"Thousands of goblins? Didn't you see wrong?!"
"I wish I did!"
"Come down first."
After Jena descended, I gathered the party members.
I know what to do in this situation. I have the experience of observing and analyzing thousands of battles. Among them were play records of others, not just mine.
Even if it looks impossible on the surface, there's definitely a strategy.
It's just that the difficulty of this particular mission is quite high.
"Hyungnim. Thousands of goblins. Isn't that wrong? How can five of us..."
"Don't freak out. We're not killing all thousands of them. This mission isn't extermination. It's survival. We just need to hold out against them for a certain amount of time."
"C-can't we just hide?"
"Where?"
Zid jumped up and ran towards an empty house.
He returned moments later with a bitter expression.
"We can't enter the buildings..."
"Not just buildings, we can't leave the city either. We have to make our stand here. Not hiding, enduring."
"Against a goblin horde, with just five..."
"First, let's change location."
The plaza is not a good position for defense. Roads stretched out in all directions, and there were many entry points, like gaps in collapsed buildings. Staying here would mean getting surrounded instantly and wiped out.
'An area with limited enemy entry paths, a narrow passage where we can face them one at a time.'
"How long do we have to hold out?"
"10 minutes. Once we encounter the enemy, survive just 10 minutes, and we can return."
"Then it's worth a try!"
[30 : 00]
No need to tell them the exact time.
'Damn unlucky.'
When a survival mission pops up on lower floors, the party's survival chance is a mere 9%. It's nothing significant in the higher sections, but low-floor survival missions were notorious enough to be called 'Hero Grinders', drawing constant complaints.
'Anyway, survive.'
It's only the 5th floor.
If I die here, the name Master of Master becomes a joke.
"Move out! Find a space five people can hold. Head deeper into the city!"
"Yes!"
Assuming the place we were summoned was the south side of the city, the destruction worsens towards the north. According to Jena's report, the goblins are also coming from the north.
Then head south, where the buildings are relatively intact.
"Not the main road. Let's take the alleyways."
The key to this mission is finding a defensible chokepoint.
We slipped into an alley off the main street. The path narrowed to the point where only one person could stand shoulder-width.
Fate wasn't entirely against us. A suitable defensive position was soon found.
It was an alley intersection branching into three paths. No crawl spaces or gaps, and the walls were high enough to make climbing difficult.
"Let's make our stand here."
There were a few other candidates, but parts of their walls were collapsed, or the walls were low, allowing enemy entry. Ideally, I wanted a narrow area with only one entrance and sealed on all sides, but time was running out.
Kiyaaa.
Distant goblin cries drifted closer.
"Gather up. I'll assign positions."
"Positions?"
"Each person defends one passage. All paths are narrow, so you only need to face one at a time. Whether it's thousands or tens of thousands, one at a time. Can you do it?"
"Yes, we'll try!" Zid replied thunderously.
Alright, let's give it a shot.
"First, I'll take the left passage, Aaron takes the right."
"Yes, Hyungnim!"
"The bottom passage, Zid and Hanson, you two take it. Switch out when one gets tired. Remember, it's switching, not fighting together. Once you fall back, don't jump back in trying to help, just rest fully. Got it?"
"Yep!"
I take the narrowest passage, the left one.
Aaron takes the relatively wider right passage. Since he uses a spear, he needs at least enough width to swing it.
Jena spoke.
"What about me?"
"You wait in the center of the intersection."
"Wait?"
"Don't shoot arrows. Just wait."
"If you're worried I'll shoot allies, don't be. I'm confident."
"That's not the issue. We absolutely must conserve arrows."
Jena's position is the small open space where the three passages converge.
If Jena shoots her bow from here, there's certainly a chance of hitting allies. Those defending the passages will have their backs to her. With high walls on either side, her firing angle is also quite limited.
But there was another reason.
"Anyway, save them. Don't shoot until I say so. Understood?"
"Yes."
She didn't seem to understand, but Jena nodded.
"I'll give you a few tips. Listen carefully."
"Yep!"
"First, pile up goblin corpses in front as much as possible. Make a wall. The narrower the space for the enemy to enter, the better. Got it?"
"Yes!"
"If you get exhausted fighting and can't hold on, call Jena."
"Then should I shoot arrows?"
"No, you take her dagger and hold the line there instead. Once the person in charge catches their breath, switch back."
"Ugh..."
"If it's absolutely impossible, you can shoot. But you must retrieve the arrows. Either the passage defender throws them back, or you run and grab them."
"Got it."
Jena's quiver only holds 20 arrows.
The enemy numbers in the thousands. Arrows must only be used when absolutely necessary.
"Remember. If even one of the three passages is breached, we all die here. If we get surrounded from front and back, we absolutely cannot survive."
"Understood!"
"Then, to positions!"
The four scattered with determined expressions.
"Kerrek?"
The goblin cries became audible now.
[30 : 00]
'30 minutes...'
Perhaps time flow in the stages, unlike the waiting room, matches Earth time.
However, the timer will likely start only after engaging the goblins.
"Build barricades before the goblins arrive!"
"Understood!"
I piled up broken rubble and wooden fragments in front of the path.
"Don't waste stamina! Swing short and simple!"
"Understood!"
Their responses, at least, are good.
Using nearby objects, I finished constructing a small barrier. Looking back, Aaron, Zid, and Hanson were doing the same.
"Kyaa!"
Finally, the goblins spotted us.
[29 : 59]
'Come on.'
This isn't a mission where just protecting myself is enough. If any side is breached, everyone in the open space will be in danger.
'Have to trust Jena.'
Her role seems the most redundant on the surface, but the reality is completely different.
Due to the nature of this mission, reaching the limit of stamina is inevitable. If Jena doesn't fill that gap, we'll be overrun without a chance.
"Kiyaaaaaak!"
Goblins started flooding into the alley.
I thrust my sword through the gaps in the stacked wood. The sword pierced a goblin's throat. The goblin collapsed, blood pouring from its neck.
"Pile up the corpses! Make a wall!"
I repeated the same instructions loudly enough for the others to hear.
"Understood!"
From afar, I heard Aaron and Zid shout.
And then, the sound of clashing steel and wood followed.
One kill per exchange.
Aim for the chest or head. I diligently thrust my sword through the gaps.
"Kiii, kiii, kiiii!"
Goblins also thrust their swords through the barricade gaps.
Block with the shield, then strike back.
"Kek!"
One collapses.
Beyond the alleyway, on the main street, goblins swarmed in numbers too great to count. They pushed and shoved each other into the alley, seemingly eager to be the first.
'Damn it...'
Realizing the corpses on the ground were obstructions, some goblins started dragging the bodies out of the alley. Though the passage was barely wide enough for one person, the goblins' small size made it possible.
"Kyaa!"
The goblin at the front thrust its sword.
One pattern. Block, return thrust.
Below it, a crouched goblin began dismantling the barricade. I slammed my shield into the goblin's head, barely visible through the gap. Blood spurted from its shattered skull.
I glanced back.
The three were swinging their weapons through the gaps in their respective barricades, not yielding an inch.
"Speak up anytime if you're struggling!" Jena shouted from the open area.
'Still got a long way to go.'
I slashed upwards, and a severed goblin arm flew through the air. The one-armed goblin swung its claws at the barrier with its remaining hand. Its sharp claws tore a long gash in my leather forearm guard.
I buried my sword in its head.
Immediately, the goblin behind pulled the corpse away.
'Hah, these bastards, really.'
If you look stupid, act stupid.
They're gradually learning. When the goblin in front dies, they drag it out of the alley as if waiting for it, and crouching on the alley floor, they slowly carry stones or wooden planks outside. Some even tried climbing over their comrades' shoulders to get past the passage. The path was gradually clearing.
[26 : 48]
I lost count of the dead goblins after the tenth one.
These guys are weak. Novices fit for the 1st floor. Scrawny bodies, weak strength.
But their numbers are huge.
Excessively so.
"Kiii, kiii!"
The tip of my sword gouged a goblin's eye. The goblin let out a harrowing scream. Sword still embedded, I twisted it sideways.
Kicked it, and it tumbled back along with the ones behind it.
The goblins gathered on the main street show no sign of diminishing.
Do these guys have no fear? They just keep swarming in, as if wanting to die.
The barricade is more than half dismantled.
I subtly shifted my right foot back.
A goblin leaning through the barricade gap stabbed at where my right foot had been with a dagger. I brought my sword down on the back of its head.
Looked behind.
On the right, Aaron held his spear short, dispatching goblins with thrusts.
The reach difference is overwhelming. He was doing well so far.
Below, Zid was panting heavily, sweating.
"Zid, switch out!"
"N-no, I can still..."
"Shut up, switch when I tell you!"
"You rest! I'll take it!"
Hanson, who had been waiting, dashed out with his sword and shield.
Zid retreated to the open area, gasping for breath.
'Still low stamina.'
That's why I paired Zid and Hanson together. Those guys are not only low level but also lack skill. Whether from the excitement of battle or nervousness, they put too much force into every attack.
Meaning they tire easily.
One sword strike is enough.
One by one.
Relax the body, swing smoothly.
Achieve maximum efficiency with minimal stamina.
Thrust,
Slash,
Thrust again.
The speed at which corpses piled up began to exceed the speed at which the goblins cleared them.
[22 : 58]
"Switch again!"
"Hanson!"
"A-alright!"
Hanson switched with Zid.
The barricade the two defended below is almost breached. Beyond it, the passage is crammed tight with dozens of goblins. Some were even getting trampled to death, but no one seemed to care.
'That's the most dangerous spot!'
I was about to call Jena.
One person blocks, the other reinforces the barricade.
Just then,
"Kii!"
A goblin head appeared over the high wall on one side of the open area.
"Don't let them over!"
"Been waiting!"
Ping!
An arrow pierced the goblin's head. The goblin trying to climb over fell forward into the open space in the same position.
Goblins were climbing the opposite wall.
"Jena, you handle the goblins coming into the open area! Got it?"
"Yes sir!"
A goblin head poked over the opposite wall.
Jena's arrow pierced its forehead again.
"Retrieve the arrows!"
Jena quickly ran to the corpse and pulled out the arrow. On the opposite wall, another goblin was climbing.
Allowing them to breach the open area means getting surrounded.
"H-Hyungnim! Didn't you say 10 minutes?"
"Brat, only 5 minutes have passed!"
[18 : 49]
"Uwaaagh!"
Zid clutched his hand and rolled on the ground.
Two fingers on his left hand were severed. Blood was spurting out.