Mark emerged from the stone doorway and entered the first area. A long, gloomy corridor stretched before the hero. The blue, magical torches on the walls cast a flickering shadow. Mark's leg was still numb from the dwarf's dagger; the pain was gradually ebbing away. His high Constitution was helping him.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF84jh6NHUR
Mark had walked for a few hours when he noticed a small, empty room on the side of the passage. The room had a ceiling of stone boards and one entrance.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡelReIG6lvw
"Good, a place to rest for a while," said Mark to himself. In the army, they taught that a warrior must always take the chance to rest and restore his health if he has an opportunity to do so.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlGhmSsTRy0
Mark entered the empty chamber and sat against the wall, keeping watch over the entrance. He took off his leather vest, inspecting the injury. The wound on his thigh was healing, and the goblin's teeth marks on his left arm had turned into pale red scars.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqFmP5e6r0X
"I like this system; it's pretty good," said Mark.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM6H5YjvHli
His stomach growled in reply. Mark was hungrier than he had been in a long time. He opened his inventory and pulled out the raw meat that he tore from the Spiked Rodent in chapter 2. Mark also took the Firestone from the stone chest.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkIgsawiVwS
He gathered some dry moss and splinters from the split bench in the corner. The hero made a pile of kindling on the floor, and Mark used his iron short sword to strike the Firestone.
22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyAFizUIlpU
Spark! Spark!
22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFP6BTZt6rB
On the third attempt, the sparks flew from the blade and landed on the dry pile, igniting it. A thin ribbon of smoke twisted upward, and a glowing little flame appeared. Mark blew it out, making a large campfire that filled the room with warm, yellow flickering light.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTlBCFvyoyu
Mark took his iron-tipped spear and held a piece of the rodent's meat over the fire. It sizzled and gave off a delicious smell.
[System Notice]: You are cooking Spiked Rodent Meat. The campfire removes all toxins from the meat.
The meat was done, and Mark ate it with a good appetite. True to the system message, the meat tasted bitter and almost like overdone liver, but it was warm and juicy. Two hearty pieces of the rodent and a drink of clean water from a leather vial that Mark had in his starting inventory restored his health.
[You have eaten a full meal. Your health regeneration is increased by 50% for the next two hours].22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ10Fy4vyNqE
[Current Health: 100/100 (Fully Healed)].
Mark stretched, feeling his muscles relaxing. He put out the fire with the dirt from the corner so that no smoke would rise from the chimney. Before leaving the small room, Mark glanced at the broken bench, where he had found the firewood. He noticed a small, worn leather bag hidden under the rotten boards.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdHKAaUw70U
Mark took the bag and used his skill. "Inspect."
[Old Leather Satchel: belonged to a dead experimenter. Contains a record of the upper dungeon levels].
The warrior opened the bag and saw that there was nothing valuable inside. There were no gold coins or powerful magical weapons; only a bundle of thick paper. On it was drawn a map of the stone hall.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT4VBxTVKS6
As soon as Mark took a closer look, his blue system message glowed.
[Map Item Detected! Updating information ...]22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMErEvbmMRk
[Mini-map Unlocked!] .
A bright little circle appeared in the upper right corner of his field of vision, showing him the general area. The tiny room, in which Mark was hiding, was indicated in blue, and the long corridor was also duplicated in miniature. It ended in a large stone chamber called [The Guard Room]. From there, it led to a spiral staircase going to the exit.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBntzq4C1G0
"Finally, an exit to the surface," said Mark. "I just need to get through this Guard Room." But, unfortunately, as the map indicated in red letters near the name of the chamber, there is a trap in the Guard Room, and the boss lives there.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefdso0OylP
Mark knew what this meant. Most often, such a boss was a significant enemy who had intimidating health and abilities. It would be much stronger than the goblins and the rodents that Mark had already defeated. He put the empty bag on the floor, attached his short iron sword to his belt, and took the iron-tipped spear in his hands.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48e53GgUWe
Mark opened the narrow room door and stepped out into the corridor. Guided by the small crosshair on his screen, Mark headed to the Guard Room. The further he went, the wider the stone passage became. Strange, ancient carvings of battles between knights and mythical beasts were carved into the walls. The warrior soon came to an enormous two-door made of black iron plates. They were slightly open, and a warm golden glow escaped from the crack. Mark heard voices shouting in a guttural language and the clinking of metal armor.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa5HrR5CpB4
Crouching, the warrior approached the two doors and peered inside the room. It was massive, as the name suggested – the Guard Room. It was a vast chamber with a ruined mess in the middle and several stone pillars around a large bonfire. Three creatures were inside the room.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDsLgWtlOxk
Two of them were human-height goblins with gray-green skin, wearing primitive leather armor and holding short spears. They sat around the bonfire, chatting in the guttural language. However, the third creature was much bigger and more intimidating. This goblin had a muscular body covered with scars and a dirty brown skin color. He wore a chestguard made of rings of heavy iron and wielded a double-edged battle axe.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYYqolaArT2
Mark took out his skill and pointed it at the big goblin Taskmaster.
[Goblin Taskmaster - Level 5 (Elite)]22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNXYimvTPru
[Health: 220/220]22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQa6F9Qhbfg
[Mana: 30/30]22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuGjmidwWx1
[Description: A powerful leader of the goblin clan. It uses brute strength and high physical defense to crush its enemies.]22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiUn1I8RcaD
Mark inspected the two Goblin Guards.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxRJlwsRIix
[Goblin Guard - Level 3]22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrIMDTO5PXU
[Health: 70/70]22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGgjuINZ1kc
[Goblin Guard - Level 3]22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ889A0S7xOu
[Health: 70/70]
Mark stepped back into the shadows, watching the battle unfold. He had to think of a clever plan to defeat such a strong opponent. According to the statistics, the Taskmaster had a considerable amount of health, almost double Mark's health. Fighting three opponents at once in an open fight was too risky.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSzWre94Vg7
"I'll have to draw the goblins one by one," thought Mark. He eyed the narrow opening of the doorway, behind which he stood. If he could lure the two Goblin Guards, he would have a chance to use the terrain to his advantage, as he did when fighting the Spiked Rodents.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNGc88OxGnL
The hero took a piece of the rodent's meat from his pocket, rolled it in his palm, and tossed it through the crack in the doorway. The meat landed a few feet away from the nearest Goblin Guard. It attracted his attention; he stopped talking, sniffing the air, then looked at the narrow passageway. Spotting the piece of meat that Mark had thrown, the goblin grinned, thinking that one of his comrades had given him a gift. The little Goblin Guard got up, taking his spear, and walked toward the dark doorway, leaving the bonfire.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLmFJU09UF
Meanwhile, the big Taskmaster continued to sharpen his double-edged axe, paying no attention to the little goblin.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjr9sJdP58
Mark took his iron-tipped spear in hand and waited for the right moment. He stepped out of the shadows just enough to let the goblin see him, positioning himself near the entrance. The warrior watched the little red dot on his mini-map, which indicated the goblin's approach.22Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAwhJlTEVh9
"Now let's see if my modern military tactics can help me survive in this world of magic and swords," said Mark.
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