Chapter 8: First raid2
The moment they stepped through the gate, the scenery shifted.
They were no longer standing in the alley.
Instead, they found themselves inside a damp cavern.
The first thing Takuya noticed was the smell.
It was absolutely awful.
It was as if something had been rotting inside the cave for years, mixed with the stench of stagnant water and mold. He instinctively wrinkled his nose.
"That’s... disgusting."
The cave floor was uneven, covered by shallow pools of murky green-gray water that reflected the dim light filtering from glowing crystals embedded in the walls.
This place would be perfect for Numemon, Takuya thought, trying not to laugh.
And indeed, there were green creatures in the cave.
Just... not the ones he had expected.
A group of goblins occupied the chamber ahead.
There were eight of them.
Surprisingly, they didn’t seem to be on guard. Instead, they were entertaining themselves. two of them had placed what looked like the skull of a large animal—probably a cow—on their heads while repeatedly charged headfirst into each other, using it as some kind of game. The rest sat nearby, cheering and laughing loudly.
The ridiculous scene caught Takuya completely off guard.
A chuckle escaped his mouth.
"Hah..."
The laughter echoed through the cave.
Every head turned toward him.
The goblins.
The hunters.
Everyone.
"...Sorry."
That was all he managed to say.
The next instant, the goblins let out furious shrieks and rushed toward the party.
"So much for the element of surprise," the swordsman muttered as he drew his blade.
Before anyone else could be close enoug to engage Takuya stepped forward.
"Baby Salamander."
Two streams of flame burst from his fists, twisting through the air like small fiery serpents before slamming directly into the heads of the two leading goblins.
The monsters screamed.
Their heads erupted in flames as they stumbled around in panic, desperately trying to extinguish the fire. They rolled across the wet ground, clawed at their own faces, and crashed into their companions, but nothing worked.
The remaining goblins instinctively glanced toward their burning allies.
That single moment of distraction was all Takuya needed.
"Fire Toss."
A blazing sphere nearly the size of a volleyball shot from his mouth.
The fireball crossed the distance in an instant and struck another goblin square in the chest.
Boom.
The impact threw the creature backward before it collapsed to the ground, smoke rising from its body.
Three enemies were already down before the rest of the party had even reached them.
The swordsman stared at Takuya with wide eyes.
"...I thought you said you were a monk, that’s work of a mage."
"But I am a monk. It’s just... well, a special kind of monk, I guess. My abilities simply rely more on close-range combat. Actually, I really doubt those fire attacks would do much against stronger monsters."
"...That’s definitely not the kind of monk I’m used to," the tank replied with a laugh. "So then, how does a monk fight in your case?"
Takuya pondered the question for a second.
Compared to the Rookie Digimon he had fought over the past two months, these goblins were actually less durable. the weakest creature in a dungeon. If that comparison was accurate, handling the rest by himself shouldn’t be difficult.
"Let me deal with the remaining goblins. You’ll see."
Without waiting for an answer, he stepped forward.
He struck his fists together, and small flames danced around his "gauntlets".
The remaining goblins raised their crude daggers and pointed them toward him.
Takuya naturally slipped into a fighting stance.
It felt... instinctive.
He had never received formal martial arts training. At most, he had been involved in a few school fights back in his previous life and well this one too.
This was different.
His body simply knew how to move.
Where to place his feet.
How to breathe.
When to strike.
The knowledge had been engraved somewhere deep inside him, as though Flamon’s instincts had become part of his own.
Oddly enough, he didn’t feel excited about fighting.
Considering Digimon were creatures that practically lived through battle, he had expected something closer to bloodlust.
Instead, he simply felt calm.
Focused.
I’m seriously thinking about this now?
The first goblin charged.
Its attack was simple—a direct thrust aimed straight at his heart.
Seeing the opening, Takuya pivoted on his foot, allowing the blade to pass beside him.
"Flame Tail."
His burning tail whipped across the goblin’s ribs with surprising force, sending the creature tumbling across the cave floor while flames spread over its body.
Without stopping, Takuya intercepted the next two goblins.
Each one slashed from a different angle.
He deflected both daggers with his forearms before activating another skill.
"Noble Heart."
Fire engulfed his fists and arms.
The sudden burst of power knocked both blades aside, leaving the goblins completely exposed.
Before he could finish them, the final goblin leaped from behind, hoping to catch him off guard.
Takuya spun without hesitation.
"Fire Toss."
The fireball exploded almost point-blank.
The goblin was blasted backward, its entire body engulfed in flames before it crashed into the cave wall.
The remaining two barely had time to recover.
"Baby Salamander."
Twin streams of fire struck them squarely, ending the fight.
Silence returned to the cavern.
Takuya slowly exhaled.
He brought both hands in front of his chest before lowering them, regulating his breathing.
During that short battle, he had learned several things.
The instincts were real.
They didn’t control him, but they guided him. His movements flowed naturally, almost as if years of combat experience had been quietly implanted into his body.
"So..." the tank said after letting out a whistle. "Now I get it. You really are a monk but a weird one."
He laughed.
"That was one hell of an introduction. Still, don’t get overconfident. Goblins are weak. Once we reach the wolves and stronger monsters deeper inside the dungeon, things won’t be nearly this easy, we will have to work as a team."
Takuya nodded.
"I’ll keep that in mind."
Johee gave him a thumbs-up from behind the party.
"Also," the swordsman added, "those goblin crystals are yours."
"Oh? Really? Thanks."
The hunters exchanged amused looks.
"The one who gets the kill keeps the crystal," the tank explained. "That’s the standard rule unless it’s a boss raid. Then the loot gets divided differently."
"I see."
As Takuya walked toward the fallen goblins, something suddenly appeared at the edge of his vision.
A notification.
When he focused on it, another translucent screen opened.
Fading data material detected.
Due to the nature of this environment, automatic capture is unavailable.
Please use the physical D-Scan.
Takuya’s eyes widened.
So that’s why the D-Scan exists in the real world...
Without hesitation, he summoned it.
Black and crimson data gathered in his hand before forming the familiar D-Scan.
The other hunters were already preparing to move deeper into the dungeon, patiently waiting while he collected the mana crystals.
Takuya crouched beside the first goblin and pointed the D-Scan toward the corpse.
A stream of glowing code rose from the body and flowed directly into the device.
Another notification immediately appeared, this time hovering above the D-Scan itself.
Drop item detected.
Save to inventory?
Y / N
There wasn’t much to think about.
"Yes."
The D-Scan emitted a soft electronic chime.
Inventory created.
Storage Capacity: 01 / 99.
A happy thing.
The raid continued.
The deeper they ventured into the dungeon, the fewer goblins they encountered.
From time to time, Takuya glanced back at Jinwoo.
The future Shadow Monarch was struggling against a single goblin.
Luckily for him, all three goblins he managed to defeat dropped mana crystals. They weren’t worth much—being low-grade monsters—but they would still sell for a decent amount.
Probably enough to cover a week’s salary at a minimum-wage job.
No wonder he keeps doing this...
If Jinwoo repeated this two or three times a week, he would earn considerably more than he could at any ordinary part-time job.
Slowly, the party reached the end of the goblin territory.
Since this was a low-level dungeon, goblins made up the majority of the monsters, but now they were approaching the dungeon’s inner section, where the boss was supposed to reside.
Of course, the boss room wasn’t their immediate objective.
To maximize profits, every chamber had to be cleared first.
The second party assigned to the raid was doing the same thing on the opposite side of the dungeon.
Five hunters here.
Five hunters there.
After all, a dungeon wasn’t just a battlefield.
It was a business.
The group advanced carefully.
Before long, everyone felt it.
The unmistakable sensation of being watched.
Then—
A gray blur shot out from the darkness.
It lunged directly at Jinwoo.
Takuya reacted instantly.
"Noble Heart!"
Fire wrapped around his fist as he spun, striking the wolf square in the jaw.
The impact knocked the monster sideways before it could sink its fangs into Jinwoo.
At the same moment, two more wolves burst from the shadows.
The tank stepped forward, raising his shield just in time to block one.
The swordsman intercepted the second, driving his blade into its shoulder.
Without anyone saying a word, the formation shifted naturally.
Takuya moved to guard the rear.
The wolf he had struck recovered quickly and charged him again.
Its jaws snapped shut around his armored forearm.
The pressure was incredible.
He immediately activated Noble Heart again.
Flames erupted from his gauntlet.
The wolf flinched...
But it refused to let go.
Its jaws remained locked around his arm despite the burns.
"Jinwoo!" Takuya shouted.
"Stab it!"
Jinwoo didn’t hesitate.
He rushed forward from the side and drove his dagger into the wolf once.
Twice.
Three times.
Only after repeated strikes did the monster finally release its grip before collapsing into a cloud of mana.
Without wasting the opening, Takuya sprinted toward the front line.
He leaped onto the tank’s shield, using it as a platform.
"Baby Salamander!"
Twin streams of fire struck the wolf fighting the tank directly in the face.
The monster howled in pain and staggered backward.
Using the momentum, Takuya kicked off the shield, spun through the air, and slammed a flaming kick into the side of the wolf’s head.
Another wolf immediately tried to seize the opportunity, lunging toward Takuya’s exposed side.
The swordsman intercepted it just in time, forcing the beast away with a sweeping slash.
Meanwhile, the blinded wolf desperately snapped its jaws in every direction.
Its eyes had been burned, and even its sense of smell seemed impaired.
Jinwoo saw the opening.
He rushed in again.
His dagger pierced the wolf’s side—
But unlike before, the beast retaliated immediately.
With one violent swing, it sent Jinwoo flying several meters.
He rolled across the cave floor before crashing against a rock with a painful thud.
For a split second, Takuya considered running toward him.
He stopped himself.
The wolves still had to be dealt with first.
"Baby Salamander!"
Another burst of flames engulfed the injured wolf, finally bringing it down.
He immediately turned toward the last remaining one.
By now, the swordsman had already covered it in cuts, and the tank joined in to pressure it from the front.
The fight ended moments later.
Only then did Takuya move back to protect Johee while she rushed over to heal Jinwoo, making sure no additional monsters ambushed them.
These wolves were on a completely different level from the goblins.
Even with Flamon’s abilities, Takuya had to admit something.
Alone...
Handling several of them at once would’ve been difficult.
Not because they were overwhelmingly powerful.
Simply because they were incredibly tough to put down.
After a short break, the group resumed their advance.
They had completely cleared their section of the dungeon.
Just outside the boss chamber, the second raid party was already waiting.
Five more hunters.
An archer.
Another tank.
A second swordsman.
And a large warrior carrying a massive axe.
"Looks like everyone’s here," the axe warrior said with a grin.
"Ready?"
From the way everyone naturally looked toward him, Takuya guessed he had been appointed as the raid leader.
Not knowing the group’s dynamics, he simply nodded.
Once everyone confirmed they were prepared, the ten hunters entered the boss chamber together.
The room was enormous compared to the rest of the dungeon.
At its center stood a wolf nearly twice the size of the others.
The dungeon boss.
It slowly opened its glowing eyes as the hunters stepped inside.