Novel Boss
Chapter 16: Proof of Worth (4)
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 16: Proof of Worth (4)
[Warning!]
[09:59]
[Survive or interpret the contents written in the book.]
Kekekekekek!
Kieeeek!
It was a group of kobolds.
I could tell without even looking.
The strange cries unique to kobolds.
The smell of rusty iron and the faint vibration felt just above us.
"......Administrator, this is."
Khan also seemed to have caught on to the current situation.
I lightly nodded, affirming Khan's thoughts.
Considering the previous stage's connection and the timer on the stone tablet, there was only one answer.
‘Kobold Wave.’
There were about 9 minutes and 30 seconds left.
‘I don't know when those kobolds will find this place, but......’
It wouldn't take long for them to find us.
‘We won’t be able to avoid battle.’
One small relief was that the narrow passage would make it hard for them to capitalize on their numerical advantage.
But there was a problem...
My gaze naturally drifted towards the passage we had come through.
It was shrouded in darkness.
All the torches, except the ones in the stone tablet room, had gone out.
‘Even with the geographic advantage......’
In this cramped room.
In pitch darkness where you couldn’t see an inch ahead.
Holding off waves of kobolds would be virtually impossible.
Sensing this with his instincts, Khan had a look of clear anxiety on his face.
[7th-rank employee ‘Khan’ is nervous.]
Khan gripped his weapon, keeping a sharp eye on the entrance.
"Calm down. The situation hasn't escalated yet. Stay composed."
I reassured the anxious Khan.
[The mental fortitude of the employee under the influence of ‘Foundation's Star’ has significantly increased, providing resistance to mental conditions.]
There was no need to panic over a situation that hadn't yet occurred.
[7th-rank employee ‘Khan’ has regained his composure.]
The training we had done wasn’t in vain.
Khan rather quickly regained his senses.
‘The first victory condition is to survive for 10 minutes.’
The second is to interpret the stone tablet.
‘Though it's called interpretation......’
Essentially, it’s a stage that can’t be cleared without an employee skilled in archaeology.
For a moment, I considered borrowing [Strong Body] through resonance to hold out, but I quickly shook my head.
‘That’s not the answer.’
The duration of resonance is 1 minute.
Even if I gained a near-invincible body through [Strong Body] for 1 minute, the remaining time would be an issue.
We’d both eventually tire from the relentless kobold wave.
However, it didn’t mean that death was certain.
‘What I thought was trash...’
I immediately approached the stone tablet.
[Resonance (LV1)]
- You can borrow a skill from a collected creature for 1 minute.
[‘Beastfolk Language’ is activated for 1 minute.]
- You can now understand the language of kobolds.
‘Who would've thought it would come back like this.’
No matter how impossible something seems, there's always a solution if you look closely enough.
[Interpretation begins.]
[Interpretation 5% complete…….]
The strange drawings were gradually taking on a readable form.
‘It’s working!’
As the drawings began to morph into letters.
Saaaaak!
A sound of something slicing through the wind came from beyond the darkness.
And the moment I noticed it.
Pak!
Something flew and embedded itself in the stone tablet.
It was an arrow.
‘……They’ve already found us?’
The kobolds were attacking faster than I had anticipated.
The drawings still needed more time to take shape.
"Khan! Block the entrance!"
No matter how much of an order it was from the administrator, the fear of the darkness swallowing him whole was beyond imagination.
However, Khan overcame his fear and stood alone to block the entrance.
“Yes, Administrator!”
Standing in complete darkness, with arrows flying towards him.
Facing that terror head-on without being able to see an inch ahead.
It was not something that could be done without tremendous courage.
‘He’s really grown.’
I was briefly impressed by Khan’s growth.
Saaaak!
Ting!
Another arrow flew, and Khan deflected it.
“I’m alright! Please focus on what you’re doing, Administrator!”
Deflecting arrows in total darkness, never knowing when the next would come.
Normally impossible, but...
Khan’s sixth sense pulled off this seemingly impossible feat.
Kieeeek!
Kieek!
[Kobold LV. 1 * 2]
Two more kobolds rushed in, but they were no match for Khan, a 7th-rank employee armed with a D-rank weapon.
Swish-
Khan easily slashed the kobolds emerging from the darkness.
Unfortunately, the dead kobolds’ bodies soon disappeared.
So much for the idea of building a barricade out of them.
However.
‘We can hold out.’
Seeing Khan’s performance, I glanced again at the stone tablet.
[Interpretation 30% complete.]
Even with his sixth sense, dealing with the relentless wave of green creatures was a whole different matter.
‘Khan seems to be managing for now…….’
If time continues to pass like this, we should be able to...
[Sixth Sense LV. 2]
Suddenly, I felt a chill down my spine.
And then.
Bang!
The tightly closed door suddenly swung open.
Kieeeek.
A kobold burst through, aiming a crossbow at Khan’s exposed back.
[Basic Swordsmanship LV. 3]
Following the white line, my body moved instinctively, faster than my rational mind.
Following the white line, my body moved instinctively, faster than reason.
Slash-
I simultaneously cut down a kobold and its crossbow.
“Kieeek!”
“Kwiek!”
As soon as I took down the crossbow-wielding kobold, three more kobolds jumped out of the darkness.
[Sixth Sense LV. 2]
[Basic Swordsmanship LV. 3]
Slash. Slash. Slash.
‘If even one spot is breached, it'll all fall apart!’
There was no escape.
Either I die here.
Or I break out.
I desperately cut down the kobolds leaping from the darkness.
However.
“Urgh.”
At the sudden groan, I turned my gaze.
I saw Khan kneeling, clutching one knee with both arms.
It seemed a kobold had slashed his leg.
[Decoding in Progress 49%]
The rising percentage had never felt this heavy before.
‘Hurry.’
Though a valuable employee was injured before my eyes, I couldn’t leave the door.
‘Leaving it would mean almost certain death.’
My Sixth Sense was warning me of that.
That if I missed this chance, there wouldn’t be another.
‘But...’
“Kieeeek.”
More kobolds surged out of the darkness.
Given their nature of targeting the weak, there was no way they’d miss an opportunity like this.
Thud. Thud.
Two arrows flew and struck Khan's body.
“Gahhhhh!”
He screamed.
But that was all it was—just a scream.
Khan was still guarding the entrance of the room.
‘Damn it!’
...If I abandoned the advantageous fighting position in the narrow doorway, I could go save Khan.
But then the kobolds would flood into the room, and it would be a hellish battle.
On the other hand.
[Decoding in Progress 67%]
‘If I abandon Khan, I can survive for sure.’
...But is it right to keep burdening an injured employee?
‘Get it together! You’re on page one, the number one ranking. And you can’t even properly save a single employee?’
Absolutely not.
[Time Remaining: 07:32]
It wasn’t too late yet.
After cutting down the charging kobold, I slapped my left cheek.
Then I bit my lower lip.
Leaving the kobolds at the door behind, I sprinted toward Khan.
“Kieeek.”
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
A kobold raised its weapon toward Khan.
Slice!
I swung my sword and beheaded the kobold.
[Decoding in Progress 85%]
‘Just a bit more!’
I forcibly lifted Khan, who was limping.
Then.
“Kwieeek.”
I swung my sword widely, cutting down the kobold that had followed us.
“Stand. We're moving to the corner.”
Supporting Khan, I helped him move to the corner of the room.
“Huff, huff...”
I placed the gasping Khan down in the corner.
[Kobold LV. 1 * 7]
I faced the kobold pack that had now filled the room.
[Decoding in Progress 90%]
One kobold rushed toward Khan.
“Kiek!”
Smack!
I immediately thrust out my right arm, knocking the careless kobold's jaw.
“Your opponent is me.”
“Administrator...”
I could feel Khan's worried gaze.
And for good reason.
In the brief moment I punched the kobold, the room had become filled with them.
Though the situation seemed hopeless,
So what? Let’s give it a shot.
“Come on.”
Did they understand my words?
Triggered by my taunt, the mass of kobolds rushed at me.
[Decoding in Progress 95%]
“Kieeeek.”
I stabbed the lead kobold.
That was it.
Another kobold following close behind slashed my arm.
[Decoding in Progress 96%]
Smash!
A kobold’s club from right beside me rocked my head.
“Administrator!”
I heard Khan’s desperate scream, but even that was drowned out by the kobolds’ howling.
[Decoding in Progress 97%]
‘If I had used Strong Body, I wouldn’t even feel this pain.’
But I didn’t.
Instead, I clenched my fist and swung at the kobold in front of me.
“Kieeek.”
[Decoding in Progress 98%]
By now, I had long lost all sensation.
Normally, the pain would have made it impossible to stay standing, but sheer willpower held me together.
[Decoding in Progress 99%]
‘If I give up on decoding, that’s really the end.’
Knowing this,
I endured all the pain with nothing but willpower.
[Decoding Complete.]
After what felt like an eternity, the unreadable image became a decipherable word.
With great effort, I forced that word out of my mouth.
“Bi-O Quesar.”
Kobolds, return.
[Stage Clear. (+25 points)]
[(Kobold Tablet) will be recorded in the company’s archive.]
[The Foundation's Star absorbs knowledge about the creature. You have acquired ‘Summon Kobold.’]
[7th-rank employee ‘Shin Seongjin’ overcomes the trial and grows!]
[7th-rank employee ‘Khan’ overcomes the trial and grows!]
[All stats have increased by 1.]
Along with a cheerful alert, a blue flash engulfed the space we were in.
We were back in the waiting room when I opened my eyes again.
I immediately sat up and examined my body.
There wasn't a single scratch left anywhere.
Even the excruciating pain I had felt just moments ago had vanished.
"Impressive performance."
I flashed a wry smile for a brief moment.
[You have unclaimed rewards. Please check them now.]
I glanced around and found Khan.
Khan was lying on the waiting room floor, catching his breath.
Fortunately, the arrows that had pierced his body were gone, and the wounds on his leg had healed.
After confirming Khan's condition, I turned my attention to the mailbox.
The number 9 appeared on the mailbox.
It seemed too many to be rewards for just clearing a stage.
‘…Don’t tell me.’
Even though it was just the waiting room, a chilling sensation washed over me.
I carefully opened the mailbox.
[You now possess 3 or more creatures.]
[Placement Exam (Achievement Unlocked)]
- Work efficiency increases. (Increased points acquisition.)
It was a message about unlocking an achievement.
The increase in points meant that the company's available funds had grown.
However, I quickly moved past that message.
‘This isn't important right now…’
[Summon Kobold]
- Summon 1 kobold once per day.
- Maximum summonable: 1 kobold.
This was the skill I had just acquired.
‘This is something I’ll need to experiment with later.’
The fact that I could summon a kobold was promising.
Moreover, with the beastman language skill I already had…
‘I could potentially use the kobold to gather information.’
The possibilities were endless.
‘This is a useful ability for once.’
The only downside was the limited number of summons.
‘Maybe if I raise my affinity level, I can change that…’
Honestly, I still wasn’t sure how to raise my affinity level.
‘I have a lot to figure out once I have some breathing room.’
For now, I decided to focus on the company’s work.
As I scrolled through the messages, I noticed something.
[7th-level employee ‘V’ has fainted.]
[7th-level employee ‘Hyuk’ has fainted.]
[7th-level employee ‘Yon’ is injured…]
The situation I had been dreading had arrived.
‘They’ve already encountered trouble…?’
The one saving grace was that no one had died yet.
‘There’s no time to be complacent.’
Just because I had survived didn’t mean it was over.
I immediately sought out the monument and activated the administrator authority.
[Administrator Area (Unranked)]
[Placement Conditions]
- 1,000 available points.
- 3 creatures in isolation.
- Training ground and forge construction.
- Achieve at least 1 accomplishment.
[Would you like to proceed with the placement exam?]
With the recent isolation, the company now had 3 creatures in its possession.
On top of that, thanks to employees like Mari diligently managing the creatures, our points were nearing 1,500.
All the conditions to proceed with the placement exam were met.
‘The higher the rank, the more administrator privileges I get.’
The highest rank one can receive in a placement exam is Silver.
The company's rank is determined by the quality of its employees, the number of creatures, the evaluation from the headquarters, and the executor's judgment.
‘The [Recall] authority starts at Silver.’
[Recall]
This function allows you to forcibly recall employees who are on a stage or external mission. It can be used only once.
No matter what, I had to secure the Silver rank right away.
I pressed the button in front of me.
[The placement process begins.]
A red whirlwind started swirling around the tablet.
- Whoooosh.
At the center of the vortex, letters began to carve themselves into the top of the tablet.
[Administrator Domain (Unranked)]
- Company rank: Unranked
- Administrator: Shin Seongjin
[Creature Management]
- Current creatures under management: 3.
- Company points: 12 (unable to measure)
[Employee Summoning and Management]
- Current employee count: 11.
- 7th-rank (8), 8th-rank (3), 9th-rank (0)…
[Company Evaluation]
- S.
[Executor’s Evaluation]
- S.
Whooosh.
The vortex subsided.
And then.
With a loud bang, a silver curtain appeared before my eyes.
[Congratulations.]
[You have been assigned to Silver.]
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]