Out of all people, why am I the ntred protagonist

I turned away from the eerie throne room, choosing the right path instead.

"Come on, let's go," I called over my shoulder.

Cipher, who was still busy documenting the area with his camera, didn't immediately notice I had moved.

It wasn't until he looked up and saw me disappearing down the tunnel that he scrambled after me. "Oi, wait up! Don't just leave me behind!"

The torch he carried flickered wildly as he jogged to my side, his breath slightly uneven.

"So… what's next?" Cipher asked, adjusting his grip on his equipment.

"We keep exploring," I said, scanning our surroundings. "If this place is different from what I know, we need to figure out why. We might find something useful—or something dangerous."

The tunnel stretched before us, the darkness pressing in on all sides. Only the dim glow of Cipher's torch kept us from being swallowed by the abyss.

After a few minutes of walking, the path split once again.

I moved forward cautiously, peeking into the left passage—

And immediately froze.

Goblins.

Dozens of them.

No—hundreds.

Scattered across the cavern, sprawled on the ground, slumped against the walls, packed together like a grotesque army in hibernation. Their grotesque faces twitched slightly as they slept, their guttural snores echoing through the chamber.

"That's… a lot of goblins," Cipher muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

If this many goblins escaped into the outside world, chaos would be inevitable.

— Bro stumbled into the goblin HQ.

— 100 goblins?? That's an entire raid party.

— Nah, they ain't sleeping, they're loading their attack patterns.

— "One goblin wakes up, the whole army does" kinda situation.

— Stealth mission or suicide run, take your pick.

[System]: No shit, Sherlock. Any dungeon that materializes in the outside world would cause mass panic. Even the mere presence of a portal terrifies people.

[System]: But sarcasm aside… I got a really bad feeling about this. This number of goblins? It's not normal for a standard goblin dungeon.

I clenched my jaw. The system wasn't wrong.

Something was seriously wrong with this place.

We moved with deliberate caution, stepping lightly as we navigated past the left passage, careful not to disturb the slumbering horde.

The air was thick with the stench of unwashed bodies and damp stone. Each goblin's slow, raspy breathing felt like a ticking time bomb—one wrong step, one misplaced sound, and we'd be fighting for our lives.

Cipher kept close behind me, his movements surprisingly quiet despite his usual clumsiness. His torch was dimmed, its flickering light barely visible as we slipped away, choosing the right path instead.

As we entered the next corridor, I let out a quiet breath of relief.

Unlike the previous paths, this one was shorter. More structured. Lined with torches.

The flickering flames cast jagged shadows against the stone walls, revealing crude carvings and strange symbols etched into the surface.

Something about this place felt… different.

"Looks like someone actually maintains this area," Cipher murmured, eyeing the lit torches warily.

I nodded. "Yeah… which means someone—or something—is using it."

As we moved deeper into the corridor, the flickering torchlight revealed a daunting figure ahead.

A massive, humanoid creature towered over the goblins surrounding him, his bulk nearly twice the size of the others. Thick muscle wrapped around his grotesque frame, jagged scars crisscrossing his skin like battle-worn trophies. Six goblin guards stood in a semi-circle around him, gripping crude spears, their beady eyes sharp with vigilance. Behind them, a goblin shaman, draped in ragged robes etched with strange symbols, muttered arcane incantations under his breath.

The larger figure remained motionless, staring intently at something in front of him—something we couldn't see from our vantage point.

A gut feeling told me that whatever they were guarding, we wanted no part of it.

"We need to leave. Now." I whispered.

Cipher caught the urgency in my tone and nodded without a word. Step by step, we retraced our path, slipping away from the scene until the ominous figures were swallowed by darkness.

We arrived back at the chamber where dozens of goblins lay scattered across the floor, sleeping in chaotic heaps. Some snored loudly, others twitched in their slumber. The sheer number of them sent a chill down my spine—if even a fraction of them woke up, we were done for.

I exhaled slowly and turned to the one ally I had. "Hey, System, any ideas on how to deal with this many? Fighting them head-on would be suicide."

[System]: The best option? Trap them. Blow them up, collapse the entrance, and keep them inside.

"You say that like we actually have a bomb."

[System]: …Unfortunately, we don't.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Then why even suggest it?!"

[System]: It was an idea.

Cipher raised an eyebrow. "Who are you talking to?"

"Don't ask." I waved him off. "You know magic, right?"

"Yeah, but only the basics—rock wall, fireball, some utility spells. My fireball isn't all that strong, though."

"Good enough. We'll use that rock wall to seal the entrance once we set everything off."

Now the only question was… what could we use?

Something destructive. Something easy to ignite. Something—

Wait.

"Hey, System. Do you happen to have a Molotov?"

[System]: Checking inventory… Oh? How convenient! We have a magic-enhanced Molotov.

"You have a Molotov but not a bomb?"

[System]: I mean… it's easier to make?

I held back a sigh. "How much?"

[System]: 15 shop points.

"Buy it."

Ding!

A soft glow illuminated my hands as three glass bottles materialized before me. The liquid inside shimmered with an ominous, swirling red hue, faintly pulsing with embedded runes.

Cipher glanced at them, his eyes widening slightly before a smirk crept onto his face.

"You're thinking what I'm thinking, aren't you?"

A slow grin spread across my lips.

"Oh yeah. Let's set this place on fire."