Chapter 38

In the dim darkness, Thor walked silently without a light.

Everything around was shrouded in a faint shadow, and the outlines were indistinct.

The ground was barely flat, but protrusions were scattered everywhere, and stepping on them carelessly would surely result in a twisted ankle.

However, Thor's steps were unwavering.

He calmly avoided obstacles and continued walking at a steady pace into the darkness.

Suddenly, a fist-sized stone flew silently.

Thor slightly raised an eyebrow and continued straight ahead.

Just before hitting Thor, the stone changed direction with a dull sound.

Mistaking the sound for a hit, an unpleasant laugh echoed from the depths of the darkness.

Then, from the darkness again, a new stone was thrown at Thor.

This time, he moved.

While stepping forward, he struck the side of the stone with his sword, altering its trajectory.

A small spark appeared between the blade and the stone as it grazed past at high speed.

The spark momentarily illuminated the figure of a green-skinned monster holding a sword, raising it just in front of Thor.

But Thor showed no sign of panic and moved forward as if he had been waiting.

He deflected the descending blade and thrust the tip of his sword into the open neck.

The hobgoblin, its throat pierced, let out a muffled scream and convulsed.

When another stone flew, Thor kicked the dead body of the monster to use it as a shield.

Slipping past the collapsing monster, he closed the distance in one swift motion.

The lurking hobgoblin seemed to have given up on its throwing attack and swung a stone at Thor.

Thor deflected the arm and simultaneously aimed his sword at the throat.

However, the hobgoblin twisted its body slightly and narrowly avoided Thor's sword tip.

Thor's waist smoothly twisted, and the movement transmitted through his spine to his arm.

A strong force generated in his wrist, and the blade, which had instantly changed from a thrust to a horizontal slash, cleanly severed the monster's head.

The head, flying through the air, rolled on the ground with a thud.

A moment later, Thor stepped back to avoid the blood gushing from the remaining torso and searched the surroundings for any movement.

Confirming there was nothing moving, he sheathed his sword after restoring it.

Then, he called out into the darkness behind him.

"It's over. Can you light the way?"

Instantly, a click sounded, and a soft light illuminated the area.

Two figures emerged from the darkness.

One was a woman in a pure white robe with a shining breastplate.

She held a staff in one hand and a small, faintly glowing magic stone lantern in the other.

The other was a child in a large red cape.

With wavy golden hair and sparkling purple eyes, the child ran over.

"Good job, Thor!"

"Hey, Thor, are you tired? Okay, I'll heal you!"

The child, approaching Thor, patted his waist with a clenched fist.

It was unclear, but this seemed to be Mu's way of healing fatigue.

Smiling at the innocent child, Sora hung the magic stone lantern on her staff and leaned it against the wall, then pulled out a knife from her belt.

Without hesitation, she cut off the ear of the fallen hobgoblin and searched under its jaw for a magic stone.

Pulling out a rough, translucent stone, she wiped off the green blood and happily put it in a small bag.

Noticing that the other one had no head, she said,

"Hey, this one has no head."

"Is it lying around somewhere?"

"Where could it be?"

The surroundings were faintly illuminated by the light of the magic stone lantern.

The walls surrounding Thor and the others were made of earth.

The walls, with discolored stones mixed in, formed a distorted passage.

The earth-covered ceiling was high enough for Thor to swing his sword with room to spare.

The passage was wide enough for two adults to walk side by side.

This place was known as the Goblin Cave, a dungeon they were currently exploring.

Finding the hobgoblin's head at the base of the wall, Sora picked it up happily.

After quickly finishing the task, she gently placed the head on the ground and returned.

Handing the staff to Thor, she lifted the magic stone lantern to light the area.

"Let's head back. The others outside must be getting impatient."

"Okay. Oh, I can carry the light too?"

"Mu can carry it too!"

Mu, comfortably riding on Thor's back, proudly swung the magic stone lantern.

Having finished off the last hobgoblin, Thor and the others began to retrace their steps.

The cave was not particularly complex, with only three levels.

Moreover, the third level contained only the room of the dungeon's master.

The monsters that appeared were all of one type, making it a relatively easy dungeon.

However, hobgoblins, a close relative of goblins, not only grew in size and intelligence but also took on specific roles.

In other words, they developed professions like humans.

Hobgoblin Fighters, wielding rusty swords, charged forward.

Hobgoblin Shooters, hiding in the back, threw stones.

Hobgoblin Shamans, also in the back, used dark magic.

And the Hobgoblin Chief, who led them all.

Among them, the most troublesome were the Shooters and Shamans, who had ranged attack capabilities.

The cave, of course, had no light source.

At most, a little sunlight entered from the entrance.

The demihumans, children of the goddess of darkness, naturally had excellent night vision.

So, walking with a torch would result in being noticed and attacked from a considerable distance.

Stones flying towards the light from a distance could only be blocked with a shield, placing a significant burden on the shield bearer.

Worse still, they sometimes aimed just above the ground, adding an element of surprise.

Thor could deflect everything with his sword, but the stones were heavy and fast, risking bending or chipping the blade.

Especially Thor's iron sword, which was sharpened to a fine edge, was particularly vulnerable.

So, Thor devised a strategy to approach undetected by walking without a light, making the conditions the same.

"Thor, did Mu's eyes help?"

"Yeah, thanks to Mu, we were a big help."

"Is that so? Thor can't do anything without Mu, huh?"

Feeling the child getting too cocky, Thor gently pinched Mu's cheek.

Mu, barely changing expression, chuckled.

The Purple-Eyed race had vertical pupils, like those of a beast.

These special eyes could magnify even the slightest light, allowing them to see clearly in dim places.

All that was needed was to share the vision through <Sensory Sharing>.

However, due to Mu's position, Thor experienced the odd sensation of moving his body while seeing his own back.

After walking for a while, a bright light appeared at the end of a gently sloping passage.

It was the exit to the surface.

Naturally, there were no stairs.

When Thor and the others emerged from the cave, the men sitting in a circle turned to look.

All of them were rugged and muscular, holding tools for digging.

One of them stood up and approached with a puzzled look.

"Hey, are you taking a break already? Are you okay?"

"No, we're done."

"Huh?"

"I mean, you can go in now. The first level is cleared."

"Really? It hasn't even been an hour!"

Thor, tired of explaining, nodded, and the man, wide-eyed, repeatedly glanced at Sora and Mu.

"Are you really sure it's okay?"

"Yeah, there are no monsters left, so don't worry."

Finally believing Thor, the man hurried back and shouted at his seated subordinates.

"Hey, get up! Don't just sit around. It's time to work!"

Watching the miners, holding torches, file into the cave, Thor quietly exhaled.

If Yuril had been there, they might have been believed more easily.

Remembering his mistake, Thor slowly scratched his chin.

It was entirely his fault that they had to tackle this dungeon with only three people, without Yuril.