Swarm of Goblins
Dorne easily sliced open the goblin's chest with his powerful strength and the dagger's honed edge.
"Anyone got an extra pouch for magic stones? Mine's full of coin right now."
Raon rummaged through his bag for a moment and held out an empty pouch.
"Five goblins should be about 2 silver and 50 copper."
Lilia, who knew the market rates, shrugged indifferently, while Raon nodded. He mentally converted the five goblins into two stews. Back home, he'd only ever farmed, but now he was using his head to calculate his share—his mind felt heated from the effort.
"Goblins usually lurk around corners. They set traps smeared with their shit and wait for explorers to step in. This time, they were right around the bend, so we dove into combat in a rush, but sometimes they're far off, giving you plenty of time to prepare."
Dorne wiped the blood from his dagger, sheathed it in its leather scabbard, and stowed it in his bag. Raon and Lilia, having packed up and grabbed their lanterns, approached while scanning the floor ahead.
Dorne slung his bag over his shoulder and picked up the shield leaning against his leg with his left hand.
"One more corner, then let's rest a bit. First fight in the labyrinth—you all did great."
The three followed Dorne around the corner. The goblin-shit trap was before it, but they checked meticulously even after turning. Dorne's party pooled their bags and sat leaning against the wall. Raon and Lilia settled side by side to Dorne's right.
"How was your first fight? Lilia, you start."
"Eh, whatever. I was in the back, and I've seen goblins plenty."
Lilia had traveled with her guildmaster father on merchant caravans, so encountering monsters wasn't anything new. Raon hugged his knees, paused for a beat, then spoke up.
"It's not my first time either, but... it wasn't as easy as I thought."
Dorne swept his gaze over the lanterns illuminating the labyrinth passage from both sides and found the situation amusing. Here he was, party leader, guiding two rookie explorers... Was it just because he'd entered a few days earlier? The difference of one useful Supernatural Ability? Or maybe because he was reincarnated and way older in total years? It was one-sided now, but he believed they'd become reliable comrades to watch his back by floors 2 and 3.
When his mind grew restless, physical exertion helped. He caught his breath and set out for the next fight.
After a few more battles, Raon's face looked more at ease. Maybe he'd gained confidence, or gotten used to killing, or actually improved at fighting—now he could handle a single goblin solo without issue. At this rate, Dorne's party could clear goblin packs on floor 1 without variables.
Even after acquiring Iron Muscle, Dorne would've had to circle back, stay vigilant against encirclement to face five goblins like before. Numbers really are everything. (There's a saying that no one beats a mob.)
Just holding them off guaranteed no loss.
"Feels like it's late evening outside—wanna do one more fight then bed down?"
"Sounds good to me."
"Me too."
With party agreement, Dorne shone his lantern down the three-way intersection.
-Kerruk!
-Kerruk kerruk!
Goblins barked from both sides. Peering with the lantern light, there were at least ten.
"Run back! Ten-plus goblins!"
Raon and Lilia grabbed their gear and bolted in a panic. Dorne, catching up, panted.
"Retreat... as far... as possible before fighting. Whew. Close... by for sleeping. Whew. So the blood... won't smell. Whew..."
The goblins rounded the corner in pursuit; Dorne's group ran at a measured pace. They were moving to fight, after all—no point outrunning them.
"Now—fight!"
Confirming a suitable distance, Dorne ordered his party. They shed bags, set lanterns facing the direction, and placed them on the floor. Lilia set hers down last, raised her spear, and joined.
"Focus on pushing them back! Raon! Lilia, spear when we can't hold—aim for necks!"
"Got it!"
"Yeah!"
The ten goblins slammed into Dorne's outstretched shield. The front two tumbled back; the next pair tripped and piled on. As Dorne, overbalanced by the force, steadied with a hand, two goblins slipped to Raon's side.
Raon shoved one with his firm shield grip, aiming his one-handed sword at the other without swinging. The shoved goblin withstood the momentum without falling; the other halted, wary of the blade tip.
Then Lilia's spear tip plunged into the blinded goblin's gut from behind the shield.
Raon finished the gutted goblin with a sword thrust to the neck, then thrust his shield at the one a step back. Dorne, recovered, bashed the piled second-row pair dead with his club.
Raon menaced with his sword tip, pushing; Dorne, freed up, smashed the goblin pinned under corpses.
-Thud!
Thud!
Five goblins left. Fight like the first battle.
Moments later, the remaining five met their scripted end. Raon and Lilia stabbed fallen goblins' necks for confirmation kills.
Lilia eyed the goblins Dorne had handled. Skulls smashed, brains spilling—no need to double-check those.
Dorne stowed club and shield, drew his dagger, and began gutting from the confirmed kills. His breathing hadn't fully steadied.
-Whew... whew...
Raon and Lilia cleaned their blades well. Raon pulled out a magic stone pouch; Lilia lit a lantern on goblin chests.
Gutting ten at once dulled the dagger midway through fat and blood; Dorne paused to wipe. Ten magic stones went into Raon's pouch—he tallied them as four stews.
"Good work today. With multiple people, we'll rotate watches to sleep."
He spoke, rounded the corner for a clean floor—then realized no way to time watches.
"Uh... anyone got a clock?"
The three widened eyes, shook heads.
"Hm... no choice. I'll take first watch, gauge roughly. Wake the next in about three hours. Second wakes third, then second sleeps again. Total nine hours rest. Sound good?"
With clocks, he'd plan tight; sans clocks, for labyrinth-newbies, he loosely maximized sleep. Party nodded innocently.
"Fine by me."
"Sounds okay."
Cunningly rigged first watch via rock-paper-scissors, Dorne grinned, pulling blankets. Lanterns clustered away from the trio, outward—one front, one back. Spare off beside watch. Blankets doubled on floor, lean wall. Stiff from fights, he loosened up, told second watch.
"Wake me at the right time, yeah, Raon?"
Raon, lost RPS for second, nodded.
"Yes. Thanks for today. Wake you then."
A farmer's sincere thanks.
"Dorne-hyung! Dorne-hyung! Wake up! Lilia, get up!"
Second watch Raon shook deep-sleeping Dorne. Dorne blinked puffy, bleary eyes, sat up.
"What's up? Something wrong?"
Lightning-struck blank Lilia's head popped up.
"Hyungnim. Shield and club here. Someone running. Chased by goblins!"
Raon lit their camp for prep, urged Dorne.
"One person. Lots of goblins! What do? Hurry!"
Turning to Raon's direction: panting man fleeing, goblin horde pursuing. In thought-time, horde neared—over twenty visible. Split-second hypotheticals raced Dorne's mind. No clean win intact; runner had lone one-hander; winless meant lucking escape portal or die; light-clad solo'd it'd be gone.
Dorne barked orders.
"Back to wall! Lanterns all directions! Lilia, bag-step for spear thrusts! Necks! Guard potion bag! My bag to him as shield! Move!"
Raon, Lilia scrambled aflame. Lilia propped Raon's bag wall-leaned for footing; Raon ringed lanterns round wall-bag. Dorne grabbed his bag, yelled at man.
"Hey! Stop running—fight with us! Lose anyway, we die!"
Man shoved at Dorne; Dorne yanked collar rough, placed before Lilia's perch, Raon's side.
"What the hell! Let go!"
"Lilia! Hold him from fleeing! Encircled by goblins, fight anyway! I'll dive, thin numbers!"
Man resisted fiercely—futile. One Iron Muscle holder, one bear beastkin. Power test: no strength ability.
Dorne shoved his bag as shield, stepped apart. Horde vanguard hit tense wall-bound Raon-Lilia; Dorne shield-first severed goblin wave mid.
Unsevered, even solid front risked goblin-over corpses like ramparts. Dorne parted waves he'd never allowed before, risking for faster, frequent kills. Club blurred overhead, felling; shield edge horizontal-slashed, not broad-blocked.
Swarming goblins clawed Dorne's padded armor, pants. Amid frenzy, spotted fallen explorer's one-hander: distant goblin wielded, stabbing sky rageful.
Dorne shield-swept hindering berserkers, clubbed sword-goblin. Dropped shield-hand, gripped one-hander.
-Whoosh! Whoosh! Hah! Whoosh!
Dorne heaved breaths, swung club and sword. First horizontal sweeps aimed multi-beheads—unfamiliar, misaligned edge failed clean cuts. Thereafter, stabbed goblin heads, torsos wildly. Goblin nails shredded padded armor, pants; blood pooled around.