Chapter 44

The next day, the main focus of Thor and his party shifted to the second level of the cave.

They broke through the cluster of monsters in the eastern passage and proceeded directly to the second level, leaving the rest behind. It took them over an hour to eliminate the clusters on the second level. They were particularly thorough in battling the clusters that included Hobgoblin Shamans.

On their way back through the first level, they cleared the remaining clusters in about thirty minutes. For the remaining twenty minutes, they took turns with the miners to rest and prepare for the next day.

They repeated this routine for five days.

Over these five days, they learned several things, starting with the structure of the second level. They borrowed a drawing board from the chief miner and used it to create a map of the second level. This task was mainly handled by Sora, who had the <Spatial Perception> skill. While there were occasional doodles by Moo in the corners, the map was quite accurate.

The second level branched out significantly in three directions: north, south, and southeast. The north and south branches further split but all ended in dead ends. The southeast branch, however, was a straight path that gently sloped downward.

They also had a clear count of the monster clusters. Each cluster consisted of four monsters, with four to five clusters in total, making sixteen to twenty monsters. The fifth cluster alone had two Hobgoblin Shamans in the rear, while the others had two Fighter Hobgoblins in the front and one Shooter and one Shaman in the rear.

The <Rotting Bullet> used by the Shamans, if it hit directly, would cause the skin and flesh to turn and melt away. The bones remained intact, likely because they were less prone to rot. Leather and wooden armor would discolor and decay, while iron would quickly rust. However, the effect lasted only two minutes, which seemed long but was actually quite short.

Despite the challenging schedule, thanks to their efforts, by the tenth day, the ore mining on the first level was almost complete, except for the area deep in the eastern passage leading to the second level. On the eleventh day, with only five days left until the deadline for clearing the goblin cave, they made their move.

"Are you really sure this will work...? No, of course, I trust you and am willing to cooperate..."

"Yeah, I don't intend to cause any trouble. I'll make sure to hold them off, so don't worry."

"Hmm. Alright, I'll allow it. If you can reach the second level this quickly, it will be a great help for us."

Thor's proposal was met with a heavy nod from the chief miner.

"Wait about thirty minutes before you enter."

"Got it, just to the end of the passage on the first level, right?"

"That's enough. They should react there. Sisan, I'm counting on you if anything goes wrong."

"Sure, leave it to me!"

The leader of the four adventurers, his cheeks flushed, tapped his shield. Thor, placing a light hand on his shoulder, stepped into the cave. Sora, looking tense, and Moo, yawning cutely, followed suit and disappeared inside.

The red-haired boy, watching the three go, muttered softly.

"Will they be okay...? Those guys."

"Hey, are you worried? Rikkar?"

"Well, it's a bit much, isn't it?"

"Is it? I think that guy could handle it easily and quickly."

Rikkar, who had been staring at Hink, who continued to maintain his arrows without looking up, widened his eyes.

"You've changed, haven't you?"

"Of course, we've all changed. The guy who used to say 'me, me' all the time wouldn't be the type to look out for others."

"Ah, yeah, you're right."

"Exactly. But I like this side of you better."

Rikkar, looking a bit pleased, sat down next to the silent young archer and took out a small whetstone to sharpen his sword. Sisan and Alesia, his companions, exchanged glances and chuckled softly.

Thirty minutes passed without Thor and the others returning, and the four adventurers gathered at the entrance of the cave, ready to go.

"Let's go."

"Right, I'm all fired up! Bring it on!"

"I don't think we'll need to fight."

"Stop talking nonsense. It'll make us lose focus."

Sisan, holding a torch, led the way, and the four cautiously entered, quickly scanning their surroundings. After confirming there was no presence, Sisan waved the torch, and the miners followed in.

With the adventurers leading the way, the large group of people began to move deeper into the passage.

At the same time, Thor and his party, having cleared all the Hobgoblins on the first level, were waiting at the entrance to the second level.

"Anytime now, Moo. Can you check for me?"

"Thor, look! They're all gathered up high!"

"Wow, that's impressive. By the way, Thor, can you tell me the position of the monsters?"

"Can't it wait? I'm really hyped up right now."

"Preferably now, if you can."

"Alright, alright. Since it's you, Thor."

The small child, emitting a purple light, widened his eyes at the result and jumped onto Thor.

"It's bad, Thor. There are a lot of them!"

"Good, it worked. Let's give it one more push, Sora."

"Leave it to me. I'll protect Thor's back perfectly."

"Thanks, I'm counting on you."

This was Thor's strategy. If they had to clear the monster clusters scattered throughout the second level by circling the passages, they would barely make it before the respawn time. The idea was to lure them to one spot.

The method was simple: have a large number of people invade the dungeon at once. Once they reached the boundary between the first and second levels, the monsters on the second level would naturally gather, sensing their presence.

Of course, initiating combat while miners were working in the dungeon was generally prohibited. However, if the chief miner felt it was safe, exceptions could be made. In this case, the fact that they were not mining and could quickly escape, along with the presence of guards, helped. Most importantly, Thor's past achievements and trust played a significant role.

Still, this strategy was bold and unconventional, even for someone who had just reached the Bronze rank.

"Moo, which way first?"

"Um, the forked path!"

The clusters of Hobgoblins, starting from different locations, would arrive at different times. As they moved toward the northern passage, Thor, unusually, smiled before the battle.

His heart rate gradually increased, sending a surge of blood throughout his body. This was the adventure Thor had been seeking.

Thor took a deep breath and, as usual, hung his sword and threw himself into the battle.

Twenty minutes later.

Rikkar spotted the light of the magic stone lanterns swaying at the end of the downward passage. The three returned safely, and everyone waiting let out a sigh of relief.

"Ah, it's over. Tch, nothing happened."

"See, just as I said. That guy is not just anyone."

"Really, less than an hour. And with just three of them... This job is long, but this is the first time I've seen anything like this."

Seeing Thor, who didn't have a single drop of green blood on him, the chief miner trembled and whispered. However, this would continue for five days, and by the final day, the chief miner's senses would be completely numbed.