The Knights of Melid
Having secured the lord's approval, I immediately led my party to the warehouse with Jules.
"I'd like at least two weeks' worth of food and water."
"Hmm... our provisions aren't in the best shape... may I ask why?"
"The reconnaissance was requested for about five days, but from my end, seven days at the absolute minimum. I'm also accounting for fifteen days or more."
"...That long?"
I laid out my reasoning.
"Going with the knights, I do believe the reconnaissance has a better chance of succeeding... but I can't make any guarantees. The number of goblins I saw wasn't something to take lightly. If the worst happens and we end up isolated, supply will be the problem. That's actually why the knights can't operate as a detached force, isn't it?"
"Hmm..."
The old butler let out a low, thoughtful hum.
"As you know, in terms of ability, the knights wouldn't have much trouble with goblins. They can always withdraw if things get dangerous. Numbers are the only real problem. The reason we're going along is because if we get cut off, securing an escape route would be difficult — the knights don't know that terrain. And among themselves, the food and water they can carry is limited. But we have spatial storage. Rest is the issue; food and water, we can take as much as we want. Using that, even if we get isolated, we can hold out for days and slip out when the opportunity comes."
The old butler's expression shifted, as if he were seeing me in a new light.
He had every reason to. Just as I'd said, comparing the knights' abilities to goblins was almost unfair. A goblin's appropriate level was 1 — warrior goblins topped out at 3 or 4, and even the strong ones never reached 5. The knights, by contrast, were beings of level 10 or higher, even if this was the Tutorial, a floor below even the Lower Floors. Their stats would average around 20 as well.
The idea of them losing to goblins was hard to imagine. The only real variable was snipers, and even then, as long as they didn't tire, they wouldn't die. If they fell, the cause would be exhaustion — death by attrition, nothing more.
But if we went with them? With our inventories, we could carry food and water well beyond normal limits. Every one of us had awakened our mana, and we'd already completed a reconnaissance — we knew the general path. Even if it came down to a war of attrition, the odds of getting out were high.
The old butler nodded.
"If that's the reason, then I'll make it work, difficult though it may be. Please take care of this."
"I'll do my best. I'll be guiding the reconnaissance, but I intend to follow the knights' judgment, so please don't worry."
I expected that the knights, not I, would be the ones pushing to scout longer. There was a world of difference between hearing reports from the field and experiencing it yourself.
And so I filled some of the empty space in my party's inventories — and my own — with additional food. I'd only filled a volume comparable to the party's remaining capacity, so it was only enough for our five plus the four knights, nine people in total, to eat for about two weeks. But that was plenty. The stores in my spatial storage would last another two weeks on top of that, with room to spare. Even in the worst case — complete isolation — we'd have enough to hold out for thirty days.
On top of the food, we were supplied with everything else we needed: camping gear, maps, and the rest. The knights needed to prepare as well, so our departure was postponed to the following day.
The next morning, the four knights and my party gathered at the front gate. Having arrived first, we met them not in full plate but in light armor. Two faces I recognized; two I barely knew.
I stepped forward on behalf of my party.
"It's been a while."
"It has, Sir Revo. Fortunately, the situation this time is a bit less dangerous."
He let out a short chuckle. Knight Revo — back on the 3rd floor, he'd come to me late, after I'd been fighting hard atop the walls, and told me I'd done well.
"Fortunately, this time there's no need to take you into custody."
"That's a relief. I was genuinely startled back then, Sir Tula."
"No way — Senior Tula making a joke? This is truly a rare sight."
I must have looked puzzled, because a knight with a cheerful air spoke up.
"I always thought Senior Tula and Senior Revo never joked around... and here you've got Senior Revo smiling and Senior Tula cracking jokes. As expected of Yoo Shin-hoo. Incredible!"
"...That's what's incredible?"
"Absolutely! I'm the youngest, so I should know — I've seen Senior Revo smile maybe a handful of times, and this is the first I've ever heard Senior Tula make a joke!"
Thud!
"Gah!"
"That's enough, Ritaf. Have some dignity. What do you think you're doing?"
"Ah, Senior Cory! That hurts! You can't just hit me in the head!"
"You deserved it. You start making a fuss without even introducing yourself?"
"Ah, right, of course. Yoo Shin-hoo, this is our first introduction. I'm Ritaf, the youngest of the Melid Knights. Looking forward to working with you on this expedition."
"...It's a reconnaissance, though..."
"Well, reconnaissance, expedition — same difference. We're staking our lives either way."
A cheerful sort of knight.
"I'm Cory. You went through all that, and still you're taking on this kind of risk for the territory. You have my respect."
"Not at all. The lord used a Curse Contract — a rare treasure — for mercenaries like us. I figured we ought to repay him at least this much."
"...Looking at you, I have to wonder what all the mercenaries and adventurers I've met until now even were. Someone like you, a mercenary... what a waste. A real waste."
Tula said this with a faint smile.
"Unbelievable... Senior Tula giving high praise..."
"That's enough, Ritaf."
"Yes, Senior Revo."
Revo quietly warned Ritaf, who was about to start fussing again. As the most senior among them, Revo's word was enough — Ritaf shut his mouth immediately. Ritaf was the youngest, Revo the most senior. Cory and Tula seemed to be around the same rank — peers.
I laid out the planned itinerary for the knights.
"The basic plan is to finish the reconnaissance within about five days. First, we'll take the shortest route through the path we already traveled and confirm the Grand Goblin Settlement. That's likely to be the center they'll rally around."
"That stands to reason. Their forces stayed small because periodic culling never let a center form. This incident taught us properly — goblins may be weak, but a monster is still a monster. If we get through this, I plan to conduct regular culls going forward, no matter how poorly the territory fares."
"Yes, that does seem necessary. After confirming the Grand Goblin Settlement, we plan to circle the surrounding area and see how many tribes exist. Based on how fast they're gathering, we should get a rough sense of when they'll attack."
The knights nodded.
"A simple plan. Ah, I truly hope they don't exceed five thousand. Anything above that, and even with how sturdy our castle is, it gets dangerous."
The standing garrison was a mere three hundred or so. The humans living inside the castle numbered in the thousands. In a crisis, every resident would be conscripted into the defense. Equipment might be lacking, but numbers wouldn't be. The problem was that there wasn't much food inside the castle. If a siege dragged on, the castle would likely collapse from within. And if they took in people from the villages outside, it would get even worse.
Even then, if the enemy exceeded five thousand, they wouldn't be able to mount a proper defense. Siege warfare favored the defender, sure — but the standing force was only three hundred. Numbers alone wouldn't cut it. I had no idea how well the common folk would fight.
"Well then, let's move out."
"We'll be in your care, Yoo Shin-hoo."
"Likewise, Sir Ritaf."
We picked up the pace and headed for the forest. Unlike before, everyone's Stamina was over 10, and with everyone's mana fully opened, stamina wasn't an issue. Watching us, the knights realized that every one of us had opened our mana — and they all looked stunned. Even Revo, whose smile was a rare sight, couldn't hide his surprise. That told me just how unusual our party was.
Of course, that was only by NPC standards. Trainees who survived the Tutorial all opened their mana eventually, so it wasn't that impressive.
"You're all lacking in training, but the talent is there. Five people who've opened their mana... and four of them women. Truly remarkable."
"I'll have to work even harder. Come on now — hero or not, I can't lose to a bunch of mercenaries."
"You do need to work harder. Good that you've realized it, even if it's late."
"Ah, that's harsh, Senior Tula."
Light banter. Fortunately, they could tell that aside from me, the party's stamina wasn't great — they knew that talking while force-marching would drain them fast, so they didn't try to strike up conversation with the others. Knights were knights, even in the Tutorial. They instantly picked up on the fact that my party had only recently awakened their mana, and that their stamina was lacking.
The fast pace paid off — it didn't take long to reach the forest. The moment we entered, the knights' expressions changed. Even Ritaf, who'd been so lighthearted, put on a serious face, muffled his footsteps, and listened closely to what I said.
"This is where it starts. Let's divide the watch. I'll take the front. Knights, I'll ask you to cover the rear and both flanks."
"I'll take the left."
Ritaf answered with complete seriousness, the playful demeanor from before wiped clean.
"I'll take the right. Cory, how about you cover the rear?"
"Fine by me."
Watching the knights assign themselves, I nodded, then turned to the rest of my party.
"Sir Revo, I'll leave overall command to you. And you lot — don't let your guard down. Even if the knights are covering each direction intensively, you can't afford to relax. Don't forget you almost died last time. Stay sharp."
I deliberately dropped the formal speech and spoke casually to my party.
"Yes, oppa."
"Got it."
"Yes, Party Leader."
"Yes, Shin-hoo."
A mixed bag of replies came back.
"From here on, keep talking to a minimum. Watch my hands. I'll give most of my orders through hand signals."
Having had my leadership confirmed through the lord, I spoke to the knights without hesitation. They had already acknowledged me. They nodded without a word of protest.
I signaled that we were moving out again, then plunged straight into the forest. Not the route we'd taken before — I chose a closer path and pushed inward. I moved without hesitation, finding the way as I went. It took less than a quarter of the time it had before to find the first settlement. Last time, we'd had to take a wide detour. This time, I took the shortcut without a second thought. And unlike before, everyone had opened their mana. Even matching Nam Eun-ju's pace — the slowest among us — it was incomparable to when we had no mana at all.
"Shh."
I signaled for silence, then carefully pointed toward the settlement. Perhaps they hadn't expected to find one this quickly. The knights, for all their composure, looked startled.
It hadn't even taken a day. Goblins had no mana, so they'd be far slower than us — but even so, the distance between this settlement and the castle was only about a day's travel. The knights' faces went rigid as they grasped that fact.
Once we'd carefully put some distance between ourselves and the settlement, Revo spoke in a grave tone.
"Their territory has expanded this close... You can never underestimate monsters, not a single one of them. How far to the Grand Goblin Settlement?"
"At goblin speed, I'd estimate a day and a half. If we rest today and set out tomorrow morning, we'd arrive after midday. But we'll need to avoid other goblins' eyes, so we probably won't get a look until around evening."
"...We'll need to scout more thoroughly. Five days won't be enough."
"We brought two weeks of food. I already told them we might take longer if needed, so we should be as thorough as possible. I said I'd follow the knights' judgment on the duration as much as I could. Check as much as you want."
"...Is that so. You were taking this more seriously than we were. I thought five days would be plenty. Seeing it yourself really is different from hearing about it. We underestimated the goblins."
Revo's expression was heavy. The other knights weren't much different.
"We can't push any farther today. Instead of going deeper, we'll circle the surrounding area and check things out, then set out early tomorrow morning."
"Understood. Once again, we are in your hands."
Since we weren't planning on any combat, I temporarily split the party in half. As a precaution, I had Cory, Na-yeon, Joo Ha-yeon, and Nam Eun-ju prepare the campsite, while Na Seoyun, myself, and the remaining three knights picked up the pace to scout more directions.
I included Na Seoyun because, aside from me, her mana was exceptional enough that I judged she could keep up. I figured that if she pushed herself to match me and the three knights, her Stamina and Mana would grow a little more. We were still in the early stages, so growth would be fast. I needed to work her harder while I had the chance.
There were more settlements than when I'd come before. Around the first one we'd found, there were five more. If the outskirts were this bad, the interior would be far worse — and the knights' expressions grew steadily grimmer as they realized it.
Watching their faces harden, I felt a quiet thrill. Things were going exactly as I'd planned — I could squeeze even more out of this.
Time to ride the NPC bus.
There was one thing I intended to extract from the 7th floor until the very last drop.
The NPC bus.