The last goblin fell.
Jeong Yusin pulled his sword out from the goblin’s body.
When they reached the end of the first floor after a few hours of walking, they encountered another group of goblins.
There were seven in total. The fight ended quickly.
He cut off the ears of the dead goblins and placed them in his pouch.
The current extermination count stood at 12. Since the request required only 10, completing the mission was certain.
“Haa, it’s been quite a while since I’ve done this.”
Dito, who had been cutting off the goblins’ ears, muttered.
“Why don’t you say something?”
Dell, moving her hands quickly, replied.
“It’s boring. Why don’t you sing a song?”
Dito cleared his throat and adjusted it.
“Don’t do it. Don’t embarrass yourself in front of the newbie.”
“But I don’t want to.”
Dell and Dito bickered.
The others silently cut off the ears and collected them into their pouches.
After finishing their task, Dell’s group and Jeong Yusin continued walking.
Soon, they arrived at the end of the first floor.
A massive tombstone stood in the center of a large cavern.
A Telestone.
It brought back memories. This was where Kael’s group had argued over whether or not to go down further.
“Let’s take a short rest here.”
Dell glanced at the Einhofer and said.
She was considerate of the dwarf, who bore a fatigue-imprinting mark.
“Alright.”
The group set up a spot a little away from the Telestone.
They ate a bit of water and food while exchanging various stories.
Mostly, it was Dell and Dito bickering, while the dwarf and the mage stayed quiet.
“By the way, are all of you high-ranked Explorers?”
At Jeong Yusin’s question, the surroundings quieted.
“Don’t suddenly drop such questions. It hurts, you know.”
Dito complained.
“We were all mid-ranked explorers.”
Dell said.
“Stop with the nonsense and let’s go. Rookie.”
Keltan stood up.
“Yeah, we need to make money.”
The group gathered their belongings and gathered in front of the Telestone.
A red Portal and a blue one opened.
Kael’s group crossed his mind.
“Phew.”
Jeong Yusin took a deep breath and stepped into the red Portal.
The second floor.
In the dark cave, the torch flared up again.
Behind Jeong Yusin, one by one, people emerged from the red Portal.
“Scath, are you alright? Your hands are shaking.”
Dell asked.
“I’m fine. I was just a little nervous.”
“Alright. As I said before, we’re going to patrol the outer area of the second floor and capture the hobgoblins. Stay calm.”
“Understood.”
Things to watch out for were ambushes and traps.
Dito, who had been at the front, stopped walking.
“There’s a trap.”
Carefully looking at the ground, it was visible.
A spot covered with leather similar to the cave’s color.
If stepped on, the floor would sink, and the spikes beneath would pierce the soles of one’s feet.
Thanks to the torchlight, it was immediately identifiable. Had it been darker, it would have been hard to find.
It was similar to the kind Kael stepped on.
Dito simply removed the leather covering the trap and stood up.
“If there’s a trap, goblins must be nearby. Be prepared.”
True to Dito’s words.
After walking a few steps, Dito stepped back and said,
“This time, there are a lot—20 of them. Barbaroy, stay alert.”
Dito’s tone carried no hint of laughter.
Jeong Yusin drove the torch into the ground.
Swish.
He drew his sword, slung it over his shoulder, and gripped the shield’s handle tightly.
“Ki ke ke.”
“Kya kya.”
Sinister, sharp laughter echoed from the darkness.
Dell pulled back the string of her Bow.
“Zoom!”
Multiple arrows shot forward like beams of light. There were no screams; only the sound of falling could be heard.
The roar of enraged hobgoblins reverberated through the cave.
‘They’re coming.’
A goblin emerged from the darkness and smashed down fiercely with an axe.
BAM!
The dull impact was felt through the shield, making his hands tingle.
But still, he blocked it.
Jeong Yusin stabbed the goblin’s neck with the sword in his right hand.
The sharp tip of the Aming Sword pierced the vulnerable neck, severing the carotid artery.
Phuhak!
The goblin, spewing blood from its neck, fell down.
“Watch your back! Einhofer!”
Dell called out.
“I’m on it!”
The dwarf withdrew with his axe.
Now Jeong Yusin had to take charge of the front alone.
He could do it. No, he must.
Repeating it to himself, Jeong Yusin positioned himself.
Several hobgoblins charged forward in a line.
CRACK!
He shielded horizontally, crushing a goblin’s neck bones.
He smashed and kicked its head with a pommel.
Using every part of his body, he slaughtered the incoming goblins one by one.
But he couldn’t defend against all the attacks.
THUMP!
The cold sensation of something piercing through his Hard Leather Armor into his flesh.
A goblin had rammed into Jeong Yusin’s stomach, driving its knife into him.
Stiffened by the unexpected pain, Jeong Yusin couldn’t block the club coming down.
CLANG!
The club struck Jeong Yusin’s head with a metallic sound. His skull resonated, and he felt dizzy. Had he not been wearing a helmet, he might have lost consciousness instantly.
In the midst of stumbling, he swung his sword and severed the goblin’s eyes.
The goblin that had stabbed him was now blind.
Dodging the incoming club with his shield, he stabbed the blade into the goblin’s abdomen. Weak now, the goblin slumped. Jeong Yusin grabbed its neck.
Gukkk!
He flung the weakly twitching goblin aside.
The flying goblin collided with the group of hobgoblins rushing forward and tumbled down.
“Carlton! Are you done yet?!”
Dell called out.
“Almost. Rookie.”
[FIREBALL]
A flaming hot magical orb, distorting the air, struck the tumbled group of goblins.
The cave was momentarily filled with light.
BOOOM!!
Jeong Yusin instinctively ducked, raising his shield. It was hard to maintain his balance against the shockwave and explosion.
SHHH.
Torn parts of the goblin’s flesh and blood hammered against the shield as a result of the explosion.
The magic didn’t stop there.
[LIGHT]
The cave grew bright. Areas invisible by torchlight were now clear. Most of the front goblins were dead from the explosion; the few who remained were hastily fleeing.
[ICE LANCE]
Five 2-meter ice spears formed in the air.
At Keltan’s gesture, they quickly flew toward the goblins at the back.
“Teeeeek!”
“Kiiieeeek!”
The razor-sharp ice spears pierced through the goblins’ torsos.
“Scath!”
Dito called out.
“Coming!”
Jeong Yusin, covered in blood and flesh, dashed to the back.
Dell and Dito were furiously fending off with their daggers.
The Einhofer was sitting, panting heavily. His single-edged axe was nowhere to be seen.
‘7 goblins left.’
He swung his sword and cut the neck of the goblin clinging to Dell.
CLING!
The sword stopped midway embedded in the neck. Either the blade had dulled from sticky fat, or it was Jeong Yusin’s weakness.
He grabbed the half-severed goblin’s head and struck downward.
Repeatedly, like chopping firewood.
PAF! PAF! PAF!
Severed.
He tore off the grotesque head and threw it at the goblin rushing toward Dito.
The goblin, struck by the severed head in its body, staggered.
Jeong Yusin charged forward, pushing with his shield until the goblin was pressed against the wall.
KA-THUMP!
“Keek!”
Then the final push.
Jeong Yusin’s war boot pressed against the goblin’s belly, making a squelching sound as if its insides burst.
When he withdrew his foot, the goblin, eyes rolling back, coughed blood and collapsed against the cave wall.
‘5 left.’
He grabbed any weapon on the floor and swung it.
He crushed the head with his club, kicked it, and swung the shield. When the goblin fell, he stomped and shattered its neck.
He swung his sword and, if blocked, kicked its vital points. If stabbed with a spear, he dodged, grabbed it, and pulled.
Without fail, a goblin would always follow.
He delivered an uppercut, and when it lost consciousness, he grabbed the goblin’s mouth with both hands and tore it apart.
All dead.
Or rather, one remained.
Jeong Yusin turned his head.
The trembling goblin, unable to flee, was backing away.
As he approached, the goblin screamed.
“It’s me! Me, this guy is it! Dell!”
“Dell?”
“Yeah! Goddammit. Stop, I said!”
“I came to check on you.”
“What? Your eyes were sparkling with murderous intent!”
Glancing down due to the heaviness in one of his legs, he saw a Nuum clinging on.
“DIto, what are you doing?”
“…”
“Better treat him first. Rookie.”
The silent Dito and the detached Carlton.
The dwarf was breathing heavily.
“Phew.”
He collapsed and rummaged through his pouch.
The wound area alternated between cold and hot. It seemed as if the weapon had been laced with poison. How underhanded of the goblins.
After drinking antidote, removing armor, spraying disinfectant, and cleaning with a fresh cloth, he applied healing ointment to the wound and wrapped it with a bandage.
‘Healing potions are too expensive.’
So he bought a comparatively cheaper healing ointment, which turned out to work quite well. The ointment acted as a painkiller, and the pain noticeably减轻ed.
He’d done this before, so he finished quickly.
Looking around, everyone was nursing their own wounds. Only Carlton stood with his arms crossed indifferently.
“Strange. There were too many hobgoblins?”
Dell scratched his head.
“Yeah, strange. 40 at once? They’ve gone mad.”
“Scath, do you have any peculiar imprints? Imprints that lure demons.”
Dell questioned.
“No. I have imprints, but nothing like that.”
“Be honest.”
“Sacred Weapon.”
“Seems normal enough?”
“Pretty normal. Rookie.”
“Show us once.”
“If I use it, I collapse. It’s tiring.”
At that moment, the Einhofer who was wriggling on the floor sat up.
“Scath, thanks.”
“No, it’s my duty.”
Dwarf’s gratitude was received humbly.
“Is there anything else?”
“No. This is my second time in the labyrinth.”
“What then? What’s happening in the labyrinth?”
“I heard that an unusually large number of new explorers joined this time. It might be related. Rookie.”
“Most of the ones who entered didn’t return, right?”
Dell asked.
“No, they couldn’t return. Get out of the house more often.”
Dito said.
“I have to risk my life to get out. Outside the blanket is dangerous. Shit.”
Dell muttered and continued.
“Well, I get that there were many newcomers, but how does it relate to the swarm of hobgoblins?”
“As explorers increase, they gather and move around en masse?”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
At Dell’s firm statement, Dito shrugged.
“Monsters learn and adapt. That’s not a far-fetched statement?”
Dito glanced at Dell.
“What does the mage think?”
“Better explanations exist than the monster learning theory. Rookie.”
“Isn’t there a monster leading them?”
Jeong Yusin’s question surprised Carlton.
“Yes. Rookie.”
Thinking back, several things ran through his mind.
When he was wandering the 2nd floor with Ann, they weren’t attacked much.
Except for when he rescued Mari and the final assault, he hardly saw hobgoblins.
Back then, he thought they had skillfully avoided them, but wasn’t that just an illusion?
Hobgoblins.
Assuming Carlton’s statement was true, and looking from the hobgoblins’ perspective—
There was enough prey nearby, so there was no need to pursue riskily. If they joined a larger group, hunting would be easier.
By sticking together, they could obtain more pregnant pouches and more meat with less effort.
If he were a goblin, he would make the same choice.
The conclusion was straightforward.
Surviving that first trip into the labyrinth was pure luck.
That day, there were many rookie explorers on the second floor, and the hobgoblins, under the guidance of a leader, gradually began to congregate in one place.
Could it be that he slipped through a gap formed because of that? Sure, he survived by chance, but what happened to the other new explorer parties?
Seeing Jeong Yusin’s hardening expression, Carlton brushed his white beard.
“It occasionally happens that stronger monsters from lower levels ascend. Rookie.”
“Sir Mage, never heard of such a thing before? Isn’t that just speculation?”
Dito complained.
“You’ve been an explorer for 10 years? I’ve been one for 20 years. Back then, these kinds of events used to occur too. Rookie.”
The mage’s reply distorted Dito’s face.
