“Guild Master Husson, do you have a minute?”
“Lorenda? Sure, come in, what is it now?”
A woman was seen entering what appeared to be an office. A brawny man with an eyepatch over his left eye was sitting there. His size and musculature bulged out of his clothes, which seemed too formal for a man of his stature. On the desk, there were various papers that the man was going through and stamping with his approval. The woman who walked in was wearing a uniform with the guild's insignia embroidered on her chest, indicating her position as one of the guild administrators.
"It's about the latest dungeon report. There seems to be an irregularity."
The guild master raised an eyebrow, setting down the document he had been reading.
"Irregularity? Fine, let me see this…”
The man seemed rather annoyed by the situation but waved Lorenda over. She handed him the report from the dungeon case and waited patiently for him to read through it. Husson's brow furrowed as he scanned the report, his eyes moving rapidly over the text, absorbing the details about a strange monster sighting.
"...No one died, only one person injured? This doesn’t seem that urgent."
Husson raised an eyebrow at his secretary, wondering why she had brought this up as if it were an important problem. The report stated that a strange monster had appeared and chased a few new adventurers out of the dungeon. One man was reported injured but was later found and escorted out.
“The monster had behaved strangely and was using demonic magic sir.”
"So? It looks like they triggered some type of trap that set off this monster. If not, then it's some type of roaming variant. Just write up a commission; it's just an E rank too."
This man was well-versed in monster types, and even though the report stated that the monster was acting strange, it wasn’t anything unprecedented. It mentioned that the monster ignored other adventurers to chase after one of the alchemical apprentices and suggested they triggered a trap that targeted a specific person - nothing too out of the ordinary.
"But..."
"Stop wasting my time with things like this. I'm busy enough with all this damn paperwork! I don't have time. Now leave!"
"I... yes, sir..."
The woman was taken aback by the man’s reaction and watched him crumble up the mission report he had presented. She soon found herself outside of his office after being quickly dismissed. Lorenda felt frustration as she had read between the lines of that report, sensing that something bigger was afoot. This was not the first time an irregularity had taken place and ignoring this threat was dangerous. Nevertheless, she was not someone who could make the decision, and going against the orders of the guild master would just get her fired.
“Something wrong, you don’t look too happy?”
Lorenda walked through the door and was greeted by a similarly dressed woman with large glasses. She seemed concerned about her colleague, who appeared annoyed and perhaps frustrated.
“It’s nothing, the Guild Master just doesn’t think it’s a big deal.”
"Again?"
The woman with glasses sighed, adjusting her frames.
"This isn't the first time he's dismissed something important."
“No, it isn’t, I hope no one gets injured…”
Both of the women shook their heads around as they knew their guild master well. He had been a high-ranking adventurer before taking up the administrative role, and while his combat skills were respected, his patience for paperwork was limited. Even if a problem arose, he expected the adventurers to be able to clear it up. In his mind, to build them up, they needed to be challenged and not coddled by the guild.
"I guess we'll have to stick with an E-rank commission. I wanted to make it a D-rank, I just hope no one gets injured…”
Both women worked as receptionists and had noticed that a larger number of new adventurers were falling victim to the dungeon. It wasn’t a new phenomenon; the place was teeming with monsters, and each floor was deadlier than the last. Every aspiring adventurer needed to be keenly aware of the dangers, and typically, the highest mortality rates occurred among the lower ranks of adventurers who struggled to assess threats accurately.
“It’s a shame, really. But without solid evidence of a larger threat, there’s not much we can do.”
The woman with glasses remarked while Lorenda nodded in agreement, her expression reflecting her concern.
“I just hope they can handle whatever’s down there. Some of those newbies barely know which end of the sword to hold.”
“Well, we’ll have to keep an eye on the situation, if any new strange monsters appear, lets quickly bring it up with the Guild Master, eventually he will have to give in.”
With that, the two returned to their respective desks. Lorenda quickly prepared a commission notice destined for the guild mission board. At most, she could designate it as an E-plus rank commission, reserved for a full party of adventurers of the same rank. She could only hope that she was simply overthinking things and that the monster posed a lesser threat, just as their guild master had assured.
*****
Meanwhile, deep within the dungeon, the monster in question continued his relentless hunt for experience and new items. His current target was a group of goblins that used crude iron weaponry. The tunnels were crawling with them, which allowed him to gain quite a lot of raw iron.
Compatible materials found, would you like to refine this weapon into base materials?
“Should I really be wasting my time on them…”
Rusty glanced at the crude iron dagger he had just acquired, along with the goblin corpse that had wielded it moments before. These short creatures weren’t particularly resilient; their only real advantage lay in their sheer numbers. This meant that Rusty wasn’t gaining much experience, as they were nothing more than lowly F-rank adversaries, far below the challenge of even a bronze living armor. Time was slipping away, and this cycle wasn’t getting him closer to reaching a new evolution or causing chaos inside this dungeon.
“There seemed to be something up ahead…”
He resolved to see this through for the time being. These green monsters were a novelty, and it seemed better to conduct a thorough examination of them. Rusty had already observed that the deeper he ventured into the dungeon, the greater the likelihood of encountering evolved variations of each creature. While these small goblins posed only minor threats here, they could potentially evolve into major menaces deeper within. It was wise to study their combat tactics now in preparation for the inevitable future battles ahead.
Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.
“Is this their lair?”
As he traversed the tunnels, he stumbled upon a larger chamber teeming with even more goblins. Unlike other areas with destroyed structures, this one appeared unusually organized. It was unlike anything he had encountered before; the goblins here exhibited a level of coordination not seen among other dungeon monsters. Within the chamber stood smaller structures crafted from wood and straw. Though their exact purpose eluded him, it was evident that some of the goblins occupied these makeshift dwellings.
In the center of the chamber stood a goblin totem, decorated with an array of bones and trinkets, serving as a clear indication of the place's significance to the goblins. Rusty watched from the shadows, his metallic form seamlessly blending into the darkness. Despite the occasional clinks and clanks of his metalic body, his adversaries typically mistook the sounds for those of the numerous other bronze armors scattered throughout this level. While these goblins displayed greater intelligence and organization compared to the other monsters in the dungeon, they remained relatively simple minded and were easily fooled.
Classification:
Green Goblin Warrior L5 F
Type:
Humanoid
Classification:
Green Goblin Archer L 4 F
Type:
Humanoid
There were various types of goblins present, easily distinguishable by the weapons they wielded. However, amidst his examination of this subterranean goblin village, Rusty noticed one goblin standing out like a sore thumb. Positioned near the totem, it was engaged in a peculiar activity. Unlike the others, this goblin was dressed in strange loose robes and held a large wooden stick that didn't quite resemble a weapon.
"What's it doing? Stirring something inside that round vessel?"
Rusty utilized his identification skill to identify the vessel as a large iron cauldron. Inside simmered a brownish liquid, slowly coming to a boil. The goblin, wielding a large wooden ladle, scooped out this liquid and poured it into a glass container. Before sealing it with a cork, the creature sprinkled some dust over it, leaving Rusty perplexed.
Classification:
Green Goblin Potionist L 4 F+
Type:
Humanoid
The monster was cackling while preparing these strange potions that turned yellowish after the dust had been added. It seemed that to the side there were some strange herbs that after crushing were added to the boiled liquid to complete some type of reaction. After the potion was finished, the monster seemed to handle the small bottles with a lot of care, as if there was something more to them.
He was intrigued by this small goblin village, with his attention drawn to the iron cauldron. It was much larger than the weapons he was gathering and probably had a much higher concentration of the metal. Rusty could also just store it in his storage for later as perhaps it could be used for something different. However, before that could happen he would need to take care of all the goblins here.
“Their numbers are high, it will be better if I make some noise and lure them out first.”
Rusty was formulating a plan inside of his metallic head. It was unwise to challenge so many goblins as they numbered around twenty. The plan was easy, make some noise and lure them out. Once they are chasing after him, there were some corridors that would not allow them to use their advantage in numbers against him. It was quite the basic plan but before he could even start, a problem arose.
“Are those adventurers?”
From the opposite side that he had arrived someone approached the goblin encampment. It was a human adventurer being loud and obviously carrying out a similar plan. In one of his hands he was holding a shield and in the other a mace. He used his weapon to hit the shield which produced an audible noise that railed up the whole small goblin village. Soon, some arrows flew in his direction and he started to retreat.
It was clear to Rusty that these adventurers had a similar plan to his own as they were trying to lure the green monsters into a trap. Once they defeated the monsters at another location, they would likely return here to loot the place. There seemed to be a few valuables that they desired, perhaps including the strange yellow potions. However to Rusty's surprise, there was more to the potions that he initially expected.
The Goblin Potionist, the highest-ranking of the goblins, seemed enraged. The potions he was concocting had an unusual use. Along with the arrows, he hurled them towards the adventurer who had escaped into one of the tunnels. The moment a glass bottle connected with the ground, a small explosion shook the chamber. Rusty observed as the bottle shattered on impact, igniting into a burst of flames that sent a shockwave through the area. The green goblins laughed and screeched in excitement, their eyes glinting with malicious intent.
“Explosive potions?”
Rusty’s plan now needed a quick revision. These goblins, particularly the Potionist, had access to weapons far more dangerous than their crude iron daggers and bows. A direct confrontation could be quite deadly as if he was hit by one of those potions, even his armor might not protect him.
He was in luck as the monsters focused on the adventurer luring them outside. The goblin who used the explosive potions followed, taking almost all the other goblins with him. Only four green humanoids stayed behind, apparently to guard the village while the rest were gone. This behavior was unique to this monster type. If they had been skeletons or any other undead creatures, they likely would have all left together.
“Is this a chance?”
Rusty asked himself if there were any other adventurers approaching, but none seemed to be. The timing couldn’t have been better. With the majority of the goblins chasing after the retreating adventurer, he seized the opportunity. Rusty waited in the shadows, scanning the area for any sign of a secondary party of adventurers who might be waiting just like him. After a few tense moments, he decided to make his move. Silently, Rusty slipped out of his hiding spot, taking advantage of the goblins distraction.
His movements weren't entirely silent, but the rustle of his bronze armor was overshadowed by the surprise of his sudden appearance. The goblins, preoccupied and not expecting an ambush, were caught off guard when Rusty charged out from one of the side tunnels. With his poleaxe, Rusty swiftly struck the first goblin. The creature fell almost instantly under the force of his blow. The remaining goblins, now aware of his presence, let out shrill cries and rushed at him in a frenzy.
Despite their fierce charge, their crude weapons clanged harmlessly against Rusty's armor. Their strikes lacked the strength to pierce his hardened exterior. Rusty, with confidence swung his poleaxe with precision, cutting through the remaining attackers with ease. The skirmish was brief and soon all the enemies were down on the ground.
“Now then…”
Even though he was alone, there was a high probability that adventurers would appear soon. He only had a few minutes to search the entire area and then retreat. First, he approached the iron cauldron, which was still overflowing with a strange explosive mixture. He wasn't an alchemist, but that didn't matter and the cauldron and its contents were quickly added to his inventory.
“I can probably use these…”
Some of the potions that the goblin had made were left behind and just like the iron cauldron, made their way into his inventory. There were five of the bottles here and they only took up one square inside of his stash tab. With haste Rusty moved through this goblin village searching for any other valuable items. He came across several makeshift storage areas, filled with crude weapons and trinkets, which he ignored. However, hidden within a wooden crate covered with a tattered cloth, he found something unexpected.
“Is this… a map? What does this red cross mean?”
The parchment within the crate depicted a rough sketch of the dungeon and was marked with various symbols and annotations. Rusty couldn’t decipher the exact meaning behind all of them, but it was clear that this map held some value. It seemed to outline the locations of other goblin locations and perhaps some hidden treasure they had hidden away.
“This could be useful…”
Rusty carefully rolled up the map and stashed it away in his inventory. With the goblin village thoroughly searched, he decided it was time to retreat. He couldn’t risk encountering any other adventurers or dungeon monsters. As he made his way back through the tunnels, he heard some voices in the distance which probably belonged to the adventurers he was hoping to avoid. The group would probably soon discover that all the treasures had gone missing and he did not want to be there once that happened…