An Obstacle To Progress

Meanwhile, the party of three continued on through the Dungeon.

Unfortunately, the endlessly boring tunnels gave Nox little mental stimulation. Whilst he would've loved to doze off, he was weary of falling into another trap. Danger could be lurking behind every corner. Nox couldn't afford to be caught unprepared.

The only choice was to dedicate his to focus on the path ahead.

When he grew tired, he would take a short rest on the unwelcoming ground. His two companions remained ever diligent as he recovered.

While he felt pretty secure with his minions watching over him, he felt it was better not to push his luck. If he was attacked by a large group of Goblins, he might die without even realising it. A short rest would do to relieve his aching body.

It also did wonders for his mind. Stretching his concentration taut for several hours gave his low Willpower chance to insidiously infect his mind.

He had learnt to take rests when he felt it emerge. It was crucial that he was on top form at all times if he wanted to stay safe.

When his energy returned, he pressed on.

Small groups of Goblins were littered along his path, but they posed very little trouble. For the most part, they were the same Level 3 Goblins he had faced previously. If he could massacre them before, he could certainly do the same now.

The addition of Cobo only served to hasten the slaughter.

His minion was unyieldingly tough; any strikes that came his way at most made some chips in his bony figure. That was if they were lucky enough to reach him, however.

Most attacks would miss entirely due to Cobo's use of his dismantling ability.

The minion seemed to struggle with its application at first as several attacks managed to nick him, despite its use. Furthermore, he would drop his weapon and be forced to pick it up again after reforming.

Often, this led to a disoriented scramble where Cobo would dodge the first attack, only to be hit by the second as he tried to regain himself. Fairly quickly though, the creature's proficiency soared.

It helped that the Goblins they fought were very simple creatures with slow, unimaginative attack patterns. Once you'd seen a few attacks, you'd seen them all.

Not to mention, they left hilariously big openings. They were little better than children wielding weapons.

A better training partner could hardly be found. Cobo had plenty of time to adapt to his new ability. Nox and Aurus didn't intervene in most battles as they allowed the skeleton to get to grips with his power.

Soon, his minion came out of battles against a couple Goblins completely unscathed. Eventually, the trio all fought together and sped through the Dungeon. With the addition of himself and Aurus, even groups as large as ten were easily dispatched in direct confrontations.

Along the way, there had been one more incident where the Goblins had laid out a trap for them. Luckily, this time, with his emphasis on maintaining peak mental performance, Nox had noticed the trap in advance.

With the Goblins' plan foiled, the team made quick work of their enemies. This group even contained a pleasant surprise with a monster wielding a small buckler alongside its scimitar.

After 'relieving' the beast of its equipment, Cobo managed to acquire a nice new shield to aid in its frontline role. Nox decided to have him keep his previous spear, however.

Swords notoriously had a much higher learning curve than spears. While a sword could take decades to master, a spear could be wielded fairly proficiently with very little practice.

Given Cobo's low Dexterity and general clumsiness, Nox thought the spear was a better choice. It also paired well with the shield. Nox would've liked to find a bigger shield for his companion, but that could only wait for now.

Several days passed as the team made their way through the dungeon in this fashion.

In that time, they had managed to kill twenty-three Level 3 Goblins, granting Nox a whopping 230 EXP. With such expedient progress, he could expect another level-up very soon.

"Things are going well. Cobo's already been a big help. I can't get too cocky, though. Things are only going to get harder from here."

Nox's thoughts were rapidly proven to be true as the trio approached what looked like an enormous chasm.

The ceiling seemed to stretch on into infinity, as did the tenebrous depths below. The fluorescent fungi became somewhat sparse in this area and made discerning the path ahead difficult.

All that lay ahead was a rather narrow rocky bridge that reached towards the other side of the cavern.

Nox looked ahead with a stern expression,

"I don't like this. I don't like this one bit."

For a moment, Nox debated finding another path. This route was extremely risky. If he got caught in an ambush on the bridge, he'd be in a very dangerous spot.

Unfortunately, when he considered his options, he realised that there was no other path. The last half-a-day's-worth of travel had been almost entirely linear. There were no other paths he could go down.

When he mulled over this information, a strange thought occurred in his mind.

"It's like I've been led to this spot. Is it possible that this is what I think it is?" Nox deliberated with himself but ultimately decided to press forward.

His mind was fully concentrated on the path ahead.

Every step that Aurus took was taken with a cautious consideration. Cobo led from the front, his buckler raised and his spear readied.

As the trio gradually ventured into the darkness, Nox's eyes suddenly noticed a silver sparkle amidst the shadows. His instincts began to scream. His eyes opened wide as the glint soared towards him.

"Shit!"

Gripping his steed tightly with his legs, he launched his torso backwards until he was parallel to the ground. Time appeared to slow down as his brain registered the large arrow headed his way.

The razor-sharp arrowhead managed to slice through the top layer of skin on his forehead but thankfully no further. Nox's eyes were fixed on the projectile in shock as it sped past him.

As he haggardly shot back upwards, a wave of pain coursed through his body. Bringing his hand to his head, a small trickle of blood stained his palm red.

His eyes sharpened as he peered ahead.

Guarding the bridge was a retinue of six Goblins. These monsters, however, looked significantly different to the ones he fought previously.

The five in the frontline were all fairly large and robust, for Goblins that was. Their small frames had packed on some significant muscle compared to their weaker relatives.

All of them had simple leather armour covering their torsos and they wielded spears that seemed to be of fairly good quality compared to the ramshackle weapons from before.

The group looked more like a rugged band of mercenaries than a gaggle of Goblins.

While the front five were certainly imposing, the Goblin in the back was by far the most formidable-looking.

It was easily the height of an adult human man, and had a bulging, muscular figure. With forearms like thighs and thighs like logs, the monster made for a menacing sight. Unlike its green-skinned cousins, this Goblin had coarse, earthy, red skin.

Draped in only a pair of rugged linen pants, tied with rope at the waist, the beast's exposed torso swelled with vigour.

Within its thick hands, the monster held a towering longbow, exceeding even the beast's prodigious height.

Nox's eyes met the brute's, to which it responded with a sinister grin. Nocking another arrow, the Goblin heaved back the heavy drawstring. As it did so, the taut muscles of its mighty back contracted violently.

With a loud grunt, another arrow came hurtling towards Nox at breakneck speeds. Although, this time, he was well prepared. Just as the bowstring loosened, Nox signalled Aurus to drop to its stomach.

As his steed's legs folded like a deckchair, the arrow whistled harmlessly above their heads.

Nox smirked confidently at the beast, to which it gave a dissatisfied huff. With an aggressive wave of its hands and some strange Goblin dialect, the five frontline Goblins began to steadily advance.

As the monsters approached, Nox's mind whirred at full-speed to analyse the situation.

When he realised he'd been forced onto this bridge by the dungeon's layout, a conjecture formed in his mind. One that had swiftly been proven true.

"This is the Mini-Boss of the Dungeon."

Indeed, just as Dungeons had a final boss at their conclusion, so too did they have a guardian at the half-way point. In-fact, higher tier dungeons often contained several Mini-Bosses.

Higher tiered Dungeons grew larger and larger as their Rank increased, eventually rivalling entire countries in size! Within such a vast area, countless Mini-Bosses could be found.

At the higher Ranks, many of these bosses were optional. They provided an extra challenge to anyone seeking better gear and experience.

Alternatively, some of these bosses were mandatory to reach the end of the Dungeon as they blocked essential pathways. This was one such case.

Nox grit his teeth, knowing he was in for a tough fight.

As perfectly on time as ever, the melodious voice of the Gift graced him with its presence.

***

[Mini-Boss Fight: Hobgoblin Sharpshooter - Initiated]

(1) Main Objective: Defeat The Boss & All Helpers

(2) Optional Objective 1: Win The Battle With More Than 50% Health Remaining

(3) Optional Objective 2: Defeat The Boss Without Killing A Single Helper

(4) Special Objective (Mutiny): Details Hidden

Rewards:

(1) 1 x Random Rank 1 Loot Reward

(2) + 50% EXP

(3) 1 x Instantaneous Level-Up Token

(4) Reward Hidden

***

Nox took a moment to take in his objectives. Naturally, he hoped to complete them as fully as possible to maximise his rewards.

The first few seemed rather straightforward.

Staying high on health meant he couldn't afford to take too many risks. He should rely on his companions to take the bulk of damage. Hopefully Cobo could keep up with the onslaught of attacks headed his way.

Not killing the helpers was sure to be a pain in the ass. Usually, in scenarios like this one, you had two choices: rush the archer as soon as possible, or take on the guards head on before leaving the archer until last.

Of course, the first method was preferred and would save him a lot of hassle, but things were always easier said than done. Typically, the second method ended up being the most practical, simply because to get to the archer, you were forced to kill your way through the frontline.

Nox would have to watch his strikes and ensure he didn't fatally wound any of the guards if he wanted to complete the objective. Unfortunately, this added a lot of danger to the fight.

Fighting with the intention to kill and the intention not to were wildly different. Winston had drilled into him countless times that he must never hesitate to deliver the killing blow. He would suffer harsh consequences if he had one hand tied behind his back the entire fight.

Not to mention, an injured opponent could always re-join the fight and strike when you least expected it.

Nox could only remain vigilant and watch over his surroundings as to avoid being stabbed in the back.

Meanwhile, the last objective caught Nox's interest.

Special Objectives were not some special secret. They frequently popped up within Dungeon clearances and had been well documented throughout history.

From what he knew, they always entailed taking an unconventional or difficult approach to a fight, and often had the most lucrative rewards. They gave away very minimal information. His only clue was the mission's name.

As he readied his longsword, Nox looked into the eyes of the approaching monsters.

Whilst their threatening figures conveyed their willingness to fight, their eyes betrayed their true emotions.

From each one of the Goblins, Nox could sense the unmistakable presence of fear. Strangely, the monsters didn't appear afraid of him or his companions, but rather, the large Goblin behind them.

Nox was reminded of the way the Mini-Boss commanded his subordinates to advance. Thinking back, they all seemed especially subservient to its demands. They practically leapt into action at its beckoning.

"Mutiny, huh?" Nox smiled silently.

It seemed like these monsters were little more than slaves, whipped into action by their cruel master. Behind their tough exterior, they were little different to frightened children, cowering from their abusive parent.

Nox could use that.

"If it's a mutiny you want, it's a mutiny you'll get."

Nox smiled broadly into the eyes of his monstrous foe.