𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟕: 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐬

“Adele, is it around here?”

“Isn’t it? As the request said, goblins have been appearing quite a bit.”

“Sigh. . .Goblin extermination, seriously boring. I want to try dragon slaying or demon lord subjugation soon.”

“Please don’t complain, Keith.

With that attitude, you’ll be killed even by goblins.”

“Well, Adele is a woman, so she might not be killed, right? Well, she might suffer something worse than death.”

“Don’t say such ominous things, Doyle!”

“Ahaha, my bad.”

ㅤ

We, who accepted the goblin extermination request in Maya Village, were walking through the forest searching for our destination while making such light-hearted remarks.

This time’s request is to exterminate the goblin nest, which is believed to be nearby.

As Keith said, I also want to take on more flashy requests like adventurers mentioned in ballads, but we’re just beginners, so it can’t be helped.

We can do dragon slaying and demon lord subjugation once we become stronger.

Now is the time to accumulate experience.

🔹𝘼𝙬𝙚𝙗𝙨𝙩o𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨.𝙘𝙤𝙢 ― 𝙄𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙡𝙜𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 “𝙙𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙪𝙥𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨” 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙭𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙙𝙫𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨🔹

It’s okay!

We can definitely become heroes someday!

Keith and I were unbeatable swordsmen in our hometown village, and Adele is the only genius who can use magic in the village.

We have the talent to rise to the top.

So, there’s no need to rush.

Recently, our levels have been increasing quite a bit.

We’ve been told that we have promising futures in the guild, and we’ll soon graduate from being beginners.

ㅤ

But, it’s true that dealing with goblins, such small fry monsters, is not very exciting for us.

The goblins that occasionally attacked the village were incredibly weak.

We could win even when we were children, so there’s no way we’d lose now.

Let’s finish this quickly and go home.

ㅤ

As we were walking through the forest like that, we suddenly found a cave entrance that seemed perfect for a goblin nest.

This might be a chance to go home early.

ㅤ

“Let’s go, both of you.”

“Yeah.”

“Understood.”

ㅤ

And so, we stepped into the cave.

ㅤ

“. . .It’s dark. 《Light Ball》.”

ㅤ

The inside of the cave was incredibly dark, with no light sources and the sun’s rays hardly reaching through the forest.

Well, it’s a cave, so that’s to be expected.

Adele used her light magic to illuminate the inside.

It’s convenient to have a mage in the party at times like this, so we don’t have to use torches.

ㅤ

The light ball Adele floated illuminated the inside of the cave.

However, the cave was unexpectedly narrow.

It was about the same size as the adventurer’s guild training ground.

There wasn’t even enough space for a goblin nest.

ㅤ

This must be a miss.

Just as I was feeling disappointed, suddenly, the rocks above the entrance collapsed, blocking the entrance.

ㅤ

“Adele! Watch out!”

“Huh?”

ㅤ

Next, I heard Keith’s loud voice.

What happened?! When I turned to look at the two of them, a man in full armor was swinging his sword down at Adele.

Keith pushed Adele away in the nick of time.

Adele was saved, but instead, Keith. . .

ㅤ

“Keith. . .? You’re kidding, right. . .?”

ㅤ

Keith’s head had been cut off by the armor in an instant.

I saw what happened.

First, the armor cut off Keith’s arm as he pushed Adele away.

Keith groaned in pain, and in that moment, his head was cut off with a single stroke.

My friend, who had left our boring hometown village with me and vowed to rise together, was gone just like that. . .

ㅤ

“Y, You! 《Fireball》!”

ㅤ

While I was in a daze, unable to believe the sudden event that happened before my eyes, Adele had cast a fire spell at the armor.

The armor calmly blocked it with the shield in its left hand.

Then, it ran towards Adele at an incredible speed.

ㅤ

“Adele!”

ㅤ

Seeing my other friend in danger, I finally came to my senses and started running to help Adele.

But,

ㅤ

“Uwah?!”

ㅤ

My foot, which I stepped out with, missed the ground and cut through the air.

When I looked, the ground had suddenly sunk in.

A pitfall?!

Why, in a place like this?!

ㅤ

And while I was falling into the pitfall, Adele was defeated.

She was a magician.

A rear-guard job.

If approached without a vanguard, there’s no chance of winning.

ㅤ

Just like Keith, Adele’s severed head rolled in front of my eyes.

At the same time, the effect of the light magic Adele was using wore off, and the inside of the cave was enveloped in darkness.

ㅤ

Even in such a situation, as if they could see, the sound of armor footsteps running straight towards me without hesitation was the only thing I could hear.

To me, it sounded like the inescapable footsteps of death.

ㅤ

Amidst all this, only the deaths of Keith and Adele, my comrades, came to my mind.

We promised to rise together as a trio.

Someday, we promised to become adventurers who would be talked about by bards, and eventually defeat the Demon Lord and become heroes.

Yet, in such a situation, during a request to exterminate goblins.

Moreover, in a place that has nothing to do with goblins, in such an incomprehensible place.

Both of them died.

And I’m going to die too.

Why, why,

ㅤ

“Why did this happen. . .!”

ㅤ

With those words of grief as my last, my consciousness was closed off in darkness, just like the inside of this cave.

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