Chapter 201: Goblin Horde

[Your party is going live]

The elevator carrying a party of six slowly ascended from the lobby, each and every one of the candidates having varying expressions.

The only person amongst the six who showed little to no emotion was a tall, beautiful woman in a red, fitted leather combat outfit with dark, long hair that reached down to her waist.

She wielded a bone-white longsword that was only a head shorter than her and kept her eyes on the pad displaying the ascending floor number until the elevator shook slightly and came to a halt on Floor 2.

A message came in at that moment.

[Kaelen Cross]:

I’m watching you right now. Prioritize your safety over anyone’s survival, okay?

She smiled and was about to reply when a notification flashed across her vision.

[Your inbox has been temporarily disabled]

At the same time, the angel’s gate slowly slid open with a soft hiss.

The first thing that hit the party wasn’t the icy breeze they had half expected. It was a suffocating heat as the gates opened to reveal the narrow passage of a path carved into rocks.

The party didn’t move immediately but kept their eyes on the dark path ahead, waiting for something to happen, when a woman with short blonde hair jumped out of the elevator and teleported short distances down the path and back enthusiastically before turning to face the party with her arms spread apart.

"We’re here now, guys. Since we’re likely to be the first to enter the second floor after that asshole tried to steal the spotlight from us, let’s give it our best and show our viewers we’re more than fighters, and together as a team, we can clear all obstacles. Let’s make our Herald proud!" She giggled and took out the whip hanging from her waist and spun it in the air like a cowgirl before cracking it towards the dark corridor.

"Let’s go!" She said and began hopping down the path without waiting for the others to prepare themselves.

The three men in the party immediately ran after her, clutching their weapons and scanning the corridor carefully, while Chloe—a girl with pink hair styled in twin ponytails—paused to look at the tall lady beside her.

Lysandra didn’t move immediately but stared at the back of the blonde girl with an unreadable expression before she stepped forward as well, while Chloe trailed forward beside her.

After several turns and cuts, the party soon came to realize they weren’t walking down a narrow path but through an underground maze.

Lysandra would occasionally pause at paths the blonde girl who was leading ahead had ignored but would decide to stick to the party after deliberation.

After minutes of walking, when it felt like the maze was empty, a shriek suddenly came from up ahead, where the blonde girl was leading with a wide gap in between her and the party trying to catch up with her hopping pace. What followed were several cracks of whips, then the stomping sounds of boots.

Lysandra increased her pace to see what was happening up ahead, only to see the mutilated corpses of several scrawny creatures with makeshift weapons, with the blonde-haired girl still stomping down on the head of one.

"I. HATE. GOBLINS. URGHH~" She said in disgust.

There were four corpses on the ground. She had taken them out in a split second before the party could even catch up.

"You’re so strong, Melissa."

"You’re so cool. I hate goblins too. They’re disgusting."

"Go, Melissa!"

The three men excitedly cheered her on, their voices bouncing off the cave walls and echoing loudly across the maze.

The blonde girl smiled in pleasure. "Thank you. It’s nothing." She said as she flashed her colourful nails and shot a glance at Lysandra.

"Is she trying to compete with you? You haven’t even done anything yet." Chloe mumbled in confusion, loud enough for Lysandra to hear.

Lysandra didn’t reply.

"If we keep up this pace, though, we’ll clear the floor in no time." Chloe said again and glanced at Lysandra.

Once again, Lysandra didn’t say anything but instead scanned the area they were in and noticed they were standing at the centre of four paths and would have to pick a path once more.

"Lysandra, what’s wrong? You’re making the floor seem more dangerous than it is. It’s just goblins, and I doubt there’ll be another party waiting at the end like on the floor Kaelen Cross cleared."

"What makes you think so?" Lysandra asked without looking at her.

"Well... his was a malfunction. And we weren’t given any floor rules when we entered."

"Exactly. No rules have been made clear so far. The same thing happened on Floor 1, and you know how that went. We should be expecting something tricky like on the first floor."

"Are you saying we’ll be fighting off a horde of beasts?" Chloe asked in panic.

"Goblins, surely. They reproduce at an incredible rate and never move alone. I haven’t fought goblins before, but there’s a saying: ’When you see a goblin, there are a hundred more around.’ If we just walked into a goblin civilization, I expect nothing less than being overwhelmed by their numbers from all angles. They know this maze better than we do. So, if you ask me, the rules are simple. Survive and conquer the horde. There’s always a shaman or chief in their hierarchy. Maybe both. They’re probably the final boss here.

"Then again, though goblins might be weak individually, they become a great threat in numbers and become hard to defend against when we’re surrounded from all sides. From what I’ve learnt from previous floors, both the first floor and the second floor Kaelen cleared, there’s always a loophole. The key is to find that before the goblins detect us, then use it to our advantage when the horde arrives."

Chloe was speechless for a moment as she absorbed everything Lysandra said. Though it was all speculation, it was better safe than sorry.

"Then let’s find it. Let’s inform the party and find it quickly."

"The party?" Lysandra made a face that resembled a sneer. "It’s too late."

***

Kaelen sat cross-legged on his bed, watching the stream. He smiled, hearing Lysandra’s deduction, which was audible to the audience if they zoomed in on her.

She was absolutely right, as always.

He zoomed out the floor map, which revealed a green flood travelling through several tunnels towards the party’s position. On closer inspection, one would realize it wasn’t actually a flood of water but goblins. Marked in several locations along paths the party had ignored were rooms—safe zones—where the party could hide and recuperate.

It was obvious the party was going to get overwhelmed from all sides within minutes, given the position they stood in, and no matter how hard one fought, it would simply be impossible to break out of the encirclement.

Kaelen’s lips curled up in an amused smile.

"Interesting."

He was curious to see how she’d deal with the problem. Because it wasn’t a matter of whether she’d survive...

It was a matter of how she’d survive. That was how much Kaelen believed in her.