I threw myself between the Goblin Knight and the woman with the injured leg. In that same instant, a startled cry rose from behind me. "Wh-What?!"
Unfortunately, this wasn’t the time for a leisurely exchange of greetings.
"I’m going to save you!" I shouted to the woman. "Do you have any potions?!"
"Huh?! Ah... N-no! I don't have any!!"
The Goblin Knight didn't charge immediately; it seemed to be sizing me up, wary of my sudden appearance.
To my dismay—though it was hardly surprising—the woman didn't have any potions. I suppose that was to be expected of an Explorer working the 3rd Floor.
This meant the option of having her heal her leg so she could run was gone. I didn't know if I could win, but the only way through this was to kill the Goblin Knight. Or so I thought, until—
"B-but! I can use healing magic!"
You’ve got to be kidding. If she already had healing magic while still struggling on the 3rd Floor, she must have been able to acquire it from the start.
This woman was a "talented Explorer."
I was stunned, but it was a stroke of luck.
"Then I’ll buy time! Heal your leg while I do!!"
"Y-yes!"
The moment she nodded, the Goblin Knight moved.
It approached with its shield raised high, leaving no openings. I broke into a full sprint toward it.
I didn't have a shield of my own, so playing defense was a losing game. Carrying the momentum of my charge, I slammed my blade against the monster’s shield, just as I would with a Goblin Warrior.
"HRAAAGH!!"
A thunderous boom, like a physical explosion, rocked the area.
With Fighting Spirit active, my current stats were as follows:
―――――――――――――――― Strength: 63 (+28) Constitution: 47 (+21) Intelligence: 6 Spirit: 12 Agility: 72 (+32) Dexterity: 30 ――――――――――――――――
An attack delivered with 63 Strength carries four times the normal power. On the surface world, a blow like that would have easily shattered a massive boulder, yet the Goblin Knight only took a single step back.
It didn't fly through the air like a Warrior, nor did its posture break.
"Tch!"
"————"
I unleashed a rapid-fire flurry of slashes. But the Goblin Knight parried every single strike with its shield with maddening ease.
"Whoa, close one!"
It used its shield to knock my sword upward, creating an opening, then thrust its longsword through the gap. I evaded by leaping to the side in an exaggerated, wide arc.
"You’re a real pain in the ass...!"
"————"
I closed the distance immediately upon landing. I attacked relentlessly, refusing to give the Goblin Knight any room to maneuver.
Every time my sword struck its shield, the hall echoed with explosive cracks, but the monster showed no sign of buckling. On the contrary, I felt a calm, calculating gaze watching me from the depths of its helmet.
Because it wore a full-face suit of plate armor, I couldn't read its expression or follow its eyes. It gave me the eerie sensation that I was fighting something completely inhuman.
Furthermore—
"HRAH! ORA ORAAA!! Damn it! You’re good, you bastard...!"
Its shield work—its entire fighting style—was incredibly sophisticated.
Even though it was encased in plate armor, there were structural gaps where a blade could theoretically pass through. The insides of the joints had thinner protection; if I aimed there, I could cut it.
But the monster knew that just as well as I did. I tried repeatedly to target its wrists, elbows, armpits, the backs of its knees, and its groin—only for every strike to be easily dodged or caught by the shield.
In terms of pure combat skill, the Goblin Knight was overwhelmingly superior.
The only reason I was managing to hold my own was that my stats were higher. And that statistical advantage was entirely dependent on my Fighting Spirit being active.
Judging by how it felt to fight it, the Goblin Knight’s stats—especially its Strength and Agility—weren't that far behind mine. They were definitely over 50.
The Goblin Knights that usually appeared on the 5th Floor were Level 9 to 11; they shouldn't have stats this high. If the Strategy Wiki was correct, they should be around 40 to 45 at most. That meant this specific monster was a variant that usually wouldn't appear until the 6th Floor or lower.
My base Strength and Agility were only 35 and 40.
If I lost the ability to maintain Fighting Spirit, I would be outclassed in both skill and stats. I’d be dead in seconds.
The only silver lining was that, due to the heavy armor, its reaction speed was fast but its running speed seemed slow.
If the woman could just get back on her feet, we could run—hopefully!
Seriously, please let that be the case!
"Miss, I'm begging you, hurry it up!!"
Whether my prayer reached the heavens or not, she finally called out.
"I-I'm finished!"
The moment I heard her voice, I slammed my sword into the Goblin Knight’s shield with everything I had. The monster was pushed back a few inches. I used the recoil to leap backward, creating distance to check on her.
"—It’s no good!!"
I screamed in despair, ducked a counter-strike from the closing Goblin Knight, and threw myself back into the fray.
Despite what she’d said, she was barely standing, leaning heavily on her staff and clearly favoring her injured left leg.
There was no reason for her to lie, so she must have definitely used healing magic, but...
"I-I'm fine!"
"Don't lie to me! Can you run like that?!"
"P-Probably!"
"'Probably' isn't good enough!!!"
Why lie about it?! You look like you're still in total agony!
It wasn't the woman who answered my question.
『Hinata-chan’s healing magic isn't high enough to fully mend a major injury in such a short time!!』
『Her HP is restored, but running is still impossible!』
『Restoring HP and healing a physical injury aren't the same thing!』
『Deep wounds have to be treated properly in a stable environment!』
『Please, Leveling Junkie Bro! Save Hinata-chan!』
『Don't abandon her!』
The voice of a female VOICEROID—one that gave me the odd impression she’d enjoy a bowl of garlic-heavy ramen—was coming from the Drone Camera floating near her.
Apparently, she was streaming. The VOICEROID must have been the text-to-speech function for the comments. I hadn't noticed it before because I was focused on the fight, but it had probably been blathering this whole time.
I processed the information while continuing my exchange with the Goblin Knight.
With that leg, she couldn't outrun it. Even if I bought her time, she wouldn't make it far on her own; if she ran into a pack of regular Goblins, she’d be slaughtered.
What if I carried her?
It was a gamble, but it might work. However, there was one other problem...
"Is the guy lying over there still alive?!" I shouted.
"......!"
Hinata shook her head with a look of pure misery, and the viewers echoed her.
『Unfortunately, Goda is already gone!』
『Goda was a brave man!』
『We’ll never forget you, Goda!』
I see. So I don't have to worry about the guy.
In that case, it’s all or nothing!
"DORAAGH!!"
I rained down a series of heavy blows, forcing the Goblin Knight to retreat. In that split second, I lunged backward, spun on my heel, and sprinted toward Hinata.
"I’m going to carry you! We're running!!"
I didn't wait for a response. We didn't have time.
"Wait—Kyaa?! Oof!"
I ducked low, basically tackling her to get a grip, then wrapped my left arm around her waist and hoisted her over my shoulder.
I bolted for the exit leading back to the passage—
"—Damn it, it's no use!!"
"Kyaaa?!"
I hated to do it, but I practically dumped her back onto the floor.
I spun around instantly, catching a strike from the Goblin Knight—which had closed the distance faster than I’d expected—and delivered a front kick to its chest to push it away.
While facing off against the monster once more, I yelled at her.
"Sorry! I can't outrun it while I'm carrying you!!"
I’d realized it the moment I started moving. I didn't know her exact weight, but even a conservative guess put her at over forty kilograms.
With my current stats, I could carry her easily enough, but it still slowed me down. More importantly, carrying a person on one shoulder was incredibly unstable and hindered my balance.
If anything, the Goblin Knight was probably more mobile in its armor. At least armor weight is distributed across the entire body.
If we ran into a pack of Goblins in the tunnels, we’d be trapped and finished. I decided there was no way I could navigate a narrow passage and slip past a pack of monsters without getting us both killed while carrying her.
Basically, carrying her was out!!
『Take that back!』
『Hinata-chan isn't heavy! She’s just curvy!』
"Shut up!! Is this really the time for that?!" I screamed at the drone.
Wasting breath on such nonsense in the middle of a life-or-death emergency!
"Fuehhh!! I’m sorry!!" Hinata started sobbing.
I didn't have the luxury of comforting her. Since we couldn't run, there was only one path left.
"Miss! Do you have any MP left?!"
"Y-yes!"
"Then use your healing magic on me! Keep my HP up!!"
I steeled my resolve.
『What?! Is Leveling Junkie Bro seriously going to fight?』
『Against a Goblin Knight?!』
The viewers were losing it, but I didn't have a choice.
I gripped the hilt of my sword until my knuckles turned white and let out a roar.
"I’m taking this bastard down right here!!"