Episode 41 – Goblin Rider

24 minutes

“Th-this should be fine, right?” -Yuuta

To be honest, I never thought the day would come when I’d be desperately trying to create an alibi out of fear of being caught cheating by a woman. It’s a bit of a superiority… I don’t know what this feeling is. I know I’m doing something bad, but I can’t help but feel a sense of superiority in the fact that I’m popular.

I see, so this is why popular guys get carried away?

“No, no. If they find out I’m getting carried away with this, both of them and Imari will be fed up with me.” -Yuuta

Anyway, I hunted down a bunch of goblins in close combat. I think I must have killed about 100 of them before the two of them arrived. My whole body was covered in goblin blood, so there’s no way my body would smell like Evie now.

Normally, I’d be careful not to get blood on me, but I didn’t do that at all this time, so it’s pretty gross. It was really too disgusting to stay like this. I had come to the place where the stairs to the 2nd floor were, but I walked to the nearby water.

Being wary of goblins, I got naked and carefully washed my armor one by one, and also took off the clothes I was wearing and washed them. A giraffe was there beside me, bowing his head. I kept my distance because I didn’t want to be kicked. I was scared of the goblins, so I kept my katana and gun with me at all times.

“Phew, it’s hot.” -Yuuta

If Misuzu found out about this, I wonder what she would say I was doing.

“I really only need harems in erotic books.” -Yuuta

“Yuuta, what are you doing?” -Misuzu

“You’re naked.”  -Evie

After feeling the coolness of the water for a while, it seemed that the two of them had arrived. I didn’t panic too much because I had been in this kind of scene many times before. However, there’s no point in showing them something shoddy forever, and I felt bad about it.

“Sorry. I’ll put my clothes on right away.” -Yuuta

“Oh, it’s fine if you stay like that.” -Evie

Evie says that with a nonchalant face. Even though I’ve gone this far to avoid being caught cheating, it seems that Evie doesn’t understand my efforts. Still, I tried to put my clothes on and looked properly at the two of them and was surprised.

“W-what happened to you two!? Lean, you’re in pretty bad shape too!” -Yuuta

“Fufu, I wonder what happened.” -Evie

“Really.” -Misuzu

“Gyaa.” -Lean

The equipment and outfits I had just bought were damaged, and on top of that, there were bloodstains. It looks like they’ve been healed with potions, but I couldn’t believe that the three of us could end up in this state while on the 1st floor.

“Don’t tell me you went into the 2nd floor first?” -Yuuta

“We wouldn’t do that. I mean, if we did something that would put us in this state on the 2nd floor, both of us would already be dead.” -Evie

“That’s true. Huh? Then you were beaten by the goblins on the 1st floor?” -Yuuta

“That’s right.” -Evie

“‘That’s right’, you say. What are you doing?” -Yuuta

I was amazed. How can the three of you fall behind the goblins on the 1st floor?

“Can you two really go down the stairs in that condition?” -Yuuta

“It’s fine. We just let our guard down a little.” –Misuzu

“A little… You guys need to be more serious. Both of you, don’t let your guard down on the 2nd floor, okay?” -Yuuta

“I know~” -Misuzu

Misuzu answered, looking a bit unhappy. Well, maybe it’s because she lost to the goblins on the 1st floor, which she never thought she would lose to. I also thought for a moment that my cheating might have been found out. But if that were the case, she would have been angrier at me. It’s not that kind of reaction, so I’m sure it hasn’t been found out.

“Evie, you understand too, right?” -Yuuta

“Yes, well, it depends on Misuzu.” -Evie

“Gyaa.” -Lean

I felt like there was a subtle atmosphere flowing between the two of them.

“Ah!” -Yuuta

But then I realized. I’ve been standing completely naked in front of the girls for a long time.

“Sorry. I’ll really put my clothes on right now.” -Yuuta

“I don’t mind if you stay like that though.” -Misuzu

“No, you can’t. We want to wash off the filth from being attacked by goblins too, so we need you to keep watch. Lean. You’re next. Keep watch with Yuuta. Don’t do anything weird to Yuuta, okay?” -Evie

“Gyaa.” -Lean

The two of them started taking off their equipment. More and more of their bare skin was being exposed. I quietly looked away. Lean came to my side and was vigilantly looking in the direction of Evie and Misuzu. There have been a few situations like this before when we stayed overnight, but I’ve never peeked.

“Well, of course, but…” -Yuuta

“Gya.” -Lean

Lean seemed to want to say something.

“What’s wrong?” -Yuuta

Lean seems to have her own will, unlike normal goblins, and seems to have likes and dislikes for men. She seems to like me, so she stays close to me even when she’s on the lookout.

“Gyagyaa.” -Lean

“Hmm? Sorry, I don’t understand what you’re saying.” -Yuuta

Just like I don’t understand what a dog is saying when it barks, I don’t understand what Lean is saying. Evie seems to be able to understand her, and it seems that Misuzu has also come to understand her a little, but I have no idea.

I wonder if I’ll be able to understand what Lean is trying to say when my level goes up and my intelligence increases. I want to be able to understand what Lean is saying someday.

“Gii-gii.” -Lean

“Huh?” -Yuuta

But she seems to want to say something today. Does she want to tell me something? As I was puzzling over this, I heard the sound of the two of them putting on their equipment, so I guess they had finished washing off the filth.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” -Misuzu

“Sorry for the wait.” -Evie

When I turned around, the two of them were walking towards us, looking clean except for the torn parts that couldn’t be helped. Evie has a transcendent beauty that can’t be seen in Japanese people, and Misuzu is so beautiful that she could be compared to celebrities who sell their beauty.

Imari has a face like the center of an idol group, with short hair and big eyes, and Lean looks like a Hollywood child actress. Oh no. I feel like I’m going to start grinning.

“I’m sorry. I immediately damaged the equipment that Yuuta bought for me.” -Misuzu

“No, I’m the one who should apologize for going too far earlier. Sorry.” -Yuuta

“No, it’s my fault for letting my guard down in the dungeon.” -Misuzu

“Then let’s get serious from here on out.”  -Yuuta

“Yuuta… um, I love you.” -Misuzu

“Huh?” -Yuuta

I didn’t really understand why she suddenly said that. Still, Misuzu came close to me and was giving off an aura of desperately wanting attention. So I tried touching Misuzu’s butt where Evie couldn’t see.

“U-uh-yeah.” -Yuuta

Even though I thought I had done something like a perverted old man, Misuzu didn’t seem to mind and looked happy. Rather, she had a face that said, “Do you want to touch me? You can touch me more.”

“Yuuta. Anyway, let’s go down. I want to see what the 2nd floor is like.” -Evie

It seems that Evie noticed, so she interrupted. Rather, this isn’t the time to be doing this. Lean had also put away the dissatisfied aura she had been giving off earlier. Even on the 1st floor, if we let our guard down, we still risk dying.

I can’t afford to have a flighty heart before going to the 2nd floor. It’s not the time to be touching Misuzu’s butt, so I took my hand away. Then we moved to the stairs leading to the 2nd floor. The stairs were a black rock structure that rose about 2 meters. It had an area of about 2 tatami mats, and I could see the stairs leading down.

First, I took a step onto the stairs. And it was the moment I went down. My vision distorted for a moment. The sensation was similar to when I passed through the entrance of the dungeon. The stairs connecting each floor are said to be closer to a teleportation device than actual stairs.

Instead of going down a long flight of stairs all the way to the bottom, you go down to the bottom in an instant. I took another step forward. Then, the daytime savanna spread out in front of me again.

“Is this the 2nd floor?” -Yuuta

“From the looks of it, not much has changed.” -Evie

“You’re right. But it’s hot… It’s hotter than the 1st floor, just as rumored.” -Yuuta

Looking behind, there was a black rock structure rising about 10 meters high. Peeking inside, there were stairs going up, and if you stepped inside, you could return to the 1st floor in an instant. Because of this, it was also said that each floor existed in a separate space.

I took out the explorer’s smartphone. When I opened the map app, it updated from the 1st floor to the 2nd floor. And I made sure to put a mark at this black rock structure, which would be the starting point for the way back. I opened the 2nd floor information written in the notes section of the map app.

“Temperature 35°C. Humidity 80%. The temperature is 5°C higher than the 1st floor. The humidity is also fixed at 10% higher.” -Yuuta

First of all, the area environment from the 1st to 10th floors remains a savanna. However, the climate becomes harsher as you go down to lower floors. I thought it was quite hot even on the 1st floor, but on the 2nd floor, it gets even worse, with the temperature rising from 30°C to 35°C and the humidity increasing.

It’s muggy and hot, so it drains your stamina at first. And we had more important things to do than that, so we took a low posture. Evie also ordered Lean to take a low posture. There were clear enemies here. I saw monsters gathering about 200 meters ahead.

“They’re here already.” -Yuuta

“Goblin Riders, huh? Wow, they look strong.” -Misuzu

They were goblins riding on female lions.

They are known as Goblin Riders. The female lions have saddles attached to their backs like horses, and reins are also attached. And the goblins are equipped with Western swords on their waists, and despite being goblins, they are even wearing armor like knights.

On the 2nd floor, these Goblin Riders move in small units of 15 to 20 riders. The leader goblin wears red Western-style armor and has green skin, but is also called a Red Goblin. These guys are outrageously strong, and,

“The leader is level 8, and even the regular riders are level 7, right?” -Misuzu

“Yeah, according to those who appraised them, it seems to be fixed at that. I’ve never heard of individuals like Lean that have leveled up.” -Yuuta

“Koharu said there are never less than 15 riders. Sometimes there are even more than 20 riders. But guns are still effective, she said. Well, it seems it’s better to use rifles though.” -Misuzu

“Having to use rifles is cumbersome in terms of operation, but I guess it’s still better than guns not working at all.” -Yuuta

“The bows on their backs are also troublesome. I heard that the arrows from a level 7 goblin’s bow fly almost straight like bullets.” -Misuzu

Each Goblin Rider was wearing neatly uniform armor. They also had bows equipped on their backs, which they could fire while riding. If the goblins on the 1st floor were a gathering of peasant soldiers, the goblins on the 2nd floor were a cavalry unit.

“The fact that their levels are more than double ours…” -Misuzu

“It’s still better that they don’t have skills.” -Yuuta

These Goblin Riders are the enemies of the 2nd floor. The threat level has increased compared to the goblins on the 1st floor.

“I heard that the speed of a lion is 80 km/h. Even with a light goblin riding on top, the speed hardly drops. On top of that, goblins have high levels, so even though they’re small, they’re very strong. An ordinary adult human wouldn’t stand a chance against them, even in a group.” -Yuuta

“These guys also came out when the dungeon collapsed in America, right?” -Misuzu

“Not just these guys, even more horrifying goblins came out. It seems that when a dungeon collapses, all floors from the 1st to the 10th get connected. In the first wave, about 10,000 goblins from the 1st floor come out per dungeon. At that time, there were 141 dungeons in total across America, so that’s 1.41 million in total. In the second wave, there were a thousand of these guys per dungeon. It’s said that 140,000 riders came out across all of America. They look a bit intelligent, don’t they?” -Evie

“Now that you mention it, they certainly do.” -Yuuta

Just because their levels were higher, the goblins looked more handsome than those on the 1st floor.

“Some idiot who thought there might be room for negotiation went to face them and got killed. It was my father. He was the kind of person who would always say things like ‘People should be more equal.’ He often said, ‘A dungeon where only those with certain talents can rise to the top goes against God’s providence.’” -Evie

“That’s… how should I put it.” -Yuuta

From the way she spoke, I suddenly thought that Evie might have disliked her father.

“In America, there’s no one who hasn’t lost a family member. I’m still better off because only my mom and two sisters didn’t die. And even these guys were better than the monsters on the 3rd floor. The monsters on the 3rd floor are crazy.” -Evie

“It’s amazing that ordinary soldiers were able to beat these guys.” -Yuuta

“Well, fortunately, even if you defeat monsters that come out of the dungeon, you can level up. Thanks to that, the military was able to raise their levels, which was the best thing. Without that, I think the entire Earth might have been destroyed by now. Well, ironically, thanks to that, there are still quite a few countries that don’t open their dungeons.” -Evie

If you defeat monsters that come out of the dungeon, you can raise the levels of the military and police. That way, you can maintain the system as a nation. For that reason, there are quite a few countries that still maintain the principle of not opening their dungeons. China is the representative of isolationism. Japan is said to be the representative of liberalism.

As for which is better, there is no conclusion. If you’re a liberalist, explorers gain too much power and the country becomes like a puppet controlled by explorers. But if you’re an isolationist, when attacked by foreign explorers, your only option is to rely on explorers of your own nationality who are also abroad.

Explorers don’t do anything for free, so only a major power can withstand those expenses. Above all, in the end, you have to rely on explorers.

Even isolationist China is no exception.

China’s current state is premised on the protection of two of the 12 heroes who always appear when China faces a crisis: “Wang, the Qilin” and “Taotie, the Demon Eater,” both of whom have surpassed level 1000.

“So, what should we do?” -Yuuta

While talking, we kept an eye on our surroundings. The goblins here don’t try to impregnate women. That’s because the lions they ride on are their mates. Strangely, there are only female lions on the 2nd floor, and they have accepted goblins as their husbands.

Therefore, the goblins on the 2nd floor, whether male or female, simply kill humans.

“It seems to be downwind.” -Misuzu

“I heard that sometimes they suddenly attack from upwind, so this is still better.” -Yuuta

“Should we go now?” -Misuzu

“No, let’s just check the quest first. I heard there are quests that you have to complete right from the start.” -Yuuta

“We’ve finally finished the tutorial on the 1st floor. I’d rather not miss any quests if possible.” -Evie

The 1st floor is the tutorial. It’s still called that, even though it’s the floor where the most people die. From the 2nd floor, there’s one more thing you have to do inside the dungeon. That’s quests.

I opened my status. The content of the status display was unchanged, but there was an addition at the very bottom.

Mine:

Quest: Defeat a group of 15 or more Goblin Riders in single combat at level 5.

Weapons allowed: Swords and blades. Your own magic and skills.

Prohibited: Guns and modern weapons. Mikamaru’s body armor.

Success reward: Strength, Agility, Defense, Dexterity +5.

Furthermore, +3 for A rank.

Furthermore, +6 for S rank.

Misuzu’s:

Quest: Defeat a group of 15 or more Goblin Riders in single combat at level 5.

Weapons allowed: Bow and arrows. Your own magic and skills. Swords and blades.

Prohibited: Guns and modern weapons. 

Success reward: Skill [Double Arrow].

Furthermore, Strength, Agility, Dexterity, SP +3 for A rank.

Strength, Agility, Dexterity, SP +6 for S rank.

Evie’s:

Quest: Defeat a group of 15 or more Goblin Riders in single combat at level 5.

Weapons allowed: Summoned beasts. Your own magic. Swords and blades.

Prohibited: Guns and modern weapons.

Success reward: Summoned beast Rai.

Furthermore, MP, Dexterity, Intelligence, Magic Power +3 for A rank. Lean’s Strength, Agility, Defense, Dexterity +3.

MP, Dexterity, Intelligence, Magic Power +6 for S rank. Lean’s Strength, Agility, Defense, Dexterity +6.

“So we each have to do the quest alone.” -Yuuta

“It seems this is normal for 2nd floor quests.” -Evie

“I want it.” -Yuuta

In my case, if I clear the quest normally, my 4 main stats will increase by +5. Furthermore, how smartly I can defeat the Goblin Riders will also be evaluated.

If that’s outstanding, it will be A rank or S rank, and I can get additional bonuses. These things accumulate and determine who can reach high level, mid level, or stay stuck at low level.

“As expected, there are restrictions on specialized equipment. Well, at least I can use Mikamaru’s flame sword.” -Yuuta

Apparently, this kind of thing happens often in the dungeon. Even if you find a shortcut in the dungeon and are able to level up easily, an update will come in soon after without much delay.

The scope even extends to individuals. For example, there are explorers who find an easy way to kill goblins and just focus on collecting gacha coins, but suddenly the probability of gacha coins dropping from goblins becomes extremely low.

It seems to get adjusted so that despite the risk of death, you only earn about as much as a salaryman’s salary. Well, if you have Gacha Luck 4, it’s still quite profitable, but there are few cases of people with that much Gacha Luck doing such a thing.

Therefore, as a result, those who try to earn coins in a stingy way have no choice but to live stingily, and the dungeon is truly made so that you can’t take it easy.

“Double Arrow for Misuzu, huh. This is an essential skill for archers.” -Yuuta

“Yeah, I also researched various archer skills, but this is a really good skill. You can simultaneously hit two enemies with arrows.” -Misuzu

“In other words, if Misuzu, Yuuta, and I want to advance, we have no choice but to do the quests.” -Misuzu

Quests are optional. But most people challenge them, and the probability of failing and dying is also extremely high. Especially if you try to get an S rank, the probability of dying becomes quite high.

“Evie has it the easiest compared to us, I guess?” -Yuuta

“Yes, it might be the easiest indeed. But it’s still difficult. And if I want to get an S, I might have to fight with just Lean.” -Evie

“With just Lean… that’s tough.” -Yuuta

“Sigh, we need to at least raise our levels to 5 first or it’s not even worth discussing.” -Evie

We stopped confirming the quests there and stared at the Goblin Riders in front of us again.

“Yuuta, what’s the plan?” -Misuzu

“For the sake of stats, we won’t use guns from here on as a general rule. On top of that, we’ll annihilate them with the four of us including Lean. That’s the basics.” -Yuuta

“Isn’t it a bit tough to not use guns? The opponents are level 8 and 7, you know.” -Misuzu

“Either way, guns are completely prohibited for the quests. And if we want to defeat them in single combat at level 5, all three of us absolutely need one more magic or skill. Even the stat increases won’t be possible if we’re not in top condition. Considering that, we have no choice but to make the conditions strict here.” -Yuuta

“That’s certainly true, but with those conditions, there’s a risk of dying, you know.” -Evie    

“I’ve decided to follow Yuuta’s words, so I’m fine with that.” -Misuzu

Misuzu immediately nodded in agreement, but Evie seemed to be thinking.

“Evie, you don’t like it?” -Yuuta

“Yuuta, I’d like to take a bit more safety measures if possible.” -Evie

“If we cower here, level 1000 will be nothing but a pipe dream.” -Yuuta

“I know, but…” -Evie

We moved a bit further away from the Goblin Riders and started discussing the details. Just in case, I put a Type 20 rifle in my magic bag. It’s a newly purchased rifle that has been officially adopted by the JSDF.

It has far higher power than handguns and an effective range that extends up to 500m. I don’t plan to use it unless we’re in a dangerous situation, but handguns start to feel unreliable when we reach the 2nd floor. According to information, handgun effects weaken when hitting Goblin Rider armor, and they don’t die easily.

However, I’ve heard that the Type 20 rifle can kill them in one shot even through armor. I wanted to prepare this insurance and defeat them from the start without reducing their numbers.

“I’m fine with the policy Yuuta decided on.” -Misuzu

“Misuzu, don’t say things like that. There must be things that only Yuuta doesn’t notice. You should properly voice your opinions too. Without Misuzu’s input, we might be dead the next moment. Think carefully.” -Evie

“Hmm. Then let me say this.” -Misuzu

The two of them seemed to be on edge with each other somehow. Still, the discussion progressed and the plan was solidified. In the end, we returned to the 1st floor and talked for about an hour. And my opinions were mainly adopted, with Evie and Misuzu adding things they noticed, and we descended to the 2nd floor again.

“Are you sure you want me to be the commander?” -Yuuta

“No problem. We’ll listen to what you say. Lean too.” -Evie

“Gya.” -Lean

“I’m fine with that too. I don’t think I can obediently listen if Evie is the commander.” -Misuzu

I wonder if it was my imagination that sparks flew between the two of them for a moment. Why? Yesterday’s events shouldn’t have been found out, but…

“O-okay. Then we’ll use up all our skills and magic. No holding back. If we run out, we have plenty of SP and MP potions stocked up. No need to hold back.” -Yuuta

“Yeah.” -Misuzu

“Let’s synchronize our watches.” -Yuuta

To make sure the clocks don’t even be a second off, the three of us synchronize the time. These are the same digital watches we bought together. I gave the signal to set the watches.

“10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0.” -Yuuta

“”OK.”” -Misuzu&Evie

“0900 operation start. If I determine it’s a failure, I’ll give the signal. At that time, immediately kill them with the Type 20 rifles, so you two please follow my lead.” -Yuuta

“”OK.”” -Misuzu&Evie

We slowly approach the group of Goblin Riders, trying to make as little noise as possible. Goblins are said to have poor hearing, eyesight, and smell. Still, when they reach level 7, they become sharp.

If we’re noticed during this approach, we’ll use the Type 20 rifles to quickly annihilate them and start over. That’s the plan. Misuzu stopped about 100m away.

“Then, Misuzu, I’m counting on your bow attacks from a distance.” -Yuuta

“Got it.” -Misuzu

“We’ll get closer. Lean, let’s go too.” -Evie 

“Gya.” -Lean

Lean also seemed to understand the dangerous situation and kept her voice down as much as possible. Evie and I, the three of us, switched to crawling, not minding getting our newly purchased equipment dirty.

Leaving Misuzu behind, the three of us closed in further. We approached to a distance of 50m. If we’re noticed at this distance, it’s dangerous even with the Type 20 rifles. After all, a lion can cover 50m in about 3 seconds and be right in front of us.

We didn’t make any more unnecessary sounds at all. We just slowly and silently approached. We reached a distance where we could clearly hear the voices of the goblins. I signaled to Evie with hand signs to stop here.

Suddenly, Evie grabbed my hand. When I looked at Evie, she was looking at me with a worried expression. We’re crouching in the grass, so Misuzu can’t see us. After confirming that, Evie kissed me.

“Let’s live and do this again.” -Evie

She whispered something like that in my ear. This is definitely a death flag, but Americans probably don’t know that. And in actual reality, death flags have nothing to do with anything. I slowly moved away and advanced again. Finally, I gave instructions to Lean as well.

There were 2 Goblin Riders. We approached to a distance of about 5m. These 2 Goblin Riders will be killed by Lean and me in a surprise attack. We won’t let these 2 take advantage of the Goblin Riders’ speed. Lean seemed to understand what I wanted to say and shifted direction to the left side.

“Phew.” -Yuuta

I exhaled a little to calm myself. We were able to approach the group of Goblin Riders to a distance of 5m. The grass in the prairie is about waist-high, so they shouldn’t notice if they just take a quick look. But if they look this way, they’ll probably notice.

I looked at my watch. There were 10 seconds left until 0900. I put my hand on the flaming sword. Lastly, I look at Lean with a shield on her back.

Lean was taking on the most dangerous role here. She has no skills or magic. I had her carry a Type 20 rifle as well, but I intended to protect her if necessary.

5

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The clock struck 9:00, and almost simultaneously, Misuzu and Evie used their skills and magic,

One response to “Episode 41 – Goblin Rider”

  1. Dwarfy2k Avatar
    Dwarfy2k

    So they are massively out leveld and they are taking on 15 LIONS and goblins. This seems like a dumb idea. Also makes no sense from a design prospect. So you leave Lvl1 with groups of small gobbos to suddenly 15-20 lions and gobbos that are over double your level. How do people not just get destroyed and the world didn’t end?

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