As the slaughter continued, Hanyu Genichi’s movements became smoother and his reactions grew faster.
At first, he cautiously observed every Goblin, judged the path of its attacks, and searched for the perfect moment to strike.
It was the nervous caution unique to a novice, making every movement appear deliberate and carefully planned.
By the time Genichi killed more than twenty Goblins, however, he began noticing subtle changes.
His body seemed to react before his brain.
Before he decided how to evade, his feet had already moved.
Before he chose how to strike, his wrist had adjusted the sword’s angle.
The sensation was strange, as though something sleeping within his body was slowly awakening.
By the time he approached his fiftieth Goblin, Genichi had stopped thinking entirely.
He no longer needed to consciously analyze their attacks.
The instant a green monster raised its club, Genichi knew where the blow would land.
The moment it bared its teeth and shrieked, he knew which direction it would charge.
Every attack path became perfectly clear, as though the Goblins were moving several times slower.
Each step they took was completely exposed to Genichi’s perception.
He even began feeling bored.
‘So this is what it feels like after killing enough of them.’
Genichi had imagined that killing monsters would always be tense and exciting, with every battle quickening his heartbeat and sending adrenaline surging through his body.
In reality, when his opponents were low-level monsters like Goblins, combat became little more than repetitive manual labor.
Charge, evade, stab the vital point, withdraw the sword, retreat, collect the Magic Stone, and search for another target.
The process never changed and contained no excitement.
The passages on the Dungeon’s first and second floors twisted in every direction.
Some areas were wide enough for more than a dozen people to walk side by side, while others were so narrow that only one person could squeeze through sideways.
Genichi advanced along the wider main passages and occasionally entered isolated side paths.
He constantly encountered Goblins alone or in small groups.
The Goblins on the first floor were noticeably weaker than those on the second.
They were smaller and reacted more slowly.
They also rarely formed groups, with no more than two or three gathering together at once.
On the second floor, the Goblins were slightly larger, and their skin changed from pale to dark green.
Their wooden clubs were replaced by stone ones, and they became far more aggressive.
They no longer hesitated after seeing an adventurer.
Instead, they charged while roaring and sometimes attempted to ambush Genichi from behind.
However, those differences presented no real difficulty for him.
Genichi continued clearing one floor and passage after another.
He fought from the first floor to the second, then returned from the second to the first, repeating the cycle without rest.
Whenever he encountered Goblins, he killed them.
Afterward, he continued walking until he discovered more and killed those as well.
The Dungeon’s first two floors became an endless hunting ground, while Genichi acted as the tireless hunter.
He had no idea how long he continued.
Only when intense exhaustion and hunger spread through his body did he finally emerge from that mechanical killing state.
Genichi raised his wrist and checked the digital watch he had brought from another world.
The display showed 4:23 p.m.
He stared blankly for a moment before sucking in a sharp breath.
Genichi had entered the Dungeon shortly after eight that morning.
He had spent roughly eight hours continuously slaughtering Goblins inside the dark, damp caves.
“Holy crap, it’s already this late?”
He shook out his aching arm.
Only then did he notice the soreness spreading through his shoulders and back from gripping and swinging his sword for so long.
His stomach growled loudly, reminding him that he had missed lunch.
Hunger immediately swept through him like a rising tide.
“No, I need to hurry back.
Otherwise, Demeter will assume I ran away.”
Genichi quickly checked the Magic Stone pouch hanging from his waist.
The pouch had been empty and flat that morning.
Now it was stuffed full and swollen like an inflated balloon, feeling surprisingly heavy in his hand.
A rough estimate placed its contents at three to four hundred Magic Stones.
That meant Genichi had killed between three and four hundred Goblins today.
Even he was surprised by the number.
“No wonder my arm barely feels like it belongs to me…”
He smiled bitterly, stretched his stiff shoulders, and followed the passage back toward the surface.
…
When Genichi returned to the Familia headquarters, Demeter was anxiously pacing outside the courtyard entrance with her hands on her hips.
The moment she saw him, she visibly relaxed.
Her expression then hardened as she hurried forward.
“You’re finally back!
If you were any later, I would have sent someone into the Dungeon to search for you!”
Her voice carried obvious worry and criticism, but Genichi understood that it was how she expressed her concern.
“That really wasn’t necessary.”
Genichi waved his hand, wearing the foolish grin of someone who had thoroughly enjoyed himself.
“I got carried away killing Goblins, so I returned a little late.”
“Killing Goblins?”
Demeter blinked and frowned.
“You spent the entire day killing Goblins?”
“Is there a problem?”
Genichi asked as though it were perfectly natural.
Demeter remained silent and examined him from head to toe.
His leather armor was covered in green blood and dust.
The skin between the thumb and index finger of his sword hand had turned red, while his Magic Stone pouch bulged like a small hill.
Confusion gradually transformed into shock across Demeter’s face.
“You…”
She pointed at the pouch.
“Did you collect all of those today?”
Genichi followed her gaze, nodded, removed the pouch, and handed it over.
“Yes.
They’re all Magic Stones dropped by the Goblins I killed today.
I didn’t count them carefully, but there were quite a lot.”
Demeter accepted the pouch and tested its weight before opening it.
Hundreds of thumb-sized green Magic Stone fragments filled the bag, reflecting tiny glimmers beneath the setting sun.
She didn’t count them individually, but even a rough estimate placed the total above three hundred.
That meant Genichi had killed more than three hundred Goblins in a single day.