Chapter 23: Afterword - Goblin-Slaying Quest Arc

Hey'a! It's UelUel, your lazy and lousy PuroShark Writer. If you've made it to this Afterword, thanks a ton for reading my book Days of Dungeon: From Simple Quest to Strange Adventure. Let's dive into a little discussion about the book itself, focusing on the main and supporting characters from the goblin-slaying quest arc. --- Inspiration & Background First of all, I was inspired to write this book after reading the Japanese light novel The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary. It's a solid, classic fantasy adventure light novel—without the isekai angle—so check it out if you're interested. Unfortunately, the series, which had reached Volume 15, has been put on hold by the author for undisclosed reasons. To make matters worse, the free translation site also stopped updating it at the end of 2024. That frustration is exactly what pushed me to write this book. If you're familiar with The Strange Adventure of a Broke Mercenary, or if you've already read it, you might notice some similarities—like the main characters pairing, the story's starting event, and the concept of the seven deadly sins. But I promise you, this book is not a copy-paste. It will grow into a completely different story. --- Main Characters You can check the comment section for image references of the main characters later. --- Lynn – The Life of the Party Let's start with the attention-grabber, the scene-stealer, the beautiful and mischievous mage: Lynn. Her character was inspired by two anime/manga characters: 1. Shinoa Hiragi from Seraph of the End. Lynn's sarcastic, cheerful, and mischievous nature, as well as her dramatic flair, are mostly based on Shinoa. Honestly, I often imagine Shinoa's voice when writing Lynn's dialogue—guess I just really like it. If you're unfamiliar, Shinoa shares her voice actress with Yor (Spy x Family) and Shinobu (Demon Slayer). 2. Karla from Kono Healer Mendokusai. Lynn's audacity, rudeness, and overblown self-esteem are modeled after this unreachable, self-proclaimed goddess of a dark elf cleric. Lynn's Profile (as of the current story): Name: Lynn Class: Iron-Rank Mage Adventurer (Self-proclaimed Priestess and Scout) Personality: Mischievous, audacious, sarcastic, confident, proud, high self-esteem Traits: Human; blue eyes with two black pupils; platinum blonde hair; 160 cm tall; age (still a secret) Hobbies: Magic research, collecting relics and artifacts, dungeon and ruin exploration Weapons & Gear: Ancient relic dagger, twin-arrow crossbow, enchanted bag, enchanted lantern Mystic Spells: Basic: Tremor, Stone Bullet, Gust, Ignite, Flame Arrow, Surge, Freeze, Ice Lance Intermediate: Waterjet, Obelisk Advanced: Glacier, Avalanche Divine Blessing: Heal Combat Skills: Pierce, Search Though she hasn't used Stone Bullet, Obelisk, and Avalanche yet, I've listed them because she's capable of casting them. If you're guessing she's connected to the goddess and the seven curses... well, you'd better stick around to find out. --- Arezu – The Relatable Warrior Next is the laid-back warrior, Arezu. His character is mainly inspired by Stark from Frieren: Beyond Journey's End. While Arezu's chill, easygoing, and calm demeanor is my own personal touch, his tendency to whine, overreact, and act timid is very much Stark-inspired. His wistful, dramatic tendencies hint at a mysterious past—which I'm keeping secret for now. You might suspect his backstory involves reincarnation, transmigration, or even regression. But don't dwell on it just yet. His fighting style is also mostly based on Stark. I guess these days, I personally prefer axes over swords. However, Arezu's halberd-axe design isn't based on Stark's weapon, it was inspired by Konami's weapon from World Trigger. Details of Arezu's Halberd Axe: Total length: 180 cm Shaft: 160 cm Front blade: An axe (with 40 cm length plus 20 cm extension) Rear blade: A scythe (yet to be used in the story) You can check the comment section for its design. Arezu's Profile (as of the current story): Name: Arezu Class: Copper-Rank Warrior Adventurer Personality: Laid-back, timid, calm, easygoing Traits: Human; gray eyes; gray-brown hair; 185 cm tall; age 20 Weapons & Gear: Halberd-axe, dagger, black leather armor, arm and knee guards Combat Skills: Basic: Cleave, Shatter Advanced: Shockwave Hobbies: Cooking, cleaning, training, camping --- Supporting Characters (Brief Remarks) Alex – A hero candidate. Basically, think of him as a blonde-haired Kirito from Sword Art Online. I kind of feel sorry for what I wrote to him in the story. Liz – Daughter of Duke Von Envier. Modeled after one of my favorite characters, Saber from Fate Stay Series. Her black shield and reddish-brown hair are my own additions. Hannah – A saintess candidate. She's your classic short blue-haired priestess in a white vestment. Her black mace, though, is reserved for violence. Despite being the smallest in the group, she's actually the oldest—and quite the romance observer. This trio will return in a future arc—I guarantee it. --- About the Goblin-Slaying Quest Arc The plot for the goblin-slaying quest arc was simple: What if the infamous goblins, known for assaulting women (as seen in Goblin Slayer), suddenly shifted their lust toward men instead? Strange enough to match the title? Of course, there's also the twist of Alex being corrupted by the Curse of Lust and sexually assaulting Arezu... but that was mostly just me being funny. I hope the fight scenes against the orcs, goblin flashers, and Alex helped showcase the capabilities of the characters, especially Lynn and Arezu, and delivered on the action. Hopefully, the brief drama, mock romance, and playful flirting between Arezu and Lynn were to your liking. --- Final Thoughts This arc was on the shorter side—only 22 chapters with a little over 20K words—but I'm considering keeping this fast-paced writing style. As to avoids boredom and possibly grabs more attention. That's it for the Afterword of the goblin-slaying quest arc. More simple quests await Arezu and Lynn, along with plenty of strange adventures. Please continue supporting this book by advertising for collection, dropping power stones, or even subscribing and sending gifts once the book gets contracted. And fear not—I promise the first 100 chapters will remain free before we move into premium content. That's my commitment, even if it means putting my other books on hiatus. More chapters are on the way, so keep reading: Days of Dungeon: From Simple Quest to Strange Adventure