Lee Jin-Kyung
"My name is.. Lee Jin-kyung..." The woman bowed her head once as a polite gesture, then said her name.
"And?" Aria raised a brow.
The girl was introducing herself. Aria didn't see a point in it.
They were strangers. Their identities wouldn't matter.
Both of them would prefer if this matter wasn't spoken of to anybody after it passed, no?
"Could I please tag along with you?" She asked.
Her words confirmed that it was indeed the first meaning. She didn't want to be left alone.
The girl didn't show any signs of hesitance. There was fear, but it wasn't the fear of getting caught.
Aria was an expert at distinguishing emotions. The girl's actions and gestures didn't seem like a guilty person's.
The girl tried to stand, but her steps were shaky. She scooted over to the walls and used it as a support. She looked at Aria with hopeful eyes.
Standing up, she grimaced. Her leg cramped from the sheer fear that she faced. When faced with doom, the girl had slumped over and sat down on her leg, stopping efficient blood flow.
Aria didn't plan to help the girl. Instead, she sent a cold look towards her.
After all, this girl was the one who willingly jumped into the gate knowing it could be dangerous.
Kiik!! Kiiiiikkkk!!!
The annoying shrieks of a certain green-skinned species rang throughout the cave. Signifying that they had no time for needless discussion. That a battle was about to come once again.
"Tch! Jinkyung, run back to the corner!" Aria brandished her sword and prepared to battle the incoming horde.
Jin-kyung hastily nodded. She covered her ears and got away from the wide area while still limping as the goblin sounds were deafening.
Her eyes swept through the crowd. The goblins' head count was in the hundreds.
A goblin swarm.
One lower goblin can be handled easily, but their numbers were plenty to keep an entire squad busy.
Hours of fighting would dull them down, and that was one of the main reasons why goblin exterminations were held in a large scale- possessing tens of members at once.
The goblins had a high reproductive rate, so their numbers would always jump back.
The swarm before her didn't seem to be ending. They rushed into the room without stopping, filling it up completely and cornering the two humans.
"Dianthe, wash them all away!"
Aria enchanted her sword and made her way into the goblin mass.
When Dianthe's waves hit the goblins, she separated the goblins into small groups she could take down with ease, moving around the harsh waves eloquently.
She jabbed her sword into the first goblin. The goblin's movements were shaky due to their puny effort to resist the harsh currents. They staggered, leaving Aria the perfect chance to aim towards the heart.
Blood splattered around, hitting her body. However, the water that soon came by washed it all away.
[Level D Little Goblin
[
Aria gulped her saliva at the notification. She laughed at the ridiculous situation. 324 goblins.
Goblin hordes that numbered in the three hundreds were usually taken care of by more than fifteen people. Twenty to be safe.
But now, Aria was fighting alone. Jin-kyung couldn't be on the offensive side, she was a Support.
"Well.. should I say thank you for the counter?" Aria tried to keep her mind off of the heinous notification and continued her slaughter.
Due to being contracted with Dianthe, Aria had a special tolerance towards water elements. She rushed towards the loud waves, knowing that she'd be safe.
She slashed, slashed, and slashed without any rest.
She was thankful for [Halvargg]. If she hadn't obtained the sword, her previously borrowed sword wouldn't be able to suffice.
Wherever she went, goblin bodies fell onto the ground and writhed in pain.
She aimed for the vital parts. The head, neck, and heart.
[Halvargg] was a long sword, so her mobility was affected whenever she stabbed too deep. Her strikes were made to be efficient- just enough to take the monster's life but not that taxing on herself.
Within the first ten minutes, her goblin counter had risen up to the thirties. The remaining monsters finally fell under three hundred creatures.
The blood pooled around her feet, making it harder to step around and perform clean moves. It was also mixed with Dianthe's waves, although most of the water had been reused to attack the goblins.
Her entire body was covered in blood splotches, and the outfit she stole was rendered almost useless. Drenched and soggy, Aria felt that her body was getting heavier- it was harder to move.
She tried her best to not use unnecessary mana. She had to preserve every single bit of that precious energy if she wanted to survive without any fatal injuries.
One mistake and the battle tide could turn completely.
One by one, the goblins were taken down. Whether it was due to a sharp strike from Aria's enhanced sword, Dianthe's water blades cutting their heads off, or even brute force to take them down.
Their numbers lowered, but Aria was also running out of resources.
'Allocate all points into Strength.' Aria decided to take another risk.
She wanted to see if she could beat the monsters without the enhancements. Her levels had risen by two after killing a hundred goblins, and ten status points were given to her.
Aria retracted to the back to catch her breath. This battle was worse than rigorous exercises. She had been involved in this massacre for more than half an hour.
It tired her out.
She became lethargic. Her vision worsened.
"Enchantment. Reinforce," Knowing that her pure strikes were enough to kill a goblin, she decided not to waste her mana to enhance the sword anymore.
Instead, she enchanted herself to sustain the moves she was making so that she wouldn't be as tired out.
"Enchantment. Speed,"
Gritting her teeth, she took off and closed her eyes shut.
To others, this might seem like a dumb move. Closing your eyes in a battle like this was simply asking to be killed.
However, in the next few seconds, Aria would prove them wrong.