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Chapter 1
“I’m off.”
As he left the empty house where no one remained, he unconsciously muttered the familiar farewell into the silence.
Climbing out of the damp, musty basement, he tapped the sword hanging at his waist with practiced rhythm until he arrived before a gigantic portal.
“I’m so sick of this…”
Three hundred and sixty-five days a year.
For ten straight years, he had never missed a single day of work. This place had become a workplace he both loved and hated.
“Portal entry will now begin!”
The Abyss.
A world beyond this one that had appeared roughly two hundred years ago during the event known as the Great Cataclysm.
Its appearance had changed everything.
The Abyss contained endless monsters, knowledge gathered from countless other dimensions, celestial beings known as Constellations who observed countless worlds through it, and treasures beyond imagination hidden in its depths.
From that day onward, history entered what people called the Fifth Industrial Revolution, and humanity became the age of Hunters.
He, too, had become one of them.
Although…
He was only an F- Rank Hunter, the very bottom of the ladder.
Standing in line to enter the Abyss, he quietly summoned his status window.
Status Window
Name: Shin Juha
Title: Goblin Slayer [F+]
Level: 10 (0%)
Stats
Strength (Normal): F- (15/100)
Stamina (Normal): F- (21/100)
Remaining Stat Points: 0
Unique Ability
[???]
Skills
- Basic Swordsmanship (Normal) Lv.7
- Heavy Strike (Normal) Lv.8
It was a miserable status screen.
He had barely managed to obtain two of the four basic stats—Strength, Agility, Stamina, and Durability—but even after ten years, he was still trapped at F- Rank.
His Unique Ability might as well not exist.
In short…
He simply had no talent for being a Hunter.
While blankly staring at the status window as he waited in line, his turn finally arrived.
He handed his Hunter License to the inspector.
“Confirmed. F- Rank Hunter Shin Juha. You may enter.”
After a brief inspection, he stepped forward without hesitation.
As he walked into the gigantic black-hole-like vortex, an indescribable sensation swept over him before his body became weightless.
《Moving to previously designated point: Tutorial Area 11.》
His surroundings changed instantly.
Tutorial Area 11
“Yo, Shin Juha! Right on time again! Here, catch.”
A can of coffee flew toward him.
“Oh, thanks.”
Waiting for him was Park Jucheol, another Hunter permanently trapped at F- Rank.
Maybe it was because they shared the same miserable circumstances.
Or perhaps misery simply loved company.
Among all the Hunters struggling at rock bottom, Jucheol was the only person Juha considered a friend.
Juha had endured ten years in Tutorial Area 11.
Jucheol had only been there for three.
Even so, sharing the same fate had brought them together.
They couldn’t afford to waste money drinking or eating meat after hunting.
Jucheol had sick parents to support.
Juha had a sick younger sibling depending on him.
“Hear the news?”
“What news?”
As Juha drank the cold coffee, Jucheol lowered his voice.
“You know Bald Mr. Moon from Area Seven?”
“Oh, the nice bald guy? Of course. We hunted together a few times when we first Awakened.”
Mr. Moon was another Hunter who had never escaped F- Rank.
His entire life had been spent inside the Tutorial Zone.
He earned enough to survive, but it was hardly a life worth envying.
“So what happened to him?”
Among Hunters, bad news usually meant one of two things.
Either…
They died.
Or they struck it rich.
In the Tutorial Zone, the latter was practically impossible.
At least, that’s what Juha believed.
“You seriously don’t watch the news? He found a Golden Goblin! His life’s completely changed!”
“What?!”
Juha nearly dropped his coffee.
“He really found one?”
“Yeah! Can you believe it? A Golden Goblin has only appeared three times in the entire world… no, now it’s four. He killed it, got over ten Unique-grade treasures, auctioned them off, retired, bought a building in Gangnam, and even built himself a mansion in the countryside.”
Juha drained the rest of his coffee.
How nice.
If only luck like that could happen to him.
If only someone with nothing but misfortune could receive a miracle like that…
Perhaps reading his thoughts, Jucheol laughed.
“Wake up, man. People like us don’t get lucky. Come on, we’ve still got fifteen kills to finish today. Got everything?”
“Yeah. It’s not my first hunt.”
“See you later.”
Watching Jucheol walk away waving his hand, Juha smiled bitterly.
His friend was right.
People like them would never experience that kind of miracle.
“Time to make some money.”
Tutorial Area 11 was a forest.
Only three monsters lived there.
Horn Rabbits.
Poison Snakes.
And Goblins.
Among them, Goblins were naturally the strongest.
They were also Juha’s prey.
Not because he could defeat them easily.
In truth, he was barely strong enough.
But Goblins produced the most valuable magic stones.
He had no choice.
Navigating through the forest he knew so well he could probably walk it blindfolded, Juha headed toward his favorite hunting spot.
Rustle…
Right on cue, a Goblin respawned.
《Common Rank F- Lv.7 Goblin has respawned.》
Green light gathered in midair before forming into a Goblin.
The instant its bloodthirsty green eyes met Juha’s…
“SKREEE!”
Without hesitation, the Goblin charged with a dagger.
“Let’s begin.”
Juha drew his sword.
During the past ten years, Goblins were the monsters he had killed more than any other.
He knew every movement they made.
Clang!
Unfortunately…
There was one thing experience couldn’t erase.
The overwhelming gap in physical ability.
“Damn you, green little bastard!”
A Goblin’s average stat ranged from 40 to 50.
Forty was manageable.
This one felt much closer to fifty.
“I’m not giving up!”
Experience could make up for inferior stats.
Besides…
The stronger the Goblin, the larger its magic stone.
And the larger the magic stone…
The more money he earned.
He had survived hundreds of fights like this already.
“SKREEEE!”
Growing frustrated that a weaker human kept blocking its attacks, the Goblin lost control.
Its eyes rolled back.
Its entire body glowed red.
Its racial skill—
Rage Explosion.
Without hesitation, Juha retreated.
“Whew… My arms almost broke.”
Once a Goblin activated Rage Explosion…
Half the battle was already won.
“Now for this.”
He pulled a plastic bag from his backpack.
Inside was a blood-soaked chunk of raw chicken.
He threw it.
“KYAAA!”
The enraged Goblin immediately began hacking the meat apart with insane fury.
“Lucky day.”
All he had to do now was wait.
Rage Explosion lasted ten minutes.
Afterward, the Goblin suffered one full minute of complete exhaustion.
Ten minutes later…
The chicken had been reduced to unrecognizable scraps.
The Goblin collapsed.
“Krr…”
“Heh…”
Walking toward it, Juha watched the terrified creature desperately flail its arms.
“Just hand over your magic stone and die.”
His sword flashed.
The Goblin disappeared.
《Common Rank F- Lv.7 Goblin defeated.》
Contribution: 100%
Reward: Purple Coin ×1
Reward: Common Rank F- Magic Stone ×1
Experience Gained: 0
Tutorial Level Limit Reached
The Goblin left behind only a single purple coin and a tiny magic stone.
“Oh? Pretty big. Nice purity too.”
A great start.
Now he simply had to gather herbs until the Goblin respawned.
“Every little bit helps.”
Even cheap medicinal herbs were valuable when you desperately needed money.
So Juha took out his gathering tools and headed deeper into the forest.
At the time…
He had no idea he was walking straight into the jaws of a tiger.
“Hmm~ Hmm~”
Today’s harvest was incredible.
His gathering box held nearly twice as many herbs as usual.
“Looks like I can finally afford a bowl of jjajangmyeon today.”
Normally impossible after paying his younger sibling’s enormous hospital bills.
But today…
Today was different.
“Well… it is my birthday.”
Smiling to himself, he packed away his gathering tools and returned toward the Goblin spawn point.
For a little while…
He wanted to forget his miserable reality.
But heaven refused to grant him even that tiny piece of happiness.
Rustle…
Rustle…
Something moved in the bushes.
Juha instantly drew his sword.
Even inside the Tutorial Area, this was still the Abyss.
A single careless mistake could mean death.
Please… let it be nothing.
He slowly prepared to retreat.
Rustle.
Rustle.
Rustle.
Something came crashing through the undergrowth.
A blood-soaked figure burst out of the bushes and collapsed before him.
Thud!
The body rolled several times before crashing headfirst into the dirt.
“Cough…! Ju…ha…”
“Jucheol?!”
It was Park Jucheol.
His left arm was gone.
His entire body was drenched in blood.
“Ru…n…”
He struggled desperately to force the words out.
“What happened? What’s going on?!”
“RUN!!”
With that final desperate scream…
His body went limp.
“Huh…?”
Juha hurriedly checked.
No breathing.
No pulse.
No response.
His best friend…
Was dead.
Seeing death wasn’t unusual.
Hunters saw it all the time.
But watching his closest friend die before his eyes…
“Urgh!”
His stomach twisted violently.
“Run…?”
His lucky day.
His birthday.
His happiness.
Everything vanished.
Only terror remained.
“So… I have to run!”
He forced his trembling legs to move.
Then—
Rustle.
Too late.
A massive figure emerged from the bushes.
**《Uncommon Rank F+ Lv.14》
Special Field Boss
Enraged Hobgoblin Karactus
Twice the size of a normal Goblin.
Blood-red eyes overflowing with madness.
An F+ Rank Field Boss.
“Wh-Why is there a Field Boss inside the Tutorial Area…?”
Death itself had appeared before him.
His entire body shook uncontrollably.
Time slowed.
Every instinct screamed.
The Hobgoblin roared.
Finding a new toy after killing the previous one far too easily.
“AAAAAAAH!”
Juha finally turned and ran.
Too late.
Whoosh!
The Hobgoblin hurled its massive axe.
Slash!
His left arm flew off.
Agony beyond imagination.
He collapsed without even being able to scream.
His severed arm rolled across the ground.
The Hobgoblin laughed.
It enjoyed watching prey suffer.
Whoosh!
CRUNCH!
The axe struck again.
…So this is how I die.
His left arm.
His right leg.
His left eye.
Half his abdomen.
One after another…
The axe tore them away like toys.
Death approached.
I… don’t want to die…
All the times he’d wished death would come.
All the hopeless years.
Now…
Facing death…
He desperately wanted to live.
Dragging what remained of his body, he crawled.
Like the Goblin he had killed earlier.
He crawled.
And crawled.
The Hobgoblin wasn’t hunting.
It was playing.
Finally…
He reached a gigantic tree.
The Hobgoblin raised its axe for the finishing blow.
But before it fell…
Juha’s hand touched the tree.
《Hidden Stage discovered.》
《Forced entry initiated.》
A black vortex swallowed him.
CRASH!
The Hobgoblin’s axe smashed only empty ground.
“SKREEEE!!”
Its furious roar echoed throughout the Goblin Forest.
《Hidden Stage: Tower of the Golden Goblins discovered.》
Juha could barely feel anything anymore.
Half his vision had already gone black.
His ears rang endlessly.
His nose smelled nothing but blood.
Through fading consciousness…
He saw an enormous cavern overflowing with treasures.
And countless…
Golden Goblins.
Following the system’s message, he weakly reached out.
The Golden Goblins froze.
“?!”
“?!”
His fingers found something.
Click.
That was the last thing he did.
His body finally gave out.
But…
Miracles sometimes happened.
Beep!
Beep! Beep! Beep!
The Golden Goblins panicked and fled.
Too late.
The object in Juha’s hand—
A bomb.
BOOOOOOM!!
Everything inside the cavern vanished.
The Golden Goblins.
Juha’s corpse.
Even the blood he had spilled.
Everything.
《9,999 Golden Goblins have been slaughtered.》
《Ownership of Hidden Stage: Tower of the Golden Goblins acquired.》
《An impossible achievement has been accomplished!》
《Special privilege granted.》
《Achievement owner confirmed deceased.》
《Forced Regression activated.》
Time began flowing backward.
The stopped clock reversed.
His life began again.
His eyes snapped open.
“Hah!”
And just like that…
Shin Juha returned to ten years earlier—
To the very first day he awakened as a Hunter.
