The Author's POV

-Khuala! -Khuaka! -Khuaka!

Like a tsunami, green-like creatures of shorter-than-human stature with flat and long hooked noses, bat-like ears, and malevolent expressions with twisted smiles appeared from every corner of the cave.

"W-hat's that?"

"Are th-ose globins?"

"Hiiii"

Surprised by the unexpected development, the students at the front immediately stopped running and huddled up together.

With their backs against each other, they each raised their weapons and nervously looked towards their surroundings. Goblins appeared en masse everywhere they looked.

"W-what do we do?"

"I-i don't know"

Despite goblins being the most common monsters inside of dungeons, they were still dangerous creatures.

With their excellent sense of smell, hearing, and tendency to hunt in groups, many aspiring heroes fell because of them

...lest needed to be said about students who had no experience of being inside of dungeons.

"We-re sorroun-ded"

Staring at the numerous goblins blocking their paths, one of the students couldn't help but say as his voice shook.

"S-something is defi-netly wrong. H-how can there possibly be so many goblins inside of a ranked dungeon. W-we're all going to die!"

He wasn't the only one who thought of it that way, as almost everyone at the front shook in fear.

I mean, although it was dark, the number of goblins before them counted to at least a thousand. How were they supposed to fight with that many goblins?

"Move aside you bunch of wimpy primates"

Indifferently walking ahead of the students, Melissa's figure appeared holding onto a long metal spear with flame engraving at the tip of the spear.

Without giving a chance for the students to figure out what was going on, leaning backward, Melissa adjusted her position and proceeded to throw the spear in her hand.

-Swoooosh!

Like a bolt of lightning, the spear traveled through the sea of goblins leaving behind a red trail of flames...

-Kacha!

-Booom!

Soon after, an explosion reverberated across the whole dungeon. The cave shook, and debris and dust flew everywhere.

up, the students couldn't help

"W-what?"

"Huh?"

what replaced

was supposed to

sitting on the hard ground with

that a

"W-hat?"

it was all

bearing somewhat, everyone stared at the body of the goblin that was currently lifelessly laying

soon understood

works of a goblin mage. A more evolved and rarer version of a regular

to scare the students into thinking that they were currently facing a horde of

paid close attention. All they

you spotted the orb, you could instantly find where the goblin mage

was evident

their nervousness, but it seems like everything that the students had learned in

with the most gentle smile Melissa could muster, looking back at the

scared, don't block the paths for others. You're honestly a nuisance, so please either die or move out of the way. Thank you

picked up her spear and dashed deeper into the

at Melissa's disappearing figure, I nodded my

Melissa for

Yup...yup...yup

most gentle face possible...only Melissa could pull

Melissa was only F ranked, her power was no joke. Even I

to three rings would do

"Let's go"

"Follow her"

students woke up from their daze and

"Huuuu..."

some of the students that followed Mellisa's footsteps, taking a deep breath I too

waited for

timing was one of the criteria used to assess the performance of the students, I couldn't waste any more time lazing

the mana inside of my body, I activated

each step I took, the wind

across the dungeon as

-Wooosh!

"W-what was that?"

"Huh?"

I quickly and swiftly surpassed some of the students who were running ahead. Though I was still far from the first placed people, I was confident that I would

-Clank! -Clank! -Clank!

I moved forward, the loud sound of students

slightly, I managed to somewhat dodge the battles...but I knew that avoiding fights wasn't

...and I was right.

of goblins soon appeared before me. Obstructing my

have enough time to stop. Hence, briefly glancing towards my surroundings to make sure no one was looking, I lightly tapped on