I couldn't understand why there were so many of them. Normally, in the game, green zones were protective zones. It was an absolute rule, a fundamental principle of game design. Yet here we were, surrounded by an orb of goblins who should never have crossed this boundary.
That's when it hit me. The DLC. I remembered that during my first games in this expansion, I had wanted to rest in these same areas. But instead of finding a sanctuary there, I'd been brutally attacked by an orb of goblins. It was no longer a sanctuary, but a trap. A trap to force players to always stay alert, never let their guard down.
It was exactly the same mechanism that had just been triggered before my eyes. A mechanism that Mizuki was totally unaware of.
As she took up her fighting stance, ready to face the threat, I froze, lost in thought. First, the tutorial had been modified. Now, the green zones no longer played their original role. Too many elements deviated from the original game experience.
This wasn't just a bug. It wasn't just a mistake.
None of this could have happened by chance.
Mizuki briefly turned his head towards me, his gaze sharper than a blade.
"Take cover and don't die. I'll take care of the rest."
Her tone was firm, without appeal. She didn't doubt for a second her ability to take care of me.
But it was madness.
I tried to reason with her. "Wait, this is suicide! You may be strong, but you can't take on that many goblins alone!"
She didn't listen.
Without hesitation, she charged into the thick of it, her weapon cleaving the air in a murderous flash. Her agility and precision were frightening. It was as if she were executing a perfectly rehearsed score, every movement optimized to strike just the right blow.
I had no other choice. I gritted my teeth and followed her instructions.
Standing aside, I prayed inwardly that she was right.
Mizuki moved with disconcerting ease. Her weapon whistled through the air, tracing deadly arcs that mowed down goblin after goblin. Each blow was precise, calculated, merciless.
The creatures didn't stand a chance.
They tried to surround her, to attack her by surprise, but she anticipated every move. A dodge, a lightning counter-attack, and another goblin would collapse, its body disappearing in a shower of reddish pixels.
She showed no signs of fatigue. Her level must have been much higher after all that intensive farming.
But as I watched her, another thought occurred to me.
The green zones, the tutorial, now this attack... Everything seemed to be going off the rails.
I didn't have absolute proof yet, but everything matched too well what I'd experienced in the DLC.
This DLC which, to my knowledge, I'm the only one to have played.
I muttered to myself, trying to organize my thoughts.
Well, let's imagine that all this follows the mechanics of the gameplay... What happens next?
Then, as if on cue, the answer dawned on me.
We were making a monumental mistake.
Mizuki, by slicing up those goblins as if they were nothing, was playing by the rules of the game. But if what I was thinking was right, then this apparent ease hid a much bigger trap.
I couldn't let her go on like this.
If I die, she'll take the penalty too, right?
Goblins were supposed to be low-level, so even I could play the game without too much risk.
Without hesitation, I ran straight towards a group of goblins, feigning panic.
"Mizuki, help me!" I shouted, throwing myself awkwardly backwards, pretending to be attacked.
I thought this would make her react, but nothing did.
Mizuki ignored me completely.
Damn it... I can't pretend to die either.
Another idea occurred to me.
Without thinking, I clenched my fist and struck several goblins at once. They staggered, taken aback by the impact, and in the same instant, I threw them with a kick so powerful they flew like projectiles.
"Mizuki, look out!"
She reacted just in time, deftly dodging the bodies hurtling in her direction.
I didn't wait for her to reprimand me.
"You see, you can't beat them all with a noob like me to deal with!" I gasped.
Mizuki paused for a moment, as if my words had finally reached her.
Then, after a brief reflection, she made her choice.
With a leap, she rushed towards me, grabbed me firmly by the arm and, without a word, began to flee across the area, pulling us out of the melee.
My plan had finally worked.