This is the next installment.
This time, we’ll be sending it from a different perspective.
The word count will be a bit less, but I hope you enjoy it.
Here you go.
Kaidou Tadashi, 24 years old, single.
No girlfriend.
Occupation: Dungeon Tester (Full-time employee).
Magic Aptitude: 4 (Captain class).
Position: Magic Swordsman.
Movies often depict battlefields where bullets fly, right?
My senpai told me that’s an expression used to emphasize the danger of the battlefield in writing, but senpai, they were wrong.
It’s a battlefield where goblins fly.
“Kaidou-senpai!! Up here!”
“Don’t you think you can do without the ‘gozaru’ in situations like that!?”
Still, I reacted to my comrade’s voice out of reflex, honed by hellish training, didn’t I?
While retorting, I drew my twin swords from my hip and deflected a sneak attack from the goblins near the ceiling.
But it wasn’t just one.
What is that?
I thought there was only one, but they came flying at me all at once, in a three-in-one formation!?
One attacked, followed by a second’s pursuit, and then a third!
It was such a clean coordinated attack, you’d expect a “combo achieved” icon to pop up!!
These aren’t mass-produced models. These are definitely some kind of captain-class or higher units.
What’s more, it didn’t end there.
If the sneak attack failed, they came at us with sheer numbers.
I could see them removing the wire mesh in the direction they came from and entering.
They swarmed out from there, like roaches from a ventilation shaft, and I couldn’t help but take a step back.
I don’t want to cause a fuss if possible, but the fact is, I can’t get through like this. And Keiri-san is behind me.
This is it. I, Kaidou Tadashi, will show my manliness!
“Hm? You are”
“Not a Skelgob!”
“As expected, you’re the young lady.”
“For a goblin, your voice is quite deep… Are you acquainted?”
“She’s a colleague. You all survived, then.”
“Nearly eighty percent were captured, yes. We outnumbered them. Some of us escaped through exhaust ports and inspection hatches.”
I will show my manliness… Not that it matters.
During the exchange just now, the goblin who attacked first noticed the person behind me and lowered its weapon.
The tension I had built up dissipated because the opponent seemed to be a familiar goblin, and I had to release it too.
The tension suddenly vanished.
Well, it’s good that we have more allies.
That attack was surprisingly sharp; my hand is still numb.
Honestly, I let my guard down when I saw the silhouette, thinking it was just a goblin.
“If a Goblin Hero like you is struggling, what kind of opponent are you facing?”
“They’re Werewolves. Several of our friends were killed.”
They weren’t just ordinary goblins.
What’s this “Goblin Hero” thing? Are you a hero? A champion?
This might be promising in terms of combat power.
“Beastkin are involved too, that’s unlucky.”
“Is that bad?”
“It’s bad. They have high physical abilities, so they’re top-tier in confined spaces.”
Flexibility, agility, and sheer brute strength – apparently, they’re unmatched among the Demon Lord’s Army in terms of simple physical prowess.
However, their magic capacity is said to be the lowest among the various species, but even so, their animal-like senses of smell and hearing shouldn’t be underestimated.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. Either way, we need to head upstairs to resupply our forces. Our plan remains unchanged. Skelgob, you’ll be helping us too.”
“That suits me perfectly. I also have business further ahead.”
“What do you mean?”
“Ah, well, actually…”
Skelgob-san, though he’s a goblin, I find myself calling him “-san.” According to his story, when this attack occurred, he temporarily joined forces with another tester, but they disagreed, and in the ensuing chaos, they were separated. Skelgob-san and his companions managed to escape, but the others were captured.
Furthermore, feeling responsible, he used his small stature to navigate through the ventilation shafts to go rescue them. He felt a presence and, thinking it was an enemy, attacked.
Seriously, you should confirm first, shouldn’t you? I was the victim, after all. It’s fine because I was unharmed this time.
For now, I don’t think Skelgob-san needs to worry too much about that tester.
I believe it might be a matter of their own responsibility.
“Well, fine. The hostages are further ahead, then?”
“Ah, that part is correct.”
Once confirmed, all that’s left is to take action.
Reorganization and plan change. Skelgob-san and his group will re-enter the exhaust port for a surprise attack.
We will then take them down during that opening.
The goblins entering the exhaust port, smoothly like a reversed video, were quite adept.
“Next time I challenge a dungeon, I’ll go all out, even against goblins.”
“What a coincidence, me too.”
I understood that even goblins, when commanded by strong individuals, could act like that.
Complacency is bad.
Kitamiya-chan seems to feel the same way.
“Let’s go, senpai.”
“Understood.”
The hostages are in the central multi-purpose room on the fifth floor.
It’s in the center of the ten-story dormitory, a room designed for various events, but it’s currently being used as a prison.
I feel like it’s a bit much to call it “multi-purpose” to the point of being a prison, but work comes first now.
Min-chan’s barrier is blocking the smell and presence, so we just need to slowly insert a mirror without being noticed by the light, and scout beyond the corner.
There are four people in front of the door. Three beastkin with wolf faces and one demon. Skelgob-san is currently checking inside the room.
As I was thinking this, the wire mesh directly above the barrier was removed, and a goblin poked its head out, holding up three fingers.
We now know there are three inside.
A total of seven people. And there are hostages inside, so it’s pointless to defeat only those outside.
“What should we do?”
“Hehehe, leave this to your big sister.”
Honestly.
Keiri-san right now is terrifying.
She has the same look in her eyes as Instructor Kio does when he’s enjoying a fight.
She refitted her leather gloves, as if savoring their feel, and cracked her neck once.
As if that signaled her readiness for combat, she loosened the neck of her diversuit, and from there, a utopia…
“Ow!?”
“Pervert.”
“Senpai.”
“Read the mood, gozaru.”
“Sorry.”
I’m working right now, I need to concentrate!!
I’ll make up for the decreased affection from my kouhai with my work!!
I endured the pain in the back of my head. Kitamiya-chan, who hit me, seems to be giving me an icy glare, but I’ve decided to ignore it!!
“Tell Skelgob. You guys go in for a surprise attack and secure the hostages. When they’re distracted by us, we’ll make our move.”
I nodded once and disappeared into the exhaust port. A few minutes later, the wolves in front of the door turned towards it, as if they heard sounds from inside.
“Now!!”
“Enhance!! Let’s go!!”
Our target is the wolfman in front. He stands about two heads taller than me, and his shoulders are twice as wide. If we fought head-on, I wouldn’t stand a chance.
But I have allies!!
“Come on, senpai, do your best!!”
“Get out of the way! Do you want to be burned alive!?”
“…Please come back alive.”
Is something wrong? I’m the senpai, but I feel like I’m being ordered around.
Currently, my claws and twin swords are clashing, scattering sparks, when a fireball flies and hits the opponent’s face. Taking advantage of his stagger, I slash him. When he recovers, we clash again.
This is basically the cycle, but something’s strange… something salty is coming out of my eyes.
“Even if they’re werewolves, you can’t defeat me with just brute force! Penalty!! Here!! Penalty!! And another penalty!!”
Perhaps it was also because Keiri-san, next to me, was beating up three grown men like she was playing with them, while I was struggling.
A barrage of blows, enough to stop! They’re already at zero life!!
The werewolf in front of me, who’s getting battered, keeps glancing over there.
Of course, with the screams that challenge the limits of human screams – “Gyaaaaaa!?”, “Gobrofa!?”, “Buastala!?” – happening next door, it’s distracting.
Well, I won’t miss that opening.
“Gufuu.”
I thrust my sword into his abdomen, and the battle ended. It wasn’t dramatic, but I didn’t have the luxury for theatrics.
Keiri-san is kicking the three unconscious men, calling them pathetic, but I’ll pretend I didn’t see that.
Senpai, it seems women in this company really do prefer strong people.
I might not be able to keep up, so next time you introduce someone, please introduce me to an office girl!!
“Now, senpai, work diligently.”
“No, Min-chan, why are you pushing me forward like a shield?”
“You’re a frontliner, aren’t you? Of course.”
That’s a valid point, but I don’t feel entirely satisfied.
I wish I could have stayed in my denial until the very end before returning to reality!!
But with Skelgob-san and the others fighting inside, I don’t have time to hesitate.
My trained body stands resolutely before the door to assist and enters with a burst of momentum.
” ” ” Whoa.” ” ”
It’s understandable that our voices all came out at once at the sight before us.
In my mind, goblins were creatures that wore loincloths, at best vests over their bare chests, and attacked with clubs like primitive natives.
They were weak, with little magic.
Their technical skill and intelligence were low.
Their only advantage was fighting with numbers, leveraging their high reproductive capacity.
That’s why I thought they’d be struggling, but the goblins before me were different.
A group of goblins wearing yellow helmets with “For Safety First” written in Japanese on them displayed incredible coordination.
To compensate for their lack of strength, they used their small stature. One goblin quickly got behind the opponent’s knee and buckled it, and when the target’s attention shifted downward, another goblin leaped onto their head.
As their balance was broken, about three more would swarm them – scary, isn’t it?
As I’m at the front of the party, I can see it clearly.
Though, I’m just peeking from the side of a corner.
“I see, so it’s a surprise attack strategy using the goblins’ small stature.”
“Why are you nodding with such a knowing look? Hurry up and provide assistance.”
“Eh~, isn’t it unnecessary?”
From where the ventilation shaft’s wire mesh had been removed, it was clear that’s where the attack came from.
I’ve seen people, like my past self, drinking coffee to wake up during long work hours when we’d bump into each other at the vending machine, but seeing them now, it’s clear that they are fighting species, famous in fantasy worlds, and fighting is their profession.
Well, the fact that their weapons are hammers and wrenches is kind of endearing.
By the time we went in, the wolfmen were already swarmed by goblins and restrained, and there was a craftsman-like Skelgob-san wiping his face with a towel after finishing his work.
“Oh, good work.”
“You too, any injuries?”
“A few scrapes, but they’re minor. We caught them by surprise, and even though they’re strong, we had numbers. We managed.”
“Never mind that!! Release us quickly!! Our merchandise!! Our merchandise!!”
“No, if you think about it normally and calmly…”
“Oh, go ahead and release them!”
“Are you sure!?”
The rampaging Giants, their eyes burning not with concern for merchandise, but with the greedy desire for asset protection.
Normally, one should calm down and have them act as a group…
“Rather, release them quickly and let them rampage. Otherwise, they’ll attack us.”
“Ah, understood.”
I’d rather not deal with friendly fire.
I busily began to undo the restraints.
Because the Giants are strong, they weren’t just tied with ropes but bound with chains, but Katsu-kun and I removed the chain padlocks and freed them.
“Ooooooh!! You all have your weapons, right!!”
” ” ” ” Ooooooooooh!!” ” ”
Should I mention that those are chairs?
The shopkeepers we freed had some weapons taken from the enemies, while others wielded chairs as clubs, using tables as shields.
It’s a technique only a large person like a Giant could pull off, but it doesn’t look all that impressive.
According to Keiri-san, their leader, the shopkeepers, led by the Giant Ando, let out war cries and departed.
What remained were us, other testers, and Skelgob-san and his goblins.
“Keiri-san, what do we do now? Are we going to liberate other areas?”
“Hmm, we have time, so earning a little more wouldn’t be bad.”
“Earn?”
“Ah, ah~ yes, you have to perform well at times like these to get promoted in the Demon Lord’s Army!! The key is to earn when you can!!”
“Haah, it must be tough.”
I see.
Even though the wording was strange, this other world is tough, isn’t it?
A struggle for promotion even in a world of magic.
Certainly, I want money too, but I don’t have much desire for promotion.
So, Keiri-san’s talk of the afterlife’s promotion struggle doesn’t quite resonate with me.
Still, I’ll do my job seriously, right?
I diligently freed the other testers while continuing to talk with Keiri-san.
“Where do we go next?”
“Hmm, around the research sector. You see, a lot of people gather there, and it’s an important area, so if we can liberate it, I’d like to.”
“Can we?”
“At first, I thought it was impossible, but now that we’ve reunited with Skelgob, we can. It would be even better if the other testers helped… but it seems unlikely.”
“Indeed.”
Keiri-san sighed, looking disappointed.
“Why do we have to get involved in something like this!! Bring out the person in charge!!”
Perhaps irritated by that attitude, one of the testers snapped at Keiri-san.
After trembling just moments ago, now that they’re free, they’re acting like this.
“Yes, yes, it’s safe here now, so you all just stay put. Someone will come to pick you up soon.”
“Hey!! I’m talking to you!!”
Keiri-san’s response was cold.
She dismissed him and moved on to the next action.
The man, as if he had no further use for him, tried to bite back at Keiri-san, but…
“Penalty. Now, be quiet, okay?”
Next to the man, a fist that had just knocked out a giant wolfman traversed the air.
And to add a smile to that, even I would shut up.
“Alright, alright, time is limited, so let’s go. Skelgob, can you leave a small contingent behind?”
“I’ll leave about twenty.”
“Is that alright?”
“Numbers are our specialty. It’s not a problem.”
“Then fine. Kaidou-kun, are you okay?”
“Uh…”
“This one is fine, gozaru.”
“I haven’t used much magic, so I can go.”
“The healing potions are also not a problem.”
“It seems I’m fine.”
For now, I offer a silent prayer to him from the depths of my heart.
The work is still ahead; I want to finish it quickly and get some sleep.
“Next, let’s go.”
Though that seems to be a long way off.
Kaidou Tadashi, 24 years old, single.
No girlfriend.
Occupation: Dungeon Tester (Full-time employee).
Magic Aptitude: 4 (Captain class).
Position: Magic Swordsman.
Today’s Quote:
Keiri-san is scary.
That right hand could conquer the world!!
That’s all for this installment.
It’s been a while since my last alternate perspective. While writing, I realized that the “gyaa” dialect is more difficult than I thought.
I felt that strongly.
I will continue to strive and develop it further.
Please continue to support “Corporate Expansion from Another World!? Rise to Power Record from Job Change!!”
