Chapter 16

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

However, Chu Ge was rejoicing a little. Thank goodness for his gaming experience! If he didn’t have the gaming experience, he wouldn’t have had the foresight to settle the monster lackeys beforehand. If he had to deal with a group of Kobold soldiers, in addition to the thick-skinned and sturdy-fleshed Boss, it would have been too troublesome and dangerous.

The Kobold Chieftain hollered two more times. Seeing that there was still no reaction from the Kobold soldiers, it got a little flustered. However, it did not run away. Under some unknown influence, it charged towards Chu Ge again.

First swing! Second swing! Third swing!

Chu Ge had to admit the monster would never think about changing his attacking strategy.

Chu Ge looked at the panting Kobold Chieftain lying on the ground and swung his battle-ax with full force. The ax split open the Kobold Chieftain’s head, and its HP shot down to zero instantly.

Kerplunk!

The mountain of meat that was the Kobold Chieftain fell to the ground. Chu Ge had won. Seeing the corpse emitting a dull white glow, it was clear that he had finally won the battle.

Just then, he heard a voice suddenly speak in his ears.

“System Notice: You have successfully cleared the Instance Dungeon, Abandoned Quarry. You may now leave the Instance Dungeon to proceed with points calculation.”

“Eh? It ended just like that? There were only three Bosses in the Instance Dungeon?” Chu Ge wondered.

Since it was only a Noob-difficulty Instance Dungeon, it wasn’t so strange if he thought about it.

But, to be honest, Chu Ge was also felt exhausted at the moment.

It was entirely different from clearing an Instance Dungeon in front of a computer using a mouse and a keyboard. Going into an Instance Dungeon live was taxing on the stamina and strength, especially during the battle with the last Boss. He had to kill subordinate monsters, draw a bow to shoot at the enemy, and even had to hack at his opponent. Besides, he had to focus and use his full concentration when dodging the Boss’ attacks. He had been under high pressure during the battle.

However, the sense of accomplishment he felt was also very significant. As he glanced at the Boss’ corpse on the ground, Chu Ge thought to himself, that his battle strength was also higher than the average person now. If he were transported into Mabinogi, he would at least be at the level of a low-leveled Adventurer.

But he soon got over the feeling of pride. Because he knew that he had only won through sheer, dumb luck. If he faced the same situation in real life, if he had killed a few Kobolds, the entire group of Kobolds would have respawned quickly. How would there be any chance of him finishing off one Kobold after the other so quickly?

However, Chu Ge was not in a hurry to leave. He still had to search for loot on the Boss’ corpse. It was the last Boss, and he prayed that he would find something rare.

Chu Ge stretched his hands out towards the large body, searching for loot, full of expectations.

13 silver coins.

5 pieces Kobold’s gold.

“I’ll be da*ned! It was undoubtedly an exploitation class monster for it to have kept so many hidden valuables. It’s all mine now!” Chu Ge exclaimed.

Red Crystal Ring. Oh? It was a magical item.

“Item Name: Red Crystal Ring (Accessory/Ring)

Equipment: Strength +1

Item Introduction: A ring with a red crystal mounted on it. The remnants of magical energy in the red crystal could increase the strength stats of the wearer by a little bit.”

Hmm, the item was still of some use. Chu Ge put on the ring, feeling pleasantly surprised. He was still vexed over how his stats were too low. It was a pity that the ring had only increased his strength stat by one point. In that case, he still had a few more strength stat points to improve before he could learn the Poised to Strike skill.

He waved the weapon in his hand, and he did not know if it was a coincidence, but he felt that the weapon was easier to use than before.

He continued searching for loot.

“Kobold Chieftain Crown (Headdress)

Head Defense +5

Charisma +1

Item Introduction: An ugly and crude crown made of gold. It is a representation of power and strength within the Kobold tribe, and only Kobolds with the rank of chieftain are allowed to wear it.”

Chu Ge held the crown in his hands and took a good look. What crap was it that such an ugly crown could enhance the charisma stat?

“Are you kidding me?” Chu Ge thought to himself. He would never wear the crown. If he did, it would be over his dead body. However, since the thing was made of gold, it could be valuable, so he kept it.

He continued searching for loot. The last item he found was a bag.

“Chieftain’s Storage Bag (Bag)

Stats: Inventory Space +12

Item Introduction: A storage bag used by Kobold Chieftains to store items. The actual capacity of the bag is larger than it looks.”

The storage bag was double the size of the Black Leather Pouch. It was squarish and looked like a leather pocket. Although it was a little poorly designed, Chu Ge tolerated its ugliness when he thought about the +12 compartment capacity of the storage bag, which was twice that of the Black Leather Pouch.

“Haha! The isn’t too bad!” Chu Ge thought.

Looking at the loot that he had gained, he thought it was as expected of the last Boss. It had dropped three treasures and five Kobold’s gold.

Now, it was time for him to leave the Instance Dungeon. Taking along the loot he had gained, Chu Ge retraced his path merrily to the place where he had entered. He walked out of the chieftain’s large hall and moved past the mining area. But when he came to the area where he had fought the second Boss, Chu Ge suddenly stopped in his tracks because he had found a problem—the Kobold Firescryer’s corpse was nowhere to be found.

It wasn’t only just the Kobold Firescryer. The two Kobold soldiers’ corpses were missing as well.

“Sh*t! What was going on?” A sudden thought struck Chu Ge. As an experienced gamer, he was very in tuned with any detailed changes or suspicious things in-game. Because, most of the time, any slight change could mean that there were some hidden message or information in the game that could change the gameplay. Previously, the monster corpses did not respawn, so why would the body of the Kobold Firescryer disappear?

Could it be that the corpse of the Boss was different from the lesser monsters? As suspicion grew in his mind, he hurried towards the Gnoll Overseer’s room. However, the Gnoll Overseer’s corpse was still lying in the same spot where it died.

Seeing the corpse of the Gnoll Overseer, a gloomy shadow flashed across Chu Ge’s eyes.

It was clear to him that the corpse of the Boss would not respawn. But where did the body of the Kobold Firescryer disappear to? Someone had taken it. Also, there was the fact that there was a missing guard outside the chieftain’s hall.

Furthermore, he had heard some strange shuffling sounds when he was climbing the ladder previously. It dawned on Chu Ge that there was something hidden within the Instance Dungeon. But what was it?

He opened his bag and started inspecting the items he had found. Some games would provide some information hidden in the item description and introduction. Perhaps, he would be able to garner some clues.

Upon inspection, he had found some clues. When he looked at the Item Introduction of the Kobold’s Magical Candle, his eyes lit up.

The item introduction was, “For the Kobolds, who live underground, they are frightened of the terrifying presence of the being that lurks in the shadows. Therefore, they treat the candle, which could be used to disperse darkness, as a treasure. However, only a handful of Kobolds know that the only real method to protect themselves was to use a Magical Candle.”

So, with that, he was confident that there was some kind of monster that was threatening the Kobolds. The missing Kobold soldier and the corpse of the Kobold Firescryer were most probably dragged away by the beast. And obviously, the strange scuffling sound was also made by the monster.

The description of the monster was a terrifying presence lurks in the shadows. Besides, it was afraid of the illumination of the magical candle, so it must be some kind of creature that is frightened of light.

Within a few moments, with only a few available clues, Chu Ge had already concluded. And since it had only dragged off the Kobold Firescryer’s corpse, so most probably, it could be found around the mining area.