In the pitch-black cave, four young adventurers, two men and two women, clad in simple gear, advanced cautiously through the darkness.
Except for the priestess, the other three seemed overly relaxed—so much so that one might believe they were on a casual outing rather than on a mission to hunt monsters.
"… Are you sure we're okay?"
Finally, the anxious priestess couldn't help but voice her concern about her overly optimistic teammates.
The swordsman at the front laughed and said, "Goblins? Even kids know about them. I once chased a goblin out of my village."
"Bragging about beating goblins is nothing to be proud of. It's embarrassing," the female fighter teased.
The swordsman frowned but said nothing more, his youthful confidence radiating from his expression.
Meanwhile, the female fighter turned to the priestess and, like soothing a frightened child, said, "Even if this idiot misses one, I'll punch it to the moon, so don't worry."
"Hey, calling me an idiot is a bit much. But seriously, with our skills, even if a dragon shows up, we'll find a way to deal with it!" the swordsman retorted.
"You sure are eager. Well, maybe one day we'll manage that," murmured the female mage who had been quietly walking behind them.
Her words drew laughter from the others, except for the priestess, whose anxiety deepened.
As they continued on with expectations for their adventure, they pressed toward the destination of their current quest.
...
After passing through a corridor lit by torches, the priestess, who had been harboring a bad feeling, suddenly heard strange noises from behind.
She froze in place.
The mage, noticing her hesitation, complained, "Hey, you're falling behind. Don't mess up the formation."
"Ah, sorry!" The priestess, though having heard something strange, was too timid to voice her concerns and continued forward.
However...
"Again? What's wrong this time?" the mage asked, growing impatient.
Unlike other adventurers, mages often have a certain pride due to their extraordinary abilities.
In most cases, having a powerful mage on your team was a point of pride for any adventuring party.
But now, as the mage saw the priestess stop again, frustration grew.
The two in front, the swordsman and the fighter, were deep in conversation, walking further ahead, oblivious to what was happening.
"Is there something behind us...?" the priestess asked nervously.
The mage sighed and replied, "Come on, we've been walking straight from the entrance. It's a one-way passage. How could anything be back there?"
She slowly turned around, her expression one of disbelief...
"Goblins!?" she screamed.
To her shock, a group of hideous goblins had somehow flanked them from behind and were now charging at her.
The mage, unaccustomed to facing monsters directly, raised her staff in a panic.
Being a novice mage with limited magical power, she relied heavily on her staff to cast spells.
This was common knowledge among mages.
Despite her nervousness, she managed to cast her first spell.
The nauseating sound of burning flesh and the stench of scorched goblin meat filled the air.
She smiled in satisfaction, but it only lasted a second.
The goblins, using their numbers, quickly overwhelmed her and knocked her to the ground, snatching her staff.
"Ah—give it back! That's not something you filthy creatures can touch!"
For a novice mage, their staff was their lifeline, enabling them to cast magic.
Without it, they were more vulnerable than ordinary people.
Meanwhile, the priestess, unable to finish her spell due to panic, stood frozen in fear.
The goblins, growing impatient with the mage's struggle, abandoned their plan to capture her alive and drove a rusted short sword into her abdomen.
"Aaaah!" she screamed in agony as her innards were cut open, her blood staining the dark path.
"Cut! Get the goblin that went out of control out of here, and use split screens to show the scene. Prop team, apply the red dye to her chest. The two other rookie adventurers should rush in next," directed the man in charge, Edward.
"Yes, Director," replied one of the crew.
As Edward gave his instructions, the busy set of the cave filming resumed.
While the final product would show a dark, eerie dungeon, the actual set was buzzing with activity.
Many of the adventurers who had come to watch had gradually turned into part of the crew, eager to contribute in any way they could, anticipating the chance to brag once the film was released.
With the preparations complete, the filming resumed.
The two remaining adventurers finally realized that their teammates at the rear had been ambushed.
They rushed back in a panic.
After driving the goblins away from the mage's body, the priestess desperately tried to heal her, but the attempt was futile.
Unbeknownst to her, the goblins' blades were poisoned.
Her healing magic alone couldn't save the mage.
On the other side, the swordsman engaged the goblins in a frantic melee.
Overconfident and unaware of the goblins' cunning nature, he failed to adapt to the narrow space of the cave, where his long sword was ineffective.
Eventually, a goblin slipped past his defenses and plunged its blade into his unarmored throat, killing him.
Despite his skill, the tight quarters of the cave and his refusal to wear a dirty second-hand suit of armor sealed his fate.
With two down, the remaining adventurers, the fighter and the priestess, were filled with despair.
The fighter, determined to protect her comrades, held off the goblins alone.
However, she was ultimately overpowered by a monstrous, mutated goblin.
Like a rag doll, she was thrown to the ground.
Despite her skill, she was helpless against its sheer strength.
The priestess, in tears, dragged the dying mage with her as they fled, the screams of the fighter echoing behind them.
Director Edward filmed the scene with deliberate restraint, opting to leave much of the violence to the audience's imagination.
The giant goblin wasn't a real species but a forest troll disguised with makeup to play the part.
The only one unhappy with the arrangement was the poor troll, who had been enjoying a peaceful life in the forest before being kidnapped for the role.
...
"I'm sorry—!" In the cave, the priestess, with hands over her ears to block out the sounds of assault behind her, stumbled forward with the mage, frantically running.
Despite the darkness and the rocks beneath her feet, she didn't stop.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…!" she muttered over and over.
Her breaths came in gasps, and she felt an arrow pierce her shoulder.
She collapsed, pain coursing through her body as blood soaked her robe.
The goblins' laughter echoed from behind.
Then, in the distance, she saw a faint light—a torch. It was small but unmistakably bright, accompanied by the sound of firm, determined footsteps approaching from the darkness.
And there, reflected in her eyes, was a figure—like a demon from hell—slowly making their way toward the goblin-filled cave.
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