As Subutai quickly swept his gaze around, he spotted five human corpses lying on the opposite side of the cave.
Some were burned black like charcoal, while others had clearly been brutally slashed to death.
The moment his eyes landed on one of the burned corpses, Subutai's alertness spiked. He tightened his grip on the spear and slowly began to retreat.
But then.
Crack.
He accidentally stepped on a small bone lying on the ground, snapping it with a sharp sound.
Subutai glanced down in panic and prayed silently,
"Please… don't let the Goblin Shaman hear that."
He lifted his head immediately.
At that exact moment, the Goblin Shaman was staring straight at him.
It bared its teeth in a grotesque grin, raised its staff, and screeched at him.
"GRAHH!"
As the staff lifted, fire gathered out of thin air, condensing into a flaming projectile that shot toward Subutai like an arrow.
At the same time, three nearby Goblin Warriors reacted to the shaman's scream and charged at him.
Subutai muttered under his breath,
"Damn it…"
The instant he felt the approaching heat, he raised his spear and activated both of his skills at once.
[Your body is coated in mana. Strength increased by 20%.]
[Mana-based skill efficiency increased by 10%.]
The firebolt tore through the air and collided with the spear's blade.
A screeching sound rang out, as if metal were melting.
The heat felt like it was scorching his face, and every muscle in his arms trembled violently.
"If I don't end this quickly, my spear will melt… and then it's over."
He glanced at the spear and made a decision in an instant.
A mad grin spread across Subutai's face.
He lunged forward and drove his spear straight through the heart of the first Goblin Warrior.
As he pulled it back, he split the second one cleanly in half.
The third Goblin Warrior raised its weapon only to have its head pierced straight through.
Because the spear was already burning hot, the wounds were faintly scorched.
Green blood sprayed everywhere, painting Subutai's face and clothes.
At that moment, a familiar voice echoed, and notifications appeared before him.
[You have killed a "Goblin Warrior."]
[You have leveled up.]
[Strength +1, Agility +1, Spirit +1, Perception +1.]
[You have obtained 5 status points.]
Subutai rejoiced at leveling up at such a critical moment and fixed his gaze on the now-alone Goblin Shaman.
He immediately distributed his stat points.
He allocated 2 points to Strength, and 1 point each to Agility, Spirit, and Perception.
It felt as though blazing heat surged through his blood.
Every joint strengthened, and his body felt lighter than before.
The Goblin Shaman grinned hideously and raised its staff again.
This time, lightning gathered in the air, forming a blue lightning bolt.
The flash illuminated the dark cave.
Subutai raised his spear, ready to block.
In that instant, a chill ran through him.
Every hair on his body stood on end.
His instincts screamed danger.
He gripped the spear tightly and blocked the lightning bolt.
A sharp crack rang out.
"I blocked it " he thought.
"ZZZZT!"
Electricity surged through the metal spear and coursed straight into his body.
All his muscles seized at once, his strength vanishing instantly.
The spear slipped from his hands and slammed into the ground.
Subutai's body convulsed and collapsed as well.
His head spun, the world seeming to sway.
He tried to move but could barely twitch his fingers.
Every muscle felt locked, frozen solid.
Once more, the sound of gathering lightning echoed.
The cave glowed blue again.
"Am I… going to die here?"
That thought flashed through his mind.
And in that very instant, driven purely by instinct, Subutai forced his arm to move and barely managed to grab the spear.
Pouring every last ounce of strength into his body, he used the spear to prop himself up.
Grinding his teeth, he stood.
With all his remaining power, he hurled the spear straight at the blue lightning bolt.
The spear screamed through the air.
And the moment it collided with the lightning.
"BOOOOM!"
The entire cave shook violently.
A blinding flash erupted, and the stench of burned metal and sulfur filled the air.
For several moments, his ears rang, as if the world itself had gone silent.
Subutai closed his eyes instinctively, struggling just to remain standing.
When he finally opened them.
What he saw was unbelievable.
The spear he had thrown had pierced straight through the lightning and impaled the Goblin Shaman's chest, bursting out the other side.
The Goblin Shaman's eyes widened.
Green blood poured from its mouth as it collapsed to the ground.
[You have killed a "Goblin Shaman."]
[Congratulations. You have defeated the 2nd Floor Boss.]
[Do you wish to proceed to the 3rd Floor?]
"Yes" "No"
Seeing the notifications, Subutai finally relaxed.
His body gave out completely, and he collapsed to the ground.
The moment he lay down, sleep threatened to claim him.
But knowing how dangerous it was to sleep here, he bit his tongue hard and forced himself awake.
After some time, he managed to move his stiffened body and stood up, walking toward the Goblin Shaman's corpse.
He pulled out his spear and inspected it.
The tip had melted and shattered into fragments.
Even the shaft was cracked one swing away from breaking apart.
Considering the explosion it had endured, it was no surprise.
He gently placed the broken spear on the ground and moved toward the human corpses, checking for anything usable.
Among them, he found only one thing worth taking.
A spear.
Subutai picked it up with relief.
He raised his hand, about to select "Yes", then paused and looked back at the Goblin Shaman.
He smiled faintly and thought,
"If those five people hadn't killed the Goblin Warriors earlier…
I probably wouldn't have made it to the next floor on my own."
Shaking his head, he turned forward and pressed "Yes."
Soon, a small black dot appeared before him, slowly expanding into a hole large enough to enter.
Gripping his spear tightly, Subutai stepped confidently into the black hole.
The ground beneath his feet shifted suddenly, as if he were landing in deep darkness.
[Congratulations. You have reached the 3rd Floor of the Tower.]
His head spun as he emerged from the darkness and surveyed his surroundings.
A dark forest spread out before him.
Leaves rustled in the wind, and the scent of damp earth filled the air.
Subutai took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.
"Swish!"
A sharp whistling sound cut through the air.
Something flew straight toward him.
He dodged instantly.
The arrow grazed his cheek, slicing his skin lightly.
Heat flared as blood trickled down his face.
"What just cut my cheek?"
Turning his head, he saw an arrow embedded in a tree.
"Did a human shoot at me?"
The thought snapped all drowsiness from his mind.
As he sprinted, following the arrow's trajectory.
Another arrow whistled toward him from the depths of the dark forest.
Subutai raised his spear to block.
The arrow struck the shaft, snapped in half, and fell to the ground.
Under the moonlight, the figure that had fired the arrows became visible.
Subutai stared in shock.
"Not human… a Goblin Archer?"
Before him stood a goblin holding a bow, grinning hideously as it drew the string once more aiming straight at Subutai.