Near The End

The trio once again began walking towards their destination through the forest. A few minutes later, the cows rushing towards the entrance returned. Every 20 or so meters, a cow would leave the herd. Very soon, the main path was guarded by the demonic cows.

"This is our chance!" Sumei exclaimed. "These cows are not only tough, but their loot is pretty decent! Let's do it!"

Jacob and Bob nodded and inched closer to the path from the forest. The group had their eyes on the cow closest to them. Its back was facing them, and Bob began running.

Bob jumped on its back as it was about to turn around. He held both of its horns tightly while pulling upward. Naturally, the cow wasn't going to stay still. It started jumping around, trying to throw off its rider.

Meanwhile, Jacob and Sumei had reached the cow. Jacob equipped his dagger and tried to find chances to hit its eyes. Sumei began hitting its nose to disorient it. She also began disturbing the cow by smacking its feet, head, and ears.

MOOO!

The cow grew furious at the weaklings harassing it and strongly jerked forward. It finally sent Bob flying. Coincidentally, he flew straight at Sumei, knocking her down.

Jacob gulped and backed away.

The cow stared at him and once again roared. It began running towards him while pointing its horns forward. If Jacob got hit by them, two holes would open straight through him.

"What do I do?" he asked himself in panic. In a few seconds, he knew he would be hit. If he didn't do anything, he would die.

He used his rich imagination and imagined many ideas and finally settled on one idea. He knew he could only try.

As the cow reached him, he slid down while pointing the edge of his dagger toward its underside. The cow jumped up with its front hooves in pain, but the momentum still took it ahead. Jacob took this chance to stick the dagger deeper. He formed a deep cut along the entire length of the cow's belly.

The cow finally crossed him and fell behind while he held his right arm in pain while dropping his dagger. His bicep muscles were torn, and blood stained his face and shirt. Jacob was still in shock at what he had accomplished.

MOO!

Its dying roar brought him back to the present. He quickly picked up his dagger, stepped back, and finally looked at the cow. It tried to stand up, but blood continuously poured from its open wound. After a few tries, it fell.

Jacob saw it shine brightly for a moment. Then, in its place, he saw some meat and two horns. Only the blood-stained ground and his injuries proved that a battle had occurred. It was one where Jacob nearly died.

"What happened?"

Jacob jerked around in shock and waved his dagger. He only relaxed after seeing it was Sumei. He pointed at the loot.

Sumei couldn't believe it. She looked between him and the loot and finally had to admit he did the impossible.

"You did great!" she smiled as she came to check up on him.

"Argh!" Jacob grunted, holding his right bicep.

"It's a muscle strain," said Sumei after a while. "Can you continue?" she asked, looking worried.

Jacob didn't hesitate to nod and said, "I can."

Meanwhile, Bob came over and looked at Jacob's bloody arm. He looked downcast as he said, "Sorry."

Jacob couldn't understand why Bob apologized.

"What do you mean?"

"I… if I kept holding it, we could have taken it down without you getting injured."

Jacob shook his head.

Sumei knew what he meant. She said, "Don't be sorry. You did much better than I expected."

She brought the horns and two slices of meat. Sumei held them up high and declared, "We got two Demonic Horns and some Demonic Cow raw meat. Who's hungry?"

Jacob was about to shake his head, and she added, "This mana-infused meat is good for your recovery. At least your pain will immediately reduce."

Jacob had no reason to refuse it anymore. They returned to the forest. Bob collected dry wood while Sumei started a fire with her lighter. The first bite they took made them question life itself. It was as though this was how delicious meat was supposed to taste, and the meat they had eaten before was fake.

After the meal, they sat around and discussed their next steps.

Sumei said, "With these horns, Bob can take out their eyes as soon as he gets on their back. I'll keep distracting it while Jacob can try to get some lucky hits. Focus on being safe this time."

Nobody had anything else to add, and they got started. One by one, they took down cows and evaded some. The main goal was to make their escape easy, and they didn't have to clear all the monsters.

After two hours of battle and many close shaves, they accumulated a lot of loot. But they stored most of it on the side of the pathway since they didn't have space to carry them.

The trio reached the end of the path. It was a space where the three paths converged. Beyond it lay the boss room with two giant stone doors locking it. In the middle of the empty space lay three treasure chests.

"It's that box!" Sumei pointed at their goal.

Everyone was happy even though they didn't awaken their talents. It was because they got used to battling for the first time, built some chemistry, got some loot, and didn't make major blunders. This was much better than other teams who didn't even kill a monster.

Jacob looked at Bob. The big dude didn't seem annoying anymore. He even had a small smile on his chubby face.

'Surprisingly, he fought pretty well,' Jacob thought.

Sumei opened the treasure box while Jacob and Bob sat down beside it. They knew this was a safe place where monsters didn't wander. Sumei opened the chest, and it vanished, leaving three items. There was a wand, a shield, and a dagger.

This was the reason they were sent here. It was to get suitable starter equipment for themselves. Even Peter Maxwell, Jacob's father, had come here in his beginning days as a hunter to get his first dagger. Due to its specialty, Four Sides of Death had become Trathe City's most beginner-friendly dungeon.

They equipped their weapons and got used to them. Now it was time to return with glory. But…

Putch!

"Argh!" Sumei screamed, holding her left calf. An arrow had pierced her, and its tip was caked in green.

Goblins came out from the cover of the forest near the main path and surrounded them. Behind them lay the boss room which would spell their death, while ahead stood a dozen goblins. There were goblin warriors who protected the archers behind them.

"Pick her! RUN!" Jacob roared.

Bob immediately lifted Sumei. He ran to the middle of the three treasure chests while blocking the incoming arrows with his shield. He wasn't well-versed in techniques, but his brute strength made up for it.

Jacob immediately knelt in cover and checked up on Sumei. Her temperature was high, and she didn't seem fully conscious.

"Sumei! Can you hear me?" Jacob urgently shook her shoulders but received no response. "Shit! It's even poisoned! They didn't mention any poison!"

He didn't have time to think further. Jacob took Sumei's flare gun from her pocket and immediately released it to the sky.

"Bob! We need to defend till they come!"

Bob nodded. But he was having difficulty blocking all the incoming arrows. Jacob also took Sumei's staff and tried to block the incoming arrows since the shield only covered one side. But they were getting overwhelmed. After a few seconds of non-stop assault, the incoming arrows stopped.

But they were not happy. Six goblins took their bronze swords and ran toward them. Other goblins also inched closer.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

After three strikes, the wooden shield gave in and broke into two. This allowed the goblins to come into their small space bordered by three treasure chests.

The goblins laughed. Jacob pointed his dagger at them while Bob carried Sumei with one hand and held her staff with the other. They knew they didn't have a great chance but weren't willing to give up.

As they were about to give it their all, the ground underneath them shook, causing them to nearly fall. They tried to stabilize themselves, but the ground beneath them gave in, and they fell.

The fourth prism on the gargoyle's forehead shone briefly at the dungeon's entrance. Mr. Adam who was nervously gazing at the entrance didn't miss that. He didn't understand what had happened. But he knew that a change in a conquered dungeon was unheard of and grew worried.

***

"Ah!" Jacob rubbed his aching legs after falling down while Bob grunted. He even managed to keep Sumei safe. Dust covered their eyes, and both of them couldn't see far. Despite that, they noticed the groaning goblins. Both looked at each other in understanding.

Jacob ignored his injuries and rushed to the goblins near him. He cut their necks with his dagger and stabbed them in their hearts. Each attack was painful due to his weak body. The battles today made him resent that D-Rank hunter even more.

Bob's attacks were much simpler. He waved Sumei's staff and broke the goblin skulls. A distinct crack echoed in the underground space with each wave of his arm. Of course, he was still carrying Sumei on her stomach.

Within a minute, they had cleared the enemies who vanished and left them loot. Jacob saw that and picked up three rusty bronze swords and two loincloths he didn't plan to use.

"Why are they not here yet?" Jacob asked Bob and received a shrug. Jacob looked up but didn't see the hole they came through.

"Scary room," Bob said after looking around. He laid Sumei down after checking her faint breathing. Jacob did the same and nodded.

They were in a room covering twenty sq. meters. It was held up with pillars on its four corners. On one side stood statues of grotesque gargoyles. Jacob counted five statues. Only the central one seated on a throne was in perfect condition. The others standing around it with different weapons were cracked.

"What is this place?" Jacob asked. But there was no one to answer him. He stepped closer and tried to approach the only statue in fine condition. There was no use staying here, and he wasn't even sure if the teachers could find this place.

Suddenly, that statue stood up!

Jacob and Bob backed away. Bob even carried Sumei to the opposite side of the room. They looked at each other and realized that a fight was inevitable.

The gargoyle lifted its spear resting on the throne and walked down the platform. Each step hammered into the aspiring hunter's hearts. The pressure it gave off was immense. Jacob gulped at the menacing figure three meters tall when it reached the ground.

"The only way to bring it down is to break its head in one go!" Jacob shouted after remembering the general introduction on gargoyles he had read before. "Give me the meat!"