The female adventurer turned to me and said, "Hope you can keep up with the fights," as she drew her weapons. She wielded a mana gun powered by magical stones—an expensive and powerful tool. I quickly drew my simple, reliable sword, a gift from my grandfather after I had mastered a few basic moves. It wasn't magical or an artifact, but it was trustworthy.
We charged into the goblin-infested space, each taking a side. "Take care of the left side," she instructed as she began thinning out the horde on the right.
I struggled to fend off the goblins, feeling outmatched, while she dispatched them with ease. Suddenly, one of her guns malfunctioned. Without hesitation, she dropped it and drew a dagger, igniting the blade with fire magic.
"She's amazing," I thought, wondering how she managed to fuel both the gun and the fire with her mana. I pushed those thoughts aside and focused on surviving, using my swordsmanship to the fullest.
After 20 exhausting minutes, I stepped back to catch my breath while she swiftly finished off the remaining goblins. I had managed to kill six goblins, but she had taken down twice that number. My skills felt inadequate.
She sheathed her dagger and examined the adventurer, now lifeless and beyond help. "Kid, this is common in dungeons. You did well, but don't get into adventuring half-heartedly."
Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
"I know... but I won't give up. I'll take my time and explore this dungeon at my own pace," I replied, though I couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, we could have saved him.
The female adventurer retrieved the dead man's guild card and her dropped gun. "Don't blame yourself. Adventurers are responsible for their own lives," she said, patting my shoulder. "Come on, we can explore another day. We need to report this to the guild."
"Yes," I agreed, turning to follow her.
As we walked, she introduced herself. "It was Ray, right? I'm Eva Marin."
"Nice to meet you," I replied, remembering that I had shown her my guild card.
At a crossroads, she was trying to sense her mana to navigate. I showed her the rough sketch of the map I had been making on my phone. "Maybe this could help us."
"Oh, you were recording your steps. This will make things a bit easier," she said, borrowing my phone to guide us out of the dungeon.
Upon exiting, she handed my phone back. "You even marked the places you encountered goblins."
"Yeah, I thought it would help with planning my routes later," I explained.
She smiled and sighed at the same time, looking at the guild card from the fallen adventurer. "Couldn't we bring his remains?" I asked.
"We could, but it could've been dangerous with all the goblins around," she replied.
I understood—we wouldn't have been able to fight back if another horde had appeared. "Let's meet again another time," she said, heading off in a different direction.
It was almost evening. I decided to head back home too.