Narrator POV 

  

  

  

  

The Kobold General started to move. 

Andrew immediately realized that the Kobold General was targeting the cleric, Mirva. 

It lowered its body and then started moving. 

The Kobold General moved toward the Cleric’s direction at great speed. 

  

  

“Damn it!” <Andrew> 

Andrew took action right away and tried to intercept the kobold. 

Right before that, he was just fighting with several kobold knights who were attacking them indiscriminately. 

Once he saw that the Kobold general started to act, he could not help but leave those minions aside and jumped between the Kobold and the Cleric. 

  

  

“HOLD IT, DAMN IT!” <Andrew> 

Andrew swung his sword at the rushing Kobold General. 

But to his surprise, the Kobold General blocked his attack effortlessly. 

Andrew was in shock seeing this happen. 

He was not particularly shocked about the fact that the kobold general blocked his attack, nor the fact that it was blocked easily. 

The reason he was in shock was the way this monster blocked it. 

  

  

The kobold blocked Andrew’s swing in a very natural and refined movement. 

He had never seen a monster move with a weapon with such refined movements. 

It was as if he was not fighting against a monster but against a human who is trained to wield a sword like it was natural. 

Not even the Kobold King wields its sword in such a manner. 

  

  

The kobold skillfully blocked Andrew’s attack and returned it with an attack of its own. 

The kobold countered while aiming at the best angle of attack. 

It was calculated and aimed at the right moment. 

Andrew had no way to dodge this attack. 

He did not want to use his trump card right away but he had no choice. 

  

  

“(Forrest)!” <Andrew> 

Andrew activates one of his skills, Fortress. 

(Fortress I): Within 5 seconds after activation, this will allow the user to receive 0 damage once. This applies to all physical and magical attacks. Cooldown: 15 Minutes.  

The large sword of the kobold general struck into Andrew’s torso but due to the effect of the skill "Fortress", the attack bounced off his body as if the Kobold smashed its sword into something so hard that made its sword bounce back. 

The kobold made a very human-like reaction. 

It was genuinely astounded by how his attack was repelled. 

  

  

The Kobold General took a few steps back to regain its stance. 

“Hooo… that just now… was it a skill?” 

It said with its high-pitched voice. 

The Kobold was impressed. 

This kobold was directing this question to Andrew, but Andrew never answered back. 

He just can't push himself to talk with the monster. 

Instead, Andrew’s expression became more serious than ever. 

  

  

“(Aura Blade), (Mana Shroud), (Howl)!” <Andrew> 

Andrew activated 3 skills at once. 

He screamed and all of these skills activated simultaneously. 

(Aura Blade- III): Envelop a bladed weapon with mana. Increases the effectivity of the weapon increasing its total damage output. This skill will continuously consume mana during the duration this skill is active.  

-Skill level perk: Increased total damage output and decrease mana consumption. 

(Mana Shroud- II): Envelop the use with a protective Aura made of mana. When receiving damage, decrease the total amount of damage taken. This skill will continuously consume mana during the duration this skill is active. MP further decreases when taking damage corresponding to how much damage is received. 

- Skill level perk: Further decreasing total damage taken when receiving damage. Decrease mana consumption. 

(Howl- I): A skill that amplifies allies’ mental resistance, and morale for 1 minute. Pushes back enemy upon activation. Cooldown: 5 minutes 

- Skill level perk: Increase the skill duration. 

  

  

The kobold was pushed back by the effect of the skill (Howl) 

Andrew knew that he cannot let his guard down even a little that is why he decided to go all out.  

“Carl, Myrona, Tristan! focus on the bold advancing on this side! John sticks close to them and focused on protecting them from the ones who come close. Leave this one to me.” <Andrew> 

Without replying Andrew’s party members moved following Andrew's commands. 

The two mages, Carl and Myrona started using more spells to quickly decrease the kobolds. 

Tristan also started to do the same and attacked with his arrows imbued with mana and skills. 

John also used his skills to deal with the monsters more swiftly. 

They knew that they need to clear out the minions first as they would not be able to support Andrew effectively if they leave them be. 

All they could do now is to hope that Andrew can manage to hold off the Kobold general on his own. 

  

  

In normal circumstances, Andrew can keep a kobold general busy by himself for as long as he wants. 

Despite the kobold general having significantly higher stats than Andrew, He could even defeat one by himself if he's lucky. 

But, right now the circumstances are abnormal. 

A normal Kobold general doesn’t have such refined swords skill such as this one opposing him. 

As a result, he could barely stall time while fighting against such a monster. 

The reason why he can match the monster right now is thanks to the effect of his (Mana Shroud) and (Aura Blade). 

But, these two skills constantly drain his mana, once the effect of these two skills fades, only defeat awaits him. 

  

  

“HAHAHA! FUN! This is going to be more interesting than I expected.” <Kobold General> 

The Kobold General jumped back and created space between Andrew and himself. 

It was enjoying himself. 

"I can't wait till I kill you." <Kobold General> 

The kobold moved into a stance. 

Andrew did the same and came into his stance. 

  

  

The two were sensing each other and were waiting for either of them to attack first. 

The first one who attacked was the Kobold. 

  

  

This time Andrew parried the attack properly without leaving a blind spot. 

Quickly the Kobold followed up with another swing. 

With the help of his (Mana Shroud) skill, he manages to deflect the attacks fairly well. 

This allowed Andrew to return fire. 

The kobold takes a step back and avoids his attack. 

  

  

[This feels nothing like fighting a monster… this feels more like a duel with another human.] 

Andrew thought as he exchanged blows with this monster. 

“Tsk” <Andrew> 

He clicked his tongue as he knew that this would only become more problematic. 

  

  

As the two exchanged blows with each other, parrying and dodging each other's attacks, the kobold spoke with a tone that shows how much he was enjoying their battle. 

“Kikiki, Not bad, not bad at all... I was expecting to defeat you without using skill but… it can’t be helped. (Animal Instinct), (Feral Strength), (Feral Speed).” <Kobold General> 

The Kobold General activated skills 

At that time, all of the hair on Andrew’s body stood up. 

The Kobold General’s body tensed up, its muscles suddenly became bulkier, and the pupils of its eyes dilated highlighting its vertically shaped eye pupil. 

[This is bad] <Andrew> 

Said Andrew in his mind as he watched the Kobolds in front of his eyes. 

  

  

Andrew welled up his senses focusing on the Kobold. 

He knew that if he let up for even a moment it will be his end. 

He tightens his grip on his sword and was ready to react to anything. 

Then... 

  

  

“!!!” <Andrew> 

Right there and then the Kobold disappeared from where it was standing a while ago then appeared right in front of him. 

“FAST.” <Andrew> 

Andrew swung his sword in response at the Kobold. 

-swish- 

  

  

It only slashed through the air. 

The kobold is now moving at a significantly faster pace. 

The kobold dodged his attack and jumped toward the ceiling facing upside-down. 

Andrew looked up and anticipated a counter from above. 

“SH*T.” <Andrew> 

Andrew cursed as his prediction was off. 

  

  

The kobold kicked its foot against the ceiling. 

Instead of charging toward Andrew, it propelled its body toward Mirva. 

“Do you think I’ll allow that?!” <Andrew> 

  

  

“WHOOOH!”<Andrew> 

Andrew screamed to activate one of his skills, “Taunt”. 

(Taunt I): By using one's voice, the user can force 1 enemy to target "self" for the next 10 Seconds. Cooldown 90 seconds. 

The effect of (Taunt) affected the Kobold and forced it to turn around and attack Andrew instead. 

Once again, the Kobold was shocked, this time it was displeased. 

It let out a bloodlust directed at Andrew. 

  

  

“Alright, if you want to die first then I’ll kill you first." <Kobold General> 

Andrew had caught the Kobold’s General’s full attention. 

“Try it if you can, YOU MONSTER!!!” <Andrew> 

The two engaged in a fierce exchange of sword strikes. 

  

  

It did not take long to see who has the advantage. 

Andrew was getting pushed back one-sidedly. 

His attacks were easily deflected away by the Kobold while the attacks of the kobold have a clear effect on Andrew. 

The large sword was not only for show. 

Andrew could not find the right distance to counter and was forced into the defensive. 

After the Kobold activated its skills, its physical attributes such as strength and speed were greatly increased. 

Andrew could just parry the attack with the help of his (Mana Shroud). 

This time, despite the effect of (Mana Shroud) the aftershocks from the ridiculously large sword of the kobold, were knocking him off balance with every strike. 

  

  

John who was closely observing the battle knew that if this goes on Andrew will die. 

[At this rate we’ll all die. I need to create an opening so we can escape… first I need to clear all of the kobolds behind us.] 

John focused on defeating the kobolds behind them. 

Originally 12 Kobold monsters appeared there. 

Since the fight began, they managed to decrease those numbers to half. 

  

  

John charged toward the Kobold archers who were shooting arrows from behind. 

(Spear Skill: Double thrust- II): Execute 2 consecutive thrust attacks with a spear with enhanced speed and destructive power by consuming mana. 

- Skill level perk: Increased Speed, Damage and decreased MP consumption. 

The spear hit the heart and the head of the Kobold archer. 

With this, John killed one of the three kobolds in the rear. 

  

  

Carl and Tristan knew what John was after, so instead of focusing their attacks on the kobolds in front of them, they helped John to clear the kobold behind. 

Each of them defeated 1 each, and only 3 kobolds remain for them to clear the escape route. 

Myrona soon realized this as well but she stayed focused on the kobolds coming from the front. 

This was to keep them in check. 

  

  

. 

. 

. 

  

  

[Alright, the way is now clear.] <John> 

“MIRVA!” <John> 

John yelled to notify Mirva about something. 

Mirva knew what this signal means and started chanting a magic spell. 

  

  

Andrew picked up on the plan. 

He knew he needed to do something. 

He used one of his skills once again to make that “something” happen. 

He used a skill, (Sword Skill: Power Slash). 

  

  

(Sword Skill: Power Slash- II): Execute a single slash attack with a sword with devastating power and knockback effect by consuming mana. 

- Skill level perk: Increased damage and Knockback effect. 

He aimed this attack at the kobold’s large sword and struck it upwards. 

That attack caused the Kobold General to uncontrollably raise its sword upward in the air while staggering backward. 

This was caused by the knockback effect of the skill he used. 

  

  

Without delay, John quickly rushed towards Andrew and the Kobold. 

He dashed toward Andrew and the Kobold general with incredible speed. 

(Burst- I): Explosively increase movement speed while moving in a single direction. Greatly consumes stamina. 

- Skill level perk: Increased Burst's speed. 

(Spear Skill: Power Thrust- I): A single thrusting attack with devastating power and knockback effect with the cost of mana. 

With the use of a burst, he quickly reduced the distance between them in no time. 

  

  

John was hoping that the Kobold general would not notice him, but it did not go as he planned. 

This did not stop John to execute his attack. 

The tip of his spear was shining with compressed mana and was even releasing some kind of wind pressure. 

“!!!” <John> 

The Kobold General blocked John’s attack by using his large sword as a shield. 

As a result, the kobold was knocked back by about 3 meters from where it blocked John’s attack. 

“Oho, that was quite an attack” <Kobold General> 

The kobold looked rather amused by the attack he just blocked. 

  

  

It did not inflict damage on the kobold general. 

But it was fine, that did not matter. 

After all, his objective was not to inflict damage but rather to push the kobold away from Andrew. 

  

  

Mirva finished chanting his magic and cast the spell. 

“FIREWALL!” <Mirva> 

A wall of flame appeared between the Kobold General and John. 

  

  

“NOW, RUN!” <Andrew> 

Andrew instructed his party to start running away in the opposite direction. 

The Kobold General was unable to pursue it since a wall of fire was stopping it from doing so. 

This was also the same as the other Kobolds. 

  

  

The party started running away. 

John led the way as the 2 mages, the archer, and the cleric followed behind. 

Andrew was running at the back to protect the rear. 

“What the hell is that thing?” <Tristan> 

“Who knows, it looks like a kobold general but I never heard of a kobold with such a level of intelligence.” <Carl> 

“At any rate, we can’t fight that thing… we must escape and report this to the guild.” <Myrona> 

  

  

All of them are in confusion but they all knew that they need to escape from there. 

Andrew, who faced the Kobold General heads on could not agree more. 

  

  

As a result of fighting the monster heads on, Andrew was covered with bruises all over his body. 

His armor was all tattered and damaged from all over. 

Andrew knew that if the fight continued any further things would have turned to the worst. 

He knew that it was just a matter of time before he would be defeated by the Kobold General. 

His mana was almost depleted from the constant use of the (Aura Blade) (Mana Shroud). 

In fact, after using "Sword Skill: Power Slash" his mana is close to reaching its limits. 

  

  

Not so long after they started running. 

-BOOOM- 

An explosion. 

Something had exploded from the direction where Andrew and his party were running. 

“What the…” <Andrew> 

Dust covered their sight. 

  

  

“Don’t tell me…” <Mirva> 

Mirva fell on her feet. 

"Ahahaha..." <John> 

John could only Laugh. 

Carl gulped. 

Myrona bit her lips. 

Tristan clicked his tongue. 

The leader Andrew breathed out some air and turned around. 

He gripped his sword hard. 

“Mirva, Heal me. Also... hand me some mana potion...” <Andew> 

“Y-y-yes!, Right away.” <Mirva> 

  

  

John walked toward Andrew who was standing behind their lines facing the direction from where they ran from. 

“Well, I guess we have to prepare for the worst…” <John> 

John said with a disheartened tone. 

Andrew nods as he drinks a bottle of a mana potion. 

  

  

John and Andrew were glaring in the direction from where they came. 

Behind them, where the explosion occurred were rubbles of rock and other debris blocking the pathway. 

They have nowhere to run, as the explosion just now caused the pathway to collapse. 

  

  

In the dark passageway, a dark figure slowly revealed itself. 

The dimly lit passageway created an ominous vibe to the surrounding. 

The dark figure is walking in confidence with his minions behind him. 

“FOUND YOU... Did you think I’ll let you escape? No way... I never let my prey escape... but I do love playing with them before I end their lives...” <Kobold General> 

  

  

The Kobold General stood there and showed its sinister grin. 

  

  

  

***************** 

  

  

“Alright Hayate, lead the way I’ll protect the rear.” <Kazue> 

  

  

After getting ambushed by a Kobold hiding behind a rock. 

Kazue decided to let Hayate lead their way instead. 

Despite having sharp intuitions, Kazue was unable to detect the kobold hiding behind the rock. 

This was not because her intuition failed her, it was just she was not really on guard. 

Since things are going so well, she has failed to notice the dangers in her surroundings and caused herself to put her guard down. 

To avoid this from happening again, she let Hayate lead the way instead. 

Although her intuition was great, Hayate still possesses skills specific to this kind of situation. 

Hayate’s (Olfactory Sense) and (Auditory Sense) are very useful in this kind of situation. 

Although the Blue-eyed wolf naturally had a great sense of smell and hearing, to begin with. 

The skills only made Hayate's senses exceptionally special, his senses are on another level. 

Unless the enemy has the skill to counter these, deceiving Hayate would be impossible. 

  

  

After walking for a while Kazue found herself standing in another cavern. 

“??” <Kazue> 

With a crossed arm and a confused look on her face. 

Kazue was standing in the middle of the cavern. 

  

  

“This… this is a monster house, right?” <Kazue> 

She said to herself. 

Kazue was doing this because she could not believe what she was seeing in front of her eyes. 

She was trying to reason why such a thing could happen. 

  

  

“Hayate…” <Kazue> 

[There's no mistake, mother.] <Hayate> 

“mumumu.” <Kazue> 

Kazue thought of it harder. 

Wrinkles appeared between her eyes. 

“Yep, I have no idea… is this real?” <Kazue> 

  

  

“This is not a trap… right?” <Kazue> 

She walked for a little while and reached the edge of the cavern. 

There she stopped and looked at a suspicious object right in front of her. 

And that suspicious object is a treasure chest. 

  

  

“This is not a trap… right?” <Kazue> 

She asked again. 

But no one answered. 

Isamu, Hayate, and Kaori were looking at her with innocent eyes. 

Even if Kazue asked them if this was a trap, there was no way they could answer her. 

They are as clueless as anyone can be. 

It was like asking a dog for advice, where they can only answer you with a “dog's smile”. 

That was what is happening right now. 

  

  

Kazue was at a loss. 

She entered a cavern that she expects to be a monster house. 

When she entered, she founds out that no monster was inside. 

She asked Hayate if he could detect a monster hiding, when Hayate searched around, he did not manage to find a monster hiding nearby. 

  

  

Kazue saw that at the edge of the cavern, there was an exposed Treasure chest. 

A very suspicious treasure chest. 

She circled the treasure chest several times searching for a suspicious mechanism that may trigger a trap. 

She is even considering the possibility that this treasure chest contains some kind of trap inside. 

Or when she opens the treasure, monsters will start rushing inside and corner her without a path of escape. 

She thought for a while and could not find herself opening the treasure chest. 

But… 

  

  

[My instinct is telling me… something good is inside… It’s telling me that it’s not a trap.] 

Yes, her instinct is telling her that this particularly suspicious object was not a trap but a legit treasure chest. 

And throughout her experience, trusting her instinct is one of the best options to follow. 

  

  

“Guys… what do you think? Do you think it’s dangerous???” <Kazue> 

She was asking her familiars. 

She was asking what do they feel about this particular treasure chest. 

[Not really.] <Isamu> 

[Yep, I feel the same.] <Kaori> 

[I don’t think its dangerous mother…] <Hayate> 

“Right…” <Kazue> 

  

  

She pondered, ultimately, she could not resist it. 

“It’s better to regret doing it than to regret not doing it right?” <Kazue> 

She said, for her to encourage herself. 

Kazue conflicted with thought... 

Is this thing have treasures inside versus the possibility of it being a trap? 

  

  

“OK guys, just in case be prepared to run… Stand back a little.” <Kazue> 

-clank- -clank- -creek- 

  

  

Kazue opened the treasure chest. 

She was prepared to run at any moment. 

She was trying to push her body away from the treasure chest as much as possible. 

Kazue was even leaning back as a result. 

When she saw the content of the treasure, she fell to her butt. 

She stared at the ceiling. 

“…” <Kazue> 

  

  

Isamu, Kaori, and Hayate were curious about the reason why their mother fell on her back. 

They peeked at the inside of the treasure chest. 

It was full of glowing objects and random things. 

  

  

“It’s a jackpot…” <Kazue> 

Kazue muttered while still lying down. 

She looked behind her just in case. 

She was worried that the monster would start flowing in. 

But again, nothing happened even after she opened the treasure chest. 

She waits… 

But in the end, nothing happened. 

  

  

Then reality hits Mizusawa Kazue. 

“HOLY CRAP! DID I JUST HIT A JACKPOT HERE?!” <Kazue> 

She stood up and looked at the contents of the treasure chest once again. 

Compared to the treasure chest she found before, this one contains 2 times what that contained. 

“Seriously? Is it ok for me to take all of this? Just like that…” <Kazue> 

She felt guilty for receiving such a price without doing anything. 

  

  

The treasure chest was full of mana stones. 

It would have been nice if it was just normal ones but she found that inside it was several special mana stones. 

There were fire stones, and wind stones mixed with it. 

Just one of those mana stones can be sold for up to 500,000 DAL. 

She greedily placed the contents of the treasure chest inside her dimensional bag one at a time. 

She examined each of the items she found and placed them inside the bag. 

[Wait... with this, I probably met my quota… With this… If I sell off the things I’ve gathered, plus the items I got from the 2 treasure chests, plus the rewards from kobolds I killed… I should have about 5M DAL by now, right? This is enough for me to receive about 5M right?] 

After roughly estimating the value of the things I got from this dungeon Kazue could not control her facial expression and smiled happily. 

“Fufufu.” <Kazue> 

As she was in a trance… 

  

  

-BOOOM- 

The familiar’s ears perked up as the sound echoed through. 

The sound of something exploding echoed through the cavern. 

Although it sounded distant, it was still very audible. 

It came from the path leading forward. 

  

  

“An explosion?” <Kazue>