Morning.
Yamato Mikoto did not choose to stay in the communal dormitory to rest with the other members. Instead, as she usually did, she went alone into the Dungeon to explore.
The main reason was that their financial situation was truly worrying.
Even the god Takemikazuchi, as a deity, had to take part-time work at a Jagamarukun stall. Only by earning as much money as possible could he maintain the orphanage's expenses.
As a member of the familia, the girl felt she had no reason to slack off.
Although in the upper floors, the rewards obtained from killing monsters were not much, they could at least cover daily expenses and ease the burden borne by the god.
And then—
Just after she passed through the starting floor, she discovered something particularly strange.
"Monster."
Dark green skin, a slightly hunched humanoid build—regarding the specific information about this monster, the girl could guess its type even with her eyes closed.
A goblin.
But what truly puzzled her was the appearance of this goblin.
Compared with the goblins in Mikoto's memory—those that stood only half a meter tall and were bottom-tier creatures of the Dungeon—there was a clear difference in physique.
With a height close to one meter, it could be considered a giant even among goblins.
Most importantly…
The feeling this goblin gave her was completely different. Compared to the roadside wild dogs that swung wooden clubs and stone axes, this monster's equipment could be described as refined.
It wore a uniquely styled brown outer garment and carried a sharp curved blade.
All of it symbolized that this monster was far from as simple as she had imagined.
The girl's eyes were filled with confusion. She had been developing in Orario for nearly two years and had never encountered a goblin with such a special appearance.
However...
When Mikoto's gaze fell upon the figure of an adventurer in the distance who was currently facing off against the goblin, the girl felt an unprecedented sense of familiarity. Even though he was wearing heavy chest armor, she still recognized the other party's identity from the boy's back.
"A rookie adventurer of the Hestia Familia—Ron."
"What is going on here?"
Mikoto did not rush forward.
To avoid disrupting Ron's attack rhythm—but the way the situation developed clearly exceeded the girl's expectations.
Because it was this special goblin that had taken the initiative to launch a fierce assault on the boy. Whether in speed, strength, or other aspects, it far surpassed the goblins in her memory.
Bang!
The violent sound produced by blades colliding echoed through the narrow tunnel.
Facing the goblin's successive offensives, the boy holding a short sword could only barely parry. At the very least, throughout the fight, he was in a passive position.
The girl's eyes were filled with disbelief.
According to her estimation yesterday, the fundamentals Ron had displayed meant that before encountering the rookie killer "War Shadow," there should have been no need to worry about his safety.
This was absolutely not a misjudgment on her part.
Rather, it was the goblin currently confronting Ron—its level of strength far exceeded that of monsters of the same type!
"A rare-type monster?"
"But in the information provided by the Adventurers' Guild, there is absolutely no record of special goblins."
Mikoto did not consider the possibility of a "Dungeon anomaly." Judging from the circumstances, it was highly likely that after monsters were killed, their magic stones had not been picked up in time.
In the end, they were swallowed by this goblin, causing its strength to undergo a qualitative change?
While she was thinking, the battle between Ron and the monster had already grown increasingly intense. Repeated attacks failing to achieve results drove the goblin completely mad.
Rapid, consecutive slashes.
All of them were deftly parried by Ron. Using the recoil, he forced the goblin to expose fleeting, split-second openings.
The boy suddenly stepped forward. The short sword in his hand slashed sideways, leaving a horrifying, torn wound across the monster's chest.
Blood instantly gushed out!
"It's over."
Once a monster suffers a fatal injury, it basically has no room left to resist.
At least, that was what Mikoto thought. However, Ron did not rush to deliver the finishing blow, leaving her somewhat confused. And just at that moment—
The monster, which had been on the brink of death, burst with madness in its bloodshot, dripping eyes.
The goblin roared, gathering all its remaining strength, determined to kill the human before it—even if it meant dying with him—in the Dungeon.
The speed that erupted in that instant—
—absolutely surpassed the reaction ability of most adventurers!
Yet Ron seemed completely accustomed to it. He did not greedily press the attack. His body moved swiftly to evade, dodging the goblin's frenzied, mad-dog-style slashes in their entirety.
Only after the monster was completely exhausted did he advance rapidly. The target of his sword strike was not the goblin's head, but the arm gripping the curved blade.
"This kind of attack is somewhat unnecessary."
Dust settled.
Mikoto felt that with her own strength, dealing with this mutated goblin would not be difficult. But just as this thought arose in her mind, another sudden change occurred.
The goblin that had already been exhausted reversed its grip on the curved blade.
Charging straight toward the position of the boy's chest armor, it used the unique technique of alternating fast and slow strikes, attempting to rip him open!
And Ron's seemingly unstructured slashes were, in fact, made before the monster launched its final counterattack—successfully severing the arm with which the goblin held the curved blade!
Was this a trap?
The girl stood dumbfounded. She had never imagined that a goblin could possess such combat techniques.
But the good news was that Ron successfully severed the special goblin's head, winning through his solid fundamentals and his on-the-spot response to the monster's counterattack.
She could not help recalling Lord Takemikazuchi's admonition: "Dungeon exploration is likely not going to go smoothly."
When she herself had been a rookie adventurer, had she ever encountered mutated monsters in the Dungeon?
Mikoto suddenly understood why Ron—already outstanding among rookies—found daily exploration in the Dungeon so difficult…
This luck was really quite bad!
But before she could step forward—
Whoosh!
A whistling arrow tore through the air, bursting forth with a piercing sound.
From the depths of the dim Dungeon, it shot straight toward Ron's position at a speed beyond imagination, giving Mikoto no time to react.
Let alone Ron, who was only Lv1.
The speeding arrow struck the boy's worn armor with perfect accuracy. The sound of shattering steel, followed by the dull thud as it pierced into his chest—sent him collapsing straight to the ground!
Everything happened far too suddenly, to the point that Mikoto could not even react.
Her gaze swept over the boy lying on the ground. Blood continued to pour from the pierced chest, and she felt as though her throat were tightly clogged.
Extremely complex emotions enveloped Mikoto's heart.
—Just yesterday, this guy had still been full of vigor, declaring that once he became a Lv2 adventurer, he would treat her to a meal at the best restaurant.
She drew the long blade from her waist without hesitation.
But just as the girl prepared to launch her pursuit, what appeared before her was a green-skinned goblin hiding at the corner of a dim cavern, bow in hand.
It was letting out a low, rasping growl.
"@#￥…!"
Why would a goblin use a bow?!
She could not understand.
Mikoto looked at the boy lying on the ground, the light of life continuously fading from his eyes, and realized that all she could do was kill this monster to avenge him.
But something even more incomprehensible to the girl happened next.
[Revival]
A gentle light completely enveloped the boy. Like some kind of magic, vitality flowed once more into his brown eyes, and the wound in his chest healed instantly.
Ron staggered as he climbed up from the ground.
Leaving only the girl holding a long blade, standing there in a daze.
This was…
Resurrection?!