Dimension Beta

Tom decided to clear his mind, and what better way to do that than smashing some monsters?

With more time on his hands today than usual, he decided to delve deeper into the caves. Beforehand, he had checked the forums for advice on avoiding the dungeon's more dangerous areas. Now, he would intentionally do the opposite, venturing into the paths he had previously avoided.

On his way, he encountered a few patrols of kobolds. However, since he was already several levels above them, they posed no threat. After about 20 minutes of traversing the cave system, Tom saw a light at the end of the tunnel. This wasn't the usual flickering glow of torches but rather a steady, radiant light.

When he reached the end of the passage, he stood in awe. Before him stretched a massive lava lake, its orange glow lighting up the cavern. Around the lake, multiple kobold camps were scattered, with kobolds either resting or hard at work.

Tom was perched on a sort of air vent on the cliffside. To descend, he would have to rappel down. The heat in the area was palpable, even though he was nowhere near the lava itself.

He pulled out a potion from his pouch a low-grade fire resistance potion he had purchased before setting out. Tom had read that prolonged exposure to this environment caused debilitating effects, and he wasn't about to take any chances.

Next, he took out a rope. Since this descent point was frequently used by adventurers, metal carabiners had already been hammered into the wall. Tom secured his rope and carefully lowered himself to the ground.

As he approached the first camp, he observed about 30 kobolds in the vicinity. A handful were gathered around a fire pit, where a large cauldron bubbled. Though he could vaguely make out bones in the pot, he chose not to think too hard about their origin.

A larger kobold approached the resting ones, kicked a sleeping kobold awake, and barked something in their guttural language. The idle kobolds immediately returned to work, while the larger one lay down by the fire and closed its eyes.

Even among kobolds, there seems to be a hierarchy, Tom thought.

Now that the camp was nearly empty, except for the large kobold, Tom waited a bit longer to ensure it was truly asleep before creeping closer to the fire pit. He pulled out a bundle of herbs, a concoction designed to make creatures lethargic and eventually fall asleep. Since the effects were gradual, the kobolds would hopefully not realize what was happening until it was too late.

As he turned to leave the fire pit, Tom accidentally nudged a wooden bowl, causing it to roll noisily across the rocky ground.

He froze, eyes locked on the large kobold. When it didn't react, he let out a quiet sigh of relief and retreated.

Tom repeated the process with three more camps, spreading the herb mixture into their fire pits. He wasn't sure if he could handle all four camps with roughly 30 kobolds each, but the herbs were cheap, and there was no harm in trying.

With his work done, Tom only needed to wait. Having nothing else to do in the meantime, he decided to log out and grab a meal.

When he entered the kitchen, his mother had just finished cooking.

"Hey, Mom. Smells amazing," Tom said, taking a seat at the table.

"Oh, there's my big boy. Come here," his mom said, giving him a kiss on the cheek and a hug.

"Maaaam, I'm not a kid anymore," he protested.

"Hmpf… is that so? I guess grown-ups cook for themselves then," she teased.

"Come on, Mom, you know what I mean."

His mom smiled and playfully pinched his cheeks. "My little boy is growing up so fast. But don't forget me when you leave me for another woman."

Tom laughed at her antics, and the two enjoyed a warm meal together.

As they finished, his mom stopped him before he could leave.

"Tom, before you go, I want us to meet later in Beta. I have something for you," she said.

"Mom, you know you don't have to give me anything."

"Quiet and just do what I say. You're still my son, so listen to your mom," she said, her eyes filled with warmth rather than reprimand.

"Okay, Mom, I'll message you later," he promised.

"Good. Take care, sweetie," she said, letting him go.

Tom returned to Beta, where it had been two hours since he infiltrated the camps.

To his dismay, the kobolds in the first camp were still eating. Deciding not to rush things, he waited.

Fifteen minutes later, the kobolds began yawning and slumping from fatigue. One by one, they fell asleep, while others noticed something was off but couldn't muster the strength to act.

When Tom saw that all were asleep, he stepped out of his hiding spot.

Carefully approaching the first kobold, who sat alone by a rock, he nudged it lightly with his foot. The kobold let out a small growl but merely slumped over and continued sleeping.

Relieved, Tom took out an axe from his spatial pouch. While he wasn't proficient with axes, he needed a weapon capable of delivering lethal blows in one hit.

The first kobold was lying on its side. Tom raised the axe as if chopping wood and brought it down with all his strength. A massive "-10,000" floated above the kobold, which died instantly.

Checking his surroundings to ensure no one had woken up, Tom systematically moved from kobold to kobold, decapitating them.

What a glorious way to farm experience, he thought, grinning.

In the center of the camp, two kobolds remained: one regular-sized and the larger one he had seen earlier. Tom decided to save the larger kobold for last and approached the smaller one.

Lifting the axe, he swung it down, but something went wrong.

Instead of landing a clean hit, the blade only nicked the kobold's neck. While this would have killed a human, it wasn't enough for a monster.

The kobold let out a shriek before Tom, panicking, struck again and finished it off.

The noise, however, had already done its damage. The large kobold's eyes snapped open, and upon seeing Tom standing amidst the bodies of its kin, it roared in rage and charged.

Caught off guard, Tom tried to raise the axe, but the kobold was too fast, slashing his chest with its claws. Tom's health plummeted by over a third as he stumbled back.

Realizing the axe was a liability, Tom dropped it and prepared for hand-to-hand combat.

What followed was a brutal exchange of blows. The kobold had the upper hand due to Tom's injuries, and he needed a plan fast.

Glancing around, an idea struck him.

He slowly retreated toward the fire pit, giving the kobold the illusion of victory. The fire had died down, leaving only embers and glowing wood.

With a swift kick, Tom sent the embers flying into the kobold's face, temporarily blinding it. Taking advantage of the moment, Tom grabbed the cauldron hanging over the pit, spun it, and slammed it into the kobold's head.

To his relief, the game didn't penalize him for using an improvised weapon.

The kobold staggered but wasn't out. Tom didn't let up, kicking it to the ground before delivering a final, powerful blow with the axe.

Breathing heavily, Tom surveyed the aftermath. His health was down to just 20%, but he was thrilled by the rare loot and experience he had gained.

Inspecting the large kobold's pelt with his new magnifying lens, he was elated to see it wasn't just uncommon.

[Rare Kobold Hide]

Used for crafting armor

A rare monster! Tom thought excitedly. But his excitement was short-lived as a chilling realization hit him. If this kobold was rare, what had that other creature been… the one that had almost killed him in the deeper caves?

Cold sweat formed on his brow as he recalled his narrow escape. If only I had that pelt… he thought wistfully.

He had checked for the previous kobold's body the day before, but it was gone without a trace.

Shaking off his thoughts, Tom continued looting the camp, finding several uncommon glowing items and, most importantly, a pile of ore the kobolds had been mining.

The sight left him speechless. This must be worth a fortune! he thought.

Though he couldn't carry everything, he resolved to take as much uncommon ore as possible, using his magnifying lens to pick out the valuable pieces.

After filling his spatial pouch, he moved on to the next camp. With the kobolds asleep, he dispatched them efficiently and looted the area.

The third camp was no different, but as Tom entered the fourth, he encountered something entirely unexpected.

A horn was blowing, and the sound of it echoed across the entire area of the lava lake.

Tom was halfway through his task when suddenly all the kobolds' eyes snapped open, as if the sound of the horn was their wake-up call.

The kobolds woke up groggy and confused, unsure of what had just happened. But as they looked around and saw their fallen comrades lying lifeless on the ground, they began screaming one after another, their cries of alarm echoing in the camp.

Tom, however, was already fleeing toward his rope.

He didn't know what the sound of the horn signified, but he had no intention of sticking around to find out.