Iron Muscle Awakens
Dorne sensed the crisis of the fleeing goblins returning and left his bag and lantern behind as he positioned himself right up against the left side of the path leading to the clearing. Five goblins came charging in.
Ha, shit. What do I do? That's a lot. No way I can avoid getting hurt.
After a moment's thought, Dorne spun around and reversed the lantern's direction.
Better to smack them one by one with the club while falling back. It'll backlight me, but that's preferable to getting surrounded by five goblins.
Dorne half-turned into a stance optimized for retreating and raised his shield toward the goblin pack. Fortunately, the goblins ignored the bag and lantern, rushing straight at him. If they had any brains, they would've kicked the lantern first.
-Keruk!
-Kek!
As the nearest goblin slowed and slashed with its claws, Dorne blocked with his shield and retreated step by step. He angled to prevent the goblin from targeting any gaps in his defense.
-Thud! ...Crack, thud!
As he fell back, he swung his club sideways whenever an opening appeared. Swinging laterally inevitably left his shield arm exposed, a risk he had to take—but with so many goblins, vertical swings risked missing entirely, which was far more dangerous. Even if it didn't take one out of the fight completely, landing hits was key. He compensated for the shield's absence by not pulling the club back immediately, instead prodding and shoving the goblins with its tip.
-Crack, thud! Crack...
By walking backward, occasionally jumping, swinging the club repeatedly to block blind spots, bashing with the shield's rim, and pushing with the club's end, two goblins tumbled and flailed. Seizing the moment, Dorne thrust his shield into the thinnest part of their formation and broke through. To tuck his upper body fully behind the shield during the breach, he bowed his head low and hunched his shoulders.
-Thud! Thud!
Breaking through, he conveniently bashed the heads of the two downed goblins to keep them from rising, then turned. Now the goblins faced the backlight. They wouldn't discern his panicked expression, subtle movements, or next actions. Plus, with their low vantage point compared to Dorne, the lantern's glare affected them even more.
Dorne felt a rush of catharsis from turning the unfavorable odds and regripped his club. It was time to switch from defense to offense.
-Hoo... Hah!
The goblins, oblivious to their disadvantage, charged on. Dorne hugged the left wall, defending while kicking them down, shoving with his shield, and smashing with his club.
-Thud!
If a previously downed goblin rose and attacked, he blocked with the shield and brought the club down. Repeating this, all five goblins lay sprawled. Dorne, moving frantically like an office worker late for work, bashed their heads with the shield rim and club until the first one he'd dropped was thoroughly finished off. Only then did he relax.
As Dorne headed back to his bag near the clearing, he spotted the exit portal at the edge of his vision. A second clearing—and a second exit portal. Did these mainly spawn in clearings? It wasn't in the labyrinth manuals. This Layer 1 clearing had given him both trials and rewards.
Unable to tell day from night inside, Dorne luckily exited into the blazing midday sun. He squinted, furrowing his brow against the sunlight. The goblin blood's stench washed away, leaving a refreshing clarity.
The familiar status window floated up, now with an ability list above it.
Choose one:
【Iron Muscle】
【Slow Starter】
【Neural Overdrive】
Dorne calmed his surging excitement, much like when he'd first gained 【Self-Contemplation】, and moved to a secluded spot. Closing his eyes and focusing on each ability revealed their descriptions.
Iron Muscle referred to muscles, enhancing their function and durability like iron. It was the most appealing choice. The last fight against an overwhelming goblin pack had made immediate combat power boosts essential. The other options paled in comparison after careful review.
The common ability 【Slow Starter】 improved all stats proportional to time awake—but the gains were minor, and labyrinth exploration rarely followed plans, making it impractical. 【Neural Overdrive】 was a baffling trap ability. It sounded like faster reactions from the name, but the description revealed rapid muscle fatigue, frayed nerves, impatience, and rashness.
Thus, Dorne selected Iron Muscle from the three.
-Mm...
His chest skin burned hot. As the warrior-specialized 【Iron Muscle】 tattoo etched itself, Dorne felt his body transform. It surged through arms, legs, chest, back— even his heart strengthened. His muscles shifted from bundled silk threads to twisted iron wires. When the changes finished, he sensed his heart's steady beat. Its function had leaped forward; each pulse now circulated more blood efficiently, slowing the rhythm.
Jumping in place, he shot up like a volleyball player, then lost balance on landing as if shoved. A light hop yielded peak human athleticism. Stronger now, but he'd need time to adapt to the power.
Forgetting the status-confirmed fatigue, Dorne strode lightly toward the Labyrinth Guild.
At the bustling Labyrinth Guild, Dorne exchanged all but one magic stone for the lantern into cash, submitted his hometown ID from his birthplace, and swapped it for an explorer's badge. With his bag slimmed by devoured rations and water, he slung it forward to store the badge and tucked the coin pouch into an inner pocket of his padded armor. Recalling the Warrior Guild's location from the clerk, he exited.
Navigating the unfamiliar route, Dorne reached the Warrior Guild entrance and scanned around, mentally rehearsing the path again. As he'd learned on Earth, repetition aided memory.
The interior teemed more than the Labyrinth Guild. Groups chatted at the quest board; burly warriors laughed over simple snacks and beer at clustered tables. Smaller folk were likely staff.
Dorne approached an empty counter.
"Hello. I'm a newbie explorer looking for a Layer 1 party."
"Welcome! Do you have the explorer's badge from the Labyrinth Guild?"
Dorne pulled his bag forward, retrieved the badge, and handed it over.
"Here. How long does party matching usually take?"
The clerk noted his badge and filled out forms.
"Varies, but rarely over ten days. Tell me your preferred party size and traits; we'll match best we can. What gear? Any abilities?"
"Shield and club now. Ability is 【Iron Muscle】."
"Preferred party size? Any types to avoid?"
Dorne pondered briefly.
"Max five including me. Since we'll need to hire scouts for Layer 2 or 3 and split costs, I prefer ongoing members over one-offs."
The clerk jotted details and filed the form.
"Received, Dorne. We'll return your badge on the first party meetup. Stay out of the labyrinth until matched; check the board daily. If leaving town, notify us and take the badge."
"Got it."
Instead of leaving, Dorne browsed inside toward the board. Amid the crowd, postings mixed requests for monster byproducts, one-shot party fillers, inter-labyrinth carriage schedules, and matchup dates/times like his.
Dorne eyed a hobgoblin byproduct quest wistfully and exited. Cheap stew tempted him.
He headed to the Beginner Forge Inn.
Securing a room for his bag and gear, Dorne descended. Salivating as stew and roast chicken arrived.
Unlike his first delve, days in the labyrinth had him craving greasy, hot food. No rests or skirmish dodges—he'd soloed a typical Layer 1 party's total haul. Risky, but good results.
"Whoa... whoa... Hoo! Hoo!"
Steaming chicken wafted mouthwatering aroma. Gripping a leg, he tore meat; steam rose thicker amid shreds. Biting into the glossy, oily drumstick drew orders from stew-only patrons.
Oblivious to his slurping, Dorne devoured cleanly, then looked up. Savory umami and fullness straightened his back, hand on belly.
"Whoa... this is happiness."
Savoring, he felt his stomach churn oddly. It moved normally, but imperceptibly. Likely 【Iron Muscle】 affected viscera too, amplifying motions noticeably. Closing eyes in 【Self-Contemplation】, it confirmed.
Dorne felt gifted unexpectedly. Emptying bowls, he headed upstairs as fresh chicken served others.
Post-feast, Dorne showered clean at the communal bath and drank. (The source was a magic device producing water, potable.)
In simple attire on bed, eyes closed, he reviewed status and plans. Await guild matching: eat/sleep well. Adapt to 【Iron Muscle】: occasional workouts. Research combos at Warrior Guild books. Prep next delve: buy emergency potion, maintain gear, sharpen dagger.
He'd planned a one-handed sword. Soloing, clubs struggled. To disable a goblin required precise head stun or limb-bashing. A sword? Stab torso/throat roughly, hide behind shield; low blood volume meant bleed-out.
But now? With 【Iron Muscle】, club sufficed easily.
Drifting off with those thoughts.