Chapter 39

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The next week, a notice of the appraisal for the skinning knife arrived at Shizuka's hands. The appraisal amount was 1,675,000 yen. It was quite a high amount, and for a moment, Shizuka's hesitation about selling it was quite memorable. Well, she managed to resist the temptation and got the skinning knife.

"Alright, collecting monster meat is fine, but Shizuka, our cooler bags are getting full."

"Yeah, I think this is enough."

"Agreed. Let's call it a day."

I felt relieved that she understood. The monsters we encountered started appearing in groups, so the amount of monster meat we collected was significantly more than before the third floor. We brought cooler bags to disguise the spatial storage, but they filled up quickly. The 35L cooler bags that I and Yuzi carried were packed with monster meat, each weighing 20-30kg.

We put the fully loaded cooler bags into the spatial storage and headed for the dungeon's exit. Along the way, we discussed a serious topic with grave expressions.

"Well... we should start descending to the lower floors soon... what do you think?"

"The lower floors, huh..."

"I do plan to go down eventually... but seeing that makes me hesitate a bit."

"Seeing that, huh."

We had become accustomed to group battles, so there were no particular issues in terms of our skills. However, the reason we hesitated to go to the lower floors was, as Shizuka said, "that." The sight of explorers returning from the lower floors.

Explorers who had turned pale and repeatedly vomited, leaving a sour smell, explorers who stared into space with unfocused eyes, explorers with a forced smile, explorers with a resigned expression, and various other reactions from explorers returning from the lower floors made us hesitate to proceed.

"Daiki, from the 7th floor onwards, humanoid monsters appear, right?"

"Yeah. The simplified monster distribution map by floor, posted at the upper guild office, confirms it. I think it's accurate."

"......Goblins, right?"

"Probably."

Our spirits plummeted.

Goblins are humanoid monsters about 120-130cm tall. While often depicted as cannon fodder in comics and games, they are actually formidable opponents. Unlike beast-type monsters, they use weapons like clubs, similar to humans.

Humanoid monsters with the same weapons as humans, attacking with clear intent to kill. Even explorers accustomed to slaying beast-type monsters often panic and get injured on their first encounter.

"But, to get what we're after, we have to go to the lower floors."

"Yeah, but..."

"If we continue exploring the dungeon, we'll eventually have to face this. We can't keep avoiding humanoid monsters forever, right?"

Yuzi is right; we can't keep avoiding this problem. When it comes to humanoid monsters, just thinking of orcs, ogres, and kobolds comes to mind.

"Right. Well, there's no point in hesitating forever. Next time we enter the dungeon, I think we should try going to the 7th floor and beyond...?"

"Sounds good. But, let's be cautious and do it in three stages at first. The initial mental shock will be quite severe."

"Agreed. I think one of us should handle the goblins while the other two provide cover and get us out of the dungeon. Remember how we felt when we first slew a monster?"

"Yeah, let's decide on the specifics after we actually slay a goblin."

Thinking back to our first slayings of Hound Dogs and Horn Rabbits, Shizuka's suggestion makes sense. I have no confidence that I can remain calm when I first cut down a humanoid monster.

We don't want to suffer a mental shock and become distracted, only to be attacked by a monster. It was fortunate that Shizuka didn't slay any monsters on our way back from the first floor.

"Right. We won't know the extent of the mental shock until we actually slay a goblin."

"True. If the shock isn't too severe, we'd prefer to finish it in one day to save time."

"Agreed."

We are somewhat accustomed to the sensation of cutting living beings and the sight of blood, so the mental shock might be less severe than our first slayings. If so, it would be inefficient to make three trips over three weeks just for goblins.

With that settled, we quickly made our way out of the dungeon along the shortest route. Incidentally, the monster meat was appraised and purchased for nearly 100,000 yen, warming our pockets.

---

After navigating the shortest route to the 6th floor, we stopped in front of the stairs leading to the 7th floor. From here, goblins and other humanoid monsters would be present. Thinking about this, we found it hard to take the first step. Seeing the two of us hesitate, I decided to speak up.

"Let's go."

"Alright."

"Yes."

Their responses were somewhat stiff, but I took a deep breath and stepped onto the stairs. At the bottom, a team of explorers who had arrived at this floor before us was waiting. We nodded to them and began exploring the 7th floor. Using identification and analysis to avoid traps like wire traps, we continued our cautious exploration. Then, Shizuka spoke up.

"...I sense something. Be careful."

"Goblins?"

"Not sure yet. But, they're moving much slower than beast-type monsters."

"...So, it could be..."

"A goblin, possibly."

Yuzi drew his wakizashi and held it with both hands. I took out the water shooter filled with hot sauce from my backpack and began pressurizing it.

"Shizuka, can you pinpoint the location?"

"Diagonally to the right... probably at the end of the corridor to the right."

Shizuka explained while illuminating the right side of the T-intersection with her handheld light.

"An ambush...?"

"Could be. Shizuka, can you estimate the distance?"

"Still quite far. But, as I said, it's gradually getting closer."

"In that case, it's likely a random encounter."

We nodded at each other and held our weapons ready, quickly attaching ourselves to the wall before the T-intersection. I took out a mirror with an extendable rod from my backpack and positioned it to see down the right corridor.

"Yuzi, light."

"Got it."

Yuzi took out a chemical light from his backpack, activated it, and threw it down the right corridor while remaining hidden. The green, glowing chemical light spun and illuminated the dark corridor as it flew to the end. I confirmed the situation through the mirror while Shizuka identified the source of the presence.

I confirmed the figure at the end of the corridor: a small, green-skinned humanoid with a wooden club and a loincloth.

"...A goblin."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. The features match the textbook, and the identification analysis confirmed it's a goblin."

"Got it... what about weapons?"

"From what I can see, just the club. No ranged weapons, so the possibility of a ranged attack is low. Of course, there's a chance they have ranged magic skills."

We confirmed it was just a regular goblin, not one with ranged weapons or magic.

"Shizuka, any chance of an ambush?"

"...No other presence in this area, just that goblin."

"Alright."

Hearing Shizuka's findings, I put the mirror back in my backpack and stepped into the corridor where the goblin was. I directed my handheld light down the corridor, illuminating the goblin.

It seems the goblin noticed us. It raised its club and ran towards us, shouting. Its expression was fierce, and its bloodshot eyes were filled with clear intent to kill.

I aimed my water shooter and pulled the trigger the moment the goblin was in range. A stream of crimson liquid shot out and hit the goblin's face. The goblin tumbled to the ground, and the club it was holding flew towards us, but we easily dodged it.

The goblin, like the other monsters, writhed in agony, pressing its hot sauce-covered face. It screamed and thrashed, repeatedly hitting its head against the corridor floor. As time passed, its movements weakened, and it eventually fell silent, presumably unconscious.

"The hot sauce works on goblins... huh."

"Really vicious stuff, isn't it?"

"Yeah, for now. But it didn't work on slimes."

"True."

Confirming the goblin's silence, Yuzi marveled at the effectiveness of the hot sauce-filled water shooter. It had been highly effective against most monsters so far, with the exception of slimes, which absorbed the hot sauce.

"Alright, who will finish it off?"

"...I'll do it."

"Shizuka?"

"Is there a problem with me doing it?"

"No, not at all..."

Shizuka approached the goblin with her spear, took a deep breath, and thrust it into the goblin's neck. The spear pierced through without resistance, and a small amount of blood spurted out. The goblin's body convulsed violently and then went still.

Shizuka closed her eyes, took several deep breaths, and silently pulled the spear out, shaking the blood off the tip.

"Shizuka, are you okay?"

"Yes, I was prepared, so the shock wasn't as severe. I'm fine."

"...Good to hear."

"Thank you for your concern. But I'm fine."

Shizuka's face was slightly pale, but she didn't look like she was about to vomit. She seemed to be calming down and tending to her bloodied spear.

"Shizuka, are you going to use the skinning knife?"

"..."

"Yuzi, what do you think? Should we head back up?"

"...Probably best. Pushing forward might just lead to a painful setback."

"No, I'm fine. Let's continue exploring."

As Yuzi and I discussed the possibility of retreating, Shizuka interjected. Her pale face had regained some color, and her eyes were bright.

"My spirits are up, and I'm not suffering from any mental shock."

"..."

"Also, I sense a new presence nearby."

"!?"

"It's a sudden presence, so it's likely a respawned monster."

Yuzi and I listened to Shizuka and readied our weapons, remaining vigilant.

"Three presences, coming straight this way. They've probably noticed us."

Shizuka pointed to the left side of the T-intersection, the opposite direction from where we were. I extended the lens of my handheld zoom light and saw figures approaching from a distance. They were likely the monsters Shizuka mentioned.

"Even if we try to run, they're too close and have already noticed us. We have no choice but to fight."

"Agreed. Yuzi."

"Yeah, we have to kill them."

"Let's take the initiative."

I took out a pepper ball from my backpack and threw it at the monsters. The pepper ball exploded on the ground, and the monsters stopped and crouched. We ran towards them.

As we got closer, we could see the monsters clearly. They were all goblins.

"Shizuka! Cover us!"

"Got it! ...Air Blow!"

Shizuka's wind magic blew the pepper away from the goblins. Yuzi and I, now free from the obstruction, charged in before the goblins could react. I targeted the goblin on the far right, running and slashing with my sword. The blade cut through the goblin's neck, and its head flew off, spraying blood. Yuzi ran between the goblins, using his dual wakizashi to decapitate the other two almost simultaneously.

The result was three headless goblin corpses, blood gushing from their necks.

"..."

"..."

"Are you okay?"

It was a gruesome scene. Yuzi and I looked at each other in silence, then exhaled deeply. We returned weak smiles to Shizuka, who was looking at us with concern.

"Let's head back."

"Agreed."

After collecting the drop items from the goblins, we quickly left the 7th floor. Cutting down humanoid monsters was more mentally taxing than we expected, and the sight of the explorers returning from the lower floors now made sense.

As evidence, we failed to avoid a charge from a Red Boar herd on the 5th floor, sustaining minor injuries. It was a clear sign that our attention was scattered due to the mental shock.

We reaffirmed the importance of safety and decided not to push ourselves.

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Even if you're used to beast-type monsters, cutting down humanoids can still be quite shocking.