Assault on the Goblin Village
The goblin village came under attack from three explorers who had brutishly smashed through the wooden palisade. Over a dozen goblins had already lost their fighting strength, and a few more had plummeted from high places to their deaths. Yet the shaman's followers were still numerous—ordinary goblins to match those already felled, more than ten warriors and archers, and even two goblin wolf riders out on patrol. Those wolf riders had been personally paired by the shaman himself.
As the goblin shaman conjured another fireball, Lilia hurled a wooden spear once wielded by the goblin warriors. Two shield-bearing warriors stepped in front of the shaman, blocking the thrown spear.
"Spread out first!"
With that shout, Dorne veered left to widen the angle and charged the goblin horde. Raon and Lilia kept a suitable distance, prodding at the goblins. Though larger than a mere goblin wave, the goblin village's formidable cohesion under the shaman actually worked in Dorne's party's favor. Unlike feral wild goblins, the shaman's minions prioritized protecting their master over aggressive attacks.
Had they leveraged their numerical superiority to encircle Dorne's party, things would have gotten dicey—clumping together risked all three in the fireball's blast radius, while scattering left their backs exposed.
The shaman's aggro was locked on Dorne. He kept an eye on the shaman, gauging when the fireball would finish forming, and moved swiftly. Sweeping powerful sword strikes left and right to clear goblins, he sacrificed some of his padded armor to snatch a goblin warrior's shield. No advanced martial technique needed—just grab the shield the warrior thrust forward and yank it away with brute force. The goblin flailed in panic, like a man caught with his pants down.
The incoming fireball looked even larger than before.
Dorne didn't use the stolen shield to protect himself—he hurled it at the fireball.
Crackle, crackle...!
As expected, Dorne successfully intercepted the fireball. He'd planned to roll aside if the shield failed, so he straightened from his awkward crouch. Switching his one-handed sword to his left hand, he snapped off the goblin warrior's remaining axe like breaking a child's arm. Enduring the goblins' claws raking his padded armor, he stripped weapons from every armed warrior in reach and flung them at the shaman. The shaman couldn't even start casting the next fireball, forced to dodge the incoming barrage.
Weapons hurled with Dorne's strength overwhelmed even the guarding warriors. Disarmed goblin warriors backed away as if confronting something incomprehensible.
Without the warriors' pressure, the frontline fodder goblins fell to Dorne's one-handed sword. He swung a goblin's sword in his left hand, but when it merely cracked bones instead of slicing flesh, he gripped it by the blade and bashed their skulls with the hilt. Even then, his leather-gloved hands took no damage.
Ignorant goblins charged the seemingly mad Dorne—lucky ones clawed his padded armor once before their heads caved in and they died; the disarmed warriors retreated in horror.
As one guard warrior's attention was drawn by Dorne's antics, Lilia's thrown spear flew true. It struck the shaman in the left neck, dropping him.
With nothing left to protect, the goblins didn't charge like wild ones—they panicked and were easily slaughtered by Dorne's party.
By the time Dorne finished off the shaman's guards and raised his sword for the killing blow on the blood-coughing shaman...
A wolf, like an ownerless stray, bit at Dorne's pant leg. Its eyes brimmed with fear and tears. The shaman commanded such loyalty it sparked envy. Dorne's sword tip pierced the wolf's skull.
Wolf loyalty? Earth's culture of calling dogs "family pets"? Bullshit.
I've always believed dogs should be raised as dogs.
Dorne finished off the shaman too, and the party began cleanup. Scratched up here and there, Dorne rinsed his wounds thoroughly with his waterskin and applied potion. Once first aid was done, all three harvested magic stones. The battle's scale was massive—a wolf yielded a Layer 1 goblin-sized stone, the shaman one twice a hobgoblin's.
Dorne recalled a Labyrinth Guild board post requesting a shaman's staff... and carefully pocketed it.
With magic stones harvested, the party gathered their loot.
"Let's exit via that portal. We've done enough this expedition. Preserved rations and water are iffy."
"Agreed."
"Me too."
They found an exit portal in a clearing—behind the shaman's carefully built hut.
"Alright. Bags on. Hands together."
Gripping hands firmly, Dorne's party touched the exit portal.
[Iron Muscle] [Iron Bone]
Fresh air, felt only in open spaces, brushed Dorne's hair (reeking of goblin shit). On the cusp of completing 【Iron Man】, he felt like a kid counting down to Christmas. Ignoring the tempting [Iron Bone], he casually selected [Iron Skin]. The pattern spread puzzle-piece perfect near his torso's [Iron Muscle] and [Iron Bone]. Closing his eyes, he sensed his entire skin transforming—chest, back, face. It didn't stop there: nails, toenails, even hair. (Surprisingly, nails and hair count as skin.)
Iron Skin went beyond toughening skin against goblin claws—it enhanced resistance to all external influences. In short, newfound resilience to outside forces. Nails, being skin, strengthened dramatically, boosting grip strength exponentially. Hair... well, no baldness, probably.
As 【Iron Skin】's complex effects wrapped up, [Iron Muscle], [Iron Bone], and [Iron Skin] intertwined every tissue, evolving to a higher plane.
【Iron Man】
【Iron Man】 Complete
Permanent body reinforcement: muscles, bones, skin.
Raon and Lilia clutched their heaving chests in joy. Dorne headed to the guild with the magic stone pouch and shaman's staff; Raon and Lilia sent the labyrinth thieves' looted gear ahead via cart. They'd sell it and check their abilities at the temple en route back. Dorne had no need—【Iron Man】 was already his.
He felt his increased weight pressing on his soles. Knees take about four times body weight when walking or running, but his iron-reinforced bones, ligaments, tendons, and muscles felt utterly secure. 【Iron Man】 was real, tangible.
Dorne's party wrapped up post-labyrinth formalities and gathered in their Beginner Forge Inn room. The grimy ordeal washed away, leaving them refreshed. Dorne asked first about new abilities.
"Mine slotted perfectly with what I had, so obviously 【Iron Skin】. What'd you two get?"
"We both got 【Endurance Enhancement】."
"Perfect material for 【Fighting Spirit】 without hiccups."
Occasionally, explorers botched combo abilities midway and derailed their careers with mismatched ones.
"I completed 【Iron Man】 this time. So, what if I dip into party funds a bit? Thoughts?"
They pooled funds without splitting personal shares yet—fully committed to deep labyrinth runs, reinvesting every coin into expeditions, no luxuries. Dorne's lingering Earth sensibilities: workplace injury? Workers' comp. Tools? Company expense. Potions, rations, gear—all party funds. Settling urban stays per person was a hassle. He and Raon shared a room anyway, no spendthrifts, tricky to divvy fairly... Pointless busywork. Pooling let them buy gear no single share could afford, boosting party power fast.
Market-savvy Lilia asked, "What gear?"
"My strength and weight hit the limit for edged weapons. Thinking full-iron hammer and shield."
"Mm, I agree. Using funds to level up fast is smart, and after that fireball wrecked the shield... yeah, good call."
Lilia stroked her chin. "Our power works on Layer 3 now, and our quick ability gains come from aggressive strategy... Anyway, I'm for it!"
She whipped her head to Raon, who flinched. "Uh, yeah... me too!"
"Cool. Long-hafted iron hammer and round shield—how much?"
"Around 2 gold each, I'd say."
"Four gold on my gear leaves about 3. Grab a Layer 3 potion, scout for Layer 2 guide with the rest."
"Hold potion, scout first. We don't need Layer 3 strength till we go there."
"Fair. Rest up, move tomorrow morning."
They tore into roast chicken, shedding expedition fatigue.
Next day, the party headed to the smithy together. Lilia for prices, Raon because leaving him alone felt off. Opening the door amid hammering revealed weapons lining the walls.
"Welcome."
A greeter near the entrance spoke up.
"Hi. Looking at solid-iron hammer and shield."
"This way."
The hammerer—sweatless, because a magic tool swung the hammer—made cheap weapons make sense.
"Budget?"
"Around 4 gold total."
"Recommend these. Special alloy, tougher than plain iron. Shield and hammer together: 4 gold 10 silver. Pay now, make it 4 flat."
Lilia nodded; Dorne took the shield and hammer, testing swings. The slanted shield's leather-wrapped grip felt perfect; the upper-body-length haft ended in a fist-sized head, ideal for swinging. The alloy gleamed silver.
"We'll take 'em."
"No regrets."