Referenced from Souls-like games.
There are many types of knights—such as the high-defense, high-poise Furnace Knights, or the utterly unstoppable Banished Knights—each of them a nightmare for newcomers.
In the world of DanMachi, encountering a Goblin Knight was not something Ron found particularly surprising. The key point was this—after updating his status, when facing an elite monster like this, could he actually take it down?
His gaze swept toward the equally alert girl beside him.
Mikoto had already drawn the katana at her waist. Facing an entirely new monster, her expression was grave. "A goblin… a monster fused with a kobold?"
"More or less."
"I want to try—see if, at my current level, I can clear it."
The Goblin Knight's shield was absolutely not for show. If this were a mid-to-late map version, it was very likely to have already mastered the technique of 'shield parry.'
This thing might even have learned magic!
Ron did not give the opportunity of the first battle to Mikoto. At the very least, he was more familiar with Souls-like mechanics, and he also had the number of uses of Revival that allowed for remakes.
It was practically like taking a newbie along to experience the beginner tutorial of a Souls-style game.
"I want to try—see if, at my current level, I can clear it."
"No problem."
It was hard to imagine that mutated kobolds and goblins could be turned into something so elaborate by the Dungeon.
However, the girl did not refuse Ron's proposal. In her view, this joint exploration naturally revolved around him as its center.
Mikoto stepped back to open up distance, her gaze remaining alert to the surrounding environment.
"I'll keep watch for you."
"…"
Ron did not launch an attack rashly.
He had yet to fully grasp the patterns of this entirely new monster, and when facing heavy cavalry, carrying a brass heavy shield would instead become a considerable burden.
He had to adopt a fast, agile, quick-strike tactic.
He drew the short sword and the rapier hanging from either side of his thighs and carefully observed the Goblin Knight's movements.
Until—
The goblin wearing a steel helmet revealed eyes filled with hatred and bloodlust through the slit of its visor, while the kobold beneath it charged forward violently at its command.
Bearing the 'Hatred of the Dungeon,' Ron was the primary target of special monsters.
As it charged forward in a frenzy, the goblin raised the broad-headed spear high in its hand and, using a charged attack, thrust it toward the human before it.
The monster's charge-up windup was very long.
But to Ron, who was gradually adapting to the Dungeon, it was clear that this was merely a feint meant to force him to expose an opening, followed by a sudden counterattack.
He did not rush to defend. Instead, just as the Goblin Knight was about to close in, he reversed his grip on the rapier and hurled it at the monster with all his strength.
Using the momentum of that force, Ron rolled forward, narrowly avoiding the sweep of the monster's broad-headed spear.
Bang!
The sound of metal colliding shook his eardrums. He sprang to his feet and once again faced off against the Goblin Knight.
The rapier's piercing power was far inferior to that of a spear, but with his Strength attribute enhanced and the support of third-tier weapon sharpness, the rapier still succeeded in piercing through.
From the monster's pierced shoulder, crimson blood continuously dripped down along the blade.
"#￥%!!"
The goblin let out a pained, shrill scream that echoed incessantly through the narrow cave. It drove the spear into the ground, attempting to reach out and pull out the rapier.
But Ron quickly rolled and rose.
The youth had already prepared for another attack. He bent slightly at the waist, gathering all his strength into his legs. Then, as that power was released in an instant—
In the blink of an eye, he shot forward like a cannonball, charging straight at the goblin that had lost its weapon!
"I really need to teach you a lesson!"
After finally creating such a perfect attack window, Ron had absolutely no intention of letting it slip by. He gripped the short sword with both hands to unleash the greatest possible force—but his target was not the goblin.
It was the kobold being ridden beneath it.
"Once it loses its mount, a knight is nothing more than a high-defense living target!"
Most crucially, the weight of the Goblin Knight's armor greatly reduced the speed of the mutated kobold, even completely restricting its defensive options.
Just as expected...
At the very moment the goblin raised its knight's shield, preparing to counterattack—
Ron suddenly shifted his posture and adjusted his body, bracing his back against the ground and using the smooth armor to slide forward, while the short sword in his hand viciously stabbed into the monster's abdomen.
The sharp blade sliced open the kobold's skin.
The ribs that had served as protection were breached layer by layer. The foul, reeking viscera could not withstand the pressure and poured out through the wound, spilling onto the ground as if being dumped.
As life was lost, the monster completely turned into gray dust and dispersed.
All that remained was the Goblin Knight, which had fallen to the ground, shield in hand, readying itself for a counterattack.
There was no thought of popping the champagne early.
The exhilarating battle sent a surge of adrenaline through Ron's body. Yet in this moment of extreme tension, his mind was calm to the utmost degree.
He ignored the girl watching from the sidelines.
In his eyes—only the wounded monster remained.
Without any effective means of breaking through armor, all Ron could do was strike at the weak points where the armor connected. He sprang up quickly and launched another surprise attack.
The result was obvious.
Having lost its kobold mount, the goblin had no advantage at all in terms of mobility.
By instinct, it used its shield to parry the short sword slashing toward its neck. As metal collided, the sparks that flew were dazzling.
"Good opportunity."
The goblin's arm holding the shield could not be withdrawn in time due to the shield parry.
This gave Ron an excellent opening to attack. Ignoring the numbness in his arm, he stepped forward forcefully and slammed his shoulder into the monster, knocking it to the ground.
Originally hanging behind his back—
The dwarf hand crossbow purchased while the Dungeon was closed was already gripped in the youth's hand.
The goblin's armor was indeed top-tier, but the exposed eye area of the helmet became Ron's aiming aperture. He decisively pulled the trigger.
The bolt that shot out at high speed instantly pierced through the skull.
Worried that the damage might not be lethal enough, he quickly reset the crossbow string and delivered a follow-up shot at the monster's other eye. After suffering fatal damage, the goblin's body instantly dispersed.
All that remained on the ground were the abandoned pieces of armor, along with the rapier embedded in the shoulder section of the armor.
Ron finally let out a breath. Retrieving the rapier, he briefly reviewed the battle and murmured, "It seems… the difficulty wasn't as high as I expected?"
"…"
Watching from the sidelines.
Having personally witnessed this thoroughly exhilarating battle, the girl was momentarily dazed—though more than that, she was filled with disbelief toward Ron.
Clean and decisive.
After wracking her brain, Mikoto could only think of those words to describe it.
He did not pursue any flashy combat techniques. Every attack he launched carried an extremely clear purpose—how to restrict the monster's means of offense.
Even when faced with dangerous situations, Ron was still able to handle them calmly.
It was as if the person standing before her was not a novice adventurer at all, but a war machine honed through years of slaughter against such special monsters, intimately familiar with all their traits.
"This guy…"
"The combat talent he's showing is frighteningly strong?!"
This had nothing to do with adventurer level. Rather, it was the girl's genuine evaluation after watching the battle—an assessment formed by someone who had been personally taught by the War God Takemikazuchi.
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