This Goblin had better clothes than any other I had known, though that wasn’t saying much, as the only male Goblin I had seen without armor wasn’t dressed before I killed him.

  It took him only moments to snap out of his daze, but by then, I had my second boot on and was rising to my feet.

  “Guards! Guards! Alarm!” he yelled, backing away as I moved toward him. Though he had a weapon at his side, he didn’t draw it in time. Seeing my size and the carnage, he opted to run instead of fight. My strides were enormous, and he stumbled backward, trying to keep me in sight.

  I burst through the door after him, getting my first sight and sound of the city. The noise hit me, growing louder with each step I took. Goblins fell quiet at the ‘guards’ announcement, but once they saw me step out, the citizens gasped and made exclamations.

  The cityscape before me was astonishing, a far cry from the typical Goblin stronghold I had anticipated. Gleaming buildings with mirror-like surfaces stood tall, reflecting the surroundings like polished gems. It was as if someone had meticulously buffed the stone to achieve the highest possible luster. Not a speck of dirt marred the pristine environment, and the clean, sharp lines created an architectural harmony that drew my gaze from one area to another.

  I had been briefed about the city's layout beforehand, which gave me a sense of direction. The structure consisted of multiple levels stacked one on top of another, allowing visibility both above and below. Unlike a typical hotel, the levels here tapered outward, with each subsequent floor extending farther from the center. If, for some reason, I leaped from this hallway, I would land on the level below. It was an odd shape, as if each level were made to see all of the levels at once. This was especially bad for me since I didn’t want everyone from the bottom level to notice me.

  The building I stood in was connected to a main walkway, lined with doors that led to various rooms along the passage. Peering out, I felt relieved to see only a single high-class Goblin on my level.

  To my right, a grand staircase extended downward, connecting all the levels and finally reaching the ground floor. As I stood at the top level, the stairs ended at my position, allowing me to observe not just the guards ascending but also the dozens of individuals milling about on the lower levels.

  Beyond the staircase, I caught glimpses of other buildings, their towering heights obscuring what lay behind them. Even with my limited view, it was evident this underground complex was an architectural marvel. It might have been the largest subterranean structure ever built. I couldn’t see the whole scope of the site, but it was larger than I expected.

  With guards coming up the stairs to my right and the Goblin backing up to my left, I had to create a path for myself. I lunged forward, grabbed the Goblin by his fancy clothes, and spun him around, sending him tumbling down the stairs.

  This worked well because Goblins were generally small, and this one wasn’t wearing any armor and was disinclined to fight.

  I planned to throw the Goblin into the approaching guards to make everyone tumble back down the stairs. However, that sort of thing only happened in the movies. As I tossed him, the guards moved out of the way, and the unfortunate Goblin kept tumbling until the crowd became too thick for him to avoid hitting anyone.

  Disappointed, I grabbed the Goblin leader’s head, tossed it, and announced, “Your leader died at my hands!”

  Oddly enough, my declaration and the dramatic toss of the head stopped more Goblins than launching another person down the stairs ever could.

  With horrified expressions, they examined the head to confirm if it really was Rock’s. Some had to double-check because it seemed so unreal to them. Silence fell for an instant, but then the noise resumed, louder than before. Goblins at the bottom, who had been indifferent seconds ago, then drew their weapons, and I bolted.

  The sounds of chaos grew louder below, and I feared the entire city was after me.

  As I glanced over, I saw one Goblin driving his sword into another who had just emerged to see what was happening. A few others were furiously stabbing the Goblin I had thrown down the stairs. I then noticed Goblin citizens hiding, running, and others bleeding. It was chaos.

  It was as if they all knew who to kill, and I had just started the scene like a play. It was almost unbelievable how they turned on each other so fast and so brutally. I had expected a few high-ranking individuals to be targeted, but this seemed like a random slaughter.

  Well, not entirely random. The Goblin I had thrown was finely dressed, and at least three different Goblins were intent on killing him. There had to be some logic to it, but I didn’t know enough about their society to understand what was happening.

  I glanced back, expecting to see the guards embroiled in the chaos, but to my surprise, they were all still in hot pursuit, seemingly oblivious to the pandemonium unfolding in the city. Suddenly, a cacophony of bells began ringing, their echoes reverberating from various locations throughout the city.

  My longer legs and powerful strides provided an advantage over the Goblins, and I managed to maintain a slight lead despite the weight of my chainmail. Their own armor appeared to encumber them, slowing their pace just enough for me to keep ahead. But then, as if in response to the clamor of the bells, doors started opening along my path, and I realized the situation had just become far more perilous.

  The Goblins, hearing the commotion, were emerging to see what was happening. As I started to get winded with a horde chasing me, I couldn’t afford to be slowed down. The first door opened, and a Goblin walked out, freezing in shock at the sight of me. I quickly maneuvered around him, not breaking my stride.

  Approaching the next door, I saw a Goblin far enough ahead to take notice of me. He was older, with a walking stick in hand and dressed in regular clothes. As I drew nearer, he made a choice and decided to block my path.

  I had no desire to engage with the elderly Goblin, but my options were limited. As I neared him, he swung his walking stick at me with surprising force. I raised my arm to block the blow. The impact was jarring but didn’t cause any serious harm.

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  Short on breath and low on time, I opted for a less graceful approach. I stumbled into him, sending both of us sprawling to the ground.

  The elderly Goblin was caught off guard by my unorthodox tactic. I planned to take the hit, move quickly, and endure the pain. It only slowed me down for a couple of steps, but it saved me a significant amount of time from having to deal with him more directly.

  As I rolled off him, he grabbed my leg, trying to hold on. With one strong pull, I freed my leg, but it slowed me down further. My arm throbbed from where the stick had hit me. The worst weakness of this armor was its inability to stop blunt damage.

  As I ran through the long hallway, I put more distance between myself and the guards chasing me, as I moved further from the main part of the city. It seemed the Goblins occupied only a small portion of the available space. The area I had found myself in appeared empty, yet it was far from neglected or rundown. The pristine condition of the surroundings made me wonder why the Goblins had exiled the women to that dismal cave when there was clearly ample room for them here.

  With each stride, more Goblins seemed to join the pursuit. Miraculously, no more doors opened on my level. The few other entrances I passed were quickly shut before I even got close, a testament to how intimidating I must have seemed to these Goblins. Towering above them, I appeared giant-like in their eyes. If they had heard about me killing their leader, my fearsome reputation only added to their terror.

  The hallway soon narrowed into a tunnel, and my breath came in hard. Ragged gasps, and the urge to vomit clawed at my throat, but I forced myself to keep moving. I was certain that additional Goblins had joined the pursuit as soon as I started running. This meant that even if some were as winded as I was, others were still fresh and would easily catch up if I dared to stop.

  The women had informed me that a soldier would be guarding the entrance to the spiral, blocking any unauthorized access to the city at this level. Clearly, this area was strictly off-limits. My original strategy had been to stealthily approach the guard from behind, capitalizing on any moment his attention was diverted, and then quickly dispatch him with a stab to the back. However, as I advanced further into the tunnel, I saw him staring directly at me, his gaze unwavering and not once darting to the opposite direction.

  It seemed sneaking up was no longer an option. The distant sound of alarm bells and my own loud, labored breathing gave me away.

  I was at a disadvantage, as I was out of breath from the relentless run, while the guard was alert and ready. However, my larger size and superior strength could still work in my favor. But I knew slowing down wasn't an option either. Doing so would surely allow the pursuing Goblins to catch up.

  Throwing caution to the wind, I charged headlong toward the guard. As he thrust his spear toward me, I managed to stop just in time, dodging to one side and seizing the haft of the spear. If he had been wielding a sword, I wouldn't have had this opportunity.

  Rabbit intoned in my head, “Note to self, spears are not the best weapon in one-on-one combat and should be avoided if possible.”

  While it was frustrating that Rabbit chose to distract me during this critical moment, the fight ended as soon as I wrested the spear from the Goblin's grip. It was clear that our strengths were not comparable. It was as if I were taking a toy from a child.

  Without hesitation, I thrust my sword into the Goblin, watching him slump to the ground. As I did so, there was a spray of blood that came back and showered me.

  “Why does that keep happening? I feel like I need training on where to hit an enemy, and not to get dirty,” I said in my head.

  “If you’re not a fan of people shooting their warm fluids all over you, then why do you keep doing it?” Rabbit questioned. I chose to ignore him this time. That brief exchange allowed the others to close in, even though I hadn’t wasted time engaging the enemy.

  As I reached the spiral and caught sight of the different levels, my stride began to falter. With each step, my legs grew heavier, as if weights were being added with every movement. I pushed forward, but my coordination was unraveling fast. Suddenly, my foot caught on something, or perhaps nothing at all, and I stumbled forward clumsily.

  I managed to catch myself before falling completely, but the effort left me disoriented.

  My legs, once reliable and swift, felt like pillars of lead, barely responding to my desperate commands. Confusion and a trace of fear washed over me as I realized I couldn’t move properly anymore.

  The first coherent thought that broke through the panic was simply, 'Shit.' This was quickly followed by a sinking feeling and the more articulate realization, 'Shit, shit, shit.'

  At my panic, Rabbit stepped in, “Implement the plan.”

  With Rabbit's authoritative tone urging me on, I reached into my bag of holding and pulled out another Biodium chainmail hood. I began to put it on my head backward. The one I wore was molded to my head, leaving an open space for my vision. By wearing the second hood in reverse, I could cover my entire face, ensuring full protection.

  Of course, this meant I wouldn't be able to see anything, which was why nobody used this method. As I neared the spiral, I had a clear line of sight to the lightning chamber that led to the control room. It was quite a distance away, but the path was straight, and even without Rabbit's help, I knew I could navigate it while being blinded.

  Anxiety tightened its grip on me as I was unable to see the bridge that spanned the vast abyss. Beneath me lay a network of interlacing bridges, each one as daunting as the last. The thought of falling onto any of them was no less terrifying than the prospect of tumbling into the void itself.

  While I adjusted the hood over my face, Rabbit continued, “Your stamina will slowly replenish. This isn't like the exhaustive training with Jack, where recovery seemed impossible. However, you'll need to augment it with your mana. Focus on channeling your energy through your body to sustain yourself. You must reach your destination before the others catch up. So keep moving and use your mana to support you.”

  As I concentrated on directing my mana through my limbs, I found the process strangely smoother in my exhausted state. This reminded me of my initial training, making it easier to control the flow.

  As the energy reached my feet, a surge of strength propelled me to stand. Reinvigorated, I started moving forward with renewed purpose.

  Under the hood, my vision was completely obscured, a blanket of blackness covering everything. Yet, Rabbit's guidance was crucial as he projected a mental outline of the path ahead directly into my mind, illuminating the tunnel that was my target.

  As I moved forward, I glanced over my shoulder to gauge the distance I still needed to cover. In that moment, no marked foes appeared within the mental map Rabbit had provided, leaving me unsure of how close they might actually be.

  “Where are the enemies? I don’t see them in your outline,” I questioned Rabbit.

  Calmly but resolutely, Rabbit responded, "Ignore everything else. Concentrate on your mana."

  Rabbit's reminder refocused my attention on the task at hand. I felt a slight drain in my energy after breaking my concentration, even for that fleeting instant. Resuming the cycle of mana through my body, I began to move more effortlessly.

  The unique synergy between my depleted stamina and the continuous replenishment of energy allowed me to maintain a steady pace. It was a delicate balance, as without the flow of mana, I would be limping, but with it, I was able to sustain a strong pace.

  As I swiftly navigated halfway across the bridge, everything seemed to be going according to plan. With my reduced speed, the intensifying clamor behind me signaled their rapid approach. Yet I clung to the belief that I could reach the end of the bridge before being overtaken.

  However, just as I gained another 30 feet, a sudden, sharp pain seared through my shoulder. It felt like a fiery lash, jolting me violently. I stumbled, lost my footing, and fell to the ground, my focus shattering along with the hope of a clean escape.