9-Episode IX




According to my initial scouting with the Wizard's Eye, there are four halls in this cave.

The first is the first hall where there were five goblins.
The second and third halls are located at the ends of the branching passages that extend from the first hall, and one of them is the hall where the eight goblins were.

The hall you're heading for now is the one at the other end of the branch.
Beyond this hall is the fourth hall, which will be the end of the cave.

Now that that's out of the way.
There's one thing I'm impressed with in today's cave search.
That is, the ability of Mee, the beastman girl, as a thief.

Thieves in the world of adventurers do not mainly steal for a living.
The main role of a thief in an adventuring party is to reduce the risks of dungeon exploration by using various skills such as listening and trap detection.

Mee seems to be able to perform the actions and results required of the role of a thief without any noticeable flaws.
There is nothing particularly noteworthy about her, but she seems to be above average in everything she does.
He has a good eye and a good ear for detail.

I feel that this is the kind of person who can become a C-rank adventurer in the future.
That is, if they don't lose their lives along the way, of course.

And then, in the third hall, there was a scene that showed the true face of Mee.

'It looks like there are no goblins here, just like William said. It's a bit disheartening, isn't it?

When they reached the third hall, Satsuki let out such a carefree impression.
Unlike the previous two halls, there were no goblins there.

'I can't say I don't understand your feelings, but why don't you at least have a little more tension while exploring the dungeon?

Cyril complained to Satsuki.
But Satsuki didn't seem to take it too well.

'You're always too tense, Cyril. You'll break the thread someday. Besides, my job is to destroy the enemy. William says there's a boss in the back, so that's when I'll be on my toes...'



'I'm waiting for ......, Satsuki.'

'What?

Mee stopped Satsuki with a sharp voice.
Satsuki stopped and turned around to look at Mee.

'What is it, Mee, pissing? I'll keep an eye on William, so get on with it.

'Does Satsuki think you're a stray cat or something? No, I don't. I'm watching you closely.

The beastman girl walked past Satsuki and stopped just before the center of the hall.
She then kicked the ground ahead of her, hard.

Then the ground in the area where she kicked off collapsed.
A gaping hole appeared in the ground.

'Geez. What's that?

Satsuki rushed up beside Mi and kicked the ground in front of her in the same way.
As expected, the ground in that area fell out and a hole appeared.

Then Mee, while carefully observing the ground, moves to the edge of a specific space and kicks the ground in the same way.
Then, at a certain point, the entire space collapsed at once.

As a result, a huge hole was created in the center of the hall.
Satsuki looked into the hole.

'Wow, ......, is that a pit?

'Yes, it is. The color of the soil was a little unnatural in this part.

I walked up to Satsuki and looked at the steep, mortar-shaped hole, which had been dug to a depth of about three times the height of a man.
When I lit the bottom of the hole with a torch, I saw that there were a number of sharp rocks with their tips up.

'...... You know, if this had fallen, it would have been pretty bad, wouldn't it? Worst case scenario, if I hit my head on that rock, I'd be ......'

'You would have died. But this is not the worst of pitfalls. There is a pattern that spears are laid on the bottom facing upward. In some ruins, you can be turned into bones in a pool of strong acid in no time.

'Really? ......'

Satsuki looked into the bottom of the hole with a horrified face.
Next to her, Cyril, who had also come to the edge of the hole, murmured to no one in particular.

'But now we know that there are intelligent goblins in this cave, don't we? Just like William said...''

And with that, Cyril cast a sharp glance at the passage beyond the hall.
Then, in a tense voice, he continued.

''There's a Goblin Mage and a Goblin Lord in the back here.