Collapse

Esdras wanted to refuse outright, he was basically being treated as fodder. But he couldn't dispute the fact that he couldn't help in collapsing the cave.

"… fine but tell me in detail how the plan will work."

Bran scratched his head, "your constant questions are annoying as fuck. It's simple you attack, kill a kobold or two and then run over here get into the cave then turn around and get out, at that point, we will do the hard work and collapse the cave."

Esdras was usually a calm person and since arriving in this world he endured a barrage of insults from these kids but that didn't mean that he was a saint.

But for now, he had to eat it up, he wasn't strong enough. What if he lashed out and got crippled by Bran?

Bran was the leader and disobeying his orders is a sure way to get punished. If something happened who was more likely to get in trouble?

Bran the level 4 apprentice mage or Esdras the trash who couldn't achieve anything in five years?

It was not a hard question. So until he was sure he could stand up for himself, he was going to keep his head low even if he felt like shit.

Esdras and the two soldiers were heading to the kobolds nest, but there was not much talking. He noticed that the soldiers had deadpan expressions.

"You know, back then the forest was such a peaceful place, we used to eat and drink to our fill…"

One of the soldiers mumbled, Esdras was interested so he asked, "what do you mean, there was a village here?"

"I know it's hard to believe but not even twenty years ago this forest's trees were much smaller and it was rare to encounter even a single goblin. There were two other villages in the area too."

"How is that possible? What happened to change all of that?" Esdras asked curiously.

"I don't know, nobody does. Just one day the trees started growing and the animals became ferocious beasts and the monsters appeared in endless numbers. We had to evacuate."

Esdras saw the giant trees but he just assumed it was a fantasy forest…

They arrived at their objective, the large trees have been carved into make-shift rooms within the trees.

Dozens and dozens of kobolds were moving about, some were eating and others were fighting with each other. Others were dancing around a bonfire.

"Ready?" Esdras asked the two soldiers, they were hidden behind bushes. "Go!"

The three of them sprang into action and sprinted to the bonfire at once, the kobolds they passed by were confused as three humans suddenly appeared.

Esdras didn't waste the element of surprise and pushed one of the dancing kobolds into the bonfire roughly.

"Kaaaaaa!"

The half-burnt wood and fire scattered everywhere, the scream was loud enough to alert all the kobolds in the nest.

[+3 EXP]

In that moment of silence, Esdras and the two soldiers swiftly retreated and ran away. A loud cry came after them, the ground vibrated with the intense kobolds chasing after them.

Esdras bit his lips and ran with all his might. He actually did it, it was like a scene from a movie and it felt really good too.

After ten minutes of running, he could feel the kobolds quickly catching up to them, if not for the head-start they would have been caught a long time ago.

''Faster, faster!"

Esdras knew his stamina was enough for him to run at full speed for longer but it was not the same for the two soldiers, they were already falling behind.

Who knows what the kobolds will do then? Will they keep chasing or pour their rage on the fallen soldiers? If that happened then the plan will fail.

However, salvation was at hand, he could finally see the opening of the strange cave. Bran and Tara were out of sight obviously so the kobolds wouldn't suspect a thing.

Esdras and the two soldiers ran straight into the cave and the kobolds came after them mindlessly. They used the darkness of the cave and snuck behind the frantic kobolds.

"Kag! Huta!"

The kobolds noticed them but it was already too late, they started running towards the opening of the cave, and as soon as they walked out then it will collapse on the kobold's heads.

However!

Esdras was still a distance away from the cave opening when he heard a loud crash and saw the entrance collapses. Rocks the size of watermelons and bigger started falling down.

"Hey! Stop we're still in here!"

One of the soldiers desperately called out, and Esdras shook his head as if they didn't know that.

Esdras couldn't get close to the entrance with all the rocks falling so he judge that to get away from the collapsing entrance he had to go into the cave.

"Guys come with me this way!" He called to the soldiers.

"Are you insane! I don't want to die!"

Honestly, Esdras knew it was idiotic but he had no other choice. So he ran in he could only talk but not force them to follow him.

The two soldiers and the majority of the kobolds who were in a panic at the falling rocks charged to the entrance and were subsequently crushed to death.

Esdras ran deeper and deeper, he was surprised because the cave didn't look this big but he stopped thinking about that when a rock fell on his head. And another one on his back.

Esdras picked himself up vowing to return this pain to them a thousandfold! If not for his enhanced physique he might have died there and then.

The cave was still collapsing but he still heard distinctive steps behind him. Looks like not all of the kobolds died and for some fucked up reason they were still coming after him.

Esdras couldn't fight a dozen angry kobolds in the dark, he could only run further in. Suddenly his foot slipped, the solid ground turned into extremely slippery mud and he slipped.

Without being able to control himself he saw the mud leading him into a vortex of purple light and went through it.

[Ding! You have discovered the Rust Fang dungeon! You can't exit unless you clear the first floor!]