"I can't… I need to rest for a bit."
The young mage leaned on her staff to support herself, breathing heavily, her forehead covered in a thin sheen of sweat.
Mages were, by nature, a physically frail group, and after two hours of hiking, she was completely spent.
The Sword Maiden wasn't in much better shape either.
"Alright, let's take a short break here, and eat something to regain our strength."
Though he looked down on weak creatures like goblins, the young spearman wasn't foolish enough to drag his exhausted teammates straight into a goblin den.
Thus, the four of them sat down on a few stones in front of the cave entrance, marked by a flag bearing a skull emblem. They took out the dry rations they had prepared in advance.
Half an hour passed quickly. After resting and eating, the Sword Maiden and the young mage regained their strength.
As for the young spearman and the female swordsman, they hadn't been tired to begin with, and were now back in peak condition.
"Alright, everyone's rested. It's time to finish this simple mission. Once we're done, we should hurry back to town."
The young spearman swung his long spear onto his shoulder, brimming with confidence as he looked at the Sword Maiden and the young mage, who were still sitting on the rocks.
Neither of them objected—they had no intention of resting any longer.
Under the spearman's lead, this newly formed team of novice adventurers marched toward the goblin nest that loomed before them like the maw of some dark, demonic cavern.
...
Sunlight could not reach inside the cave, and after only a short distance, they were swallowed by darkness.
However, they were prepared for this—mere darkness would not stop them.
The young spearman pulled out a torch he had brought and struck a spark from his flint, lighting it.
Under the flickering glow, the interior of the cave came into view once more.
The passage was not particularly narrow, but not spacious either—just wide enough for two people to walk side by side.
Still, for those who wielded long weapons like the spearman and the swordswoman, the cramped surroundings were far from ideal for combat.
Yet neither of them seemed to realize this, continuing forward with confident strides deeper into the cave.
As the tunnel grew darker and the air heavier, a strange unease welled up within the Sword Maiden's heart. Her expression tightened visibly.
Her unease did not escape the notice of the female swordsman walking beside her.
"Are you nervous?"
The sudden question startled the Sword Maiden. After a brief pause, she nodded honestly.
"Yeah… I just have a bad feeling. Maybe we should go back and prepare better before coming again?"
"Haha, don't worry so much. It's just a small job—nothing's going to happen."
The swordswoman laughed, patting the Sword Maiden on the shoulder with a bright, reassuring smile.
Hearing their exchange, the spearman at the front stopped, turned around, and flashed a confident grin, giving the Sword Maiden a thumbs-up.
"Relax, leave it to me. I'll protect you all. Besides, they're just goblins—small, stupid, and weak. The lowest of the low among monsters."
The young mage also stopped, nodding with confidence.
"That's right. Even a single fireball from me is enough to wipe them out. Just focus on support magic, you don't need to worry about anything else."
"Alright then…"
Seeing how sure her teammates were, the Sword Maiden could only suppress her unease.
The spearman nodded approvingly at her response.
"We've been walking for a while now. It shouldn't be long before we encounter goblins. Everyone, stay alert and watch the surroundings. Even weak monsters shouldn't be underestimated."
After saying that, the young spearman gripped his torch and continued leading the way, while the female swordsman took the rear, protecting the Sword Maiden and the young mage—whose reaction speed and adaptability were comparatively weaker—between them.
The party pressed deeper into the cave, another ten minutes passing in silence.
As they advanced, the passageway gradually narrowed, and before long, they encountered more of the skull-marked banners they had seen at the entrance.
They paid them no mind and walked straight past without hesitation.
Just then, a faint sound echoed from behind them. The already tense Sword Maiden immediately caught it.
"Wait—did any of you hear that?"
The Sword Maiden froze, turning around nervously to scan the dark tunnel behind them.
The others stopped as well, their expressions tightening with unease.
They might have underestimated goblins, but after walking through the cave for so long, even they couldn't help feeling a little on edge.
"Sound? I didn't hear anything. Maybe you imagined it?"
The young spearman glanced both ahead and behind. Seeing nothing unusual, his tension eased.
"No, I heard it too…"
The young mage's expression grew serious. At first, she thought it had been her imagination, so she hadn't spoken up—but hearing that the Sword Maiden noticed it as well confirmed her suspicion.
There was something there.
The spearman's face hardened again. He lowered his torch slightly and shifted his grip on his spear, ready for battle.
The swordswoman, of course, needed no prompting—she drew her sword and moved into a fighting stance.
If one person claimed to hear something, it might've been a mistake. But two people? Then it was definitely real.
"Looks like the goblins are here. Stay sharp, everyone."
The young spearman and the swordswoman each guarded one direction, weapons raised, keeping their eyes on both ends of the tunnel.
The Sword Maiden and the mage likewise prepared themselves.
Moments later, several goblins emerged from the rear tunnel, each clutching a crude weapon—daggers, axes, wooden clubs.
The ugly creatures snarled, drool dripping from their jagged mouths as they spotted the two girls.
And behind them, more goblins appeared—one after another.
"Goblins!"
The female swordsman shouted instinctively.
Even though she believed goblins were weak and easy to handle, facing so many at once made fear creep into her chest.
Hearing her cry, the spearman turned sharply, ready to fight alongside her—but by then, the goblins had already begun their charge.
One of them leapt forward with a shriek, slashing at the swordswoman with its dagger.
Lacking real combat experience, she instinctively stepped back, panic flashing across her face.
Fortunately, she still remembered the sword in her hands. In a moment of desperation, she swung it wildly.
A flash of red—
Blood sprayed across the ground. The goblin was cleaved cleanly in two.
Seeing how easily she had slain it, her terror began to fade, replaced by renewed confidence. She raised her sword again and struck at the next goblin.
Behind her, the Sword Maiden and the mage wore fearful expressions, though the latter quickly gathered herself.
"Fireball!"
The young mage raised her staff and unleashed a blazing sphere of flame toward the horde of goblins.
With a loud shout from the young mage, a blazing fireball formed before her staff, then shot toward a goblin. In an instant, the creature was engulfed in flames. When the fire dissipated, only charred remains were left behind.
Just like the young swordswoman, seeing her magic succeed restored the mage's confidence, and the fear in her heart lessened considerably.
At that moment, the young spearman arrived beside the swordswoman and thrust his spear forward, piercing through a goblin's chest.
Nearby, the Sword Maiden seized the chance to support her teammates. Though their performance was commendable, the panic in her heart did not subside—in fact, it grew even more intense.
If they were fighting in a wide-open plain, perhaps this group could have handled these goblins. Unfortunately, they were in a small, pitch-black cave.
During the fight, the spearman had already tossed his torch onto the ground. The faint glow only illuminated a small portion of the area.
Combined with the goblins' short stature, they could easily sneak up to the spearman's and swordswoman's feet, slashing at their legs with daggers and clubs.
The Sword Maiden, standing behind them, keenly sensed the goblins' ambush and quickly cast a spell of the Earth Mother.
"Holy Wall, protect them!"
A glowing white shield appeared in front of the spearman's and swordswoman's legs, blocking the goblins' sudden strikes.
The clashing sounds of weapons striking the barrier caught both fighters' attention. When they saw goblins already at their feet, panic overtook them.
Instinctively, they swung their weapons downward to attack the goblins near their legs—completely neglecting the enemies in front of them.
At that very moment, the Sword Maiden cried out in alarm.
"Watch out!"
Several cunning goblins suddenly leapt toward the distracted pair.
The Sword Maiden wanted to cast another shield, but it was already too late.
The next second, two goblins pounced on the spearman and the swordswoman, stabbing their daggers mercilessly into their bodies.
Agonized screams echoed through the cave. The spearman and the swordswoman, impaled by the blades, thrashed wildly, trying to shake the goblins off.
They swung their weapons blindly, desperate and uncoordinated. But the cramped cave left them no room to move freely.
Inevitably, their weapons slammed into the cave ceiling, producing two sharp metallic clangs.
Their pain and terror drove them to use their full strength, but the violent recoil of the impacts caused their weapons to fly from their hands and clatter to the ground.
Without their weapons, the young spearman and swordswoman became helpless prey, easily pinned to the ground by the goblins clinging to them.
More goblins emerged from the shadows, swarming the fallen pair.
Seeing this brutal scene, the young mage's eyes widened in terror. Her body trembled uncontrollably, her hands shaking so badly she couldn't even complete her spell.
She wanted to rush forward to help, but her fear rooted her to the spot.
The goblins atop the spearman showed no mercy, stabbing him again and again. Blood splattered across the cave floor, and within seconds, his life was snuffed out.
The swordswoman, though not immediately killed, suffered a crueler fate. The goblins restrained her and began tearing at her clothing, snarling with depraved intent.
Unable to bear the sight, the Sword Maiden finally summoned her courage. She ran forward, swinging her staff desperately at the goblins, trying to drive them away from her comrade.
But before she could even reach them, a piercing scream echoed once more through the cave…
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