Chapter 31: Going Inside The Dungeon (part 3)

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Going Inside The Dungeon (part 3)

For several minutes, nothing happened.

That silence gradually began to make everyone nervous.

Darian continued leading the group.

He carefully examined every section of the floor before stepping forward, occasionally signaling the others to slow down.

Then they reached a large intersection.

Three corridors extended in different directions.

Darian stopped.

"Which way?"

Several adventurers looked around. One pointed toward the center corridor.

"That one looks like the main path."

Darian didn’t immediately answer. He studied the floor. There were no obvious footprints.

Finally, he pointed toward the center.

"We’ll take that route."

The group began moving again. Elric followed near the center.

The floating sphere of light continued illuminating the path.

They had only taken a few dozen steps when Darian suddenly heard something.

Click.

His eyes widened.

"STOP!"

Too late.

A metallic sound echoed beneath their feet. The entire corridor suddenly trembled.

"Trap!"

Darian shouted.

The floor beneath the middle of the formation suddenly collapsed.

Two adventurers who had been walking near the center disappeared instantly.

"AHHH!"

"HELP!"

Their screams lasted only a moment. A series of sharp spikes suddenly shot upward from the pit.

Blood splashed against the surrounding stone.

The screams stopped, and silence returned.

Two bodies lay impaled at the bottom of the pit.

For several seconds, nobody moved.

Then one adventurer whispered,

"They’re dead..."

Darian’s face became grim.

"Everyone, stay where you are."

Nobody dared to move. Elric stared down into the pit, his face pale.

The two adventurers had died almost instantly.

Just a simple trap hidden beneath the floor.

Darian clenched his teeth.

"We knew this place could have traps."

One of the adventurers swallowed.

"Knowing isn’t the same as actually seeing someone die from one."

Darian didn’t respond.

He looked toward the corridor ahead.

"From now on, check every step."

The group became even more cautious. But they had already lost two people.

And the dungeon wasn’t finished with them.

A faint scratching sound suddenly came from the darkness ahead.

Everyone raised their weapons.

"What was that?"

Another sound followed.

Scratch.

Scratch.

Scratch.

Something moved inside the walls. Darian immediately raised his sword.

"Prepare yourselves!"

A small creature suddenly burst from a hole in the wall.

Within seconds, dozens of forest rats poured into the corridor.

"They’re here!"

The adventurers immediately attacked.

Swords swung through the swarm, killing several rats at once.

The rats scattered across the floor, crawling beneath boots and between the adventurers’ legs.

One adventurer kicked several away.

"These things are just rats!"

Darian’s expression remained serious.

"Don’t underestimate them!"

His warning came too late. A loud screech suddenly echoed from above.

Everyone looked upward.

Several poisonous bats emerged from the darkness near the ceiling.

Their leathery wings spread wide as they began diving toward the group.

"Above!"

"Protect the mage!"

Darian immediately rushed toward Elric. Three bats descended simultaneously.

One struck an adventurer’s shield. Another narrowly missed Darian’s face. The third went directly for Elric.

Elric raised his staff.

"Barrier!"

A translucent magical shield appeared in front of him.

The bat slammed into it.

Bang!

The impact sent the creature tumbling backward.

"That was close!"

Elric’s expression became serious.

Darian swung his sword and killed another bat in midair.

"Keep the light up!"

"I’m trying!"

The battle suddenly became chaotic.

Rats swarmed from the floor while poisonous bats attacked from above.

The adventurers struggled to maintain their formation.

Then something enormous emerged from the darkness behind them.

A wolf.

The beast lunged toward the rear of the group.

"Behind us!"

An adventurer turned. The wolf crashed into him.

Bang!

He was thrown several meters across the floor.

Before he could stand, another wolf appeared.

"There’s more!"

Darian’s eyes widened. The wolves began attacking from opposite sides.

At the same time, the walls suddenly trembled.

Something crawled across the ceiling. A giant spider slowly descended from above.

Then another.

Darian’s expression changed completely.

"This is a coordinated attack!"

The monsters had deliberately waited until the adventurers were distracted by the trap and the rats.

Now everything attacked at once.

"Protect Elric!"

Darian shouted.

Several adventurers immediately formed a defensive circle around the mage.

But the monsters kept coming.

A wolf bit into an adventurer’s shield and dragged him away from the formation.

"Help me!"

Two spiders fired webs across the corridor. One adventurer became trapped.

"Cut me loose!"

Another rushed to help him.

A poisonous bat suddenly swooped down and bit the exposed portion of his neck.

"AAAGH!"

He collapsed.

The formation began to break apart.

Darian desperately fought his way through the chaos, cutting down one monster after another.

"Don’t panic!"

He struck a wolf across the face.

"Stay together!"

But his voice was gradually being drowned out by the screams of the dying.

One adventurer was dragged into the darkness by several rats.

Another was knocked down by a wolf.

A spider dropped directly onto a shield bearer and wrapped him in webbing.

"GET IT OFF!"

A sword flashed, and the spider recoiled.

The battle continued for several more minutes.

The adventurers fought desperately, using every skills and weapon they possessed to keep the monsters from overwhelming them.

Darian moved constantly across the battlefield, cutting down wolves whenever they tried to break through the formation, while the other members of Ironfang protected the weaker adventurers and kept the poisonous bats away from Elric.

Every time they killed one creature, another emerged from somewhere in the darkness.

The forest rats continued pouring through cracks in the walls. The poisonous bats repeatedly descended from the ceiling, forcing the adventurers to divide their attention between the ground and the air.

The wolves attacked from the shadows, waiting until someone became isolated before rushing forward, while the giant spiders covered the floor with webs and constantly restricted their movements.

It was no longer a simple battle. It was a war of attrition. And the humans were slowly losing.

"Keep the formation!"

Darian shouted as he swung his sword.

A wolf lunged at him.

He stepped aside at the last possible moment, allowing the beast to pass his shoulder before bringing his sword down with both hands.

Slash!

The blade cut deeply into the wolf’s back.