Chapter 12 – The First Dungeon

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When most gamers hear the word “goblin,” they usually imagine something like this:

A small, dwarflike creature with a potbelly, thin limbs, pointed ears and nose, sharp eyes, and just enough intelligence to use tools.

The goblins in this world weren’t much different. The dwarflike creatures charging at us with rusty metal weapons were exactly what we’d expect from goblins.

Screech—!

Their bloodshot eyes and unsettling, screeching voices. Perhaps because their body structure resembled humans, the closer they got, the more a strange sense of disgust welled up inside me.

[Holy Armor]

[Sacred Blessing]

Just before the battle with the goblins began, I quickly cast buff skills. As a pure white light enveloped the party members, the fight commenced.

“Raaaah!”

Zeblin and Palm Tree, the two warriors, did their part well. Every time their short, swift swords grazed the green skin of the goblins, red blood splattered.

Once the monsters’ aggro was sufficiently built up, it was time for the damage dealers to step in. Isolin and Sky Shrimp, who had been waiting for their turn, began their assault about 20 seconds later.

“Focus on the one to Zeblin’s right!”

The party leader, Isolin, gave the order to focus fire. It was the right call—to quickly take down one target without spreading the damage. She might not have knowledge of old RPGs, but she wasn’t lacking in basic sense.

Whoosh—!

Thwack—!

As Isolin and Sky Shrimp began attacking the goblins, Zeblin’s expression lightened.

Rather than focusing on the goblins’ condition, I kept my eyes on the warriors’ health bars. To distribute healing skills effectively, I needed to know how strong the goblins’ attacks were.

This was a game, but it wasn’t. In a life-or-death situation, even a single mistake or a slight overheal could be fatal.

Between Zeblin and Palm Tree, Zeblin was losing health faster. Unlike Palm Tree, who was handling two goblins moderately, Zeblin had to keep the focus of the goblin being targeted by the party.

It was natural for Zeblin’s health to drop faster. He had to appear more threatening to the goblins. Zeblin moved more aggressively.

The moment the tank, responsible for the party’s safety, steps back, the monsters’ aggro shifts to the party members. Knowing this well, Zeblin didn’t move an inch from his spot.

To calm the rising anxiety, I took a deep breath and stretched out my right hand.

I used [Reviving Wind], a healing-over-time skill, on Palm Tree, who seemed to be doing fine, and a direct [Heal] on Zeblin, who was losing more health.

The battle with the goblins proceeded without much difficulty. It was smooth and safe. Although I always kept some extra mana in reserve for emergencies, there were no major changes afterward.

After destroying the first tent we found, we moved forward. We killed one goblin before it could wake up and engaged in continuous battle with the one sitting on the rock.

The dungeon’s progression continued in a similar manner.

Since we didn’t get physically tired, there was no need for long breaks. We only took short rests to conserve potions.

The party pushed through the dungeon like an unstoppable force.

By the time we reached the middle of the dungeon, we encountered a goblin that looked slightly different.

[Level 13]

[Goblin Warrior]

Unlike the regular goblins, this one was significantly larger and muscular. His equipment was also higher quality than other before. The longsword it wielded gleamed with a faint blue light, and its fur-lined leather armor looked quite sturdy.

“It looks pretty strong.”

“Is that the boss?”

“No. The boss is called the Goblin Lord. That one is an elite monster, like the bears we saw in the vineyard.”

I crossed my arms and surveyed the Goblin Warrior’s surroundings. There were four goblins patrolling nearby, all of them ordinary goblins.

This was different from before—five monsters linked together at once. However, there was no need to worry too much.

A level 10 mage had a skill that could incapacitate monsters for a certain period. If we used that skill to disable the Goblin Warrior and quickly dealt with the regular goblins, we could handle it easily.

“Isolin, can you use ‘Frostbite’ on the Goblin Warrior when they charge at us?”

“Yeah. Freeze it and take out the trash mobs first?”

“Yeah. That’s safer. Of course, we don’t have to use it… but it’s better to be safe, right?”

“Right.”

The battle began with Sky Shrimp’s pulling.

Creak—!

As Sky Shrimp drew his bowstring, tension filled the air. The moment the arrow was released, it flew like a streak of light.

Whoosh—!

But this time, it missed again. Sky Shrimp gave an awkward smile and began drawing another arrow.

This was the problem with this world. The ambiguous realism that came with the game becoming reality had turned all skills into non-targeted abilities.

Of course, classes like archers had skills that improved accuracy, but…

Whoosh—!

The reality was that even that accuracy wasn’t very high.

Sky Shrimp succeeded in pulling on his third attempt. The arrow he shot luckily pierced the Goblin Warrior’s right eye.

Screech—!

As the goblin let out a pained scream, the goblins began charging at us. The party members, their tension at its peak, entered the battle. At that moment, a chilling winter wind burst from Isolin’s hand.

[Frostbite!]

Isolin’s accuracy wasn’t as pitiful as Sky Shrimp’s. Every spell she cast hit its mark, and the results were no different this time.

Crackle—!

The cold wind that flew swiftly wrapped around the Goblin Warrior’s body, and blue ice crystals formed on it, freezing it in place.

The skill lasted about 15 seconds. We had to take down as many goblins as possible within that time.

“Focus on the one to Zeblin’s right!”

To compensate for his poor accuracy, Sky Shrimp chose to get closer to the monsters. Shooting at close range was more accurate than shooting from a distance.

Sky Shrimp moved very close to the goblins and began planting arrows in their heads.

Thwack—!

An archer’s damage isn’t weak. Especially when shooting arrows into their weak spots—their heads. It was only natural that the goblins began dropping quickly.

As we were smoothly taking down the goblins, something happened. The bushes next to Sky Shrimp rustled, and a goblin jumped out.

Screech—?

Sky Shrimp, startled by the sudden encounter, and the goblin, tilting its head as it stared at him.

[Level 13]

[Goblin Scout]

“Oh no…!”

Between the Goblin Scout and Sky Shrimp, the goblin moved first. Smaller than a regular goblin, it drew its dagger and charged at Sky Shrimp with incredible speed, slashing his chest deeply.

“Aaargh!”

“Stick close to the tank!”

When a troublesome monster latches onto a damage dealer, the usual strategy is to either move closer to the tank or have the tank come and peel it off.

Sky Shrimp, having experience with old RPGs, should have known this.

However, instead of moving closer to Zeblin, the tank, Sky Shrimp chose to run away.

“Gah! Don’t come near me!”

With a panicked expression, he flailed his arms and swung his bow around wildly. The sudden, intense pain had clearly sent him into a panic.

Screech—!

To make matters worse, the frozen Goblin Warrior had also broken free. I bit my lip as I watched Sky Shrimp being torn apart by the dagger.

“Wh-what do we do? Should we attack?”

I stayed silent at Isolin’s question. While this was a common situation in RPGs, I couldn’t make a hasty decision now.

If the tank fell back, the monsters he was holding would aggro onto me, the healer. But leaving Sky Shrimp alone would surely get him killed.

Attacking the Goblin Scout with Isolin was also risky. If we didn’t take it down quickly, that little goblin would latch onto Isolin and start slashing her with its dagger.

Grip—

I tightened my grip on the mace.

“Isolin, quickly take out the other goblins. Once only the warrior is left, focus on it.”

“Got it!”

Archers aren’t weak. If we gave Sky Shrimp some distance and let his wounds heal, he could recover from his panic and help clean up the situation.

I forced my stiff legs to move and began running toward Sky Shrimp.

At the same time, I kept an eye on the warriors’ health. Seeing Zeblin’s health drop significantly as he fought the Goblin Warrior, I quickly cast [Reviving Wind] and [Heal] on him.

“Sky Shrimp! Snap out of it!”

“Gah!”

Screech—!

Up close, Sky Shrimp’s condition was a mess. His face, arms, and chest were all torn up, and he was bleeding profusely.

At that moment, I swung the mace I had been gripping with all my strength. Aiming at the goblin latched onto Sky Shrimp.

“Hyaaaah!”

Thud—!

With a short shout, the mace flew and struck the goblin’s back. The heavy impact and sound told me the damage wasn’t insignificant.

Screech—!

The goblin writhed in pain, rolling on the ground.

I immediately cast [Heal] on Sky Shrimp. With his relatively low health compared to the warriors, he quickly stabilized as his wounds healed.

“Th-thank you…”

“Save the thanks for later!”

Right now, dealing with the Goblin Scout and stabilizing the party was the priority. I tightened my grip on the mace and glared at the Goblin Scout.

Screech—!

A foul stench of sweat, filth, and blood wafted over with the wind. The intense killing intent in front of me made my body stiffen, but I bit my lip hard to suppress the fear.

Thud—!

The goblin didn’t hesitate. It moved swiftly, like a born hunter, and charged at me.

My body wouldn’t move well due to the tension. Since I was small, my eye level wasn’t much higher than the goblin’s, which added to the pressure.

But I had to move.

“Hyaah!”

Whoosh—!

Was I too slow? The moment I swung the mace, the surrounding sounds faded. My vision narrowed, and the dagger that had been far away was now rushing toward my face.

All sound disappeared, replaced by silence. I couldn’t feel anything in my hands. The mace I swung passed through empty air, and the dagger struck my shoulder.

Crunch—!

The sound I had lost erupted from my shoulder. At the same time, a burning sensation spread.

The moment I realized red blood was gushing out, I was rolling on the ground.

“Sky Shrimp!”

The goblin’s breath felt close enough to touch my ear. I pushed the goblin away with all my strength and shouted. The pain that followed turned my mind blank, but I didn’t stop yelling.

“Gah! Get away!”

I couldn’t think straight. I rolled, bit, and swung whatever I could grab. Screaming and shouting, I spammed every skill I could use.

As red blood and white holy light flashed, blurring my vision, a loud thwack—! sounded, and the weight pressing down on me disappeared.

“W-we got it! We got it! Supreme! We got it!”

“Heal, heal me…!”

“I can’t hold on much longer!”

Gasp… Gasp… Gasp…

I got up with a dazed mind. Even though my body was a mess, my first concern was the warriors’ health.

Blood dripped down my forehead, obscuring my vision. I wiped my forehead and poured healing skills onto the warriors.

My legs wouldn’t move. My hands were trembling.

But.

I was alive.

The party had stabilized.

I let out a sigh of relief and chugged a potion from my inventory.

The red potion in the white bottle shook violently in my trembling hand.