(I edited the previous chapter so there might be some discrepancies)
As I tried to fight off Frey's frantic inspection, Geomi called out to us. "Hey girls, don't want to interrupt... whatever is happening over there, but take a look at this."
Frey paused, her hands still on my arm. "What is it, Geomi?"
Geomi stood up from inspecting the goblin's corpse, holding a small, glowing shard. "I think this might be one of the shards we need for the hidden quest."
I blinked, trying to focus on what Geomi was saying. "A shard? Already?"
"Yeah," Geomi nodded, looking at the shard with a mix of curiosity and caution. "It was embedded in the goblin's chest. I'm not sure how we missed it at first."
Frey finally let go of me and stood up, moving closer to Geomi. "Well, at least we found one. That's a start."
I slowly got to my feet, still feeling shaky but determined to keep going. "Let's keep looking. If there are more shards hidden in this maze, we need to find them."
Geomi pocketed the shard and gave me a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Rika. We'll get through this together."
Frey nodded in agreement. "Yeah, and next time, try not to run off on your own. We need to stick together."
I managed a weak smile. "Got it. I'll stay close."
Before we moved on, I noticed the goblin's rusty knife lying on the ground. Remembering how useful it had been for the goblin, I picked it up, feeling its weight in my hand. It wasn't much, but it was better than nothing.
We continued our journey through the maze, more alert and cautious than before. Each of us knew that the challenges ahead would only get tougher, but we were ready to face them together.
As we moved forward, I couldn't help but glance back at the goblin's corpse. The memory of the fight still lingered in my mind, but I pushed it aside, focusing on the path ahead. We had a mission to complete, and I wasn't going to let anything stop us.
We ventured deeper into the maze, encountering more goblins along the way. Each goblin had a different title or class, but none were scouts. Frey and Geomi were initially horrified by the sight of each new goblin, but they quickly adapted, driven by necessity.
The next goblin we encountered was a Tomesnatch Goblin Warrior. It was tougher than the others, but Frey managed to outmaneuver it, landing a critical blow to its head with her bare hands, punching until it stopped moving. She stood there, breathing heavily, covered in blue blood.
"I did it," she whispered, almost in disbelief. "I really did it."
"You did great," I reassured her, retrieving another shard from the goblin's corpse.
{ Shard: 2/10 }
Geomi, meanwhile, was getting more adept at spotting the goblins before they could ambush us. Her nosebleed had finally stopped, and she seemed more focused.
"Another one," Geomi announced, pointing to a goblin peeking around a corner. This one was reading a tattered magazine.
I crept up silently, readying the knife. As I got closer, I realized the magazine was a lewd photo book. Disgusted, I dispatched the goblin quickly, retrieving yet another shard.
{ Shard: 3/10 }
"Why are they always so excited to see us?" Frey asked, looking at the magazine with a mix of curiosity and revulsion.
"They're perverts," Geomi said, rolling her eyes. "Let's just keep moving."
We continued our hunt, encountering and defeating more goblins: a Tomesnatch Goblin Archer, a Tomesnatch Goblin Rogue, and a Tomesnatch Goblin Berserker. Each fight was intense, but we managed to come out victorious, collecting shards from each kill.
{ Shard: 4/10 }
{ Shard: 5/10 }
{ Shard: 6/10 }
Frey took the Goblin Warrior's gauntlets and the Berserker's claymore, arming herself for future battles.
As we proceeded, I sensed another presence, and Geomi spotted a shadow moving along the walls. "Goblin Ninja," she whispered, pointing it out. It wielded razor floss, thin, nearly invisible wires that could cut through flesh and bone with ease.
Geomi, with her [Hawk's Eye] skill, managed to pinpoint the goblin's movements. The goblin used the razor floss like deadly whips, the thin wires slicing through the air. Geomi deftly avoided the wires and struck the goblin down, taking the razor floss for herself.
{ Shard: 7/10 }
"These might come in handy," Geomi said, examining the razor floss.
Our next encounter was with a Tomesnatch Goblin Assassin. It attacked with poisoned needles, but we were ready. I dodged its first attack, and Geomi used her newfound strings to entangle it, allowing Frey to deliver the finishing blow.
{ Shard: 8/10 }
The Goblin Assassin's poisoned needles raised my [Weak Poison Resistance] to level 3 and gave Frey and Geomi the skill at level 1.
"I'm pretty good at darts," Geomi said, pocketing the needles.
I took two knives from the assassin, which were a little longer than they probably should have been, feeling more prepared for close combat.
We encountered a Tomesnatch Goblin Reaper wielding a scythe. I felt a rush of excitement as I engaged it, using the knives to deflect its attacks before delivering a fatal strike. The scythe was now mine.
{ Shard: 9/10 }
Our final encounter was with another Goblin Ninja, this one wielding a set of kusarigama. After a fierce battle, I managed to disarm it and claim the kusarigama for myself.
{ Shard: 10/10 }
With the last shard collected, a notification appeared.
{ All monsters on floor one have been disposed of. }
{ All shards have been collected. }
The shards in our possession began to glow, fusing together into a single gem. Another panel appeared.
{ Restoring Library to original status. }
The bookshelves around us began to sink into the ground, revealing a large open room. At the center was a giant circle with a notch shaped perfectly for the fused gem. In the distance, we could see the stairs leading to the next floor.
We gathered around the circle, contemplating our next move.
"Should we just go to the next floor?" Geomi asked, looking exhausted but determined.
"My gamer intuition and [9th Sense] skill are screaming at me to finish the hidden quest," I said firmly. "We barely got hurt, and all our level-ups healed our fatigue and wounds, except for a few scrapes and scratches. We should see this through."
Frey and Geomi exchanged glances, then nodded in agreement.
"Alright," Frey said, determination in her voice. "Let's finish what we started."
Together, we walked towards the circle, the fused gem in hand, ready to complete the hidden quest and face whatever challenges lay ahead.
As we walked towards the giant door with the gem groove, we discussed our weapon choices.
"So, Frey, why did you pick those gauntlets and the claymore?" I asked, curious.
Frey grinned, flexing her fingers in the gauntlets. "I thought they'd be cool and easy to use. Plus, with my skill [Super Human], which enhances my body's capabilities and my already weirdly high strength stat, they just felt right."
Geomi nodded, examining her razor floss. "I picked the razor floss because I thought it would be fun to use, and the needles because I'm good at darts. With my [Hawk's Eye] skill, I can see and predict the trajectory of both the wire and the darts, making them perfect for me."
"And you, Rika?" Frey asked, glancing at the weapons I'd gathered.
"I picked the knives because they're easy to use, the scythe because I thought it would be fun and somewhat simple since I took color guard for a semester, and the kusarigama because I just wanted to try them out," I explained. "I know I might hit myself with the scythe or kusarigama, but my [9th Sense] skill can help me avoid hitting myself. I also thought about the most optimal weapon combination: knives for close range, kusarigama for close to mid-range, and the scythe for pure long-range."
Frey and Geomi laughed. "You're too cautious, Rika," Frey teased.
"Maybe," I said with a smile. "But it's kept us alive so far."
As we continued walking, Frey suddenly stopped, eyes wide. "Hey, guys...did you notice our levels?"
We checked our statuses.
{ Level: 4 }
{ XP: 16/20 }
"Just four more XP," Geomi said, excitement creeping into her tired voice. "Then we can pick a class."
"Yeah," I agreed. "Just four more XP, and we'll be ready for whatever comes next."
We reached the giant door with the gem groove, ready to face whatever awaited us on the other side.