Doreun felt his runaway sense of danger return, set down his bag and lantern, and stood pressed tight against the left side of the path leading out to the clearing.
Five goblins came charging in.
‘Ha, shit. What do I do? That’s a lot. I don’t think I can get through this without getting hurt.’
After thinking for a moment, Doreun turned and ran back, then turned the lantern to face the opposite direction.
‘I’d rather smack them one at a time with the club while backing up. The light’s behind me, but it’s better than getting surrounded by five goblins.’
Doreun half-turned, taking a stance that would make it easy to move backward, then raised his shield toward the pack of goblins.
Fortunately, the goblins ignored the bag and lantern and rushed at Doreun.
If the goblins had been smart, they would have kicked the lantern away first.
“Kereuk!”
“Kek!”
As the goblins that had closed in slowed down and started swiping with their claws, Doreun blocked them with his shield and retreated one step at a time.
He adjusted his position so the goblins could not attack the parts not covered by the shield.
Thwack!… Gagak, thwack!
Whenever he saw an opening while retreating, he swung his club sideways.
Swinging the club sideways inevitably meant the shield in his other hand could not block attacks, so he had to accept the risk, but with so many goblins, the danger of missing with a vertical swing was even greater.
Even if he could not put one out of the fight in a single blow, landing hits was what mattered.
He compensated for the absence of the shield caused by swinging sideways by not immediately pulling the club back, instead using the end of it to jab and shove the goblins.
Gagak, thwack! Gagak…
As he walked backward or briefly broke into a run, he swung his club several times to keep the goblins from entering his blind spots, struck them with the rim of his shield, and shoved them with the end of his club. Two of them fell and flailed on the ground.
Doreun seized the opportunity and, without delay, pushed forward with his shield toward the thinnest part of the goblin formation and broke through.
While breaking through the formation, Doreun lowered his head and hunched his shoulders, trying to cram his entire upper body behind the shield.
Thwack! Thwack!
As he passed through, he also hammered the heads of the two fallen goblins so they could not get up, then turned around.
From now on, the goblins had the light behind them.
They would not be able to make out Doreun’s panicked expression, his small movements, or what he would do next.
Moreover, compared to Doreun, the goblins’ line of sight was lower, so they were even more affected by the backlight from the lantern on the floor.
Feeling a certain catharsis from having broken through the disadvantageous situation, Doreun adjusted his grip on the club.
It was fair to call it a reversal of offense and defense.
“Hoo… hup!”
The goblins, unaware that they were now the ones at a disadvantage, came charging in. Doreun stayed pressed tight to the left wall, defended, kicked them over, shoved them with his shield, and brought his club down on them.
Thwack!
When the goblin that had fallen first got back up and charged again, he blocked with his shield and brought the club down.
After repeating that several times, all five goblins were lying on the ground.
Doreun moved busily, like an office worker who had missed his commute, and hammered the heads of the fallen goblins with the rim of his shield and his club.
Only after beating down even the first goblin that had fallen and confirming the kills did Doreun finally breathe a little easier.
At the edge of Doreun’s vision, as he came to rummage through the bag near the clearing, he saw an exit portal.
After the hobgoblin, an exit portal had appeared again in the second clearing he encountered. Did exit portals mainly form in clearings?
It was a phenomenon he had not come across in the labyrinth booklet.
The clearings on the first floor of the labyrinth had given Doreun both trials and rewards.
◆ ◆ ◆
After wandering the labyrinth without even knowing whether it was night or day outside, Doreun was lucky enough to leave the labyrinth in the middle of a sunny day.
Doreun gently closed his eyes, furrowed his brow, and felt the sunlight pouring down on him.
The stench of goblin blood seemed to wash away, leaving him refreshed.
●
Name: Doreun
Stamina: 7/50
Mana: 10/10
Condition: Physical and mental fatigue
Abilities Owned: 【Self-Introspection】
●
Above the familiar status window, a list of abilities appeared.
●
Select New Ability
[Iron Muscle] [Slow Starter] [Neural Transmission Acceleration]
●
Doreun calmed his swelling heart and moved to a secluded place, just as he had when he first obtained the 【Self-Introspection】 ability.
When he closed his eyes again and focused on each ability, he could see their descriptions.
The “muscle” in Iron Muscle meant exactly that—muscle.
It strengthened the function and durability of his muscles to be like iron.
It was the option that appealed to him most.
That was because, after the last battle against a pack of goblins that had been difficult to handle, he keenly felt the need for an immediate increase in combat power.
There was also the fact that Slow Starter and Neural Transmission Acceleration, which he examined carefully, had unimpressive effects.
Slow Starter, a common ability, apparently improved all abilities in proportion to the amount of time one stayed awake.
However, the degree of improvement was not large, and it was difficult to make use of during labyrinth exploration, where things never went according to plan.
It would not be an exaggeration to say it was impossible.
Neural Transmission Acceleration was a baffling trap of an ability.
Judging by the name alone, it sounded like an ability that increased reaction speed, but after reading the description, its effects were making muscles fatigue quickly, putting the nerves on edge, reducing patience, and making one rash.
And so, among the three options, Doreun chose Iron Muscle.
“Mm…”
The skin over his chest grew hot.
As a tattoo signifying the warrior-specialized ability [Iron Muscle] was engraved on him, Doreun felt his body undergo a drastic change.
It did not stop at his arms, legs, chest, and back; he could feel his heart becoming stronger as well.
It was as if his muscles were changing from bundles of thin noodles into twisted steel wire.
When all the changes ended, Doreun could feel his heart beating calmly.
As a result of his heart’s function improving dramatically, the thumping of his heartbeat felt slower.
The heart basically circulated as much blood as necessary, but now that it had been strengthened by the ability, a single beat could circulate more blood.
When he jumped in place, he shot upward like a volleyball player, then lost his balance on landing as if someone had shoved him.
With a light jump, he displayed athletic ability at the peak of an ordinary human.
He had grown stronger, but it seemed he would need some time to adapt to that strengthened power.
Forgetting even the mental and physical fatigue certified by his status window, Doreun moved with light steps toward the Labyrinth Guild.
◆ ◆ ◆
At the crowded Labyrinth Guild, Doreun left aside only one magic stone for the lantern and exchanged the rest for money. Then he submitted the identity plaque from the hometown where he had been born and raised and exchanged it for an explorer’s badge from the Labyrinth Guild.
He slung his bag, now thin from the preserved food and water he had consumed, to the front and stored the explorer’s badge inside, while putting the pouch of money into an inner pocket of his quilted armor.
Recalling the location of the Warrior Guild building, which he had asked the guild employee about while exchanging his explorer’s badge, he left the building.
After feeling his way along the unfamiliar road and arriving at the entrance of the Warrior Guild, Doreun looked around and once again reviewed and memorized the route.
According to what he had learned on Earth, the more times one repeated something, the better it stuck.
There were more people inside the Warrior Guild than in the Labyrinth Guild.
Several groups were talking near what appeared to be a board where missions were posted, and in the area where tables were gathered, there were plenty of burly warriors laughing and chatting while drinking beer with simple snacks.
When he spotted someone small in build and looked closer, nine times out of ten they seemed to be an employee.
Doreun went to an empty counter and spoke to the employee.
“Hello. I’m a novice explorer, and I came to find a first-floor party.”
“Ah, welcome. Do you have an explorer’s badge issued by the Labyrinth Guild?”
Doreun slung his bag to the front, took out the explorer’s badge, and handed it over.
“Here it is. How long does it take to find a party?”
The Warrior Guild employee looked at Doreun’s explorer’s badge and replied while filling out a document.
“It depends on the case, but usually it doesn’t take more than ten days. If you tell us the size and characteristics of the party you want, the guild will try to match you as closely as possible. What equipment do you use? Do you have an ability?”
“Right now, I use a shield and a club, and my ability is Iron Muscle.”
“How many party members would you prefer? Are there any types of party members you’d rather avoid?”
Doreun thought for a moment before answering.
“I’d like the party to have at most five people, including me. Since I want companions to share the cost of hiring a scout explorer for second- or third-floor exploration, party members who’ll only join once or twice aren’t ideal.”
The Warrior Guild employee briskly wrote down Doreun’s information and requests on the document, then stored it together with the other documents.
“Your request has been received, Mr. Doreun. We will return your explorer’s badge on the first day the matched party gathers. Until a party is found, please do not enter the labyrinth and check the board every day. If you need to be away, inform the guild in advance and take your explorer’s badge with you.”
“Understood.”
After leaving the counter, Doreun did not immediately exit the building. Instead, he looked around the interior and headed toward the board.
Squeezed in among the people, he examined the board. There were requests seeking byproducts from specific monsters, requests looking for people to join one-time parties, notices about carriage services to other labyrinths, and dates and times for parties matched by the guild like Doreun’s, all posted in a chaotic jumble.
Doreun saw a request seeking hobgoblin byproducts, smacked his lips, and left the building.
A reasonably priced stew hovered before his eyes.
He set off toward the “Novice Furnace.”
◆ ◆ ◆
After renting a room at the inn, leaving his bag and equipment there, and coming back down, Doreun swallowed hard when the stew and roast chicken he had ordered were served at his table.
Unlike his first labyrinth exploration, Doreun had spent several days in the labyrinth, and he had missed greasy, warm food.
Since Doreun had not deliberately rested or avoided battles, he had earned by himself the total income of an ordinary first-floor party.
He had taken on that much danger, but since the result was good, that was all that mattered.
“Wow… wow… hoo! Hoo!”
The steaming roast chicken gave off a smell so delicious that admiration came naturally.
When he grabbed a leg and tore it off in one long pull, even more steam rose from the torn meat.
Holding the glossy chicken leg, slick with oil, he took a big bite. A few of the customers who had been making do with only stew ordered roast chicken as well.
Doreun devoured the food greedily, unaware that he was smacking his lips, and only raised his head after neatly finishing both the stew and the chicken.
At the umami and sense of fullness that, to him, felt as though he had not experienced them in a very long time, he stretched his back and placed a hand on his stomach.
“Wow… this is happiness.”
As he enjoyed his fullness, Doreun felt his stomach moving and grew puzzled.
The stomach was an organ that moved by nature, but one did not usually feel such things.
According to Doreun’s guess, the effect of the warrior-specialized ability [Iron Muscle] did not seem to be limited to skeletal muscles or cardiac muscle, but also extended to the muscles of the internal organs.
That was why the movement of his strengthened stomach had become great enough for Doreun to feel.
When he gently closed his eyes and introspected, the 【Self-Introspection】 ability assisted him and gave him the answer.
Doreun felt as though he had received an unexpected gift.
After cleaning out the dishes and heading toward the inn room upstairs, the roast chickens ordered by the customers were served.
◆ ◆ ◆
After finishing a hearty meal, Doreun washed himself clean in the communal shower and drank some water.
(The shower’s water source was not waterworks or sewage but a magic device that produced water, so it was safe to drink.)
Lying on the bed in comfortable clothes, Doreun closed his eyes, examined his status window, and refined his plans going forward.
First, since he had to wait for the guild’s party matching, he would eat well and sleep well for the time being.
Since he needed to adapt to his newly obtained ability, [Iron Muscle], he would exercise from time to time as well.
Since he needed to know in advance which abilities suited [Iron Muscle], he would look through the Warrior Guild’s booklets.
And for his next exploration, he would buy potions for emergency treatment, maintain his equipment, and sharpen his dagger on a whetstone.
Doreun had originally intended to buy a one-handed sword.
That was because, while fighting alone, there had been situations difficult to handle with a club.
To knock a single goblin out of combat using a club, he had to accurately hit it in the head and make it faint, or batter all four limbs until it could no longer move.
However, if Doreun had been holding a sharp sword, he could have roughly stabbed it in the torso or near the neck, then hidden behind his shield and waited.
Since goblins had little blood to begin with, it would gush blood for a while before collapsing to the ground from excessive blood loss.
But the current Doreun was different.
Because he had obtained the [Iron Muscle] ability, he would likely be able to stop goblins easily even with a club.
Thinking that, he fell asleep.