โHurry up. Meiris.โ
โY-yesโฆโ
Since we failed the previous request, our party leader, Kailan-san, is in a bad mood.
We were so close, but because the Kobold Lord interrupted at the last moment, we couldnโt defeat the Goblin King.
In the end, we had to retreat, so there was no reward, and we ended up in the red because of the costs of the battle.
Therefore, we need to take on simpler requests and make sure we earn money reliably.
โBut seriously, a dungeon near a run-down village? Itโs probably just some monsters that wandered into a cave or something, right?โ
โNo, actually, it seems the interior is properly paved. There are at least ten monsters, at a minimum.โ
โWell, itโs just goblins, right? Ten of them isnโt dangerous at all.โ
The magician, Riona-san, and the explorer, Sarios-san, are discussing the request.
A dungeon appeared near a village, and weโve been asked to investigate and, if possible, take control of it.
The information indicated there are goblins and goblin soldiers in several rooms, and it seems there are treasure chests too.
โThereโs treasure too.โ
โGoblins or not, the treasure in a dungeon like that will probably be nothing but low-quality consumables. I doubt even a mimic will show up.โ
I think the same. If itโs a dungeon full of goblins, it might have been recently rebuilt by the Demon King.
The heroes were defeated by the Demon King, but surely the Demon King is also being cornered by the heroesโฆ
So, while the heroes wait for their revival, the Demon King is probably just focused on restoring the dungeon and his forces for now.
That means itโs probably a dungeon that we can handle, one thatโs still in its early stages.
โI donโt want to fail again, so itโs better if itโs full of weak monsters.โ
โGuess we donโt have much choiceโฆ The treasure inside is probably nothing to get excited about, so letโs just quickly get the reward for taking control of the dungeon.โ
โExactly. Letโs make a little spending money before the kingdomโs soldiers show up. Weโll do it before anyone else can claim it.โ
Once the dungeon is secured, the kingdom will reward us.
Even though itโs full of goblins, itโs still one of the Demon Kingโs bases, so weakening it, even slightly, is necessary.
Thatโs why, when dealing with reasonably weak monsters like this, itโs usually adventurers like us who handle it first.
The kingdomโs soldiers, and especially the heroes, shouldnโt have to waste time on something like this.
โ
โOh, here they come.โ
It seems that Pilkaya has detected intruders inside the dungeon.
Itโs convenient that he shares his vision with me and Primilla , but Iโm still not used to itโฆ
I try to focus on the shared vision by squinting, but eventually, itโd be better if I could perceive multiple viewpoints like the two of them.
โAt first, only the villagers came, but now itโs people with proper equipment.โ
โYeah. The villagers probably gave up after a few attempts. Thatโs why these new intruders are adventurers who took the request.โ
โAdventurers, huhโฆ Theyโre a bunch of jack-of-all-trades from a guild, right?โ
โYes. Since thereโs no guild in the village, they must have gone to the nearest town with a guild or branch and reported the dungeon.โ
So, everything is proceeding according to plan.
Now comes the tricky part of the adjustment.
โShould we just wipe them all out?โ
โHmmโฆ Well, I guess we can go with that this time.โ
In that case, it seems like we wonโt have to do much.
If we let them go, Iโd have to give the monsters simple orders and, at worst, create a wall to prevent them from being helped by the intruders.
Since we donโt have to do that this time, it wonโt be too busy, which is a relief.
There are four of them: two men and two women.
A warrior-like man, a light-footed man, a woman with a staff, and a small girl.
Since theyโre just going ahead without caring about the signs, they must have some confidence in their skills.
Theyโll probably make it to the boss room or soโฆ
โ
As expected from the villagersโ information, the cave is well-structured with paths and rooms.
Inside the rooms, there are several goblins, and occasionally, higher-tier goblins mixed in.
Yeah, this is definitely a dungeon. The Demon Kingโฆ even though his army was utterly destroyed by the heroes, heโs not giving up yetโฆ
โJust weaklings.โ
โDonโt say that. Think of it as an easy job.โ
โWasnโt Kailan enough by himself?โ
โWell, sure, so far there havenโt been any hidden passages, no need for keys, and no traps, but that doesnโt mean the future will be the same, right?โ
There really is nothing here.
Thereโs a path, rooms, and goblins inside.
We did find the treasure chest mentioned, but it only had some healing potions inside.
If Kailan-san felt like it, he could probably take control in a matter of minutesโฆ
Thatโs right. The Demon King didnโt have the energy to create dungeons.
Thatโs probably why he built it in such a hidden location, hoping to stay out of sight until he regained his power.
Honestly, demons are so foolishโฆ even after all that, the villagers found it so quickly.
โHm? The paths are merging.โ
โWait, seriously? So, no matter which path we take, weโll end up in the same place. At this rate, thereโs no chance of getting lost. This isnโt a dungeon. Itโs justโฆ nonsense.โ
โThis seems like a good practice for the adventurers who are just starting out~โฆโ
Everyone is dumbfounded.
Maybe they were disappointed. Riona-san looks like she has already lost interest.
โNext room. โฆWell, I expected this, but these enemies might be just right for us.โ
The Goblin King was standing in front of Kailan-san, who was holding his sword ready.
There were various other goblins surrounding him.
It reminded me of the request we failed earlier.
Did everyone think the same? We quickly shifted our focus and began to act accordingly to fight.
โIโll take care of the soldiers.โ
โThen weโre handling the mages. Meiris, enhance us.โ
โY-yes!โ
While Kailan-san holds back the King, Riona-san clears the soldiers, and I grant magical resistance to Sarios-san so he can deal with the mages.
Thatโs the best way to fight, so without hesitation, we took action.
โW-what?! Why, why is the magic not working?!โ
Riona-sanโs magic engulfed the goblin soldiers in flames.
Last timeโฆ the goblin soldiers were wiped out by that, but this time, they are charging straight through the flames.
โTh-this is bad! Why are the mages so tough?!โ
Sarios-san stabbed a dagger into the goblin mageโs throat, but the goblin mage was still alive.
It will probably die soon, but before that, it casts magic to attack Sarios-san.
โฆWhy? Why is this happening? Soldiers are weak to magic, and mages are weak to physical attacks.
โThisโฆ this oneโs stronger than the Goblin King we fought last time!โ
โW-what do we do? What do we doโฆ?โ
Riona-san has been slashed and pierced by the goblin soldiers, covered in bloodโฆ
Sarios-san has taken a concentrated barrage of magic from the goblin mage and is completely charredโฆ
Ahโฆ the goblin mage is casting magicโฆ I see, the mages are strengthening the whole group, just like I enhanced Sarios-san.
Just like I enhanced Sarios-san, all the goblins must have been strengthenedโฆ
โTh-thisโฆ not hereโฆโ
Of course. The Goblin King has also been strengthenedโฆ
I never expected that the goblin mages would not only cast offensive magic but also enhance their alliesโฆ
โAhโฆ n-no. I wanted to be of help to the heroesโฆ I wanted to help the heroes kill the Demon Kingโฆโ
โ
โWell, that makes sense. She was human, so itโs natural sheโd want to kill Fiona-sama and the demons.โ
โShe must have thought this dungeon was a new base created by the Demon King and came to destroy it.โ
โIt was supposed to be a small-scale dungeon. Still, they probably blame Fiona-sama for this.โ
โThe only one who could create a dungeon like this is the Demon King. An exception like you wasnโt something anyone would have imagined.โ
โThe Demon King who defeated the heroes might be trying to expand his territory. She probably came to destroy it, thinking that.โ
I see. The villagers might not know that the heroes were defeated, but the towns with guilds probably do.
Information circulates more easily there, and adventurers belonging to those guilds would definitely know.
โThis time, we managed to take them all down, but after this, there will be more intruders.โ
โAnd each time, when we wipe them out, stronger adventurers will come. Weโll have to decide whether to take down the strong ones or deal with the weaker ones. Iโll leave the strategy up to you, Rey-sama.โ
โUnderstood. Iโll figure out how far this dungeon can hold up and decide accordingly.โ
The distribution of traps and monsters. Whether we should wipe them out or drive them back, or let them proceed through. Weโll manage the dungeon carefully from here on.