After the Goblin Onslaught
Raon and Lilia, who had barely held off the onrushing goblins, along with the mysterious man whose identity they didn't know, stared blankly at Dorne rampaging ahead. Wielding his club and one-handed sword, Dorne was splattering goblin blood and flesh in every direction. In the midst of slaughtering nearly all those goblins, he suddenly stopped, leaving just one alive, his upper body rocking back and forth.
Huff, heave! Haaah, heave! Haaaaah, haaah! Huff!
Gasping for breath, Dorne couldn't control his breathing and collapsed backward. His hyperventilation made it look like his torso was shaking.
"Dorne hyung!"
Raon shot forward like an arrow to help him, but Lilia, who had been about to do the same, noticed only one goblin remained and glanced at the nameless man. The man shot a glare at Lilia as she stealthily backed away and raised her spear, then let out a small groan and slid down the wall, collapsing onto his butt. Lilia's round ears twitched as she checked him over—he was a mess, scratched up by goblin claws.
Raon swiftly finished off the last goblin Dorne had missed and headed toward Dorne, who lay sprawled with his head pillowed on the bleeding goblin corpse.
"Hyungnim! Party leader! Are you okay?"
"Breath... huff, heave! Haaa... breath."
Raon understood that Dorne was just out of breath and relaxed. He wiped the blood and gore from Dorne's face with his own clothes. Every inhale and exhale sent droplets of goblin blood spraying from Dorne's nostrils, leaving red streaks that Raon cleaned away. Dorne was satisfied to have those annoying flecks gone.
As his breathing steadied enough to move a little, Lilia came running with the Layer 1 potion she'd desperately protected. Goblin corpses lay everywhere, bleeding, so she hopped nimbly over them to avoid twisting her ankle.
Seeing Lilia with the potion, Raon helped Dorne to his feet and slung one of his arms over his shoulder to support him.
"Lilia noona. We can't use the potion here—let's head to where the bags are."
"Got it. I'll help carry him too."
While the two focused on supporting Dorne, he eyed the nameless man who had drawn the goblins. His leg, gashed by goblin claws and oozing blood, was submerged in a puddle of goblin blood, and he only let out faint groans. Their shadowed eyes seemed to meet.
Dorne didn't voice the obvious—that the man was in critical condition and needed treatment first if they planned to save him.
Meanwhile, Raon and Lilia laid Dorne on a blood-free patch of floor, lifted his torn padded armor to check wounds, and cut his pants below the thighs to expose the injuries.
Dorne, his breathing steadier now, spoke to Raon, who alternated between staring at the wounds and the potion.
"Raon. Dip your fingers in the potion jar and smear it on my wounds."
Dorne's injuries were numerous, and the potion looked insufficient. As Raon removed his gloves and reached for it, Dorne hurriedly stopped him.
"No, wait! First wash my wounds and your hands with water from the skin."
Lilia dashed off and returned with the waterskin. Dorne leaned against the wall. He poured the water hoping it would cover as much area as possible. The stream over his solar plexus washed away his blood and invisible germs. Maybe it was fortunate they'd faced this on entry night. If it'd been day three or four, even after killing the goblins, infection would've killed him without potions or waterskins.
They used several skins to flush deep into the wounds. With Dorne's nod of approval, Raon washed his hands and shuttled potion between his fingers and the injuries.
Ugh... Dorne gritted his teeth against the pain.
"Raon, you bastard... don't rub it—just dab and spread!"
"Y-yes, sir!"
The potion-smeared wounds began to heal faintly. Lilia bit her lower lip, eyeing the treated spots, the untreated ones, and the remaining potion, then pulled another from her bag. Dorne glimpsed it—a Layer 3 potion, not Layer 1.
"Raon, use this one after that runs out."
Raon, oblivious to the subtle difference, just nodded.
"Lilia. How many layers is that potion? Doesn't look like Layer 1."
"It's Layer 3. Dad said I can't die in the labyrinth."
"Thanks, Lilia. Should I reimburse from party funds?"
"What money? I just saved my own life! It wasn't even my money anyway, and Dorne oppa did more than any potion. Anyway... call it even."
"Alright."
Dorne smiled, watching his wounds knit. He couldn't feel it, but visually, they were closing. Lilia pinched and gathered flesh around a deeper cut, making it seal easily.
Treatment done, Lilia offered the leftover potion.
"Drink the rest, just in case."
"You two aren't hurt?"
"We've got two more Layer 1 potions."
"Thanks."
Dorne decided to reimburse the Layer 1 ones from party funds. Dressed in a hole-riddled top and cutoff hot pants, he approached the motionless man, checking under his nose. The man who'd been groaning moments ago had stopped breathing.
If Dorne had coolly directed his party like when waking from sleep, this man might've lived.
But... go that far? I'm not Jesus.
To plain old 'person' Dorne, it was Me? Right now? Why? He wasn't Jesus, Buddha, Confucius, or Socrates—just Dorne. He had no duty to risk his life for the man who'd brought the massive goblin wave.
But he wouldn't ignore that he'd indirectly killed someone. He'd face the slaughter he'd done and would do, without mentally fleeing. That was Dorne—not overestimating himself.
...That aside, time to check his pockets.
After tending to themselves atop the goblin wave's remnants, Dorne's party gathered their bags and lanterns.
"Two options."
Raon and Lilia focused silently on Dorne, who seemed a bit rushed.
"First: head the way the wave came. Pros—we can loot gear from explorers they killed, unlike us. Cons—no guarantee of an exit portal. But we might replenish our used-up waterskins."
Dorne eyed the one-handed sword from the goblins and the one from the wave-herder.
"Second: opposite direction. Pros—higher chance of exit portal. The wave's path won't have one, so reverse might. Your thoughts?"
Lilia spoke first after pondering.
"I say follow the wave. We're exhausted, sleep-deprived, but we've got losses to recover. We killed 32 goblins—way fewer than normal exploration. But we burned through tons of supplies."
She eyed Raon, who looked blank.
"So, leaving now is a huge loss!"
"Ah, can't take a loss."
Raon nodded at her gaze.
"Right. Let's backtrack the wave and farm now—other explorers might beat us. Hurry."
Dorne slung the two one-handed swords on his bag and strode forward, lantern leading.
Dorne tracked goblin claw marks at the intersection and thought.
Iron Muscle is great, but sucks I can't sustain long runs.
On Earth, it was common sense: humans' unbeatable edge over beasts was endurance. Now Dorne had lost one human advantage for a beastly strength.
Fine—as long as he fought well.
After passing the intersection and walking awhile, they spotted 'fallen explorer' traces they'd sought. This group had been camping when hit. One died fleeing a bit; two slain in sleep. Too close to the next corner caused it—the wave rounded it before they saw, and the watch slacked or something, response too slow.
Feeling a twinge of unease, the three rifled the explorers' gear. Decent padded armor, spare pants, intact weapons and shield, unbroken lantern despite goblin trampling, a few Layer 1 potions, full waterskins... Magic stone pouch was empty. Comparing waterskins and stones, they'd been hit first night too.
Dorne swapped pants and donned fresh padded armor. Raon and Lilia ditched blankets, mystery statues, broken lanterns—packing valuables by weight/value into one explorer bag.
Gathering it all, Dorne's party huddled and chewed jerky.
"Given our goblin count, at best one more victim group."
32 goblins meant the fleeing man faced about 10 packs—so explorers maybe 2 or fewer. More explorers would've meant Dorne encountering them solo.
After looting one group, paths forked four ways. Bright lantern light poured from the right, wall-shadowed—blinding compared to their dim glow.
Dorne halted, whispered to snuff all lanterns and hug the wall.
The bright party's vanguard aimed his lantern at them, stopping mid-intersection.
Ugh! Dorne squinted, arm over eyes against the glare.
"You there! Why hide? Not heading to Layer 2?"
A gravelly voice asked. Backlit, but sounded like a sturdy warrior.
"Wait! Just go. We're not going to Layer 2!"
"...Dorne?"
"...? Who're you?"
"Wahaha! Formed a party for Layer 2? Smart move!"
The bright party's leader: Kerolf's group from East Labyrinth City.
"Kerolf! Enough—long road ahead."
"Yeah! Got it, going now!... Dorne. Return safe. Two corners our way—exit portal. Note that!"
A staff-wielding woman yelled; Kerolf dashed back mid-intersection mid-chat.
"Thanks, Kerolf!"
Kerolf waved without looking, running to the tall warrior's side.
After Kerolf's party left, Dorne's relit lanterns and departed.
"Cool."
"Yeah... cool."
The mixed-class party stirred the men's hearts. To Dorne, like Beginner Forge Inn.
Lilia asked flatly.
"We heading out now?"
Dorne pondered, shining lantern right—Kerolf's path.
"Yeah. No need ignore a found exit."
This was Dorne's status window via 【Self-Contemplation】. Even stamina, boosted max by Iron Muscle, was bottomed out.