Overwhelming Battle

After leaving the relatively safe shallow area he had designated, Greg set aside his thoughts of bickering with Nightmare.

Although the secrets he had just learned about the Goddess of Light and the terrible relationship between his own goddess and her gave him a bit of a headache, the most important thing right now was dealing with the trouble in front of him and staying alive.

He silently walked to the front, gestured to Silvia behind him to stay alert and follow close, and was the first to sneak toward the entrance leading to the middle layers.

Silvia took a deep breath. Although nervousness still lingered in her pink eyes, determination shone brighter as she closely followed in Greg's footsteps.

The passage gradually widened, and the terrain grew more complex.

The light from the luminescent moss seemed to dim slightly, and the air grew thick with a scent unique to the deeper dungeon—a mix of stale dust and a faint, bloody stench.

Greg could feel that he was approaching the anomalous zone.

Sure enough, as they rounded a massive barrier of stalactite pillars and brought the open connecting area ahead into view, Silvia could not help but gasp, subconsciously grabbing Greg's sleeve.

“S-Senior Greg! Th-Those are... Goblins?! And... so many!”

Her voice was kept very low, trembling visibly.

Ahead of them, about a dozen short, green-skinned, yet muscular Goblin Warriors were wandering aimlessly or squatting on rocks near the entrance to the middle layers, armed with rusty swords, wooden clubs, or crude bows.

Their raspy chatter and the occasional clatter of weapons against stone sounded extraordinarily harsh in the quiet cave.

Monsters that should have been active in the middle or even deeper layers were now squatting like sentries right at the choke point connecting the shallow layers to the middle ones.

“It's fine. At this level, the two of us can handle them.”

Sensing Silvia's tension, Greg stopped, turned his head, and whispered in as calm a tone as possible:

“Though there are slightly more than expected, it's still manageable. Besides, they look scattered and lack a tight formation, so dealing with them won't be too hard.”

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Silvia's pale face.

“Once the fight starts, stay in a safe position behind me as much as possible. Focus on applying buffs and defensive magic on me first. If you get a chance, use your Light magic to disrupt or purify any spells from Shamans, understood?”

Silvia nodded vigorously. Though her fingers were still a bit cold, Greg's steady tone and clear instructions gave her a sense of direction.

“I-I understand! Senior Greg!”

“Good.”

Greg said no more. He flexed his wrists and locked his eyes on the two Goblin Warriors closest to them, who didn't seem to have noticed their presence yet.

“We'll start with these two. Silvia, buff me.”

“Yes!”

Silvia immediately raised the wand in her hand, closed her eyes, and offered a swift, devout prayer in a low whisper.

A soft, pure white light flared from the tip of her wand, quickly condensing before turning into a warm stream of light that settled gently onto Greg.

【Light of Jotunheim: Strength Augmentation】!

【Light of Alfheim: Agility Boost】!

With the two buff spells applied, Greg immediately felt a gentle yet solid surge of power well up from within, his limbs feeling lighter and more powerful.

This was why Greg had wanted to completely conquer the first layer before the final storyline of Chapter One began.

Light-attribute support magic had direct and positive effects. Without Silvia's assistance, things would undoubtedly be much harder for him.

“Here I go!”

With a low shout, Greg stopped concealing himself. Pushing off with his feet, he shot forward like an arrow from a bow, bursting out from behind the pillar and lunging straight at the two Goblin Warriors before they could raise an alarm!

At the same time, his mind raced as he channeled his mana.

LV1 Bracers of Darkness!

Ink-black bracers, swirling with ominous dark mist, instantly covered his arms.

Set against the faint white glow of the Light-attribute buff magic, the heavy, armor-like black bracers looked extraordinarily eerie and powerful.

“Gah?!”

The two Goblin Warriors obviously hadn't expected a human to suddenly attack from such a close distance, hurriedly raising their weapons in panic.

One swung a rusty cleaver toward Greg's neck, while the other drew a crude wooden bow.

Greg didn't dodge. Raising his left arm, his jet-black bracer met the incoming cleaver with precision.

There was no loud clash of metal.

The moment the cleaver touched the black mist, it was swallowed as if by an invisible maw. The front of the blade, along with its weak force, vanished without a sound, leaving only half a broken blade to drop onto the ground with a clatter.

Holding the bare hilt, the Goblin Warrior froze in place.

Almost simultaneously, Greg's right fist, wrapped in black mist, slammed hard into the face of the other Goblin that had just pulled back its bowstring.

With a dull thud, it wasn't the sound of a shattering skull, but rather the black mist spreading like a living creature the instant it made contact, instantly engulfing the Goblin's entire head.

A moment later, the black mist retracted. The Goblin collapsed stiffly backward—there were no wounds on its face, but the light in its eyes was gone, as if something vital had been drained away.

All of this happened in the span of a single breath.

Only then were the other nearby Goblins alerted, letting out piercing screeches as they brandished their weapons and swarmed over.

“Senior Greg, watch out on your left!”

Silvia's anxious voice called out from behind, but she didn't forget her duty. Another 【Light Barrier】 settled beside Greg, just in time to block a stray arrow shot from a tricky angle.

The arrow struck the milky-white light screen and bounced off.

“Thanks!”

Greg shouted back, his feet never stopping as he charged into the Goblin encirclement.

With Silvia's buffs and timely support, he felt much less pressure.

These Goblin Warriors were around LV15 to LV18. He didn't fear them one-on-one to begin with, and now he felt like a tiger with wings.

The Bracers of Darkness became his most effective weapon and shield.

Whether the Goblins' attacks were slashes, stabs, or thrown stones, the moment they contacted the roiling black mist, a portion was either directly swallowed—severely reducing their power—or completely neutralized.

And with every counterattack Greg delivered, the Bracers of Darkness brought not only physical impact, but also a trace of corrosive shadow power, causing any Goblin struck to die on the spot.

The battle quickly turned into a one-sided slaughter.

Greg wove through the group of Goblins like a black whirlwind, leaving corpses in his wake.

Silvia followed nervously not far behind, continuously refreshing his buff magic or using 【Holy Light Bullet】 to disrupt and repel enemies attempting to ambush him from the sides.

Watching Greg easily neutralize attack after attack with that unprecedented black power steeped in an ominous aura, awe welled up inside her alongside her astonishment.

Senior Greg... is really amazing!

Is this the legendary dark-attribute magic? Even though it feels a bit eerie... it's undeniably strong!

However, the din of battle and Greg's efficient killing finally drew out a far more troublesome opponent.

“#$ %...&!!”

A sharp, jarring incantation sounded from behind a tall rock to the side.

Alarm bells rang in Greg's mind. Snapping his head around, he saw a Goblin Shaman clad in a tattered feather cloak with war paint smeared across its face. It had somehow sneaked behind them, and its bone staff was aimed directly at—Silvia!