The Time-Limited Leader Makes the Raid a Success - Chapter 40



Only Noblemtl

Episode 40

40. That’s my style.

Wars are inevitable, but battles can occur accidentally.

The goblins’ movements were the same.

The Goblin Matron had already been aware of the existence of the Ironwill Guild, which had set up a base camp south of Sanjeong Lake.

As the tribe grew in size, they were prepared to face humans one day.

As the time of war approached, plans were made for when to attack and how to counterattack.

But the monster’s patience clearly had its limits.

I was really annoyed by the humans who didn’t attack me but just kept spying on me and getting on my nerves.

Finally, they decided to fight a preliminary battle by mobilizing the monsters that had taken control of their minds.

At first, there was some success.

Humans who fight against blood squirrels have confirmed that they are not as strong as they thought.

but.

Humans who confronted the Watusi Snake were different.

I felt a shiver as if I was seeing an ogre, not a human. No, could that be called a human in the first place? A monster that could make dozens of Watusi snakes tremble in fear? That would be difficult even for an ogre to do.

The Godmother realized that she could not defeat the monster without luring it into the perfect trap.

《To the Tribal Treasure. Deceive.》

The great mother, who decided that the only way to win was to lure him into the village and set a trap, thought about how to attract the human-like ogre.

Just then, a good bait rolled in.

People who play separately in their own territory, wondering what they are thinking.

There were quite a few of them. We need to catch these people and use them as bait.

Not long after the ingenious Godmother sent out her goblin troop, new news arrived.

Humans dared to commit the atrocity of killing the young of the tribe.

The godmother was furious.

All goblins were his own children.

The pups were especially special.

The future of the goblin tribe.

That future would make him stronger.

The godmother took this as a challenge to herself and gave an order.

《Humans as sacrificial lambs. Revenge through blood.》

An elite force of goblins left the village.

For bloody revenge.

* * *

The Lee Dong-soo gang was a party made up of freelance hunters.

It was a regular party created by people who had worked together well as freelancers for several years.

Although a few more people were added occasionally when necessary, the seven people gathered today generally operated as the main members.

“Oh my, there are a lot of monsters here and the levels are just right, so it’s all good, but carrying the luggage around is tough. Man, it’s a hassle.”

“The taxes they charge are also high. It feels like I’m spending my own money to hunt them.”

As the party members said, the reason why the Bukpocheon hunting grounds were not in the spotlight was obvious.

Not making much money.

Even though there were many different types of monsters and a large number of them, the biggest reason I couldn’t make money was because of my luggage.

“It would be fine if you could use the car as much as you want, but how much trouble do you have to carry the crops with a backpack or a shoulder bag? Tsk! Wave, that’s right! I’m going to work part-time at the DMZ Gate.”

Due to the special nature of the area, Bukpocheon had a high concentration of mana, so vehicles could not drive in the northern part without an ‘engine protection mana cartridge’ installed.

Even in the central region where mana spreads less in the atmosphere, it is difficult to drive a car for long without a ‘mana moisture prevention cover’ on the car bonnet.

It was all a question of cost, a question of efficiency.

It’s too much of a waste of money for a freelancer.

In order to catch valuable monsters without spending money, hunters had no choice but to wander around the southern end of Bukpocheon or park their vehicles and move.

In the end, you have to hit it with your body.

Pulling a cart would solve the load problem to some extent, but this was only a solution that worked on flat ground.

Most of the places that actually make money are located in areas with rugged terrain, so even a handcart has its limitations.

“Will things get better when Iron Will comes in?”

“What gets better?”

“You’re using it as a base. I heard from rumors that you’ll also buy monster byproducts and foraged items. And it’s lower than the current special land tax rate. If you buy it at a good price, we’ll be grateful.”

“Is the ointment a panacea?”

“In terms of taxes, other regions have benefits that are not very beneficial, but special regions are different.”

“Huh? That’s true, now that I hear it.”

The party member who had been nodding in agreement fell to the floor as if his neck had snapped.

Lee Dong-soo found the arrow embedded in his neck faster than the party members realized.

“It’s a raid!”

At his shout, the party members flew forward. Each sought cover and hid behind trees and rocks.

Lee Dong-soo grabbed the back of his colleague’s neck, who was lying flat on the floor, gasping for breath.

I took out the ampoule from my waistband to use a low-grade potion, but dozens of arrows flew in without missing a beat.

“Crack… …!”

“Ugh!”

The party member who was mortally wounded and defenseless was unable to dodge the arrow and died.

Lee Dong-soo, who tried to save him, ended up getting shot in the shoulder with an arrow.

When a party member died, he used his comrade’s body as a shield.

It may have been a cruel choice, but it was the best decision for survival.

I don’t know if my comrades were still alive, but using a corpse when they’re already dead is not something to be criticized in hunting.

The arrows continued to aim at the party members without stopping.

Lee Dong-soo shouted at the party members who were crouching behind cover and couldn’t even show their faces.

“Fuck! Enemy?”

“There are many of them between 50 and 60 meters ahead!”

“How many is the majority?!”

“I’m probably over twenty!”

The supporter who used the detection skill answered.

Although the detection range and accuracy were low due to low proficiency, it was a valuable force in that it could obtain at least a minimum amount of information.

Lee Dong-soo looked left and right. He was looking for a direction to retreat.

Then, he found a party member checking the front through a crevice in the rock and asked him.

“Can you see the other person from over there?”

“It’s hiding in the bushes, so I don’t know what it is. It looks like a humanoid mob.”

“Who doesn’t know that? If you look at the arrows being shot, it’s obvious that it’s a humanoid. Then, does that mean it’s a dragon?”

Lee Dong-soo, who was annoyed by the stuffy sound, considered abandoning all his party members and friends and running away.

If you are the highest ranked among these, you will be able to easily escape by using your party members as bait.

‘If there are twenty mobs with bows, I can just run away on my own, right? … Damn, if even one of them escapes unscathed, my reputation will be ruined. If word gets out, my freelance career is over.’

Freelancers were more concerned about their reputation than anything else. If they were to be labeled as a thug, no party would accept them.

The only way to hunt alone was to join a quest commissioned by the guild app. That didn’t make much money. Instead, if you stood out, you’d be scouted by the guild?

So, even if freelancers run away, they shouldn’t run away without a situation that would make anyone nod their head.

Of course, there were many hunters who died because they misjudged the timing.

Thanks to this, hunters who can clearly judge when to hit and when to retreat are often called names among freelancers.

‘By the way, when will this arrow attack end? If I keep getting tied up like this… … .’

The instant the teleporter arrived, his whole body shivering as if he had been doused with cold water.

An arrow attack that only deters without approaching.

If the purpose is to hold on tightly so that they can’t escape!

“Hey! Back! Check the back!”

Supporters were unable to perform the movement detection order.

He was struggling, his mouth gagged, clutching the dagger handle stuck in his heart.

Lee Dong-soo, who saw that sight, warned.

“Hey, it’s the Goblin Assassin!”

A goblin specializing in assassination from the warrior class.

It was an evolution that I had only seen in books during the regular course.

“Fuck!”

Lee Dong-soo carried the corpse he had used as a shield.

Thud, thud!

The sound of an arrow striking could be heard clearly.

It only took a moment for the corpse to turn into a hedgehog. That was exactly the moment that Lee Dong-soo had wanted, and thanks to the momentary leeway he was able to move to the location where his supporter died and swing his sword.

“You little dwarf, you’re dead!”

The Goblin Assassin was unable to avoid the sword of the mover as he pulled the dagger out of the supporter’s chest. He fell down with his head split open.

After eliminating the assassin, Lee Dong-soo looked back and gave an order.

“Everyone, retreat! If we continue like this, we’ll all die… … .”

It was an empty echo.

Lee Dong-soo couldn’t continue speaking.

Because the party member who would listen to the order no longer exists.

Goblin assassins slowly rise from the shadows of the shelter where the party members were.

“Nimi, just do government quests.”

Lee Dong-soo’s curse became his last will and testament.

* * *

“Show me the confirmed goblins.”

At Kang Mu-hyeok’s command, Gong Du-ri’s hands moved busily.

Various shapes with numbers on them appeared on a giant monitor.

Circles are soldier rank, squares are warrior rank.

And the triangle.

‘A general-class goblin outside the village?’

There were two of them too.

The reconnaissance wasn’t 100 percent successful, so there could be more out there.

The reason for this guess was because the confirmed number of goblins was over 300.

Usually, a general goblin moved with a force of about 100 goblins.

It must be somewhere in the field, even if we haven’t found it yet.

“What about the hobgoblin? Has it been found?”

“I haven’t seen it yet.”

“Sir, I just received some additional information. I’ll display it on the screen.”

The colors of some of the squares that were engraved on the screen changed along with the operation report that was being communicated with each reconnaissance team.

“Green, red?”

“Assassin and Rider.”

Joo Se-ah, who had just entered the situation room, approached while checking the diagram.

It was a pre-arranged shape, so I recognized it at a glance.

“It’s surprising that they evacuated the village and mobilized so many warriors. It seems that the Goblin tribe’s forces are stronger than I thought.”

“Should I move separately and go out and fight them one by one?”

“Even if you are the guild leader, you won’t be able to catch all the goblins running in all directions without the help of your guild members. It would be a waste of energy and a waste of time. It would be better to form a raiding party. Are the members ready?”

“I’m ready. I don’t know if I can fight as well as I’ve prepared.”

A stern expression that was not typical of Joo Se-ah caught my eye. She looked a little nervous.

She was a veteran who had been through the Red Gate countless times. She was even a Hunter who had entered the Black Gate.

No matter how evolved a person like that was, there was no way he would be afraid of something as simple as a goblin.

‘The typical one-man guild’s problems are revealed. The members are holding her back. On top of that, she’s not very poisonous, despite being called a witch. This is the first time I’ve seen a guild leader like this, so I can’t tell if it’s a good thing or not.’

Kang Moo-hyuk felt like he had caught a glimpse of Joo Se-ah’s true nature.

A person who rips apart monsters and villains without hesitation, but cannot stand to see the people around him get hurt.

She was a hunter who was more suited to the title of hero than witch.

This was also the conclusion that Kang Moo-hyuk reached after investigating the past ten years of Slayer activities without her knowledge.

Perhaps the reason she left the Slayer Guild was because of Joo Se Ah’s own beliefs.

“But why did you suddenly move the main force? It’s completely different from what you expected.”

Kang Moo-hyuk judged that Joo Se-ah’s power was revealed to the Goblin Godmother the moment she hunted the Watusi Snake.

As seen in the Amazon case, the Godmother was known to be connected to the monsters she controlled with her psychic abilities. She could immediately see and hear what the monsters she controlled saw and heard.

“Yes. I thought that since the godmother saw the guild leader, she would not fight him head-on but would lure him into a trap. The Brazilian guild was also hit in the same way. However, this is a completely different pattern. It is not yet known whether this is a trap or another operation. For now, we need to solidify our defenses and gather more information. At times, we may even consider a strategic retreat.”

Kang Moo-hyuk moved cautiously. Since he was not a hunter, he had to approach the situation as if he was knocking on a stone bridge, as he was in a situation where he had deviated from the plan.

But Joo Se Ah thought differently.

Hunters who have fought in the field and on the firing line have a unique sense of smell that only they know.

Some said it was intuition, others said it was instinct.

Whichever way it felt, Joo Se Ah felt that now was the time to move.

“What about the eastern entrance to Sanjeong Lake?”

“You mean National Route 78? Why is that suddenly… … .”

“I don’t know what’s going on, but the goblins are currently concentrated in the west. The south is being watched because of our guild. But what about the west?”

Kang Moo-hyuk realized what Joo Se-ah was trying to say.

“Are you planning a surprise attack?”

“I’ve never seen a goblin matriarch, but mobs that use that much mental magic usually don’t have direct combat power, right?”

“Yes. It’s a monster that doesn’t have much of a mind magic. Instead, it specializes in leading tribes.”

“Isn’t this raid just about taking down the Matriarch? If the Matriarch is gone, it’ll just be like a regular goblin raid.”

A moment of inspiration flashed through my mind.

Kang Moo-hyuk looked at the situation room monitor that showed Sanjeong Lake.

‘Considering the area around the lake and the environment, no matter how many we kill, it won’t exceed 1,000. Considering the food problem, it might be half that? That alone would be considered large-scale. However, it’s still small for a village where even a great mother was born. However, a tribe with at least two general-rank goblins can’t be weak.’

It was enough to send two general-level goblins outside.

The fact that the Great Mother could send that much power out of the village also meant that there were higher-ranking goblins inside.

Since the godmother has no fighting power, her own safety will be the top priority.

Assuming that they could not increase their numbers indiscriminately in a place where there was a clear limit to obtaining food.

“It seems likely that the goblin tribe is forming a village that focuses on evolution rather than size. Perhaps the number of goblins is smaller than the confirmed village size. Of course, I can’t say for sure.”

Kang Mu-hyeok began to suspect that the Goblin Godmother was deliberately lying about the size of the village.

Could it be that seeing so many goblin scouts and such a huge village made you mistakenly think that the goblin tribe was big?

The godmother was an entity with that much intelligence.

“If the number of goblins is small, even if they are elite mobs, a small number of elite mobs will be able to break through and decapitate the Great Mother.”

Joo Seah declared.

He didn’t make any further claims, as if he was leaving the final decision up to Kang Mu-hyeok.

Kang Mu-hyeok, who had been lost in thought for a long time, sighed and tousled his hair.

“Whew! It’s not my style to pass things off like this, Guild Leader.”

“I admit it. It’s my style. Just this once.”

As Kang Mu-hyeok spoke with a half-approving tone, Joo Se-ah’s body began to heat up.

My first raid as a guild master.

Although I had hunted powerful monsters several times as if I was working part-time, this was the first time I had done it with a guild rather than as an individual.

The sound of his heart pounding with anticipation filled his ears.

“Let’s add a little extra seasoning to it.”

“seasoning?”

“I also have to prepare in advance. Just successfully hunting isn’t enough.”

Joo Se Ah felt uneasy for no reason at the smile on Kang Mu Hyuk’s lips.