Chapter Eleven: The Mutated Goblin
"We got two… one here, and the other there," Alice said, pointing at two corpses.
Akira approached one of them, pulled out his dagger, and split the goblin's head open with practiced precision. Inside its skull was a small glowing stone.
"A mana core," he muttered, then repeated the process with the remaining bodies.
Far away, deep within a dense fog-covered forest, a massive goblin walked slowly across damp soil. It stood over two meters tall, its body covered in bulging muscles and green skin streaked with red lines.
Suddenly, it stopped.
Its head snapped in one direction.
A terrifying roar erupted from its throat—
and it began to run.
…
Inside the cave, among the twisting tunnels, Alice stood in a state of tension.
"Akira!" she suddenly said. "A monster is coming!"
"How many?" he asked without turning.
"Just one… but it's not normal."
Before she could finish her sentence, an enraged roar echoed through the cave, followed by the appearance of a massive shadow at the end of the corridor.
The goblin emerged. Grotesque. Huge. Its eyes glowed with bloodlust.
"Void Spear!" Akira shouted, firing his dark spear straight at the monster's chest.
The goblin staggered back slightly—but did not fall.
Akira retreated while launching another spear. It struck the goblin's shoulder, but the effect was limited.
"It's not stopping!" Alice shouted.
Suddenly, the goblin reached him.
It roared, raised its iron club, and brought it down with overwhelming force.
BOOM!!
Akira raised his arms to block, but was thrown two meters back, crashing into the stone wall with a groan.
[Health: 20/30 → 11/30]
He stood up quickly, panting.
"Damn it… just one hit?!"
The monster charged again.
This time, Akira twisted his body to the left, dodging the blow, and drove his dagger into the goblin's thigh.
The goblin screamed and counterattacked, nearly crushing Akira's head—but he ducked just in time.
"Alice, some help?!" Akira shouted while retreating.
"Void Spear—now!" Alice yelled.
He fired.
The spear pierced the monster's chest. It finally staggered and dropped to one knee.
Akira didn't hesitate.
He ran, leapt high, and brought the dagger down onto its head with all his strength.
Stab!
The goblin's body convulsed violently—then went completely still.
[You have slain an unclassified monster – Level 8]
[+100 EXP]
[+50 EXP]
Akira collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath, sweat soaking his body and his clothes torn.
"Akira!" Alice shouted. "Grab them! We need to leave—now!"
She pointed at two glowing items on the ground.
"Why?" Akira asked as he picked them up. "It was strong… but we defeated it."
"No time to explain. Its appearance means someone sensed our presence here. If we don't leave immediately, we might not make it out alive."
Akira stood up with difficulty and ran with Alice toward the dungeon gate.
When he reached it, he didn't hesitate.
He jumped through.
[You have exited the Goblin Dungeon – Rank F]
Akira stood in the hallway, the blue gate glowing quietly behind him, casting a pale light over the walls.
From within the gate, figures began to emerge…
At least fifteen goblins.
All of them resembled the one Akira had fought—except for a smaller one. Its body was traced with glowing red lines of the same pattern… perhaps even denser.
The smaller goblin emitted strange sounds, a mix of growls and whistles—followed by sharp screams, as if giving commands.
In the next moment, the other goblins responded with a collective howl and scattered rapidly.
Meanwhile, Akira was climbing the building's staircase, trying to escape.
"Alice… why did we leave so quickly?"
Her voice replied from within him, serious unlike usual:
"That dungeon isn't normal. Something is wrong."
"You mean those monsters?"
"Yes. Those goblins were stronger than what's typical for a Rank F dungeon. And the dungeon itself is too large—far larger than it should be. That alone is a warning sign."
She paused, then added,
"For safety… I decided to withdraw."