In the end, I only spent a couple of minutes immobilized due to exhaustion and pain. After that, I could at least move again—though I doubted I'd be able to move at high speeds anytime soon.
"That is… unless I find a potion somewhere around here. Then I'd feel a lot better."
If the situation were more… normal… I'd stay put until I fully recovered. But thanks to my unexpected partner, I could probably explore a bit and let it handle the monsters.
Right now, the spider had retreated back into the cloak after it finished eating all three orc corpses, leaving only their bones behind. Surprisingly, it seemed to leave their mana stones intact for me to take.
Since I had two more orc mana stones all to myself, I ate them without hesitation.
The pain of absorbing a stone's mana was nothing compared to the gains I received from it.
"Now, let's exit this room," I sighed, readying myself to sneak around the floor.
It was in my best interest to avoid any fights—I didn't think I'd survive another group of orcs. And I doubted I'd find goblins on a floor this low.
Before moving on, I chanted the incantation for Breeze Step, cloaking my footsteps in silence and allowing me to sneak more easily.
"It's time to—"
The moment I stepped a single foot outside the room, my view was blocked by a small, green figure.
"Aah!"
We both yelled and jumped back, grabbing our weapons.
Once I got a clearer look, I noticed its body language was completely different from other goblins I'd fought.
Its upper body was lowered, one hand resting on the floor, the other lifted slightly while gripping a machete-like weapon.
Despite its battle-ready stance, its hands shook, and its expression wavered with indecision.
I had never seen a goblin afraid to fight. Usually, they were fearless despite their small size.
"I-I'm not afraid of you!" it shouted.
"You can talk?!"
A coherent sentence—from a goblin?
"Of course I can talk!" it snapped, offended by my surprise.
"Tinalara, knock it off…" another goblin's tired voice cut in.
This one looked older—his face lined with wrinkles and scars. He was being carried on the shoulders of two others: a young goblin boy and a tall female goblin who looked about my age. No—given her height, she was probably an adult.
"Boss Clighton, that's the monster that killed our people!" the machete-wielding goblin shouted, pointing her weapon at me. Now that I saw more clearly, she had more feminine features.
"Those are no longer our people. They've been turned into mindless monsters," the older goblin—Clighton—said, clutching his stomach wound. The other two carrying him looked terrified of me.
"But—"
"No buts. Lower your weapon, Tinalara."
She obeyed, but kept her guard up.
"And he's not a monster. You're human, aren't you? Still… you might not be that mistaken, Tinalara. Only a monster could fight three orcs and win. Especially those three."
Unlike her, I never lowered my weapons. I didn't intend to start a fight, but I wasn't about to drop my guard.
"I am Clighton, commander of the Eleventh Songbird Squad. She is one of the soldiers under my wing. I assure you, we are nothing like the goblins or orcs you've fought recently," the old, battle-hardened goblin said calmly.
"Boss…"
"Why is your group so different from the others?" I asked, stepping back.
"The others—"
"The others have been corrupted by this dungeon, turned into mindless monsters. We were the only ones who resisted… and survived the attack from our own comrades."
"Corrupted? What do you mean?"
"We were teleported from our world into this cave. Our people… something infected their minds. Most turned into—" the tall green girl explained, but stopped as Clighton suddenly groaned in pain.
"Boss!" Tinalara cried, turning back toward him.
"Human… can we talk somewhere safer? We could get attacked here, and I'd like to sit down. I feel like I'm putting too much weight on these two kids…"
"Mr. Clighton, no…"
"This is nothing, mister," the two younger goblins said tearfully.
I sighed, sheathing both daggers.
"Here, let me help." I stepped forward, taking Clighton's arm and slinging it over my shoulder. "Alen. That's my name."
"..." The old goblin blinked at me, then smiled faintly. "I see… Alen. Thank you."
We returned to the room where I had fought the orcs. The walk was silent—though I could feel the three goblins' gazes weighing heavily on me. The machete-wielding girl kept her distance, while the other two stayed closer to Clighton.
Once inside, I carefully sat him against a wall. The younger ones immediately stood between us, protective.
"Thanks, Alen," Clighton said with a small chuckle.
"How did you even find me?" I asked.
"We heard the sound of a fierce fight. That girl—" he pointed to the tall goblin—"she saw you fighting those orcs."
She looked away, crouching beside him as if trying to hide.
"You must be strong to defeat the royal guards."
"You said all the other goblins and orcs were corrupted? They used to be normal before?"
"Yes. We were a tribe—goblins and orcs together. We lived in peace. But when we were brought here… everyone changed. They even turned against those of us who resisted. We are the only ones left—or at least, we think so. It's been days since we've seen anyone uncorrupted."
A tribe…? On Terra, goblins and orcs existed after the dungeon breakouts, but none had ever formed tribes. And they'd been here for years.
"Tribe? Where?"
"Oh, right—we're from the western Turan tribe of the Caelestian continent. You must be one of the humans from Kamira, right?"
"Caelestian continent? Turan tribe…?"
What? None of that existed in the world of the game.
"I've never heard of those… Humans live in Raychmen, Montanev, and some in the Viavoule Kingdom…" I explained, bewildered.
They exchanged uneasy glances until the goblin boy finally spoke.
"That's impossible! I've studied maps, and none of those places exist!"
"There's no need to panic, Sheiran," Clighton soothed, patting the boy's head. "He probably got teleported here too, just like us."
I shook my head and explained the basics of gates and dungeons. Their faces only grew more confused—and more afraid—when I described adventurers and dungeon exploration.
"You… willingly kill us…" Tinalara muttered, her muscles tightening as rage built.
"If a dungeon breaks out, the monsters try to kill us. Which means we have to co—"
"I don't care if they're corrupted or not!" she shouted, grabbing my collar. "They're still our friends and families!"
"Tinalara!" Clighton barked, struggling to rise thanks to his wounds.
"All those goblins and orcs you killed… did you feel nothing when you ended their lives?!"
The first time I killed a goblin… I felt—
"The first time… I had no time to think about it…"
"What?!"
"The first time I killed a goblin—someone alive—I immediately had to fight another. No chance to stop, no time to think. By then… I didn't give it a second thought."
"You… you kill us… and you feel nothing… You're a monster…"
She released me and stormed off, her footsteps echoing harshly.
I turned back toward Clighton and the others. The younger goblins clung to him, tears in their eyes.
Clighton only sighed, lowering his head. "Don't mind her. She's still a rookie—she's never killed anyone before. She doesn't understand what's at stake."
"Mister…" the two said with a paused tone.
"Listen, kids. The corrupted aren't the people we once knew. And this is how war works—blood will be spilled, one side or the other. No one wants to be the one dying."
Even so…
"She's right..." I clenched my fist.
All this time, I'd seen the monsters in dungeons as nothing more than fodder—trash to help me grow stronger, tools for surviving an apocalypse that'll happen in the future. Never once had I thought of them as anything else.
"She might be wrong," the old goblin said with a faint smile. "Before, you saw them as wild, rabid dogs that needed to be put down. But now that you understand more, you're conflicted. A true monster would feel nothing."
I didn't respond. I only looked away, searching for a way to change the subject.
"Oh, my apologies—we haven't properly introduced them to you," Clighton said, noticing my discomfort.
"This little boy is Sheiran. A studious little goblin."
The boy quickly hid behind the wounded commander.
"And this is Gola. Don't let her shyness fool you. She's usually a brave orc girl despite her age. But right now… well, this is a difficult situation for any child."
The orc girl also edged closer to Clighton, as if seeking shelter behind him.
"Child?" I muttered.
She was taller than me. Orcs were supposed to be stronger and bigger—but just how much did that affect them?
"She's the same age as Sheiran. Six years old."
I nearly choked on my own spit, coughing in shock.
Clighton chuckled, patting both children on the head. "I hope you can protect them alongside Tinalara."
"Su-sure… I'll make sure they aren't harmed."