Chapter 202: Golden Goblins are the Worst Creatures
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 202: Golden Goblins are the Worst Creatures
‘Shit, absolute total shit.’
It was only after spewing curses in my head for a long while that my anger finally began to subside.
I mean, of all the times to trigger a teleportation trap, it had to be the exact moment I escaped?
Even thinking back on it now, it was so absurd I couldn't even bring myself to laugh.
To make matters worse, the place I’d been sent to was the very Ancient Ruins I had just broken out of.
The Labyrinth had shoved our party in here from the start, and now it was determined to grab me by the ankles and keep me from leaving.
In this succession of godawful events, I could clearly feel the Labyrinth’s foul, viscous malice.
This was just too much.
‘I know. One wrong move and I’m a goner.’
Maybe it would be different on the 5th floor, but in a stratum not under the Villainesses' control, using Intangibility or Astral Projection recklessly was a one-way ticket to the afterlife.
The Labyrinth was watching me.
the moment I stepped out of my body, it would likely try to seize my physical form, and if I used Intangibility, it would gleefully begin its assault.
‘You mean the Mana Eaters.’
Freya claimed that the only way for a mage to deal with a Mana Eater was to over-saturate them until their bellies burst.
According to Helena and Freya, Mana Eaters were eyeless monsters with torsos that only had front legs and massive maws capable of swallowing a human in a single bite.
These things drifted around in a semi-incorporeal state, possessing an uncanny ability to sniff out the scent of magical power or souls to attack their prey.
Since they reacted frantically to mana and were obsessed with devouring magic, they were incredibly dangerous if a party included a mage, a warlock, or any magic-oriented member.
If I were to summon Helena or call upon Freya right here, those things would probably come charging in a frenzy.
‘Understood. This really is the worst-case scenario.’
True to their name, Detectors were creatures specialized in long-range detection, with extremely developed noses and ears that allowed them to track targets through sound and smell.
Their physical abilities were exceptionally high, and they possessed unnaturally long claws that could tear a person apart if they were caught.
I hurried to pull a Scent Remover from my inventory and sprayed it over my body.
This would completely mask my scent for about an hour.
‘I’m starting to envy Yuria’s Ability.’
If I had Yuria’s scent-erasing power, I wouldn't have to worry about a Detector’s sense of smell at all.
Unfortunately, I had to keep reapplying this spray every hour.
‘I should. I need to regroup with the others as quickly as possible.’
The reason this situation was truly the worst was that my being stranded meant our party’s supply line was cut.
As the porter, I carried most of the luggage, which meant my teammates were now wandering the Labyrinth looking for me with their supplies severed.
If they found a Transfer Stone before finding me, they could escape, but if we kept missing each other, things would get very complicated.
‘Right. We accounted for situations like this. I just hope the others move according to what we agreed on.’
Ever since I first heard about teleportation traps, I had prepared for this exact scenario.
I had made sure everyone carried at least three days' worth of food, and we had finalized a plan that if we were ever separated, the priority was to find a Transfer Stone and escape immediately.
Instead of everyone dying while trying to find each other inside the Labyrinth, the rule was to get out if possible and request a rescue from the 5th floor.
The others were likely searching for a Transfer Stone right now rather than looking for me.
Getting out first to call for help was the easier way to save me.
‘I hope everyone is safe.’
‘I suppose so.’
However, with me gone, our party had lost its proper healer.
Ulysses could fill in for Helena as a mage, but Freya was our only healer.
‘I want to use a Teleportation Scroll... but I guess that’s a no-go?’
‘What a total dump of a place.’
I had one Teleportation Scroll, but of course, it was unusable in the Ancient Ruins.
I had to get out of here first, but since Map Creation wasn't working properly, I had to keep moving forward alone using the left-hand rule.
‘It’s wider than I imagined.’
‘The terrain is probably completely different from the past, right?’
True to its name, the Ancient Ruins were pointlessly grand.
I passed through rooms with countless pillars, spaces containing stone thrones that looked like royal seats, and chambers filled with rusted armaments.
“....”
Just as I was about to head back into the hallway after passing the room full of weapons, Helena told me to hide in a crate immediately.
It seemed a Detector was wandering nearby.
‘Got it.’
I held my breath as Helena instructed.
Detectors were insane monsters that could detect even the sound of breathing and the scent of a human’s breath if they were close, so I had to cover my nose and mouth while holding it in.
The only silver lining was that they were essentially the Labyrinth’s version of CCTV—monsters that didn't need sleep or rest—so they didn't linger in one place for long.
It would surely leave before I suffocated.
Creeeeak.
‘Holy shit!’
I was praying for it to just go away when the door slid open and a Detector stepped inside.
Through a crack in the crate where I was hiding, I could see the Detector passing right in front of me.
‘That thing looks disgusting.’
Its pitch-black torso was even more skeletal than I’d imagined, and it walked using its long arms like legs.
On its face were two holes that looked like nostrils, and where ears should have been, there were long, pipe-like tubes.
It seemed to use those to smell and hear. It had no eyes or mouth. Was it because it was literally a sentry of the ruins?
“Kieeeeeek!”
Since it had no mouth, it made a sound like a boiling kettle through its nose before turning around and heading back out.
‘Shit. My heart’s about to beat out of my chest.’
Honestly, I didn't think I’d lose if we fought.
The problem was that fighting that thing would draw every vicious monster in the vicinity, and if a Watcher was among them, that would be a real problem.
To be honest, even for me now, hunting a Watcher solo was a bit much.
To give you an idea of a Watcher’s power level, they were monsters that could slaughter the 5th-floor boss monsters alone and decapitate a Medusa without breaking a sweat.
The one summoned to the Labyrinth City last time had been beaten half to death by Moira, which was why I was able to stall for time at the risk of my life.
If I had to face a Watcher alone right now, it would be quite a struggle.
‘Of course, I’d still take it down eventually. But Watchers never travel alone.’
They were monsters that roamed in pairs or trios. That was one of the reasons why Watchers were so damn hard to kill.
They didn't wander around by themselves.
If you killed one Watcher? That meant you had to deal with one or two more.
I considered that impossible.
‘Why would I take such a difficult and painful path when my limbs would end up flying off?’
‘You just want to see blood. You think I don’t know?’
Freya just liked fighting.
As she said, I probably could hunker down and clear out the Ancient Ruins.
But the loss would be too great.
No, for once, let me get through a stroke of forced misfortune without any pain.
Every time I got screwed over until now, I either lost a limb or died—the ending was never good.
‘Seriously, when am I going to get out of here? I feel like I’ve been walking for hours.’
‘Ah! I have that potion that turns you into a mouse!’
I had that potion I got from Lafnel, didn't I?
If I turned into a mouse, wouldn't I be able to escape faster?
‘Ah.’
The side effect of becoming a furry.
I’d end up obsessed with beast-people.
‘I said I’m not! I haven't even drunk the potion yet.’
In a way, Freya and Helena were also furries.
No. Let’s stop these bad thoughts.
Somehow, just imagining this made me feel like I was losing my human dignity.
‘Accept what! Accept what! Are you crazy? No matter how much of a beast-fetishist I become, the idea of inserting into a dragon’s genitals is insane!’
Your jokes are terrifying, Lady Helena.
Still, thanks to that, the tension did ease a little.
Now I just needed to escape.
I walked for another hour and a half after that.
I displayed masterful evasive maneuvers, thoroughly avoiding the monsters.
However...
“Kiki.”
“.....”
Why on earth was there a Golden Goblin here?
To make matters worse, the bastard was grinning at me.
I didn't know what it was planning.
But I knew I had to kill it quickly—
“Kieeeeeeeeeee——!!”
In an instant, the Golden Goblin began screaming at the top of its lungs while thrashing against the walls and floor.
I could feel pure malice radiating from it.
A malice that said it didn't care what happened to itself as long as it could somehow kill the adventurer.
“Ah.”
BOOM—!!!
The wall exploded as a Detector burst through, and it immediately swiped at the rampaging Golden Goblin, tearing it apart.
The shredded remains of the goblin splattered everywhere, and the Detector began ruthlessly smashing everything around it while making its kettle-whistling sound.
The noise was deafening.
Monsters were going to swarm this place.
Freya’s scream and Helena’s panicked shout echoed.
The Golden Goblin had left a massive mess behind.
Monsters were converging from all directions.
A forced Ruins Defense had begun.
I summoned Freya and Helena.
If I wanted to live, I had to hold out.
Until no more monsters came.