Chapter 11: Kyle

Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Kyle

Inside the throne room, Ragnar was sitting comfortably upon his obsidian throne when the system suddenly produced a notification.

Ding!

[Intruder detected.]

Ragnar’s eyes immediately widened.

"...What?"

A transparent screen suddenly appeared before him.

The screen displayed a live image of the dungeon’s interior.

At first, Ragnar thought it was another wild beast.

Then he saw the figure walking through the corridor.

A human.

A genuine human being.

Ragnar slowly leaned forward.

"...Oh."

His eyes widened with excitement.

"My first human."

He stared at the screen with fascination.

After spending several days surrounded by nothing but goblins and wild animals, seeing another person felt strangely refreshing.

Ragnar carefully examined the stranger.

The man wore simple leather armor and carried a bow across his back. A hunting knife hung at his waist, while his movements were cautious and deliberate.

Ragnar’s eyes narrowed slightly.

"And this human looks like a hunter."

He had played enough games to recognize an adventurer when he saw one, and this man clearly wasn’t some ordinary villager who had accidentally wandered inside.

The way he moved was too disciplined.

His eyes constantly scanned his surroundings.

He checked corners before moving past them.

He listened before taking another step.

"This guy knows what he’s doing."

Ragnar’s expression became slightly more serious.

Then the system screen changed.

The perspective shifted away from Kyle and showed a different portion of the dungeon.

The Goblin Camp.

Ragnar immediately recognized the location.

Kyle was slowly making his way toward it.

"...He’s heading straight for my goblins."

Ragnar leaned back against the throne.

A mischievous smile gradually appeared on his face.

"Well..."

"Let’s see what happens."

He had no intention of interfering.

This was the first human to enter his dungeon.

Ragnar wanted to see exactly how strong an ordinary human hunter was compared to his goblins.

If the hunter was weak, then his eleven goblins would gain valuable experience.

If the hunter was strong...

Then Ragnar would finally have a better understanding of the strength of the people living in this world.

"Come on."

Ragnar rested his chin against his hand.

"Show me what you’ve got."

----

Kyle continued walking through the corridor.

He had already been inside the dungeon for several minutes, yet he still hadn’t encountered a single monster.

That made him even more suspicious.

"Dungeons shouldn’t be this quiet."

His instincts screamed at him.

Something was wrong.

Kyle stopped beside a stone pillar and crouched down.

He carefully examined the ground. There were faint footprints. Small ones, and several of them.

Kyle’s expression immediately became serious.

"Monsters..."

He slowly reached for the bow on his back.

The footprints were too small to belong to wolves.

Too numerous to belong to a single creature.

And they were fresh. Kyle carefully followed the trail.

The corridor eventually opened into a larger chamber.

At the far end stood a crude wooden barricade.

Behind it was a small camp.

Several wooden huts surrounded a burning campfire, while crude wooden watchtowers overlooked the surrounding area.

Kyle’s eyes widened slightly.

"...Goblins?"

He had expected something far more dangerous.

Goblins were common dungeon monsters.

They were weak individually, but they were known for attacking in groups.

Kyle slowly counted them.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

Five.

Then his eyes narrowed.

"There are more..."

Several additional goblins were moving around behind the huts.

Eleven in total.

Kyle’s expression became slightly solemn.

Eleven goblins wasn’t an overwhelming number.

But fighting eleven creatures inside an unknown dungeon was completely different from hunting a lone wolf in the forest.

He slowly lowered his body.

"I’ll leave."

His instincts told him that investigating further wasn’t worth the risk.

He had already confirmed the existence of the dungeon.

That information alone was enough.

He could return to the village and report everything.

But the moment Kyle took one step backward...

A small stone suddenly struck the ground behind him.

His expression changed.

"They know I’m here."

Suddenly...

"GRAH!"

A loud cry erupted from the watchtower. Kyle immediately looked forward.

The goblins had spotted him.

Their expressions changed almost instantly.

The camp that had seemed peaceful only moments ago erupted into movement.

Goblins grabbed their weapons.

Others rushed toward the barricades.

Several climbed onto the wooden structures.

Kyle’s face became grim.

"Damn."

He immediately reached for his bow.

He pulled an arrow from his quiver and nocked it in one smooth motion.

The first goblin charged.

Kyle released the string.

Whoosh!

The arrow flew through the air.

Thud!

It struck the goblin’s shield and knocked it backward.

Kyle’s eyes narrowed. The goblins were weak, but they were organized.

That was far more troublesome.

Three goblins rushed toward him from the front while two more moved around the sides.

Kyle immediately recognized their intention.

"They’re trying to surround me."

He stepped backward and released another arrow.

Thud!

The arrow struck one goblin in the shoulder.

The creature staggered.

Before Kyle could fire again, another goblin lunged forward with a spear.

Kyle twisted his body sideways.

The spear narrowly missed his ribs.

He immediately drew his hunting knife and slashed downward.

Clang!

The blade struck the goblin’s crude shield.

Kyle kicked the creature in the stomach, and the goblin stumbled backward.

Kyle immediately retreated.

He wasn’t here to fight. His objective was simply to escape.

However, the goblins had no intention of allowing him to leave peacefully.

"GRAH!"

Another goblin rushed from the side.

Kyle ducked beneath the incoming spear and rolled across the ground.

He quickly regained his footing.

Another spear came toward him.

Kyle raised his knife and deflected it.

Clang!

The force nearly knocked the weapon from his hand.

"These little demons..."

Kyle gritted his teeth.

They weren’t particularly strong. But their coordination was impressive.

Kyle’s eyes suddenly noticed something.

The corridor behind him.

There was a narrow opening between two stone pillars.

If he could reach it, the goblins wouldn’t be able to surround him as easily.

Kyle immediately made his decision.

He pretended to stumble backward.

The goblins took the bait.

Two rushed toward him at the same time.

"Now!"

Kyle suddenly exploded forward.

Instead of retreating, he charged directly between the two goblins.

The creatures were caught off guard.