Chapter 242: I’m still single for fuck’s sa—!

The Kobolds began rushing towards them from the opening of the cave, leaving them nowhere to run.

There wasn’t even another opening behind them.

The large chamber they had entered was practically a dead end, with the only path leading outside being the very same entrance that was now being flooded by monsters.

And the monsters, of course, wouldn’t simply let them pass.

"KRAAHK!"

"Rrraakh!"

"Kik-kik-kik!"

"Ghrk!"

"SKRAAH!"

Without waiting for Isaac’s group to even prepare themselves, the Kobolds charged towards them.

A few carried crude weapons in their hands, while the others rushed forward with nothing but the instinct to kill the intruders.

The sheer number of them made the entire situation feel suffocating.

There were far more Kobolds than there were people in the team, and their bodies had nearly filled the entrance, leaving no visible path of escape.

For a moment, everyone froze.

Their instincts screamed at them to retreat—

Not that they could even do so if they wanted to.

But then—

"Attack!"

Isaac’s scream echoed throughout the chamber, snapping everyone out of their fear.

Their expressions hardened, and without another word, Jake and Ella rushed forward first.

Selene silently glanced towards her son.

Lucian gave her a small, reassuring nod.

Seeing that, she immediately followed them.

The three of them charged directly towards the incoming Kobolds, swiftly stabbing at the creatures before taking a few steps back, refusing to let themselves get surrounded.

Several Kobolds shrieked and immediately redirected themselves towards them.

One Kobold swung its claws towards Ella’s face.

She ducked beneath the attack, allowing the claws to pass over her head.

Without wasting a second, she drove her dagger into the creature’s thigh before shifting backwards.

Another Kobold rushed towards her.

Ella immediately turned and attacked it, while Selene stabbed the previous creature through the neck, killing it instantly.

Jake, despite carrying only a dagger, fought much more ferociously... maybe even recklessly.

And before he knew it—

He had suddenly drifted a little too far away from Selene and Ella, leaving himself surrounded by Kobolds.

"Shit—!"

He cursed loudly as he saw the crude axe of one Kobold already swinging towards him.

Jake hurriedly tried to dodge, but the other creatures had already closed in around him.

His face paled.

"Help me! I’m still single for fuck’s sa—!"

BANG!

The sound of a gunshot suddenly exploded inside the cave.

Jake froze.

His eyes widened as he watched the Kobold’s body jerk violently to the side...

Before collapsing onto the ground.

Its eyes were completely lifeless, while blood slowly began pooling around the small hole in its temple.

Jake blankly stared at the corpse for a moment before slowly shifting his gaze towards Jennifer, who stood several metres away, aiming two guns in her hands.

Smoke faintly drifted from their barrels.

"Jen—"

Before he could even finish—

Jennifer suddenly pointed both guns towards him.

"Wait! Wha—"

BANG! BANG!

Two loud gunshots rang out simultaneously beside him, almost making his ears buzz from the sudden noise.

Jake hurriedly turned around.

The two Kobolds that had been about to attack him from behind collapsed to the ground.

"Stop blanking out. Or you’re going to be the second one I’m shooting."

Jake’s body flinched at those words.

Nodding like a chicken, his expression immediately turned serious as he tightened his grip around his daggers.

He rushed forward again.

This time, he was far less reckless, joining the two women as they stabbed, blocked, and evaded the monsters.

Selene briefly shifted her attention towards Jennifer, but after only a faint glance, she turned back towards the monsters, refusing to let herself become distracted again.

She and Ella were able to kill more than nine monsters within a short period of time, especially with Ella’s sharp senses and Selene’s fast reflexes.

Lucian, meanwhile, stood beside Jennifer and raised a brow as he looked at the two handguns in her hands.

"I didn’t expect you to carry guns with you."

His calm voice suddenly reached Jennifer.

Jennifer turned towards him, looking genuinely surprised by the calmness in his expression.

The situation was far from casual.

A horde of monsters was charging around them, yet instead of fighting, he was casually commenting on her weapons...?

"Shouldn’t you be fighting too?" she asked.

Hearing her words, Lucian tilted his head slightly before slowly shifting his gaze towards the front.

Before the trio could properly engage the monsters, a much greater battle was already taking place there.

Isaac and Ava were fighting directly against the incoming horde.

The two E Rankers had positioned themselves ahead of everyone else, preventing the Kobolds from simply rushing past them and overwhelming the group.

Because of that, the others were finding it somewhat easier to deal with the monsters.

Especially Ava.

She constantly injured the creatures before they could even reach the others, weakening them enough for the people behind her to finish them off.

Slash!

Her dagger cut across a Kobold’s arm.

Before it could even react, she stepped past it and stabbed another one in the stomach.

Blood flowed down her daggers, staining her fingers before dripping onto the cave floor.

Her clothes were getting stained just as quickly.

Ava had more experience in actual battles than anyone else in the group.

Unlike the others, she was accustomed to fighting as a frontliner.

Meanwhile, Isaac was fighting beside her.

Despite being an E Ranker, he had a little more difficulty dealing with the sheer number of monsters.

He wasn’t weak—not even a bit.

The difference in rank was enough to give him a considerable advantage over the Kobolds, but their numbers were simply too much.

He mainly relied on his increased strength to overpower them. His double-sided axe tore through the monsters, while he occasionally used his Wind Affinity to increase his speed.

"Perhaps I should help them...?" Lucian muttered in a low voice.

Jennifer’s mind went completely blank.

’Perhaps?’

What did he mean by perhaps?

Wasn’t that obvious?!

They were in the middle of a monster horde!

Jennifer almost wanted to yell at him.

But, unaware of what she was thinking, Lucian simply continued surveying the battlefield before wrapping his fingers around the hilt of his sword and drawing it from its sheath.

Despite the battle becoming increasingly chaotic, Isaac and Ava were clearly holding their ground.

Neither of them had sustained any injuries.

At least, not yet.

So Lucian decided to simply watch them for a little longer.

He observed the way they fought as a team, watching them synchronise their attacks, though it was obvious that their coordination wasn’t perfect.

Still...

They were far better than two strangers fighting alongside each other.

That much was certain.

One minute passed. Then another. The number of Kobolds around them continued to grow, and the monsters became even more aggressive.

Some even began slipping past the others, moving towards the two people standing further behind.

Jennifer noticed it too.

"Shit..."

She immediately raised both guns.

BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

The sound of gunshots echoed loudly through the cave.

One after another, multiple creatures fell, their bodies collapsing lifelessly onto the ground.

Jennifer quickly turned around, intending to shoot the Kobolds approaching from the other side as well.

But the moment she turned—

Her entire expression froze.

Lucian...

He had already appeared directly in front of the monsters.

And his sword...

Was already moving.

Slash!

A Kobold’s body was cut open.

Before the creature could even fall, Lucian stepped forward and pierced another monster through the chest.

He pulled the blade free—

Then immediately thrust it into another.

Another Kobold collapsed.

His body moved through the horde—

No.

It almost looked as though he was flowing through them—cutting, slicing, moving in seconds.

Lucian wielded the sword with one hand, every movement precise and controlled.

There was almost no wasted motion in his attacks.

Every strike was clean. Every step carried him exactly where he needed to be.

Whenever one of the creatures tried attacking him from another direction, he simply raised his scabbard and deflected the blow before immediately retaliating.

One Kobold swung its weapon towards him.

Lucian caught its neck with the scabbard and pulled it towards himself.

Slash!

His sword tore through its stomach.

The creature collapsed as its insides spilled onto the cave floor.

’W-What...? How... is he doing that...?’

Jennifer’s mind barely managed to process what she was seeing.

Her mouth remained slightly open.

First of all...

How was this man fighting like that?

And, more importantly—

Why was there a smile on his face while he was brutally killing the monsters?!

The sight alone was enough to make her face pale.

Thankfully, the shadows of the cave concealed most of the cruelty.

[Looks like you’re enjoying this.]

Akasha’s voice echoed inside Lucian’s mind. Yet despite hearing her words... he didn’t stop.

’Very.’

A Kobold thrust a spear towards him.

Lucian pushed his scabbard forward, knocking the weapon aside. His sword immediately pierced another Kobold through the chest.

He turned towards the creature holding the spear.

Without hesitation—

He drove his blade straight into its head.

His movements remained fluid, never losing even a bit of momentum.

’They aren’t that strong, but because of Restriction, I feel like they’re only a little weaker than me...’

Of course, when he said weaker, he was talking purely in terms of stats.

In terms of actual combat, even with his current restrictions keeping his physical attributes around those of a top F-ranker, Lucian could still kill every monster in this cave if he truly wanted to.

His gaze suddenly shifted behind him, towards the stunned Jennifer.

After slashing another monster apart, he shouted—

"Behind you!"

His voice immediately snapped Jennifer out of her thoughts.

Her head whipped around.

Her eyes widened.

Multiple Kobolds were already rushing towards her, their crude weapons swinging as they charged.

Jennifer immediately raised both arms.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three Kobolds suddenly jerked backwards.

Their bodies collapsed before they could even reach her.

The others saw the corpses of their comrades.

Yet instead of retreating—

They became even more aggressive.

"KHAAAK—!"

The remaining Kobolds rushed towards her even faster.

Jennifer pulled the triggers again.

But—

Click. Click.

Her expression changed.

Her fingers continued pressing against the triggers, but nothing happened.

She immediately reached into her bag and pulled out another magazine.

But she didn’t even have time to reload it.

The monsters were already too close.

Jennifer’s face paled.

’Too late...’

But before the nearest Kobold could reach her—

A figure suddenly appeared in front of her.

And in the next moment...

Whoosh!

A flash of silver passed through the air.

The Kobold’s head separated cleanly from its shoulders before its body collapsed heavily onto the ground.

"Chrrr...!"

"Skek!"

"Kraahk!"

The surrounding creatures shrieked in disbelief.

Some instinctively recoiled as they stared at the man standing before them.

At his bloody smile...

At the crimson eyes gleaming beneath the dim light...

And, most importantly—

At the instinctive sense of danger radiating from his presence.

A few of the Kobolds even took an involuntary step backwards, their primitive instincts screaming at them to stay away.

Lucian slowly tilted his head backwards.

"Are you fine...?" he asked in a low voice.

But before Jennifer could answer—

His gaze shifted away.

His pupils suddenly constricted.

Lucian pulled his scabbard backwards, his fingers tightening around it.

Then, with a swift movement—

He threw it forward.

The scabbard shot through the air like a spear.

At almost the exact same moment—

Several metres away, Selene was still fighting alongside Jake and Ella.

She had been fighting continuously since the beginning, but the increasing number of Kobolds was making things considerably more difficult.

Sweat trickled down the side of her face, hidden beneath her mask.

"Selene! Watch out!"

Ella’s warning abruptly reached her.

Selene immediately moved.

She ducked, letting a Kobold’s claws pass over her head before driving her dagger into its chest the moment she rose.

"Ghrk!"

The Kobold staggered backwards.

But another creature was already beside her.

Selene noticed it from the corner of her eye.

She immediately ducked down.

The Kobold’s claws swept over her head.

And without wasting a second, Selene drove her dagger upwards, stabbing straight into its chest from below.

Another Kobold suddenly attacked her from the side.

Seeing it, Selene immediately tried to pull her dagger free.

But—

’It’s stuck!’

Her eyes widened.

The blade had lodged itself inside the creature’s chest, caught between its ribs.

She pulled harder.

Nothing.

The monster was already closing in.

Her shadow trembled faintly beneath her feet, but before she could do anything—

"Krakh—!"

The Kobold suddenly stumbled backwards as something struck its head.

It fell heavily onto the ground.

Wasting no time, Selene stepped forward and stabbed the creature again.

She made sure it was dead before turning towards the direction from which the attack had come.

Her eyes landed on Lucian.

And seeing her looking at him...

He winked.

Then, without another word, he turned his attention back towards the monsters before him.

Selene stared at him for another moment.

Then she quietly turned back towards the battlefield.

Meanwhile, Lucian glanced towards Jennifer.

[Stop trying to look cool. They’re all struggling.]

Akasha’s words suddenly echoed inside his mind.

Hearing them—

’Ouch!’

Lucian felt as though her words had physically struck his heart.

And he couldn’t even retort... because even he could tell she was right.

[So...?]

Lucian sighed internally.

’Fine.’

Even he had to admit that perhaps he really was taking things a little too lightly.

After all, somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that he could easily slaughter these monsters with his unrestricted stats.

But...

That wasn’t the case for the others.

They were clearly struggling against the horde.

His smile slowly faded, and his expression became slightly more serious.

"Jennifer, reload your magazine and help Selene and the others."

His voice remained calm, but there was now a clear seriousness behind it.

"I’ll kill the ones coming from the sides."

Jennifer nodded, her expression still tense.

She quickly pulled out a fresh magazine and inserted it into her gun.

Then she glanced at him one last time.

"Good luck."

"You too," Lucian replied softly.

Hearing that, she immediately turned away and began attacking the Kobolds that the others were struggling against, making sure they wouldn’t have the chance to surround her friends.

As for the monsters coming towards her from the sides...?

She wasn’t particularly nervous about them... as they never reached her.

Because Lucian was already there.

His figure moved through the darkness, his sword flashing again and again as blood splattered across the cave floor with every slash.

His blade gradually became coated in thick, vicious blood.