Two goblins trembled with fear.

    Conveniently, Seong had two skills left to test.

    With the decision already made, he chose a skill and activated it.

    As mana flowed, dark smoke began to rise from his fingertips.

    The smoke quickly coalesced into the shape of a face, resembling a malicious specter.

    Whoosh!

    The eerie apparition sped toward one of the goblins, its ghostly wail impossible to resist.

    The smoke seeped into the goblin’s body.

    [Goblin B has fallen under the 『Curse of Sensation』.]

    [The goblin will experience intense pain for 10 seconds.]

    “Gah! Grrk! Guhk!”

    The afflicted goblin clawed at its own throat, writhing in agony.

    It squirmed on the ground, but the pain showed no signs of subsiding.

    The grotesque sight left the remaining goblin shaking violently.

    Could it survive?

    Should it run?

    Or should it fight?

    Unable to decide, the goblin tried to react as Seong shifted his stance, but...

    Bang! Tap-tap-tap!

    Seong moved too quickly.

    The goblin realized it couldn’t possibly escape.

    If it tried, it would be caught immediately.

    Instead, it gripped its crude dagger and charged at Seong with a fierce cry.

    “Kerghhh!”

    The bold charge might have earned applause from other goblins for its courage.

    But Seong was relieved.

    ‘I was worried it might run away.’

    Now, only one skill remained to be tested—a buff skill.

    Seong channeled his mana, and a violet liquid materialized above his head.

    The ominous liquid, emitting dark fumes, succumbed to gravity and fell onto him.

    Drip, whoosh!

    The liquid seeped into Seong’s body, accompanied by unsettling noises.

    [You have used 『Poison: Numbing Pain』.]

    [For 1 minute, you will feel no pain.]

    [While pain is suppressed, focus and precision are enhanced.]

    Despite its name, Numbing Pain, the skill didn’t impair Seong’s movements in the slightest.

    On the contrary, the absence of pain heightened his other senses.

    Using poison as a buff in this way was fascinating.

    ‘This is fun.’

    Lost in thought, Seong momentarily stopped moving.

    The goblin saw its chance and aimed its crude dagger at the unarmored part of his knee.

    Slash!

    The dagger''s poor quality made it tear rather than cut, but Seong felt no pain.

    ‘Oh?’

    It was the first time he had taken direct damage, and the complete absence of pain surprised him.

    With no external stimuli distracting him, he felt entirely focused.

    Oblivious to this, the goblin continued its frenzied attacks.

    Yet, despite its efforts, Seong’s high defense rendered the damage negligible.

    “Kergh! Krrk! Kehk!”

    The goblin’s relentless attempts were almost pitiful.

    Realizing its attacks elicited no reaction from Seong, the goblin tilted its head in confusion.

    ‘Why isn’t this working?’

    Seong ended the creature’s misery with a single swing of his steel sword.

    Slash!

    [Critical Hit!]

    [『One Strike!』 effect activated.]

    [Experience points gained.]

    With two goblins down, Seong approached the third, which had just recovered from the curse.

    He didn’t need to hurry—the goblin was nearby.

    The disoriented creature turned its head, sensing something amiss.

    Before it could react, a flash of steel struck its neck.

    “Grrk?”

    [Critical Hit!]

    [『One Strike!』 effect activated.]

    [Experience points gained.]

    Unlike undead monsters, the goblins left behind intact corpses.

    Seong could butcher them for resources, but his attention was drawn to the bluish-green smoke rising from their bodies.

    Sometimes, fortune favors those who are patient.

    Just as he resigned himself to waiting longer, the entrance to the Special-Class Job Training Center opened.

    “Oh? Ohhh?”

    Seong’s eyes widened in anticipation.

    ‘Could it be? Is this finally the moment?’

    But his hopes were dashed almost immediately.

    A female player emerged, wiping her tears and sniffling.

    “Sniff... How is it even possible to learn all the skills at once?”

    ‘What...?!’

    Her muttered complaint froze Seong in his tracks.

    Had he misheard?

    This player was talking about someone mastering all the skills in one go.

    Could she be referring to the very person he was looking for?

    He swallowed hard, biting his lip in frustration.

    If only he had arrived sooner, this wouldn’t have happened.

    But it wasn’t over yet.

    ‘They’re still in Persville, I’m sure of it.’

    At level 10, the player wouldn’t have had time to move far.

    If he searched the nearby hunting grounds, he might still have a chance to find them.

    Eyes gleaming with renewed determination, Seong approached the woman and handed her a business card he had prepared in advance.

    “Hello! I’m Lee Seong, a scout for the Sick Brothers guild. I couldn’t help but notice you coming out of the Special-Class Job Training Center. I believe you must be a remarkable talent.”

    “Huh?”

    The woman, still sniffling, took the card in confusion.

    Seong didn’t bother mentioning the guild’s ranking. The Sick Brothers’ reputation was already well-known, so there was no need to elaborate.

    “I assure you, Sick Brothers welcomes talented players of all kinds, including female users.”

    “Wha... huh?”

    “Please don’t hesitate to contact me.”

    With that, Seong dashed off, determined to search every hunting ground in Persville to locate his target.

    He didn’t particularly enjoy blindly scouring areas, but recruiting top talent was his priority.

    As he ran, he kept his ears open for any chatter among players.

    “Hey, did you hear? Some weird undead showed up on the Persville Plains.”

    “Weird undead?”

    “Yeah, like 10 minutes ago, they were attacking a goblin village.”

    “Oh, must’ve been a dark mage.”

    “Man, I should’ve picked dark mage too.”

    At first glance, the conversation seemed like casual player banter, but the mention of “weird undead” caught Seong’s attention.

    ‘That must be it!’

    With a sharp glint in his eye, he sprinted toward the Persville Plains.

    Meanwhile, Yeon, the female player left behind, stared at the business card in her hand.

    “Sick Brothers?”

    The guild’s name printed on the card made her hiccup in surprise, her tears momentarily forgotten.

    “Guild rank 12... Sick Brothers?”

    Her frown eased, and a small smile crept onto her face as her mood lifted.

    3.

    For the E-World User Management Team, Seong’s exploits in the game had become a subject of fascination.

    After less than a single day of gameplay, his activities had already drawn attention.

    Lee Won-sang, a senior team member in charge of monitoring Seong, sighed deeply, dark circles prominent under his eyes.

    “...Haah.”

    “Hang in there, senior!”

    “Hang in there? Sure, why not.”

    He nodded at the junior employee, Oh Jin-hyuk, but his weariness was evident.

    Though their team leader, Ji Hye-jeong, had recently returned from leave, her intimidating presence was a constant source of stress.

    For now, though, they were thankful the situation hadn’t escalated further.

    Won-sang gestured at the screen, his voice laced with sarcasm.

    “Seeing a player increase their proficiency with an ‘unknown power’ and master all the basic skills in just over 20 minutes? That’s the kind of motivation I needed.”

    “Ah... I see...” Jin-hyuk trailed off, unsure how to respond.

    “And now he’s off to the plains to test his skills. Who knows what else he knows?”

    Jin-hyuk hesitated before replying, “Well, it seems like he’s just hunting. Is there something special there?”

    Won-sang leaned back, muttering to himself as he stared at the screen.

    “...The Golden Goblin is there.”

    “Wait, what?!”