Ich-bck cave, four young adventurers, two men and two women, simple gear, advanced cautiously through the darkness.

  Except for the priestess, the other three seemed overly rexed—so much so that one might believe they were on a casual outing rather than on a mission to hunt monsters.

  "… Are you sure we're okay?"

  Finally, the anxious priestess couldn't help but voice her about her overly optimistic teammates.

  The swordsman at the front ughed and said, "Goblins? Even kids know about them. I once chased a goblin out of my vilge."

  "Bragging about beating goblins is nothing to be proud of. It's embarrassing," the female fighter teased.

  The swordsman frowned but said nothing more, his youthful fidence radiating from his expression.

  Meanwhile, the female fighter turo the priestess and, like soothing a frightened child, said, "Even if this idiot misses one, I'll punch it to the moon, so don't worry."

  "Hey, calling me an idiot is a bit much. But seriously, with our skills, even if a dragon shows up, we'll find a way to deal with it!" the swordsmaed.

  "You sure are eager. Well, maybe one day we'll mahat," murmured the female mage who had been quietly walking behind them.

  Her words drew ughter from the others, except for the priestess, whose ay deepened.

  As they tinued on with expectations for their advehey pressed toward the destination of their current quest.

  ...

  After passing through a corridor lit by torches, the priestess, who had been harb a bad feeling, suddenly heard strange noises from behind.

  She froze in pce.

  The mage, notig her hesitation, pined, "Hey, you're falling behind. Don’t mess up the formation."

  "Ah, sorry!" The priestess, though having heard something strange, was too timid to voice her s and tinued forward.

  However...

  "Again? What's wrong this time?" the mage asked, growing impatient.

  Uher adventurers, mages often have a certain pride due to their extraordinary abilities.

  In most cases, having a powerful mage on your team oint of pride for any adventuring party.

  But now, as the mage saw the priestess stop again, frustration grew.

  The two in front, the swordsman and the fighter, were deep in versation, walking further ahead, oblivious to what was happening.

  "Is there something behind us...?" the priestess asked nervously.

  The mage sighed and replied, "e on, we’ve been walking straight from the entra’s a one-assage. How could anything be back there?"

  She slowly turned around, her expression one of disbelief...

  "Goblins!?" she screamed.

  To her shock, a group of hideous goblins had somehow fhem from behind and were now charging at her.

  The mage, unaced to fag monsters directly, raised her staff in a panic.

  Being a novice mage with limited magical power, she relied heavily oaff to cast spells.

  This was on knowledge among mages.

  Despite her nervousness, she mao cast her first spell.

  The ing sound of burning flesh and the stench of scorched gobli filled the air.

  She smiled in satisfa, but it only sted a sed.

  The goblins, using their numbers, quickly overwhelmed her and knocked her to the ground, snatg her staff.

  "Ah—give it back! That’s not something you filthy creatures touch!"

  For a novice mage, their staff was their lifeline, enabling them to cast magibsp;

  Without it, they were more vulnerable than ordinary people.

  Meanwhile, the priestess, uo finish her spell due to panic, stood frozen in fear.

  The goblins, growing impatient with the mage’s struggle, abaheir pn to capture her alive and drove a rusted short sword into her abdomen.

  "Aaaah!" she screamed in agony as her innards were cut open, her blood staining the dark path.

  "Cut! Get the goblin that went out of trol out of here, and use split ss to show the se. Prop team, apply the red dye to her chest. The two other rookie adventurers should rush i," directed the man in charge, Edward.

  "Yes, Director," replied one of the crew.

  As Edward gave his instrus, the busy set of the cave filming resumed.

  While the final product would show a dark, eerie dungeon, the actual set was buzzing with activity.

  Many of the adventurers who had e to watch had gradually turned into part of the crew, eager to tribute in any way they could, anticipating the ce t ohe film was released.

  With the preparations plete, the filming resumed.

  The two remaining adventurers finally realized that their teammates at the rear had been ambushed.

  They rushed ba a panibsp;

  After driving the goblins away from the mage’s body, the priestess desperately tried to heal her, but the attempt was futile.

  Unbeknownst to her, the goblins' bdes were poisoned.

  Her healing magic alone couldn't save the mage.

  Oher side, the swordsman ehe goblins in a frantic melee.

  Overfident and unaware of the goblins' ing nature, he failed to adapt to the narrow space of the cave, where his long sword was iive.

  Eventually, a goblin slipped past his defenses and plus bde into his unarmored throat, killing him.

  Despite his skill, the tight quarters of the cave and his refusal to wear a dirty sed-hand suit of armor sealed his fate.

  With two down, the remaining adventurers, the fighter and the priestess, were filled with despair.

  The fighter, determio protect her rades, held off the goblins alone.

  However, she was ultimately overpowered by a monstrous, mutated goblin.

  Like a rag doll, she was thrown to the ground.

  Despite her skill, she was helpless against its sheer strength.

  The priestess, in tears, dragged the dying mage with her as they fled, the screams of the fighter eg behind them.

  Director Edward filmed the se with deliberate restraint, opting to leave much of the violeo the audience's imagination.

  The giant goblin wasn't a real species but a forest troll disguised with makeup to py the part.

  The only one unhappy with the arra was the poor troll, who had been enjoying a peaceful life in the forest before being kidnapped for the role.

  ...

  "I'm sorry—!" In the cave, the priestess, with hands over her ears to block out the sounds of assault behind her, stumbled forward with the mage, frantically running.

  Despite the darkness and the rocks beh her feet, she didn’t stop.

  "I'm sorry… I’m so sorry…!" she muttered over and over.

  Her breaths came in gasps, and she felt an arrow pierce her shoulder.

  She colpsed, pain c through her body as blood soaked her robe.

  The goblins' ughter echoed from behind.

  Then, in the distance, she saw a faint light—a torch. It was small but unmistakably bright, apanied by the sound of firm, determined footsteps approag from the darkness.

  And there, reflected in her eyes, was a figure—like a demon from hell—slowly making their way toward the goblin-filled cave.

  Zaztra_Vandesh