01x04 - A Goblin Stampede Is an Emergency

[bunniefuu]

I don't think my resolve is strong enough.

I'm still too weak.

I want to be able to use

Teacher's powers to the fullest.

Fran…

That's why…

I need to keep fighting

to become stronger!

I won't get any stronger

if I keep running!

All I thought about was protecting Fran.

I was worried about her getting hurt.

But what Fran wants isn't something

dependent on others.

She doesn't want

a false facade of strength.

She wants true strength that is formed

from overcoming the difficulties

of life and death.

Fran has already made her resolve.

Please support me, Teacher.

As her teacher,

I must prepare myself as well.

Leave the recovery and the back to me.

You just focus on what's in front of you

and slay all those goblins!

Here I go!

Heavy Slash!

Middle Heal!

Are you all right?

I can keep going.

All right. Let's charge on!

Stronger…

I want to become much stronger!

Fran is no longer a weak little kitten.

She is now a ferocious child

with sharpened claws and ambitions!

Fran has risen to Level 12.

My Fran is amazing!

Good grief. What happened to you?

You're covered in bruises and wounds!

What did you guys fight?

Goblins.

How many did you take on

to end up in this state?

One, two… A lot.

We slayed over 100 of them.

A hundred?

Sorry for the short notice, Mr. Garrus,

but could you repair our equipment for us?

Oh, I can do that.

We'll be taking on our first dungeon

to subjugate the goblins

the day after tomorrow.

What did you say?

This is the goblins' nest.

Let's go inside.

No, we can't!

The sun is setting

and you're already exhausted.

There is bound to be more inside.

Let's head back, absorb the crystals,

and return to the town.

Crystal absorb!

Miss Fran, it's us!

Goodness.

This is a mountain heap of goblins.

Did you take them all down on your own?

Yes.

If that's true, your skills are on par

with a D-ranked adventurer.

I found the goblin's nest.

It's over there.

Impossible!

There was no cave here a month ago.

And this doesn't appear to be

any ordinary nest.

I'm afraid this is a dungeon.

Dungeon?

Dungeons can spawn out of nowhere.

Miss Fran, the guild master has asked

to have a word with you.

Would you please return to the town?

Sure, but…

Worry not.

We'll keep watch here.

Got it.

Is it true that there are a lot of goblins

and Hobgoblins in the forest?

How many goblins?

How many Hobgoblins?

A lot…

How much is a lot?

Donadrond, calm down.

Sorry, Miss Fran,

but could you be more specific?

-About 130 goblins.

-About 130 goblins.

-And 20 or so Hobgoblins.

-And 20 or so Hobgoblins.

What?

That's a clear sign of a goblin stampede!

Did any of them retreat during battle?

No, they fought until the very end.

This is a grave situation.

If they didn't flee,

that means there simply isn't a place

for them to retreat to anymore.

That means the nest has been occupied

by stronger and more powerful Hobgoblins.

This is bad.

A dwarf said that

it wasn't a nest but a dungeon.

What?

This means we'll have

to organize a subjugation team.

Issue an emergency recruitment

of all adventurers ranked F and above.

Understood.

Miss Fran,

I would like to ask you

to join the team as well.

To make up for having you

help us with our request,

I will make an exception

and promote you to rank F right now.

Seriously?

But I haven't completed

the required amount of quests…

At present, Alessa only has

Donadrond, a C-rank adventurer,

who we can reliably count on

for this mission.

A crisis is upon us.

There is no time to fuss over specifics.

Moreover,

there is no way an adventurer

who could solo a horde of goblins

can be allowed to stay at rank G.

I see.

So you've ranked up.

Repair!

So this is repair magic?

Yes. This will do.

You're done?

Using this crystal as a catalyst

and imbuing it with mana,

I can essentially restore an item

to its original condition.

This is an Arcane Blacksmith skill.

That sounds unexpectedly simple.

How much does it cost?

Around 10,000 gold.

That's the price of

a one-time-use mana crystal.

That's cheaper than expected.

However, every time you cast a spell

on the same protective gear,

the effect is reduced.

So more catalysts will be required.

The next time,

it'll cost at least 30,000 gold to repair.

I see.

So the effectiveness will go down.

Garrus, what's a dungeon like?

Oh, you don't know?

It is said that the dungeon is a trial

created by the God of Chaos

to test humankind

and it can appear out of the blue.

To be more specific,

a dungeon core appears.

The creatures closest to it

will become the Dungeon Master and become

kith of sorts to the God of Chaos.

Dungeon Masters possess

the intelligence and knowledge

to create a maze using the dungeon core.

Ancient dungeons

often have their own ecology systems

with rare monsters residing within.

You can also find precious minerals

and magic weapons within them.

It is said that these treasures are

the rewards given by the God of Chaos

to those brave and strong enough

to challenge the dungeons.

Here you go.

So the God of Chaos is good?

There are those who believe that.

I can't put it on by myself…

Oh, dear…

But since it's a new dungeon,

you can expect to find

good things in there.

Thank you, Garrus.

Oh right, Teacher.

I'll have your scabbard ready

before you head into the dungeon.

Really? Thank you very much!

We'll be counting on you

to take care of the goblins.

Oh, the stats have gone up considerably!

Is this because you're a Sword Mage?

HUNDRED SLASHER, GOBLIN k*ller, SLAYER

You gained three titles too.

Let's see.

"Goblin k*ller, a title given to those

who have slain over 100 goblins."

It even gives a boost to your stats.

That's awesome!

Even recovery magic can't heal

one's mental and spiritual fatigue.

You worked hard today, Fran.

Get some rest.

I want to take a bath.

All right. Hurry back.

You should come with me.

What?

Let's take a bath together.

You were dirtied by the blood.

I want to clean you.

No. I'll pass…

I want to check the skills we have…

W-Wait.

-Hey…

-No. You're coming with me!

Wait. Stop…

Wait…

It's huge!

When it comes to cats, you always have

the impression that they hate baths.

F-Fran, do you like baths?

Yes.

I used to take baths a lot with my mother.

I see…

Does this feel good, Teacher?

Oh, yes…

You over there!

I believe it is against the rules

to bring weapons into the bath.

M-Miss Nell!

That hit the spot!

This inn is run by the guild,

so we receptionists

use the facilities too.

Speaking of which, Fran,

you're not supposed

to bring weapons inside the bath.

I'm sorry.

We fought together today,

so I wanted to clean it.

It's fine.

Oh, right.

You'll be taking part

in the goblin subjugation, right?

I will do my best.

It must be your first time

taking on a dungeon.

I know you're strong,

but don't push yourself too hard.

Thank you, Nell.

That blasted Vice Captain.

It's all because he refused

to mobilize Alessa's knights

that all the work

is being put on the adventurers.

Knights?

That's right.

August, the vice captain of the knights,

is a nobleman

and has a thing against adventurers,

so he refuses to send any knights

to assist in the subjugation.

He is an absolute good-for-nothing!

If only he could just drop dead!

Miss Nell sounds stressed…

If only Amanda were here…

Amanda?

I think I've heard that name before.

Randell mentioned her.

An A-ranked adventurer,

the Guardian of Children, Amanda.

She is our guild's ace.

But all our higher-ranked adventurers

have been sent to investigate

the Marou Plains.

So the effect of my actions

has extended to this too?

Good grief, a dungeon spawning

right now of all times.

The God of Chaos loves to

cause mischief indeed.

What is the God of Chaos like?

Well, from what I've read,

it is said

that everything in this world began

with the appearance of the ten main gods.

The gods of the sun, moon,

sea, land, fire,

storm, forest, and beasts

created this world and life itself.

Then the God of the Underworld

created the Cycle of Samsara

and established the laws of the world.

After that, their descendants,

the 78 gods, painted this world

in a myriad of colors.

The last remaining god,

the Goddess of Chaos,

spread disarray over the world

to cultivate the people to strive

for development and advancement

and to prevent the world

from falling into stagnation.

It is said that dungeons are among

the things of chaos she created.

So the God of Chaos is a goddess.

Is the Goddess of Chaos a good god?

I'm not sure about that.

Is there a God of w*r?

There is.

To be more precise, there was.

Driven mad by their greed for power,

the God of w*r turned to evil.

Evil?

After turning to evil,

the God of w*r gained indomitable power

and challenged the other gods.

But he was defeated,

and his body severed into several pieces

and sealed across the world.

However, the seals

could not contain all the pieces,

and thus, goblins, beasts,

and other monsters were born from them.

We've learned a lot.

So the evil monsters we come across

are all spawns of the evil god.

What?

Fran?

Are you all right?

She overexerted herself

physically and mentally today.

A world where gods are among us?

It makes one realize

that this place is truly otherworldly.

Pardon the intrusion!

We're here, Garrus!

I've been waiting for you two.

Take this with you.

Is that my scabbard?

It looks so cool!

Teacher!

Without further ado…

This really puts me at ease!

Oh, what is this wonderful sensation?

Old man Garrus, this is amazing!

I'm glad you like it.

You look pleased, Teacher.

This is a fantastic scabbard!

And it's no ordinary scabbard.

I added some extra touches.

What did you do to it?

-You see this metal piece here?

-Yes.

Just remove this…

It's a simple mechanism

that allows you to unsheathe yourself

without Fran's help by using Telekinesis.

So convenient!

Thank you, Garrus.

Sure thing.

Teacher, Fran,

all the best on your dungeon debut!

I'm all fired up!

Let's show them what we got, Fran!

Dungeon! I'm so excited!

Attention, everyone!

This afternoon,

we will have a strategy meeting

regarding the goblin subjugation.

So Donadrond is the leader

of the subjugation team.

We've scouted the area with magic.

According to the findings,

the cave before us is a goblin nest

that hosts an alarming number of goblins.

There is no time for us to lose

to stop this goblin stampede

from breaking out!

Our main objective

is to defeat the Goblin King and Queen

to prevent the goblin stampede

from happening.

If possible,

we aim to explore and clear this dungeon

to claim it

under the guild's jurisdiction.

In other words,

we need to defeat the Dungeon Master!

Dungeon Master!

Set up a temporary base

before the operation…

What was that?

Oh, no!

A horde of goblins is charging toward us!

What?

They were quiet up until yesterday!

Don't separate! Stay together!

This is bad.

The recruited adventurers

are splitting up our forces.

Are these guys taking advantage

of the opportunity to attack us?

The Hobgoblins are attacking as a unit.

Yes. They're starting with the adventurers

who underestimated them.

Fran, keep covered

while you make your way to the entrance!

Hey!

Newcomer! Don't get ahead of yourself

and act on your own!

Is this the effect

of the Goblin k*ller title?

Fran must be like a demon in their eyes.

I'll help him!

Thanks! You saved me…

Fran, it would attract too much attention

if I absorb the crystals here.

Will it be better inside the cave?

Probably.

But the entrance is completely blocked.

It can't be helped.

Fran, you're still mastering it,

but can you manage that move?

Okay, I'll try.

The skill we acquired

from the Tyrant Saber Tiger,

Midair Jump!

What?

Who is that?

Fran?

That is surprising.

Midair Jump is an advanced skill.

Teacher, magic!

Okay! Let's do this!

Fire magic! Tri-expl*si*n!

She can use fire magic too?

Sword Technique! Sonic Wave!

The goblins are crammed at the entrance.

This is our chance.

Advanced fire magic.

Flame Magic.

Flare Blast!

As expected of Teacher!

She cleared a path…

Donadrond and the others

can handle

the rest of the goblins out here.

All right. Let's head inside the dungeon!

Hey, Fran!

I feel a little bad

doing this to the seniors,

but my Fran will be seizing all the glory!

The King and the Queen,

I'll defeat them all!

The humans are panicking

because they were caught off guard.

Not only that,

I lucked out and summoned

the highest-level monster!

With this,

the goblin dungeon is invincible!