The rumble died, but its echo lingered low, reverberating through the dungeon like some ancient voice groaning in the dark.
Henry instinctively took a step back, heart pounding beneath his ribs. The cracked wall ahead had shifted, groaning as old stone grated against itself. Dust crumbled in lazy spiral.
Behind it was a passage, narrow and cloaked in pale blue light.
Henry loaded a rock into his slingshot, the leather creaking in his hand. "What... is in there?" he whispered.
He squeezed into the corridor, shoulder brushing the smoothed stone. This wasn't like the rough-hewn goblin tunnels, the walls here had been shaped with care.
Henry swallowed hard. "This wasn't made by goblins..."
The air shifted as he moved. The environment preserved like time itself had paused here, the faint blue glow grew stronger the deeper he went.
Finally, the tunnel opened into a chamber, a circular room carved from midnight stone. At the middle of the room was a pedestal with a bow rested on top, Its body was crafted from dark, polished wood, sleek and smooth.
Henry's breath caught. "A bow...?"
He stepped forward, his movements cautious, reverent.
[Inspect]
[Weapon Detected]
[Name: Whisperfang]
[Type: Shortbow]
[Class Requirement: Marksman]
[Level Requirement: 2]
[Weapon Level: 1]
[Cooldown: 20 seconds after every 5 arrows]
[HP: -1HP after every 5 arrows.]
His hand hovered above the weapon.
'Could this be a trap? No magic circles. No sudden click of hidden mechanisms?.'
Taking a deep breath he finally made his decision and grabbed it.
The moment he touched Whisperfang, the chamber pulsed with light. A deep, resonating hum traveled through his body as if the weapon had accepted him. The runes flared—then vanished into the stone walls like smoke drawn into air.
[Whisperfang Acquired]
[Weapon Equipped]
The bow felt alive in his hands. Light, balanced, and powerful as if it had been waiting. He pulled the string, no arrow.
But then, light gathered. A phantom arrow formed, shimmering blue, as if drawn from the very magic within the crystal.
"A self-generating arrow system?" Henry whispered, grinning. "Now that's cool."
He turned to leave, but the narrow passage was gone. In its place, a swirling blue portal shimmered in the stone.
"…A portal?"
A sudden whoosh pulled at him. The force wasn't gentle. His feet left the ground.
"Wait!" He screamed as the vortex sucked him in.
---
Henry landed hard, the wind knocked from his chest. His eyes adjusted to a dim, flickering light.
The room was wider, foul-smelling. Crude stone walls. Bones littered the floor, animal, beast, even humanoid. Over a dozen campfires burned, and hanging above them were half-cooked carcasses with their skulls smashed in.
'Goblins.'
They milled about, drooling as they fought over scraps, their greenish skin slick with filth. Slime dripped from their jaws.
"Ugh... disgusting." Henry wiped his mouth, checking to see if anything slimy was leaking out of him too. Thankfully, no.
"Thank the goddess I'm built different."
Behind him, the portal shimmered and vanished.
*Ding*
[New Quest]
Secret Lair Discovered
Quest: Defeat the Goblin Boss
Reward: +100 Experience point, +4 Stat Points, Skill Upgrade Unlocked
A large wooden door creaked open. A bigger figure stepped out, a hobgoblin. He had mottled blue skin, thicker limbs, leather armor strapped around his chest, and an iron sword tied to his waist.
"Inspect," Henry whispered.
[Inspect]
[Name: /////]
[Race: Hobgoblin]
[Level: 8]
[HP: 25]
He was barely a meter tall, but compared to the regular goblins, he was a beast.
The hobgoblin snarled, shoving two smaller goblins aside. He tore into the largest carcass above the fire, bones and all, chewing noisily. He shouted and returned to the building, leaving the rest to brawl over scraps.
The others watched in silence, then began to argue, shoving and biting each other over scraps.
Henry crouched behind a pile of broken crates.
"They're too distracted…"
One of the smaller goblins limped away, collapsing near the fire. No one paid him any mind.
Henry loaded a rock, aimed and released.
*Thwack*
The rock smashed into the goblin's temple. It fell limp.
[You've killed an ordinary Golbin]
[+2 Experience point]
"Yess" Henry hissed and continued to shoot rocks at the golbins.
[You've killed an ordinary Golbin]
[+2 Experience point]
[+2 Experience point]
Their Experience point reward are too low because they are weak and almost close to death.
Another goblin stumbled away from the chaos, too weak to walk. Another shot. Another skull shattered.
[You've killed an ordinary golbin]
[+2 Experience point]
Henry exhaled, keeping low. The goblins were tearing into each other, driven by hunger and fury, completely unaware.
He loaded more rocks into his slingshot and killed more golbins till it was remaining few.
[You've killed an ordinary Goblin]
[+2 Experience point]
[+2 Experience point]
[+2 Experience point]
Only then did the others start looking around.
They saw the bodies, then the rocks, some glistened green.
"KRAAA!!"
The last three goblins spotted him, injured, but alert. And they'd found their target.
Henry stood up, eyes narrowing. He slipped three rocks into the slingshot, drawing it back.
"Let's do it again"