SSS-RANK SUMMONING WEAPON SYSTEM-Chapter 38: Goblins[4]

The cavern seemed to breathe as Xavier and his group pressed deeper. The air was thick, foul, and alive with the pulse of drums that grew louder with every step. The sound was not just noise—it was rhythm, ritual, a heartbeat that belonged to the horde waiting in the dark.

"Everybody keep together," Xavier whispered to his group as they advanced.

Their footsteps echoed against the stone, swallowed by the vastness of the tunnels. Shadows shifted at the edges of the firelight, darting back into the black. Xavier’s grip tightened on his daggers, his instincts sharp. He knew what those flickers were—scouts, watching, measuring, waiting for the moment to strike. Aria’s silver aura glowed faintly, a cold light that pushed back the smoke curling from crude fire pits.

The chamber widened suddenly, opening into a nest of bones and flame. The floor was littered with skulls, sharpened into spikes, piled into grotesque altars. Fires burned in pits, their smoke staining the ceiling black. Xavier noticed cages filled with women inside. All were naked, bruised, broken. There was no life visible in their eyes. They were also stunning women, but now they were scarred for life by the brutal ferocity of the repulsive goblins.

"This is where the goblins have their breeding," Xavier muttered, grimly. "I need to get them out."

Lyra shivered in fear as she stared at the women inside the cages. She couldn’t speak, as she stumbled forward, hoping the same thing would never happen to her.

Ezra had managed to steel himself, but the fear was still etched on his face and bones.

And then, from the shadows, the goblins began to emerge.

At first, only a few—small, twisted figures with jagged teeth and rusted blades. Their eyes gleamed a yellow in the firelight, their voices guttural and hissing. Then more came, crawling from tunnels, clambering over rocks, their numbers swelling until the chamber was alive with them. Dozens. Scores. Their chants rose, layered and frenzied, the drums pounding harder, faster.

Xavier stood tall, his shadow stretching long across the bones. He did not flinch. Aria’s gaze was cold, her hand steady on her weapon. The goblins hissed, whispered, and pointed. Some laughed, others snarled. But all of them stared at him—the black human, fresh meat in their eyes, and for the women, breeding cows.

The chant broke suddenly into silence. The goblins parted, their eyes turning toward the deeper tunnel. A roar echoed from within, low and thunderous, shaking the stone. The warlord was near.

Xavier’s jaw tightened. He raised his daggers, their blades catching the firelight. His voice was calm, steady, unyielding.

"Let them come."

And in that moment, the swarm surged forward, pouring from the shadows like a tide, their shrieks filling the cavern, their blades raised high.

The swarm came like a tide.

At first, only a handful of goblins crept from the shadows—small, twisted figures with jagged teeth and rusted blades. Their eyes gleamed yellow in the firelight, their voices guttural, hissing. But then the chamber seemed to split open, and dozens poured forth, crawling from tunnels, clambering over rocks, their shrieks rising into a frenzy. The drums thundered faster, the chants layered into a roar, and the cavern itself seemed to tremble beneath their charge.

"They’re much!" Lyra yelped, stringing her bow and notching an arrow.

Xavier stood unmoving, his daggers gleaming faintly in the firelight. His shadow stretched long across the bones, his presence unyielding. Aria’s aura flared silver, her eyes cold, her stance sharp. Together they faced the tide, two figures against a sea of snarling faces.

The first goblin lunged, its blade raised high. Xavier’s dagger flashed, catching the weapon mid‑swing, twisting it aside. He moved like a shadow, his second blade carving across the creature’s throat. It fell without a sound, its blood soaking into the bones beneath.

[Shadowfang Daggers gaining experience +1]

[Shadowfang Daggers gaining experience +1]

[Shadowfang Daggers gaining experience +1]

[Shadowfang Daggers gaining experience +1]

The notification immediately popped up in his face, but he quickly cancelled it, his whole attention on the enemy before him.

Another rushed him, shrieking, but Aria’s hand flicked. A burst of silver energy struck the goblin square in the chest, hurling it back into the swarm. The others hesitated, snarling, their frenzy faltering for a heartbeat.

Then the wave broke.

They surged forward, dozens at once, their blades clattering, their shrieks filling the cavern. Xavier moved through them with precision, his daggers flashing, each strike deliberate, each motion fluid. He cut, twisted, struck, his movements a dance of death. Aria’s aura burned brighter, her energy slicing through the swarm, her presence cold and unyielding.

Ezra was struggling at first, but then he gradually began to get better, able to keep the goblins at bay. Lyra’s arrows met their targets on the goblins, while keeping her distance as she noticed the goblins giving her horns looks and weren’t even trying to attack her.

The goblins pressed harder, their frenzy rising, their numbers overwhelming. But Xavier did not falter. His instincts sharpened, his resolve unbroken. Every strike was measured, every movement calculated. He fought not with desperation, but with certainty.

Another goblin dashed at him, his shriek splitting the air. Xavier swiftly threw one of his blades at the creature. Just as the blade was inches from the goblin’s face, he activated his skill.

[Shadowfang Daggers: Shadow Exchange!]

Since he was still holding one of the daggers in his hand, he was still connected to the shadow. In an instant, he vanished from his position, reappearing where the thrown dagger was, which was inches from the goblin’s face. With a grunt, he gripped the thrown dagger and drove it into the goblin’s head with a loud wet sound. The goblin choked as the blade came out of the back of its head, and then as the blade was pulled out of its skull, it crumpled to the ground.

Xavier wiped the ichor and stared at the dead goblin, its head already turning purple due to the poison.

The cavern echoed with the clash of steel, the shrieks of goblins, and the hiss of fire. Bones shattered beneath their boots, smoke curled around them, and shadows writhed across the walls. The swarm was endless, pouring from tunnels, crawling over rocks, their frenzy unrelenting.

And then, above the chaos, a roar split the air.

It was deeper, louder, heavier than the goblins’ shrieks. It shook the stone, silenced the drums, froze the swarm. The goblins parted, their eyes turning toward the deeper tunnel.

The warlord was coming.

Xavier’s jaw tightened. His daggers dripped with blood, his breath steady, his eyes burning with resolve. Aria’s aura flared, her silver light cutting through the smoke. Together they stood, surrounded by bones and fire, waiting for the warlord to emerge. Ezra swallowed in fear, and Lyra just clenched her bow tightly.

The battle had only begun.