Nest Exploration.

"Welcome."

I let the convenience store part-timer's greeting pass by my ears and briefly looked around the store.

So I got out of the Goblin's Nest safely, that's it, right? Maybe. For an ordinary person, that is.

But if there's someone I failed to rescue still inside that stinking, dark cave?

If I headed straight for the exit and missed someone in a spot hidden behind a fork in the tunnel?

If there was an unconscious survivor, and I passed right by without noticing?

Can I really turn my back on potential survivors?

I've cleared out several Goblin's Nests before. I know the habits of goblins. I know what ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to watch out for and how to handle things.

If I lived a life where I ignored people in danger just for my own comfort, I would never have been able to save the world once.

So.

"Ah, this is pretty good. But why is this here?"

I will go back into that Goblin's Nest.

After looking around for items suitable for exploring the Goblin's Nest, I bought a few things and left the convenience store.

Then, as I was about to re-enter the Gate...

"Hmm... there are police."

Several police officers were controlling the area around the Gate.

Well, it makes sense. People got swept away by a strange thing that suddenly appeared, so of course the police would show up.

Hmm. Looks like the police aren't going inside either... What should I do?

Force my way in? That's impossible. Right now, I'm just an out-of-shape high school girl. I don't have that kind of physical ability.

Of course, I could break through by reinforcing myself with mana, but that would cause problems later.

So, slip past the police and enter the Gate? Hmm. That seems difficult too. Maybe I could avoid the eyes of a few police, but I can't avoid the eyes of the onlookers around.

Someone would definitely spot me, and it would cause a commotion... Hmm. That's not possible either.

Just leave it to the police and go home? That's the simplest and easiest way... but if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that were possible, I wouldn't have come back from the convenience store with things.

Then... hmm... Ah. There's that.

I gripped the small magic stone in my pocket.

Even if only for a very short time, I could use the mana in this magic stone to cast... Stealth Magic.

Unlike Invisibility Magic, which consumes a lot of mana, this spell doesn't hide my appearance, but briefly removes me from others' perception.

It has a short duration and is easily nullified by those who can handle mana—a real albatross of a spell. But in a situation like this, it'll come in handy.

If I use my own mana to strengthen my physical abilities and use the magic stone's mana for Stealth Magic, I should be able to dash into the Gate without anyone perceiving me.

After that... well, I'll just lead the survivors out or wipe out all the goblins in the nest and slip away quietly.

So, using the mana from the magic stone to activate Stealth Magic, and simultaneously using my accumulated mana to enhance my physical abilities, I leaped into the Gate.

Once inside the Gate, the musty stench unique to a Goblin's Nest hits my nose.

I took out a mask from the plastic bag containing the things I bought at the convenience store and put it on.

Hmm. The mask cuts down on the musty smell, so it's a bit more bearable. Alright then. The Goblin's Nest. Time to start the search.

First, I needed light to illuminate the cave, so I took out the mini flashlight I bought at the convenience store. I can't rely on my smartphone's flashlight forever. The battery isn't infinite.

In my right hand, I gripped a plastic umbrella from the convenience store as a weapon. In my left hand, I held the plastic bag with other items and the mini flashlight together, and started walking.

The cave was narrow and dark, but with bright light, it felt easier. I had already cleared out most traps on my way out, so that helped too.

Ah, a three-way fork appeared. When I escaped the first time, I relied on my senses to head toward the exit, so I didn't pay attention to the other branches. But now, it's a different story.

I took out a glow stick from the plastic bag, snapped it to activate the light, and tossed it toward the path leading to the exit. If I mark the exit like this, even if there are other survivors, they should be able to escape easily.

But why was a glow stick like this in a convenience store? I thought it was usually used for things like fishing, but when I asked the part-timer, they said it's used as a bracelet. A bracelet? Hmm. I don't get it.

After marking the exit, I used mana to enhance my senses—especially hearing—to scan the surroundings.

I hear a small, faint breathing sound. When I first escaped, the noise of other people drowned it out, so I didn't notice it. But now that I'm alone, I can faintly hear it.

Moving toward the sound of breathing, I said,

"Are you okay?"

At that, the owner of the breathing sound was startled—their breath quickened.

"P-please save me! Someone, help!!!"

Young female survivor, panicking in the darkness, unable to think straight, screaming desperately.

I continued forward until I reached her.

"A-a monster! A small, ugly monster was there!"

Ah, she encountered a goblin.

"I was so scared... I dropped my smartphone... I couldn't see anything... I thought I was going to die..."

"You're okay now. I marked the exit with a glow stick, so if you follow it, you'll get back to the terminal. There are no monsters nearby."

Since I don't hear the goblins' characteristic whistling breaths, there shouldn't be any between here and the exit, at least.

"C-could you come with me...?"

"There might be other survivors. I need to keep looking."

I can't be sure there's only this one survivor. I need to search more.

Unless someone is too injured to move.

"O-okay..."

"The cave is dark, but I cleared out all the dangerous traps, so as long as you don't slip, you'll be fine. Keep going this way and head toward the glow stick."

"Th-thank you..."

After sending the survivor toward the exit, I began the proper nest cleanup.

Forming a mental map of the complex fork in my mind, I snapped glow sticks and tossed them toward the exit at every junction, so the survivors could find their way out safely.

I used the tip of the plastic umbrella to push aside any crude traps that could hurt people. And any goblins that ambushed me from the darkness, I casually pierced between their eyes with the mana-reinforced tip of the plastic umbrella.

Of course, I didn't forget to collect the blue magic stones left behind where the goblins' bodies had turned to pitch-black ash. It's so convenient—I can get magic stones without having to do any bloody dismemberment. Though it's a bit disappointing there are no other byproducts.

Still, the gruesome experience of wielding a dagger and rummaging through monster corpses—I'll pass on that twice.

After scouring the Goblin's Nest like a louse, I managed to safely send a total of 8 survivors toward the exit.

I think I got all the living survivors. As for the ones who weren't alive... well, I did find a human skull with only bones left.

Just in case, I checked, but the bones looked several years old, so it probably wasn't one of the people swept up from the bus terminal. That's a relief.

Well, it's not really reassuring that there's a human corpse in the first place. It means the goblins in this nest are either numerous enough to harm people, or there's a particularly strong one, or a clever one, or one using primitive sorcery—various factors to consider.

From the goblins I've seen so far and the state of the traps... the scale doesn't seem that big, and there don't seem to be any clever ones... So maybe there's a goblin that evolved enough to harm people. A Hobgoblin, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠perhaps.

After fully exploring the Goblin's Nest, I reached the deepest part.

"This must be the last place."

A thick gray mist blocked the way like a wall.

"Inside... there seems to be quite a large space."

I could tell because sounds spread wide beyond the thick mist and came back to me only after a considerable delay.

And within that space, I could hear the goblins' characteristic whistling breath.

Probably, many goblins are gathered inside that space.

But this thick mist... it looks like something ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out of a game. Especially the entrance to a boss room in an action RPG that tortures players until they improve their skills...

Hmm. Nah, it's probably a coincidence. There's no way a game has become reality, right? The monsters here aren't that different from the goblins I know.

Thinking such trivial thoughts, I placed my hand on the gray mist.

Then, the gray mist slowly parted sideways, creating enough space for me to pass.

It really is like a boss room from a game.

And so, I advanced into the gray mist and entered what appeared to be the boss room.