Survive the labyrinth with EX-grade traits

Crunch.

I took a cautious step forward.

It was cold. I could instinctively feel the chill emanating from within.

[Chaos warns that something is amiss, so stay alert.]

‘What’s at the end of this cave that… If we enter with a half-hearted mindset, it could be dangerous.’

“I don’t know what’s coming, but stay alert and be ready to respond to any situation.”

I stopped at the entrance of the cave and looked at them.

It was obvious, but it was a good idea to remind them before fully entering.

“Use the protection spell primarily to protect the two of you. Don’t worry about me. Always remember that your safety is the top priority. Got it?”

Yeriel and Lumia nodded with serious faces, and I responded with a thumbs-up before moving forward again.

The cave was pitch-black and eerie, with no light at all.

The darkness seemed to hide monsters that could jump out at any moment.

We pushed through the darkness, illuminating our surroundings with the flickering torchlight as we slowly walked.

‘Is there nothing at the entrance? Well, we just entered.’

I surveyed the cave walls and ceiling as I remained vigilant, but all I could see were small insects crawling here and there.

No living creatures were in sight.

The cave was likely artificially created due to the rules of the Great Dungeon.

If it were a natural cave of this size, it would have been marked on the map as a spot on the fourth floor.

‘Hmm…’

As a modern person, my knowledge of exploration was quite shallow.

Even if I had studied books in the library, it was difficult to distinguish anything right away.

After walking silently for two hours without any incidents, I thought, ‘It’s about time something appeared, isn’t it?’

Tap. Tap.

“What’s wrong, Lumia?”

Lumia tapped my arm with her finger.

Oh, she must have finally discovered something or sensed the presence of monsters.

Anyway, it was a good signal at a time when I was so tense that my body was itching.

Lumia whispered, conscious of her surroundings.

“I sense the presence of numerous monsters about 100 meters away. Each individual is slightly larger than a goblin.”

Numerous monsters? It’s probably not in the hundreds, but if there are dozens, can we get through them?

“Great! The fact that monsters are appearing means we’ve entered the deeper parts of the cave.”

I drew out the Blood Edge from my backpack.

“Since this isn’t a small cave, let’s leave a mark here so we don’t get lost on our way back.”

This size should be noticeable, right?

I carved a recognizable mark on the wall.

“If any monsters appear, I’ll take the initiative and strike first. Follow me and provide support as needed. Yeriel, I need your buffs.”

“Yes. May his sword be filled with light and his body with wind.”

[Divine Weapon increases Strength by one level for one hour.]

[Haste increases Agility by one level for one hour.]

After receiving Yeriel’s buffs, we were fully prepared.

‘Let’s see what kind of monsters we’ll encounter.’

[Chaos reminds you to be cautious.]

Crunch. Crunch.

Tap.

I slowed down and cautiously moved forward.

Soon, I spotted a group of about twenty squat creatures.

They were slightly larger than goblins, but their appearance was essentially the same, with thick gray skin instead of green.

From the third floor onwards, it seemed like goblins were everywhere. Could these be a variant? I think I’ve seen them in the bestiary before…

Anyway, whatever their known name is, since we encountered them in this cave, from now on, you’re Cave Goblins.

‘Twenty of them… The initiative is on our side. I’ll strike a big blow first and then wipe them out with my greatsword.’

Zzzz!

‘Lightning!’

Kwaang!

“Keruk?!”

“Kerak!”

Damn it. Do they have some kind of innate resistance to attributes?

Out of the twenty, only three were directly hit by the lightning that fell fiercely in the middle of the group, and they were burned to death.

Bang!

I clenched my teeth to suppress the headache and quickly charged forward.

The damage was less than expected, and the goblins had already recovered from their surprise and noticed my charge.

The cave was spacious enough that swinging my greatsword wasn’t an issue. So—

Whoosh!

Crack!!

I swung my sword horizontally with all my might.

The tough skin was no match for the sword filled with magic power.

The two goblins that were hit by the wide swing of the blade died with a sound like an ax chopping wood, spraying blood.

There were fifteen left.

At this point, the Cave Goblins weren’t going to just stand there and take it.

“Kishaat!”

“Keruk!”

They began attacking with various patterns.

“Hup!”

Chwaak!

“Keggek.”

I slashed diagonally at three of them as they charged like four-legged animals, taking a strong step forward.

Pounce!

“Keaaak!!”

While the first three goblins distracted us, another one tried to jump and scratch us with both hands, but it was no use.

I could see where the attack was going.

Unless they were faster and stronger than me, they wouldn’t be able to hit me.

“Too predictable.”

Pffft—!

I slightly twisted my body, avoiding the attack by a hair’s breadth, and at the same time, I punched the ugly face with my clenched left fist.

The front of its face caved in, killing it instantly.

Two more goblins, who had hesitated for a moment, charged at us, but from behind, I heard Lumia’s incantation.

“The black hand that grasps the night.”

[Lugen’s Grip]

“Geeak.”

A black hand appeared in the air, grabbing the two goblins mid-air and crushing their entire bodies like bursting water balloons.

Puff! Pshh.

With a gruesome sound, blood flowed from between the tightly clenched fingers.

Now, there were only nine left.

The Cave Goblins, seeing more than half of their group taken out in an instant, began to back away, stumbling.

But it seemed that the nature of monsters couldn’t be changed.

“Keruk, keruk!”

One of them, with bloodshot eyes and a particularly large build, shouted, and the group’s movements became more intelligent.

The one who shouted and another at the back stretched out their hands.

Grrr. Grrrr.

Kwaaang!

“?!”

Before I could do anything, a yellowish aura formed on their hands, and the ground in front of me suddenly rose.

“Kyeok!”

‘What, they’re using magic?’

They didn’t have a staff in their hands, and there was no difference in appearance from the other goblins, but they suddenly attacked with magic, catching me off guard.

…But being caught off guard didn’t mean I would just stand there and take it.

I quickly backed away, avoiding the large stakes that had formed from the rising ground, intending to impale me.

“Keruk!”

Thud!

One of them still had some strength left and threw a rock the size of my torso at me as an additional attack, but—

Thud!!

I blocked it with my greatsword, which served as a shield. Aside from being pushed back three steps by the impact, I didn’t suffer any significant damage.

“Keak!!!”

Ignoring the goblin who was screaming in anger, the remaining seven goblins charged at us.

‘These bastards!’

They split into two groups.

While two shamans and three goblins marked me, the remaining four tried to flank Yeriel and Lumia from behind.

“You filthy rats dare to challenge us!”

‘Lightning!’

Kwaang!

I dropped a lightning bolt on the four goblins that were trying to flank us.

The surviving goblins would be no problem for the two of them. I trusted them.

I charged at the remaining five, swinging my sword with fierce determination.

The goblins realized that if they stayed together, they would all be turned into a pool of blood by my greatsword.

The Cave Goblins, each moving in different directions, tried to attack with their claws and teeth.

I simply switched to my short sword and moved faster.

I channeled magic power into my feet, feeling a sense of liberation compared to wielding the heavy greatsword with both hands.

Screech.

One. I passed by a goblin at a speed twice as fast as it was charging at me and slashed its vital point.

Screech. Screech!

I slashed off the hand that was aiming for my side, then turned and beheaded the goblin.

“Kiaaaak!!!”

Enraged by the sight of their comrades being slaughtered, the shamans reacted.

One of them softened the ground, trapping my feet in the mud, and the other fired sharp stone fragments like wedges in quick succession.

In the slowed-down world, I saw the fragments getting closer and channeled magic power into my arm.

‘I’ve defeated floor bosses and higher-ranked monsters, so I won’t be defeated by these weak attacks!’

“Waaaah!”

Hwaak!

In the middle of swinging my weapon, I released the magic power in my arm, accelerating and forcibly changing the trajectory of my sword.

-Pababak! Bang!

In an instant, I found the trajectory to perfectly block the six fragments and deflected them all with three swings of my sword.

The two shamans stared at me in disbelief.

Now… it was time for them to die.

A crimson aura rose from the hilt of my sword and spread along the blade.

“Krrrr.”

I gripped the trembling sword and swung it.

‘Release killing intent!’

Kwaaaang!

A wave of condensed killing intent struck them without giving them a chance to resist.

All the goblins could do was close their eyes and curl up, facing death.

Their limbs were blown apart, and I left the bloody remains behind as I turned to look at Yeriel and Lumia.

They had finished their battle as well.

Yeriel had swung her staff, shattering the goblins’ skulls one by one, and blood was dripping from the staff’s head.

Whether it was because they felt my gaze or because the battle was over, they both turned to look at me.

Soon, they hurried towards me.

“Ahren, are you done over there? Are you hurt? Do you need healing?”

“No, I’m fine. Really, I’m okay. By the way, you two fought well. Now I can finally relax.”

“Of course! Ahem. We’re improving in support, flanking, and individual combat.”

Anyway, they’re unstoppable.

[Chaos crosses her arms and says that the priest might be a little cute.]

As I watched Yeriel, who was standing with her hands on her hips and her chest out, feeling proud, Lumia spoke up.

“The level of this cave is no joke. Twenty mutated goblins in one group, and two shamans…”

“Yeah, it’s true. Although we can handle it, if it continues like this, it will take a while to reach the end. We’ll also need to take regular breaks.”

“But since we’re already here, let’s go with enthusiasm! I’ll smash their skulls with this staff! Don’t get discouraged, okay?”

Yeriel smiled brightly, lifting the mood after the battle.

“Well, that’s not necessary. Yes, let’s go all the way. There must be a great reward waiting for us.”

She said, turning to look at the bloody scene.

“Then, let’s start farming from the corpses right away.”

“By the way, two goblins were using earth magic. Corpses related to magic or mystery are valuable.”

As soon as Lumia mentioned farming, she asked me about the shamans.

Valuable, huh? Oh, I should have just killed them cleanly.

“Both shamans were blown up, so there won’t be any major organs left… Just their heads and torsos are gone, and only their limbs remain.”

“Hmm. It’s okay, that’s enough. Just collecting their wrist bones will be enough to make a profit, right?”

At her words, I immediately moved to collect the scattered arms.

Let’s see. One, two, three, four. They’re all in good condition.

I successfully farmed two pairs of arms from the shamans’ corpses, and then I cut off the ears of the eighteen Cave Goblins and stored them in my backpack.

‘Thank goodness for the space bag. I wish I could also collect their tough skin, but I guess I’ll have to settle for this. I’ll be satisfied with this.’

Finally, I searched the area in case any traits had appeared, but unfortunately, there was no grayish color anywhere, indicating that the ability hadn’t been triggered.

‘Hmm. Well, we’ll find something if we keep hunting.’

It’s better to activate the ability when fighting strong monsters than to get hit by weak monsters.

Anyway, we finished the battle and successfully farmed.

“Let’s start moving again.”

Leaving behind the gruesome battlefield with only corpses remaining, we continued our journey towards the heart of the cave.