Chapter 53 The Sixth-Floor Guardian
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The evening of Day 19 of the Tester Life. Outside the sixth-floor guardian’s chamber.
When I reached out and touched the heavy door, it ground open automatically, just like the entrance to the Area Guardian’s¹ lair.
Beyond the threshold lay a void of absolute pitch. Not even the piercing beam from Rock’s headlamp could cut through the gloom. Another invisible barrier, I thought, clicking my tongue in annoyance as I stepped into the dark.
The moment I crossed the line, torches mounted along the stone walls flared to life in a rapid, rhythmic sequence, racing from the front of the room to the back. In the sudden wash of orange light, the arena finally revealed itself.
It was a square stone chamber, thirty meters across. At the far end stood a massive black gate.
Guarding it was a single goblin clad in leather armor, a sword gripped firmly in its hand. Eight more goblins stood before it like a living shield, clutching heavy wooden clubs.
So the sixth-floor boss is a swordsman, huh? He was taller than the average goblin, standing nearly as high as Rock, though significantly leaner. He held his blade with a practiced ease that suggested actual martial discipline.
”Grr-agh!” the goblin shrieked.
The Goblin Soldier let out a piercing cry the moment we were clear of the entrance. On command, his subordinates formed a horizontal line and charged. They were twenty-five meters out. They were slower than kobolds, but at that pace, they’d be on us in seconds. I didn’t let it rattle me. I leveled my hand and aimed just in front of the goblins anchoring the ends of their line.
”Fireball!” I shouted, casting twice.
Two blossoms of flame erupted. One goblin went down, screeching as the splash damage ignited its legs, but the others managed to dive out of the way. Exactly as planned. To avoid the blast, they had to scramble toward the center, right into the path of the Goblin Soldier and the rest of the pack. The sudden bottleneck killed their momentum, leaving them stumbling over one another.
”Rock! Go!” I yelled.
Rock was already coiled like a spring. At my signal, he lowered his shield, leveled his short spear, and tore across the stone floor.
”Skreee!” the goblins cried out.
Seeing a literal wall of muscle and steel hurtling toward them, the Goblin Soldier skidded to a halt. He barked frantic orders, trying to rally his panicked lackeys into a defensive wall. The smaller goblins huddled together, knees knocking together even as they raised their clubs in a desperate attempt to protect their leader.
”Wind Cutter!” I called out, three times in quick succession.
I wasn’t about to let them get organized. I drifted to the flank to clear Rock’s line of charge and unleashed a barrage of vacuum blades into the cluster of meat-shields.
”Gah!” one goblin yelped, followed by a wet thud.
The howling wind tore through the front line, leaving them bloodied and reeling. Just as they faltered, Rock’s mass connected with the force of a freight train. The center of the formation disintegrated. Goblins were tossed aside like ragdolls, and the Soldier behind them was swept up in the carnage. Through the dust, I saw Rock’s short spear drive deep into the Soldier’s chest.
Good boy. He’d been hunting the leader from the very start.
The poor Goblin Soldier never even got the chance to show off his swordplay. He was simply erased by the sheer kinetic energy of a charging Rock. Rock wrenched his spear from the leader’s chest and drove it into the creature’s throat to finish the job. While he handled the boss, I closed the gap and methodically put down the remaining goblins struggling on the floor.
”Good work, Rock. Beautiful hit,” I said.
Once the room was clear, I slapped Rock on the shoulder, offering him a grin. He’d followed my training perfectly-always go for the throat, never leave them breathing. He’d grown so much sharper since his evolution. He was a world apart from that arrogant Kobold King we’d fought earlier.
”Bark!” Rock huffed wafun.
Rock panted happily, his tail thumping against his armored flank. Despite the rugged, intimidating build, he was still a Shiba at heart. I gave him another pat and signaled for him to start harvesting the magic stones². While he worked, I walked over to the copper treasure chest that had manifested in front of the black gate.
”A Grade 4 Potion and… a blue medal? Wait, I know this,” I muttered.
I picked up the medal. It was about the size of a large coin, engraved on both sides with intricate magic circles. I pulled my phone out of my Magic Pouch and flicked through my album of Shop screenshots. I’d taken pictures of almost everything in the catalog for exactly this reason. I found the match and tapped it, zooming in on the description.
”Right. The Medal of Return,” I said to myself.
If you channel Mana Capacity³ into it, the medal teleports the user and anyone touching them directly out of the dungeon. In a Trial Dungeon, it returns everyone to their respective My Rooms. It requires a three-second cast time during which the user must remain stationary. The medal disappears after use.
A literal “Get Out of Jail Free” card.
The catch was the price-20,000 DP for a single-use item. And that three-second wind-up was a killer. If you were in a situation desperate enough to need it, standing still for three seconds was usually a death sentence. It seemed more like a tool for when you were spent after a fight and didn’t have the Mana or strength to trek back. Using half a day’s earnings just to skip the walk home… I’d do it in a heartbeat if things got hairy, but I could see other testers getting a bad case of Elixir Syndrome⁴-hoarding it for an emergency that never comes until it’s too late.
I tucked the phone away and took the magic stones from Rock. We pushed through the black gate, revealing the same brick-and-torch corridors of the sixth floor. I sent Rock ahead to scout the Teleportation Array. When he gave a sharp, reassuring bark, I followed.
We moved slowly, staying alert for traps. Even though the sixth floor had been relatively clear, complacency was a luxury we couldn’t afford. Five minutes in, we ran into a pair of goblins. These ones were armed with rusted swords and knives instead of primitive clubs. The gear was getting better.
”Rock, clear the way,” I ordered.
”Awooo!” Rock howled.
I wanted to see if our blitz tactics still held up. One of the goblins shrieked and threw its knife, but Rock caught it on his shield without breaking stride. The swordsman tried to stand his ground, shaking like a leaf, but Rock simply plowed through both of them. He looped back around and finished them off before they could even find their feet.
Risky? Maybe a little. But the charge was still our most effective opening. As long as Rock kept his vitals behind the shield, these rusted blades weren’t going to do much more than scratch his paint.
”Well done. I’m leaning on you for this floor, too,” I said.
”Waf!” Rock barked.
Rock gathered the stones and dropped them into my hand, looking up at me for a head-pat. I obliged, scratching behind his ears as his tail went into overdrive. It was still a bit early, but we’d reached a good stopping point. I recalled Rock into his Magic Sealing Crystal and headed for the Teleportation Array.
Time to go home.
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Summary:
Sanada Yakumo and Rock enter the 6th-floor guardian room to face a Goblin Soldier and its squad. Through tactical use of Fireball and Wind Cutter, Yakumo disrupts their formation, allowing Rock to execute a decisive charge. They loot a rare Medal of Return before proceeding briefly into the next floor to test Rock’s effectiveness against armed goblins.
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Character Insight:
Yakumo demonstrates growth as a commander, prioritizing tactical positioning over raw power. Rock’s loyalty and intelligence are highlighted, showing that the bond between ‘master and pet’ has evolved into a highly efficient combat partnership.
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Behind the Scenes:
The ‘Elixir Syndrome’ is a meta-reference to JRPG player habits, specifically the ‘Too Awesome to Use’ trope where players finish games with inventories full of rare consumables.
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TL Notes:
Notes:
• Rock – A male Kobold summoned from a Magic Sealing Crystal. He has grey fur, round eyes, and a face resembling a Shiba Inu. He wears a leather jacket and a pilot’s cap
• Yakumo – A 25-year-old human male. He has facial scars, stab wounds, and gunshot scars from his time in a war zone. He works as a school guard.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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