When it comes to [Dungeon & Stone], I'm an expert.
Where certain monsters appear, their habits, their weaknesses—I could recite it all without even having to think about it.
Based on this, I had made my final decision.
If I combined a Barbarian's body with my knowledge, I could surely survive in the Labyrinth.
At least, at that moment, I truly believed so.
"Ha…"
The moment I entered the Labyrinth, my vision went completely dark.
This wasn't a metaphor for my future; I mean it literally—I couldn't see a thing.
I probably wouldn't even notice if someone put a blindfold on me right now.
It wouldn't make much of a difference.
"Shit."
It felt like I'd been struck hard on the back of my head.
The other Barbarians were all just carrying a single weapon, so I hadn't even suspected this.
Normally, you don't really need a torch on the First Floor.
The crystals on the walls serve as a light source.
Of course, there are dark zones on the First Floor, but they are just a tiny fraction of the area, aside from the Outermost Area leading to the Second Floor—
'Ah, don't tell me I was dropped there?'
I quickly formed a hypothesis.
The starting location upon entering the Labyrinth is random.
Of course, while they say it's random, you're never thrown into a place like this.
Even if you start in an outer area, there are always glowing crystals nearby.
But this wasn't the world of a game I was just looking at through a monitor.
What if all those things were just a convenience given to the player by the developer?
What if, in reality, a fucked-up case like starting in a dark zone could actually happen?
That would explain my current situation.
No, it had to.
If the entire First Floor was like this, I wasn't confident I could survive even a day.
"Hoo…"
Calmly organizing my thoughts helped me settle down a bit.
Thankfully, my eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and it was much better than before.
Still, I could only barely make out silhouettes.
This wasn't a situation so despairing that I'd just bite my tongue and die.
First, let's confirm what I need to.
I was finally alone, after all.
"Status window, equipment window, character info, stats, inventory. Check log… Dammit."
As expected, it didn't work.
Well, it's not like I had any expectations anyway.
"Let's go."
With a shield in one hand and the other hand on the wall, I moved forward.
My speed was just a little faster than a crawl.
Hmm, maybe not?
Crawling might actually be faster, but I couldn't increase my speed.
It was too dangerous…
"Kuaaaack!"
A sharp pain suddenly shot up from my ankle.
It was a pain I had never felt before in my life, and my nerves went wild.
But even in the midst of it, I first assessed the situation.
What on earth went wrong?
Even without a combat log, the answer came quickly.
「The character has stepped on a Goblin Trap.」
Shit, I've stepped on a trap.
***
What was my mistake?
The reasons came pouring out without any need for thought.
The shield had given me a sense of psychological comfort.
But in exchange, it had blocked a significant portion of my vision.
If I had just slung the shield on my belt and focused only on looking around, I might have spotted the trap.
What use was a shield when I couldn't see anything anyway?
I should have prioritized practical benefit over mental comfort.
Damn it.
"Kugh… Heugh…"
My mind went blank.
I wanted to scream my head off right now.
But I desperately held it in.
If screaming would improve the situation, maybe.
But I was certain it would only make things worse.
Thump, thump, thump, thump, thump.
My heart pounded like it was broken.
"Hoo, hoo, hoo…"
I bit my lip and forced my breathing to calm down.
What I needed to think about right now wasn't how much I was hurting.
There was only one monster on the First Floor that used traps.
Goblins.
And that thing was definitely nearby.
"…"
I reflexively raised my shield to cover my head.
Then I stopped breathing altogether and focused on my hearing.
There were no sounds for now.
It was quiet, as if time had stopped.
…Could it be that there's nothing here?
I didn't know.
Maybe that was possible.
There was a chance it just happened to be away.
Even a Goblin has to take a shit.
'Bullshit.
I don't even believe that myself.'
I gently folded up the hope creeping into my mind and tossed it away.
There were two reasons.
One, being positive is different from being optimistic.
Two, what I needed right now was a negative way of thinking.
"…"
If I can't be sure, then I'll assume the worst.
The Goblin heard my scream.
It was hiding in the darkness, waiting for me to lose my strength.
That was why I couldn't hear a thing.
It was the same in the game.
If there was a trap, there was always a Goblin nearby.
"Hoo…"
I slowly exhaled the breath I had been holding.
Whatever the case, it was such a quiet environment that as long as I didn't let my guard down, I should be able to notice its approach.
First, I had to do what I needed to do.
"…Heeup!"
I lowered my posture, pried the trap open with both hands, and pulled my foot out.
Then I tore off a piece of my pants, took off my shoe, and pressed down hard on the wound.
I decided to throw away the shoes, which were now just rags.
To be honest, they were barely shoes to begin with.
What I was wearing were sandals, more like flip-flops.
Damn Barbarians.
If they had at least sent me off with leather boots, I wouldn't have been half-crippled by a single trap…
'Shit, what am I thinking?'
Realizing how irrational I was being, my mind grew cold.
Let's not be pathetic anymore.
No matter how much I cursed them, the situation I was facing wouldn't change.
In the end, it was my fault for not properly watching the ground.
So, I should stop whining and check my condition.
'Hoo, I'm in real trouble now.'
I was already losing feeling in my right foot.
I could feel that it was hot, but even that sensation was gradually fading.
"I know you're hiding, so come out."
I whispered quietly.
Still, not the slightest presence could be felt from beyond the darkness.
So I slowly moved forward.
Thud.
Thud.
One of my legs was wrecked, but the pain wasn't as bad as I thought.
It seemed to be thanks to the paralysis poison…
I wasn't sure if I should be happy about that.
"Come out, you piece of shit."
I didn't hesitate to taunt it as I continued forward.
Time was not on my side.
If I had to fight, the sooner the better.
The injury was bad enough, but I couldn't ignore the possibility that it was waiting for its comrades.
"Not coming out?"
Of course, this could all be my delusion, and there might not actually be a Goblin.
Then I'd just be an idiot who stepped on a trap by himself and made a big fuss.
But what did that matter?
Even so, I wanted to be an idiot who survived.
"Then just stay there. I'm leaving."
I picked up my pace.
It was only a slight increase from a crawl, but it felt like I was running a marathon at full sprint.
One step, then another.
As I forced myself to walk, my right foot began to throb.
"Sseup, haa, haa…"
It was one of two things.
Either the paralysis poison had worn off, or the pain had become so severe that even the poison wasn't enough.
Come to think of it, neither was bad.
If the poison wore off, that was good.
And feeling pain, when you think about it, is only possible because my nerve cells are still alive, right?
'No, but why am I only positive in these kinds of ways?'
Well, I didn't really want to think about it.
I didn't have the mental capacity for it.
"…Your mom's a Goblin."
The words flew out of my mouth without any filter.
Was it because I had lost so much blood?
My brain felt like it was pickled in alcohol.
"Your dad's a Goblin, too."
Of course, even as I spewed whatever came to mind, my feet didn't stop.
"So you're a Goblin, too."
That was when I heard a sound for the first time.
It was a faint sound, but to my focused ears, it sounded incredibly loud.
Shak-
The creature finally revealed its presence.
"What, you can't stand your parents being insulted either?"
Of course, I knew that wasn't the reason.
It wasn't even an insult in the first place…
The sound came from behind me.
It would be more accurate to say that as I got further away, it was forced to move.
I picked up my pace even more.
And so, the sound of its footsteps quickened too.
Shak- shak- shak- shak-
The sound of its steps became clearer and was peculiar.
With each step, it sounded like something sticky attaching and detaching from a smooth surface.
Even though I knew the lore said they were less than a meter tall, I felt the pressure of a giant monster chasing me.
To shake off the fear, I kept talking to it.
I am a Barbarian.
If I could just lure it into close combat, there was no way I would lose to a mere Goblin.
"Stop just following me and come at me. You weakling."
I continued my taunts for that reason, but the creature just kept following me at a certain distance.
It seemed to have no intention of hiding itself anymore.
"Gruk, gruk…!"
It was a sound close to a howl, but for some reason, I could feel it.
"Grrrruk! Gruk!"
The creature was cackling.
It was genuinely happy, watching its prey bleed and die.
It wanted me to be afraid of that sound.
…Smart little bastard.
Alright, change of plans.
I stopped walking.
And then I staggered and fell to the ground.
Thud!
My forehead, which hit a rock, hurt as if it would crack, but I didn't make a sound.
From now on, it's a battle of patience.
If it thinks I've fallen and approaches first, I win.
If I really collapse before that, I lose.
"Gruk?"
I decided to trust in the toughness of this body, which had walked about 300 meters with a wrecked foot.
Shak-
The sound of its footsteps slowly drew closer.
The pace was so slow it made me want to yawn.
Even though its prey had fallen just as it wished, the creature was still suspicious.
'Crazy, why is a Goblin so cautious?'
Curses came out naturally.
In the game, Goblins were the weakest mobs.
They used poison and set traps, but other than that, their combat power was pathetic.
But what was the Goblin I was actually facing like?
Shak-
It was not an opponent to be taken lightly at all.
I realized why the village NPCs had talked so much about the cunning of Goblins.
My impression was that these things were several times more intelligent than those damn Barbarians.
Shak-
The creature's steps stopped somewhere between five and ten meters away.
Why?
Just as I was wondering about the reason.
A dull impact was felt on my shoulder.
Thump.
Clatter, clatter.
What.
Did that little shit just throw a pebble at me?
'…It won't keep throwing them until I'm a bloody mess, right?'
"Grrrrulk! Gruk!"
Contrary to my worries, the creature let out a howl of joy.
It seemed to think I was dead since I didn't react to the pebble.
Shak- shak- shak- shak-
The creature quickly approached me.
I could feel how excited it was from its running.
I suppressed my own excitement and calmly gauged the distance through the sound.
And when I judged that it was right next to me.
"You little shit!"
I shot up and reached out for it.
I judged that reaching out with my hand would be faster and have a longer effective range than picking up my shield and striking.
However, I soon sensed that my plan had gone awry.
This time, there were two reasons.
First, the distance between us was about one step too far.
And second, the creature's movements were much more agile than I expected.
"Gruk!"
The creature pulled back its waist and retreated.
I couldn't see it, but that was the feeling I got.
I instinctively knew I had missed.
Damn it, what do I do now? I racked my brain and prepared my next plan.
But in that instant, my body moved on its own.
"…?"
It was a truly strange sensation.
My vision was still completely dark.
But I instinctively knew where the Goblin had run.
By the time I realized that, my hand had already changed its trajectory and was moving towards it.
"Gruk?!"
I felt something caught at my fingertips.
Whether it was a wrist, an ankle, or a neck didn't matter.
"Uwaaaaaaaah!"
I let out a roar and slammed it to the ground.
Kwajik! Something cracked.
But I couldn't be sure, so I immediately got on top of its chest.
"Gu, gruk!"
Now the tables had turned.
"I'm on top, you're on the bottom. You little shit!"
Like a madman, I punched its face.
I was so worked up that I sometimes hit the floor, but this Barbarian's body was much stronger than I thought.
My fist didn't hurt at all; instead, the stone floor cracked.
"…"
Before long, the creature's movements ceased.
And then…
Shwaaaaaa-!
Dust scattered.
Strangely, it was dust that glowed.
I stopped punching.
At some point, the Goblin's body that I was sitting on had broken into tiny pieces and was scattering away.
I was so dumbfounded.
"Ha shit, this part is the same?"
Please, just pick one.
Either be a game, or a reality that's just similar to one.
It's confusing trying to figure out which rhythm to follow.
「You have defeated a Goblin.
EXP +1」
Soon after, the Goblin's body disappeared without a trace.
Feeling an inexplicable sense of emptiness, I picked up the small stone that had fallen in its place.
「You have acquired a Ninth-Rank Magic Stone.」
It wasn't bright, but it glowed faintly.
It was a Magic Stone, which served as currency in [Dungeon & Stone].
How much was this worth again? The memory soon surfaced.
"A piece of bread."
The average value of a Magic Stone dropped by a Goblin in the game.
Somehow, a laugh escaped me.
"Hehehehe…"
After all that bullshit, this is all I get?
My complicated mind felt much clearer.
It was a feeling similar to how you strangely feel like laughing after a good cry.
"Heh, hehehehe."
There's a Labyrinth, and there are monsters.
A dead monster disappears, leaving behind dropped items.
And in the city outside, real non-human races live together in harmony.
Without a doubt, this is that kind of world.
But…
I won't be confused again.