18. Reject Party Defense
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Reject Party Defense
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“So, what’s the plan?”
Jeong Yoo-shin’s question was met with silence.
Regardless of goblin leaders or learning theories, the important thing was their next move.
“A short battle is manageable.”
“We may be stuck with negative imprints, but we were intermediate-rank explorers once. It would be pathetic to run away scared from the second level.”
Del and Ditto raised their voices. The mage and the dwarf remained silent.
“Einhorfer, what do you think? Idiots.”
“Let’s keep going. I’m fine.”
“Let’s at least collect some goblin ears. We need to earn money.”
Ditto said as he stood up.
The party diligently cut off goblin ears while surrounded by the stench of blood and burnt flesh.
There wasn’t much to salvage from the site of the fireball explosion, just chunks of charred flesh. However, there were quite a few ears near the rear, where Del and Ditto had been stationed.
“Ugh. This one’s still alive!”
Ditto recoiled in disgust from a twitching goblin.
“Seriously. It’s still alive with its mouth ripped open.”
Del said as he slowly approached it with his dagger.
“Look at this, barbarian. Your handiwork.”
Del called Jeong Yoo-shin over.
The goblin was gasping for breath and making strange gurgling sounds.
Jeong Yoo-shin looked down at it for a moment, then crushed its neck with his work boot.
Crunch.
Del looked askance at Jeong Yoo-shin’s casual action.
“Be honest. You’re not a newbie, are you? Were you an adventurer before?”
“What’s an adventurer? Is it different from an explorer?”
“They’re those kinds of guys. Annoying bastards.”
“He’s a barbarian. Of course, he’s good at fighting.”
Ditto interjected, and Del shrugged.
“Yeah, virgin or not, who cares. As long as he’s competent.”
“This barbarian is a virgin. Just so you know.”
Jeong Yoo-shin’s face flushed slightly at Ditto’s serious declaration.
“Let’s just collect the ears.”
“What? Your face is red. Are you embarrassed?”
Del chuckled.
“There are ears here too.”
Del recoiled at Jeong Yoo-shin’s rough handling of the corpse.
The three of them bickered as they collected the ears.
Excluding the goblins obliterated by the fireball, they gathered a total of thirty pairs of ears.
“There’s a rest area a little further ahead. Let’s camp there.”
Ditto took the lead, holding the torch.
Jeong Yoo-shin sheathed his arming sword and carried a club. He had cleaned the grease off his sword, but he took the club he picked up as a backup weapon, just in case.
As the battle dragged on, his form would deteriorate, and his weapon would become dull. A club, which he could swing wildly, would be useful. Plus, it was free.
They walked through the darkness and found a small cave.
There were no signs of other people.
Ditto peeked inside and gave them the all-clear signal.
They entered, unpacked their belongings, built a fire with the kindling they gathered, and hung a curtain over the entrance to block the light.
They sat around the fire and ate.
The menu was the same as always: jerky and biscuits.
He broke a hard biscuit in half, put it in his mouth, and let his saliva soften it first before chewing.
“How are we deciding the watch duty?”
“Kelton will cast an alarm spell. Just sleep.”
Del said, munching on nuts.
He managed to get a long, albeit light, sleep that night.
He woke up after about eight hours and packed his belongings up.
He extinguished the slowly burning fire and picked up a torch.
He felt stiff, but it was bearable.
Ditto led the way, torch in hand.
The party traveled for hours, navigating the darkness. But they couldn’t find any goblins.
They only encountered a few crude traps.
“This is strange.”
Ditto muttered.
“Where did all the goblins go?”
“Let’s rest for a bit. Is there a rest area nearby?”
Del said, glancing at Einhorfer. The dwarf was breathing heavily.
It wasn’t surprising that he was exhausted, considering his reduced stamina imprint, his heavy armor, and the massive great axe he carried.
Ditto scratched his chin, lost in thought.
“Hmm… it’s just a little further ahead. About ten minutes?”
“Okay. Einhorfer, hang in there a little longer.”
Del encouraged him.
“Ha… sorry.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Just then…
Ditto’s pointed ears twitched.
“Wait! Be quiet.”
Ditto lay down on the ground and pressed his ear to the floor. The others watched in silence.
“They’re coming!”
Ditto jumped up and shouted.
His face, illuminated by the torchlight, was as pale as a corpse.
“At least a hundred! They’re coming this way! Shit, we have to run!”
“Where to?!”
“To the rest area!”
“The rest area only has one entrance. We’ll be completely surrounded. Idiots.”
“If we’re attacked from both sides here, we’re done for! We’ll be overrun before your spells are even ready!”
“They’re coming!!”
Del shouted.
They could hear it now. A cacophony of footsteps and shouts echoing from the distance, far more than they had ever heard before.
“Run!”
Ditto screamed and ran forward. Jeong Yoo-shin and the others followed. They didn’t even have time to look for traps.
They ran as fast as they could, their helmets nearly flying off, but the roars from behind only grew louder.
Einhorfer suddenly collapsed.
“Gah… Ha… Go on without me.”
The dwarf gasped, barely able to speak.
“Hey! You midget!”
Del grabbed Einhorfer’s arm and tried to pull him up, but he wouldn’t budge.
“Damn it! We don’t have time! We have to go!”
Ditto’s face was filled with terror.
Jeong Yoo-shin quickly ran over and hoisted Einhorfer onto his back. The dwarf, true to his race, was heavy, like a lump of iron.
“Let’s go. Del, take his axe.”
“Okay! Thanks, Skar!”
Del expressed his gratitude.
“Sorry.”
Einhorfer mumbled.
“Don’t mention it.”
He ran as fast as he could, carrying Einhorfer on his back.
“Pant… Pant…”
He was out of breath. He felt like he was going to die from exhaustion, not from goblins.
‘I can’t run anymore.’
‘No, you can do this. Remember your first time in the labyrinth. This is nothing.’
‘Bullshit. I can’t. Are you going to die like an idiot helping others when you can’t even help yourself? Leave him.’
‘Do you think you’ll survive if you leave him? Just shut up and run.’
His mind was divided, arguing with itself.
He reached the entrance to the rest area just as his internal conflict reached its peak.
They all made it inside, Jeong Yoo-shin being the last.
He put the dwarf down and dropped his own belongings.
He was drenched in sweat, but he had no time to rest.
He grabbed his shield and club.
Kelton immediately moved to a corner and began chanting.
Del took the torch from Ditto, stuck it in the center of the rest area, took out all his spare arrows, and filled his quiver.
Ditto was still trembling. He clutched his loaded crossbow, but he seemed dazed.
“Ditto! Snap out of it!”
Del ran over, slapped Ditto, and shook him.
“Gah!”
‘What’s wrong with him? Wasn’t he an intermediate-rank explorer?’
He was speechless at the sight of Ditto frothing at the mouth, paralyzed by fear.
“Damn it! It’s the fear imprint! Why didn’t you tell us you had this?!”
“He had another negative imprint?”
“Yeah. But this one is worse. With this imprint, he loses his mind at the slightest hint of fear. It’s amazing that he didn’t just run off somewhere. Sigh.”
‘So that’s why they’re called a reject party.’
The sound of goblins screaming, running, and shouting grew closer.
“Kee kee kee.”
“Kill kill kill.”
Sinister laughter echoed from outside the cave. They were waiting outside.
A goblin peeked its head into the entrance.
Whoosh!
Del’s arrow struck the goblin between the eyes.
Thud.
It dropped dead.
Enraged roars erupted from outside the rest area.
Jeong Yoo-shin and Einhorfer stood near the entrance, slightly to the side to give Del a clear shot.
Jeong Yoo-shin was on the right.
Einhorfer was on the left.
The dwarf, his great axe resting on his shoulder, tensed, ready to strike down any approaching enemy.
Jeong Yoo-shin did the same, raising his shield and club.
They had to hold the entrance.
If the entrance fell, they were dead.
They had to hold out until Kelton finished his spell.
Thwack!
A goblin charged into the rest area.
Einhorfer’s axe, like a guillotine blade, cleaved it in two, splitting its skull and body.
Splatter!
Blood and guts splattered everywhere.
Another goblin charged in without hesitation.
Jeong Yoo-shin swung his club down.
Crack!
The goblin’s skull shattered, and brain matter splattered on his helmet.
Another goblin charged in before he could even raise his club again.
Whoosh!
Del’s arrow struck the goblin between the eyes.
Stepping over the fallen bodies, more goblins poured in.
Einhorfer swung his axe.
Jeong Yoo-shin swung his club.
Del shot his arrows.
The party’s attacks flowed seamlessly like a well-oiled machine.
He exhaled and inhaled, his breath caught in his throat, as he smashed another goblin’s head.
‘If we can keep this up…’
Perhaps they could overcome this crisis.
But disaster struck quickly.
Einhorfer’s axe missed. He had reached his limit.
Clang!
The axe struck the ground uselessly. A goblin threw itself at Einhorfer, knocking him to the ground. The dwarf and the goblin rolled across the floor.
“Damn it! Einhorfer!”
The goblin gained the upper hand. It pinned the exhausted dwarf and swung its rusty sword down. Einhorfer raised the handle of his axe to block the blow.
Jeong Yoo-shin couldn’t help the dwarf.
He had to deal with the endless stream of goblins pouring in.
He was on his own.
Crack!
He smashed the head of an incoming goblin.
“Shit!”
His club broke.
He threw the broken handle at a goblin’s face. The goblin clutched its eyes and stumbled. He stepped over the fallen goblin as more poured in.
He quickly drew his arming sword and thrust it into a goblin’s neck.
“Gurg!”
There was no time to check if it was dead. He quickly withdrew his sword and thrust it into the chest of the next goblin.
“Einhorfer!”
Del’s scream echoed within the rest area.
The goblin’s relentless attacks with its rusty sword had finally broken Einhorfer’s axe handle.
Del shot an arrow, piercing the head of the goblin on top of Einhorfer.
However, even that brief absence had been critical.
Two goblins slipped past Jeong Yoo-shin.
He tried to stop them, but three goblins were clinging to his shield as they tried to pull him down.
Another goblin, wielding a rusty long sword, thrust at him.
He released his shield and dodged the long sword.
He survived, but it was a bad move.
The goblins holding his shield tumbled to the ground.
He smashed a goblin’s head with his elbow and snatched a long sword.
“Ready! Get away from the entrance! Idiots!!”
“Wait a minute!”
He dropped his arming sword and gripped the rusty long sword with both hands.
A goblin wielding a mace charged at him.
Aiming for his heart.
He lunged forward, thrusting the long sword.
Pierce!!
He felt it through the hilt, the sensation of flesh tearing as he pierced the heart.
“Keeerk!!”
The long sword went through the goblin’s back.
“Haaaa!”
With a shout, he pushed forward with all his might, ignoring the clubs and maces striking his body.
He pushed the wave of goblins, forcing them back towards the entrance.
‘Got it.’
He released the long sword. The goblins, impaled like a skewer, struggled.
He kicked the hilt of the long sword, driving it deeper, and then stepped back.
“Fire!”
“[Fireball]”
A blazing fireball flew toward the goblins waiting outside the entrance.
Kaboom!!!
A wave of heat and a shockwave blasted through the rest area.
Jeong Yoo-shin covered his face and threw himself flat on the ground.
Torn flesh and horrific screams washed over him.
The magic continued.
“[Ice Wall]”
A massive wall of ice rose, blocking the entrance.
“[Light]”
A brilliant light filled the rest area, dispelling the madness of the darkness.
Jeong Yoo-shin stood up unsteadily.
They had bought themselves some time.
He looked around. Burnt and torn flesh was scattered everywhere.
But Einhorfer and Del seemed unharmed.
Del was tending to Einhorfer, and Ditto was huddled in a corner.
He clutched his crossbow, which was now empty.
‘At least he fired it.’
Jeong Yoo-shin approached Kelton. The mage had his sword unsheathed, and two goblin corpses lay at his feet.
“Thank you. You saved us.”
Jeong Yoo-shin expressed his gratitude, and Kelton nodded.
“We’ve bought ourselves some time. I need to rest for a bit. Idiots.”
“Alright.”
And then Kelton collapsed.
Thud.
Jeong Yoo-shin’s eyes widened.
A crossbow bolt was embedded in Kelton’s back.
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T/N - Dun Dun Dun!