Vol. 1 - Ch. 8 - Red Tower ・ 1st Floor

What unfolded before Ash was a deserted space.It was weathered here and there, giving it the appearance of an archaeological site.

Everywhere, it was reddish, albeit softer in hue than in appearance.

Thanks to this, it didn't hurt Ash's eyes.

The entrance gate closed with a heavy thud.

Either the escape route had been closed or it had simply closed.

Either way, it didn't matter because Ash didn't intend to turn back.

Ash pulled out a stiletto - a dagger specialized for stabbing - that had been sheathed into the back side of his belt.

He could handle a full range of weapons, but this was one of his favorites.

However, it was a special-order item with a slightly longer blade than a normal one.

The reason, of course, had been to ensure that even against thick-skinned opponents, the blade would penetrate all the way through to the flesh.

The only other weapon he carried with him was a swordbreaker.  It was a type of parrying dagger designed to fit the opponent's sword into a comb-like groove carved into one side of the blade and, as the name implies, break it.

The warriors Ash had met throughout his travels had often told him that he had an unusual fighting style, and Ash couldn't help but agree. However, this combination was the most comfortable for him, so he stuck with it.

Looking toward the back of the hall, another gate awaited him.

It was decorated with reliefs resembling burning flames.

There were no other roads to be seen, and it seemed certain that this was the road he had to take.

When Ash reached the gate, he felt uncomfortable.

"There's something behind it." he mumbled.

After years of fighting monsters in the Towers of Trials his body sensed that something was amiss.

It proved to be much more reliable than any amount of calm thinking.

He wanted to keep his hands free, so he carefully pressed one side of the gate with the sole of his right foot.

Eventually, the gap opened up wide enough so that a head could squeeze through.

Suddenly, a fire arrow flew at Ash's face.

He quickly turned his face away and grabbed the fire arrow with his free left hand.

"So this is what the baptism is all about. I can definitely imagine people dying here."

As he looked at the arrowhead that was still burning strong, a tremor ran through the gate.

"Gofu! Gofu! Gofu!!"

A series of strange noises echoed, followed by the silhouette of a small monster with green skin and pointed ears.

A Goblin was peeking through the gaps in the gate.

It couldn't get through it properly, and resorted to clenching and clicking its teeth.

Ash pitied his enemy, but he had no intention of being merciful.

"I don't know if this is yours but I'm giving it back."

Ash said as he put the fire arrow in the Goblin's mouth.

The goblin exclaimed, making strange noises, and pulled its face from the gate.

At the same time, the gate's door fully opened to the sides, revealing a number of Goblins waiting behind it.

There were four in total. One Archer, and three Fighters.

They moved in unison the moment the goblin pierced by the fire arrow fell.

The Archer shot and arrow that ignited in midair.

Ash had initially thought they'd used a primitive way of setting fire to the arrows, but it appeared to be some kind of magic.

He pulled back to the front of the gate and hid behind a wall to cut off the line of fire.

Ash could easily catch or avoid the arrow, however the Archer wasn't his only enemy.

Following the passing fire arrow, one of the Fighters jumped out with great force.

Ash thrust the stiletto into its forehead, and the Fighter let out a rasping cry and collapsed.

(One down.)

However, there was no time to catch his breath.

As Ash pushed aside the dead Fighter, another one thrust its sword at Ash. He avoided it by moving his body backward while kicking up the other Fighter's sword.

As soon as Ash regained his balance, the third Fighter also leaped out.

After using the Goblin, which had lost its sword, as a springboard and leaping from its head, the Fighter grabbed the sword that was spinning in the air and attacked Ash with both swords.

"Phew! I didn't know the goblins here could do that!" Ash remarked, genuinely impressed.

He then jumped back, letting the Fighter's swords slam into the place where he had just been standing.

The Fighter stiffened after landing, perhaps as a reaction from the high leap.

Ash quickly raised his leg and let it down, driving his heel into the Fighter's brain, knocking him out.

The Fighter who'd lost his sword also jumped at him, but Ash quickly shifted his body to the side to avoid the attack.  As they passed each other, he stabbed the Fighter in the back with his stiletto and lifted him up.

Although the Fighter was still breathing, he was clearly at his last breaths.

He was visibly unable to fight.

"Go-Gofu! Gofu..."

"I'm sorry, but you're going to be my shield."

With the Fighter skewered, Ash turned his gaze to the room where the final Goblin was waiting. The next moment, a fire flew at Ash. He used the Fighter as a shield to stop the arrow, and then threw him at the Archer.

The Archer ended up being squashed by the Fighter and dropping his bow.

He desperately tried to pick it up, but before he could reach it, Ash ended him with his stiletto.

The Archer's figure blurred and dissolved into the air.

A small blue gem appeared and fell to the floor with a clanging sound. S~ᴇaʀᴄh the ɴovᴇlꜰirᴇ.nᴇt website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

Looking around, Ash noticed that other Goblins had disappeared as well, leaving behind blue gems.

(I guess these gems are the so-called Duri that work as currency on the island.)

As if to prove it, the Gamal appeared before Ash knew and extended its long tongue to swallow the gems. The gems were definitely larger in volume than the Gamal's stomach, but Ash chose not to worry about it.

"Guep!"

"Whoa! You even burp..." Ash muttered in response.

He appreciated that it picked up the gems on its own, but he sincerely wondered if there wasn't something that could be done about its appearance and behavior.

"Hey! There's still more over there."

Ash said, noticing that one gem was still lying on the floor.

It was red and a little larger than the others.

When he picked it up and offered it to the Gamal, the creature turned its face away, indicating that it didn't want it.

The Gamal then jumped straight onto Ash's hips and disappeared once more.

(She did give me this thing to use as a wallet, so I doubt it'd be full with just this much. Maybe this red gem isn't currency?)

Suddenly, Ash noticed that something was drawn on the jewel.

It was a picture of a sword.

When he checked the back, he found that it was inscribed with the number {1}.

"Well I'll guess I'll just bring it back and ask someone."

Ash said, putting away the red gem in a pouch that he had attached to his belt.

Suddenly, faint footsteps could be heard in the distance.

Ash immediately fell to the ground and put one ear to the floor.

It sounded like running, and from the light sound, he could deduct that the sounds were from Goblins.

There were around 5 of them.

It was well within Ash's ability to handle.

(Can I hide somewhere?)

As before, there were no significant ornaments in the room, but Ash found just the right place.

It was the gate at the far end of the room where the Goblins were likely to come out.

Its upper edge protruded just slightly toward the front, and Ash hastily hopped on top of it.

He could only put his heels on it, but his balance was stable.

Thanks to the raggedness of the walls everywhere, he had no trouble finding a place to place his hands.

The footsteps drew closer, and the green monsters entered the room in a group.

As Ash had predicted, there were five of them, with a similar allocation as before. There were 4 Fighters and 1 Archer.

They all looked around, searching for the intruder.

Goblins were highly agile, partly due to their small size, but they lacked intelligence.

Ash jumped down and swiftly thrust his stiletto into the place where the Archer's brain and spinal cord connected. After landing almost soundlessly, he stepped forward and eliminated another Goblin from behind.

It was only then that the remaining 3 Goblins noticed Ash's presence.

They attacked from the front, left, and right all at once.

Ash stepped forward, drawing the other dagger at his waist---the swordbreaker--with his left hand. He pushed the comb part vigorously against the sword held by the Goblin in front of him. The Goblin struggled to free its sword, but Ash pushed down his dagger and twisted it, snapping the Goblin's sword.

After which he aimed the swordbreaker's blade side to the Goblin's throat and slashed it. While the enemy in front of him crumbled down, spurting blood, a rough voice approached him from behind. It was the remaining two Goblins.

As Ash turned around, the goblins were about to swing their swords at him, their drool-covered mouths wide open.

Ash instantly crouched down and pointed his daggers in both hands to the left and right. He dashed through, his daggers crossing one over the other, to caress the goblins' throats as he passed them.

The following moment a thudding sound echoed behind him.

When he turned around, the Goblins had already disappeared, turning into gems.

Ash tucked away his daggers as he watched the Gamal swallow the gems.

"I guess it's not much because this is only the first floor."

Ash was managing quite well so far, however, he'd only been facing Goblins.

He needed to progress further in order to fully experience the difficulty of the tower.

"Let's speed through it!"