The air inside the Goblin Cave was thick enough to chew on. It tasted of ammonia, rotting meat, and damp earth.
"Formation!" Jack hissed, his voice echoing slightly off the limestone walls. "Shield up front. Healer, if you drop that staff again, I'll feed you to the goblins myself."
The young Healer trembled, clutching his wooden staff so hard his knuckles turned white.
Kai walked silently at the front, next to the Scout—a lanky guy named Ren, who wore the Viper Guild emblem on his chest. Ren wasn't a full member, just an intern trying to suck up to Jack.
"Hey, Mask," Ren sneered, bumping Kai's shoulder. "Walk faster. If a goblin jumps out, your job is to take the arrow, got it?"
Kai didn't answer. He just adjusted his respirator. His eyes, hidden behind the dirty plastic lenses, were scanning the darkness.
Three goblins ahead. Hiding in the stalactites.
Kai's passive skill, [Monarch's Aura], allowed him to sense life forces nearby. They were weak. Level 2 trash mobs.
But he didn't warn the team.
Thwip!
An arrow flew out of the dark, grazing the Healer's ear.
"Ambush!" Jack roared. "Kill them!"
Chaos erupted. The goblins screeched, dropping from the ceiling with rusted jagged daggers.
The newbies panicked. The Shield-bearer tripped over his own feet.
Kai side-stepped a goblin that lunged at him. He didn't attack. He just... moved.
Minimal effort.
He watched as Ren, the arrogance gone, frantically stabbed at a goblin, missing twice before finally landing a hit.
Jack, however, was efficient. He decapitated a goblin with a single swing of his broadsword.
"Useless! All of you!" Jack spat, kicking a goblin corpse. "This is just the entrance. Get it together!"
They pushed deeper. The tunnel widened into a natural cavern, splitting into two distinct paths.
The Fork.
The path on the Right was dark and silent.
The path on the Left had a faint, eerie blue glow coming from deep within.
"Mana Crystals?" Jack's eyes lit up. "Or maybe a Chest..."
Kai stood at the back. He twitched his finger inside his pocket.
His shadow detached itself from the wall, slithering unseen along the floor into the Left Tunnel.
Clang.
Clatter.
The sound of metal hitting stone echoed from the Left Tunnel. It sounded exactly like a treasure chest lid falling open.
Jack froze. His head snapped toward the sound. Greed instantly overpowered caution.
"Did you hear that?" Jack grinned, a nasty, hungry look on his face. "That sounded like gold."
"Captain, we should stick together," the Healer stammered. "The manual says—"
"Shut up," Jack interrupted. He looked at the two paths. He didn't want to share the loot with too many people. especially not the "useless" ones.
"Ren! Mask!" Jack pointed at Kai and the Scout. "You two take the Right Tunnel. Make sure nothing flanks us. If you see enemies, yell."
"But Captain..." Ren started to protest. He wanted the loot too.
"Do it, or you're out of the Guild assessment," Jack threatened.
Ren swallowed his complaint. "Yes, sir."
"Me, the Mage, and the Healer go Left," Jack commanded, already walking toward the glow. "Don't slack off, you two."
The team split.
Jack's heavy footsteps faded into the Left Tunnel, chasing the phantom sound Kai's shadow had made.
Kai and Ren walked into the pitch-black Right Tunnel.
The silence here was heavy.
After walking for about fifty meters, Ren stopped. He turned around, his flashlight blinding Kai.
"Alright, listen up, trash," Ren said, his voice dripping with frustration. "I'm in charge here. You walk ten meters ahead. I'll stay back and provide... support."
Basically, he wanted Kai to step on traps.
Kai stopped. He didn't move forward.
He stood still, his arms hanging loosely by his sides.
"Are you deaf?" Ren walked closer, poking Kai's chest with his dagger. "I said move."
Kai looked past Ren, toward the empty darkness where the rest of the team had vanished. They were far enough. No screams would be heard.
"You know," Kai said. His voice was different now. The raspy, submissive tone was gone. It was cold. Clear. "Jack was right about one thing."
"Huh? What?" Ren frowned.
Kai looked at Ren. The respirator lenses reflected Ren's confused face.
"We really needed a Scout," Kai whispered. "But not for the team."
He drew the rusted dagger from his waist.
"For my army."
（"Enjoying the massacre? Drop a Power Stone to feed the Clone Army!"）