Chapter 83: Trapped

Dawn, a cosmic signal heralding the inception of a new day.

"Alright, let's go"

Aron, resolute, stepped out of the room with Raum perched on his shoulder and the two girls trailing behind him. No more time for wasteful rest; Aron had ensured everything was prepared before dawn.

Vigilant through the night, he sat between two beds, eyes closed in silent contemplation.

As they traversed the village's humble dirt pathways, a peculiar sensation stirred within Aron. He struggled to find a fitting description, but the closest resemblance he could think of was excitement and thrill. Perhaps? It's that feeling you get before unwrapping a present or the pulsating warmth in one's fingertips. Exciting? Yes?

Aron was feeling the same, the reason? Is a simple one—he gets to beat shit up.

Aron understood this aspect of his nature; he must engage in regular combat, the urge for conflict persists within him, growing with each passing day.

The group exited the village gate; the guard promptly opened it, recognizing Aron from the previous day. The village possessed only one entrance to the south, forcing the group to circle around the village to access the northern path.

Fortunately, the journey didn't consume much time; the villagers had cleared the surroundings, marking small roads in all four directions.

Leading the group, Aron employed his [Dragon Sight] skill to survey the surroundings. Remarkably, the skill required no mana, allowing him to use it freely. The only impediment was a growing discomfort in his eyes after prolonged activation.

Initially, the duration was short, 2-3 minutes, but it steadily increased, enabling him to use the skill for longer periods.

Pethra, a step behind, acted as support, prepared to utilize Earth magic for defense if needed. Freya guarded their backs, vigilant against sneak attacks, while Raum scouted from above as always.

Fortunately, in the early morning, most creatures still slumbered, rendering the forest traversal relatively safe, at least for now.

An hour into their straight path north, Aron abruptly raised his fist, signaling a halt. Pethra and Freya, alert, followed his command. He signaled for them to crouch, and they complied.

Turning back, Aron placed his finger to his lips and gestured for the girls to approach and observe. Silently advancing, they witnessed a small pool of water where, at its edge, a skirmish was unfolding.

Four goblins were aggressively stabbing a creature that resembled a frog. The frog was twice the size of the goblins, with yellow and blue skin, big round orange eyes, and a long, strong pink tongue.

The frog attempted to retaliate, but it was slow and incapable of evading the goblins' knife thrusts. A closer look at his lower side revealed a huge claw mark, causing the frog constant bleeding. The goblins made sure to take advantage of this weakness.

Aron leaned in, whispering to the girls, "These goblins are likely from the nest. We should wait for them to finish hunting, then follow them back."

Freya and Pethra agreed to his plan and decided to wait.

Minutes later, the battle concluded, with the goblins emerging victorious, though they lost one goblin who foolishly walked in front of the frog's mouth, and the latter swallowed him as a whole. The remaining three goblins wasted no time and began dragging the dead frog away.

"It's time, come quietly," Aron whispered.

Struggling with the frog, the goblins took over 20 minutes to reach their cave. At first glance, Aron and the girls didn't notice the entrance; the cave was well-hidden by vines and leaves appearing natural.

Aron observed the three goblins dragging the dead frog inside. He turned to the girls. "Did you find anything, Pethra?"

Pethra shook her head. "No, I can't detect the size of the cave. Something is blocking my mana."

"I see." Aron gazed upward. Raum in the sky sensed Aron's gaze and descended immediately.

"How's the situation from above?"

"No monsters in the area, and I found another cave a little east from here. However, the entrance is sealed by a giant rock," Raum replied.

Aron pondered briefly, contemplating the best approach. His concern was the potential existence of another exit the goblins could use to escape. However, that wouldn't alter his primary objective.

Cracking his neck, he declared, "Alright, time to slay some goblins."

…

Fear.

"UGAAHH!"

Is a powerful instrument.

BOOM!

I never experienced fear before; I was born into existence two months ago...'Born' is not the right word; it was as if I were sleeping and then abruptly awakened.

I differ from my kind; physically, I appear the same—short height, green skin, and yellow eyes—but internally, I'm unlike them.

I have a big mind; I think it's called being smarter, at least that's what the master said to me. He also likes to call me a 'Test subject.' I don't comprehend the meaning, but I assume that's my name.

The master informed me he had plans for me and high expectations; that's why he designated me to lead the rest of my kin. But… But…

"AHHHH!"

My kin are dying miserably and painfully.

"HAHAHAH!"

Please! This laugh I don't want to hear anymore.

It's a demon. H-He attacked us from nowhere; we can't look at him in the eyes and not feel terror. Those flaming eyes singe us from the inside; each time one of my kin gazes at them, he freezes, and the demon kills him by ripping his heart out.

All are dead; every single one.

Step. Step.

But me.

The demon started advancing toward me with measured steps. I must escape, but I can't. My body stopped listening to me the moment I gazed into those flaming eyes.

He stood before me, a massive demon. I couldn't see his face or anything else, covered by darkness; only his eyes were visible.

He seized the top of my head with his bloody claw.

'NO..NO'

My voice vanished; I couldn't even scream; my body was paralyzed, accepting its fate. The demon lifted me to his level; I could sense his sadistic smile behind that darkness.

'He's enjoying this'

He moved his other claw to my chest and began piercing it slowly and painfully.

I felt it all, every second of it. I don't think it was seconds, really; for me, it was eternal torment. Then a moment of silence and peace. I saw him extracting a shiny rock from my chest. He glanced at it for a moment before the shiny rock shattered into pieces and headed to him.

'I see now… he's here to eat us and grow strong.'

Despite this, I didn't harbor any hatred; this is how things are, the strong devour the weak. Even goblins consume the weaker ones of their kin; I understood this thanks to my big brain.

In fact, I'm somewhat content; at least I'll be part of something great. Somehow, I have a feeling that this demon will devour the world and everything in it. And I will be inside him, witnessing it all.

Oh! It's happening; my vision is fading away. Ahhh, yes, peace at last.

…

"Sigh… is it necessary to make it messy like this, Aron?" Pethra genuinely questioned.

She stood at the cave entrance with Freya and Raum, observing the bloody scene before them. More than thirty goblins lay dead on the ground, with holes in their chests.

Aron released his grip, dropping the dead goblin, and turned to Pethra with blood and an innocent smile on his face.

"Do you want to spend hours extracting the magic cores alone, Little witch?"

Pethra returned to him the same innocent smile and decided to use the right to remain silent.

"That's what I thought." Teasing the girls occasionally was something Aron enjoys and he planned to do it more often. But for now, he surveyed the aftermath of his brutal attack.

Using his [Dragon sight], Aron was able to detect the magic cores inside the goblins, and with the combination of [Mana manipulation] and [Ancient Dominance], Aron picked the goblins one by one with ease.

Aron used [Mana Manipulation] to infuse his hands with mana in the shape of claws, and [Ancient Dominance] to instill fear in them. Initially, the goblins attacked Aron. However, when Aron tore the chest of the first goblin, the others froze as the skill began taking effect.

Truly, as the descriptions said: "The more they fear, the weaker they became."

Utilizing this strategy, Aron darted from one goblin to another, extracting the cores and consuming them simultaneously. It was gruesome, but the most efficient method, as Aron aimed to complete this quest swiftly.

[Level up]

He gained a level from slaying the goblins. The system was accurate; the XP they provided varied—some gave 5XP, others 10XP. But dispatching 35 of them propelled Aron an entire level.

However…

[You have killed: Goblin Mutant.]

[50XP]

The last goblin granted him 50XP, and consuming its core yielded two points instead of one.

'Mutant?' Aron wondered. 'I don't like the sound of that.'

PIP. PIP.

A peculiar sound echoed in the cave; Aron immediately faced the source. He saw Pethra searching in her pockets. She pulled out a silver card, and a blinking blue light on the back of the card was visible.

Pethra's face paled; she raised her eyes, facing Aron, who saw fear in her eyes. Before he could ask, Pethra immediately shifted her gaze to the entrance.

A purple barrier was enveloping the entrance.

"A-Aron," fear was evident in her voice.

Aron exerted all his strength and dashed toward the entrance. No words were needed to understand that the situation was turning dire.

With Nightfall in his hands, he struck the barrier with all his might.

Rumble. BOOM!

Unfortunately, that wasn't enough; the barrier absorbed Aron's attack and redirected it back at him in the form of an explosion.

Aron was pushed back, flying in the air; fortunately, Freya reacted fast and grabbed him before he hit the ground.

"What's going on, Pethra?" Aron demanded, his eyes narrowing as he stared at the panicked witch.

"A dungeon… We're trapped."

Queck! Queck! Queck!

"Damn it! Here they come." Aron instantly assumed a defensive stance; from the sound alone, he could deduce that a horde of goblins was heading their way.

"STAY! Close!" he shouted. "Raum! Take the high ground and show me the way; I'm going to push forward."

"Pethra! Snap out of it. Don't you dare show me that pathetic display; don't make me regret choosing you."

"Freya!"

"I know." Freya didn't need words; her connection to Aron was enough to convey everything. She stood alongside him, ready to hunt.

Pethra also managed to overcome her fear and stood on Aron's left side.

Queck! Queck! Queck!

A green tide of monsters emerged from the darkness of the cave, charging wildly as if possessed.

Aron took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the approaching horde.

"KILL THEM ALL!"