Chapter 635 - Who Else Could Be Here?
(MC POV)
The rest of the hallway was relatively uneventful save for the few skeletons or zombies. I figured that putting too many encounters would tire Tsuki out so I kept just enough around to keep things interesting enough.
We soon reached the end of the hallway where a large orc wielding a giant battleaxe was waiting for us.
Acting as his guards were a group of six goblins using various different weapons. There were two wielding swords and shields, two with great clubs and the final two with bows at the back.
This would be akin to a mini boss fight I prepared for Tsuki.
"Unn… Aniue… I don't think I can handle this fight on my own," Tsuki told me after assessing the enemies in front of her.
Good, I was afraid she had become overconfident after breezing through the dungeons so far but it seems like she's still properly being cautious about it.
"Yeah, this might be a little too much for a small group like ours but worry not, you just need to take care of the orc and leave the goblins to me. I'll also add some buffs on you to temporarily increase your strength, speed and defense."
"Oh! In that case, I can fight without worry! Please watch me, Aniue!"
I assured her I would and casted the buffs on her.
Feeling bolder with the added weight of my protection on her, Tsuki dashed forward without fear, making a running leap over the goblins who could only watch in surprise at the unexpected move.
The orc barely reacted in time to block her mace swing by lifting his battleaxe, forcing Tsuki back towards the goblins behind her.
Normally this would be an extremely bad situation where she gets pincered by attacks from both front and back, but since my little sister had trusted her back to me, I won't fail her.
Well, these are all my created monsters in the first place so it's not like either of us are in any danger in the first place.
If need be, I could just delete their existence with a thought.
With the goblins' attention on Tsuki, their backs were wide open for me to attack.
Since it was also a rare occasion for me, I decided to have a little bit of fun too.
"Lightning punch!" I roared, punching my fist forward and blasting a bolt of lightning towards the unsuspecting goblins.
Sorry, did you cringe? I don't care, this is my world and I felt like doing it.
The goblins didn't even have time to turn around before the bolt of lightning pierced through three of them that had been standing in a straight line.
The other three turned to face me, now recognising me as the larger threat and leaving Tsuki free to deal with the orc unhindered.
By design, the three remaining goblins were wielding one of each weapon type.
The only reason why these three were still alive is so that I could gauge how intelligent or lifelike beings I created with Origin could be.
I should mention that the monsters in this dungeon were not mindless summons or anything like that, I merely used Origin to create them and left them here so they were as wild as the ones found outside.
I gave them pseudo free will as well, so I can actually be considered to have granted true life.
The last few monsters didn't really count since they were all undead so this would be the first trial for me.
The goblins arranged themselves in a defensive formation, the one with the shield in front of me, the one with the club a little off to my right and the one with the bow a short distance behind the shield goblin.
Looks like they at least have the capacity for tactical coordination, though they're still as brash as dungeon goblins for not attempting to retreat despite the obvious difference in strength.
An arrow was shot at me at the same time as the shield goblin's charge, the one with the club circling to my right in an attempt to flank me.
I tilted my head to avoid the arrow and side stepped the sword swing from the charging goblin.
Using the momentum from my movement, I twirled on my foot and delivered a roundhouse kick to the last goblin that was trying to sneak up behind me a distance away.
I ducked my head just in time to avoid the second arrow fired at me and braced myself to guard against the shield bash from the first goblin.
I grabbed its shield and lifted it up, using the goblin as a shield for the third arrow the archer tried to shoot at me with.
The projectile pierced through the goblin's torso, the monster giving a shriek of pain and rage while flailing its arms around in its death throes.
Grabbing its sword arm, I twisted it to use its own sword to stab it in the throat.
I got myself ready to face the other two goblins only to find both of them dead on the ground with both their heads smashed into paste.
"Aniue! We did it again!" Tsuki cheered, not at all bothered by the dead goblin at her feet with its entire head bashed to a gory mess.
I turned to look at the orc to see it decapitated with its axe embedded at the stump of where its head should have been.
Seems like I took a little too long with the goblins... I had wanted to watch Tsuki's fight with the orc. That's sad.
"Was the orc difficult to beat?" I asked, dropping the now dead goblin on to the floor.
Tsuki giggled, "With Aniue watching me, of course not! There's no way something as small as that thing can beat me when I'm protecting Aniue!"
I'd like to say it's the other way around but I'll let her have it since she did beat it rather easily.
She bounded towards me with her usual grin and a gaze that told me what she wanted without her saying anything.
Thus I had no choice but to reach out my hand and satisfy her by giving her the head pats she sought for.
"Guhihihi~ Aniue is praising me~~"
I let her enjoy it for a few more moments before stepping back.
"Now, shall we look at our rewards?" I suggested, gesturing to the chest at the end of the hallway.
Her eyes lit up, "Oh! Treasure! Of course! Umm… Is it a mimic?"
I shook my head, "Good question, but worry not, that one is safe and there's no traps either. You can open it freely."
She gave a yelp of glee and pulled on my arm, "Let's open it together Aniue! It's our first treasure chest together!"
I chuckled at her antics and obliged, settling down on one side of the chest while she took up the other, lifting the lid of the chest together.
"Oh wow! A key! There must be a secret somewhere! Where should we go next, Aniue?"
Her words fell on deaf ears as I looked at the key in silence.
The reward I prepared here was supposed to be a bracelet that I made for Tsuki to wear.
And yet, the bracelet I placed here was nowhere to be found and this key had appeared. What is going on?
Is… Someone else in this dungeon?