Chương 75: Chapter 74: The Alleys Come Alive

Not long after Gern left with the reinforcements, Greer and Elias also prepared to leave. After exchanging a few words with Owen, they headed for the exit. However, when Elias pushed open the door to the resting room, he realized Greer had not followed him at all. He turned around and found the old man already halfway to the church entrance.

"Master! Where are you going? Aren't we heading back?"

"Haha. This old man has his own special way home. I'm going to have a little fun first. See you at the Guild later." Without even looking back, Greer casually waved a hand and walked straight out of the church, leaving Elias staring after him helplessly. Elias's hand remained suspended in midair. After standing there blankly for a moment, he finally let out a resigned chuckle.

"... See you later." With that, he entered the resting room alone and left the dungeon through the portal inside. Far away in the Core Chamber, Owen had seen the whole thing. He laughed so hard he rolled around above the pedestal several times. Ever since Greer had gotten hooked on challenging the Whisperer alone, Owen felt as though the old man was acting more and more like a mischievous kid.

"Not that I mind. Old Guildmaster looks a lot happier now than he used to." Owen thought back to when he had first met Greer. Back then, the man almost always wore a stern expression. Nothing like now. These days, he smiled often and occasionally did things even Owen never saw coming.

"Seriously, he's probably the only person who's managed to use Trial Return like this, right?" Most absurd of all, Greer alone had contributed nearly fifty thousand Soul Energy to the dungeon. He was practically Blackstone Dungeon's VVIP customer.

"If I could get Greer even stronger..." Just imagining it made Owen feel as though his nonexistent drool was about to spawn out of thin air.

"Still, no rush. I should at least wait until everything works out on Gern's end first." Owen shifted his view to Roderic, the paladin captain. At the moment, the group was preparing to leave Blackstone Town. After the female paladin cast a speed-enhancing divine art on the group, the entire squad followed Gern down the road at a rapid pace toward Rockspring Town.

"Whoa! At this speed, they might not even need five days to reach Rockspring Town." Owen swayed his core in satisfaction.

"That's more like it. The sooner they arrive, the sooner we can wrap this up." But after saying that, he paused uneasily.

"Now I just have to hope the Rockspring core doesn't trigger a Demonic Tide before they get there..." It probably wouldn't. Right...? Owen watched through Roderic's eyes for a while longer. At first, being able to actually see the world outside the dungeon had kept him excited for quite a while. Unfortunately, Gern and the others were doing nothing but traveling. Everyone kept their heads down and pushed onward, and for a long while no one said so much as a word. The novelty wore off quickly.

"Forget it. I'll check again later." Owen switched his view straight back to the dungeon. He still had a mountain of unfinished work here anyway. The next phase of work on Graywood Town was nearly complete. Owen had been working on the maze-like alley district bit by bit for several days, and even the rewards and treasure chests inside were prepared. On top of that, he had added an entire sewer section.

The sewers offered shortcuts into other districts and could even allow adventurers to bypass some of the Bronze-level Desiccated Guards. Of course, Owen had also put a few particularly nasty "big" things down there.

"Heh heh. Now we just have to see who discovers the sewers first! I'm sure they'll have an experience they remember for the rest of their lives." Still, considering this was the real world, Owen had deliberately avoided making the sewers unbearably foul or filthy. People came here to challenge a dungeon, not to suffer for no reason.

"But then what happens if they run into some dungeon with an absolutely awful environment later?" Owen rocked back and forth above the pedestal, hesitating for quite a while before finally setting the idea aside.

"I'll make a similar area somewhere else later. Graywood Town is still an early area anyway. There's no need for that yet!" After stuffing the idea into his memo, Owen began checking the area again, looking for any strange gaps between sections of terrain or places that simply did not look right. But after inspecting it for quite some time, he still found nothing obviously wrong.

"Guess I'll just leave it like this for now. If an adventurer actually runs into something weird... I can always give them a little compensation afterward." The Silver-level Corrupted Goblin Warrior that had originally guarded the barricade had also been moved somewhere else. Otherwise, adventurers would finally fight their way this far only to discover that they first had to defeat that massive brute before they could continue. That felt a little unreasonable.

Just then, the terrain editing interface in front of Owen suddenly stopped responding.

"Hm?" He froze for a moment, then quickly realized that someone had entered Graywood Town and was approaching the rear section. Owen hurriedly switched the view over. The moment he saw who had arrived, his entire core brightened.

"Oh! Look who it is!" It was Rayne's party. Owen looked at the nearly completed rear section of Graywood Town and could not help letting out a couple of mischievous chuckles.

"Perfect timing. Everything's pretty much ready anyway. Let's see how much you've grown lately." ◆ ◆ ◆ Over the past few days, Rayne and the others had explored Graywood Town more times than they could count. They had searched the almshouse and checked the town meeting hall, yet still found no trace of Basque. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Rayne was even beginning to wonder whether the man was still somewhere inside Graywood Town at all.

Today had been another fruitless trip. Just as they were preparing to leave, they happened to pass by the barricaded section that had previously been guarded by the giant goblin. Rayne did not notice anything unusual at first. Then Tyren suddenly cried out beside him.

"Hey! Wasn't there a huge guy here the last time we came through?" Rayne looked where Tyren was pointing and finally realized that the road once cluttered with debris had been cleared. The goblin had vanished without a trace as well. Rayne folded one arm across his chest and rubbed his chin with the other hand, studying the street ahead.

"That area looks pretty different from this one." He did not hesitate for long. After calling to the others, Rayne led the party toward it. Before they even got close, he could already see the difference. It was still unmistakably part of Graywood Town. But compared with the relatively clean and orderly streets in the front section, this area was far more chaotic. Wooden barricades crisscrossed the roads, while furniture and miscellaneous debris had been piled into the streets.

Looking up, they could even see wooden walkways connecting some of the houses on opposite sides of the road. Where windows should have been, irregular holes large enough for a person to pass through had been smashed directly through the walls. Honestly, there was nothing about the entire district that looked safe. Rayne could not understand why two neighborhoods separated by a single barricade could look so completely different.

Barton instinctively moved to the front of the party and planted his greatshield firmly before him. Rayne could not see his expression from behind, but he could easily imagine Barton staring solemnly into every blind spot in sight. Asar, Tyren, and Serin gathered around Rayne as well.

"What do you think? Want to take a look?" Rayne glanced toward the gloomy streets.

"We might find some clues about Basque in there."

"Of course! I'm getting sick of wandering around the front section anyway. Perfect chance to show off some of the archery I picked up from Asar." Tyren eagerly agreed, pulling the shortbow from his back and miming the motion of drawing and firing.

"I think we should take a look too." Asar nodded.

"We've explored most of the front section already. Other than the almshouse, there isn't much else of note." Asar and Tyren both turned toward Serin. Serin blinked before answering quietly.

"I don't mind. I'll keep a defensive divine art ready." After hearing their answers, Rayne smiled slightly and patted Barton on the back.

"All right. We'll take a look. The terrain inside seems more complicated, so everyone stay alert." Tyren immediately dropped his playful expression and moved to stand beside Serin with a serious look on his face. With their decision made, Rayne slowly led the party into the rear section. But they had barely gone any distance before Rayne vaguely sensed something watching them. He swept his gaze from side to side, then looked up toward the openings smashed into the upper floors. Nothing.

"Careful. Something feels wrong." Rayne did not let his guard down. He slowly drew the longsword at his waist.

"Tyren, watch the second floor. Be ready to shoot at any moment. Asar, protect Serin."

"Got it."

"Understood." Tyren drew an arrow and nocked it, but kept the bow undrawn, his eyes fixed on the higher floors. Asar drew his longsword as well and took position beside Serin, keeping watch over their surroundings. Rayne and Barton advanced at the front together. Just then, the sound of something falling came from inside the house beside them. Rayne immediately turned his head. The wooden door remained tightly shut. Aside from that single clatter, nothing else came from inside.

Rayne approached and carefully pushed open the door. A pitch-black room greeted him. He glanced to the side and finally realized that every window in the house had been nailed shut with wooden boards. No outside light could enter. No wonder it was so dark. Rayne was just about to step inside when a cold glint flashed overhead. He instantly raised his longsword and caught the attack dropping from the ceiling. Clang! A sharp metallic crash rang out, scattering sparks.

In that brief burst of light, Rayne finally saw the creature before him clearly. A purple-skinned goblin. But it was different from the goblins they had encountered on the streets before. Its eyes glowed red, and coils of black mist wrapped around its body. The moment its attack was deflected, the goblin made no attempt to press the attack. Rayne felt only a light jolt through his blade. The goblin used the recoil to spring backward. The instant it landed, it pointed toward Rayne and released a piercing shriek.

The next moment, the entire maze of alleys seemed to come alive. Roars, rapid footsteps, and the crash of overturned debris erupted from every direction, echoing between the streets. Rayne immediately realized the situation was bad. He stepped forward and thrust his sword toward the goblin, but the creature nimbly slipped aside.

"Damn it! I'll deal with this thing. Everyone, get inside!" Rayne's expression darkened as he drew his second longsword.

"Barton, cover the rear!" The instant he finished speaking, he advanced on the goblin with both swords. While Rayne forced it back, Tyren and Serin rushed into the house one after another. More and more goblins were already appearing in the streets outside.

"What is this, some kind of goblin town?" Asar cursed and knocked aside a small knife flying at him from the far end of the street. Only after confirming that Tyren and Serin were safely inside did he hurry after them. Barton retreated step by step toward the doorway with his greatshield raised. Once his entire body filled the entrance, the massive shield almost completely sealed the doorway, holding back every goblin trying to force its way inside. Heavy thuds sounded again and again from the doorway.

Rayne did not spare them a glance. His full attention remained on the goblin before him. His right-hand sword came down in a vicious vertical slash, forcing the goblin to leap backward. Rayne's legs, already coiled and ready, exploded into motion. He surged after it. The longsword in his left hand drove straight through the goblin's chest while it was still in midair. The next instant, the sword in his right hand swept sideways and took the goblin's head clean off. Just then, a violent rumble came from upstairs.

"Tyren, light a torch!"

"Got it!" Within seconds, orange-yellow firelight filled the room. Rayne immediately looked toward the staircase leading up on the right. He gave a cold snort and sprinted for it. The moment he reached the bottom step, several purple heads appeared one after another at the top of the stairs.

"Barton! How's the door holding?"

"Fine!" Barton's deep voice rumbled from behind him. Hearing the answer, Rayne relaxed slightly and charged up the staircase with both swords raised. Even as he forced back the goblins pouring down the stairs, he shouted,"Asar, check the first floor for any other openings!"

"Tyren, give Serin the torch and get ready to support me!" Asar immediately turned and ran toward the other side of the house. Tyren shoved the torch into Serin's hands, tightened his grip on his shortbow, and hurried after Rayne. The narrow staircase was packed shoulder to shoulder with goblins. Ironically, the cramped space robbed them of their agility. This time, Rayne did not even need feints. All he had to do was keep swinging. One sword knocked aside a knife flying straight at him.

The other cleaved a charging goblin in half. Rayne carved his way toward the second floor as though mowing through weeds. When he finally burst onto the second floor, he realized the goblins were pouring continuously through the holes where the windows had been smashed open. Tyren arrived behind him at the same time. He raised his bow and loosed two arrows in rapid succession. Two goblins that had just been preparing to climb through the opening screamed and toppled back outside.

"You've improved." Rayne glanced at him.

"I'm going in. Watch yourself." Tyren said nothing. His answer was another goblin dropping with an arrow buried in it. Rayne grinned and pressed forward with both swords. Even while cutting down the goblins rushing him, he did not forget to survey the second floor. A tall wooden cabinet stood not far away. But for now, clearing the upper floor took priority. The second floor offered far more room to move than the cramped staircase.

With enough space to dodge, the goblins began slipping around Rayne's attacks again and again, immediately slowing the pace of the cleanup. Fortunately, Tyren stayed at his side. Whenever a goblin slipped past Rayne's blade, an arrow usually followed a moment later, taking some of the pressure off him. Even so, poison-coated knives soon opened several wounds across Rayne's arms and thighs. Before long, a cold, stinging pain began spreading from the cuts. Even his head started throbbing in waves.

But that was nowhere near enough to stop him. Rayne gritted his teeth and cut down the final goblin blocking his path. Then he hurried to the side, planted both hands against the tall cabinet, and began pushing it toward the broken window. Tyren stood guard beside him, drawing and firing continuously, shooting down every goblin that tried to climb inside. Before long, Rayne finally managed to shove the cabinet into place and block the opening.

He let out a breath of relief and started back toward the first floor on slightly unsteady legs.

"Tyren, keep watch up here. I don't think that cabinet will hold forever."

"Got it, Greyhound. Go on." Rayne nodded, braced a hand against the wall, and hurried downstairs. The instant he returned to the first floor, before he could even say anything, emerald-green light flared around his body. The pain from his wounds eased a little with it.

"Thanks, Serin." Rayne turned toward Barton, who was still blocking the doorway.

"Still holding?"

"Weak." The answer made both Rayne and Asar burst out laughing. Nearby, Serin leaned her oak staff against the wall, then pulled a bottle of antidote from her pouch and shoved it into Rayne's hand. Rayne twisted off the cap without a word and drank it down. Before long, the throbbing in his head gradually faded, and he finally began to feel better.

"Thanks." Just then, the pounding outside the door suddenly weakened. A moment later, Tyren shouted down from upstairs.

"Hey! I think they're retreating!" Rayne exchanged looks with the others. Everyone let out a breath of relief. Rayne dragged over a chair and dropped straight into it.

"Tyren, stay upstairs for a little longer. Make sure they're really gone before you come down."

"Got it." Barton shifted his shield aside just enough to create a narrow gap and poked his head out to look around. The goblins in the streets really did seem to be scattering into the distance.

"Gone." Only after hearing Barton's answer did Rayne finally sheath his longswords. He was just about to unhook the waterskin at his waist and take a drink. Thud. A tremor suddenly ran through the ground. Rayne went still, then shot to his feet and drew his sword. Thud. Thud. Then another series of heavy tremors followed. But with the whole party inside the house, none of them could tell which direction the vibrations were coming from. The next instant— BOOM! Dirt and broken stone exploded inward.

The wall beside the staircase burst open as a massive hammerhead smashed straight through it. Rayne's expression darkened. He could not help spitting out a curse.

"What the hell is that thing?!"