The drumming stopped the instant Greaves’ foot crossed the threshold of the clearing.

  Every single beady goblin eye snapped toward them, their chaotic energy freezing as if the party had just materialized out of thin air. For a very short, but tense moment, the only sound was the rustling of the trees and the distant echoes of the dungeon beyond.

  Then, the large goblin on the throne stirred.

  The goblin boss—likely a hobgoblin, Kaiden figured—rose from its throne of bones. The hobgoblin raised a gnarled hand, pointing directly at Kaiden’s party, and grunted something unintelligible.

  The response was immediate.

  The goblins let out a collective war cry, their shrill voices clashing together in a deafening chorus. The drummers resumed their pounding, but this time the rhythm was different—a deep, pounding war beat that sent the smaller goblins into a frenzy.

  Then they charged.

  The horde rushed forward, their rusted weapons glinting under the dim dungeon light. The goblin king moved as well, but at a slower, deliberate pace, choosing to let the vanguard of its underlings soften the intruders before it stepped in. He gripped a machete-like weapon in his hand as he paced just outside of the melee.

  “Golem! Now!” Greaves shouted as she moved to the flank, already anticipating the fight.

  “Already on it!” Joren called back. He was casting an ability that looked similar to his usual rock attack, but something was different. Instead of launching a single projectile, the stone mass continued growing, more and more pieces clumping together, fusing and shaping. The swirling rock amalgamation formed into a hulking, humanoid golem, its body made of compacted stone, its movements slow and awkward.

  Greaves wasted no time. The first two goblins to leap at her were cleaved in half before they could even swing their weapons. Her battleaxe carved through them like they were nothing, the heavy blade sinking deep into their brittle bones. She took a quick step forward, positioning herself as the frontline tank, driving the goblins’ aggression toward herself.

  “Hayward, protect Joren!” Greaves commanded, her voice cutting through the chaos as she charged deeper into the fray, trying to keep the goblins focused on her.

  Lena was already on the move, dashing in and out of the goblins’ reach like a phantom. Every time she appeared, her twin daggers found their marks—slicing tendons, puncturing throats, cutting down goblins before they even realized they were dead. She weaved around Greaves, picking off enemies to buy time until the slow-moving golem could wade into battle.

  But a few goblins managed to slip through.

  Three of them broke off from the main attack, their beady eyes locking onto Joren as he directed his magic. They screeched as they rushed him, their crude weapons raised.

  Kaiden stepped forward to intercept them, his short sword in one hand and a standard-issue forearm shield in the other. He hadn’t equipped his artifacts—he didn’t want to reveal them just yet—but even with basic gear, he wasn’t worried.

  The first goblin lunged, swinging a chipped hatchet at his side. Kaiden stepped in, raising his shield to deflect the blow. The impact barely slowed him. He countered with a quick thrust, his short sword slipping between the goblin’s ribs. The creature let out a gurgled cry and fell limp into a puff of smoke.

  The second goblin was right behind it, a rusted spear aimed straight at Kaiden’s chest. He twisted, letting the attack glance off his shield before stepping in and cutting deep into its thigh. The goblin shrieked, stumbling, and Kaiden finished it with a clean slash across the throat.

  The last goblin hesitated, watching its companions drop so easily. It screeched in anger, gripping its weapon tighter and charging recklessly. Kaiden didn’t even flinch—he sidestepped smoothly, let the goblin overextend, then drove his blade through its exposed side.

  The goblins crumpled at his feet, and Kaiden barely even felt winded.

  He exhaled slowly, shifting his stance as he scanned the battlefield. This was nothing compared to what he’d faced before.

  The goblin horde was thinning, but the real fight was only just beginning.

  Because now, the hobgoblin was stepping forward. And with about half of the goblins down, even the drummers, who had been furiously beating out their war rhythm, abandoned their drums and grabbed whatever weapons they could find. They let out guttural cries as they charged into the fray, desperation and fury fueling them.

  The real fight, however, was happening at the center of the battlefield.

  The hobgoblin met Greaves head-on, its massive rusted sword swinging down at her with savage brutality. For the first time in this fight, she didn’t take out her opponent in a single blow. The dungeon boss was a cut above the rest, its sheer size and strength putting it in an entirely different category than the cannon fodder surrounding it.

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  Greaves blocked the initial swing with the haft of her battleaxe, the impact rattling her arms as she fell back a few paces, making skid marks in the dirt. It was strong. Strong enough that, for a split second, Kaiden wondered if her hardening ability was even enough to protect her from an attack. But then he saw the wide grin split across her face.

  She was enjoying this.

  Still, Greaves couldn't afford to focus entirely on the boss. There were still too many goblins skittering around her, and even with Lena picking them off as fast as she could, the swarm refused to break completely.

  Thankfully, the golem had become a walking wall of distraction.

  Three goblins had climbed onto its frame, smashing at it with clubs and rusted blades, but their efforts were laughably ineffective. The construct barely reacted, its stone body too tough for their feeble weapons to break. The golem wasn’t fast enough to fight effectively, but that wasn’t its job. It was a secondary tank, absorbing hits and keeping pressure off the others. And in that role, it was perfect.

  Joren, taking advantage of the goblins clinging to the golem, picked them off one by one. His rock projectiles were precise, slamming into the creatures and sending them tumbling off with sickening crunches.

  Kaiden, still positioned toward the back, s small bit of frustration growing inside him. He wanted to jump in. He wanted to fight. But again... he wasn’t needed.

  At least, he’d taken 3 down. No more were headed his or Joren’s way.

  It was likely that this party normally tackled silver-grade dungeons, but had started with bronze because of Kaiden’s fresh-out-of-training status. They were just testing to see how he faired in a dungeon, so it’d make sense to start at the bottom.

  For now, he’d just keep watch and get ready to hand out potions as needed. If something went wrong, he would be there. That was his role.

  Meanwhile, Greaves and the hobgoblin were still locked in combat.

  The hobgoblin lunged forward with surprising speed for a goblin, its rusted sword slicing through the air. Greaves twisted, barely dodging in time. The blade scraped across her shoulder, leaving a long gash. The attack hadn’t cut deep enough to pierce her actual skin, but it had been close. It seemed to have only cut through the hardening ability. There was no blood. Still, it must’ve hurt, but Greaves didn’t show it.

  The hobgoblin snarled, sensing an opening, and went in for another heavy strike. But this time, Greaves didn’t dodge.

  She stepped into the attack.

  The blade came down hard, aiming to cleave her in two. At the last second, Greaves swung her battleaxe upward, catching the sword mid-swing. Sparks flew as the two weapons clashed. With a roar, she twisted her axe, locking the sword in place just long enough to drive her knee into the hobgoblin’s gut.

  The creature choked, staggering back, its grip on the weapon loosening.

  That was all the opening she needed.

  She shifted her grip and brought her battleaxe down in a powerful overhead strike—straight into the hobgoblin’s skull.

  A sickening crack echoed through the clearing as the boss collapsed, its body twitching once before vanishing into mist.

  There was only one goblin left as the boss fell, since Lena had finshed taken care of the others right before the final blow landed. The lone goblin was clinging stubbornly to the golem’s back, stabbing uselessly at its rocky surface. With the boss gone, it would soon vanish into mist as well, so everyone simply watched. Even the golem seemed to hesitate for a moment before suddenly falling backward.

  The goblin let out a sharp, panicked screech—cut off instantly as the weight of the golem crushed it completely, leaving behind nothing but a burst of pink mist.

  “That counts,” Joren exclaimed, throwing his hands up. “The golem finally got one!”

  Everyone chuckled over the golem’s unexpected triumph.

  “I dunno. I’m pretty sure it died because of the boss,” Greaves teased, smirking.

  “C’mon, stop messing with me. My golem got it fair and square! Right, Lena?”

  Lena looked away for a moment, drawing out the pause, then grinned. “Y’know, I didn’t quite get a good look.” She was clearly teasing him.

  Joren groaned, then turned to Kaiden. “Back me up here, new guy?”

  Kaiden could feel the lighthearted energy in the air and smiled. “I think the golem got him.”

  “Thank you!” Joren said triumphantly as the group chuckled.

  The moment clearly over, Greaves stretched her shoulder and said, “Hayward, could use a heal.”

  “On it,” Kaiden said, jogging over and casting Healing Touch. As the spell faded, he turned to Lena. “Need one too?”

  “Nope. Those little fuckers couldn’t touch me,” Lena said proudly.

  Greaves nodded in satisfaction. “Good job, everyone. And you seem to handle yourself just fine, Hayward,” she added, glancing at Kaiden. “But the first floor’s always the easiest. While this might’ve seemed simple so far, it’ll only get harder from here.”

  Kaiden nodded. “Understood.”

  “Good,” Greaves said. “Now let’s grab this chest and keep moving. I’m feeling good today, and we might be able to speedrun this dungeon. I bet we could finish in two days.”

  Joren reeled back slightly. “Two days? Isn’t that a bit…”

  “Stop being lazy,” Greaves cut him off.

  Joren exhaled through his nose but didn’t argue further. Lena scrunched up her face but also kept quiet, though she didn’t look thrilled about the pace.

  Kaiden shrugged to himself. It didn’t really matter to him. He was pretty sure he could outlast anyone here. His physical stats were solid, and endurance wasn’t an issue. If he was being honest, though, he preferred getting out earlier. That way, he’d have time to explore more of the city—and maybe hang out with Davick, who was doing training all week.

  “Well, shit,” Greaves muttered as she opened the chest.

  Joren peered over. “What is it?”

  Greaves held up three purple potions in her hand, grimacing.

  “I knew it was too easy to be true,” Joren groaned.

  “Well, that’s just great,” Lena sighed, crossing her arms.

  Kaiden looked between them, confused. “Sorry, but what does that mean?”

  Greaves tossed one of the potions into the air before catching it again. “These are antidote potions. Meaning we’re about to deal with poisonous monsters.”

  “Seriously, they’re the worst,” Joren grumbled.

  Lena huffed. “Normally, I’d say you just hate everything—which is true—but this time, I actually agree with you. Those things suck.”

  Kaiden stepped forward. “Leave it to me,” he said, walking over and taking the antidotes from Greaves’ hand.

  He tried hard not to grin.

  This was exactly the chance he’d been waiting for. He could finally level up his Cure Poison ability.