Chapter 5 - Goblin Extermination
Chapter 5 - Goblin Extermination
"U, uh."
"Yes. Tha, thank you."
They nodded, stuttering.
Judging by the voice, it seemed the one who screamed was the cleric girl.
They were likely of age, but to me, the perception of them as girls was strong.
Because the term "pretty girl" suited them better than "beauty," and above all, the nuance was exciting in a lewd way.
I lowered my gaze to look at the beastkin girl's limp arm.
Her elbow and forearm were bruised, and it looked like she couldn't move them at will.
"Are you really okay? Isn't your arm broken?"
Just looking at it makes it look incredibly painful.
"I, I'm fine! This much is nothing! Compared to losing my life... ow, ow."
She waved the hand holding the dagger to say she was fine, but the beastkin girl's eyes welled up slightly as she sheathed the dagger at her waist and stroked her limp arm.
The beastkin girl said with an awkward smile.
"Ahaha, now that the tension is gone, it hurts again... Elsie, please heal me."
The beastkin girl looked at the cleric girl and said.
"Yes, Noah! Heal!"
The cleric girl hurriedly stood up, placed both hands on the beastkin girl's broken arm, and used some kind of recovery magic.
That must be what they call Divine Magic.
A soft, light green glow enveloped the beastkin girl.
"Phew, the pain has subsided a lot. Thanks, Elsie."
"It's nothing, I'm actually sorry, Noah. If I were a bit more skilled, I could have healed your broken arm instantly..."
"Hahaha, Elsie, you're still an apprentice cleric. You can improve from here."
It seemed that clerics start as apprentices.
That aside, this was my first time seeing Divine Magic.
No, actually, it was my first time seeing magic itself.
Seeing that the cleric girl named Elsie was an apprentice, it seemed her skills were still immature.
How powerful could Divine Magic be if mastered?
If it could even restore a hymen, couldn't one maintain eternal virginity?
But since I hate having to see blood every time, personally, it's not a play I'd want to do.
Still, it definitely stimulates my curiosity.
Without realizing it, I was staring intently at the light green glow surrounding the beastkin girl.
"Um... why are you doing that?"
"Yes?"
"You were staring intently at Noah."
"Ah, I'm sorry. It was my first time seeing Divine Magic, so I was fascinated. I ended up staring."
The beastkin girl tilted her head.
"Huh? First time? You're a high-rank adventurer..."
Kkeeeeeeeeeee!
Just as the beastkin girl was about to ask me, a Hobgoblin's screech was heard.
Both the girls and I turned our heads toward the sound.
Kkeee! Kkeeeeeeeeeee!
The Hobgoblin I had sent flying had already gotten up, holding a club in its left hand, and was screaming towards us.
The Hobgoblin was drooling, snorting heavily, and was completely pissed off.
"A Hobgoblin?!"
"It was alive?!"
The two girls were shocked.
They must have thought it would have died after being sent flying so spectacularly.
I, of course, thought I had finished it off too.
It seems I held back too much to avoid bursting it.
Even though its right shoulder was completely crushed and unusable, it hadn't lost its life.
"Please wait a moment."
I walked heavily toward the Hobgoblin.
I finally had a chance to meet some pretty girls.
I want to talk more, and I also want to "talk" with our bodies.
To do that, raising their favorability is very important.
If I show off my strength here, wouldn't the favorability of these two adventurers go up quite a bit?
Kyaa! A strong man! So cool! Hug me!
Even if I don't expect a reaction like that, if they think of me as a reliable person, it's a huge success.
Kkeeeeeeeeeee!
It charges at me while letting out a Hobgoblin screech.
As expected, even if it's a Hobgoblin, a goblin is a goblin.
No matter how big the skill gap is, they keep attacking until they die.
Thanks to that indomitable spirit, it's easy to set up my delusions, but this time, I just wanted it to quietly go to the afterlife.
It's a good opportunity to show my strength again, but it was better to continue the conversation.
The Hobgoblin ran up to me, raised its left hand high, and swung the club down.
Whoosh!
I grabbed the Hobgoblin's wrist with my right hand.
Kkee! Kkeekkeekkeekkee!!!
The Hobgoblin tried desperately to move its arm, but due to my Superhuman Strength, its left arm didn't budge at all.
I applied force to my right hand and squeezed the Hobgoblin's left arm hard.
Squeeze!
Kkeeeeeee!
Slowly, the Hobgoblin's wrist was crushed, and its hand holding the club loosened.
Clatter!
I snatched the falling club with my left hand and swung it toward the Hobgoblin's head.
Thwack!
Crunch!
The Hobgoblin's head was torn from its neck, hit the wall, left a large bloodstain, and rolled onto the ground.
Thud
When I let go of my right hand, the Hobgoblin's body fell backward.
I threw the club in my hand onto the floor and turned around to walk toward the two girls.
"Amazing..."
"To take down a Hobgoblin so easily..."
The two girls were staring at me, dumbfounded.
I feel a little excited.
But let's try not to show my joy on the outside.
I'm going to be a gentleman.
I can show my goofy grin to my heart's content in bed.
"It's finished. What were you trying to say earlier?"
"Ah, w, well. Aren't you a high-rank adventurer?"
It seems the beastkin girl thought I was a high-rank adventurer after seeing my strength.
"No. I'm a newbie who just became an adventurer today."
"A newbie?! You're lying, right?! How did you take down a Hobgoblin in one hit if you're not a high-rank adventurer..."
"Noah."
"Huh? What is it, Elsie."
"He's our lifesaver who saved us. You shouldn't use such rude language."
The cleric girl didn't seem to like the beastkin girl speaking informally to me.
Judging by her tone, it seemed she used polite language normally.
"Ah... that's right. I'm so used to speaking informally that I didn't notice. I'm sorry."
The beastkin girl bowed her head and apologized.
"Ah, it's fine to speak informally."
Speaking informally is good in its own way, and polite language is good in its own way.
When having sex, asking "Does it feel good?" in a friendly way and asking "Does it feel good?" politely both have their own charms, so I like both.
"No, you're our lifesaver, and speaking informally to someone older than me upon first meeting is against etiquette."
It seems the cleric girl thinks I'm older because of my build.
I waved my hands and said.
"I'm 20 years old. So it doesn't matter if you speak informally."
"Huh?!"
"Yes?"
The beastkin girl's eyes widened in shock, and the cleric girl tilted her head with a confused look on her face.
I worried that maybe it wasn't my build, but that I looked old for my age.
"Do I look that old?"
"No! It's partly because of your build, but you're incredibly strong! So I thought you were a high-rank adventurer, and high-rank adventurers are all older than us, so that's why! Right, Elsie!"
"Yes, yes! That's right! I'm sorry! I didn't know you were the same age as us."
It seems the two girls are the same age as me.
"That's right! Wow, to think you're this strong, the same age, and a fellow newbie! You're really amazing!"
It was a bit obvious she was glossing over it, but I didn't feel bad being praised.
"Thank you. But is your arm okay?"
"Ah, it's fine. The pain is almost gone now. I can just go to the temple later and get it treated."
The beastkin girl perked up her ears.
"Oh, right! I haven't even introduced myself to my lifesaver yet! I'm Noah! And this cute girl here is Elsie! Thanks for saving my life!"
The beastkin girl, Noah, thanked me with a bright smile. And the apprentice cleric girl, Elsie, also bowed her head and said.
"My name is Elsie. Thank you so much for saving Noah and me. And... I, I'm sorry for assuming you were older."
"It's fine. It's easy to make mistakes. My name is Lant."
I shouldn't show on the outside that it bothered me a little.
If they think I'm petty, the path to a rosy future will fade away.
"So your name is Lant! But are you really not a high-rank adventurer? Even though you're that strong?"
"Yes, I came to Puldang for the first time today. I just became F-rank today. What rank are you two?"
"Elsie and I are E-rank. We only became adventurers 10 days ago. Besides... hahaha, 'you' (honorific). Lant, you don't have to use polite language either. We're the same age and fellow newbies anyway. Right, Elsie?"
"Yes, that's right. You can speak comfortably. I lived in the temple, so this is how I normally speak, so don't worry about it."
"Is that so?"
Doesn't the fact that the girls are saying it's okay to speak casually mean they have quite a bit of favorability?
Being a gentleman is good, but to build a friendly relationship, it's better to follow their lead.
"Then I'll speak casually. You two are leaving the dungeon, right? I'll escort you to the Warp Device."
It's quite a distance from here to the Warp Device.
It's not a bad choice to build rapport while walking calmly.
"Really? Thanks! With Lant, who sent a Hobgoblin flying in one hit, I feel reassured!"
"Lant-ssi, thank you."
"Hey, Elsie. We're the same age, what's with the '-ssi'? Just call me Lant. Lant, you like that too, right?"
"Yeah, I prefer that too."
It feels good when someone who uses polite language calls me by my name in a friendly way, as it feels like they have more favorability than others.
"Then... Lant. Please escort us."
"Yeah, leave it to me. Then let's get going. It's better for Noah's arm to get treated quickly."
I intended to walk to the Warp Device while escorting them.
But Noah called me to stop.
"Wait a second! Before we go back, we have to take out the Hobgoblin's Magic Stone! Lant, we'll wait here, so go extract the Hobgoblin's Magic Stone."
Come to think of it, I had forgotten.
The Hobgoblin's Magic Stone would surely sell for a higher price than a goblin's.
I almost missed out on pocket money for the brothel because I was thinking about getting closer to the two of them.
"Got it. Thanks, Noah. I'll be right back."
I walked quickly to the fallen Hobgoblin's corpse and thrust my hand into its chest.
"Hup!"
Squish!
I pulled the Magic Stone out of the Hobgoblin's chest.
The Hobgoblin's Magic Stone was light green mixed with purple and was about the size of a fist.
My money pouch is already full of goblin Magic Stones.
I dusted off my hand, put down my backpack, and put the Hobgoblin's Magic Stone inside.
I put my backpack back on and immediately approached Elsie and Noah.
"Alright, let's go."
Elsie and Noah were wide-eyed and shocked.
"The, the Magic Stone..."
"You took it out with your bare hands? Hahaha... that's really amazing."
◈
I walked behind Elsie and Noah to escort them, preventing any goblin ambushes from behind.
While walking, I was able to hear how Elsie and Noah ended up in that situation.
Noah seemed to like talking as much as she looked energetic, so she started explaining the situation from their first meeting.
Elsie and Noah registered as adventurers on the same day.
Elsie is an apprentice cleric, and Noah is a rogue.
Since Elsie is a healer, she had to form a party with someone.
Since Noah is a rogue, she was anxious about fighting alone.
It was Noah who approached her first.
That was their first meeting, but they hit it off quickly and formed a party.
At first, they started by gathering herbs, exterminating sewer rats, and then completing quests by exterminating goblins on the 1st floor.
And after completing a certain number of quests, the two of them just reached E-rank yesterday.
The two of them, excited about reaching E-rank, came to the 1st floor of the dungeon today to take on a goblin extermination quest.
They went deeper and deeper, exterminating goblins as usual.
But today, in their excitement, they ended up going deeper than usual.
A Hobgoblin is a monster that rarely appears even on the 1st floor.
The two were flustered by the unexpected encounter with a Hobgoblin, and while blocking the Hobgoblin's surprise attack, Noah ended up breaking her arm.
The two fell into a desperate crisis.
Noah, whose combat power was greatly reduced due to her broken arm, and Elsie, whose recovery magic wasn't that strong yet.
They were on the verge of losing their lives if things continued that way, and that's when I came and saved them.
"Wow, it would have been a disaster if it wasn't for Lant."
"Yes, that's right. Thank you so much, Lant."
"No problem. Adventurers should help each other."
"To give such an exemplary answer when you're a newbie adventurer who just started today. Lant, you have a good personality, not just strength~. You're just like a prince on a white horse saving a damsel in distress."
If she's calling me a prince on a white horse, I expect she has quite a bit of favorability.
And if I had a choice, rather than riding a white horse, I'd rather have a woman ride my dick.
I'm very gentle, so I'm confident that I can move as the woman on top of me desires.
"I also thought a hero from a story had popped out. Lant, who sent the Hobgoblin flying in one hit, was really cool."
"Th, thanks."
It's my first time being praised up close by a girl like this, so I'm very shy.
Plus, being praised by pretty girls like Elsie and Noah made me even shyer and felt good.
While listening to Elsie and Noah's stories, I was able to look at the two of them closely from behind.
Honestly speaking, both of them were very pretty, and they were girls who were exactly my type, and also the type that the 'son' attached to my lower body liked.