Bang!
A slender arrow whistled through the foul air of the sewer, striking the center of the goblin camp. A split-second later, an alchemical reaction triggered — an explosion of fire and shockwave tearing through the cramped, filth-ridden cavern. The hobgoblin, who had moments before been casually stirring a stew of slime and bones, was blown backward. His rusted iron pot shattered, sending globs of tar-like sludge splattering across the floor.
The blast's force hurled nearby goblins into the air like ragdolls. The closest were instantly consumed by flame, their shrieks echoing down the damp tunnels before falling silent, their charred remains floating lifelessly in the sewer's black waters.
"Who dares?! WHO DARES?!"
From within the blaze, a towering figure stumbled forth — a hobgoblin, taller and burlier than his kin, with scorched green skin peeling away to reveal raw, sinewy flesh. His twisted face, half-melted by the explosion, now resembled a demon from nightmares. In his hands, he gripped a club fashioned from a massive monster's thigh bone.
Only quick reflexes had saved him — he had grabbed a smaller goblin as a shield when danger flared, a move that spared his life but left him gravely wounded. Still, rage and pain clouded his mind. He no longer cared about injury or tactics. Only blood.
"Humans… Adventurers!"
He roared as he spotted Tuka at the tunnel's exit. With a frenzied bellow, the hobgoblin charged, club raised high. His frenzied pack followed, howling and brandishing crude weapons — makeshift spears, sticks, even severed limbs.
"Get ready! Here they come!" Tuka barked.
With calm efficiency, he retreated through the narrow passage, sidestepping every trap with practiced ease. Rejoining his team, he handed his bow back to Nina and unslung a battered round shield and long sword, bracing himself at the front line.
Swish!
An arrow flew past Tuka. A goblin charging in first dropped like a stone — Nina's shot had pierced straight through its throat. The creature's eyes were frozen in fear, its mouth twisted in a silent scream as it crumpled to the ground.
"Nice shot, Nina!" Tuka praised, grinning.
"It's because you picked a good vantage point, Captain," she replied, blushing. The narrow tunnel forced enemies to approach in a line, and Tuka had used that to his full advantage. Traps, chokepoints, and Nina's keen aim made this battleground lethal for the goblins.
The goblins, injured by the earlier explosion and unable to maneuver freely, made easy targets. Nina's arrows found necks and eyes with deadly accuracy.
"RRRAAAHHH!"
Suddenly, the hobgoblin smashed through the mouth of the passage, trampling two of his kin in blind fury. The sewer walls shook as his bulk slammed against them. His entrance triggered all remaining traps — steel jaws snapped around his legs, arrows thudded into his shoulders, and spikes tore into his thighs. Yet he kept coming, blood leaking from his wounds, thick and oily black.
Behind him, the rest of the goblins surged forward, now unimpeded. The hobgoblin had cleared the path — but he had also taken the brunt of the trap damage.
Tuka's eyes narrowed. He gave a quick nod to Gordon.
Shield raised, he charged forward, intercepting the massive club with a jarring clang. Gordon, Keith, and Nina closed in, their weapons slicing at the hobgoblin from all sides. With the confined space preventing reinforcements from reaching the fight, the hobgoblin was quickly overwhelmed.
…
Meanwhile, in a damp crevice deep within the sewers, Lu Minghao slowly extended a portion of his jelly-like form, cautious eyes scanning the passage. The giant rats had long since fled, and no humans had pursued.
He slipped from his hiding place, prepared to retreat at any moment. In his current state — a weak slime with only basic mobility — he could perhaps hold his own against an unarmed villager. With poison, he might do more… maybe even wipe out a whole village if he corrupted the water supply. But that was a worst-case fantasy.
"Strange… No one followed those rats?" he muttered, inspecting the blood-streaked floor. "Maybe the adventurers didn't think they were worth chasing?"
Then — Boom!
Another explosion echoed down the sewer, this one louder than the last. Water trembled, and the air grew hotter for a moment. Startled, Lu Minghao retreated into the crevice again, then cautiously peeked out.
"A fight?" he wondered. "That's where the rats came from… The adventurers must've hit something strong."
As he considered this, something floated down the sewer's current. It was the corpse of a giant rat, its head missing — likely one of the trio from before.
Plop!
Lu Minghao pounced, engulfing the body in an instant. As the corpse dissolved within him, information flooded his mind: nutrients, experience — and more importantly, a new skill.
His jelly-like body shimmered, growing slightly in size. The mana within him surged, and unfamiliar instincts stirred.
"Huh… not bad," he mused. "New skill, decent magic boost… and they're just leaving corpses lying around?"
He turned his translucent body toward the source of the explosion.
"Maybe I should go… freeload."
He pulsed once, deciding.
This was his chance.
To grow — to evolve.
To become something more than just a weak slime.
And for now, the humans didn't even know he was watching.