No, Heroic!!”

So his plea was indeed quite selfish. But with his life at stake, it was only natural.

Ding!

The dise stopped.

[Your body reacts to Red Mana.]

[Skill Acquired: Thunderstorm Sword (Legendary)!]

“Legendary…!”

Kim Iseo was so surprised he almost dropped his sword.

* * *

[Beginner Tip: Skills granted by constellations do not have level indicators. However, their performance improves with the player’s rating (★).]