We glanced at each other and held a quick huddle to decide our next move while the shouts—or rather, the screams—echoed from within the room. As we were operating as a team, it wouldn't do to act without reaching a consensus first.
Personally, I was in favor of helping.
"That seems to be the situation. What do you guys think? Should we step in? Judging by what we can hear, they'd likely welcome us if we offered to join the fray."
"I don't think the act of helping is an issue, but..." Yuji trailed off.
"Can we actually coordinate with them once we're inside?" Hiiragi-san added. "At the very least, we have to make sure we don't trip over each other, right?"
"Yeah. From the sounds of it, it’s a chaotic melee with them surrounded by a large number of enemies. Fortunately, they don't seem to have descended into a total panic yet."
Yuji made a fair point. Stepping in was easy enough, but since we had never met these people and had no idea what they were capable of, tight coordination was off the table. If they were willing to hand the reins over to us and pull back, we could wipe out the monsters in the room in no time. However, since they were merely being overwhelmed by numbers, they probably wouldn't just retreat. If someone were injured, they might be more inclined to back off and let us take over... though obviously, it was better if no one was hurt.
Since they hadn't panicked yet, I hoped they would at least agree to a simple division of labor. We would have to see.
"True. That said, we can't exactly walk away and leave them to their fate after hearing them like this, can we?"
"I suppose not," Yuji agreed with a wry smile. It would leave a bitter taste in our mouths to abandon people crying out for help right in front of us.
After our brief discussion, we decided to step in—provided they consented to our backup.
"If they agree, Yuji and I will charge in. Hiiragi-san, please guard Mika and the others. It’s unlikely, but some stragglers or new spawns might head your way."
"Understood."
"Mika, Saori-chan—Yuji and I are heading in. Keep your eyes peeled. We’ll try to move in a way that’ll be a good reference for your training."
"Okay."
"Understood."
Since we were helping anyway, I decided to show Mika and Saori-chan how to handle group combat. To ensure they didn't put themselves in danger by focusing too hard on observing, I asked Hiiragi-san to act as their bodyguard.
If we were going to fight, we might as well get some benefit out of it.
"Alright, I’m calling out to them. Ready?"
"Yeah, go ahead."
"Yes."
"Mm-hmm!"
"Yes!"
With everyone's consent, I took a deep breath and stepped into the doorway to reveal myself.
Then, I let it rip.
"Hey! You guys alright?! We can back you up if you need a hand!"
I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted at the top of my lungs so I wouldn't be drowned out by the din of battle.
The party fighting inside the room noticed me standing in the entrance. Their expressions momentarily flashed with surprise as they looked my way.
Whoa, hey now. I picked a timing that looked as safe as possible to call out, but you really shouldn't take your eyes off the enemy. Depending on the monster, they'll capitalize on a split-second opening like that to gut you.
"Who are you?! No, it doesn't matter! If you can help, please do!"
"Whoa, reinforcements?!"
"We're saved! Please, help us! There's too many of them!"
"Hurry! We're at our limit!"
They shouted back their consent with visible relief, each of them welcoming our intervention. It looked like we’d be able to join in without any friction. In these situations, you sometimes run into parties where the members can't agree on whether to accept help, which prevents you from doing anything.
When someone requests backup, there is a tacit understanding that a portion of the drop items will be handed over as a backup reward. Because of this, you sometimes get greedy people who refuse help even when their party is struggling, simply because they personally aren't in immediate danger and don't want to lose their loot. Usually, the leader's decision is final, but while corporate-types are professional, student-types... well, they can be a bit more complicated.
"Understood! We're coming in! We’ll start by shaving down the outer edges, so watch your swings and don't hit us!"
"Yeah, we're counting on you!"
Having established the bare minimum of communication, Yuji and I moved immediately.
We planned to hold back quite a bit, though, to make sure Mika and the others could follow our movements.
"Yuji, we'll move clockwise and cull them!"
"Got it!"
Normally, splitting up and sweeping from both sides would be the most efficient way to clear the room, but this was a teaching moment. To demonstrate how to handle multiple enemies, we would work in tandem rather than acting solo.
First, Yuji charged into a cluster of about five goblins acting as the vanguard, and I followed right behind him.
"I’ll take the three on the right."
"Understood. Then I’ve got the two on the left."
We decided to first strike a group of goblins that had been standing slightly apart, likely acting as reserves. The five goblins realized they were being targeted as we rushed them and hurriedly scrambled to intercept us... but they were slow. They had probably grown complacent, thinking they had the advantage while surrounding the other party.
Once we were in range, Yuji and I split left and right, decapitating one goblin each before they could even mount a counterattack.
"Gigi?!"
Disturbed by how easily their companions' heads had been lopped off, the remaining three goblins started swinging their weapons wildly. There wasn't a shred of coordination; they were just trying to keep us away rather than actually fighting.
I knew exactly how to handle that.
"Hah!"
"Gi?!"
Before the headless goblin corpses could even begin to undergo particleization, Yuji and I kicked them hard, sending them flying into the goblins who were swinging their weapons. The goblins couldn't withstand the impact and were knocked flat, pinned beneath the corpses of their comrades.
That left one swinging his weapon and two pinned down. I decided to finish off the active one before the others could recover.
"And... there."
"Gi?!"
"Now to finish these two on the floor."
"Gigi?!"
Yuji lopped off the head of the goblin swinging its weapon, while I crushed the throats of the fallen goblins, snapping their necks. Yeah, the crunching sensation under my boot felt disgusting. That said, decapitating a goblin lying on the ground with a katana is surprisingly difficult. If you misjudge the distance even slightly, the tip of the blade will strike the floor.
In any case, we had annihilated the first group in about five seconds.
"Alright, let's keep it moving. Next target."
"Yeah."
Because of the sheer number of enemies, Yuji and I moved toward our next targets before the particleization was even complete. Normally, you’d wait to confirm the kill, but in a battle against a horde, you don't have that luxury. You focus on delivering a lethal blow that will definitely result in particleization—like decapitation—whenever you have an opening, and you keep moving. Creating one-on-one situations and ensuring you don't get surrounded is the basic rule of group combat. If you focus too much on a single kill, you'll be overwhelmed by numbers; if you deal half-hearted attacks, you'll be dragged into a war of attrition.
With those principles in mind, Yuji and I leaped toward our next target: a pack of seven goblins.
Five minutes after we joined the fight, the sweep was over. The goblins that had filled the room were gone. Fortunately, the party that had asked for help didn't have any major injuries. They seemed to be the type to deliberately farm these trap rooms, so they clearly had some skill. They had just been pushed to their limit because an unexpectedly large number of goblins had spawned.
Once the last goblin corpse finished its particleization, the members of the other party let out long sighs and collapsed to the floor. It seemed the relief of surviving the crisis had finally sapped their strength.
"Hey, you guys okay?"
"Eh? Oh, yeah, we’re fine....Phew. Sorry for the delay, but thank you. We’re only alive because you guys stepped in."
"Oh, don't worry about it. Leaving people in that situation would have left a terrible taste in our mouths."
"Haha, true enough."
The man from the party gave a weary, appreciative smile as I scratched my cheek.
"Anyway, we really owe you. Usually, that many goblins don't show up. We just couldn't handle the overflow."
"Is it usually fewer?"
"Yeah. Normally it’s a dozen or so, maybe twenty at the most. But for some reason today, nearly double that number came out..."
"That’s... certainly some rotten luck."
The man looked like he’d swallowed a bug as he recalled the fight. If nearly double the expected number of enemies suddenly appeared, it was only natural they were overwhelmed. If anything, it was impressive that they had held out without any major injuries until we arrived. In a situation like that, it wouldn't have been surprising if someone had been seriously hurt.
While I was musing on that, the man slowly pushed himself up from the floor.
"Well, given the circumstances, I'm truly grateful you came to our aid. Thanks to you, we made it through without losing anyone. And as for..."
The man looked away from me and glanced at his companions before surveying the drop items scattered across the floor.
"For the backup reward... would you be willing to take the drop items from this battle?"
"Yeah, that's fine."
"I see. Then we'll gather them up right away. Just wait a moment. Hey! Don't just sit there forever! Get to collecting! This is the reward for the people who saved us, so move it!"
"O-Okay..."
At the man's urging, his party members stood up with heavy limbs and began collecting the loot. Since we had killed a lot of goblins, there were quite a few items scattered about.
Five minutes later, the haul was lined up in front of Yuji and me.
"Go ahead, pick whatever you like... though I have to say, there isn't much here that looks good."
"Haha... I see what you mean."
"Honestly, I don't know why... our luck is just nonexistent today."
Yuji and I shared a wry smile as we looked over the pathetic spread. The items were almost entirely Core Crystals, with two bottles that looked like recovery potions acting as a meager consolation prize. To have fought that many goblins and only get this... as he said, their luck was truly terrible today.
I leaned in and consulted with Yuji in a low voice.
"Hey, what do you think, Yuji? Should we take the recovery potions?"
"Taking those from this lineup is a bit..."
"I know... but what else is there?"
To be honest, if we took the recovery potions, their actual earnings for the day would be practically zero. However, if we were going to take anything as a reward for providing backup, those potions were the only things of value. We could have been nice and just taken a few Core Crystals, but that wasn't a great idea. Doing so would set a strange precedent.
If they were to receive backup again in the future, they might try to haggle, saying things like, "The last guys were fine with Core Crystals, so why aren't you?" That kind of thing leads to friction between explorers, and at worst, it can turn into physical conflict. To avoid creating that risk, it was better to steel our hearts and accept a legitimate reward.
After a moment of deliberation...
"Alright. We'll take these as our reward."
"Ugh... Right. Go ahead. In this pile, those are the only things that actually count as a proper reward."
The man and his party members watched with wistful, slightly pained expressions as we picked up the two recovery potions. I couldn't blame them for the reaction, but it definitely made me feel like a villain.
Yuji and I quickly tucked the potions into our bags. If we left them out, they'd probably keep staring at them with those regretful eyes forever.
Talk about a string of bad luck—when it rains, it pours.