Trap Expert

"Damn it, you—"

Jackal's cheeks burned with frustration. Unable to hold himself back, he moved to charge at Tang Qi.

But Black Snake stopped him with one arm.

"He saved your life!"

Even furious and straining with all his strength, Jackal could not shake off Black Snake's arm.

Still angry, Jackal could only mutter in rebuttal.

"Even without him, I could've handled that Kobold—my sword hadn't even been thrown yet!"

"Why don't you guess which would've arrived first: your sword or the stone?"

Gravel had clearly seen that Jackal had only been focused on running away, so he showed his companion no courtesy.

"I understand now. You weren't trembling because you were scared. You just didn't want to kill one of your own kind, right, Lord 'Jackal'?" Tang Qi added the emphasis mockingly.

"I—"

Jackal was furious and anxious, about to curse, when Black Snake interrupted him again.

"Enough! I don't care what grudges you had before this. Swallow them for now. We'll settle everything after we get out!

"Kobolds are naturally cunning. I don't want to capsize in a gutter!"

He picked up a torch from the ground and tossed it overhead. Only then did they see that the enormous boulder had been suspended by a pulley-and-lever mechanism built into the ceiling, using the high slopes at either end as anchor points.

It had taken much of the weight off the ropes, allowing the mechanism to remain safely hidden in the darkness.

Tang Qi pondered.

"At this height, those cone-shaped stalagmites would be enough to skewer intruders clean through. They would make much better traps.

"Why go through the trouble of suspending such a huge boulder?"

Kobolds were natural trap experts, capable of using the limited resources at hand to create crude traps.

But pulley systems and lever mechanisms should have been beyond the level of their race.

"And their nests wouldn't be dug this spaciously either. There's something wrong with this cave."

Black Snake agreed, kicking aside the bone chair before him.

He pulled the crossbow bolt from the Kobold's chest and handed it back to Tang Qi, who had hurried over.

They were not wealthy enough to casually leave their ammunition behind.

The Dwarf slapped Tang Qi's butt hard with his broad, rough palm.

"Kid, you can shoot arrows accurately too. Don't tell me you really used to be a ranger?"

"They taught it at the academy," Tang Qi answered.

To travel through such a dangerous world, one needed at least some means of self-defense.

There had not been many truly effective courses, but From Bard to Master Archer, which had always remained in the curriculum, had instead become the skill his former self was most proficient in.

"What else did they teach at the academy?" Gravel asked with great interest.

"Similar things, like... <Standard Surrender Postures and Corresponding Rhetoric>?" Tang Qi searched his memories.

"You need to be taught how to surrender?"

"Some people can't put their pride aside—

"[When you realize you've reached the end of the road, try raising your ass.] Those are the exact words from the textbook."

Tang Qi shrugged.

"I think it's pretty useful.

"If you can't resist, trying to enjoy it is also a rare kind of optimism."

The Dwarf burst out laughing and promptly slapped his butt again.

"I take back what I said about bards being useless. With you around, at least the road of adventure won't be boring.

"But you should know, I always slap your butt not because I'm interested in you."

"It's because my butt is the only part of me you can reach, Mr. Dwarf."

"Haha, I like you, kid!"

Black Snake sighed, his furrowed brows easing slightly.

"That alarm probably carried through the entire nest. We need to keep moving."

If they were merely a pack of Kobolds driven mad by hunger and stealing Star Plum, there was nothing much to fear.

But his adventurer's instincts told him things would not be so simple.

Tang Qi picked up a torch and paced around the area.

By the firelight, he could vaguely make out a massive stone gate roughly a hundred feet ahead. It stood at least fifty feet tall, as though built for giants. The gate was tightly shut and could not be moved by Human Power.

Together with this empty expanse, where even falling droplets echoed.

Rather than a cave, this place seemed more like a...

Ruin?

Several narrow openings had also been left in the stone walls on either side, scattered in different directions.

The two Kobolds from earlier had likely crept out from there.

There were no more figures in sight for now, but that did not mean they would not attack again.

Even the resentful Jackal understood that.

The pressing sense of danger temporarily outweighed the mockery from before, keeping him relatively obedient.

"So we're crawling into the holes?"

Black Snake did not really want to answer such a pointless question, and his tone was cold.

"There's no other way. Gravel takes point. I'm second. Poet follows behind me. Jackal brings up the rear."

"Can I be at the back?" Tang Qi pointed at himself.

First of all, he was not ready to raise his ass yet, so he was worried Jackal might secretly stab him with a sword.

Second, if something really happened up ahead, he would be the first to run out.

Black Snake gave a cold laugh.

"If you aren't afraid of Kobolds pouring out of the other tunnels to surround you, then sure."

Tang Qi blinked and looked around at the silent, deep openings. Only then did he understand why Black Snake had arranged them this way—

Kobold-dug tunnels were always cramped, forcing them to travel in single file.

If they entered one tunnel while pursuers emerged from the others, Tang Qi would be turned into a pincushion if he walked at the rear.

"Then I have no objections."

Seeing his concern, Jackal deliberately raised his longsword and licked his lips with a sinister grin.

"You'd better watch your butt."

He feared Black Snake, so he would not start an internal conflict now.

But even a verbal threat was enough to rattle Tang Qi.

Jackal enjoyed that feeling.

Still tense, Tang Qi made sure his crossbow was loaded, then hunched over and followed the mercenaries into the tunnel.

This was a narrow passage specifically for Kobolds. It twisted and turned, with the damp smell of earth filling their nostrils. Occasionally, they could glimpse skeletons scattered through the passage.

Many of the bones were worn away, as though corroded by something.

All these signs made Tang Qi, bent over in a half-crouch, feel even more stifled.

"Thud, thud—"

The advancing group halted abruptly at the sound.

In the torchlight, Tang Qi saw that two arrows had suddenly appeared in the broad shadow cast on the earthen wall.

The tower shield nearly covered the entire narrow passage, leaving the arrows lodged between its seams, unable to penetrate even an inch farther.

"An ambush, just as expected!"

The Dwarf roared. The muscles in his legs bulged as he ignored the weight over his body and charged forward like a Bovine spotting a red cloth.

"Shield Charge!"

The impact seemed almost tangible, kicking up mud and sand beneath his feet as he crashed into the Kobolds lying in wait within the passage.

Their small stature allowed them to stand side by side.

Now, however, they and the companions shooting arrows behind them were all sent flying in disarray, smashing into the bend and the earthen pits. Their small bodies twisted grotesquely, their blood swallowed by the darkness.

"Uha!"

Seeing this, the remaining one or two Kobolds did not dare show any bravado. They scrambled and fled deeper into the tunnel.

As lawful evil creatures, their family ties were remarkably indifferent.

When they held the advantage, they could temporarily cooperate as a team and form a respectable fighting force.

But when the situation turned against them, their so-called companions were worthless.

The tower shield blocked Tang Qi's view, preventing him from shooting after them.

But he could still tell that mercenaries of these two men's caliber were wasted on wages for guarding an Orchard.

After his charge, Gravel panted heavily, yet still turned back and laughed.

"If Kobolds count as descendants of dragons, then we must be dragon-slaying heroes!"

"Save your strength."

Black Snake followed close behind.

"Using a combat skill against a few Kobolds? The village doesn't have that much meat for you to replenish your energy."

"Ha, it's been ages since I've had an adventure like this. I was getting a feel for the old days. What's wrong with getting carried away for a moment?"

Gravel straightened up again, though his breathing had yet to settle.

"Besides, the caravan arrives tomorrow. Catherine will definitely have pork chops ready for us."

"First make sure our employer doesn't kick us out for failing at our job."

Their priority was still to find the stolen Star Plum.

"You in the back, keep up!"

Gravel's charge had been as swift as a bull's, and in the blink of an eye he was far ahead of Jackal, who brought up the rear.

Tang Qi glanced at the Kobolds' fallen weapons. They were still bone hammers, and he quietly pondered this.

Hearing Black Snake call, he hurried to follow.

But a disturbance by his ear instantly put him on alert—

"Another trap!"

The earth above them suddenly loosened!