Chapter 7: The Descent into Desperation

“Let’s go.”

As expected, Daro led the way, and we followed behind.

“Run calmly.”

Daro shared a crucial reminder.

“If you fall behind, we won’t be able to help you.”

Hearing that made my lips dry up.

If you fall behind, it’s game over.

We weren’t the protagonists of some overpowered novel who could just jump in and save the day.

That was out of the question.

Of course, the explorers in the Dungeon Overseer are strong.

But no matter how strong they are, they can’t handle a group attack.

Especially in the early stages.

When you don’t have any skills or equipment, even the smallest threats can be fatal.

Even if early goblins are said to be easy, one slip-up could lead to disaster.

At Daro’s cold warning, Somi froze.

She was already anxious and now was trembling.

We moved west along the parched valley.

Following Daro’s instructions, we tried to stay as calm as possible.

After all, it’s impossible not to leave traces behind.

Goblins are small and slow.

If we moved faster than them, we had a good chance of losing our pursuers.

“Please don’t find us!”

Damn… how could we let this opportunity slip away!

We can’t fail here!

“Somi! Distance!”

“They’re getting closer! About 5 minutes ahead!”

“Damn goblin bastards!”

How can their feet be so fast?

It feels like we can’t shake them off unless we sprint with all our might.

The goblin scouting party was chasing us at a terrifying speed.

Damn it. They call themselves a scouting party?

“How many are there?”

“About twenty!”

At Somi’s shout, Daro looked at me and gestured.

It was a look that said, “See?”

“The scouting party split up. Let’s run a bit more!”

“Yeah!”

There were nearly fifty goblins in total.

However, since they were each moving separately to chase the explorers, their paths had diverged.

The numbers were reduced by more than half.

Now we only had to face about twenty.

Our chances of winning had increased.

“Somi!”

Every step we took caused gravel to tumble down.

It was a steep valley, so even the slightest movement made us slide.

Our party escaped the goblin scouts with calm and speed.

Somi almost fell a few times, but Jian and I managed to catch her, preventing any injuries.

When I caught her as she stumbled, she was trembling pitifully.

Despite her vast knowledge about the dungeon, her fearful nature hadn’t changed.

“Don’t fall. Keep calm and run.”

“Okay.”

I gradually felt the situation improving.

Daro’s judgment was spot on.

As we began to abandon our loot and run for it, the goblins struggled to maintain their encirclement.

With every path we took seeming to split away, the actual number of goblins we had to face dropped to less than half.

Our only chance of survival was to fight as few goblins as possible and take them down one by one.

“There’s not much time left! They’re right behind us!”

Somi shouted with a quivering voice.

Kiaaa!

I could hear the goblins’ cries in the distance.

“They’re coming.”

Daro said, glaring into the forest.

“Everyone, get ready to fight.”

The dark lantern blazed wildly.

Goblins were rushing in from various directions in the woods.

Their outlines were illuminated brightly by the magical lantern light.

The moment they fully revealed themselves, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

“What is that?”

Damn.

I couldn’t be seeing this wrong, could I?

“Daro!”

“Yes!”

“Damn it, what do you mean fight! We have to run!”

I couldn’t believe it.

Something absolutely impossible was happening.

Emerging from the forest was a group of about twenty goblins.

But the problem wasn’t them.

“Uuuurgh!”

The issue was that an orc warrior was mixed in.

In the world of Dungeon Overseer, orcs are not just fodder.

By design, orcs are larger and more muscular than humans.

Imagine the muscle-bound pigs that circulate as illustrations online.

Are they large and muscular but weaker than humans?

That’s insane.

Even a single orc wielding a bat would send explorers of Dungeon Overseer reeling.

To overpower these physical monsters, you need to utilize the special abilities of various classes.

The monster standing over there is indeed an orc.

It towers over Daro and has bulked up from serious training.

Moreover, this one is a warrior.

As you can guess, being called a warrior in this world comes with high expectations.

Even if Daro is wrapped in decent armor made of metal and leather, it’s still categorized as “ordinary” here.

The orc warrior, clad in several layers of rusty chainmail, is too threatening to be harmed by a rusty saw.

An orc warrior wearing chainmail and wielding a massive two-handed sword.

Just standing there, breathing.

Its overwhelming aura makes it hard to breathe.

As I recall, orc warriors are a signal that you’re crossing from early to mid-game.

If you can handle that one, it means you’ve assembled a decent explorer party.

But damn it.

It makes no sense to be reckless against an orc warrior with just four pathetic newbies.

We need to run.

We absolutely have to run.

“Let’s escape!”

“We’ll get caught anyway.”

“Then let’s split up and run!”

“If we scatter now, we’ll just get wiped out!”

“No, look at that! Do you feel like fighting?!”

Running away isn’t something to be ashamed of or cowardly about.

You have to do whatever it takes to survive.

By any means necessary, we need to overcome this crisis using all available resources.

“Damn it, just run! Those who want to live should!”

No matter how unfair it feels, it can’t be helped.

The roguelike world is never kind.

Even if monsters appear that shouldn’t be on my level…

I have to survive and escape with my abilities.

I had to find a way to live.

If we stayed grouped together, we’d be annihilated.

“Stop saying frustrating things! How am I supposed to escape in this situation?!”

Daro shouted, seemingly furious, as he raised his sword.

Damn it, seriously!

The one feeling like they might die from frustration is me!

What are we supposed to do if opinions diverge here?

“If we split up to escape, the chances of being chased by the orc warrior will drop to one in four!”

It’s a choice between all of us dying together and throwing one teammate to survive.

Which is better?

Clearly the latter.

But it’s incredibly hard to turn that understanding into action.

[You persuaded Daro.]

+

Highly educated

– Smell of death

– Individualist

[Daro is not interested in your opinion…]

“Is that the way of necromancers?”

Daro muttered in a cold voice.

“I need to protect the others.”

That crazy bastard!

Daro was burning with a knightly spirit that was hard to comprehend.

The situation is bad.

It’s worse than bad!

Fighting an enemy we can’t defeat is reckless.

When it’s time to run, we need to run.

Courage and recklessness are separated by a thin line.

“I’ll attack first!”

“Damn it, Daro! Hey! Where are you going?”

Stupid raider!

Seeing Daro jump out among the goblins, I instinctively felt that hope for this party had vanished.

There’s a crucial difference between Daro and me.

I can see the system, but Daro cannot.

I understand the levels of the various dungeons and monsters by playing Dungeon Overseer.

But Daro doesn’t know that.

Damn… he’s probably heard rumors about how strong orc warriors are.

But we’re definitely not at a level where we can compete!

“Uuuhhh!”

The orc warrior roars!

My mind went blank.

I desperately tried to stop him, but the party leader rushed out to confront the orc warrior.

The party members were stuck in the middle, unable to act.

“Yaaah!”

“Jian!”

“We need to help Daro!”

Drawn by inertia, Jian also charged at the orc warrior.

That’s how group psychology works.

Once one person starts doing something insane, others follow along, even if they know it’s crazy.

Daro started it, and Jian got dragged in.

I need to stop this.

It’s like a game where you determine a sacrifice by drawing lots.

As long as we don’t all charge the orc warrior, three out of four of us can survive.

If viewed coldly and objectively.

One can judge whether it’s better for everyone to die together or for one to die while the rest escape safely.

Anyone could make this judgment if they could abandon the optimism that sticking together would ensure survival.

I met Somi’s eyes, trembling with anxiety.

“Run.”

That was all I had to say.

“If you want to live, run, you idiots!”

Then I started running in the opposite direction.

Somi stared at me, shocked.

“Ahhh!”

A blood-curdling scream echoed.

The voice belonged to Daro.

With a terrifying momentum, Daro charged at the orc warrior and swung his arming sword directly.

Swish.

But it was blocked by the thick chainmail, causing no harm.

A look of confusion appeared on Daro’s face.

The orc warrior kicked Daro in the stomach.

Thud!

Daro staggered backward, losing his balance.

The orc warrior roared.

“Uuaargh!”

Off balance, Daro had no chance of blocking the orc warrior’s attack.

The orc warrior’s two-handed sword fell upon Daro’s unprotected forearm.

[Daro (Lv 2, Human, Average Equipment, Disabled!)]

[Health]

Severely Injured (Left Arm – 0%, Completely Severed!)

“Arghhh!”

“Daro!”

Thud.

Daro’s severed left arm fell to the ground with a wet, sticky sound.

Daro looked in agony.

But something worse remained.

The orc warrior raised his sword high.

Using both hands, he brought it down over his head like splitting wood.

The Overhead Strike.

The two-handed sword brutally severed Daro’s neck.

[Critical Hit!]

Head (0%, Completely Severed!)

“No!”

It was unbearable to watch.

Daro, decapitated, and Jian rushing toward his body.

The orc warrior, drenched in blood, roared victoriously.

Every scene played out in slow motion.

How much time passed, I couldn’t tell.

In that moment, as if time had stopped, Jian’s sharp scream pierced the silence.

I snapped out of my trance.

I had to move.

I have to do something, anything, right now!

“Somi! Run!”

Somi came rushing toward me in a panic.

As she ran unsteadily, she slipped on the gravel.

Behind her, a dozen goblin scouts were chasing her wildly.

“Ahhh!”

With a sharp scream, Somi awkwardly swung her whip.

The goblins surrounding her screamed back, a dozen of them in total.

Damn it.

I turned away.

There’s no time to stand around watching.

Am I capable of saving her?

No.

Not at all.

It’s hard enough to take care of myself.

This isn’t the time to worry about others.

I need to survive, right now.

“Aaahhh!”

Forget about conserving energy; I started sprinting with everything I had.

After running for a while, I saw the edge of a ravine.

I leaped off a rock about two meters high, landing back into the forest.

The goblins chasing me were fewer than I expected.

Probably five of them stuck to Somi.

The ones after me numbered about seven.

My chances of survival are growing slim.