Floor 1: The Tutorial (3)

A goblin of conspicuously small stature came walking slowly out through the darkness.

Its hunched shoulders were trembling, as though it were scared out of its wits.

I hadn't seen many, but it was the smallest goblin yet—not chest-height, but barely up to the hip. Apart from an unloaded crossbow, it wasn't carrying any real weapon, either.

The name the message gave it was strange, too. Not a goblin warrior, not a goblin assassin—a young goblin. The first goblin I'd seen without a class at all.

The little thing, glossy-bald and green-skinned, peered up at me through eyes gone damp with tears.

Staring into those eyes made my heart go soft. It was so small—about the height of an elementary schooler. Unlike the goblins from before, even its green skin looked supple, like a baby's. It felt like looking at a young child.

"Hey, what are you supposed to be?"

"Kkiik! Human! Stupid! Am goblin!"

"...Ha."

Was this little bastard insane? Too young to know any better? It calls me stupid right after I spared its life.

Irritation flared up out of nowhere.

"No, you think I asked because I couldn't tell that? Why is a runt that's obviously this young even down here?"

"Kkiik, goblin! All! Do duty!"

"Doing its duty"—did that mean blocking climbers like me?

"So your duty is stopping me, huh?"

"Kkiik! Yes!"

"Then I've got no choice. I'd rather not kill a kid, though."

I tightened my grip on my sword. At the sight, the goblin jolted back in a panic.

"Kkihik! Monster human! Goblin! No want fight!"

"I thought that was your duty."

"Kkiik! Goblin! Okay! Not keep! Duty!"

One thing, then another—what a marvelously convenient philosophy. Human or goblin, apparently your own hide comes first.

Hearing that, a question suddenly occurred to me.

"So if I beat the other goblins to a pulp, do they turn out like you?"

"Kkiik! Human! No mock! Goblin!"

...Huh. This little bastard. Is it actually brain-dead?

"You literally just said you didn't have to keep your duty."

"Kkiik! No! Stupid human! Goblins! All do duty!"

"Aish, what kind of bullshit is that?"

The inane exchange made my temper bubble over. The young goblin must have sensed the mood too, because it clamped its mouth shut.

What on earth was this thing even going on about? Then it dawned on me—the creature ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had been calling itself "goblin" as well. It used the one word for both itself and its whole race.

"Ohh~ so you don't have to fight me? And the others can't get out of it?"

"Kkiik! Yes! Goblin! No hit! Human! From behind!"

"How am I supposed to believe that?"

"Kkiik! Goblin! No! Tell lies!"

The goblin cried out as though deeply wronged, but honestly? There was no way I could trust it. These were the bastards that lurked in the dark and ambushed you.

Regret pricked at me. I should have just killed it while it was still hiding in the shadows. But no—its young appearance had gone and softened my heart for nothing.

...Just a little. Just a little while.

I could always kill it later, couldn't I?

The message told me to annihilate all 'enemies.' I couldn't be certain, but if this thing truly bore no hostility, then surely it didn't count as an 'enemy'?

Of course, half-baked pity had a way of coming back as a knife between the ribs. Even so, I doubted that scrawny thing could manage anything from behind my back, whatever it tried.

Yeah. Tie it up. Bind its hands tight and drag it along. And if the mission still wasn't over after I'd slaughtered every 'enemy'—well, I could kill it then.

"Fine. I'll let you live."

"Kkiik! Human! Stupid! But kind!"

...And there went the sympathy in my heart, packing its bags. First, I'd have to break it of that habit.

"Call me stupid one more time. Just try it."

"Kkiik! Human! Stupid!"

"You—!"

Should I just kill it after all?

Maybe it read something in my eyes, because the creature quickly began watching its step.

"That means you die the next time you call me stupid. Got it?"

"Kkiik. Goblin, understands!"

"And I'm tying up your hands. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠You don't get a vote."

I nailed that down before it could spout more nonsense. The young goblin gave a small nod.

Now, what to bind it with? A proper rope would have been nice, but I had none, so I swept my gaze around for a substitute.

There it is.

My eyes landed on the fallen goblin warrior's clothes. Shredded and wound into several layers, they'd do fine as rope.

I strode over and stripped the dead goblin out of them. Ugh. The reek of goblin blood clawed up my throat and brought the bile with it.

Still, better than earlier. Maybe because I'd seen it once already, it didn't turn my stomach quite as much. A feeling of having adapted, just a little.

Puzzled by my own abnormally fast adjustment, I stripped a second goblin of its clothes as well.

I beckoned the young goblin, still standing there like an idiot, to come over.

"Come on, hold out your hands."

"Kkiik! Okay."

It held out one hand. Entirely without meaning to, I felt my face fold into a scowl—and the young goblin flinched.

"Both hands."

The young goblin meekly offered up both.

As I wound the ragged cloth around its arms, something glinted at its neck.

"What's that?"

"Kkiik! What! Human! Talk about!"

"The thing on your neck. What is it?"

Startled, the goblin's eyes blew wide, and it took a step back. I shot my left hand out and clamped it around its throat.

"Kkiik! No! Can't!"

"What do you mean, can't? Yes, I can!"

The goblin thrashed in my grip. I dropped my battered longsword, pinned its shoulder with my right hand, and reached for its neck with my left. A silver cord snagged on my fingers.

"Kkieeeek!"

The goblin shrieked.

God, so loud.

I pulled the cord and fished the necklace out over its clothes. Hanging from the gleaming silver chain was a violet gem.

"Hey, what is this?"

"Kkiik! That! Goblin's!"

"Hand it over."

"Kkiik! No!"

Seriously, this thing. I had saved its life—shouldn't it have offered up tribute all on its own? They do say bald men love a freebie, and this green bald monster was trying to get out of paying even for its own life.

"I spared you, remember?"

"...Kkiik! Anyway! You! Can't take!"

"Want to die? You know lying gets your hands and head lopped off, right?"

I yanked the necklace up over the goblin's head.

Huh? It really wouldn't come off?

The necklace refused to rise past the goblin's neck, as though it had struck some invisible wall.

What now—was this the Tower of Trials' doing too? So many bizarre things had happened by now that I couldn't even muster much surprise.

Would it come off if I killed it?

Whether it read my expression or not, the goblin hastily opened its mouth.

"Kkiik! Goblin! Even dead! You! Can't take!"

"...I'm not killing you."

I didn't want to, anyway. My conscience was still intact enough that I couldn't butcher the creature I'd just spared over a single gem necklace.

"Fine, I won't take it. Arms out again."

The goblin held out both arms once more. Three times, I wound the ragged cloth tight around its frail wrists.

"Kkiik! Arms! Hurt!"

The young goblin scrunched its whole face up in a grimace. Unbelievable. Where was all that weeping and begging when its life was on the line—and now it was throwing a fit.

"If you don't want to die, endure it."

The young goblin clamped its mouth shut. Those glistening eyes gazed up at me.

"What's your name?"

"Kkiik! Goblin is, goblin!"

"Want to die? Your. Name."

"Ugh, forget it."

Come to think of it, it looked just like Dobby, the magical elf from that movie. All right. This thing is Dobby from now on.

"You're Dobby now."

"Kkiik? Human! What say?"

"You. Dobby."

"Kkiik! Not! Dobby! Am goblin!"

Ignoring the flustered Dobby, I turned my eyes to the goblin warrior's corpse. Time to see whether anything was worth taking.

Hm, pass. Being a goblin's sword, the thing was far too short.

I glanced around for anything else, but nothing looked usable. The other swords were in similar shape, and the gloves were far too small for my hands.

"What a waste of time. Let's go."

"Kkiik! Goblin, coming!"

Dobby scrambled after my long strides. The sight of it waddling along with its arms tied together was honestly funny.

As I walked, I ran a quick review of the last fight through my head. My physical abilities were improving little by little—this time, I'd even been able to see the goblin warrior's movements. My reaction speed had quickened, and my strength had grown.

Huh?

Come to think of it, how had I dodged that very first time? When I first neared the trap, when the ambush came bursting out of the darkness—I had sensed it in advance.

A sudden creeping of gooseflesh, a cold shiver down the spine. Nothing I could perceive with any of my five senses, and yet I knew. Was this what people called a sixth sense?

An ability born when my talent bloomed? It felt a little odd, but whatever it was, it was a good thing. Think positive—that sixth sense was what had kept me alive.

"Kkiik! Ahead! Trap!"

At Dobby's cry, I stopped my striding foot dead in midair.

A trap?

"How would you know that?"

"Kkiik! Goblin, darkness! Can see!"

"You can see traps?"

Traps had definitely sprung in well-lit stretches too, but they had never been visible to the eye. The floor had looked no different from any other.

"Kkiik! See something!"

So they simply hadn't bothered crafting the traps hidden in darkness? Well, no matter.

"From now on, if there's an enemy or a trap in the dark, you tell me."

"Kkiik! Goblin! Tell if enemy!"

"Try not telling me, and you die on the spot."

"Kkiik! Understood!"

Still, I couldn't afford to relax, warnings or not. If a goblin was lurking in the shadows, Dobby might just stay quiet. One careless step and it was an express ticket to the afterlife.

"Dobby, drop back for a minute."

Just because I knew where the trap was didn't mean I planned to sidestep it. Every evasion made me a fraction faster. What I could do, I had to do.

We had been walking for nearly two and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a half hours. Slowly, hunger and thirst had begun to gnaw at me—but this damned corridor offered nothing to eat and nothing to drink. All I could do was press on, empty-bellied and parched.

I had evaded every trap that appeared, and fought twice. And Dobby, contrary to all my expectations, had called out the positions of enemies hiding in the darkness. I revised its rating from "utterly untrustworthy" to "vaguely dependable."

And I was handling the goblins far more easily than before. Separate from my improving body, I was growing accustomed to combat itself. I could feel myself getting stronger with every fight. Mm, truly the Hope of Earth.

Ha Heijeong hadn't said that for nothing. Following her advice and choosing a melee weapon had been the right call.

Hm?

Walking lost in thought, I began to make out the end of the path. Set into the dead-end wall stood an enormous wooden door. Two torches wavered on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠either side of it, and a grotesque pattern had been carved across its surface—the kind of design you'd expect to find in a temple.

What was that called again? A mandala?

I edged carefully up to the door. Dobby trailed behind me, barely daring to breathe.

A dry, toneless voice sounded along with the message. Roughly eleven hours had passed since I entered Floor 1. Eleven hours in, and I had reached the boss room.

"Dobby, you know what's in there?"

"...Kkiik! Goblin! No know!"

That beat of silence before it answered struck me as oddly suspicious.

"Really? If I catch you lying, your hands and head go flying."

"Kkiik! No know!"

Dobby shook its head with a resolute expression, its bald scalp gleaming in the reflected torchlight. Mm. I couldn't tell whether it was being truthful. And in fairness, even if it did tell me, I'd learn nothing for certain until I'd clashed with whatever waited inside. It had behaved so far—but it could still turn around and deceive me at any moment.

Let's go, then. Just go and see. I'd made it this far in one piece.

"Yes."