Chapter 213 – From Two Sides

Chapter 213

From Two Sides

Date : Day 12 of Frostfall 1024 Aethellgard Concord Year.

Elise's voice cut through the chaos, sharp with urgency.

"Everyone! We got attacked from behind! The goblins from the other corridor started moving!"

Hyoren took another goblin's strike against his shield.

CLANG!

Then he answered with a counterattack of his own.

SQUELCH.

Before he finally allowed himself a brief glance over his shoulder.

Damn it… we got pincered… What should we do?

But before the thought could fully form, another goblin lunged at him from the front.

CLANG!

Its rusted blade scraped against his shield. There was no time to spare for thinking. His body reacted on instinct, shield rising, sword already answering.

Beside him, Jackey, caught off guard by Elise's warning, didn't stop moving either.

His Bloody Axe and Flying Kite Axe continued cutting through the goblins in front of him.

“There's more of them?!”

Both his axes kept swinging, carving through the goblins pressing in from the front even as his tabby cat ears twitched anxiously toward the sound of the new threat behind them.

Arianna, standing beside Elise, spun around the instant she heard the warning. Her grip tightened around her Quadraflux Weaver. There was no time to hesitate. She needed to act immediately.

She raised her staff. She poured Aethell into her spell. The Orb on top of her staff turned white and flashed as she activated her Earth Magic Spell.

"Earth Wall."

A thick barrier of raised earth erupted from the corridor floor behind them, sealing off the passage the new goblins were pouring through. From the other side, muffled snarls and the dull clinking of crude weapons striking stone echoed through. 

The goblins were already trying to break through the Earth Wall.

Arianna turned back toward Hyoren, her expression tense.

"Leader! Unless I keep supplying it with Aethell, the wall will collapse in about a minute!"

Hyoren already knew that. Arianna had explained the specifics of her spells to him before—their effects, their range or area, their limits, how long each one could hold without continuous reinforcement. 

For this spell, Earth Wall, it was a minute. That was all the breathing room they had unless she decided to keep supplying it with Aethell, which is unrealistic as it will drain her Aethell reserve.

Hyoren focused back on the horde in front of him. He kept tanking. He kept countering. And even as his body moved on reflex, his mind raced through every possible option, weighing one against another.

Should we retreat…? Should we push forward…?

He shoved a goblin back with his shield, then decapitated it in the same motion. The body dissolved before it even finished falling.

No… We can't retreat…

If they turned back now, they would be trapped between two separate hordes with no way to disengage cleanly.

But pushing through this goblin horde in front of us is also difficult…

Too many of them. Even weak individually, their numbers alone could grind the party down if this dragged on.

He ran through the pros and cons of each choice within the span of a few heartbeats, his thoughts moving faster than the battle around him seemed to allow.

Then he decided.

The only path is forward!

Hyoren activated his skill.

"Shield Bash."

BANG!

The goblin directly in front of him staggered backward, along with two others caught at the edge of the blow.

He didn't let the opening go to waste.

"Sweeping Slash."

SQUELCH!

Four goblins collapsed and dissolved almost simultaneously, their bodies breaking apart into particles of Aethell. For a brief moment, the space directly ahead of him opened up.

Hyoren seized the moment and shouted his order across the corridor.

"Everyone! Push forward! If we retreat, we'll get caught between both hordes! Arianna's Earth Wall is still holding for now! We need to clear the goblins in front of us before it breaks!"

Then he decided to go all out. He activated his second-tier Light Magic spell.

"Accel Zone."

A glowing circle spread outward from beneath his feet, expanding to cover the surrounding area. Every ally standing within its boundary—including himself—would move faster now. Faster reactions. Faster strikes. 

Faster means we can kill the goblins faster.

He pointed Dawn Breaker toward the mass of goblins ahead. Then he activated another spell. This time, his second-tier Dark Magic.

"Shadow Bloom."

Dark Aethell erupted instantly from the tip of Dawn Breaker. Rather than forming a single condensed blast, it bloomed outward like flower petals unfurling, spreading into a broad fan-shaped wave that swept across the packed corridor.

WHOOSH!

Most of the goblins directly ahead of him simply dissolved where they stood, caught in the spell's wide arc.

Without waiting for the horde to close the distance the way he normally would, Hyoren surged forward himself, closing the gap before the goblins could reform their numbers.

"Let's go, everyone! Push!"

The others followed immediately.

Jackey charged in right alongside him.

Lowering his stance, he spread both axes wide to either side, the Bloody Axe glinting red in his right hand and the Flying Kite Axe pale white in his left.

He activated his own skill.

"Whirlwind Slash!"

In the next instant, Jackey transformed into a spinning blur. Like a raging whirlwind given form, he tore straight into the goblin horde, his entire body rotating at a blistering speed.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Both axes carved through everything caught within their reach, the arcs overlapping in a continuous storm of steel.

SCREEECK! SCREEECK! SCREEECK!

Goblin after goblin was shredded apart before dissolving into scattering particles of Aethell, their bodies unable to withstand the relentless spinning assault.

Several seconds later, Jackey came to an abrupt stop. Despite the sheer speed of his spin, there wasn't the faintest hint of dizziness on his face. 

He immediately dropped back into a ready stance, axes raised, eyes bright with excitement.

"I love THIS skill! WOHOO!”

His tabby cat tail spiralled as he charged again.

Hyoren couldn't help but smile as he swung his own sword, cutting down another goblin that had strayed too close.

"Just be careful not to go too far, Jackey!"

Jackey grinned, already swinging his axe into the next goblin.

"Roger that, Big Bro!"

Behind them, Elise watched the two frontliners tear through the horde with an amused smile. They looked less like they were fighting for survival and more like they were competing over who could rack up the higher kill count.

She lowered Moonveil Bow. 

There was little point in loosing arrows into a horde this dense when Hyoren and Jackey were already clearing it faster than she could aim. Instead, her emerald eyes fell on the scattered magic stones left behind wherever a goblin had dissolved.

She crouched briefly and picked one up, turning it over once in her palm before tucking it away.

"I can't really help much here. My bow isn't suited for this kind of engagement."

She glanced toward Arianna.

"Let's go, Arianna. Those two battle maniacs will leave us behind if we're not quick enough. I'll be the magic stone harvester while you three handle the goblins. Fufu."

Arianna had just finished casting another Fireball Spell toward the frontline.

The blazing ball of fire flew past everyone with a high arc and landed in the middle of the goblin horde.

BOOM!

Several goblins were swallowed by the explosion.

She shifted her grip on Quadraflux Weaver. Then turned towards the silver haired elf.

"Let's go, Mentor."

She smiled.

"And your job is just as important. Ohoho."

Elise gave a small smile.

“Fufu. Then I'll do my best.”

With that, Arianna and Elise began following the two frontliners. Ahead of them, Hyoren and Jackey continued cutting their way through the sprawling goblin horde. Behind them, the Earth Wall continued holding.

***

Freedom Party continued their mindless slaughter.

This was something new for them.

Usually, Hyoren would become a wall and let the enemies come to him. He would plant his feet, raise his shield, and hold his position while the others attacked from behind him.

But this time, he couldn't do that.

If he stayed in one place, they would risk being attacked from behind. He needed to become a moving wall. Not an immovable one.

Hyoren raised his shield as he charged toward the goblins.

“Shield Bash!”

BANG!

The combined force of his charge and the skill sent multiple goblins flying backward, their small bodies stumbling and crashing into one another. The power behind the blow felt different from how he normally used it.

Usually, he used the skill while holding his position, focusing on staggering the enemies and preventing them from pushing through his defense.

But this time, he was charging forward. The momentum added even more power behind the shield. Some of the goblins caught directly in his path didn't just stumble—their skulls cracked from the force, and they dissolved into scattering particles on the spot.

Hyoren's eyes widened slightly.

Hoo…

He quickly understood.

I never actually used this while charging before…

A small grin appeared on his face.

It seems its true power is meant for something like this… Haha.

But he couldn't spend any more time thinking about it. The goblins were already closing in again.

Hyoren quickly followed up with another skill.

“Sweeping Slash!”

SQUELCH!

The stumbling goblins were cut down. Their bodies dissolved almost instantly.

Hyoren immediately stepped forward again.

His body was fighting against a familiar reflex. Normally, when he tanked enemies, he would hold his position. He would become the wall. But now he needed to advance. Keep moving.

He pushed forward into the horde.

Beside him, Jackey was thoroughly in his element.

Normally, the Cat-clan Beastkin held himself back, careful not to advance too far ahead and risk being separated from the others. But this time, there was no need for restraint. He had free rein to charge as recklessly as he wanted.

“HAHA! Eat this!”

With a lunge, he swung both of his axes. His right axe decapitated one goblin. His left axe split another one open.

Jackey stopped for a brief moment. He looked ahead. Hyoren had already moved farther forward.

Jackey's grin widened.

“I won't lose… Big Bro!”

He immediately charged again. Both axes extended outward.

“Whirlwind Slash!”

Like a whirlwind, Jackey charged forward while spinning. His entire body became a blur as he moved through the goblin horde. The Bloody Axe and Flying Kite Axe swept through everything within their reach.

SCREEECK! SCREEECK! SCREEECK!

Goblin after goblin was killed. Their bodies immediately dissolved into countless particles.

Jackey continued charging forward, carving a path through the horde. He wasn't holding himself back anymore. There was no need to. Hyoren was moving forward. So was he. And Jackey wasn't going to let his Big Bro get ahead of him.

Meanwhile, Arianna was working hard from the backline.

She cast one spell after another, helping thin out the goblins in front of the frontline before they could reach Hyoren and Jackey.

“Earth Spikes!”

DONDONDON!

Multiple spikes erupted from the ground. They skewered the goblins before they could charge toward the two frontliners. The monsters dissolved quickly.

Arianna didn't stop.

She immediately prepared another spell. The moment she finished casting, another spell followed. She kept supporting the two frontliners as they pushed deeper into the horde.

Meanwhile, Elise focused on gathering the magic stones the three left in their wake.

Her Moonveil Bow was still held in one hand. She moved between the scattered magic stones, picking them up as she followed the others. Sometimes, one or two goblins managed to slip past the front line.

Whenever that happened, Elise immediately raised her bow.

SWOOSH!

An arrow flew. The goblin fell. Then she returned to gathering the magic stones.

She glanced toward the two frontliners.

“Those two… Why do they look like they're having fun while we're in this predicament… Fufufu.”

Arianna threw another spell.

“Fireball!”

The blazing projectile arched through the air. It landed far in front of their frontliners.

BOOM!

The explosion swallowed many goblins.

Arianna turned toward Elise.

“Sir Jackey is pretty normal. He has always enjoyed battle, right?”

She started walking forward to follow the frontliners.

“But Leader was the one who surprised me. It turns out he has a battle maniac inside him after all. Ohoho.”

Elise giggled and started walking too.

“Fufu. When you joined us, he had already become the leader he is now.”

She looked toward Hyoren's back.

Her emerald eyes glittered.

“But when I first met him, he was different.”

She continued walking while watching Hyoren fight.

“He was always theorizing about grinding efficiency. Strategies for killing monsters quickly. How to train skills efficiently…”

She giggled softly.

“He said he was a hardcore grinder and loved grinding.”

She paused for a moment.

“Though I didn't understand what any of that meant at first. He explained later that those were terms from his original world. Fufufu.”

Arianna also smiled.

"Ohoho. So it seems Leader is rather childish underneath it all, too."

The two women trailing behind were, in their own way, no different from the two men charging ahead of them. 

All four of Freedom Party were in the middle of a desperate, ongoing battle. And yet here they were, casually chatting back and forth while spells and arrows flew from their hands without pause.

***

Freedom Party continued their advance.

They systematically cleared the horde, moving forward while killing everything in their path. Behind them, the Earth Wall still blocked the goblins that had attempted to pincer them. But the party continued moving farther and farther away from it.

Not long after, they killed the last goblin. The final monster dissolved into Aethell.

Freedom Party finally stopped. Everyone stood there catching their breath.

Hyoren looked back.

They had already advanced about 100 meters. The Earth Wall behind them had already dissolved. But the goblins didn't chase them anymore.

Hyoren narrowed his eyes toward the empty corridor.

It seems they have an aggro range…

The goblins that had tried to pincer them were no longer visible.

If we move past them by a certain distance, they retreat back…

Hyoren then looked around.

They were standing in what could loosely be called a chamber, though it wasn't quite that either. 

It was simply a section where the corridor widened slightly compared to what came before. A normal corridor in this dungeon measured roughly five to six meters across. But this space was closer to ten meters wide. 

And, unlike the proper spawn chambers they'd encountered on the first and second floors—open rooms clearly designed as gathering points for monsters—this place carried none of those distinct features. It was just a stretch of corridor that happened to widen, nothing more.

Hyoren looked toward the front.

A short distance ahead, roughly another hundred meters away, another goblin horde filled a similarly widened section of corridor. But unlike the group they'd just fought through, these goblins weren't moving. They simply stood there, packed shoulder to shoulder, waiting.

Hyoren observed them carefully.

It seems the aggro range is about one hundred meters…

His gaze moved between the party and the distant goblins.

And the goblins spawn every one hundred meters…

He frowned slightly.

That’s uncomfortably… tight…

He glanced over his party.

Jackey was gulping down water from his waterskin, tilting his head back and drinking with obvious enthusiasm. Elise was still crouched here and there, carefully collecting the last of the dropped magic stones scattered across the corridor floor. Arianna wiped at her drenched forehead with the back of her sleeve, clearly worn down from casting spell after spell in rapid succession.

But the moment they noticed Hyoren wanted to speak, all three straightened up and turned their attention toward him.

Hyoren began.

“Everyone, this floor is truly difficult.”

He looked toward the horde ahead.

“The goblins are individually weak, but the spawn rate is very high.”

He paused.

“In just one encounter… we defeated what? 30? 50?”

Elise shook her head.

She was the one counting the magic stones.

“It was 100 goblins, Hyoren…”

Everyone was shocked—one hundred goblins. That was an enormous number for just one encounter.

Jackey's jaw dropped.

“100? What?!”

Arianna leaned on her staff.

“100 goblins in a single encounter… Compared to the 1,500-goblin army we faced during the Floor Two Guardian battle, it seems small. But…”

Hyoren nodded, understanding exactly where her thought was headed. 

He gestured with his thumb toward the next horde waiting roughly a hundred meters ahead.

“And that's another horde.”

His expression became serious.

“Another 100 goblins.”

He looked at the distance between them and the next group.

“And we just walked less than 200 meters from the safe room…”

He gripped his Steel Kite Shield.

“This floor is truly going to test our endurance and focus.”

His gaze remained on the goblins ahead.

“One small mistake and those goblins will overwhelm us. If we don't look back carefully, we're going to get attacked from behind…”

Then Hyoren looked at Arianna.

She was their most important member on this floor.

Her AOE attacks were the reason they could clear such a huge number of goblins without taking too much time.

“What about your Aethell reserve, Arianna? Can you keep up?”

Arianna smiled reassuringly. Her fingers briefly brushed against the pitch-black orb resting at the center of her purple matinee necklace.

“I think I'm fine as long as I alternate between high-tier and lower-tier spells.”

She adjusted her purple robe.

“I've leveled up a lot since joining Freedom Party. And now I have an artifact from the Goddess too.”

She smiled confidently.

“I can keep up.”

Hyoren smiled.

The crimson-haired mage who used to be a heavy hitter with limited fuel, who once needed frequent rest between battles, had clearly grown far beyond that. That growth was important.

“Okay, then. We keep our pace.”

He looked toward the front.

“But for the next encounter, I think we don't need to rush like we did this time.”

He looked back.

There were no goblins behind them anymore. The goblins from the other corridor had already retreated, and Hyoren couldn't see them anymore.

“There are no goblins behind us anymore. So the risk of getting attacked from behind is gone.”

He adjusted his grip on his shield.

“We'll go back to our usual strategy. I'll tank carefully, and then we'll carefully clear the next horde.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

“Okay, Hyoren.”

“Roger, Big Bro!”

“Understood, Leader.”

With the briefing finished, Freedom Party continued onward, deeper into the third floor of Akela Dungeon.

***

After resting for a while, Freedom Party continued advancing through the third floor of Akela Dungeon.

The corridor stretched ahead of them, wide and lit by the same pale blue magic lamps embedded in the ceiling. Their footsteps echoed faintly against the cracked stone floor as they approached the next widened section where the second horde had been waiting, unmoving, exactly as Hyoren had spotted from a distance.

Hyoren charged first, taking the lead into the corridor. His shield led the way, catching the dim light as he moved.

"Provoke."

A wave of Aethell rolled outward from him, washing over the packed goblins ahead.

The effect was immediate. Every goblin snarled in unison, their small bodies twitching with sudden aggression. Then, as one, they surged forward, rusted weapons raised, charging straight toward Hyoren.

Before they could close the distance, Arianna had already released her spell.

A massive boulder soared overhead, arcing above Hyoren's position before slamming squarely into the front line of charging goblins.

BOOM!

The impact crushed several instantly. The boulder continued rolling forward, plowing through the ranks behind them, flattening goblin after goblin beneath its weight before it finally dissolved into scattering motes of Aethell.

But the horde behind simply pushed forward to fill the gap, more goblins replacing the dead as though nothing had happened at all.

Hyoren remained calm. He planted his feet firmly against the stone floor, bracing himself as the first wave reached him. He tanked. He countered. His shield caught blow after blow while his sword answered in kind, cutting down whatever slipped past his guard.

Jackey fought beside him, dealing with any goblin that managed to slip around Hyoren's position, his axes flashing in quick, efficient arcs.

Behind them, Arianna kept the spells coming without pause.

"Fireball."

A blazing orb streaked overhead and exploded among a cluster of goblins.

"Boulder Throw!"

Another massive stone crashed down, crushing more in its path.

"Earth Spikes."

Jagged spikes tore upward from the ground, skewering goblins that had tried to flank around the fallen.

Each spell thinned the horde considerably, the corpses dissolving into Aethell almost as quickly as they fell.

Meanwhile, Elise stayed beside Arianna while keeping her detection skill active.

Her natural hearing helped as well. Her pointed ears kept twitching as she listened to the sounds around them. Every clash of weapons. Every footstep. Every snarl. She constantly tracked the battlefield, searching for anything that might approach from an unexpected direction.

Whenever one or two goblins managed to slip past Hyoren and Jackey, Elise immediately reacted.

She drew her Moonveil Bow.

SWOOSH!

An arrow flew. The goblin fell.

Then she returned her attention to the surrounding area.

The strategy worked. They had already repeated this formation multiple times. Hyoren held the front. Jackey dealt with anything that slipped through. Arianna continuously thinned the horde with her magic. And Elise watched for stragglers while protecting Arianna.

Their progress was going well. They were becoming accustomed to the rhythm of this floor.

Then, without warning, Elise's instincts flared.

She turned sharply, looking back the way they had come. The widened corridor behind them—the same one where they had slaughtered a hundred goblins less than ten minutes earlier—should have been empty. It had been empty. She'd confirmed it herself.

Her pointed ears twitched violently.

Then, in the space of a single breath, a hundred goblins materialized out of thin air, packed shoulder to shoulder exactly as the first wave had been. They snarled in unison.

Elise's emerald eyes went wide with disbelief.

"What?! The goblins from the previous spawn point already respawned?!"

Their hate-filled eyes locked onto her. Then, without hesitation, the entire horde surged forward, charging directly toward Freedom Party's exposed rear.

They were pincered again.

Elise spun back toward her companions, her voice sharp with urgency.

"Everyone! We underestimated the monster spawn rate! We need to move! And fast!"

Hyoren cut down the goblin directly in front of him before allowing himself a brief glance backward. Sure enough, a fresh wave of snarling goblins was already closing the distance behind them, their crude weapons raised.

Damn it…

His sword swung again. Another goblin dissolved.

We can't use our old strategy.

He blocked another attack. Before be counterattacked and swung his sword.

We need to keep moving and kill them as quickly as possible.

Hyoren clenched his teeth. It had been less than ten minutes. And the goblins they had already killed had spawned again.

Less than 10 minutes…

He clicked his tongue.

There was no time to waste.

“Everyone! We need to change our strategy completely!”

Hyoren slammed his shield into an approaching goblin. The monster staggered. He swung his sword to kill it.

“We can't hold back anymore! We need to keep advancing!”

His gaze shifted toward Arianna.

“Arianna! Please!”

From the rear of their formation, Arianna nodded immediately. She began forming the spell in her mind, her focus narrowing entirely onto the task. The orb on the tip of her Quadraflux Weaver cycled rapidly through colors before flashing pure white.

"Earth Wall!"

A massive wall of raised earth erupted from the corridor floor behind them, sealing off the passage and cutting off the newly spawned horde's charge. Muffled snarls and the dull thud of fists and crude weapons striking stone immediately followed from the other side.

Hyoren turned toward Jackey without missing a beat.

“Jackey. Go all out!”

Jackey grinned. He swung his Bloody Axe.

SCREEECK!

A goblin was decapitated. Its body dissolved.

Jackey then looked toward Hyoren and nodded enthusiastically.

“Roger that, Big Bro!”

Hyoren didn't wait any longer.

He pointed Dawn Breaker toward the horde ahead. Dark Aethell gathered around the blade.

“Shadow Bloom.”

WHOOSH!

Dark Aethell bloomed outward from the blade's tip in a wide, fan-shaped wave, sweeping across the packed goblins ahead. Dozens dissolved instantly, caught within the spell's reach.

Hyoren didn't hesitate for even a heartbeat.

"Everyone, charge!"

They repeated exactly what had worked before.

Hyoren charged forward, using his shield to break into the horde.

“Shield Bash!”

BANG!

The momentum of his charge combined with the force of his shield, throwing several goblins backward. They stumbled into those behind them, disrupting the tightly packed group. Some were even killed by the force behind the shield.

Hyoren immediately followed with his sword.

“Sweeping Slash!”

SQUELCH!

Several goblins fell. Their bodies dissolved almost immediately.

Hyoren stepped forward again. He couldn't stop. The moment he stopped moving, the horde would begin surrounding them again.

So he kept advancing.

Jackey followed beside him.

“Whirlwind Slash!”

Jackey lowered his stance. Both axes spread outward. Then he began spinning.

His entire body became a blur as he charged forward through the goblins. The Bloody Axe and Flying Kite Axe carved through the horde from both sides.

SCREEECK!

Goblin after goblin was killed. Their bodies immediately dissolved into countless particles.

Jackey continued moving forward, using the skill to rapidly cover ground while killing everything caught along his path.

Behind the two frontliners, Arianna continued casting.

She couldn't simply rely on her strongest spells. Her Aethell reserve had to last. So she alternated between lower-tier spells such as Fireball and Boulder Throw and her higher-tier Earth Spikes.

“Fireball!”

BOOM!

“Boulder Throw!”

BOOM!

“Earth Spikes!”

DONDONDON!

Each spell thinned the horde before it could overwhelm the two frontliners. And each time she released a spell, she quickly trotted to catch up with the frontline members.

She was the core of their party's offense now. Without her sustained AOE damage, the sheer number of goblins would have overwhelmed even Hyoren and Jackey's combined efforts within minutes.

Meanwhile, Elise stayed beside her.

Her eyes continued scanning the battlefield. Whenever a goblin slipped through the front line, she immediately released an arrow.

SWOOSH!

The straggler fell.

Then another.

SWOOSH!

Another goblin dissolved.

Between those attacks, Elise continued gathering the magic stones left behind by Hyoren, Jackey, and Arianna. She kept moving forward with the others.

The party had no choice but to maintain their advance.

The corridor rang with the sounds of battle. 

Steel against bone. The wet tear of flesh giving way. The explosive sound of Arianna's spells detonating against packed bodies. The dry rasp of Jackey's spinning axes. And beneath it all, the low, guttural snarling of goblins that never seemed to end, no matter how many fell.

Freedom Party pressed forward through the horde, refusing to stop, refusing to let the goblins regroup or surround them again. Behind them, the sealed corridor continued to shudder faintly under the weight of the trapped horde clawing at Arianna's Earth Wall, buying them the only cushion of safety they had left.