Ren stepped cautiously, each movement calculated with the precision of someone dancing on a tightrope stretched across an abyss.
Under stealth mode, every motion had to be restrained to the extreme, too fast, and the veil of concealment would tear; too slow, and monsters might ambush him from somewhere.
The path he took was a narrow shortcut, winding and twisting like the innards of a labyrinth. But it was a route Ren had painstakingly explored and marked on his personal map after hours of scouting. He didn't choose it for speed....but for survival rate.
Though scattered along both sides of the corridor were various traps, from wall-mounted iron arrows, blades springing from the floor, to false tiles that could send someone plunging to the lower level, most of them had already been disabled.
One day.
That was the time Ren spent disabling each wire, each mechanism, memorizing every cracked tile and suspicious crevice.
Some traps were simple, while others were nearly impossible to disable without special skills. But Ren didn't need to disarm them all.
He just needed to know where they were, and walk around them.
Along the way, he still came across a few old, worn-out chests, sitting alone in damp, shadowy corners. They looked as if they'd been left behind by chance, as if rewards were waiting for the lucky.
But Ren didn't touch them. Not even once.
Not because he didn't need items. But because...
They were traps.
Even without any trap-detecting or sensing skills equipped among his limited five skill slots, Ren knew.
He knew through intuition, through experience, through the accumulation of dozens of hours walking in this darkness.
He saw faint scratch marks on the chests, footprints of players who had stopped in front of them and vanished, even traces of battle that had nearly faded into the stone walls.
When Ren first came through here, someone else had been ahead.
Some traps had already been triggered and destroyed. The remaining chests were like leftovers, bait left for those who came after. And in this world, the things most easily seen... are always the most dangerous.
Ren passed them without even glancing back, his dark cloak fluttering gently like a breeze brushing against the edge of a blade.
He didn't need gold. He didn't need rare loot.
He needed to survive.
Turning down a winding passage, Ren stepped out of the hidden route and into a broader section of the maze. Just a few more turns and he'd reach the exit.
There were too many dead ends in this labyrinth, with similar shapes and an eerily familiar feel, often giving him the illusion of déjà vu.
But once they'd all been unlocked and mapped, there was no need to waste time feeling his way through.
A few brisk steps later, Ren was already looking forward to returning and enjoying a delicious dinner.
Suddenly, at the turn ahead… a shadow lunged out in front of him. Ren halted abruptly, losing balance, nearly stumbling forward.
What blocked his path was a Kobold...no, two of them, and one Ruin Kobold Trooper...
Ren blinked, trying to regain his footing in that brief moment of imbalance, but his body responded swiftly, as if programmed.
His hand had already gripped the hilt of his sword, the blade gleaming under the faint glow of the nearby lights in the maze.
The shock of being discovered was quickly replaced by an eerie calm.
Before him stood three monsters, but they weren't the easy kind he used to deal with.
The two Kobolds in front were short, stocky, with fierce faces, wielding rusty weapons and eyes glowing crimson like fire.
Though they weren't anything special, Ren had already endured enough nuisance from these basic Kobolds.
But behind them, like a looming shadow, was the Ruin Kobold Trooper.
Ren could sense a whiff of danger in the air, like a deep instinctual warning from within his combat-trained reflexes.
He had no way to retreat, and escape was impossible...
The Trooper's heavy footsteps echoed like war drums, thickening the very air. As much as he hated to admit it, Ren had few options.
Retreating meant losing the advantage, but advancing, facing three monsters, one of them that strong, would be a reckless move.
Nonetheless, Ren took one step forward, holding firm in his defensive stance. The two normal Kobolds weren't the real threat, the Trooper was the one that had to be dealt with first.
He couldn't let that monster strike without reacting.
Almost instinctively, Ren adjusted his combat posture, but a closer look made it clear, fighting the Trooper head-on was impossible with the two Kobolds still present.
No warning was given, only the sound of steel slicing through the air, shattering the cold silence of the maze.
Ren lunged forward like a phantom, moving at a speed that defied belief, straight toward the Kobold on the left. He paid no attention to anything else but the target before him.
"Stap!" A soft sound rang out as the blade flashed, slicing through the darkness.
Striking through a small gap beneath the helmet, the sword pierced deep into the Kobold's throat.
Tiny red pixelated blood trickled like rose petals, but the monster only let out a sharp shriek before collapsing... its body shattered into glass-like shards, vanishing into the air.
[You have defeated Ruin Kobold lv.6]
Ren didn't stop for even a second. He sprang into action instantly, escaping from his previous position just as the Trooper's battle axe came crashing down with a ferocious roar.
The blunt, heavy axe slammed into the ground with a piercing sound, missing the spot where Ren had just stood. Just a little slower, and he would've become the victim of that strike.
With a sharp gaze, Ren realized he couldn't back down. His breath grew heavier, but his resolve pushed him forward, charging at the target like a phantom.
With light, swift footsteps, Ren approached the remaining Ruin Kobold from the right side.
The monster, wielding a rusty iron mace, swung hard in an attempt to strike. But Ren only had to lean slightly to evade the blow with ease.
His sword slashed diagonally, from the kobold's waist to its left shoulder. Blood sprayed out, and a crimson damage number flashed on the monster's HP bar.
However, the wound wasn't enough to finish it off. The Kobold staggered, trying to retreat, but Ren didn't let the opportunity slip by.
A flash of steel, his sword came down again, cutting through the weakened armor and striking the exposed weak point.
But suddenly, the air around him changed. The wind grew stronger, rustling Ren's cloak, making his body tremble. He could feel it, the sensation of being trapped, the danger approaching faster than ever before.
This feeling could no longer be denied. He tried to leap back, but it was too late. The blunt axe of the Ruin Kobold Trooper descended like a deadly ghost, its blade gleaming coldly in the darkness.
Rock walls flanked Ren on both sides, there was no room to retreat. He couldn't jump left or roll right to avoid the fatal strike. He could only raise his sword in front of him, hoping to block the impending blow.
A deafening clash rang out, like metal crashing violently against metal. "BANG!", the thunderous sound echoed through the space.
-105
Ren groaned softly in pain. His sword arm trembled under the weight of the descending axe, but he gritted his teeth, refusing to let go, resisting the relentless force of his opponent's attack.
The Ruin Kobold seized the moment, lunging forward. Its rusty mace swung with full force toward Ren, hoping to catch him off guard while he was struggling with the axe.
But Ren wasn't caught off guard. He ducked low, quickly throwing himself forward, slipping past the axe's arc like a wave, and immediately dove to the ground.
The axe slammed into the floor behind him, carving out a deep gash, but Ren had already escaped its reach.
With astonishing power and speed, Ren swung his sword upward, knocking the Kobold's mace clean out of its hand.
The mace flew off with force, but Ren paid no attention to the recoil. He focused solely on pulling his sword forward, building momentum for the next strike.
Ren's toes tightened, gripping the ground, and like a hunting beast, he lunged at the monster.
The sword thrust forward, like a drill, piercing through the body of the Ruin Kobold. The monster had no time to resist, its body shattered into glowing red pixels, leaving only a blurry trace in the dark maze.
Ren exhaled in relief, his body tense, but he didn't stop, he immediately turned back to face the last enemy.
The Ruin Kobold Trooper stood before him like a moving mountain, gigantic and unyielding.
Each of its movements was powerful, sending slight tremors through the ground whenever it stomped.
Though its body was solid and massive, its movements weren't clumsy, they were precise and full of strength.
Ren had no time to think. He knew that just one hit would be the end.
The monster's heavy axe swung toward him, but Ren dodged just in time with a quick side-step to the left, the weapon grazing past him and stirring up a gust of violent wind.
But Ren wasn't just avoiding. He realized that, with the Trooper's massive body, each axe swing took a considerable amount of time to reset. This was his only chance.
Seizing the moment, Ren dashed forward, slashing his sword twice at the monster's pillar-like leg.
His blade cut through the thick skin, leaving deep gashes...but they weren't enough to deal serious damage. The Ruin Kobold Trooper only let out a furious roar, then turned around, swinging its axe madly in rage.
Ren backed off a few steps, but he knew, his time was running out. The monster's fury had been unleashed, and now it was ready to crush anyone who dared stand before it.