Aiden and the red goblin stood motionless, locked in a tense standoff. The cavern, once filled with the agonized screams of fallen adventurers, was now eerily silent. The only sound that remained was the guttural growling of the goblin, its breath ragged, its twin swords trembling in its grip. Its crimson eyes burned with bloodlust, but beneath that rage, there was something else—hesitation. It was an unfamiliar feeling for the beast, one that sent waves of fury crashing through its body.
How could it be intimidated by a mere human?
Realizing its own fear, the goblin let out an earth-shaking roar, its frustration manifesting in pure aggression. Without warning, it lunged at Aiden, its massive frame moving with surprising speed, its claws outstretched, ready to crush the human into a bloody pulp.
Aiden, however, remained unnervingly calm. As he watched the monster's approach, a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. How should I handle this? he mused. He wasn't in a hurry to kill it. No, he wanted to play with it first—just as it had toyed with the other adventurers, relishing their despair. He clenched his fists, feeling his raw strength surging through him.
This might be a good chance to test my physique.
As the goblin's massive fist came crashing down, Aiden stepped forward, meeting it head-on with a punch of his own. The impact was instant—an earth-rattling collision that sent a shockwave rippling through the cavern. A sickening crunch echoed in the darkness, followed by a guttural scream from the goblin.
Aiden's eyes narrowed as he watched the monster hurtle backward like a broken doll. Its arm, now a twisted, mangled mess, was barely attached to its body, flopping lifelessly as it skidded across the cavern floor. The goblin howled in agony, thrashing on the ground as it clutched its ruined limb.
Aiden frowned slightly. Was it really this weak? He had expected more resistance, but it had crumbled under just a single punch.
"Master, you really are hopeless at holding back," a familiar, amused voice echoed in his mind. Lumina, his contracted spirit, chuckled as she observed the fight through their connection. "You already possess the physique of a Warrior-ranked knight, while this pitiful creature is barely at the Adept rank. How could you expect it to even stand after your punch?"
Aiden let out a wry smile at her words. I see... So I've gotten this strong already.
Deciding to end the farce, Aiden shot forward with unnatural speed, his fists crashing into the goblin's body like meteors. Each impact sent the creature flying in different directions, its body twisting unnaturally with every hit. The once fearsome monster now resembled nothing more than a battered ragdoll, utterly helpless before Aiden's onslaught.
The goblin's agonized screams filled the cavern, its pain unbearable as its bones snapped one by one. Its once ferocious eyes were now wide with terror, realizing that it had become the prey.
Then, with one final strike, Aiden mimicked the goblin's own cruelty—just as it had executed the adventurers, he finished it off. A single, precise blow to its skull, and the goblin's head exploded in a gory mess. Its lifeless body crumpled to the ground, and amidst the shattered bone and splattered blood, a core gleamed in the dim light.
Aiden stepped forward, picking up the glowing mana core, inspecting it for a moment before storing it inside his space storage. Without hesitation, he stored the remains of the goblin's battered corpse as well. Waste not, want not.
Only then did he take a moment to truly see his surroundings.
The cavern was a slaughterhouse. Corpses lay strewn across the blood-soaked ground, their lifeless eyes staring into nothingness. The air was thick with the stench of death, the once-vibrant dungeon now reduced to a graveyard. The very walls seemed to weep with the suffering that had taken place here.
Aiden exhaled softly, then expanded his mana sense, sending out a pulse to scan the area.
Almost immediately, he detected several weak life signatures scattered among the corpses. He walked forward, his sharp eyes settling on a few adventurers, their trembling bodies hidden beneath the slain, their breaths shallow and uneven. They were attempting to play dead, using the bodies of their comrades as shields.
Yet, their ruse was useless. Aiden had already found them.
They dared not even peek through their closed eyelids, fearing that the monster might still be alive. Their ears had been filled with its cries for so long that they hadn't even realized it had fallen.
Aiden sighed, his expression unreadable. There was a cruel irony in all of this. He had avenged the adventurers, slaughtering the monster that had mercilessly taken their lives.
And now, he was about to do the same to them.
Yet, he felt... nothing.
The effect of the Shard was at its peak, numbing any trace of guilt or hesitation. There was no sympathy, no remorse. Only cold logic. They were witnesses. They could not be allowed to leave this place.
At the very least... I'll make it painless for them.
With effortless precision, he ended them all in an instant—each of their heads impaled cleanly, without suffering.
The cavern fell silent once more.
Aiden then systematically gathered the corpses, storing them inside his space storage. Even in death, their belongings—cores, gold, equipment—would have been absorbed by the dungeon if left unattended. It was only practical to collect them.
Finally, he turned his attention to the mana barrier that had once sealed them inside. With the goblin dead, it had vanished, leaving the cavern open once more. He knew he needed to leave immediately. The tremors from the battle would undoubtedly have drawn attention.
Walking back to where he had hidden Chloe and Clara, he gently picked them up, carrying their unconscious forms in his arms. They were only eleven-year-old children, and after today, he knew they weren't ready for this kind of bloodshed. They were lucky he had been there.
With steady steps, he moved towards the exit, his mind already calculating the best route out of the dungeon.
Just as he reached the passageway, he heard it.
Footsteps.
Someone—or something—was approaching.
Aiden's instincts flared instantly, his body tensing as he stopped in his tracks. He listened closely. More than one set of footsteps. Too light for monsters. Likely adventurers coming to investigate the commotion.
Tch... More bloodshed will only complicate things.
Making a split-second decision, he retreated, slipping into another tunnel, vanishing into the shadows before he could be seen.
Enough blood has been spilled today.
And with that, he disappeared into the depths of the dungeon, leaving nothing behind but the haunting echoes of battle.