Inside a damp tunnel, Alec and his team were dealing with the third wave of goblins that showed up in the morning. They were all exhausted but kept pushing forward, hoping to find an exit.
Suddenly, Alec got a notification from the system that made his already annoyed expression turn even darker.
____
'Mission; xX'
Explore the 'Goblin Cave' and kill the goblin leader.
-Failed!
Rewards:
-None!
Failing penalty:
-None!
_____
Alec looked around in a daze, trying to figure out when and who killed the goblin leader.
'All the students are fighting normal (F-)-rank goblins...'
He was sure they were all behind him, and he hadn't missed any higher rank goblins yet. So, how was it possible for someone else to have killed the goblin leader?
After a month of waiting, he finally received a good mission, but it failed just like that? He wanted nothing more than to beat the person who killed the goblin leader.
Lost in thought, Alec stopped fighting. Seizing the opportunity, an (F-)-Rank goblin attacked him from behind.
Lara, who was nearby, quickly shot an arrow and killed the goblin before it could harm him. She furrowed her brows and glanced at Alec.
"What are you doing? Stay focused on your surroundings."
Hearing Lara's stern voice, Alec snapped out of his reverie and sighed before refocusing on the battle ahead. The mission was already lost, and there was nothing he could do about it. Instead of dwelling on regret, it was better to concentrate on the present fight.
As everyone continued to fight and struggle, they finally caught sight of a bright light at the opposite end of the tunnel. Some let out sighs of relief, while others wore expressions of happiness.
Almost half of the students were nobles, and for the first time in their lives, they experienced the hardships of living without food and a good night's sleep. They were all exhausted and eager to escape the damp and dark tunnel as soon as possible.
However, they were still unaware of the dangers that awaited them outside the tunnel. That's why they approached the light with caution. Alec and his team took the lead since they were at the front. Not many students stopped them, as it was better for someone else to face any potential danger first. The rest of the students followed behind them, moving slowly.
After a while, Alec and his team discovered the source of the light. Before them stretched a vast open area, filled with stones of various sizes.
At the far end of the open space, a round cave emanated the light. It was the same area where Kyle and Nine had appeared before them.
An (E-)-Rank goblin warrior's corpse lay outside the cave. Seeing it, Alec was certain that someone else had reached this place before them.
Once they determined there was no immediate danger, everyone approached the cave. However, just as they were about to enter, two individuals emerged from inside. To their surprise, it was Nine and Kyle, who had just slain a small goblin and were heading toward another tunnel.
Nine had a pleasant smile on his face, while Kyle wore a dark expression. They both noticed the students emerging from one of the tunnels. Alec recognized them instantly. After all, the duo performed exceptionally in the entrance test! As he glanced at the cave, he was convinced that they were the ones who had killed the goblin leader.
Alec looked at Kyle with a dry smile.
"Did you kill the goblin leader?"
Kyle was about to ignore the crowd, but Alec's question caught his attention. He paused and glanced in Alec's direction.
"What leader are you...?"
He began, but then stopped abruptly.
'Didn't we just killed a tiny goblin?'
Kyle thought to himself. Suddenly, it all made sense why the small goblin had a skill core. There was no other path beyond the cave, which meant they had reached the end of the Goblin Cave.
Kyle couldn't believe that the little goblin was the leader. And he wondered how Alec knew that there was a goblin leader inside the cave.
Everyone, including Alec, was venturing into the goblin cave for the first time. Kyle narrowed his eyes but replied.
"If you mean that little goblin? Yeah, we took care of it."
Alec let out a sigh and gazed at the cave. He knew that if Kyle and Nine had emerged from it, there was nothing left inside. Despite that, some students entered the cave in search of any valuable treasures, but it turned out to be empty with no other paths.
Kyle noticed the surprised expressions on the students' faces as they looked at him and Nine. Unlike the others who were barely standing after a night of fighting, they were in great shape. Not wanting to entertain any more questions, Kyle motioned to Nine and they began walking towards the second-to-last tunnel.
Kyle was curious about how Alec knew about the goblin leader without even seeing it, but he knew he wouldn't get an answer to his question. The tunnel that Nine and Kyle came from, as well as the one the others came from, would have no goblins left. That's why Kyle chose the second last tunnel.
Soon, they entered the tunnel, leaving the others behind. Kyle didn't pay any mind to those who stared at him. With only a few hours remaining before the ranking assessment concluded, he was determined to slay as many goblins as possible.
After the duo left, Alec glanced back at the cave and then turned to Carcel.
"Hey, how about we keep going? There's only 1-2 hours left before the ranking assessment ends."
Carcel nodded, his expression serious. He had already fought through the entire night, so a few more hours wouldn't be a problem for him.
Mia and Lara looked exhausted. They exchanged a glance with Alec, as if saying, are you kidding? But after some hesitation, they agreed to continue as well.
The four of them followed Kyle and Nine into the same tunnel. Some students wanted to join them, but they were too tired. So, everyone else decided to take a half-hour rest before entering another tunnel.