So far, everything was going smoothly.

  The monsters that had appeared were mostly Morgoths—smaller, more agile versions of Borgoths. These boar-like creatures dashed toward us with reckless speed, but they were easy enough to handle. A few well-placed arrows from Darwyn or Elena was all it took to bring them down.

  But then, Borgoths started showing up.

  Unlike their smaller counterparts, these brutes were larger, tougher, and far more aggressive. Still, we had an advantage—Muradin. Thanks to his passive skill, Forge’s Resilience, every monster in the cave seemed fixated on him. The ability not only made him a walking fortress but also significantly boosted his defense, allowing him to take the brunt of the attacks without much trouble.

  Behind him, Gorgroth acted as our second line of defense, lashing out with its fiery attacks at any monster that managed to slip past. Darwyn and Elena provided cover from the flanks, their arrows striking down any creature that got too close.

  But the real key to our strategy was Orin.

  A deep grunt rumbled through the cavern as more Borgoths emerged from the shadows, their beady red eyes locked onto us.

  “Orin, they’re getting out of control!” Muradin bellowed, his shield rattling as he blocked a charging beast.

  [Mana Bomb cast]

  A massive blue orb shot from Orin’s staff, soaring toward the incoming horde before detonating in a dazzling explosion of arcane energy. The wave of force sent several monsters tumbling, their charred bodies collapsing to the ground.

  “Yippee! Feel my wrath!” Orin cheered, pumping her fist in the air.

  Her newest spell, Mana Bomb, allowed her to gather magical energy and unleash it in a single devastating blast. The longer she charged it, the bigger—and deadlier—the explosion became. Of course, that also meant it consumed a ridiculous amount of Mana.

  I grinned. “Nice shot, Orin. That cleared up a lot of them.”

  “Of course! I’m amazing,” she replied with a smug smile, twirling her staff dramatically.

  Muradin snorted. “Less gloating, more blasting.”

  “I’m meditating. I’ll let you know when my Mana’s back,” Orin announced, closing her eyes as she began to restore her energy.

  We had deliberately chosen to rely on this spell. We needed to wipe out the monsters as quickly as possible before the next wave arrived. If we didn’t keep up the pace, we’d be completely overwhelmed.

  And from the way the ground was starting to shake again, the next wave was already on its way.

  The Borgoths were no longer just mindlessly charging at us. They had started using their skill—Savage Charge.

  After gathering energy for a brief moment, a Borgoth would rush toward its target, its movement speed increasing dramatically for a short duration. Once in motion, its resistance surged, making it nearly impossible to stop. Upon impact, it dealt moderate damage and knocked enemies off their feet.

  But the worst part? This ability completely ignored Muradin’s passive skill. Unlike the previous waves, these Borgoths weren’t fixated on him anymore—they targeted whoever in range, without mercy.

  A sudden blur of motion caught my eye.

  “Orin, watch out!” Darwyn yelled.

  Before she could react, he lunged forward, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her out of harm’s way just as a Borgoth came barreling through. The monstrous beast thundered past, barely missing them.

  Meanwhile, I activated Galestride to Elena, and followed up with Tempest Shield on myself to protect myself.

  Muradin wasn’t so lucky. Having taken multiple Savage Charges, he was sent sprawling onto the rocky ground. He groaned, trying to push himself up, but his stance was unsteady.

  “Hang in there,” I muttered, casting Rejuvenation on him.

  A faint green glow wrapped around his body, and almost instantly, he gritted his teeth, steadied himself, and got back on his feet.

  Without needing any orders, Darwyn and Elena took action.

  [Piercing Arrow cast]

  [Silkshade Phantom cast]

  [Lightning Bolt cast]

  Their coordinated assault obliterated the remaining Borgoths in an instant, giving us a much-needed breather to reset our formation.

  Darwyn exhaled. “Looks like it’s time for our next strategy.”

  I nodded. “Agreed.”

  Elena stretched her fingers, a smirk playing on her lips. “Alright, my turn.”

  With a flick of her hand, her Silkshade Phantom glided forward, serving as a decoy. It shimmered eerily in the dim light, an illusion-like entity planned to attract enemy attacks.

  Not long after, dozens of Borgoths emerged, immediately lunging at the Phantom. Several of them activated Savage Charge, aiming straight for it.

  Elena, however, was already in control.

  Her Phantom danced through the battlefield with stunning agility, dodging attacks with elegant precision. Meanwhile, from a safe distance, she loosed arrow after arrow, each shot landing with pinpoint accuracy.

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  I watched, momentarily in awe. She’s already mastered controlling the Phantom while attacking at the same time?

  Darwyn grinned, clearly impressed. “That’s my sister.”

  “You’re amazing, sis!” Orin chimed in excitedly.

  “Enough praise, you’ll break her concentration,” Muradin grumbled, chugging a potion and adjusting his armor.

  The battle continued smoothly for a few minutes—until Gabborgoth appeared.

  This behemoth was twice the size of a regular Borgoth, its thick fur jet-black, its massive tusks gleaming dangerously. Its presence alone sent a chill down my spine.

  Unlike the others, Gabborgoth didn’t waste time with normal attacks. Instead, it immediately activated its exclusive skill—Tusked Rampage, a more powerful and even faster version of Savage Charge.

  Darwyn’s expression turned serious. “Elena, pull back your Phantom. Now!”

  She reacted instantly, withdrawing her Phantom just narrowly avoiding the Savage Charge attack. Gabborgoth kept chasing the Phantom stubbornly afterwards.

  Entering his range, Darwyn took immediate action, hurling several Sticky Bombs directly at the beast.

  BLAAAR!

  A series of explosions erupted, engulfing Gabborgoth in a cloud of flames and smoke.

  But there was a downside. The Phantom had been too close to the blast zone. It got caught in the explosion, instantly unraveling into strands of silk before dissipating entirely.

  Gabborgoth staggered but didn’t fall.

  Not willing to give it a chance to charge again, we launched a full-force attack, determined to bring the monstrous beast down before it could unleash Tusked Rampage once more.

  ***

  After defeating Gabborgoth, we finally had a brief moment to catch our breath.

  Thanks to Darwyn, we had taken it down quickly—before the next wave could arrive. But we knew better than to let our guard down. The next wave would only be tougher.

  Elena sighed, rolling her shoulders. “How much longer do we have to keep this up?”

  I exhaled, gripping my weapon. “I’m not entirely sure,” I admitted. “But according to the book I read, if Gabborgoth has already appeared, we’re about one-third of the way through.”

  “One-third?” Muradin groaned, rubbing his shield. “We still have a long way to go.”

  “Come on, don’t sound so defeated,” Darwyn encouraged, already setting up traps around the area. He carefully placed Sticky Bombs in each one, ensuring they were ready to trigger at the right moment.

  “My bombs need another hour before they fully recharge,” he added.

  Before we had any more time to rest, the next wave arrived.

  Another Gabborgoth.

  But this time, it was different.

  Instead of Borgoths, it was accompanied by Bristlegoths—faster, more vicious variants covered in thick, needle-like bristles. Unlike Borgoths, these monsters didn’t rely on brute force. Instead, they attacked from a distance, firing deadly quills like projectiles.

  The worst part? Their quills were laced with venom, causing slow movement and gradual health decay over time.

  I tightened my grip. “We need to switch formations.”

  At my command, we shifted into a straight-line formation, placing Muradin at the very front, right in front of Gorgroth.

  Darwyn smirked. “Alright, Dwarf. Time to be our shield. Take those quills for us, will you?”

  Muradin let out a hearty laugh. “You owe me a drink after this.”

  Without wasting another second, Orin—who had been charging her Mana Bomb this whole time—finally unleashed it.

  [Mana Bomb cast]

  Splaaash!

  The explosion erupted in a dazzling wave of blue energy, obliterating a good portion of the Bristlegoths in an instant.

  The remaining enemies weren’t happy about it.

  They retaliated immediately, unleashing a barrage of venomous quills that rained down on Muradin like a hailstorm.

  I quickly cast Rejuvenation on him, ensuring he wouldn’t succumb to the venom.

  “Get ready!” Darwyn shouted.

  Muradin narrowed his eyes, gripping his shield tighter. “You don’t have to tell me twice,” he grunted, staring down the Gabborgoth, which was already charging at full speed.

  Boom!

  The monstrous beast barreled forward, tripping a trap—but it barely slowed down.

  Darwyn cursed. “Shoot! It’s still going!”

  Muradin braced himself, locking his stance just before the impact.

  BAM!

  The force of the charge slammed into him like a battering ram, sending him flying backward.

  But before he could crash the ground, something caught him—Gorgroth.

  The oversized carnivorous plant wrapped its massive vines around Muradin, keeping him from getting thrown too far. Then, with a primal growl, it lashed out at Gabborgoth, its fanged mouth biting down into the beast’s thick hide.

  [Inner Beast cast]

  A surge of energy coursed through Gorgroth, amplifying its strength.

  With a mighty heave, the monstrous plant lifted the massive Gabborgoth off the ground—and then hurled it across the cavern like a ragdoll.

  The moment it landed, Darwyn and Elena didn’t hesitate.

  They struck in unison.

  Arrows and Lightning.

  In the blink of an eye, Gabborgoth was finished.

  And so, the battle raged on.

  ***

  With caution and unwavering resolve, we pushed forward, wave after wave, taking every chance we had to restore our resources whenever there was a moment to breathe.

  Swoosh—!

  Darwyn’s arrow whistled through the air, striking the last Borgoth clean in the head. The beast let out a strangled grunt before collapsing lifelessly.

  I exhaled, my grip on my weapon relaxing for a split second.

  But just as we thought we had a moment to breathe—

  A chilling, dark aura began to swirl and ripple through the cavern.

  The air itself grew heavier, thick with malice.

  And then, out of the shifting darkness, they emerged.

  Twenty Morgoths.

  Twelve Borgoths.

  Eight Bristlegoths.

  Three Infergoths.

  Two Gabborgoths.

  And finally—Korrogoth.

  A towering colossus among its kin, Korrogoth was a nightmarish behemoth, even bigger than the huge Titangoth.

  Its massive frame was covered in thick, jagged plates of stone, making it resemble a living fortress. Each heavy step it took sent tremors through the ground, the very cave shaking beneath its monstrous weight.

  Dark, matted fur ran along its spine, interwoven with shards of ice and rock, a testament to its unyielding endurance. Its gleaming tusks, as large as tree trunks, curved wickedly forward, promising utter devastation to anything in its path.

  We all stood frozen for a moment, taking in the sheer magnitude of the threat before us.

  "...You've got to be kidding me," Muradin muttered, tightening his grip on his shield.

  Orin swallowed hard. “That thing looks like it could stomp us all flat.”

  Elena clenched her fists. "So this means… we're at the final wave, right?"

  I nodded, my heart hammering. “Yeah. If Korrogoth is here… then we’re already at the end.”

  "Finally," Darwyn echoed, his eyes narrowing. He slowly pulled another arrow from his quiver, his tone calm but razor-sharp.

  "But first... we have to survive this."