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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: Carmel's Forest (3)
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What could I even say about this?
*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Against the rhythmic clang of metal, a wave of green surged forth.
The entire dungeon, Carmel's Forest, seemed to come alive.
It was as if the Pied Piper was leading the forest's dwarves far away, into disappearance.
However, this was far from such a fantastical, fairytale scene.
Rather, it was closer to an utterly cruel and horrific sight.
"Kroooak!?"
"Krooook!"
"Krooooooooooak—"
Because it was the sight of hordes of green-skinned goblins endlessly moving, drawn by Lee Yuri's shield.
*Bang!!! Bang!! Bang! Bang… Bang...*
The sound of the dagger striking the shield grew fainter and fainter.
Faced with the overwhelming spectacle of goblins moving en masse, we could only stare blankly, speechless.
It had happened that suddenly.
Lee Yuri, who had shouted "Retreat!" then charged forward.
The inconsistency between the 'order' to retreat and the 'action' of charging forward clashed in my mind,
For a moment, my mind went blank, white as a sheet.
Then, the first to break the silence was Lee Yuna.
"...Unnie?"
Lee Yuna's eyes widened, and her mouth fell open.
"Gukbap-ah...?"
"...Team Leader!"
Soon, Go Yoonseo's face contorted, and she spat out a curse.
"This crazy bitch! Who told you to do something so—!"
Only then did I belatedly grasp Lee Yuri's intention.
'This idiot...!'
She had charged forward alone to save at least us.
She would draw the monsters' attention, so we could escape and survive.
Thus, retreat, charge, and provoke.
Of course, Lee Yuri must have taken such action after considering all circumstances.
Our party's capabilities, the current state of the party members, the number of goblins, and even the presence of a boss monster.
She had weighed all of it and instantly concluded, 'We have no chance of winning.'
'She must have thought it was better to take it on alone than to die with her party members.'
I clenched my fist at that foolish decision.
But
There was something that idiot didn't know.
And that was,
'I possessed S-rank specialized swordsmanship.'
S-rank swordsmanship was more than enough for an E-rank gate.
Enough to easily handle a single boss monster on my own.
So, I had to step forward here.
It had to be me.
*Thump*
*Thump*
My heart pounded ceaselessly before my first battle.
*Hooo—*
I exhaled slowly, steadying my breath. I repeatedly gripped and released the hilt, sharpening my senses.
'…I hadn't planned for my combat debut to be this spectacular.'
The plan to slowly deal with goblins one by one and get used to the sensation was already out the window.
From now on, it was real combat.
I had to get used to it quickly, no matter what.
Only then could I save Lee Yuri.
*Shing—*
I drew Moonlight from my waist. Sunlight shattered into tiny fragments on the tip of its azure blade.
It was then.
"Jin Yuha-ssi—?"
"Yes?"
As I was steeling my resolve,
I turned around at the sound of my name.
There stood Go Yoonseo, inspecting her weapon up and down.
"Thank you so much for today. For following our schedule without complaint, and for your detection, which helped us a lot. I'll make sure you're properly compensated for today's work later."
She said, not even looking at me.
Though her words expressed gratitude,
Her voice was colder than ever before.
"But this is our situation. I'm sorry, but please stand down here."
And glancing behind her,
Lee Yuna and Chae Soyeon also seemed to be of the same mind, their expressions unchanged by Go Yoonseo's words.
"That's a bit hurtful to hear."
Now that honorifics were gone, I spoke casually without needing to be polite.
She scratched her head irritably and glared at me.
"No, why do you have to get involved in something so dangerous? You don't need to help us, and you don't owe us loyalty. Just get out of here and report the situation. That's the best you can do for us."
"And if you guys go, can you even save her?"
"Look, Jin Yuha-ssi. We just met today. To us, that idiotic team leader is 'Gukbap,' but not to you. You're just a complete stranger."
Go Yoonseo retorted, as if she couldn't understand.
Her words, clearly drawing a line, made me uncomfortable.
'…Lee Yuri is 'Gukbap' only to you guys?'
"Ha, I'm sorry, but Lee Yuri-ssi—"
At that moment.
"Kroooak—"
A goblin appeared from behind a tree.
Upon seeing it,
I gathered my mana and gripped the hilt.
Then, turning my back lightly,
—I swung my sword.
The blade swung horizontally.
*Whoosh—*
A beat later, the sound of wind cutting through the air arose.
The goblin was clearly out of the sword's reach.
It snickered, mocking me as I swung my sword at empty air from a distance.
But, maintaining that mocking expression.
*Slice—*
"Keck!?"
*Thwack—!*
Its body spewed bright red blood, splitting into upper and lower halves.
*Rumble!*
Even the mighty tree it had been hiding behind.
*"One-Strike Severance"*
It was the manifestation of a swordsmanship skill.
I turned back around.
Go Yoonseo and Chae Soyeon's eyes were wide,
Lee Yuna stood with her mouth agape.
Looking at them, I continued my sentence.
"I'm sorry, but Lee Yuri has been 'Gukbap' to me for a much longer time."
* * *
*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang…! Bang...!*
Lee Yuri stopped tapping her shield.
And her running feet also came to a halt.
"...I guess I've drawn enough of them, haven't I?"
Well, in truth, she stopped because she no longer had enough mana to continue the shield's resonance.
Lee Yuri surveyed the goblins surrounding her, weapons pointed.
"Have all the goblins in Carmel's Forest gathered here...?"
Everywhere she looked, there were only goblins.
Her eyes were filled with nothing but green heads.
There were so many that she wondered if there was a separate factory nearby just churning out goblins.
Perhaps monsters had accumulated in forgotten parts of the dungeon,
And continued to pile up, leading to this situation.
Seeing so many unsightly creatures teeming around made her stomach churn.
"...Well, even so, they're just goblins."
In truth, if only goblins had been present, Lee Yuri might have suggested clearing them with her party members.
Whether it was three nights and four days, or a week,
If they kept running and fighting like their lives depended on it all night long, they might have somehow survived, or at least held out until the Dungeon Administration dispatched a hunter rescue team.
But among these greenish-blue creatures, there was one reddish-brown one.
It stood with its arms crossed, smirking maliciously, looking at her as if she were insignificant.
That one was clearly a C-rank monster.
It had to be a Blood Goblin.
A unique individual known to command regular goblins and possess a different dimension of strength and speed.
Because of that one, Lee Yuri had no choice but to separate from her party members and remain here alone.
Lee Yuri frowned, muttering to herself.
"...Seriously, who would've expected a guy like this to be hidden in an E-rank gate?"
Just then,
"Kroooak."
The Blood Goblin let out a short cry.
And then,
*Rustle—*
Hordes of goblins closed in from all directions.
"Hmm—. It seems the longer I last here, the higher the chances my party members will get out of danger, right?"
Lee Yuri adjusted her grip on her shield and spoke.
"Then, well. I'll have to do it all day, if I have to."
Clubs and worn-out swords began flying from all directions.
*Whoosh—Swish—!*
In such a situation, there was only one tactic she could employ.
A strategy that always worked with 100% success rate against goblins!
And that was, to advance.
Penetrate into the enemies' midst to disrupt their aiming points. Then, make the stupid monsters' attacks tangle with each other.
*Thwack—!*
As she charged forward, pushing with her shield, the goblins' attacks predictably lost their power.
Lee Yuri slightly tilted her face, dodging a club flying from the side.
"Anyway, no matter how many of you there are. In the end, only about six of you can attack me at once."
She spoke as if to be heard.
Her thought was to pass the time by talking to herself, as she would be fighting for a long time ahead.
Anyway, no matter how much she babbled here, the only ones listening would be goblins who couldn't understand her words.
"Well, the rest of you will just suck your thumbs and watch from the back, or shoot arrows and poisoned darts... I wonder—."
*Swish—!*
*Thud!*
"Kieeeek!"
Matching her words, the sound of an arrow cutting through the air was heard, and she shoved a goblin next to her, embedding the arrow in its shoulder.
"Heh. See, this is how it goes. Is having more numbers always an advantage?"
Lee Yuri raised the corner of her mouth and looked at the red goblin in front of her.
Seeing its mouth turn downwards made her feel a little better.
"Haa, but I really feel awfully sorry..."
*Clang—!*
*Cling-clang—!*
Lee Yuri parried the swords that began to rush her again with her shield and spoke.
"That person just came to help us today, and what kind of misfortune is this..."
Jin Yuha.
He suddenly came to mind, and Lee Yuri sighed.
"...Somehow, from the first time we met, the distance between us felt strangely close."
"— Ah, I was also worried if my phone was broken. I'm sorry. I got a bit close."
Her first meeting with Jin Yuha.
The memory of their lips almost touching made Lee Yuri's face flush as red as a Blood Goblin's.
"...Strange man."
He was someone who, despite clearly having met her for the first time today, strangely closed the distance between them.
Of course, the other party members' distrust was so severe that she had stepped forward to defend him, but in reality, Lee Yuri herself was the one who was most wary of him.
So she deliberately spoke curtly and treated him formally.
Lee Yuri had drawn a line with him from their first meeting until now.
"And yet, he played strange tricks..."
"— If it's Team Leader, my status window. I can tell you anything?"
*Wham! Wham! Wham!—!*
Lee Yuri needlessly struck a goblin with her shield.
"Crazy. Seriously, he showed me all sorts of antics. Hiccupping, then getting indigestion while eating and needing his back patted."
"— Hic. cup!"
"— *Gasp!*"
Shame made her unconsciously grip the shield tighter.
"Still, well... he wasn't a bad person."
Honestly, today's dungeon expedition was a forced march.
Because the pace was that fast.
Even Yuna and Yoonseo, who usually followed well without a single complaint, had struggled, hadn't they?
Of course, he said he only used his abilities and barely used any stamina, but it couldn't have been easy for a man to endure that march itself.
Yet, he even stepped forward, claiming he wasn't doing enough, and offered to take on the task of dealing with the goblins.
"— I was watching you from behind, Team Leader. The whole time."
"— So, please give me just one chance."
"Why do you keep making that face! Huh!? Like that! Is that okay!? Is it not!?"
*Wham! Wham! Wham!*
Lee Yuri swung her fist, pounding the goblin's face.
"And, he should just take care of himself, but he gave me food whenever he wanted!"
"— I'm a man, you know. Gotta manage my physique."
*Wham!*
"Seriously, what fat is there to lose!?"
*Wham!*
Somehow, as she kept going, she found herself only thinking about Jin Yuha, a person she had just met today.
In truth, she didn't want to think about heavy topics right now, so she looked for a light one, and this is what happened.
What kind of expressions would Yuna, Soyeon unnie, or Yoonseo make if she died?
Who would pay the gate fine?
What about the debts at home?
What would happen to the academy?
And how would her family react to her death?
And so on...
Once she started thinking about heavy topics, there was no end to it, and she wouldn't be able to fight with peace of mind.
Of course, that didn't mean Jin Yuha was the *only* light topic...
"Well, I guess that just means he was that impressive..."
Then Lee Yuri tilted her head.
"Or maybe, it's just because he's handsome...?"
Seeing that she was only thinking about men now that her time was almost up,
She wondered if she was a woman after all.
Because they say women only have those kinds of thoughts in their brains.
*Hooo—*
She took a deep breath.
She was starting to feel fatigue accumulating in her body.
'It hasn't even been that long yet... Facing hundreds of goblins is definitely not something anyone can do.'
Come to think of it, she wasn't in peak condition right now.
She had already expended a lot of stamina, having continued the monster-clearing march for over five hours.
Plus, she was a tank.
In other words, her offensive capabilities were lacking.
Of course, she always carried a dagger, but it was ultimately a very short blade, not even sharpened, carried solely for the purpose of using skills.
It was a sword that could only scratch a goblin's hide at best.
Since all offensive duties were left to the damage dealers, she couldn't directly kill goblins.
She could only push them with her shield or punch them.
If she beat one goblin and drove it away, another goblin would fill its spot.
In the meantime, the exhausted ones would recover.
Thus, while the goblins maintained their stamina, hers only drained away.
It was a vicious cycle.
"How unfair. I wonder how long I can last..."
A weak sound escaped Lee Yuri's lips for the first time.
And the Blood Goblin, unable to watch any longer, also seemed to be preparing to step forward.
"Tsk... Seriously, I thought I could've gotten pretty close to Jin Yuha if we went to the academy together."
"Then, let's go to the academy together, Gukbap-ah."
Suddenly, a voice she shouldn't have heard came from beside her.
"...Huh?"
"What, you still doubt if I'm an academy student?"
When she turned her head, there was
A man with a playful smile on his lips,
A man stood there.