NOVEL NEXT Chapter 58
Eek…
Pow!
With the last remaining creature’s feeble dying scream, I was suddenly able to slay the massive swarm of bats that swooped down from the ceiling.
“Not only are there mutated goblins, but a giant centipede and huge bats too—this place is just a nightmare gathering of monsters.”
Twenty cave goblins, a typical variant of common goblins.
After successfully finishing my first battle in the cave without any injuries, I hurriedly continued deeper into the cave without resting.
Did I walk for a couple of hours to cool off from the heat of battle?
I was startled to face a giant centipede that stealthily crawled along the walls and leaped at me, my heart racing.
Its huge body easily measuring over 3 meters—a monster, not a mere arthropod.
Countless legs squirmed grotesquely beneath its body.
With a sticky green poison pulsating and glistening from its venomous fangs…
“I really struggled there. Ugh, it’s so hideous that I’m worried it’ll haunt my dreams.”
[Chaos says it’s a problem if you react so dramatically.]
Indeed, for a dragon, it would likely seem trivial beyond appearance.
[Chaos snickers, saying it’s surprisingly timid and that you still have a long way to go, covering its mouth.]
“I’m not timid, I just find it nauseating on a physiological level! No way! If I see it again in my dreams, I’ll reserve five punches for it.”
[Chaos sticks its tongue out, declaring it won’t take hits from a weakling.]
Anyway, I had a change with a temporarily named giant centipede, and I could concentrate fully because only one appeared.
Using Lumia’s shadow binding and the cold to rot the gap in its armor, I managed to catch it relatively easily.
With a single slash to its neck, a massive torrent of thick blue blood gushed out. That memory still lingers vividly.
Compared to the swarm of bats that appeared moments ago, well… they were just a bit creepy.
What kind of monsters might pop up next? It’s not just horrifying, but I’m curious to the point of dread.
“Ugh, I’d rather have mermen or goblins show up. All these bugs and bats look disgustingly grotesque….”
“Just a little longer. We’re better off. What about Aren, who has to see it all up close?”
“Right. Come on, let’s hold on a little longer! We need to conquer the cave, get our rewards, and hurry back to the city. Once we get out of here, the portal should be easy.”
I gave a light pat to Yeriell, who looked unwell.
“Resting right here wouldn’t look good, so let’s keep walking until we find a decent spot.”
“Uh-huh. Sorry for whining.”
“No, I understand. Are you okay, Lumia?”
“Yeah. I think I have a strong stomach because this doesn’t bother me at all. Don’t worry.”
Seeing Lumia quietly nod in agreement made me smile.
Every time I see her calm demeanor and focus on her work, I can’t express how reassuring it is.
“Good job. Alright, let’s set out again. If you notice anything unusual, don’t hesitate to report it immediately, especially you, Lumia, if you discover something or sense anything.”
“Okay. Got it.”
Lifting my torch, the bright flame flickered against the darkness.
The chilling and ominous energy felt like it was growing stronger.
Enduring that prickling sensation all over, I took another step forward.
*
Finally, we found a place to rest.
“This should be good. We’ve been walking for quite a while, and we’re quite tired from the continuous battles, so let’s sleep here.”
After encountering the giant bats and walking for about an hour and a half, I discovered a small clearing leading to a narrow passage.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a refuge completely free from monsters.
Still, the space itself seemed just right for a night’s rest.
Thud.
Everyone unpacked their gear and took their rest.
‘The path is getting more complex. I’ve lost count of how many forks I’ve faced just to get here.’
I thought while taking out rationed food from my backpack and distributing it.
The entrance had been a straight path.
But not long after, I encountered forks in the road: two, then three, maybe even four.
‘Fortunately, Yeriell has a record of choosing the right fork leading to the Altar of the Transcender.’
She was a bit hesitant at first, but thanks to her reluctantly chosen path, we safely arrived at this spot.
Of course, monsters have appeared here and there, but that would have happened no matter which path we took, right?
“The darkness is my servant. Move accordingly.”
[Black Puppet]
Squawk. Kiyaah!
As on any other night, Lumia summoned her familiars for alarm magic without fail.
Even though the entrance was narrow and those black, stubby things could wake us up in an instant.
The cave was completely enveloped in darkness, but looking at the cheap clock shop watch on my wrist, it was already 10 PM.
“Let’s sleep quickly and move on tomorrow. Can you all feel it? There’s a strange aura tingling in my body.”
“Yeah! It’s weak, but I can definitely feel it.”
“What could it be… undead? Large monsters? Unusual beasts?”
Who knows? At the very least, I feel like something similar to what I’ve casually mentioned might pop up.
Forget it. Let’s just sleep.
Shaking my head, I settled into my sleeping bag.
Before I knew it, exhaustion swept over me, and sleep claimed me almost instantly.
*
I was complacent.
Thud thud thud—
“AAAH! Help me!!!”
“Get away, you crazy person!”
“Yaaaah!”
“Uh, where to?”
After waking up feeling refreshed and completely geared up to hit the road again.
Walking for about an hour or so down one of the forks I saw earlier…
Rumble—!
…I spotted a massive rock rolling down the passage, blocking the way ahead.
No. I recognized that it wasn’t just a rock by its surface patterns and glaring eyes.
‘It’s not just a boulder!’
That was not a rock but a giant monster curling into a spherical shape, charging fiercely toward us.
‘If it was a fight while it was stationary, that’d be another story. But if I collided with it while it’s rushing like mad, I’d definitely be a goner.’
If I just keep moving like this, I might be able to escape safely without getting caught.
But what about the E-rank agility of the two girls?
“Eek!”
“I’m going to run, so both of you stay put!”
I immediately tucked Yeriell and Lumia under my arms and sprinted.
Boom—!
“Whoaaa!!”
“Let’s go together!!!”
Using magic as I ran, I just kept running and running.
How desperately did I run? In the end, I ended up retracing my steps from the hour we had just covered.
There’s the fork we passed earlier!
Boom!!
As I braced myself against the approaching monster, I clenched my jaw and sharply turned into the side fork.
Crackle—
Success!
The monster, having gathered acceleration, couldn’t control its speed and ended up crashing violently into a wall.
“Gah, huff, haah.”
This damn thing is surprisingly resilient.
This isn’t the time for this. I must push forward and create distance before the monster catches up.
“Hah… hey.”
“Ugh.”
“Oh dear.”
Having wedged the two girls like luggage under my arms, I ran wildly for a short while.
Yeriell was making strange sounds with her eyes spinning, while Lumia had her eyes tightly shut, trying to calm herself down.
“Graaah!!!”
Wait, was the monster not hurt at all from crashing into the wall?
Let’s casually refer to it as an Earth Golem.
That Earth Golem was charging at us again, its red eyes glowing.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
At this rate, I couldn’t keep sprinting with them for long, so I set them down and stood my ground.
Looks like I have no choice but to fight! Bring it on!
The momentum this time was noticeably less than when it was rolling.
I took a defensive stance, using my Great Sword as a shield.
As the creature approached, preparing for the upcoming impact…
‘…Wait a second. Something seems off.’
Its gaze focused on a single spot unnaturally. Its head turned awkwardly.
The side?
“Whoa! Gaaah!!!”
Crash!
“H-help, someone!”
Thud!
…The Earth Golem’s target turned out to be none other than the noisy adventurer we had inadvertently escaped with earlier.
It smacked the adventurer away and continued its pursuit.
‘Alright. This is the moment. I don’t have to fight if the Golem’s focused on him. I could care less if it gets crushed; I need to slip away!’
Not taking my eyes off the Golem and adventurer, I tucked the still dazed girls under my arms.
Huh?
But, the unfolding scene seemed strange.
I didn’t see the anticipated image of the Golem crushing the adventurer at all.
Ignoring the fallen man, the Golem simply rummaged through his bag.
Thud.
All manner of junk began spilling out of the backpack.
Thud.
It finally picked up a palm-sized black orb that fell to the ground, roaring at it.
“Graaah—!”
Thud. Thud.
As soon as it picked up the orb, the Golem didn’t seem to care about the adventurer anymore and simply lumbered away.
…What on earth was that about?
“Phew. I almost lost ten years off my life.”
A sigh escaped me.
[Chaos feels relieved, saying that if we had engaged in battle, the damage wouldn’t have been insignificant.]
‘Damn it, I was complacent.’
Our luck in entering the room with the altar in the swamp area was due to the expanse of the area itself, which had low monster preference, making it difficult to encounter other adventurers.
Adding to that were the choices made at the forks in the road—this was a product of fortunate circumstances.
Yet, conversely, if the cave were large enough for us to find it easily…
Of course, other adventurer parties would have found it as soon as they came in as well.
‘Why did I initially think our party was the first to discover the cave? Even if the layers are vast, wasn’t there any party that passed through the area before us?’
What a clueless fool!
What the hell was I thinking about, “If another adventuring party discovers this and manages to get something from the cave, I’ll be envious.”?
The reality was that my eyes had been blinded by the thought that we had stumbled onto an event-type dungeon.
We were just latecomers in a race that began before us.
The gem the Golem retrieved from that sprawled adventurer was likely something hidden that his party discovered in here.
The Golem was probably some kind of guardian, I think.
‘What on earth is this cave? Even if it’s an event-type map not shown on the map, it doesn’t feel like we’re deep in yet… Is it already this intense?’
While collecting information in the city, I had naturally researched the 4th floor portal and the village as well.
It was said to be larger than the 3rd floor, true, but still would not stray from the category of goblins and hobgoblins.
So, what should I determine the level of this cave? It’s hard to fathom whether it even aligns with the 4th floor or beyond.
Would I have to be satisfied just farming byproducts from these peculiar monsters? Just as I thought this, I suddenly heard,
“…”
“?”
“…Help me, please.”
A plea for help emerged from the mouth of the adventurer I thought was surely dead.