“So it has come to this in the end.”
There was not much distance left before we escaped the cave.
Judging by the number of Goblins blocking the way ahead, it seemed that nearly all the Goblins remaining inside the cave had gathered here.
“It seems they had a passage only they knew about.”
In games, the deeper one entered a dungeon, the stronger the monsters became. And there was often a boss monster only after entering the boss room at the very end.
But realistically speaking, there was no reason for monsters to sit quietly in one place.
Just like now, it would not be strange for them to follow their leader and form up in an advantageous position.
Of course, that was easy to say, but being on the receiving end of it was absurd.
“It looks strong from its size alone, yet it also has the intelligence to make tactical decisions. What a nasty joke.”
Hastol licked his parched lips nervously.
The Goblin Chieftain did not move from its position over ten meters away.
It rolled its eyes, which had no visible whites, as though searching for weaknesses in our formation.
It did not let down its guard despite its overwhelming advantage.
It had also prevented the Goblins from charging separately and being defeated one at a time. It was thinking far more than a Goblin should.
Still, because it did not rush in immediately, we were given time to think.
I had saved the money I would have needed to spend making a boulder wall to buy time.
“Do we have a chance?”
“To be honest, it will be difficult. We have sent a distress signal, but whether the rescue team can arrive in time....”
Hastol admitted it readily.
This group had been formed for an ordinary Goblin subjugation. There was no way it could handle numerous Variants and an overwhelming number of Goblins.
“Hmm....”
Since the Goblins blocked the path to the exit, trying to block the passage with boulders like before would only trap us here.
And judging by the presence the Goblin Chieftain gave off, it seemed as though it could easily smash through a few boulders.
If I chose poorly, I would be lucky not to interfere with the battle.
“Ha.”
Kyle suddenly let out a dry laugh beside me.
“What are you thinking so hard about? Earlier, you said you had a way to escape. Was that just a bluff?”
So he had remembered what I said earlier.
“There are ways. For example, Return Stones.”
An absurd item that immediately transported its user to a designated location.
It was the most certain and simplest method, but also the most expensive.
“What...? Then what are you hesitating for? Should you not use it immediately?”
“I am thinking about whether there is a method that costs less.”
Return Stones were for individual use.
And there were thirteen people here: eleven mercenaries, Kyle, and me.
If I used Return Stones for everyone, I would spend all the money I had.
“People’s lives are at stake, and you are calculating money.”
Kyle pointed at me as though this was exactly what he expected.
“Haah. You really are....”
A sigh came out on its own. There was a limit to how stupid someone could be.
“I am not a charity worker. If I save them by spending my money, I should at least receive the cost I put in. Finding a method that costs as little as possible is better for everyone.”
If the people here had been academy students, I would not have worried at all.
I would make a killing by forcing them to buy Return Stones in bulk, and my pockets would be full.
“That amount of money can be collected later anyway....”
“Later? Do you know how much one Return Stone costs? You would need to handle several dozen requests like this one to earn that much.”
Several dozen requests that put your life on the line. Even if you took on requests while pushing yourself, it would take a year.
And that was if you spent not a single coin. If you tried to earn it while maintaining your life, it might take years.
“Is it over just because we survive here? Surviving means thinking about what comes next. That means you need to look even further ahead. The damn world is harsh on people who have nothing.”
A damp room with cockroaches.
A salary that was barely enough to pay loan interest even after endless overtime.
And when even that threatened to stop, I had trembled because I could not maintain my livelihood....
“If I cannot find a way to reduce the required amount, either I take the loss or those mercenaries break their backs repaying the debt. Unless you are going to pay it all, shut up.”
I suppressed the bad memories rising to the surface.
It was an old story that no longer mattered.
“So you know how to make that kind of expression, too. I thought you would watch with a grin even if everyone else died.”
The viciousness in Kyle’s eyes subsided somewhat.
Had he read something from my reaction?
I thought I understood a little more now why reincarnators did not want to talk about their previous lives.
It was fairly unpleasant for someone else to glimpse part of my essence.
“Who said I would let them die? Do I look like a fucking idiot who cannot even calculate that much?”
After speaking through gritted teeth, I put on my usual business smile once again.
SKREEK, CACKLE.
The Goblins laughed as they charged in. Fortunately, the Goblin Chieftain only sent its subordinates forward and watched the situation.
“Even the Goblins are laughing at you!”
For a moment, I hesitated over whether to fire a spell at the charging Goblins or Kyle. Then I fired a fireball at the Goblins.
To think that I was living long enough to be mocked by Goblins.
This was all because of that damn bastard Kyle.
“You are saying that in this situation?!”
Hastol, who had been listening silently, finally could not endure any longer and spoke.
“From what I have heard, it seems you have a solution...! Anything is fine...! Should we not survive first...?!”
Hastol’s voice kept breaking off as he dealt with the surging Goblins.
Certainly, I could not drag this out any longer.
I had no choice but to choose the least expensive method among those that came to mind.
“Kyle Sanders!”
When I called Kyle’s name, he looked at me with annoyance.
“We are getting out with Mass Teleportation Magic! We need to connect Black Magic to replenish the mana!”
“What...?”
What an ignorant Department of Martial Arts student.
It seemed that no knowledge related to magic had entered his head at all.
“We need sacrifices! Do you understand?! Move the dead Goblins over here!”
It was magic that needed five proper mages working together to activate, but because I was the only mage here, I had no choice but to fill the gap another way.
Converting sacrifices into mana was inefficient Black Magic. But things that could serve as sacrifices were being produced in real time. I would make up for the poor efficiency with quantity.
“Why should I...?”
“Because we wasted time arguing, and I could not find a better method!”
If we tried to fight and carry corpses at the same time, we would only make more unnecessary mistakes.
It was more efficient for one person to take sole responsibility for transport.
The fact that that person happened to be Kyle was entirely personal.
The moment someone lifted a burden, their ability to react to their surroundings dropped. The person carrying corpses would be more likely to be injured.
It was more comfortable to assign the task from the beginning to someone who could afford to get hurt.
“Mercenaries, you only need to keep fighting for now!”
The division of roles was finished. It was time to begin.
I bought a Black Magic Scroll for mana conversion and a Mass Teleportation Magic Scroll from the Shop.
“So we only need to fight the Goblins?!”
“Simple is good!”
As hope appeared, the mercenaries began swinging their weapons with renewed enthusiasm.
The charging Goblins fell, only for new Goblins to fill their empty places.
“How many do you need?”
THUD.
Kyle threw a Goblin corpse before me.
I opened the Black Magic Scroll and placed the Mass Teleportation Magic Scroll on top of it.
A line of blood connected the sacrifice and the Black Magic Scroll. As the sacrifice was swallowed up, mana was delivered to the Mass Teleportation Magic Scroll.
“We will not need as many as a hundred.”
I checked the amount of mana filling the Teleportation Magic.
It was not enough to activate the magic in one go, but more mana had filled it than I expected.
Kyle frowned and ran off to secure more corpses.
“While the mana fills... I need to construct the Magic Circle.”
Gathering mana alone was not enough to use Teleportation Magic.
A Magic Circle was essential to recognize the targets of the transfer.
I drew a large circle with enough space for more than ten humans to fit comfortably inside.
In addition, I inscribed the coordinates of the destination and our current location.
GROWL.
I raised my head at the chilling feeling, and the Goblin Chieftain was staring at me.
The Goblin Chieftain, which had observed the battle until now, began charging toward me without hesitation.
“...!”
Just as I stopped drawing the Magic Circle and reached for my staff.
“Keep going... idiot!”
Kyle blocked the Goblin Chieftain.
CLANG—!
Kyle’s sword, wrapped in Sword Aura, drove into the Goblin Chieftain’s axe. Seeing Sword Aura for the first time, the Goblin Chieftain flinched.
“Can he defeat that thing?”
The Goblins’ coordinated movements were the result of the Goblin Chieftain’s command.
If we could deal with the Goblin Chieftain alone, there was a chance to break through the Goblin horde even without relying on Teleportation Magic.
“If it is only this one....”
As though they had heard Kyle’s words, Variant Goblins leaped out from both sides.
As expected, a clever Goblin Chieftain would not take risks.
“Just buy us time!”
In the end, our escape depended on Teleportation Magic.
While Kyle faced the Goblin Chieftain and Variant Goblins, I personally gathered Goblin corpses.
CLANG! CLANG!
The noise of weapons clashing rang in my ears.
Mana slowly filled the Teleportation Magic Scroll.
To increase the speed, I bought another Black Magic Scroll and layered it over the first.
As the sacrifices piled up, the Teleportation Magic Scroll began to emit light.
“Urgh!”
The mercenaries’ side began to show cracks.
Variant Goblins mixed among the charging horde had begun to inflict meaningful damage.
The front line wavered.
If either side collapsed, the whole formation would suffer a chain reaction of collapse.
“Gather up!”
More than eighty percent of the mana needed to activate the magic had gathered.
So that I could activate the magic the moment the mana was full, I called the mercenaries over.
While fighting the Goblins, the mercenaries slowly stepped backward into the Magic Circle.
“Kyle!”
Kyle was the last one remaining outside the Magic Circle.
CLANG, CLANG!
Kyle was too busy facing the Goblin Chieftain and two Variant Goblins at once.
“The Teleportation Magic will activate soon! Hurry over!”
I shouted toward the back of Kyle’s head.
Kyle turned to join us, but Goblins had already blocked the space between us.
“That stupid bastard....!”
I told him to gather corpses, yet he had insisted on starting a fight.
Because Kyle had kept the Goblin Chieftain occupied, I had been able to gather mana relatively quickly. But there was no meaning in it if he was out of position at the final moment.
“How much longer must we hold out?!”
Hastol asked as he kicked away a Goblin that had approached him.
The Goblins were swarming densely. This was not a situation where we could simply keep buying time.
“Tsk....!”
I activated the Teleportation Magic.
The Teleportation Magic Scroll burned.
The Magic Circle shone, and I felt as though my body were floating.
Then my eyes met Kyle’s.
I thought he might be howling with a sense of betrayal, but instead, his face was calm.
As though he had expected from the beginning that I would leave him behind.
That damn bastard, honestly.
It irritated me that he was acting exactly as I expected.
I did not like it, but letting him die would give me nightmares.
I quickly bought a Return Stone and threw it to Kyle.
In the fading scenery around me, I saw Kyle’s dumbfounded face as he caught the Return Stone.
“Sixty Gold Coins.”
If he did not want to pay, he could die here.