The air grew colder, thick with the scent of damp stone and something faintly metallic—blood.

  The dim glow of the blue-green crystals barely provided enough light, casting flickering shadows against the jagged rock walls. Each step I took echoed faintly, swallowed by the darkness ahead.I kept my axe firmly gripped, my ears sharp for any movement. The Bck Labyrinth was a maze, filled with winding corridors and sudden dead ends, but more importantly, it was home to creatures that had long adapted to its endless darkness.Goblins.I know this, I've read so many things about them. They weren't the strongest monsters, but they were cunning. They never fought alone.A flicker of movement caught my eye. A small shape—green skin blending with the shadows. My instincts screamed at me—left!I pivoted just as a goblin lunged, its rusted dagger fshing toward my ribs. Too slow. I snapped my left arm up, the vambrace absorbing the impact with a dull cng.It hissed, frustration twisting its ugly face. Before it could react, I countered—my axe swung down in a brutal arc. The bde bit deep into its colrbone, the crack of bone echoing through the corridor. It barely had time to scream before it colpsed, its body dissolving into mist.A blue gem dropped to the ground, faintly pulsing with energy. I pocketed it but didn't let my guard down.Goblins never moved alone.The faint chittering started then—low, guttural noises echoing from deeper in the tunnel. Then, footsteps. Multiple.I barely had time to react before three more goblins emerged from the darkness, their yellow eyes glowing with malice.One on my right, one fnking my left, and the st hanging back, gripping a throwing knife.They were trying to surround me.Fine. Let them try.The one on the right struck first, thrusting a crude spear toward my stomach. I sidestepped, the tip barely grazing my armor, but the goblin on the left was already moving—dagger fshing toward my exposed side.I twisted, raising my left arm, catching the bde on my vambrace again. The impact jolted my arm, but I held firm.Then, the third goblin moved.A glint of metal—the throwing knife flying straight for my head.No time to dodge. I raised my left arm, the bde embedding itself into the thick leather instead of my skull.The pain was dull, but it threw me off just enough for the spear goblin to lunge again.I stepped in instead of back, catching it off guard. My axe swung up, smming into its wrist. The goblin shrieked as it dropped the spear, its green fingers twitching.I didn't let it recover.I ripped my axe free and buried it into its skull. Blood spttered across the dungeon floor as the body convulsed before vanishing into mist.Two left.The dagger-wielding goblin snarled, charging in a wild frenzy. I let it come, waited for the right moment—then struck.I ducked low, my left arm snapping up to shove it off bance. As it stumbled, I drove my axe into its gut, twisting the bde before ripping it free.Blood painted the ground.The st goblin hesitated. Smart. It turned to run—I wouldn't let it.I hurled my axe, the bde spinning through the air before embedding itself in the goblin's back.It colpsed.Silence settled again, save for my ragged breathing.One by one, their bodies dissolved, leaving behind three blue gems and a throwing knife.I sighed, rolling my shoulders. That fight had been too close.

  This is my first time killing a being. I know that those are monsters but something inside me feels so different, it's like there is a door slowly opening, it is a weird feeling so I didn't pay attention to it more. I retrieved my axe, checking my vambrace. The knife was still lodged in it—I'd need to get it repaired ter.For now, I pressed forward. The Bck Labyrinth Dungeon was just getting started.The battles blurred together—each fight pushing me further, sharpening my instincts. At first, they came in groups of three, predictable in their movements. They tried to surround me, using their numbers to their advantage. But after the first few encounters, I learned,I adapted.The Bck Labyrinth was unforgiving, but it was also a teacher. Every step I took, every swing of my axe, every drop of blood spilled onto the cavern floor—it all became part of my growing experience.Then came the rger groups.Five goblins at once. Too many to take head-on.I crouched in the shadows, steadying my breath, watching as the goblins bickered over a fresh kill—a fallen diver. His armor was torn open, his lifeless eyes staring into the abyss. They were distracted. Sloppy.I could use that.I gripped my axe tightly, shifting my stance. One clean kill first.I moved swiftly, silent as a shadow, until I was right behind the nearest goblin. Before it could react, I drove my axe into its spine, the crunch of bone muffled by the wet squelch of flesh parting.It didn't even have time to scream.One down.The others whirled around, snarling as they realized they were under attack.I didn't wait.I kicked the dying goblin's body into the nearest one, knocking it off bance. Then, I lunged, swinging my axe at the second goblin's throat—a clean cut. Blood sprayed the cavern walls as its head lolled to the side before its body colpsed.Three left.They came at me in a frenzy, one swinging a rusty cleaver, another wielding a short spear, while the st grabbed a torch, its yellow eyes gleaming with malice.They wanted to flush me out.I darted sideways, avoiding the cleaver's downward swing, and raised my vambrace just in time to deflect the spear thrust aimed for my ribs.

  Sparks flew as metal scraped against reinforced leather.The torch goblin lunged forward, fire licking at the air.I had to move fast.I rolled to the side, feeling the heat of the fmes as the torch barely missed my face. Before the goblin could recover, I shed out with my axe, burying the bde into its knee.It shrieked, colpsing.I tore the axe free and spun, dodging another attack before sinking my weapon into the spear goblin's gut.That left just one.The cleaver goblin hesitated, gripping its weapon with shaking hands. It tried to run.I didn't let it.With a burst of speed, I closed the distance, swinging my axe in a brutal overhead strike. The goblin barely had time to raise its weapon before my bde cleaved straight through its skull.Silence.

  I exhaled heavily, feeling the exhaustion creeping into my limbs.

  Again that was close, I still wonder why do I need to fight and risk getting killed.

  I checked my injuries. A few cuts and bruises, but nothing serious. My armor had held up well, but my vambrace was dented from deflecting blows.

  Looking down, I counted five glowing blue gems—my rewards for the battle.

  I picked them up, pocketing them carefully.

  Beggars can't be choosers.The fights were only getting harder, but with every battle, I grew stronger, faster, smarter.And I still had a long way to go.I barely had time to catch my breath before I heard it—the faint shuffle of feet on stone.I turned, gripping my axe tightly as four new figures emerged from the darkness.Goblins. But these weren't like the others.Their weapons were sharpened, polished, not the usual rusted junk. Their armor—patched leather and mismatched iron ptes—was in far better condition than what I'd seen before. And their eyes... their yellow, gleaming eyes weren't filled with the reckless hunger of their weaker kin.These ones were trained. Experienced. Elite.I cursed under my breath.Dungeons really are vicious—I can't even rest for a moment.One of the goblins, a spear-wielding one, snarled something in its guttural tongue, and the others spread out, moving with frightening coordination.They weren't going to let me escape.I tightened my grip, steadying myself. This was going to be tough.

  Here we go again.