Chapter 2: As a New Adventurer – 03
About forty minutes later, Kaim quietly shouted, “Wait.”
Each of us hid behind trees, looking toward the depths of the forest where Kaim was pointing.
There, indeed, was what appeared to be a Goblin settlement.
Scattered among the trees were about ten makeshift houses made from gathered branches, and surrounding them were over fifty Goblins sitting or wandering about.
There were likely a considerable number inside the houses as well, but the sheer number of Goblins made it impossible for my Presence Detection skill to pick up anything further.
“Just as I expected, a settlement of around a hundred. As usual, Meribe will cast a spell to create a distraction, and when they panic, we’ll charge in. After she casts, Meribe and Labelt will stay here. If Meribe can, she’ll cast another spell. Old man… can you charge in?”
“I can.”
“Then follow me and Ranan. Alright, let’s get started.”
As Kaim gave the orders, Meribe began to focus, preparing her staff. I couldn’t help but feel a thrill at witnessing magic for the first time since arriving in this world.
After about ten seconds of watching, the tip of Meribe’s staff began to glow faintly.
“I’m going!”
Meribe stepped out from the shadows of the trees, aiming her staff toward the Goblin settlement.
As the light at the tip of her staff vanished, several fist-sized stones suddenly appeared around her.
In an instant, those stones shot forward at incredible speed, striking multiple Goblins and their houses directly.
The Goblins hit by the stones had limbs blown off, indicating the tremendous power behind the attack.
The houses were shattered in one blow, and several Goblins inside fell to the ground, bloodied.
“Alright! Let’s charge in!”
Kaim and Ranan charged fearlessly into the commotion of the settlement.
I hesitated for just a moment before following them. I was grateful for my Composure skill; without it, I might have been overwhelmed by the sudden atmosphere of battle.
Kaim and Ranan slashed through Goblins indiscriminately, cutting them down as they moved. The Goblins attempted to retaliate with wooden sticks, but they fell before they could even swing.
With Kaim heading toward the center and Ranan to the right, I moved to the left. Ahead of me were two Goblin houses and about ten Goblins.
As I prepared to charge in, a sudden impact hit my stomach. A stone. I had forgotten that the Goblins in the field would throw rocks.
While stone-throwing is indeed a highly lethal attack, the size of the stones thrown by Goblins is not particularly large. My Composure and Thought Acceleration skills determined that stopping here would be a bad idea. I charged into the group of Goblins, protecting my head with my buckler.
A few stones struck me, but my body was in an excited state, so I felt no pain. I swung my mace horizontally at the nearest Goblin.
Three Goblins were sent flying, blood and guts splattering everywhere.
It was time to push forward. I swung my mace and buckler, mowing down the Goblins in front of me.
Once I cleared the ones outside, five more emerged from inside the houses. I ran toward them without hesitation, knocking them down one after another.
I also destroyed the houses to check for any remaining Goblins inside. Alright, this side is taken care of.
I took a moment to cool down. The spots where the stones had hit were a bit painful, but it was just a bruise.
Looking around, I could still hear the cries of Goblins from the direction Kaim had gone.
I activated my Presence Detection skill and headed that way.
“Ranan, come here! There’s a Failed King over here!”
I heard Kaim’s urgent shout. It sounded quite serious. A Failed King… that meant there was a boss enemy present.
I hurried over to find Kaim fighting while being pushed back by several Goblins.
One Goblin stood out, clearly larger than the others. It was about Kaim’s height, with well-developed muscles all over its body. It swung a large club, relentlessly pounding against Kaim’s shield, not allowing him to counterattack.
Ranan seemed to have gone quite far away. She was heading this way, but waiting for her would put Kaim in danger.
I circled around behind the large Goblin, which was too focused on attacking Kaim to notice me.
I raised my mace and struck down hard on the back of its head.
Crack!
The impact was unlike anything I had felt with a regular Goblin, and the creature fell forward, its skull shattered.
“Whoa!? Old man! Nice one!”
With the tide turned, Kaim quickly dispatched the remaining Goblins.
Ranan, Meribe, and Labelt soon gathered around us.
Labelt’s mace was stained with blood. It seemed a few Goblins had turned their attention toward Meribe and the others.
My Presence Detection skill didn’t pick up any other presences. It appeared the settlement had been completely wiped out.
“Kaim, are you alright?”
Meribe asked with concern, and Kaim scratched his head, replying, “Yeah.”
“I’m glad you showed up at the right time. I didn’t expect to encounter a Failed King.”
“True. It’s unusual for a settlement of this size to have a Failed King. We should report this to the Guild.”
Ranan nodded in agreement.
“But old man, you really did well. Even if it was a surprise attack, taking down a Failed King in one hit shows you’ve trained your skills quite a bit. You don’t seem like a fresh F-Rank adventurer.”
“Yeah, it’s true. And despite his appearance, his fighting style was completely that of a berserker. It’s my favorite way to fight.”
Labelt rambled on, a bit excited. But a berserker… now that I think about it, that might be accurate. I’ll have to reflect on that.
“I was able to take it down because Kaim drew its attention. I really understand the importance of fighting as a party now.”
“Exactly. There are limits when you’re alone. In any case, the credit for this victory goes to you, old man. Now, we have work to do. Let’s collect the Magic Stones.”
“I really don’t want to do extermination missions because of that…”
Labelt sighed. Indeed, fighting in a dungeon would be far easier. While extermination missions are considered the highlight of being an adventurer… such phrases are often used to gloss over something.
After collecting nearly a hundred Magic Stones, we left the forest and headed toward a nearby village.
I wondered if it was okay to leave the Goblin corpses as they were, but apparently, in a secluded forest, it’s generally fine to leave them be.
When we spoke with the village chief, he expressed his gratitude and invited us to stay the night, but due to the matter of the Failed King, we decided to return directly to the town of Tolson.
I always think about how terrifying the stamina of awakened adventurers is.
We arrived in Tolson in the evening and headed straight to the Adventurers’ Guild.
Upon seeing our faces, the receptionist, Kisara, smiled.
“Welcome back! You’ve completed the Goblin extermination mission, haven’t you?”
“Yeah, we did it perfectly. Here are the Magic Stones; please confirm them.”
“Yes, understood. Please wait a moment.”
Kisara called over other staff members to begin verifying the Magic Stones. It didn’t take long for her to notice a particularly large Magic Stone among them, about the size of a ping pong ball.
“Excuse me, Kaim, but this…”
“What does it look like to you?”
“Given its size, it’s likely from a higher-ranking Goblin… it’s not quite large enough to be from a King, but it’s definitely bigger than a General.”
“That’s right. That’s the Magic Stone of a Failed King. There was a Failed King in the Goblin settlement.”
“What!?”
Kisara’s eyes widened as she covered her mouth. The other staff members reacted similarly. It seems that the presence of a Failed King is considered a serious threat.
Perhaps curious about the staff’s reaction, one of the adventurers behind us approached.
He was a man in his thirties, exuding an air of experience. He was likely a D-Rank adventurer.
“Hey Kaim, is that true?”
He glanced at the Magic Stone, raising an eyebrow slightly.
“…That Magic Stone is definitely genuine. I hope this doesn’t lead to any trouble.”
“Anyway, everyone from the Silver Ring… and Okuno-san, I’d like to hear your story. Please follow me to the back room.”
Kisara hurriedly led us to a back room.
The veteran adventurer returned to his party, seemingly starting a discussion. Perhaps this incident would require the involvement of D-Rank adventurers.
The back room had the atmosphere of a conference room.
There was a large table with about ten chairs arranged around it.
As we sat and waited, the door opened, and Kisara entered with another male staff member in his forties.
His attire seemed a bit more upscale, suggesting he was a superior. He sat down in a chair across from us and spoke.
“Sorry to keep you. We really couldn’t ignore this matter.”
“Ah, Guild Master, it’s no problem. I understand this is a serious issue.”
“The Guild Master” refers to the head of the Adventurers’ Guild in the town of Tolson.
I never expected to meet someone of such importance so soon after becoming an adventurer.
“Now, please tell me what happened.”
Kaim took the lead, recounting the entire incident to the Guild Master.
Meribe filled in any gaps, and from what I could tell, we managed to convey everything without leaving anything out.
Once the story was complete, the Guild Master turned to me.
“Hmm, so you were the one who defeated the Failed King… I don’t believe I’ve seen you before.”
“Yes, I just became an adventurer a few days ago. My name is Soushi Okuno.”
“You awakened at such a young age? Kisara mentioned that an adventurer like you had arrived. It seems you faced quite a challenge right from the start. It’s impressive to see an F-Rank adventurer take down a Failed King… keep up the good work.”
His response felt a bit condescending. I understood; being a newcomer at this age is a bit unusual, even for me.
“Thank you for the report. This matter will be escalated, and it will be considered alongside other information for a response. You all should continue your usual activities.”
“Got it. Just make sure to give us our points.”
“Of course, I’ll take that into account. You too, Okuno-kun.”
With that, the Guild Master left.
Soon after, we were released, and I received my share before heading back to the inn.
Back at the inn, we held a small celebration to mark our success, and afterward, we returned to our respective rooms.
During that time, I asked the members of the Silver Ring about Goblin Kings. Apparently, a Goblin King is a special entity, and just having one around can lead to an explosive increase in Goblin numbers.
While individual Goblins are truly weak, when they gather in numbers, higher-ranking types emerge, and the threat level rises dramatically. Considering that, a King is an extremely dangerous presence.
While it seems fortunate that we managed to eliminate a Failed King beforehand, it turns out that’s not entirely the case.
In fact, a King emerges when one is chosen from several Failed Kings… meaning there could be other Failed Kings in the vicinity of that forest, from which a King could be born.
If a King were to emerge without anyone knowing, it could lead to significant damage… Therefore, it’s likely that this incident will be reported to the local lord, and some form of countermeasure will be taken.
“I’ve only been an adventurer for a week now.”
I muttered a bit of a complaint while lying on my bed. I wanted to level up slowly, but the situation seemed to be moving in a direction that wouldn’t allow that.
There was no helping it; I would have to engage in even more intense training. For now, before any movements regarding Goblins occur, I should defeat the boss of the Great Rock Dungeon and acquire a special skill.
It seems that one of the conditions for ranking up to E-Rank is to achieve that, and if I could obtain a magic-related skill, becoming a mage like Meribe wouldn’t be a bad idea.
After all, it would certainly look better than being a berserker at my age.