Darkness thickened like syrup, seeping into every crevice of the crude stone tunnels. Ren had left behind the ease of his initial strides, where the light was still enough to chase away fear.
Now, with each step on the uneven ground, only the sound of his heavy breathing and his own echo remained.
He was nearly disoriented, relying on the map in his Menu, those faint virtual lines were the only thing keeping his mind grounded.
Ren kept running, as fast as he could, squeezing out every ounce of agility in his body to navigate sharp turns and dodge piles of rotting timber scattered across the path.
And then, at a bend in the tunnel, where dim light flickered from crystal shards growing out of the stone walls like dying torches, he saw them.
Shadows danced on the wall, flickering like reflections from a weak flame. Irregular. Unpredictable. As if something or someone, was moving very slowly on the other side of the stone.
Combat sounds.
The clash of metal, hurried footsteps, and low growls rising from the depths, all mingled together, compressed into the dusty air.
Ren stopped for half a second, instincts kicking in.
But before thought could catch up, his legs were already moving, pulled forward by something unseen.
The narrow turn blurred past in an instant, the tunnel like a giant slide of darkness, easing Ren deeper inside.
He didn't know what awaited beyond the next corner. But the sound, clear and sharp, was that of battle. There was no mistaking it.
"Maybe they ran into monsters... I have to move faster."
Ren gritted his teeth, lowered his center of gravity, and picked up speed. There was no more room for hesitation, only heartbeats, breath, and pace.
With a gust like slicing wind, Ren burst out of the dark corner, and froze at what he saw.
In a clearing within the tunnel, weak crystal light fell upon a burly middle-aged man.
He was gripping an iron pickaxe tightly, swinging it in heavy but clumsy strikes to keep two short, hunched creatures at bay.
They were humanoid in shape, but their faces resembled rodents, small eyes, sharp fangs, and large pointed ears.
Their skin was a pale, bloodless red, so thin the veins beneath seemed visible.
They weren't fast, but there was a strange cunning in how they moved, keeping distance, targeting openings. Each held a crude stone weapon: one a club, the other a short blade.
Mine Kobolds…
The name flashed through Ren's mind like a line of pre-coded data. But something didn't add up...and it sent a pang through his chest.
Where were Yuna and Nautilus?
His eyes darted around the area, heart pounding as if trying to leap out of his chest.
There was no sign of them. Only the man, alone, blood flowing from his arm and torn shoulder.
Stephen?
Ren gripped his sword hilt tightly, the cold in his fingertips creeping into his chest.
No time to think.
He dashed forward like a gust slicing through the mine's shadows, his body low and nimble, as if the darkness itself aided his movement.
The steel blade slid from its sheath, catching a faint gleam in the crystal light.
The sound of slicing through air echoed down the tunnel...
The nearest Kobold didn't even have time to react.
Ren's sword slashed deep into its back, a long gash spilling bright red pixelated fragments.
The damage number appeared, clear and merciless. Its health bar dropped by nearly a third.
The Kobold shrieked in pain, flung backward, bouncing across the rough stone before lying motionless, for now.
The second one instantly sensed the new threat. It growled, spun around, and hurled its heavy stone club through the air, aiming to crush Ren like dust.
Whoosh!
Ren stepped back, swift and cold. The club slammed down where he had just stood.
Rocks scattered, the ground cracked slightly. But Ren had already dodged, eyes locked on the target, breath steady.
He dropped his stance, feet firm on the uneven stone. Seizing the moment when the Kobold was off-balance after its missed swing, Ren twisted his body, channeling his weight into a lethal slash from the side...
"SKREEEE!!"
A sudden scream pierced his ear, followed by weight crashing down on his back.
Ren staggered, thrown off balance. The Kobold he thought defeated had sprung back like a coil, clinging to him from behind.
Its sharp claws tore into the coarse cloak on his back, scrawny legs locking tight around his waist.
Damn it… when did it—?!
Ren hissed as pain flared from where claws raked his back. He stumbled, slamming into the stone wall with a dry thud, sending dust flying.
The monster took the hit but clung tighter, as if pain only fueled its savage instinct.
One of its arms twitched, a stone blade flashing in the dim light.
It raised it high.
The blade's cold glint mirrored death itself, aimed straight for Ren's left eye.
Ren's eyes widened.
No room to retreat. No space to dodge.
The moment froze, as if even time held its breath.
The distance between life and death was now just a heartbeat, mere inches from the tip of the blade to his dilated pupil.
A finishing blow. And then...
A sharp whoosh sliced through the air, as if someone had hurled a log with their entire soul behind it.
A split-second later, a dry crack of bone echoed through the cold cavern walls.
Ren jerked from the shock of pain down his spine...but it wasn't from a blade strike. It was the Kobold's claws slicing through his armor, grazing flesh.
The pain hadn't even fully registered when the weight on his back vanished.
Ren turned his head, his breath still out of sync with his racing heart.
The Kobold had been flung off him like a ragged sack, launched by a brutal strike, crashing against a nearby wall.
An iron pickaxe was embedded straight through its head.
A sharp metallic ting rang out...like a death knell.
The corpse trembled, then gradually dissolved into bright red pixel fragments, drifting in the air.
Standing there, still gripping the handle of his mattock tightly, was Stephen.
His face was tense and lined with stress, but his eyes shone brightly. No unnecessary words. Just action.
Ren could vaguely hear the older man's voice, gravelly, like stone scraping against rusted metal, muttering through heavy breaths:
"Light and blessings... once granted to those deemed worthy."
"But as time passed, that light wore thin… and the blessing became a lullaby for souls who had forgotten how to struggle."
A pause, as if he were speaking to himself… or to someone no longer present.
"They wear armor, but have no heart left to fight. They breathe, but their minds have rotted in empty shells."
"The only thing that remains... is a tiny spark."
"Just a few still remember... how to survive in the dark."
Ren faltered for a moment.
Stephen's words echoed in his mind like the remnants of a fever dream. But he had no time to dwell on them.
A crazed growl snapped him back to reality, the remaining Kobold, now nothing more than a feral beast, charged forward.
It had lost its comrade, and with it, its mind.
Ren instinctively leaned to the side, dodging the clumsy blow. A diagonal slash from his steel sword cut into the Kobold's thigh, making it stumble. Not wasting the opportunity, he spun and landed a straight kick into its gut, forcing it back in pain.
Shifting his weight, Ren raised his sword and thrust forward.
The blade pierced the enemy's chest. The Kobold jolted as if a surge of electricity ran through it, then its body disintegrated into glowing red pixel fragments, quietly falling like petals scattered by the wind.
[You have defeated Mine Kobold - Lv.4][+34 EXP][+30 Cor][You received: Worn Stone Mace]
Taking a long breath after the brief but tense battle, Ren scanned his surroundings. Once he confirmed there were no lurking threats, he finally sheathed his sword.
"Thank you, adventurer. If you had come just a little later, I'd probably be dead," Stephen said, trying to catch his breath, though his muscular arm still clutched the mattock tightly.
Ren gave a slight nod, his gaze lingering on the heavy tool in Stephen's hand, the only weapon that had likely kept the miner alive through the danger.
"It's nothing," Ren replied, his voice low as he watched the fading pixels of the Kobold linger in the air. "Just part of the job."
Stephen didn't respond immediately. He bent down, pulled the mattock from where the Kobold had once been, then slowly turned to Ren, a hazy look in his eyes.
"This world... sometimes it's just so exhausting. But there are moments when I think... we just need someone willing to do things like this, without question."
He paused again, his gaze distant, as if recalling something buried deeper. But then he returned to the present and smiled.
"That's right, adventurer," he said, letting out a long sigh. "Thank you again. You'll definitely be one of those who… survive in this world."
Ren said nothing, a nameless tension hanging in the air. Stephen's words echoed in his mind like a prophecy, vague, yet profound.
He didn't speak further, only nodded quietly.