Chapter 15: The Desperate Stand Against the Elite Goblin

Thud! Thud! Thud! 

With every resounding step of the elite stone goblin, Kang Ju-ho’s focus sharpened. 

As the elite reached him, it swung its metal club. 

Perhaps due to his heightened concentration, Kang Ju-ho managed to dodge. 

The metal club slammed into the ground, creating a small crater. 

At that moment: 

Boom!

Kim Seok-ju’s Mana Ball struck the elite goblin. 

-!@%!@ 

The elite let out a pained scream and turned its gaze toward Kim Seok-ju. 

“Seok-ju, no more Mana Ball!” 

Seeing the elite’s gaze, Kang Ju-ho shouted. 

If Kim Seok-ju cast another Mana Ball, the aggro would shift to him. 

Kim Seok-ju had low defense and health. 

A single hit from the elite would be fatal. 

At Kang Ju-ho’s shout, the elite’s gaze snapped back to him. 

Relieved yet anxious, Kang Ju-ho thought, 

‘If I can just hold out a bit longer…’ 

The cooldown for Attribute Shackles was nearly up. 

-!@$!@ 

Whoosh!

As if annoyed by Kang Ju-ho’s backpedaling, the elite goblin roared and threw its metal club. 

Caught off guard—expecting a swing, not a throw—Kang Ju-ho couldn’t dodge and instinctively raised his shield. 

Boom!

He was pushed back again. 

Checking his health, Kang Ju-ho cursed inwardly. 

‘Damn it!’

The attack had taken 1500 health. 

His remaining health was now 300. 

‘A throw did 1500 damage?!’ 

Even with the shield, he couldn’t comprehend how a throw dealt so much. 

But no amount of disbelief would undo it. 

Thud! Thud!

As the elite’s footsteps echoed, Kang Ju-ho hurriedly backpedaled. 

The elite goblin was unarmed now. 

But he couldn’t rush in. 

A single punch could kill him. 

Watching the elite reach for its weapon, Kang Ju-ho thought, 

‘It won’t throw again, right?’ 

He had a bad feeling. 

At that moment: 

“Attribute Shackles!” 

Kim Seok-ju cast Attribute Shackles. 

A stream of water shot out, swiftly binding the elite goblin’s body. 

“Hyung, 13 seconds!” 

Perhaps because its defense had lowered, reducing its resistance, the shackles’ duration had increased by 6 seconds from the previous 7. 

‘Phew..’ 

Kang Ju-ho let out a deep breath, widening the distance from the elite. 

‘Please…’

This was his last chance. 

He had to take it down with this attack. 

With only 300 health left, failing meant he’d be the one to fall. 

Kang Ju-ho charged toward the elite goblin. 

As the distance closed, he raised his shield. 

Boom! Splash! 

His shield bash landed, and the water stream exploded, sending the elite goblin flying. 

Unlike regular goblins, it didn’t soar high—it barely lifted off before crashing down. 

“Please!” 

Kang Ju-ho shouted desperately, praying the elite wouldn’t move. 

Fortunately, it stayed down. 

The drop window updated. 

‘Phew…’

Confirming the elite’s death, Kang Ju-ho opened his inventory and drank a potion. 

His health began to climb rapidly. 

Once it surpassed 2000, he sighed in relief and checked the drop window closely. 

‘Did we get any gear?’ 

‘…Nice!’

Seeing the drops, Kang Ju-ho grinned and shouted. 

– Elite Stone Goblin Skin Fragment x2 

– Steel Boots 

Gear had dropped. 

“Did you get anything?” 

“Yeah, Steel Boots.” 

Kang Ju-ho answered Kim Seok-ju’s question while moving the items to his inventory. 

“What about you?” 

“I got something too. Hyung, can you accept a trade?” 

“…?” 

Kang Ju-ho looked puzzled at Kim Seok-ju’s words. 

A trade out of nowhere? 

A trade request window appeared, and when he accepted, the trade window opened. 

An item appeared in the window, and Kang Ju-ho understood why Kim Seok-ju initiated the trade. 

The item was Steel Gauntlets, requiring 50 strength to equip. 

As an Enchanter, Kim Seok-ju didn’t invest in strength, making it unusable for him. 

Given the gauntlets’ options, they were better suited for Kang Ju-ho, the tank. 

“Use them, hyung.” 

“Thanks.” 

“No problem. Can you hold my byproducts? My inventory’s full.” 

Even with inventory space, items had weight limits. 

Each item had a weight value, and inventories had a capacity limit. 

To increase inventory weight capacity, stamina stats were needed—100 capacity per stamina point. 

“Sure, hand them over.” 

Having invested heavily in stamina, Kang Ju-ho’s inventory capacity was significantly expanded. 

Byproducts were no issue. 

“Thanks!” 

“No, I’m the one who’s grateful.” 

The trade completed, Kang Ju-ho checked the details of the Steel Gauntlets and Steel Boots in his inventory. 

<Steel Gauntlets [Common]> 

Requirements: Level 30, Strength 50 

Durability: 100% 

Physical Defense: 50 

Strength +5 

<Steel Boots [Common]> 

Requirements: Level 30, Strength 50 

Durability: 100% 

Physical Defense: 50 

Stamina +5 

In a situation where even a defense boost was welcome, the +5 strength and stamina were huge at his level. 

Kang Ju-ho equipped the gauntlets and boots immediately. 

“By the way, hyung, how’s your shield’s durability?” 

Kim Seok-ju asked as soon as he equipped them. 

All equipment had durability. 

At 0%, equipment broke, unequipped, and returned to the inventory, unusable until repaired. 

Having endured countless battles and the elite goblin’s devastating attacks, Kim Seok-ju was concerned about the shield’s durability. 

Kang Ju-ho checked it. 

“30%. Let’s head back when it hits 10%.” 

Originally, he planned to stay until level 40, but the shield’s durability necessitated a maintenance trip. 

“Got it.” 

“Let’s go!” 

After resting post-battle, Kang Ju-ho and Kim Seok-ju began searching for another goblin group. 

***

“Finally!” 

Yu Jang-hyuk exclaimed in awe. 

The monitor displayed information about Kang Ju-ho, who had caught the tail of the ‘Blacksmith of the Battlefield.’ 

Kang Ju-ho had reached level 30 and received the class change quest. 

He was now aware of the quest’s existence. 

“The first special class is about to emerge!” 

Several users had caught the tail of special classes, but Kang Ju-ho was the only one with the quest. 

Moreover, other special class quests had high difficulty. 

The Blacksmith of the Battlefield only required reaching level 50 through hunting. 

Even if another user got a special class quest, they couldn’t complete it faster than Kang Ju-ho. 

As long as he didn’t stop or give up, Kang Ju-ho would be the first to obtain a special class. 

“What’ll the reward be?” 

Yu Jang-hyuk was curious. 

The first user to change to a special class received a reward—a random Hero-grade item box. 

It could contain equipment, a skill book, or other items. 

He was excited to see what would emerge. 

“But…” 

A sudden thought made Yu Jang-hyuk tilt his head. 

“How is there no one else not crafting?” 

It didn’t make sense. 

The existence of special classes had been announced. 

He’d expected users to experiment to find them. 

Yet, contrary to expectations, Kang Ju-ho was the only Blacksmith not crafting to level up. 

“Maybe there are too few players?” 

At that moment: 

Beep-beep-beep!

An alarm sounded, snapping Yu Jang-hyuk from his thoughts.

He quickly typed on the keyboard. 

“Whoa?” 

He let out a mix of surprise and excitement. 

“Already caught the tail of Blood Knight?” 

Among the lower-tier special classes, ‘Blood Knight’ was top-tier in performance. 

He’d thought it would take weeks to catch its tail. 

Yet, a user had already done so. 

Yu Jang-hyuk checked the user’s info. 

“Kwon Na-yeon?” 

He knew the name well. 

“Could it be the Kwon Na-yeon from Demon King Guild?” 

In the PC era, the Demon King Guild rivaled the Immortal Corps Guild, and its master was Kwon Na-yeon. 

“If they’re the same person…” 

Yu Jang-hyuk imagined the scenario. 

If Kang Ju-ho, set to become the Blacksmith of the Battlefield, and Kwon Na-yeon, who caught the Blood Knight’s tail, were indeed the masters of the Immortal Corps and Demon King Guilds… 

“This is gonna get really interesting.” 

The war unresolved in the PC era could continue. 

With anticipation in his eyes, Yu Jang-hyuk grinned at the monitor. 

***

– Stone Goblin Skin x2 

– Stone Goblin Blood x1 

The battle ended, and Kang Ju-ho confirmed the drop window, collecting the items. 

He then checked his shield’s durability. 

‘9%…’

“Shall we head back for maintenance?” 

His inventory had space, but the shield’s durability demanded a trip. 

“Yup!” 

At Kim Seok-ju’s reply, Kang Ju-ho led the way out of the forest. 

Thankfully, with so many players around, they didn’t encounter any battles on the way out. 

“By the way, hyung, what are you gonna do?” 

Kim Seok-ju asked as they walked. 

“About what?” 

“The class.” 

“Oh…” 

Kang Ju-ho let out a soft exclamation. 

He’d thought about the Blacksmith of the Battlefield intermittently. 

The lack of information made changing classes a risky gamble. 

Yet, the more he thought, the stronger the pull. 

“I think I’ll probably change.” 

“Nice!” 

They headed to the city of Villeme. 

“Want me to sell them for you?” 

As they neared the market street, Kang Ju-ho asked. 

His inventory held Kim Seok-ju’s byproducts too. 

“Yeah, please.” 

“Alright, 29 skins and 19 bloods, right?” 

“Yup!” 

They reached the market and sold the byproducts at a general store. 

‘2000 gold…’ 

Stone goblins dropped few byproducts, but their value was high. 

After splitting with Kim Seok-ju, Kang Ju-ho had 2000 gold. 

‘With this…’ 

Repairs would cost around 100 gold. 

That left 1900 for equipment. 

With 1900 gold, he could buy several good pieces, making hunting in the forest and the next area much easier. 

“See you later!” 

“Yup, I’ll whisper you!” 

Kang Ju-ho parted with Kim Seok-ju and headed straight to the blacksmith.