"Alve? Are you okay?!" Ramon shouted, his voice strained with concern as he saw me facing the goblin horde alone.
"I'm fine! Just focus on the boss!" I called back, though in reality, I had no idea how I was supposed to handle them empty-handed.
The goblins, armed with crude knives and jagged blades, screeched as they closed in.
One of them lunged, its dagger aimed straight at my chest.
I barely dodged, shifting my weight to the side as I kicked it away. The goblin snarled as it hit the ground, dropping its weapon.
I snatched the knife from the dirt. "At least now I have something to fight with."
---
Meanwhile, Ramon clenched his teeth. The Minotaur was relentless, and the longer this fight dragged on, the worse our chances became.
"Damn it, we need to end this _now_," he growled.
Silver let out a sigh. "A hero shouldn't use that kind of language," he muttered. Then, glancing toward me, he added, "Besides, Alve will be fine. Trust him a little."
That was… unexpected. Silver never said anything encouraging about me before.
But there was no time to dwell on it.
The Minotaur suddenly roared, raising its massive axe—
Then, with terrifying strength, it hurled the weapon straight at Emma and Lily.
"DODGE IT!" Ramon bellowed.
Emma, unable to move in time, desperately cast a barrier spell.
_CRASH!_
The force of impact shattered the barrier instantly, sending both Emma and Lily flying into the dungeon wall.
Blood splattered. Their bodies slumped to the ground, covered in wounds.
"EMMA! LILY!" Ramon's furious scream filled the chamber.
In his moment of distraction, the Minotaur swung its massive arm—
And sent Ramon crashing across the battlefield.
"Ramon, get a hold of yourself!" Silver shouted, repositioning himself.
Groaning, Ramon pushed himself back up. "Y-Yeah… I'm fine. Check on Emma and Lily. I'll keep this bastard busy."
Gripping his sword, he rushed at the Minotaur again, slashing at its legs to keep its focus on him.
Silver quickly knelt beside Emma and Lily, pouring healing potions down their throats. Lily, still conscious, weakly channeled healing magic to stabilize Emma.
But Silver knew the truth. "We need an edge to win this. Ramon can't keep taking these hits."
---
At that moment, I reappeared, my suit drenched in blood, a rusted goblin sword in hand.
Silver's eyes widened. "Alve?! Are you—?"
"Relax," I interrupted. "It's not _my_ blood."
Silver stared for a moment, then gave a small smirk. "Well… that's unexpected."
I turned toward the battlefield.
Ramon was still fighting, but he wouldn't last much longer.
"We need to end this." I gripped the goblin sword tighter. "I'll take the aggro. You guys strike the killing blow."