12. Arrival at the Goblin Village for the Promotion Exam
CHAPTER 12: Promotion Exam
Elios stood before Ian's gaze, pretending to be calm, but in truth, cold sweat was pouring down his back. Ian. The parasite. The adventurer who'd at least been given the slightly softened nickname of "kept man." The man most despised and ignored by adventurers in Leventen—yet also the one they envied most. A mere Iron-rank, the lowest grade in the Adventurer's Guild, the kind most newbies outgrew to Bronze in just one or two years. And yet this guy had rotted away at the absolute bottom of Iron for three years....
But he exuded a pressure far greater than expected, bearing down on Elios relentlessly.
'Damn it, what the hell is this all about?'
He wanted nothing more than to cancel the contract right then and there, pay whatever massive penalty, and walk away. Unfortunately, that wasn't an option. First, there was the massive hit to their reputation from daring to break a contract with a noble. Second, scraping together the penalty fee afterward would be impossible. They were talking an amount his party would need to work nonstop for ten years straight to pay off. And earn it with their credit ruined among the nobles? 'Yeah, right, damn it.... Might be better to just die here.'
Maybe, if luck was on his side, he could subdue Ian without injury and avoid making enemies of the two Platinums? But that hope vanished the instant he spotted the small girl behind Ian, her expression ice-cold as she glared at them.
The third member of Ian's party, known by reputation and appearance alone—a prime candidate for Platinum rank.
'The Girl Fist King...!'
Sure, she was only one rank above Silver, but the gap between Silver and Gold was a wall far thicker than between Copper and Silver. And this was someone called the next Platinum. How had he not noticed until now? His mind went blank. Why the hell was she here? Then it hit him: she'd been traveling with them the whole time. And his employer, Rudy, had blurted out the one thing you never say to her the moment he arrived.
'Insane...'
There were plenty of rumors about the Girl Fist King, but the most famous was a single warning for anyone lucky enough to speak with her: No matter the situation, never call her a "brat" to her face. Ignore it, and you'd end up like "Tisris," the adventurer who'd stupidly muttered, "What? That little kid?"—now barely surviving on porridge and soup after his teeth shattered like glass. You could go ask him yourself.
'Fuck.... No wonder that bastard seemed so confident.'
The Girl Fist King had been right there behind him. That's when Dina's emotionless gaze flicked toward Elios. A chill ran through him, making his whole body shudder.
'...Should I just cancel the contract now?'
Penalty be damned—to hell with it, surviving beat dying. If he explained the situation, they might even get leniency. Hell, this was basically a natural disaster.... The guy had two Platinums backing him, plus another rumored Platinum right beside him. That's three Platinums! Touch Ian now, and all three would come crashing down.
Whether he knew Elios's inner turmoil or not, his fearless employer Rudy kept yapping from behind.
"What are you doing?! Elios! Make that arrogant bastard kneel before me right now!"
"J-Just wait a bit, young master. The situation isn't that simple."
"Grr...! You Silvers making excuses over one Iron-rank?!"
"Hoo...."
Do you think this shit coming out of your mouth is as easy as you make it sound...?
Elios's resolve grew heavier by the second.
"If you keep this up, I'll have to tell Father to reconsider the contract with you lot! I had no idea you'd be this pathetic."
Part of him wanted to rip the spoiled brat's mouth off right there. No damn spine on the punk, but he chased skirts like a dog in heat.
'Fucking gutter trash.'
Cursing Rudy inwardly, he looked back at Ian. Then at Dina beside him.
"...Haa."
With a sigh, he turned to his comrades behind him. The ones who'd followed him faithfully, his party members. They'd bickered plenty over long adventures, but there'd been fun times too.
"Boss... what do we do?"
"We're good. We follow you."
"Just give the order."
One was getting married soon. Another's kid had just been born last month. The other two said nothing, but they had their own circumstances.
'If the contract gets canceled...'
Their families would fall into poverty. Baron Jefferson was far wiser than his son Rudy, but that didn't mean he didn't love the boy. Sooner or later, it'd backfire on them—and lead to disaster.
'Better to...'
They'd be the egg smashing against the rock, but charging in was better. At least it'd prove they'd tried to fulfill the contract despite the impossible odds.
Elios turned with a grim face.
"...Let's go, guys."
Gods, just don't let us die.
As the standoff dragged on, Elios and his party—the Crow Brothers—slowly drew their weapons and advanced. Elios, leading the front, asked,
"...Do you really need to see blood?"
"Just take the pouch from him, no need for blood," I said, jerking my chin at Rudy. He glanced back, shook his head, and let out a deep sigh full of regret.
"He's got more backbone than I thought."
Shring—
Elios drew his sword. Looking not at me, but at Dina beside me, he said,
"One exchange, if you please."
Dina eyed them indifferently and asked,
"Yeonja, what shall we do?"
"Hmm...."
These guys didn't seem to want this either.... Thinking about it, Rudy was the real asshole here—yapping like he owned the place. What crime had these people committed? Sure, if I were weak, I'd be in a bad spot, but that didn't happen, so no need to dwell.
Just... yeah.
"Give 'em a light stomp."
"Understood."
Dina nodded with a bright smile and stepped forward. Spreading her five fingers wide, she said,
"Come at me. Considering you're far beneath me, I'll yield the first five strikes."
"Five.... Thank you."
As Elios voiced his gratitude, Dina settled into a relaxed stance—tension eased from her body. Yet it was flawless, without a single opening.
Elios and two comrades charged first, swinging at her arms and legs.
"Hah...!"
Fierce kiais rang out as blades targeted limbs in unison. Their coordination was seamless, honed from countless joint battles.
"Hoo...?"
But it was futile. Dina chuckled at the full-force assaults from men a head taller than her, dodging with subtle footwork that twisted her body this way and that. Then—thud, thud, thud—she lightly tapped their vital points with her fists.
"That's one forgiven."
Gulp.
"Th-Thank you."
Without a word, they swallowed hard in unison, trembling as they retreated.
"All together this time."
"R-Right."
Another linked assault followed. Dina evaded just as easily, tapping vitals—thud, thud—and counting.
"Two. Three. Four."
And the fifth.
"Five."
In that instant, afterimages scattered. Dina's form blurred like watered ink. The lingering afterimage walked slowly—then split into five, each pummeling an adventurer.
Fists hammered, knees drove upward—Dina's duplicates in motion.
"Guhk...! Ack!"
"Urk...!"
"Cough...!"
The final afterimage ended with a high kick straight to Elios's jaw. Then Dina stood casually behind them, hands clasped behind her back.
"Hm, not even a proper warm-up."
Behind her, the five adventurers crumpled like melting wax. It had ended before anyone could blink.
Bored, she pouted, twisting and stretching her limbs.
"How was that, Yeonja? Didst thou see well?"
"Yeah, good job, Dina."
"Then, that.... Canst thou do it again?"
"As many times as thou wish. Come hither."
Dina approached, blushing shyly. As she tilted her head up, I slowly stroked her hair.
"Heeheehee...."
The tiny girl who'd just dominated five men far larger than her beamed with joy at a simple head pat, as if that overwhelming display had never happened.
"Aww, good girl."
Yeah, that's our Dina. Solid as a rock.
Now for the rest.... I turned to Rudy, mouth agape in disbelief at the scene, staring dumbly. Specifically, to the magic pouch in his hand.
A palm-sized magic pouch holding thirty goblin ears? Must be enchanted with spatial expansion like a Dimensional Bag. New magic tools? Always welcome!