Floor 3 opened into something out of a nightmare.
The chamber was massive. Sixty feet wide, eighty feet deep, ceiling twenty feet up and lost in shadow. Green torches flickered on crude pillars. And at the center, on a throne made of stolen adventurer gear and bones, sat the Goblin Chief.
Seven feet tall. Scarred all over. Wearing pieces of armor that definitely came from dead people.
And surrounding him? Forty-plus goblins. Easy.
"Big room," Kenji said, scanning. "Lots of—oh."
He saw the Chief and his small army.
"That's a lot of goblins."
Kenji held up a hand, eyes narrowing. "[Appraisal]."
He went very still.
"Wait. Level twelve."
"Twelve?" Aria's voice went cold.
"The Chief is Level twelve. Briefing said ten."
"That's a significant discrepancy."
"Dungeon lied about boss level," Hiroshi said quietly.
Kenji shot him a look. "Could be outdated information."
Hiroshi didn't argue, but his gaming brain was already screaming.
The Chief stood. Full height revealed—seven feet of scarred muscle. War club in hand, four feet of bone and iron.
Then it roared.
Rwaaaa...
The sound filled the chamber. Physical force. Primal and crushing.
[Fear Aura effect: -10% combat effectiveness]
Hiroshi felt it worse than the others. His system notification flashed red.
[Fear Aura effect: -15% combat effectiveness]
"Fight through it!" Kenji's voice shook but stayed firm. "It's just a debuff!"
"Mana at forty percent," Aria said, gripping her staff. "We're not at full strength."
"Faith overcomes fear!" Marcus boomed.
"How many do we need to kill?" Hiroshi asked.
"All of them," Kenji said.
The goblins charged. Forty bodies surging forward, ground trembling, chittering filling the air.
"Ready for impact."
The wave hit.
Goblins crashed into formation from three sides. Not individual combat anymore. Crowd combat. Sheer numbers pushing them back.
Kenji spun. "[Whirlwind Strike]!"
His blade cut through the crowd. Six goblins down at once, bodies flying, blood spraying everywhere. The most powerful attack Hiroshi had seen yet.
An opening appeared. Temporary.
Marcus raised his shield. "[Divine Shield]! [Holy Smite]!"
Golden light exploded from his position. Five goblins vaporized in the burst. Twelve total eliminated in seconds.
Aria planted her staff. "[Frost Nova]!"
Ice exploded outward in a fifteen-foot radius. Ten goblins froze solid where they stood.
"[Shattering Cold]!"
The frozen goblins exploded into pieces.
Aria staggered, breathing hard. "That's almost everything I have."
Twenty-two goblins dead in thirty seconds.
The Chief hadn't moved. Still watching from his throne, yellow eyes tracking their every move. Learning their patterns.
Hiroshi fought three goblins that came around the flanks. [Dodge] and [Basic Footwork] activated. Copied skills working on instinct now. He killed two with throat stabs. The third caught a [Shield Bash] from Marcus.
Blood splattered his face. He wiped it off and kept moving.
The remaining goblins retreated to the Chief's sides. Repositioning tactically. The Chief was coordinating them even from twenty feet away.
"I have enough for two more spells," Aria reported. "Maybe three."
"I'm also low on mana," Marcus said.
The Chief descended from his throne.
Each step made the ground vibrate. War club dragging on stone. Intimidating. The remaining goblins parted for him.
He stopped twenty feet from the party. Raised his war club. Pointed at Kenji...primary threat.
Then Aria...mana user. Then Marcus...divine magic.
Then Hiroshi. The Chief looked at him for half a second.
And looked away in dismissal.
The Chief roared—battle cry—and charged straight at Kenji.
"Here it comes! Brace!"
The impact was brutal.
"[Crushing Blow]!"
The war club slammed into Kenji's shield. The metal cracked. The force drove Kenji back five feet, boots scraping stone.
His HP dropped from full to fifty-five percent in one hit.
The Chief didn't pause. Relentless assault, club swinging again. Kenji blocked with his sword. The blade bent under the force.
Meanwhile the remaining goblins attacked.
Marcus got swarmed by a Hobgoblin and five regular goblins. He held with [Shield Bash] and killed three with [Holy Smite], but the Hobgoblin recovered and pressed the attack.
Aria retreated from another Hobgoblin and four goblins. Mana nearly empty. She used her staff as a melee weapon. One [Ice Shard] killed a goblin. Five percent mana remaining.
Kenji struggled against the Chief. Every deflection cost him ground. A club strike caught his shoulder.
HP dropped to thirty percent.
His sword arm weakened.
The Chief raised his war club overhead. "[Crushing Blow]!"
Full force. Kenji tried to block...
The sword shattered.
Steel broke against the war club. Fragments flew. Kenji staggered back, disarmed, shield cracked beyond use. He was defenceless now.
The Chief raised the club for a finishing blow.
"[Divine Aegis]!" Marcus's emergency barrier materialized over Kenji in golden light.
The club struck. The barrier cracked but held.
Bought time but wouldn't last.
The Chief assessed and Turned to next priority.
Aria.
She was backed against a pillar, fighting with her staff. The Hobgoblin was dead, Marcus had intercepted, but four goblins surrounded her. She killed one. But the Chief was approaching.
Thirty feet. Twenty. Ten.
The goblins parted for him.
Aria saw him coming. No mana left to stop him.
The Chief closed the distance in three seconds and grabbed her by the throat.
One hand. Lifted her off the ground.
War club raised for the kill.
Her feet dangled, gasping. HP dropping from grip pressure alone.
"ARIA! NO!" Kenji tried to stand but couldn't reach.
"Chief is too—I can't get through!" Marcus was blocked by the Hobgoblin remnants.
Aria's face turned blue. HP: eighty-five percent. Seventy-five. Sixty-five.
Grip pressure killing her.
Hiroshi stood forty feet away. No goblins near him, the Chief had drawn them all away. Clear line of sight to the Chief's back.
The Chief focused entirely on Aria. About to crush her throat and end it.
How the hell the situation look exactly the same as floor 2. Hiroshi couldn't help but curse. Except Floor 2 was a Hobgoblin. This is the Chief.
This time I probably actually die.
Hiroshi walked forward. Grabbed a torch from the wall bracket.
Looked at the Chief's back. Looked at Aria's face, her eyes found his.
She saw what he was about to do.
I'm going to regret doing this.
"HEY! UGLY! OVER HERE!"
He threw the torch straight at the Chief's face.
Thuk...
Direct hit on temple area. Light flashing near the chief eyes.
The Chief roared and dropped Aria.
She fell, gasping, coughing. Throat bruised black.
The Chief turned to Hiroshi.
Full attention.
The Chief charged.
Hiroshi ran. Trying to draw the Chief away from Aria. Toward open floor where the party could engage.
The Chief gained fast.
Club swung in horizontal arc. Hiroshi saw it coming. He ducked. The club passed over his head by inches. Air pressure singed his hair.
Under the Chief's guard, Hiroshi stabbed. Sword caught the Chief's thigh. Shallow wound, armor deflected most.
The Chief barely noticed.
But contact made. [Adaptive Evolution] Activated.
[Current Multiplier x1.1]
[Strength temporarily enhanced]
The Chief retaliated with his Backhand using enormous force.
Hiroshi tried to dodge but with Partial success. Caught a glancing blow.
Sent flying sideways ten feet. HP: ninety to forty-seven in one hit.
[Current Multiplier x1.5]
He rolled and got up.
The Chief advanced. War club glowing faintly, skill activation.
"[Crushing Blow]!"
Hiroshi saw it coming. Overhead strike. Direct hit equals instant death.
He couldn't dodge it completely. He tried Deflection, angled his sword.
Took partial impact.
Club clipped sword AND shoulder. Sword flew from his hands. Shoulder dislocated with a wet pop.
HP: forty-seven to fifteen.
[Current Multiplier x1.9]
Hiroshi hit the ground with no weapon. His shoulder destroyed and Bleeding.
The Chief stood over him. War club raised for the finishing blow.
This is death.
Behind the Chief, Kenji flanked with recovered sword. Marcus positioned for [Holy Smite].
The Chief focused on Hiroshi. Back exposed again.
"[Quick Strike]! [Power Thrust]!"
Kenji's blade pierced the Chief's back. Through the spine. A Critical hit.
The Chief staggered. War club froze mid-swing.
He turned toward Kenji.
"[Holy Smite]!"
Marcus channeled remaining divine energy. Golden light concentrated on the Chief's chest. Holy magic multiplier against monsters.
The Chief staggered again. HP dropping significantly.
"[Power Thrust]!"
Kenji thrust full force through the Chief's chest. Sword went clean through.
The Chief's eyes widened.
[GOBLIN CHIEF DEFEATED]
He collapsed forward. Dead weight. War club crashed on stone beside him.
The remaining goblins froze. Pack coordination broken. Fear Aura dissipated.
Then panic. They scattered in all directions, fleeing into the tunnels.
System notification appeared.
[BOSS DEFEATED: GOBLIN CHIEF]
[DUNGEON CLEAR: GOBLIN WARREN]
Total XP: 500
XP distributed. Kenji got 125. Marcus got 125. Aria got 125.
Hiroshi got 62 after the curse penalty.
Another notification.
[New Skill: Impact Resistance Lv.2]
The party collapsed. Kenji dropped to his knees, breathing hard. Marcus leaned against a pillar, drained. Aria sat, throat bruised.
Hiroshi lay on the ground, shoulder dislocated, HP at fifteen.
"Hiroshi!" Kenji ran over.
"Did we win?" Hiroshi managed a smile.
"Yeah. We won. You..." Kenji saw the shoulder. "Your shoulder..."
"That's probably bad."
Marcus rushed over. "[Minor Heal]! [Minor Heal]!"
Healing light stabilized his HP. But the shoulder was still dislocated. Healing magic didn't auto-set bones.
Marcus grabbed his arm. "Brace yourself."
"OW.."
Pop. Shoulder back in place.
Hiroshi laughed through the pain. "Thanks. I think."
Aria approached, throat bruised, voice raspy. "You did it again."
"Did what?"
"Saved my life. Second time."
"You'd have done the same."
Pause.
Kenji knelt beside him. "You did good, Hiroshi. That distraction—both times—you saved Aria."
"Let's get out of here," Kenji said. "Sunlight."
"Divine blessings upon our survival!" Marcus proclaimed.
Aria approached Hiroshi quietly. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it," Hiroshi said, shoulder throbbing.
"I will."
He looked at her, surprised. "You don't have to..."
"You saved me twice."
They walked toward the exit. Narrow tunnels opening back up. Light filtering through from above.
Hiroshi walked last, shoulder stiff, back wound still healing.
First dungeon complete.