That's right, that's what adventure is like!

Roland witnessed Daphne's neck being held to a dagger.

Reaching the seventh floor is quite difficult for ordinary adventurers. Not only do they need to find the correct passages in the previous floors of the maze, but they also need to deal with many monsters they encounter along the way, some of which are quite troublesome.

However, he has an advantage: starting from the monster's "spawn point," he can reach any place simply by following the common monsters marked on each floor of the map.

Fifteen minutes ago, he successfully used this shortcut to reach the seventh floor, spent some time finding the kobolds' territory, and happened to witness the moment of the net closing in.

Frankly, this is not good news, because Daphne's capture by the association means he has lost his chance to make another quick buck.

However, things may take a turn for the better.

Nourishes—

The moment that voice came from behind, countless streams of black energy overflowed from Daphne's body, transforming into pure energy that rippled outwards.

"Um?"

The person behind Daphne seemed somewhat surprised. The wrist holding the dagger was pushed away by a powerful energy. Although a pale green aura shattered it in the blink of an eye, it also lost control of her.

boom!

Her body soared into the air, and Daphne transformed into a point of deathly gray, dim starlight, darting toward a crack in the stone wall—a tunnel she had already noticed, suspected to be dug by the kobolds.

"interesting……"

There was no trace of panic in his voice. The moment the ashen starlight disappeared into the gap, Roland's unobstructed view finally allowed him to see clearly who the association had sent.

An elven ranger, tall and slender, with long, almost silvery-white, light golden hair neatly tied back, revealing sharply defined, slightly narrow, pointed ears.

His skin was as white as moonlight, and his features were so exquisite they were almost like a portrait, possessing the unique beauty of the Elven race, but his emerald green eyes contained wisdom far beyond his appearance.

He wore a dark green, close-fitting leather armor, with a longbow that shimmered at his waist and a silver-white badge on his chest, interwoven with spears and shields.

Seemingly sensing that someone was watching, the ranger glanced at the two people in the shadows, a playful smile appearing on his lips, before his figure suddenly blurred.

Without a loud whooshing sound or an exaggerated starting motion, he "flowed" towards the gap in Daphne's escape route like a natural wind, extremely fast, yet full of hunting composure.

Roland, finally recovering from that glance, turned and ran towards another passage: "Quick, let's go! This is our chance!"

"Hmm... Okay."

Torger let out a heavy breath, still shaken even as he caught up with him. "Did you see that? That damn... damn it, he's a full-fledged professional!"

His reverence for professionals even made him refrain from uttering the word "elf".

Roland naturally noticed not only the association badge on the other person's chest, but also that composed and confident demeanor.

However, this is actually a good thing for him, because since the association has sent a formal professional, there is a high probability that no one else will assist him.

"Hopefully Daphne can hold on a little longer..."

With this thought silently running through his mind, Roland ran even faster. His goal was very clear—the kobold chieftain!

More precisely, it was the remaining fragment of the key on its body.

Since the association is setting a trap, it's impossible not to lay bait. Moreover, Daphne's confidence must mean she's certain the fragment is on the kobold chieftain.

If you get that thing, you'll have a say!

"Follow the footprints and the bloodstains!"

Torgh gave a low growl in response, raising his battle axe with one hand. The orc's innate sensitivity to the smell of blood played a crucial role at this moment.

Roland followed closely behind, his sharp gaze sweeping over the marks on the ground. Besides some bloodstains, there were several unnatural piles of dust and extremely well-hidden scratch marks on the rock wall, clearly indicating a kobold trap.

Roland pulled out his crossbow and pulled the trigger, immediately triggering various traps ahead of time. He breathed a sigh of relief as he held the coin in his hand; at least these little tricks didn't slow him down.

The tunnel sloped downwards, becoming increasingly narrow and damp, and filled with a pungent smell of sulfur and metal.

The sounds of fierce fighting came from ahead, accompanied by roars and howls, mixed with the deafening sounds of rocks cracking and metal clashing.

"It's just ahead!" A fierce glint flashed in Torger's eyes. He naturally recognized the painful roar as coming from his younger brother, Gore.

Emerging from the tunnel, one is greeted by the bottom of a relatively open abandoned mine pit, piled high with rotten mine carts, rusty picks, and broken ore.

In the center of the mine, a fierce battle is underway.

The kobold chieftain was covered in wounds. The ill-fitting leather armor he had stolen from the adventurers was torn in half, and one arm was raised unnaturally, clearly having been severely struck by Gor's hammer.

However, Gore's situation was much worse.

His eyes were bloodshot, drool dripped from his mouth, and his movements were frantic and chaotic. He repeatedly slammed his hammer into the mine cart, likely due to the poisoned arrows stuck in his body.

"Gore, back off!!!"

Torgh roared, trying to warn him, but the crazed Gor was already out of his mind. He just turned his head blankly and was then drawn to the noise that the kobold chieftain was deliberately making.

"Gurgle... Human... Promise..."

The vague Common Tongue was of no use. Seeing Torg charging angrily toward him, the kobold's eyes flashed with resentment and cunning. He suddenly plunged his dagger into the gap of a nearby minecart.

"Be careful!"

Roland's warning came too late. With a loud bang, the already fragile bottom of the mine collapsed again under the pull of some kind of mechanism, turning into a deep pit that caused the rapidly running Torg to fall forward.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the kobold chieftain pulled a leather pouch from his crotch, which was wrapped in strips of cloth, and threw it between the two orcs. At the same time, he ran towards a small crack without looking back.

The instant the skin slipped from Roland's grasp, a cold glint flashed in his eyes, and his movements were incredibly swift!

call out--

The crossbow bolt was fired, and although it did not pierce the leather pouch, it struck the edge of the pouch, changing its trajectory and sending it flying to the other side.

At the same time, Roland exerted force with his feet, and his whole body shot out like an arrow, his target being the fleeing kobold chieftain!

boom!!!

The bladder shattered upon impact with the rock wall, revealing a viscous, bright green liquid that spilled onto the nearby black ashes, instantly triggering a violent explosion.

The scorching heatwave knocked Torger, who had just gotten up, overboard and also affected the delirious Gor, causing him to let out a painful howl and suffer several burns on his body.

At that moment, the kobold chieftain realized something was wrong with the sound of the explosion. He turned around in horror, only to see a cold, sharp blade piercing through the damp air, pointing straight at his back!

"No, please..." He only managed to utter half a short scream.

puff.

The longsword pierced through its tattered leather armor and flesh without any resistance, entering from its back and exiting through its chest, completely shattering its life force with a slight twist.

The kobold chieftain froze, his dark yellow pupils instantly dimming.

It opened its mouth as if to utter a vicious curse, but only blood foam came out.

Then, his body went limp and he fell forward.