Chapter 12 - Clearing The Labyrinth (2)

Cale's heart raced as he plunged deeper into the labyrinth, his sword gripped tightly in his hand. The narrow passages echoed with the skittering of goblin feet, and the air was thick with the stench of their foul breath. With every step, he could feel the tension mounting, knowing that he was drawing closer to the heart of the goblin horde.

Suddenly, the shadows ahead seemed to stir, and a horde of goblins poured forth, their eyes gleaming with malice. Cale tightened his grip on his sword, steeling himself for the onslaught. The goblins came at him in a frenzied rush, their crude weapons slashing through the air.

With swift, practiced movements, Cale parried their blows, his sword flashing in the dim light of the labyrinth. One by one, he struck them down, his blade finding its mark with deadly accuracy. But for every goblin that fell, it seemed two more took its place.

As the battle raged on, Cale caught sight of a figure lurking in the shadows—a goblin shaman, its eyes glowing with dark magic. With a guttural incantation, the shaman unleashed a wave of dark energy, sending Cale staggering backward.

But Cale refused to be deterred. With a roar of defiance, he charged at the shaman, his sword arcing through the air. The shaman snarled, conjuring bolts of lightning to hurl at Cale, but he dodged and weaved with the agility of a seasoned warrior.

With a final, decisive blow, Cale struck down the goblin shaman, its dark magic dissipating into the ether. The remaining goblins, seeing their leader defeated, faltered, their morale crumbling.

Seizing the opportunity, Cale pressed his advantage, driving the goblins back with relentless fury. And as the last of the horde fell before him, Cale knew that he had emerged victorious, his chest heaving with heavy breathing.

"Ding"

Interrupting my heavy breathing, a notification alarm to my Status window.

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You obtained the title: The First Male Goblin Slayer

Description: Bonus for becoming the first male to obtain Goblin Slayer. All your stats increase by a small margin. Every time you face a monster height 3ft or lower, your Agility will increase.

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"Not bad, but why am I the first male to obtain that? There are a lot of strong male characters. I mean, a male knight's highest stat, if they can use the status window, will be D rank, so why an F+ like me is the one who's the first to obtain it? Wait… I just remembered that I'm the only male that can use the status window. Only status window users can obtain a title. But I still don't know if my status window is the same status window in this world. Nevermind about that. I need to analyze what happened. It's little easier than I thought because now I can use the swordsmanship that Miyuki's grandpa taught me. It's become easier while I'm training sword with Katherine and Alvara. I didn't show my swordsmanship because I'll become too suspicious if after just learning the basics, I can already know how to use swordsmanship. Even if I hide my swordsmanship, I still learn a lot from Alvara, all the strategy and experiences I learn from her. Looking around, I saw the goblin shaman corpses have a necklace with a dark gem on it. I checked the information.

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ITEM NAME: Mahute Necklace

ITEM RANK: F

Description:Mahute Necklace used by the Goblin Shaman. Equipping it gives you a mana boost by 2 and a 4% increase in any dark-related magic.

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Not bad, but I need to keep going. The next floor is ogres. I don't need to fight them all, but if I have no choice, I need to fight them all. I just need to use my strategy.

***

Floor 3:

Cale navigated the labyrinth's winding passages with the precision of a seasoned explorer, his senses attuned to every twist and turn. The dank air grew thicker as he delved deeper into the darkness, the echoes of his footsteps reverberating off the cold stone walls.

As he rounded a corner, Cale's keen eyes caught sight of a massive figure looming ahead—a towering ogre, its grotesque form barely visible in the dim light. Behind it lurked more of its kin, their brutish forms filling the cavernous chamber.

Drawing his sword, Cale prepared for battle, but instead of charging headlong into the fray, he paused, his mind racing as he assessed the situation. Remembering the intricate layout of the labyrinth, he formulated a plan.

With silent footsteps, Cale skirted the edges of the chamber, keeping to the shadows as he evaded the ogres' notice. Carefully, he selected his targets, singling out the most isolated ogres before striking with deadly precision.

The first ogre fell with a thunderous crash as Cale's sword found its mark, the creature's roars echoing through the cavern. Sensing the danger, the remaining ogres surged forward, their massive clubs swinging wildly.

But Cale was already on the move, darting between the towering forms of his foes with agility and grace. With each strike, he chipped away at their numbers, his movements fluid and precise.

Despite their size and strength, the ogres proved no match for Cale's cunning and skill. One by one, they fell beneath his blade until only a few remained standing.

With a final, decisive blow, Cale dispatched the last of the ogres, his chest heaving with exertion as he surveyed the chamber, now littered with the fallen bodies of his foes. Looking around, I found a skill book. It's a skill.

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ITEM NAME: Ogre Strengthening

ITEM RANK: E

Description: By activation, your Strength will increase by 1x with no cooldown, but if you continuously use it, the user's body will be severely damaged. Recommended for use for 15 seconds.

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Not bad. I can still use it even if I become stronger. If my strength becomes E+ by activating it, it will become D. Not bad, but so far, everything that happened is not according to my plan. In the end, I end up fighting them all, but not that bad. I still managed. It feels like I won't be able to go home soon. Huh, it will take me at least 5 days to clear it. If I'm lucky, for now, I should just rest. Even if I feel like I'm becoming stronger, I still need to rest. Taking the water inside my bag, I start drinking, and I take a piece of dry meat from inside my bag and start eating it. After a few hours, my breathing finally returns to normal, and my energy is completely restored. I should check my status window.

===Status===

Name: Cale Silverfall

Title: 🔻

Rank: E-

Strength: E-

Agility: F+

Stamina: E

Intelligence: F

Mana Capacity: E-

Luck: G

Charm: B-

Profession: Swordsmanship lvl.4

Skill: Ogre Strengthening (E)

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Just as I thought, I can become stronger faster by fighting monsters. It's really hard to increase your stats because there's no leveling yet. After becoming C rank, your Status Window will be upgraded, and you will be able to unlock the leveling feature. You can now become stronger easier by killing monsters. The reason for that is if in low level, you can already level up, other players will just farm to level up, and the challenges will be easy because of the players' high levels. In the game, you can reach rank C by just following the main story and scenarios. After that, the main characters will become C rank at the start of the academy. But unfortunately, I'm not the main characters, so I can't just do the main scenarios.