10 Years After Saying 'Leave this to me and go,' I Became a Legend - Chapter 7
The Goblin Nest
After walking for some time, we came upon the bones of livestock.
The goblins must have eaten them.
“Their valuable property…”
The Sorcerer Ario said sadly.
Livestock did not return once it was taken. I knew that well.
However, seeing the evidence with your own eyes did not give you the warmest feeling.
“Josh and I were raised on farms.”
“I see. I understand how you feel.”
As Ario and I talked, Josh inspected the bones.
He understood his role as scout very well. And he was quick.
It was the scout’s job to look for traces of the goblins and find out where their nest was.
I watched Josh carefully as he worked.
I wasn’t exactly a novice when it came to scouting skills either.
Our heroes party had consisted of a Hero, Warrior, and Sorcerer.
But Eric and Goran had absolutely zero skills related to scouting.
And so I had taken on that role for our party.
Opening locks, tracking, disarming traps. These things could also be done with magic.
And I was in charge of ranged attacks, which was also similar to a scout.
So in a way, a Sorcerer and Scout could be much the same.
But still, Josh’s work was impressive even to me.
He was a good scout who had all the basics down perfectly.
“Josh, are you really F Rank?”
“Indeed, I am? Why do you ask?”
“No, it’s just that you are very precise from what I can see.”
The teeth marks on the bones, the leftover meat, the age of the footprints, the number of them.
There were definite things to look for.
And it required experience to be able to find them all accurately.
“I’m happy that you think so.”
Josh said shyly.
He then added that he had been a hunter back at home.
“So that’s why you are used to this.”
Ario was also pleased with how impressed I was.
“Josh is a good and quick-witted scout.”
“Don’t praise me too much.”
As we talked, Josh finished his inspection.
He had discovered the direction that the nest was in.
“It is this way. I don’t think that it is very far.”
“Understood.”
We started to walk with Josh in the lead.
Josh’s conclusion was right. The nest was indeed in this direction.
However, he seemed to have missed the high number of goblins and the fact that there were monsters other than goblins as well.
“Josh…”
“Is something wrong?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
I decided to say nothing. It was better to learn from your mistakes.
Of course, since I decided to stay silent, it also meant that I was responsible.
As their elder, I was responsible for their lives.
I would in no way allow either of them to die.
And so I prepared myself for the fight.
We continued to walk until we found what looked like the goblin nest.
It was more of a cave. Perhaps an old, abandoned mine.
There were two goblins near the entrance who were standing watch.
“That’s annoying.”
“Is it really?”
“Seems easy to me.”
Ario and Josh did not agree with my comment.
Mines were long. And as they were dug along the veins of ore, they often twisted like a maze.
It made it easy for goblins to capitalize on their large numbers.
But Ario and Josh had not seemed to realize this yet.
And so I knew that they would both definitely be dead if they had come alone.
Ario said with a serious face,
“Goblins are nocturnal. We should attack them while it’s still bright.”
“That’s true.”
“Then I will go in the lead because I’m a Warrior. Josh should take the rear.”
“Understood.”
Ario and Josh nodded.
We would definitely be attacked from the back on the way.
“Josh. Be very careful of attacks from the back.”
“Yes. Leave it to me.”
I unsheathed the Devil King sword that was on my back.
No matter how many times I wield it, it always felt huge.
It would not be easy to handle in the confined spaces of the mines.
“Now…”
I think, just before we enter. If I were alone, I could just charge in and cut in every direction.
It would be even easier with magic. I could just fire off a powerful spell from the entrance and end it all at once.
However, I had people with me this time.
I needed to guarantee their safety while also allowing them to gain some experience.
That would be challenging.
As I thought, Ario said,
“Let’s go slowly and surely while killing all of the goblins.”
“Yes. Goblins can be dangerous if you let your guard down.”
Josh agreed.
They suggested their own strategy. And they weren’t wrong.
That was what we should do.
“We’ll do that then. I’ll go in first, so you should support me with your bow. Save your magic.”
“Understood.” “Yes.”
I started to run towards the two goblins that were on watch.
When the first one noticed me, it was too late. Its body was split into two.
“Gya…”
At the same time, Josh put an arrow into the other goblin’s head.
“You’re really good with that, Josh.”
“You too, Locke. That was really fast.”
After taking down the guards, it was all about speed.
We needed to kill them before they knew what hit them.
Of course, if it was just me, it wouldn’t matter how I did it.
But I had newcomers with me. I had to act in a way that would be a good example to them.
We entered the first small room, and I silently killed the goblin that was sleeping there.
I could do it all alone, but there would be little meaning in that.
And so I had Ario and Josh kill a few of them as we made our way deeper inside.
After that, we were attacked from the rear twice.
Impressively, Josh reacted quickly to the first one, but I had to give him a hint the second time.
“I didn’t expect there to be so many!”
“We’ve killed 30 of them.”
“I thought that there would only be 10…”
Josh and Ario finally realized that their estimations had been wrong.
“It is a lot. And packs of goblins like this often have other monsters around as well.”
“Locke, what do you mean by that?”
Ario asked. His voice was shaking.
I didn’t answer this but made him face reality.
“Ario. Can you still use fireballs?”
“I might… But I’m near my limit.”
“Josh. Do you have enough arrows?”
“I only have 3 left.”
After thinking for a moment, Ario said,
“Let’s retreat.”
“But…”
Josh said stubbornly, but Ario shook his head.
“There are too many of them. There may even be hobgoblins or goblin magicians. It would be foolish to charge in further without enough magic and arrows.”
“…That’s true.”
Josh finally agreed. They were a smart party.
They lacked the recklessness that newcomers often had. They would make a great party one day.
Just then,
“GAAAAAAAA!”
A horrible cry echoed from the back. It was coming closer and closer.
“This is bad!”
“Let’s hide.”
Ario and Josh decided quickly. They pulled back into a narrow side tunnel.
Immediately after that, the thing that had cried came into view.
“…A goblin lord.”
I muttered under my breath.
“Hhh…”
Ario and Josh gulped.