The Goblin Legion
The direction the massive goblin army was marching matched exactly where we were already headed—the location of Lee Soo-ah's guild base. She'd mentioned turning a nearby elementary school into their stronghold. Had the goblins figured out it was a decent defensive spot too? Then again, that wasn't the only school in the area.
"It's a show of force. Killing two birds with one stone by securing food supplies while they're at it," Juniel explained.
Ji-soo tilted her head, looking puzzled. "Show of force? Food supplies?"
Juniel gazed at her with warm eyes (?! ) and answered patiently. "That's right, sis. This is a brand-new large-scale goblin faction. They're announcing their presence to the other monsters in the area. 'We've built this kind of power. Sure, we're just goblins, but we're organized now—so don't underestimate us!' That kind of thing. If they raid a human group gathered in this region and seize their base, it'll make for some pretty effective propaganda. Plus, humans tend to stockpile food, and the people themselves would make excellent rations for goblins..."
Ji-soo's face twisted in disgust at Juniel's words. Listening from the side, I had to admit her reasoning made a lot of sense.
I turned to Juniel. "Wait, goblins actually think that strategically?"
Her expression went blank again as she replied. "Regular goblins and goblin warriors are basically just carrying heads around to balance their weight. But a goblin lord is different. Just the fact that it's a monster capable of using magic should tell you it's on another level. I'd bet it's smarter than most humans."
She sounded downright curt. Why the hell was her attitude so different when she talked to me versus the other girls? What a rude little bitch. Had she been enjoying herself too much while I was away in that event dungeon? I'd need to schedule a proper training session for her soon.
Anyway, it seemed highly likely that this goblin army was heading straight for Lee Soo-ah's base.
I pulled the communication pebble from my pocket.
When I'd asked for the guild's location earlier, she'd answered right away. This time, there was only silence no matter how long I waited. Just as I was about to try again, her voice finally came through.
She must have learned about the incoming goblin horde. I pretended not to know and asked anyway.
She hesitated for a moment before answering.
Yeah, I figured. Now what?
I still had questions for her, and I needed to get back the communication pebble I'd given her. That thing cost a ridiculous 500 gold per pair. As I mulled it over, her voice came again.
"Yes, go ahead."
After another pause, her voice returned, hesitant.
So it had come to this. A sudden life-or-death crisis for the guild would make anyone desperate for help. Still...
A hundred members. I'd only seen about thirty back in the dungeon. That probably meant the total—including non-combatants and those left behind to guard the base—added up to around a hundred. Realistically, I doubted they had more than fifty actual fighters. Did they really have a chance?
"Understood. Please, we're counting on you."
I ended the call with Soo-ah and explained the conversation to the others.
"...So that's the situation. What do you all think?"
The party fell silent for a moment, thinking it over. Ji-yoon spoke up cautiously.
"If we help them, can we actually defeat the goblin army?"
"Hard to say. According to Soo-ah, they can hold out to some degree... and if we hit the goblin legion from behind while they're attacking the guild, we should be able to win. Honestly, I don't think we'd lose even if we fought a thousand goblins in an open field."
"You can't think of it that way," Juniel cut in.
I turned to her. "What do you mean, I can't think of it that way?"
With her usual blank expression, she looked straight at me. "Right now, you're picturing the dumb goblins you already know, just a thousand of them grouped together. But these are different. They're not just a disorganized mob. They have a leader called a goblin lord. You have to think of them as a real army that moves with precision under a smart commander's orders."
Hmm. If Juniel—who knew monsters well—said so, I had to believe her. She continued.
"...That said, I don't think we'd lose."
"Wait, but just now you—"
"I only said that because you were treating it like it would be easy against a normal thousand-goblin force. It's not that simple. But I also don't believe we'd get pushed back if we fought them. At the very least, I have equipment on par with what I used during my time in the Demon King's army."
Juniel gestured to Granteil and her bracelet. The axe that had been the size of a small hand axe when I first saw it had transformed into a massive weapon with a handle nearly a meter long. On top of that, she had the Berserker Armor she'd won as first place in the event dungeon. Her stats might still fall short of her prime as a Demon Army commander, but the quality of her gear was about the same as back then.
If someone like her went on a rampage... yeah, I didn't see us losing. Besides, Si-eun, Ji-yoon, and Ji-soo all had exceptional stats. And even if things got a little dangerous, I had the insanely broken skill Gate of Rest. I could just pull everyone into the Cradle of Rest and that would be the end of it.
After organizing my thoughts, I addressed the group.
"Alright. Let's help Soo-ah's guild. I don't see any real downside for us."
The others nodded in agreement. There were several reasons I'd decided to aid Lee Soo-ah's guild.
First, a large monster horde meant a massive amount of experience and gold. It was a golden opportunity to farm both. No way I was passing that up.
Second, my relationship with Soo-ah. It wasn't certain, but she was likely one of the Hero candidates. If I earned a favor from her and her guild, it would definitely work in my favor later. Plus, if Soo-ah died in this battle and she really was the Hero... that would be game over. That was something that absolutely could not happen.
And third, helping her guild wouldn't cost us anything. We wouldn't have to risk our lives (not that we could die anyway), and it didn't seem particularly dangerous. There were plenty of potential gains and zero losses. Why turn down such a good investment?
That was why I'd made up my mind to help.
I gripped the communication pebble and sent the message.
She must have been waiting anxiously, because her reply came instantly.
The sheer gratitude in her voice, repeated over and over, told me just how desperate she'd been. I told her we'd strike the enemy from the rear, then ended the transmission.
"Alright, let's move out. Dong-seok, start the car. Everyone, get ready for battle. We fight the moment we arrive."
The party members drew their weapons and began checking them over. I spoke to Juniel, who was holding up Granteil.
"Juniel, focus on taking down that goblin lord if you can. Think you can manage?"
She nodded. "It won't be easy. As the enemy king, its defenses will be heavy. Once it realizes it's being targeted, those defenses will only get tighter."
"Doesn't matter. If the goblin lord pulls troops back to protect itself, that will ease the pressure on the guild's side."
After our brief strategy meeting, we climbed into the running vehicle. The car sped off, weaving through obstacles as it raced toward the direction the goblins had been heading.
Ji-yoon, staring out the front window, spoke up. "There! I can see the elementary school down there... looks like the battle's already started."
As we drove along the road, the massive goblin legion and the school came into view below. Since the school was in a relatively low area, the entire battlefield was clearly visible. The goblin forces had already reached Soo-ah's guild.
As we got closer, I could clearly make out the goblin holding a staff in the center of the horde. So that was the goblin lord. It looked scrawny, but managing to gather and command this many goblins meant it was no pushover.
I observed the standoff between the guild and the goblins. The elementary school was surrounded by a wall. It wasn't particularly tall—goblins could probably climb it if they tried—but they weren't getting over.
Two enormous, glowing blue barriers had been erected on either side of the school gate, blocking enemy entry. What kind of skill was that? Was this the base-defense specialty Soo-ah had mentioned?
Massive goblin warriors swung their clubs at the barriers, but they didn't budge. The things looked incredibly sturdy. Unable to scale the wall because of the barriers, the goblins were desperately trying to break through the firmly closed front gate instead.
However, long-range skills and attacks pouring from inside the gate were cutting down every goblin that tried. A few goblins attempted to circle around to the sides after a gesture from the goblin lord, but guild members were guarding those areas tightly too. It wasn't going to be easy to break through.
The guild's defense looked quite solid. The real question was how long those barriers could hold. Attacks from inside the barriers outward seemed possible, because skills and arrows were already flying out from the school, felling goblins that couldn't advance.
In the midst of this stalemate, I saw the goblin lord raise its staff toward the sky. It muttered something, and after a brief pause, it swung the staff toward the school.
CRAAAAAASH!
With an enormous sound, one of the barriers that formed a cornerstone of the guild's defense shattered into pieces and vanished.
As soon as one barrier disappeared, the goblins began charging toward the now-open section of wall. The guild seemed to have prepared for this possibility and immediately began responding.
The battle had truly begun. Goblins and goblin warriors trying to scale the wall. Guild members desperately trying to stop them. The fierce clash was just getting started when our vehicle arrived at the rear of the goblin army.
"Dong-seok, park the car somewhere out of the way and stay hidden! Everyone out!"
We jumped from the vehicle. With a metallic clank, Juniel strode forward, her entire body now encased in sleek black armor, massive Granteil in hand.
"Juniel, target the goblin lord like we discussed. Si-eun, Ji-yoon, Ji-soo—you three stick together and fight as one unit. Got it?"
Juniel nodded and immediately shot forward. The moment the goblins at the rear were ambushed and sliced apart by Juniel, one of Si-eun's fireballs slammed into the middle of the goblin horde.
BOOOOOOM!
The fireball exploded with a deafening roar. Several goblins were instantly reduced to ash, while others caught fire from the scattered flames and rolled around in agony.
The instant we attacked, the goblins at the rear noticed our presence. The goblin lord turned to look at us, its face twisting into a vicious scowl as it barked orders at the surrounding goblins. The rear forces immediately began charging toward us.
Perfect. We'd drawn their aggro. The pressure on the guild should be much lighter now.
Juniel charged straight into the oncoming goblins. Every swing of Granteil carved through dozens of them at once. Ji-yoon followed the path Juniel carved, shield raised, while Ji-soo sliced apart any enemies that tried to flank them. Si-eun's magic flew into the enemy ranks at regular intervals.
Yeah, those three really were the perfect combination.
Juniel cut down everything in her path, charging in a straight line toward the goblin lord. As she smashed through the dense wall of goblins, the lord's face filled with panic. It raised its staff and began chanting a spell at her.
The goblin lord swung its staff toward Juniel and shouted something. A bolt of lightning crashed down from the sky with a thunderous CRACK, striking her directly. But Juniel didn't even flinch, continuing to carve through the goblin wall.
Right—that armor had a magic nullification option. What a ridiculously broken item.
The goblin lord let out a horrified shriek at the sight of the unharmed Juniel. Judging that she was close enough, Juniel pulled the massive Granteil back over her shoulder and hurled it forward with all her strength toward the goblin lord.
Whoooosh—!
The axe flew with a sound and destructive power far beyond anything I'd seen before. It looked like it would split the goblin lord in half—but it never reached its target.
Goblins and goblin warriors had thrown themselves in front of their lord, blocking the axe with their bodies. Only after dozens of them had been sliced apart did Granteil finally hit the ground. Juniel reached out to recall it, preparing to charge again, but the goblin lord's guards had formed an even tighter formation than before, slowing her advance.
On top of that, the goblin lord raised its staff once more and began chanting another spell. Magic shouldn't work on Juniel, though. But the lord wasn't targeting her this time.
Dark energy spread from the staff, and a red haze rose from the bodies of the tightly packed goblins guarding it. Just looking at them, they clearly seemed stronger. Some kind of buff magic?
Sure enough, Juniel's charge toward the goblin lord slowed even further. The buffed goblins, now far stronger, clung to her desperately, not caring about their own lives.
So this was what an upper-tier monster could do. It even had magic that could buff its subordinates. Not bad.
While Juniel was tied down by the enemies and the battle momentarily stalled, a massive fireball shot out from the school, crashing into the center of the goblin legion with a tremendous explosion.