5th Floor of the Dungeon
As I ran toward the battle, I readied five sharp knitting needles in each hand. Once I was close enough, I threw all ten needles in a single motion. Slab. Slab. Slab. In an instant, the needles hit ten bandits, and the paralyzing effect kicked in immediately — temporary paralysis.
Right after my move, Gunther charged in with his spear. He slashed sideways with the sharp edge, slash, slash, slash — each swing aimed at the enemies' arms or legs, leaving light cuts that delivered the paralytic poison. One by one, the bandits began to freeze in place.
And Greta — she fired her arrows rapidly, each shot precisely aimed between the enemies' hands or feet, disabling without killing.
As I ran through the battlefield, I kept throwing sharp knitting needles at every bandit who left an opening. Each one hit its mark, spreading paralysis with every strike.
Then I heard Gunther's voice shout, "Haaah!"
When I glanced his way, I saw him activating his [Spin] skill. A moment later, the bandits surrounding him collapsed, their bodies paralyzed where they stood.
As for Ranya and Kruger — they were playing their roles well. Ranya posed as a novice noble adventurer, while Kruger acted as her loyal guard, wielding a tall shield in his left hand and a massive two-handed sword in his right.
Looking at the noble adventurer party, it was clear they were completely exhausted — barely fending off attacks now, not striking back. They were only holding on.
While I was still watching them, a Gifted bandit suddenly attacked me from the side, using the [Slash] skill — his sword cutting through the air in a fast horizontal arc.
I ducked just in time to avoid the strike, my left hand already reaching for the dagger strapped to my thigh. As I rose back up, I swung my left hand upward in a sharp vertical motion — aimed straight at his arm.
Slash!
The blade connected, and the paralysis took effect instantly. He collapsed, his body frozen.
When Paul looked around again, he was shocked to see several bandits channeling mana. One of them raised his hand and shouted, "[Fireball]," aiming straight at the noble party.
"Damn… are these really bandits, or an adventurer group?" Paul thought to himself.
Without hesitation, he pulled out five sharp knitting needles and threw them in different directions—three toward those preparing to launch [Fireball], and two at the ones just starting to chant [Ice Needle].
Slab. Slab. Slab.
The needles struck their targets, and within seconds, all five collapsed under the paralytic effect.
Paul didn't stop. He dashed forward again, swiftly taking down the remaining enemies one by one, paralyzing each as he passed.
The enemies who had been fighting the noble party in front were now retreating and rushing toward us, realizing we were the greater threat.
A few minutes later, the final bandit tried to flee—only to be struck by one of Greta's paralyzing arrows. He collapsed instantly.
With all the bandits defeated, Gunther and Greta turned their attention toward the noble party, keeping their weapons drawn just in case.
Meanwhile, I ran over to Ranya. As I got close, I said, "Miss…"
She gave a small nod and replied, "Good job…" then tossed a spatial bag toward me.
"Quick, bind them."
Catching the bag mid-air, I gave her a nod before turning and running toward one of the paralyzed bandits.
After getting close, I pulled out a slave collar—one I had crafted myself—and fastened it around the necks of the paralyzed bandits.
Yep, a slave collar.
I first got the idea when I saw a slave wearing a strange collar. Curious, I asked the trader about it. Turns out, it was just a regular collar from a local blacksmith, enhanced by the slave trader's [Bind] skill. Since I could see the flow of mana, I simply recreated it myself. And it worked.
Now, I can secretly build my own troops.
However, when the leader of the noble party across from us saw what I was doing, they grew visibly tense and wary of us once again.
But because Gunther knew they were exhausted—and that Greta alone could easily handle five of them—he ignored the noble party. Instead, he walked toward each paralyzed bandit and began dragging those scattered farther away into a single spot.
While Paul continued placing the collars, Renya approached the noble party, accompanied by Greta and Kruger who followed behind her.
The five adventurers were initially wary, but when they saw Ranya approaching without any weapons in hand—and her guards already relaxed, their weapons slung behind their backs—they glanced at one another. After their leader gave a slight nod, the group eased their tension and walked toward Ranya, assuming she was the leader of Paul's party.
As they approached, Renya spoke up. "Hello, I'm Renya, a D-rank adventurer," she said, pulling out her adventurer identification plate.
The leader, who held a longsword in her right hand and a small shield on her left arm, stepped forward and replied, "Hello, I'm Celestine, a C-rank adventurer," as she took out her adventurer card plate.
Renya then asked, "Is the horse-drawn carriage at the dungeon entrance yours?" while glancing at the five female adventurers.
Celestine gave a single nod and said, "Yes. The goblins ambushed us on the road, so we rushed straight to the dungeon entrance to escape."
Hearing that, Renya looked a bit puzzled and asked, "Judging by your adventurer rank, how did you end up losing to goblins? You even looked like you were in a hurry."
(She was referring to the broken carriage wheel they had seen earlier.)
Celestine's expression turned somber as she replied, "They ambushed us with incredible precision, and their coordination was surprisingly strategic… almost like a noble army," she said with a hint of sadness.
When Celestine said that, everyone froze for a moment, some of them glancing at the others who were engaged in conversation.
However, before the silence could drag on, Renya quickly cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention back to the matter at hand. Gunther and Paul resumed their work without missing a beat.
"That's... a little odd, don't you think?" Renya muttered thoughtfully.
Kruger, Greta, and the five adventurers nodded in agreement, their expressions reflecting the same sense of unease.
Renya raised an eyebrow and said, "So… where's your top-level guard?" Her voice laced with confusion.
Celestine's face flushed crimson, clearly taken off guard. Before she could respond, one of her companions—a tall adventurer holding a large shield—jumped in with a smug grin.
"We don't need one. We're already Rank C adventurers, after all. What's the point of a top-level guard?" she said confidently.
At that, the faces of the four other adventurers instantly turned bright red with embarrassment.
Celestine quickly smacked the back of the shield-bearer's head, her voice sharp, "Elira, stop talking. Do you want to embarrass us even more?"
Elira, rubbing her head in pain, looked sheepish as she sheepishly replied, "Okay, big sis, I'm sorry…" Her face twisted in a mix of regret and the hint of tears welling up in her eyes.
Celestine sighed, looking a bit uneasy, and explained to Renya, "Because the situation these past few months has been quite critical, he said he would report back home first."
Renya furrowed her brow in confusion. "But, why are you here then? Are you really allowed to enter the middle dungeon, even with the goblin problem area?" she asked, clearly perplexed.
The moment those words left Renya's mouth, the expressions of all five adventurers darkened. Celestine paused before replying, her voice tinged with uncertainty.
"No… but the new guard, who's just a temporary replacement, said it was no problem." Celestine's words seemed hesitant, as if she was still unsure whether to fully trust the decision made by their temporary guard.
Celestine continued, her tone heavy with regret. "He said he had dealt with this situation many times, especially with goblins…" Her voice trailed off as she recalled the conversation. "Who would have thought…" she muttered, the weight of her words lingering in the air.
Renya, sensing the underlying tension, immediately responded. "Goblins can be intelligent and can coordinate…" She glanced over at the paralyzed bandits, who were neatly arranged on the ground, their forms still as evidence of the chaos they had caused. Renya added, "Even calling bandits…" Her words hung in the air, the implication clear.
At this, everyone turned their attention to the bandits, nodding seriously in agreement. It was clear now that the threat they had faced was no ordinary one—these bandits were different, and the goblins had orchestrated something far more dangerous than they had initially thought.
After a brief pause, Renya said, "You guys, go back," waving her hand in a dismissive gesture as if to signal them to leave. She then added, "I will interrogate them." Her gaze shifted to the bandits, the seriousness in her expression clear. "The goblins have also left, the dungeon entrance is safe."
Celestine's eyes widened at her words. "Really?" she asked, glancing at her party. When they all nodded, Celestine's expression softened slightly. She then said, "Okay… We will return to the dungeon entrance," signaling her party to head towards the stairs leading up.
However, halfway up the stairs, Celestine suddenly stopped and turned to face Renya. "Are you going out too?" she asked, her tone laced with a bit of uncertainty.
Renya understood immediately what she meant. With a slight smirk, she asked, "Are you afraid of the goblins' clever ambush?"
Celestine nodded, her face betraying the worry that had been growing since their earlier encounter.
With Renya's confirmation, she added, "Oh… no need to worry. After the interrogation, I will send Gunther to the next town with 100 bandits as a guard," casting a brief glance at Gunther. "Can you, Gunther?"
Gunther let out a sigh, clearly resigned, and replied, "Okay, miss, that's quite easy."
Satisfied with his response, Renya turned back to face Celestine. "Done. Is there anything else you need to ask?"
Celestine shook her head, a faint smile crossing her lips as she replied, "No, and thank you." She then turned around, heading towards the stairs that led up, her footsteps echoing softly in the dungeon.