Short, no more than 1.2 meters tall, skin all green, a mouth full of jagged teeth, and pointed ears like an elf—this was the goblin that appeared on the Dungeon's first floor.
Most goblins lived in groups. If you saw one, there were at least five more lurking nearby. Any weak adventurer knew they had to band together for warmth—monsters were no different.
"Gik-gik-gik!"
A goblin charged with a short-bladed knife. It moved fast, like a sprinter out of the blocks. Its small frame actually worked in its favor, showcasing its agility and speed.
With the knife raised, it lunged for the target's waist.
The instant Sawada Tsunayoshi read the stab line, he lifted a hand, casually twisted, and slid past the goblin's mid-swing correction. Without moving his feet, he simply used the goblin's own momentum, pressing his palm flat over its face.
He spun on his axis and slammed the goblin into the stone wall. The creature went slack, the knife dangling loose in its hand.
Tsunayoshi snatched the knife and flicked it backward.
"GII—!"
The thrown blade drilled straight into the eye of a second goblin trying to ambush him. The sharp pain stunned it.
Seizing the opening, Tsunayoshi stepped in, entering the goblin's striking inner circle.
"Gik-gik!"
Gritting through the pain, the goblin lifted a longsword one-handed and hacked down.
Though goblins weren't known for raw strength, it still hefted a meter-long blade with one hand. Unfortunately for it, a longsword at close range wasn't an advantage.
Once you were inside its reach, that arc was easy to evade. As the blade fell, Tsunayoshi had already shifted off-line.
Clang!
Steel rang against stone. The goblin's arm trembled. Without even bothering to read its next move, Tsunayoshi clamped the creature's wrist, hoisted it along with the sword, and swept the one-meter blade in a flat arc.
"Shhk!"
The edge carved through a third goblin mid-pounce, lopping off its head in an instant. Twisting his core, Tsunayoshi redirected that force and flung the goblin he held straight into a fourth one charging in behind a shield.
"Gik—gik!!"
Even while being hurled, the goblin still clutched its sword, but the crash jammed the shield carrier's advance. Tsunayoshi closed the gap, stamped the face of the first goblin still caught on the shield, ripped the knife from the second goblin's eye socket, and snapped his wrist to send it spinning upward.
Right then, a fifth goblin sprang from behind cover—just in time to meet the blade point-first. Like a bug swatted out of the air, it crumpled.
In mere seconds: two goblins dead, one neutralized, one pinned underfoot, one pressed to the wall and helpless.
"Went better than I expected."
Tsunayoshi hadn't thought his first fight in the Dungeon would be this smooth. Five goblins at once, and he'd handled them without breaking a sweat.
Short bodies with decent speed and reflexes, strength a notch above a normal adult male—he'd already built a working profile of goblins.
Rather than brute suppression, conjuring counter-monsters would be easier. With a glance at the three still alive, Tsunayoshi summoned a fitting bane to finish them.
Slimes.
Three slimes dropped from above, enveloping the remaining goblins completely. Through the translucent blue gel, the goblins thrashed and kicked—then slowly went still, smothered into silence.
"Indeed. For your first encounter with monsters, you're calmer than any adventurer I've seen," Finn said. "No panic mid-fight. You track each target's status precisely and switch responses instantly."
It was as if he'd pre-read every action those monsters would take. Finn had shadowed the entire bout, prepared to intervene at a heartbeat's notice. In the end, his caution was unnecessary.
No first-time shock, no loss of bodily control, no inability to cope—nothing like the usual terror when facing goblins for the first time. If anything, Tsunayoshi's handling was effortless.
"Your situational handling is excellent. That's a real edge," Finn continued. "You're also conserving stamina, taking monsters carefully. That's a very good habit. The Dungeon is never safe—any moment can be fatal. Preserve your strength whenever possible."
In sum, Tsunayoshi had checked every box: he saved energy, spent only what was necessary, stayed cool, anticipated enemy actions, and tailored his counters to the weapon each monster carried.
The conclusion was obvious—Tsunayoshi had strong natural talent for combat. It hardly looked like a first encounter. He fought like someone with deep experience.
Not just a gift for abilities—his aptitude in battle was real. Finn couldn't help but marvel.
He didn't know yet how far Tsunayoshi could grow. But if that growth proved outstanding—no need to compare him to Ais—even matching Raul would be enough to justify comprehensive cultivation.
Seeing yet another facet of Tsunayoshi's talent, Finn felt a surge of heat and excitement.
By now, he understood that a Pallum couldn't raise the race's standing on "results" alone. Even so, he wouldn't abandon the old dream of breaking through the Dungeon's expedition floors. Revitalizing the Pallum didn't conflict with making his own name shine. In fact, only by becoming famous first could he rally his people around the cause.
So igniting his own reputation remained Finn's first priority—and Tsunayoshi's display filled him with even greater expectations for the future.
(End of Chapter)
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