Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 17: The Den of Goblins
After registering their temporary party and accepting the quest, Hyde and his group immediately headed for the dungeon.
The quest they accepted this time involved an F-ranked dungeon. Located within the city of Sentritz, it was conveniently situated for Hyde.
Sentritz itself was a city that encompassed several dungeons.
There was even a dungeon beneath the guild hall, but unfortunately, Hyde’s rank was too low to challenge it.
As they proceeded through the underground waterway leading to the dungeon, Hyde addressed Helen, who was walking ahead.
“Helen, are you sure you’re okay with an F-ranked dungeon?”
“I think the simplest dungeon is best for a first attempt.”
“That means you’re looking out for me, right? Thank you.”
“…Not really. As long as I can collect mana stones, that’s all that matters to me.”
Her voice seemed slightly unsteady.
Smiling to himself, Hyde quickened his pace to catch up with Helen, who was a few steps ahead.
However—
(I… I can’t catch up…)
The faster he tried to walk, the more Helen increased her pace.
Hyde realized that she was intentionally keeping her distance.
“Shou. Before we enter the dungeon, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“Stay as far away from me as possible. Whatever happens, you must follow that rule.”
◆ ◆ ◆
As they proceeded through the underground waterway, something unusual appeared.
The space ahead seemed to crack as though fractured, revealing a shimmering, pure white light beyond the fissures.
“This is… the entrance to the dungeon…”
Hyde stood in awe of the scene, witnessing it for the first time. Helen, who was leading the way, stepped confidently into the rift.
Determined, Hyde followed, leaping in after her.
A strange sensation enveloped his entire body.
It felt similar to floating, like being swayed on a ship—a completely unfamiliar experience.
When the sensation subsided, Hyde found himself in an entirely different place.
It was a narrow underground passage.
The walls and ceiling were covered in stone bricks, and the corridor was illuminated by evenly spaced torches.
When he turned around, the same spatial fissure he had just passed through remained behind him.
“So this is the F-ranked dungeon, Goblin’s Nest…”
He recalled the briefing they received when accepting the quest.
The task was to exterminate monsters referred to as Goblin, which spawned in the Goblin’s Nest.
The minimum requirement was to slay 20 of them. The mission would be completed by submitting the mana stones obtained from the slain monsters.
“Alright, as planned. I’ll handle reconnaissance and cover fire.”
“Understood.”
Helen’s role was support.
This time, Hyde, as the attacker, would take the lead.
Helen moved to the rear, taking care to stay as far from Hyde as possible in the confined corridor.
From within her cloak, she retrieved a bow and arrows.
(Did I do something to make her dislike me in such a short time…?)
As I started walking, feeling a bit down, Helen’s flustered voice called out.
“Wait, where’s your weapon?”
“Huh? I was planning to fight with my fists, is that a problem?”
Hyde didn’t want to fight a monster with his fists either, but since he didn’t have a weapon, there was no choice.
He could ask Dolph for help or secretly use the knight’s equipment, but that could expose his identity, which wasn’t something he could rule out.
So, until he could buy a weapon as Shou, he intended to fight with his fists, but Helen’s reaction was a bit off.
“With your bare hands? Do you have a skill for that or something?”
“Ah, well, something like that.”
“…No, sorry. I shouldn’t be prying into your skills.”
“It’s fine, I don’t mind.”
It seemed that among adventurers, asking about each other’s skills was considered bad manners.
For Hyde, he thought knowing each other’s skills would help them cooperate better, but there must be some unspoken rules at play.
(When registering as an adventurer, the skill section was optional too. I can see others’ skills with [All-seeing god’s eye]… but…)
Somehow, he hesitated to look without permission.
(Still, for some reason, I keep feeling like the mana inside my body is draining away. I wonder if it’s something unique to dungeons. But no, it’s been like this since we left the guild hall…)
Since he had [Fountain of Divine Blessings], it wasn’t bothering him, so he decided not to think too deeply about it.
Although the dungeon was lit by campfires, the visibility wasn’t great.
Hyde activated [All-seeing god’s eye] to both search the area and keep watch.
Ad
(There are four goblin-like monsters ahead. And beyond them, more are waiting in ambush.)
Their body length is probably less than a meter.
It seems they haven’t noticed us yet.
“Wait. There are goblins ahead.”
Helen’s voice came from behind, slightly delayed.
“What should I do?”
“I’ll take out one of them first. You don’t have to push yourself. Just stop the goblins coming towards me.”
“Understood.”
Today, he had asked Helen to join the party despite the situation.
Those monsters were weak enough to handle on his own, but it was probably best to do that after he became more experienced at working solo.
Hyde crouched down as instructed by Helen.
“Hah–!”
The sound of an arrow slicing through the wind rang out as it pierced the head of the goblin in front.
As the goblin dissolved into mist from the fatal blow, the remaining three goblins noticed and charged toward them.
“Shou.”
Ad
“Leave it to me.”
Hyde activated [Guidance of the Martial god].
The moment he did, his fists became weapons that could pierce through anything.
“Hah!”
He anticipated the swift, small goblin’s movements and slid his fist along the path of its motion.
With just that, the goblin was sent flying.
“Avoid it!”
Hyde immediately reacted to the voice from behind.
With [All-seeing god’s eye] and [Guidance of the Martial god], he was able to completely track and trace the movement of the arrow Helen had fired, even though it was shot by an ally.
And the correct move to make using those skills was also indicated.
“Hah!”
Following the instructions, Hyde avoided the path of the arrow while sweeping the goblin’s legs.
The tripping goblin collided with another goblin—at that moment, Helen’s arrow pierced through both of them.
The bodies of the monsters vanished, and the small mana stones along with the arrow that had lost its target clattered to the floor.
“Incredible…”
As Hyde picked up the mana stones, he heard a voice from behind, as if carried by heat.
“Incredible, incredible! How did you do that? It’s the first time I’ve taken down two with one arrow!”
Helene’s voice was filled with joy as she bounced around on the spot, holding her bow in both hands. She seemed so different from the person she had been just moments ago.
“Well done, Helen.”
As Hyde smiled while collecting the mana stones and arrows, Helen froze in the position she had landed in.
She then pulled her hood down deeply.
“Let’s move ahead. We’re not done with our quota yet. Don’t let your guard down.”