First Blood in the Goblin Dungeon
As I drew the bow, "Uwaaah." My arm, gripped by Han Yeoreum, was yanked back. I let out a tiny scream, just loud enough for the person right next to me to hear. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, but the last shred of my pride held me back. Even in my previous life, I'd been a man with some guts. Screeching like a banshee just wasn't my style.
"Um, Sophia? Gyeowol seems really scared. Is it okay? I don't want to force her if she doesn't want to."
Han Yeoreum asked without letting go of my arm. Her grip was so tight, I couldn't tell if she was genuinely worried or just saying it.
"...This is quite the predicament."
"It's a dungeon, after all. Even adults get tense in places like this."
"True, but..."
Sophia stroked her chin, lost in thought. I tried to slip my arm free during the silence, but Han Yeoreum's strength was overwhelming—I couldn't budge.
"L-let go... please..."
A dimensional prison where once you enter, you can't leave until you find the clear condition. With my current skills, I had no idea if I could even clear it.
"Then let's do it this way."
"H-how...?"
"Kill one monster inside the dungeon, and I'll give you this bow."
Sophia held out the bow to me—the one that had pierced a horn rabbit's head in a single shot. I knew greedy people died fastest, but I couldn't help the temptation.
If I had a weapon, that would be great.
With that one bow, I could hunt more than ten horn rabbits a day. Sophia must have read my greed, because she made an even more enticing offer.
"...And for every monster you kill, I'll give you ten arrows."
"Arrows too...?"
"Yes."
Arrows. If slingshot pellets were pricier than the slingshot itself, arrows had to cost even more than the bow. After running the calculations in my head, I finally nodded.
"O-okay. But what's the clear condition here...?"
"Kill any one monster. That's the clear condition."
"...That's not as hard as I thought."
"The lower the dungeon level, the simpler the conditions."
Just one? With everyone's help, I could manage that. I decided to put in a little effort for that powerful weapon.
The gate. As I pushed my foot into the rippling portal, an entirely different world unfolded before my eyes.
"This is..."
A dense forest. They said the inside of a gate was a whole other world, and here was the proof—unfamiliar trees and plants surrounded us.
"Gyeowol, don't worry too much. Big sis is right here, okay?"
"Y-yes... okay..."
I stood right at the gate's edge, scanning the surroundings. In this green forest, monsters could burst out from anywhere—I couldn't predict it.
Frozen in slight fear, En Sia handed me the bow.
"Gyeowol, here's the bow."
"Ah, thank you."
I took the bow. Now it was time to fight for my life.
Hoo. After several deep breaths, Sophia patted my shoulder.
"When you're ready, take the lead."
"M-me...?"
"Yes. I'll make sure no enemy attack reaches you."
"O-okay..."
Sophia said it so confidently—any more hesitation would be ungrateful. After a couple more deep breaths, I started walking in one direction through the dungeon.
It's the Goblin Dungeon, right?
The surroundings were green. Goblins had green skin, so relying on sight wasn't smart. Of course, with my enhanced vision now, I could spot a goblin hiding in the forest, but to be safe, I focused on hearing.
If I concentrated on sound, I could hear ants crawling. No way I'd miss a bigger goblin's noises.
I perked up my ears and moved forward. Soon, I caught faint footsteps from far behind the bushes.
Thud, thud—
Two-legged steps. Light, like a child's. This had to be a goblin.
I urgently raised one hand and made a fist—a move I'd seen in a military movie from my past life.
"Found it..."
"Hm...?"
"Already?"
"Boss...! I don't see a thing...!"
Everyone murmured in surprise at my briefing. Maybe I was the best at spotting enemies here.
"Over there, footsteps from behind the trees. About... five hundred meters...?"
"No way. Gyeowol, you can hear that far?"
"Yes. If I focus, I can hear distant sounds."
"Whoa, your ears must be amazing."
My face burned at Han Yeoreum's praise. Embarrassed, I ducked my head, and En Sia approached.
"Impressive. I'm one of the better-hearing beastkin, but not like this..."
En Sia perked her large wolf ears. But hearing nothing, she just tilted her head.
Oh.
Was my tracking skill actually decent? Feeling a boost of confidence, I strode ahead boldly.
"I'll take the lead."
"Sure."
Leading the group, we reached a spot in the forest. Far off in a clearing, a single goblin was picking tree fruits.
"It's there."
"Yeah, think you can get it, Gyeowol?"
"Y-yes... I'll give it a shot..."
No reason to hesitate once I'd decided. I nocked an arrow without delay.
Creak—
I drew the string and aimed at the goblin. Targeting the head, the vital spot for any creature. The moment it raised its hand to pick a fruit.
Twang—!
The arrow shot out with a crisp whoosh. As always, its flight looked like slow motion, letting me watch the goblin's death clearly.
Splat—!
The long arrow embedded in the goblin's occiput. So deep that only the fletching stuck out.
"...!"
I took down that ferocious goblin! Too shocked, I tilted my head back to look up at Han Yeoreum. She smiled with her eyes and patted my shoulder.
"Impressive."
"Indeed, your marksmanship is no joke."
"I-it's from practicing with a slingshot since way back..."
The praise embarrassed me, but it didn't feel bad. I let my tail swish freely and gave an awkward smile. The dungeon that started with anxiety might end on a high note.
That day, I killed a whopping ten goblins in the dungeon. Buoyed by confidence, I wanted more, but at Han Yeoreum's call to stop, I exited without hesitation. No reason to ignore advice from such a skilled adventurer.
"We're not getting the boss, right?"
"Yeah. Killing the boss closes the gate. Sometimes we leave them in low-level dungeons like this."
"Ah..."
To steadily farm manastones and train newbies like me. I felt awe at how people even turned disasters into opportunities.
Am I a proper adventurer now?
Before heading back to the tent, I glanced at the gate one last time. Han Yeoreum took my hand.
"Ready to go home?"
"Y-yes..."
Thus, I returned to the tent with ten goblin manastones. Even splitting two per person, that was 40,000 won. My ears and tail shot up at the huge sum.
"Gasp."
Me, earning 40,000 won in a day. Plus, Sophia gave me a hundred arrows. If I kept this up, my life would improve. Unable to resist, I grabbed the bow and arrows.
"Why are you holding the bow again?"
"To practice shooting."
"...Aim only toward the tent so you don't hit anyone."
"Got it."
I set a box by the tent and placed an empty can on top. Good enough target. No people passed behind, so I could shoot freely. Perking my ears to confirm no footsteps, I fired at the can without hesitation.
Twang—!
The fast arrow flew toward the can. With my skill, it'd hit 100%. I followed its path confidently, but it pierced right past the can into the tent.
Crash—!
Something shattered inside the tent. But the arrow didn't stop—it burst through and splintered a nearby branch. The branch holding the tent's support rope.
One side of the tent collapsed. Nearby glass bottles fell to the dirt.
Crash—!
Thankfully not all broke, but a couple hit rocks and shattered.
"Huh...?"
My perfect accuracy? Why'd I miss a close can? The shocking sight left me blinking in stunned silence.
"Aigoo, you've caused an accident."
Sophia sighed and approached. I still couldn't move, torn between the collapsed tent and my sudden inaccuracy. No clue where to start.