It was still very early in the morning, and Gaseo's teammates wouldn't be waking up anytime soon, as they usually wake up quite late.
After sneaking into the room quietly, Gaseo pretended to sleep like the rest of his teammates.
A couple hours later…
"Aaaahhh…!"
"Yaaaaaaaaa…!"
As everyone woke up, yawning echoed loudly. Observing this, Gaseo feigned a yawn to avoid appearing suspicious.
"Uh… What time is it now…?"
STOMACH GROWLING!!!
"Ugh, I'm so hungry…"
"There's no rush, we can eat something first before we start raiding." David said.
"Sure."
"Sounds good!"
In the kitchen area, five players sat down at a dining table and enjoyed a nonchalant breakfast, consuming whatever they could find.
After breakfast, it was time to resume the raid once more.
Although Gaseo killed many Goblins last night, he still made sure to leave some alive so as not to look suspicious. Besides, his teammates wouldn't know anyway because, after a Goblin dies, just like in a video game, the monster's body would despawn on its own after a certain period of time.
After approximately half a day of battling their way to the throne room, they finally reached their destination.
Standing outside the massive throne door, everyone, except for Gaseo, felt nervous and scared. It was natural for the players to be apprehensive, considering their upcoming opponent—the mighty Goblin King.
"Shit, are we really going to do this?"
"I'm scared… Can we do it tomorrow instead?"
"No! Stop being a coward." David said in a firm voice. "For now, let's rest up a bit first before we go into the throne room."
From the tone of David's voice, it seemed like he was determined to proceed today and had no intention of postponing.
Since David was the team leader, no one could say anything, as the leader would be the one making the decisions.
"Alright…" came the unanimous reply from everyone.
Gaseo wasn't surprised by his teammates' reaction; he had fought the Goblin King earlier, so he knew how strong the Goblin King was. Based on his calculations, he estimated that his teammates only had about a 40% chance of winning if they were to fight without him. Obviously, with him, it would be 100%.
'Well, for now I'll just do my job as a frontline and see how it goes.' Gaseo thought.
Gaseo planned to avoid fighting the Goblin King at all costs because he didn't want to spoil his teammates. After all, to grow stronger, players must learn the hard way; otherwise, in the long run, they are bound to fail. In short, this would be good practice for the players to polish their battle skills.
Thirty minutes later…
After everyone had rested enough, it was time to continue the raid. With that, they got up, and David opened the giant door; just like that, they slowly walked into the enormous throne room.
Everyone's hearts, except for Gaseo's, were pounding fast as they looked at the ferocious Goblin King, who was sitting on the majestic throne chair, waiting for them.
"Welcome, players!" the Goblin King said as he slowly stood up.
For a brief moment, the Goblin King was excited by the players' arrival. However, the instant he spotted Gaseo from afar, his heart sank as he remembered the nightmare he had suffered from sparring with Gaseo earlier.
Having faced a defeat at the hands of Gaseo earlier, he not only lost his confidence but also his upbeat demeanor.
"Holy shit! This Goblin King is huge!"
"Fuck! I can't believe we actually have to fight that giant. Crazy!"
"Relax, don't let his size fool you. As long as we work together as a team and don't make mistakes, we'll be fine." David said.
The Goblin King's immense size instilled a sense of nervousness among the players.
"Alright, everyone! Are you ready?" David exclaimed, rallying the group.
"Yes, leader!"
"Yes! Let's do this!"
Like that, the clash between the players and the Goblin King began.
"Attack!!!"
ROARRRR!!!
Even though the Goblin King knew from the beginning that he wasn't going to win, he still wasn't going to give up easily without putting up a good fight.
"Die!!! You human trash!!!" roared the Goblin King with seething anger.
GNAARRRR!!!
An hour later…
[You have slain the Goblin King!]
[Quest Completed!]
With Gaseo tanking for the team, they ended up defeating the Goblin King at medium difficulty. Naturally, without Gaseo, it would have been much harder, possibly at hell mode difficulty.
"Phew! That was pretty intense."
"Eh, it wasn't even that bad actually."
"Good job, everyone! Especially Sasha and Gaseo. Without you two, I don't think we would have made it this far, to be honest." David praised.
"Sasha, Gaseo, thanks for the carry!" expressed Carl.
"Yeah, thanks for carrying us," added Jack.
"Y-You're welcome!" Sasha replied with a happy smile.
Sasha loves helping people, so knowing that she was a great help for the team actually made her proud and happy.
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." Gaseo replied, his tone filled with easygoing reassurance.
After defeating the Goblin King, an exit portal materialized, allowing players to leave the dungeon.
"Woohoo! Hooray! We can finally return to the lobby room."
With joyful smiles, everyone walked into the portal, and just like that, they exited the dungeon and returned to the lobby room.
In Shroom Village, numerous players gathered at its center, coming together to partake in a joyous feast.
Everyone was ravenously hungry upon their return from the dungeon, making their first priority indulging in a hearty meal to replenish their energy. Luckily, the food in the lobby room was top-notch, resembling a buffet with the freedom to eat to their heart's content and enjoy unlimited refills.
The lobsters, crabs, and oysters, in particular, were everyone's favorites.
Gaseo was hungry as well; he primarily indulged in lobsters and crabs, given that these two seafood items were the most popular choices on today's menu.
"Yum! This is the best!"
"Delicious! I could literally eat this forever!"
"Hahaha! Same!"
Everyone ate as if their lives depended on it because they knew they could die at any time. They wanted to savor every joyful moment of their lives right now without holding back. After all, surviving in these so-called 'Tutorials' wasn't easy, and this was also their way of relieving some stress.