Come to think of it, there was something very mysterious going on. The Thief had made sure they were fully prepared, which was why the Goddess Priestess was wearing chainmail in the first place. And then there was giving the Female Fighter a dagger... only for her to drop it on her very first swing. How was that even possible?
The young warrior's longsword had bounced off, so he switched to a shortsword. That only landed a hit when it was practically a Sure Hit, and after that, it was all for nothing. He had to switch back to the longsword, and then he instantly became a war god...
Honestly, following this pattern, it seemed that if the deflection hadn't happened in the original story, this group of rookie Adventurers might actually have been able to handle things. Well, except for the Giant Goblin. They probably couldn't beat that. But they could have managed the rest.
What they lacked was mainly experience and caution, not fighting ability.
But that was the problem, wasn't it? If Lin Yun's guess was right, those players who'd run away might have been stronger fighters than these little rookies. The trouble was, those players weren't rookies. They were outsiders, and that made things a little complicated.
Playing Mount & Blade at a table was completely different from playing Mount & Blade in real life.
Even Lin Yun, who had once traded gunfire with someone, had all kinds of unexpected things happen to him in battle. That went without saying for everyone else.
Still, the young warrior might have had a miserable time, but... at least he'd had his moments of glory, and more than once. As for the poor Female Mage... She was supposed to be the most distinguished member of the team, and on top of that, she was the top student at the Magic Academy. But then this happened. It was a little awkward.
"Come to think of it, you're a Wizard, right? Can you only cast Flame Arrow?" Lin Yun suddenly asked. He was genuinely curious. Had this woman really graduated as a Wizard?
Just look at her teammates. In the original story, they'd been killed off in no time, but with Lin Yun's help, they were all ferocious. In fact, from a certain perspective, if Lin Yun hadn't pulled off a "Rise again, my warrior!" at the end, they might have even outdone him. Each of them dealt damage like a tiger, and even the Goddess Priestess, a rookie, was a Lucky Healer. But this Female Mage... she seemed like she was there to put on a fireworks show. Lin Yun couldn't help being curious.
Honestly, Wizards were called Wizards because they were truly amazing. Even at level one, a Wizard could learn every 0-Circle Cantrip, along with at least three 1st-Circle Magic spells—more if their Intelligence modifier was higher. In theory, a level-one Wizard could cast only two 1st-Circle spells a day, or at most four, because their bonded focus—like the Female Mage's staff—could also be used to cast one spell from their Spellbook.
Wizards also had lots of utility spells, and they learned two more spells with every level. And if they had a fellow Wizard with them, they could theoretically copy that person's spells into their own Spellbook and learn them. It was incredibly convenient.
"I was in a bit of a hurry when I left this morning... so..." At Lin Yun's words, the Female Mage blushed, tugged at her hat a little, and lowered her head as if she didn't dare say anything.
"So..." the young warrior asked without thinking.
That question was like a stick of Explosives setting off a volcano. The Female Mage walked right up to the young warrior, casting off the aloof air she'd shown before, and glared fiercely at him.
Then she shouted, "When it comes down to it, this is all your fault! You suddenly barged into my room this morning, and before I was even ready, you said we were going to fight goblins. Then you dragged me straight out, and I left my Spellbook in my room!"
"Was that my fault?" The young warrior blinked, looking completely bewildered.
"..." Lin Yun blinked behind his helmet, too. She hadn't brought her Spellbook???? What kind of move was that? It was like a warrior going out without a weapon—ridiculous. For a Wizard, a Spellbook was the foundation of spellcasting. Without one, they couldn't cast their spells at all. Or rather, the fact that the Female Mage had managed to force out a Flame Arrow without her Spellbook was already incredibly impressive.
Sure enough, everyone in this team was amazing, but... not very reliable. The Female Mage had probably thought, "It's only a bunch of goblins. I can't be bothered to go back for my Spellbook." Then, keeping up her usual aloof demeanor, she'd followed the young warrior straight out...
So if the Female Mage hadn't forgotten her Spellbook, then forget the Goblin Shaman—even the Giant Goblin would've been easy for the whole party to take down. They were just that powerful. Was that how it worked?
"Ahem. Let's keep moving. Didn't we say we were going to rescue the girls in the village?" Lin Yun coughed, realizing he shouldn't dwell on the issue any longer, and changed the subject.
At Lin Yun's words, the Female Mage angrily let go of the young warrior's collar and followed him inside. Lin Yun and the others continued deeper in, where they spotted something just like the totem by the entrance.
"Mr. Silent, what is this thing, anyway? Is it a goblin toy?" The young warrior had been curious when he first saw it by the entrance, but since they were about to fight, he hadn't asked. Now that he'd seen it again, he couldn't help asking.
"It's there to draw your attention. Look." As he spoke, Lin Yun moved his Lantern Staff, illuminating the other side of the totem. There was another passageway there.
"If all your attention is drawn to the totem, you'll overlook this path. Then, as you gradually move deeper in, goblins can come running out of this passage behind you. Once you lose formation, they can ambush you. I was worried that something like this might happen, which was why I told you to stay at the rear and watch out for anything coming from behind. But you charged straight to the front instead. Still, we probably weren't far enough in yet, so nothing happened."
Lin Yun didn't dare put his full faith in the original story. What if there were other side passages somewhere else? Wouldn't that mean game over? That was why he'd told the young warrior to guard the rear. He hadn't expected the guy to charge to the front instead.
Wait a second. Weren't Priests supposed to stay at the back? Ahem, that was only those useless Priests from the Warcraft next door. Hadn't the little prince gone around in Full Body Armor with a greatsword?
"I see. I'm really sorry, Mr. Silent. I let you down." The young warrior's expression shifted as he listened to Lin Yun. He'd seen the goblins' strength now, and clearly understood what could happen if any of them came at the group from behind.
Thinking about the casualties that might result—perhaps even a total wipe—he felt a surge of guilt and bowed deeply to Lin Yun.
"Forget it. It's already happened, so there's no point worrying about it. For now, let's keep going. I just hope those goblins we fought were the last of them." Honestly, Lin Yun was already exhausted, but he wanted to finish the job quickly and head back, so he could only push through.
"Yes." Before they knew it, Lin Yun had become the most authoritative person in the group. Maybe they didn't obey his every word, but at least they followed his instructions. And... a certain Female Fighter was gazing at him with shining eyes and flushed cheeks. In the darkness of the cave, though, with the Lantern Staff's light so dim, it was hard to make out.
The first place Lin Yun and the others explored was the cave off the side passage. He remembered that the real cave was somewhere inside, so he took the Lantern Staff and headed over.
Things were different from the original story. In the original, this rookie team had already been wiped out. Only the Goddess Priestess who'd gone after the rookies was left, and perhaps the half-strength Female Mage. So the Goblin Shaman hadn't reacted at all, letting Goblin Slayer charge straight in and nearly kill the Goblin Shaman in one blow before wiping out the goblins one by one.
Here, they'd first fought the players. When the players all fled, a whole group of goblins chased after them and ran into Lin Yun. Then the Giant Goblin had come out, and after it, the Goblin Shaman had joined the fray. That was how things had ended up like this.
When Lin Yun reached the place where the Goblin Shaman had originally been, he found a space like a room in a cavern. Things that looked like trophies, along with food, were arranged along both sides. In the middle stood a chair made of bones that looked rather impressive. It was an accessory the Goblin Shaman used to display its authority and wisdom.
The main chamber seemed to be completely empty, but... Lin Yun quickly focused on the chair. Then...
"D17+2+3=23, success."
In an instant, Lin Yun's eyes seemed to gain the sharpness of an eagle's. He noticed what looked like a wooden board behind the bone chair, and thought he could faintly hear something.
Clearly, there was something behind the bone chair.
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