Astrania-1337
“Alright, let’s head a little deeper.”
The moment Mari’s words left her mouth, we turned and pushed farther into the forest.
The iron sword in my hand still trembled faintly. Blood dripped from the blade one drop at a time.
Just moments ago, relief at having finished off those three had come first. But as my breathing settled, the ache in my wrists and shoulders started throbbing all over again.
Even so, I kept walking.
This was a goblin extermination request, after all, and heading back after only three kills felt incomplete. More than that, we needed to get better at working together. A party didn’t magically click just because you’d fought side by side once.
The deeper we went, the rougher the path became. Tree roots jutted up through the dirt in jagged spikes, and low branches snagged at our faces. Sunlight still filtered through the canopy, but barely reached the forest floor. Birdsong faded, leaving only the wind rubbing leaves together and the long, thin cries of insects I couldn’t name.
After a short while, I glanced down at the mana stone in my hand.
A murky gray-green. Roughly two or three finger-joints long.
It wasn’t pretty enough to be a gem—uglier than a river pebble, honestly—yet this was money.
“So how much is one of these worth?”
Kaya flicked a glance at my hand.
“Regular goblin mana stones go for two copper each.”
“Oh…”
“Warrior types are about four. Shamans around five.”
“Ah, got it.”
I ran the numbers quickly.
The three we’d just killed: six copper total.
Factoring in meals, baths, and the equipment still on credit, it was a damn stingy price for risking your life. Then again, calling it pure pocket change didn’t feel right either.
One silver is twelve copper, so…
“Kinda awkward.”
“What is?”
“It’s less than I expected, but not so low that it feels completely worthless.”
“That’s reality for you,” Mari said, tossing the words out casually. “That’s why people don’t just stare at the mana stones. The base reward matters just as much.”
“Ohh…”
“Looks like you’re starting to get a feel for it.”
A little farther in, the tracks appeared right away.
Small footprints stamped into the dirt—clumsy ones with the toes splayed outward. Broken grass here and there, trampled brush, and greenish stains smeared on tree trunks.
I stopped and pointed at one of the trunks.
“What’s that?”
“Poison,” Kaya said shortly. “There might be a warrior type around.”
Mari’s face immediately twisted in disgust.
“Great. Just what we needed.”
Before she finished speaking, Kaya raised a hand and halted us.
Behind the low undergrowth ahead, four shadows flickered.
This time the distinctions were clear.
Two regular goblins. One warrior type, bulkier with thicker arms. And behind them, a shaman type hunched over something like a staff.
“Oh…”
I kept my voice as low as possible.
The shaman clutched a staff hung with dull bone ornaments. The warrior spun a short sword at waist height; a faint green sheen glistened along the edge—the same poison that had stained the trees earlier.
Mari spoke quickly.
“I’ll open again.”
“Focus on the shaman first,” Kaya answered at once.
“I know.”
I tightened my grip on the sword hilt. Sweat seeped into my palm again. My heartbeat thudded so hard it seemed to echo inside my ears.
Thump…
Thump…
Thump—!
“Going.”
Sparks leapt from Mari’s fingertips.
Fwoosh!
The first fireball streaked toward the shaman.
The shaman twisted its body and barely avoided a direct hit. Instead, one of the regular goblins beside it took the blast in the side and screamed. A second burst of flame followed, slamming into its shoulder.
Boom!
“Kieeek!”
The goblin rolled on the ground, flames clinging to it, but it didn’t die. It frantically smothered the fire with dirt, staggered back to its feet, and kept coming.
All four were still alive.
Two regulars.
One warrior.
One shaman.
The shaman thrust its staff forward and let out a piercing shriek.
“Kiek, kieeek, kieeeeeek!!!”
Holy shit, is that supposed to be “Fight, fight, fight!”?
The situation was completely fucked, yet for some reason my chest swelled with weird grandeur.
The battle exploded open.
“Incoming!”
Kaya’s shout snapped me into motion; I drew the iron sword almost on pure reflex.
Shiiing!
But something felt off. This time the goblins didn’t charge mindlessly like before.
The shaman tapped the ground lightly with the tip of its staff.
Tak.
A low, thin sound spread, and the two regulars immediately split up.
One dove low into the brush on the right. The other, still reeking of scorched flesh, swung wide to the left. The warrior took the center and advanced slowly, sword held low, only the poisoned edge gleaming.
“Whoa… these bastards are smarter than I thought.”
I muttered it under my breath, sword still raised.
Are we completely screwed?
The shaman muttered again—a low, unintelligible rumble. In that same instant, blue letters flickered briefly at the edge of my vision.
Recording language patterns…
Correcting goblin dialect interpretation…
Initiating partial translation of tactical speech…
Right after that, the screeching no longer sounded like mere noise.
“Surround them! Kill the light-bringer in the back first!”
My heart dropped straight into my stomach.
Damn… the Dimensional Archive is a god. I must worship it forever.
“Scatter!”
Kaya shouted immediately.
“I know!”
Mari clenched her teeth.
The shaman muttered again. This time the words slammed straight into my head.
“Humans… bind them. Poison first.”
At the same moment, blue letters stacked in the center of my vision.
Correcting curse interpretation…
Signs of lower-grade binding curse detected
Recommendation: Vacate current footing
“Curse incoming—watch out!”
Kaya yelled.
Even then the two regulars never stopped. The one that had slipped right dropped into a full crawl between the bushes. The left one circled a tree, scooped up a few rocks, and hurled them at Mari.
Thud! Thud!
“Ah!”
One stone grazed Mari’s arm. Not a serious wound, but the mana gathering at her fingertips scattered for a heartbeat.
“You little pests!”
In that opening the warrior goblin closed in. It didn’t charge. It advanced carefully, watching exactly how I held my sword.
I adjusted my grip on the iron blade.
This is bullshit. It’s reading my movements?
The warrior locked onto me while the shaman prepared its curse behind it. The two regulars waited for the perfect moment to dive at Kaya and Mari.
“Siyun!”
Kaya called my name.
“Closest one first!”
“Got it!”
I ignored the warrior right in front of me.
That, ironically, was the way to wreck their plan.
I spun hard toward the right-side brush and sprinted.
The regular goblin hidden there was just about to burst out toward Kaya. It clearly hadn’t expected me to come this way—its eyes went wide.
“Kill the light-bringer!”
I could understand the goblin tongue just fine now.
Oh yeah, loud and clear. Telepathy unlocked, you little bastards!
It swung a dagger.
I twisted my wrist short and hard, batting the weapon away with the iron sword.
Clang!
The dagger flew from its hand; its arm jerked upward. In that instant I stepped deeper inside its reach.
I drove the iron sword straight through.
Shunk!
The weighted blade sank heavily through the goblin’s neck—flesh and bone. Head and body hit the dirt separately.
One down.
At that exact moment a cold numbness lanced up from my ankles.
Black tendrils.
The shaman had already shifted targets and laid a curse right under my feet.
Shit—too late!
In that fraction of a second, blue letters flared first.
Lower-grade binding curse activating
Estimated arrival: 0.8 seconds
Recommendation: Evade left-rear
I yanked my left foot free and threw myself backward almost on pure reflex. The black tendrils swept across the spot where I’d just stood, staining the earth a dead, murky color.
“Oh, fuck…”
Cold sweat ran down my spine.
In that same gap the left-side regular moved again—this time at Mari. Throw rocks to steal her attention, then slip in low.
“Not happening.”
I spun toward it at once.
But the warrior had been waiting for exactly that.
Its sword came up from below in a rising cut aimed at my legs. Poison glinted on the blade.
I slammed my sword down to block.
Clang!
The impact rang through my palm.
It was stronger than expected.
While the regulars kept us busy, the warrior had deliberately waited for the moment I was off-balance.
Then a short phrase left its mouth.
“Bound. Take it slow.”
Look at this little shit…
I gritted my teeth and twisted one foot. Meeting it head-on would shove me back.
So I deflected instead.
I angled the iron sword, guided the poison blade sideways, then rolled my shoulder and slipped past. The tip of the warrior’s sword tore through my sleeve. Fabric ripped; the tree bark right beside me hissed and caved in as if rotting on contact.
Poison swords are completely broken, damn it.
The warrior started to press in again when golden light flashed from behind—Kaya.
One of the regulars threw an arm over its eyes for a second.
That was enough.
A short, tightly condensed flame burst from Mari’s fingertips.
Boom!
Half the face of the already-burned regular blackened. It screamed and toppled backward.
The warrior used the opening to take one step back, then slid smoothly into position in front of the shaman again.
“Two!”
Mari shouted, stubborn as ever.
Now only the warrior and the shaman remained.
The problem was that they were stuck together—warrior in front, shaman lobbing curses from behind.
A reckless charge would get me killed first.
Kaya spoke low.
“Cut the shaman’s line of sight!”
“On it!”
I immediately angled toward a thick tree nearby. The straight line between shaman and warrior broke for a moment. The shaman’s curse angle slowed by a fraction.
The shaman spat a curse.
“Damn humans! One of them’s hiding! Stick together! Stay close!”
The warrior closed the gap at once.
This time it pressed with short, chopping cuts of the poison blade. Its movement was nothing like a regular goblin’s—low center of gravity, no wasted swings.
I blocked twice, deflected once, and gave ground once.
Clang!
Kang!
Clang!
My arms went numb. Strangely, though, the more we traded, the clearer the warrior’s rhythm became.
Right shoulder first meant a downward cut. Wrist curling inward meant a side slash. Deep step forward meant a thrust next.
I can see it.
The warrior dragged its sword low.
This time I didn’t dodge.
I stepped half a pace inside instead.
Its eyes widened a fraction.
I pinned the poison blade with my iron sword, twisted it inward, then slammed my shoulder into its body. Its balance wavered for a heartbeat.
Now!
I drove the iron sword forward in a short, almost stabbing thrust.
Shunk!
The blade punched heavily through flesh and organs. The warrior’s body folded toward me; its mouth opened in a silent scream.
I didn’t pull the sword free right away. I shoved it deeper and twisted.
Crack!
Only then did its knees buckle.
Three.
Only the shaman left.
It was already retreating, slamming its staff down and belching black mist that crawled across the ground. Kaya’s golden light washed over it at once, but the shaman used the moment to open more distance.
Mari clicked her tongue.
“Cheap bastard.”
The shaman’s muttering spread through the trees again.
“Bind them… slow them… rot their eyes…”
The Archive reacted immediately.
Correcting curse interpretation…
Sensory dulling type
Recommendation: Prioritize close combat
“I’m closing in!”
I sprinted straight at the shaman.
It was the kind of enemy that threw curses from range.
Mages get completely wrecked in melee.
I deliberately swung wide to one side. The shaman’s gaze followed. In that instant Kaya’s light flared short and sharp from the side. The shaman’s eyes squeezed shut for a second.
FBI, OPEN UP!
I drove in and smashed the iron sword sideways into the staff. Bone ornaments shattered. Without pausing I swung the blade straight through the center of its torso.
Shunk!
At the same moment Mari’s fireball arrived.
Boom!
The shaman’s chest erupted in flames. Its body slammed back into a tree and then slid limply to the ground.
A brief silence.
This time it was really over.
The forest fell quiet again. Only our rough breathing remained, harsher than before.
I stood still for a while with the iron sword lowered.
My wrists ached. My shoulders felt tight.
But my hands shook less than before. Watching a severed head roll across the dirt no longer turned my stomach. I just stood there with a bloodied sword, catching my breath.
I was getting used to this… whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, I still didn’t know.
Then Kaya spoke while steadying her breathing.
“…That was really dangerous just now. If even one of those curses had landed properly, we all would have gone down.”
I let out a hollow laugh.
“I know. Nearly had a heart attack midway through… We almost clocked out early in the goblin forest today.”
Kaya gave me a look of pure disbelief, then shook her head shortly.
“Still cracking jokes at a time like this.”
“Hey, a guy’s got to keep his mouth running.”
“Still, you held up well. You didn’t collapse against the warrior, and you cut off the regulars cleanly.”
I blinked.
“Oh… was I really that useful?”
Mari added flatly,
“…You were pretty decent this time.”
I immediately turned toward her.
“Whoa, high praise! You just admitted I’m useful, right?”
“Say one more word and I’ll take it back and turn you into a shaman.”
“Eek.”
“If you’re done, grab the mana stones.”
“…Yes, ma’am.”
We pulled the mana stones one by one from the goblin corpses.
The two regulars yielded the usual murky gray-green stones. The warrior’s was darker and coarser. The shaman’s had a deeper greenish-black sheen and a rounder shape.
I set all four on my palm.
A moment ago they hadn’t looked like money. Now they did—exactly the weight of having risked our lives and worked ourselves half to death.
“This should make for a decent payout today, right?”
“Base reward included, it should be pretty solid,” Mari answered.
Kaya scanned deeper into the forest once more, then shook her head.
“This is enough. Go any farther and the sun will set. No need to push harder.”
“So we’re heading back?”
“Yeah. Let’s call it here for today.”
“Got it.”
We checked the corpses one last time, pocketed the stones, and turned our feet toward the village.
The return trip was quieter than the way in. After the fight, conversation just didn’t come easily. Still, it didn’t feel bad.
My body was exhausted, but somehow my chest felt a little lighter.
By the time we reached the guild, the sun had already begun to sink. The reception desk was quieter than that morning, and Luce was still working through her ledger.
As we approached, she looked up.
“Welcome back.”
“Yeah. Settle us up.”
“No one got badly hurt?”
I found myself smiling for no real reason.
“We’re still breathing, so…”
“That’s a relief.”
Luce examined the mana stones in our hands one by one.
Five regular, one warrior, one shaman. She flipped through the ledger, adding the base request reward.
“Northeast outskirts goblin remnant cleanup—base reward two silver. Five regular mana stones for ten copper. Warrior four copper. Shaman five copper. Total… three silver and seven copper.”
“Oh…!”
I ran a quick calculation.
For money earned with our lives on the line, it wasn’t a fortune. But considering meals, baths, and the gear still on credit, it wasn’t pocket change either. Awkward—and that awkwardness felt more real than anything.
“Less than I expected… yet somehow okay.”
“That’s the scariest kind,” Luce said with a small smile.
“It’s the price of the hard work,” Kaya added.
“Yeah, that tracks.”
Three silver and seven copper. Converted entirely to copper, forty-three coins.
Split three ways: one silver and two copper each, with one copper left over.
“We’ve got one copper left.”
“Whoever got thrown around the most today takes it.”
“Then… Siyun.”
“I’ll keep working hard!”
Once the payout was finished, my body felt even heavier. The fatigue hit all at once, delayed.
That was enough for today.
I stepped out through the guild doors and looked up at the sinking sky.
Another day in Astrania was ending.
Until yesterday this world had felt strangely like a clean, intact fantasy. Today was different.
It had been dangerous, exhausting, and painful.
But still… bearable.
“Hmm… one silver and three copper. Pretty cheap for a life.”
For now the goal was simple.
Get stronger and slaughter a whole lot of goblins.
Scrape together mana stones, make money, and pay off the debt first.
Grand dreams could wait.
For the time being… becoming a goblin slayer was the only option.