Chương 130: Chapter 128 – Crawling From Above.

Rusty remained still, watching the kobold work. The small creature meticulously placed a strange device into the dirt, covering it with loose gravel and pressing it down carefully. A trap. Rusty's eyes glowed dark and light as he shifted his weight slightly to remain undetected. The kobold's tail twitched as it glanced around warily before scuttling away further into the tunnel.

"(•̀ - •́)" Gleam tapped Rusty's helmet gently with her antennae, indicating she had noticed the same thing.

"Yeah, it's definitely setting up traps…" Rusty muttered as his words trailed off. He had been a monster within the dungeon, and the ones he was patrolling with didn't possess true intelligence. If there were traps, they had been placed by the dungeon itself, not by the monsters. This behavior didn't seem like something dungeon monsters would exhibit. It was more characteristic of free monsters.

"I see you're confused, Rusty, but this happens sometimes." Alexander chimed in.

"Some monsters create their own encampments within an active dungeon. It's a kind of symbiotic existence."

"I see, that's neat!" Rusty leaned in to look at the trap and spotted a faint shimmer on a nearby rock. Poison. If an unsuspecting adventurer tripped the wire, something, perhaps a volley of darts, would be unleashed. This wasn't the work of a simple dungeon monster but a being with heightened intelligence.

"A pressure plate of some sort that's connected to a wire…" While Rusty had no trap detection skills, it was hard to miss once he knew where it was. The pressure plate was expertly concealed beneath loose gravel, and a thin wire connected it to the wall. His glowing eyes traced the wire to a concealed mechanism above, where a small cluster of sharpened darts rested.

"A clever trap." Alexander commented again.

"A human rogue might have trouble spotting it with all this mist around." This mine shaft was still covered in a layer of white vapour. The Kobold vanished into a side passage leading away from the moisture, but if Rusty continued on his way, he would probably finally reach the flooded parts of the mine dungeon. Rusty turned his gaze down the tunnel where the kobold had disappeared. If there were traps here, then it was likely leading to something worth protecting. Perhaps the kobold encampment?

And if they had rogues setting traps, then maybe, just maybe, there would be a kobold mage somewhere among them.

"(•̀ - •́)""You're right. Let's follow it Gleam." After stepping away from the trap, Rusty moved cautiously into the corridor where the kobold had vanished. Torches flickered on the walls, but visibility was poor. If he weren't a monster capable of perceiving his surroundings without light and unaware of the kobold rogue lurking nearby, he might have fallen victim to one of the traps. However, even if the darts were fired at him, they likely wouldn't cause any harm.

Even if they pierced his body, as long as his core remained untouched, he would be fine.

"I'm not sure it's wise to go through here, my dear Rusty." Aburdon called out to him, and it was clear that something was wrong. However, neither Gleam nor Rusty had a thief class or the skills needed to easily detect such dangers. Gleam might be able to learn a spell to help, but she would first need to see someone cast it in front of her. Both of them stood at the entrance, moving forward cautiously. Before long, they spotted another wire trap ahead, with the possibility of more hidden further inside.

"This is troublesome…" Suddenly, Gleam jumped off his shoulder and onto the wall. She skittered up to the ceiling and hung upside down, scanning the area.

"Ah… You're right. They probably didn't expect anyone to go through the ceiling!"

"(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)" His friend had a good idea. Why move through the middle when they could use the side walls? The corridor was tight but had a higher ceiling, and the small kobold would likely struggle to reach it. Most of the traps were probably on the ground or the lower sections of the side walls.

"This is a good opportunity. I wonder if it works" Rather than shrinking his helmet size and letting Gleam carry him, this was a perfect chance to test his upgraded Wraith Variant. He quickly pulled up his loadout and switched forms. His body expanded, his limbs stretched, and his human-like fingers elongated into claws. This form was taller than before but also lighter. His larger hands sank into the hard rocky surface as he started to climb.

"Just as planned." He had gained the Climbing skill while traveling to Ferndale, before entering the spider-infested forest. It was a general skill that most creatures could learn, and with its help, he could cling to the wall with greater precision. His feet also had claws, allowing him to grip some surfaces almost as well as his hands. Rusty and Gleam moved forward along the cavern ceiling. While Gleam skittered quickly, Rusty was slower and more cautious with his movements.

This was his first time hanging upside down without being carried, and the thought of falling onto potentialy explosive trap was unsettling.

"Can you track it, Gleam?" Rusty asked as they finally passed through the corridor.

"ദ്ദി(•̀ ᗜ <)" After passing through the first trap-filled corridor, they reached a fork with three new passages. Fortunately, Gleam still had her tracking skills, allowing them to follow the scaly monster's trail. The deeper they went, the more elaborate the traps became. Pitfalls, tripwires, and even a rudimentary swinging log trap lay in wait below them. These kobolds clearly had experience dealing with adventurers. However, none of their contraptions accounted for an enemy that could move along the ceiling.

Rusty and Gleam advanced cautiously, their forms blending into the dark recesses of the cavern. The deeper they went, the clearer it became that this wasn't just a small gathering of monsters. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Then, they saw it. Clinging to the wall and using his Meld skill, Rusty remained perfectly still. A group of kobolds emerged from a concealed entrance in the rock wall.

The opening had been cleverly hidden behind a shimmering illusion, flickering only slightly as the creatures passed through it. Rusty remained motionless, with Gleam tucked inside his body. His invisibility skill worked not only on himself but also on anything contained within him, including living beings.

"That's concealment magic. They must have a kobold mage," Aburdon observed. They watched as the goblin-sized reptiles dragged something into the hidden entrance. The opening was tucked behind jagged rocks on an elevated platform—an area few would bother inspecting. Rusty realized he might be the first to discover this secret lair. Perhaps adventurers overlooked kobolds as insignificant prey, but for him, who needed one particular skill, this was an opportunity he couldn't afford to miss.

Rusty remained motionless, his metal form blending seamlessly into the cavern shadows. His glowing eyes dimmed slightly as he watched the kobolds drag bodies into their hidden lair. The adventurers they carried were fresh kills, their armor still intact but stained with blood. This wasn't the work of mindless dungeon monsters. These kobolds were organized, methodical, and dangerous in their own way.

"That confirms it. I need to get in there and find their spellcaster""I wonder what those adventurers were even doing here… must have been E or F…" Alexander muttered to himself as they waited. Kobolds weren't known for their individual strength, but like goblins, they thrived in numbers. Unlike their green-skinned counterparts, they were more intelligent and preferred the safety of underground tunnels.

"They probably target new adventurers or anyone unlucky enough to fall into their traps. If they've been doing this for a while, they won't expect anyone coming through their hidden tunnel." Alexander said again, his voice hinting at a bit of malice.

"Good. Let's go then." Once the last kobold vanished into the concealed passage, Rusty finally revealed himself. His clawed hands moved carefully along the ceiling until he was sure no one remained nearby. Then, he dropped down soundlessly. Even as his metal limbs met the ground, no noise was made, as Gleam's Silence spell was still active. Slowly, the two crept forward. Rusty paused to examine the illusion concealing the entrance.

From a distance, it looked like a solid rock formation, but up close, he could see the faint wavering in the air where the spell distorted reality. He reached out and pressed his hand forward. His fingers passed through the illusory wall, meeting only empty space beyond.

"Neat!" Cautiously, he leaned in, pressing his helmet through first to check for any remaining guards.

"Oh…" Beyond the illusion, a corridor stretched further inside. No kobolds stood watch, but as he tilted his head downward, he spotted something: a long, thin line of scrap metal strung across the floor. If he stepped forward carelessly, he would trigger it, likely creating a loud racket that would alert the kobolds.

"That was close. Let's keep to the walls again, Gleam." Rusty carefully climbed back up onto the ceiling, his clawed limbs finding purchase on the uneven stone surface. The hidden corridor was narrow, lined with jagged rocks that made it difficult for anyone larger than a kobold to navigate easily. However, his form was flexible enough to slip through without making much noise. Gleam followed closely, her nimble legs skittering effortlessly along the rough terrain.

As they moved deeper inside, the passage widened, revealing a small underground settlement. Wooden structures, crude yet functional, were built into the rock. Some served as makeshift homes, while others resembled storage sheds. A handful of kobolds moved about, carrying supplies, sharpening weapons, and cutting into adventurer meat.

"I don't think they've been here for long. That might explain why no one has raided this place yet." Alexander commented as he scanned the settlement, noting the unfinished wooden shacks still in the process of being assembled. The adventurers were long dead, their bodies repurposed for the kobolds' survival. It would likely take days before anyone noticed they were missing, if anyone reported them at all. Ferndale wasn't a fully established city.

A few missing adventurers wouldn't raise eyebrows unless they were prominent enough for people to care.

"But… do they have a mage here? Do you see any?"

"(╹ -╹)" Gleam didn't seem able to distinguish the kobolds from one another too well, but her antennae twitched as they picked up faint traces of mana. She pointed in a specific direction, and Rusty followed her gaze. That's when he saw it, a kobold dressed differently from the others. Unlike the other kobolds clad in ragged leather and crude armor, this one wore a patchwork robe adorned with bone trinkets and small, glowing stones.

A staff, carved from dark wood and capped with a crystal, rested in its clawed hands. The faint glow of magic flickered at the edges of its fingertips as it spoke to a group of warriors gathered around it.

"There it is, but… there are more of them than I expected…" Though Rusty had managed to sneak in unnoticed, there were at least thirty monsters in the settlement. The kobolds appeared to be F-rank monsters, with the mage being at the same rank as Rusty. Several others were also of the same rank, adding up to around six in total. While Rusty had faced large groups of goblins before, they were typically weaker than these kobolds.

It was possible that other corridors leading out of this hidden settlement could lead to more enemies, traps, or even dead ends.

"There could be more of them waiting, perhaps it would be better to wait…"

"You sure love that tactic, don't you my dear Rusty?"

"It is quite effective against fleshy beings."

"That it is." Aburdon chuckled as Rusty retreated to a secluded part of the cave where no one could see him. Hidden behind some large boulders, he waited for the right moment. Though there was no way to know if the sun was still up, the monsters still followed a day-and-night cycle. Eventually, they began returning to their makeshift sheds and dug-out holes in the walls to sleep. As the kobolds began to settle down for the night, Rusty's patience finally paid off.

The small settlement, which had been bustling with activity just moments before, grew eerily quiet. One by one, the kobolds shuffled to their resting spots, curling up in the corners of their wooden huts or sprawling out on the cold, stone floors of the cavern. Rusty's glowing eyes flickered in the dim light as he surveyed the sleeping kobolds. Gleam, nestled safely within his chest, remained silent and just cast the silencing spell on him as he crept towards his first victim.

A kobold, curled up in a nest of tattered cloth and human bones, breathed slowly, its chest rising and falling in rhythm with its slumber. It had no idea death loomed just centimeters away. His clawed fingers stretched out, wrapping around the creature's small, fragile neck. With one swift motion, he crushed its throat, cutting off any chance of a scream. The body twitched briefly before going still. Rusty set it down carefully and moved on, his glowing eyes scanning for his next target.

Gleam remained nestled inside his chest cavity, keeping the Silence spell active. The spell ensured that no sound escaped, but he needed to hurry. Eventually, the scent of blood would rouse these monsters, and he had to thin their numbers before that happened. One by one, he approached the sleeping kobolds, dispatching them with methodical efficiency. Some he strangled; others he pierced through the heart with his sharpened claws. The process was slow and methodical but had one problem.

"(– ⌓ –)""Just hold on for a bit more Gleam…" Gleam, nestled inside his chest cavity, was forced to constantly recast her spells, rapidly draining her mana. While Rusty had managed to procure a few mana potions, their supply was dwindling fast. This pushed him to adjust his plan and move toward the mage's dwelling sooner than he would have liked. The numbers were shifting in his favor, but he knew he had to be especially cautious with this one.

A spellcaster could sense the flow of mana in the environment, and if he got too close, the kobold might detect Gleam's spell in action. The kobold mage was curled up in the corner of a crude hut made of wooden planks and scavenged materials. Unlike the others, its hands still clutched its staff even in sleep. Arcane energy pulsed faintly from the crystal at the tip, reacting to its owner's subconscious grasp of magic. Rusty pounced on the monster, aiming to disable rather than kill.

But as he descended, the kobold's eyes snapped open. For a fraction of a second, recognition and fear flashed across its reptilian face. Its mouth opened, likely to cast a defensive spell, but Rusty was faster. He grabbed its wrists and pinned it down, restraining the reptilian mage in place.

"Now, Gleam!"

"(•̀ - •́)" Gleam shot out from within his chest, pushing his helmet up and slamming it down onto the monster's head before it could react. The kobold struggled, trying to cry out for help, but the Silence spell was still doing its job. With Rusty's helmet now covering its head, it was time to see if the skill he had wished for so desperately was finally there…