Chapter 128 | Saving The Blacksmith Son

Chapter 128: 128 | Saving The Blacksmith Son

The stone stairs at the center of the chamber, which had been dormant since Andrew’s arrival, began to glow.

The bluish-white light brightened, and then slowly faded to a soft, steady glow that illuminated the path downward.

A glowing stone door appeared at the bottom of the first flight of stairs, where the spiral continued to the next level. It was covered with the image of a rat—the zodiac sign of the first floor—rendered in the same vivid colors as the mural on the wall above.

Andrew took a moment to catch his breath, it didn’t take a minute for his bloodline to absorb large amount of mana and his body to digest it till his mana filled up in leads than a minute.

He was in decent shape, all things considered.

He looked down the stairs and blinked.

’Isn’t this how people die in horror movies’

He shrugged and began his descent down the stone stairs.

The spiral descent took nearly two minutes. The stairs made approximately three full rotations before reaching the next landing.

When Andrew entered Floor 2, his face changed slightly as he saw something.

Just a few meters away from him was actually a young man. He was leaning against the wall near the entrance, barely conscious.

His clothes were torn and bloody, and one of his arms was missing.

His body was covered in bite marks and wounds of various sizes, some shallow and some deep. Blood stained the floor beneath him in a spreading pool.

"The blacksmith son."

Andrew quickly rushed over, dropping to one knee beside the wounded youth. He recognized the face from the description the blacksmith had given him during the feast.

Andrew was certain this was his son.

Taking out a healing potion dropped by one of the monsters he killed, Andrew carefully poured it into the young man’s mouth.

The potion was a mid-tier healing item, capable of closing wounds and restoring moderate amounts of HP. It wouldn’t regrow a lost arm, but it would stabilize his condition and prevent further deterioration.

"I just hope you aren’t dead. I still need to collect the mysterious reward from your dad."

Andrew then cleaned the wounds as best he could, using clean cloth from his inventory to wipe away the blood and debris.

He applied a healing potion directly to the bite marks and wrapped them with bandages, working quickly but carefully to avoid causing additional pain.

After several minutes, the young man finally regained consciousness.

His eyes fluttered open, unfocused and clouded with pain, and he tried to move before gasping as the movement sent fresh agony through his battered body.

"w-who are you..." he croaked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Your father sent me," Andrew replied in a calm voice. "The blacksmith. He’s worried sick about you."

The young man’s eyes filled with relief at the words. Tears welled up and spilled down his dirty, blood-stained cheeks. His lips trembled as he tried to speak, but the effort was too much.

At that moment, a system notification appeared.

[Hidden Mission Completed]

Mission:

↳ Rescue the Blacksmith’s Son

Rewards:

↳ +20 Reputation

↳ Additional Rewards Pending

After helping the young man recover enough to walk, which took another fifteen minutes and two more healing potions, Andrew escorted him back to the cave entrance. The ascent up the stone stairs was slow and painful for the young man, but Andrew, pretending like he truly wanted to help deep in his heart, supported him with an arm around his waist, taking most of his weight.

The blacksmith’s son wanted to follow Andrew deeper into the cave, his expression a mixture of gratitude and guilt. "I can’t just leave you," he said, his voice stronger now but still rough. "There are more dangerous monsters inside. And also the treasures a-and of course my friends. I can’t—"

"The rest of this place is too dangerous,"

Andrew said firmly, cutting him off. "You’ve lost an arm. You can barely stand. If you come with me, you’ll die, and I’ll have to waste time and resources protecting you instead of fighting."

The young man opened his mouth to argue, but Andrew’s expression brooked no debate.

"Go home," Andrew said, his voice softening slightly. "Tell your father what you saw. Tell the Village Elder. I’ll find the others and bring them back if they’re alive."

The young man stared at Andrew for a long moment, then nodded slowly. The guilt didn’t leave his eyes, but he recognized the truth in Andrew’s words.

He was a liability in his current condition, and staying would only make things harder for both of them.

He reluctantly agreed and left, making his painful way up the stairs and through the first floor chamber.

Andrew watched him go with his Omniscient perception, making sure he safely exited the cave before turning his attention back to the depths.

Once the young man was gone, Andrew returned deeper into the Forgotten Godfall Cave.

He descended the stone stairs once more, passing through the rat-adorned doorway and into the second floor chamber.

The moment he stepped through the next doorway,

"BOOM!"

The stone gate behind him slammed shut with a thunderous boom that shook the entire chamber. Dust and small fragments of stone fell from the ceiling, and the vibration traveled through the floor and up Andrew’s legs.

Andrew immediately turned around. The exit had disappeared. Where the doorway had been, there was now nothing but solid, unbroken stone—as if the opening had never existed.

He pressed his hands against the surface, but it was seamless. There was no mechanism, no crack, no indication that a door had ever been there.

He was sealed in.

"Shit! I knew it. This stuff is horror."

Andrew muttered.

At the same time, his Omniscient perception detected movement within this floor.

One. Three. Seven. Ten. Then more.

Monsters began emerging from every direction. They were not beetles this time.

They were something entirely different—quadrupedal creatures with bodies like oxen but with armored plates covering their heads and backs.

Their horns were made of iron, and their hooves sparked against the stone floor as they moved.

Soon, twenty creatures surrounded him.

[Ironfang Lurker]

↳ Level 7

↳ 4-Star Elite Monster

↳ HP: 5,000/5,000