As Ben and his group made their way through the battle-ravaged paths, Ben and his companions stumbled upon another group of students in distress.
They looked a little familiar to everyone.
This time, the students were surrounded by some unknown shadowy creatures that were slowly draining their strength.
Without hesitation, Ben shouted out commands to his companions, and they rushed forward to engage the enemy. The battle was intense, and it seemed like the students were about to be overwhelmed.
Ben led the students and started attacking the shadowy creatures. Ken and Noah were shocked to see Ben come to their rescue. However, the shadowy creatures proved to be too powerful, and most of the students were already exhausted.
Despite the odds, Ben's team fought with impressive speed and agility, taking down several monsters with sharp blades and powerful spells. Ken and his team fought with equal ferocity, hacking and slashing their way through the hordes of creatures.
But the monsters kept coming, and their slimy tentacles lashed out with deadly accuracy.
Many students felt their energy-draining, and they were exhausted. Just as they thought they might not make it, Ben took out holy water from his space ring and started throwing it on the shadow creatures.
He also told many mages to unleash powerful fire spells that took out several monsters at once. Soon, all of the monsters were dead in the vicinity.
"Thanks for having our backs," Ken said gratefully as the two teams regrouped.
"Of course," Ben replied with a grin.
"Boss is almighty," Galanar cheered loudly.
"Boss is almighty," Ben's other team members also followed suit.
Hearing this, many people stared at Ben.
'These clowns,' Ben felt second-hand embarrassment.
"By the way, what happened with you?" Ben asked.
Hearing this, Ken's team had an uncomfortable look on their face.
Still, as the leader of the team, Ken recollected what had happened so far. They got the map from a hidden trap, and when they went to the "goblin's nest," they were stuck with those shadowy creatures. Although they somehow coped with them, they had to escape from there with the help of Nick.
As more of Ben's team and other students heard Ken's story, the more baffled they became.
Gram couldn't hold it any longer and burst out laughing.
"Hahahahaha." With that, other members of his team also laughed.
'I also want to laugh, but I guess I shouldn't laugh at someone's misery,' Ben thought inwardly.
If it were in the past, other students might have thought Ben's team was laughing because they were crazy. However, today they saw a new side of them, so they were puzzled.
"What happened?" Noah was curious about the reason.
"Nah, it's just that the story was too funny," Andy answered.
This response confused other people even more.
"Okay, let me explain...Keuk," Galanar said, trying to control his laughter, "The thing is we had the goblin king as our target, and we cleared the Goblin's nest long ago."
Hearing this, Noah became frustrated.
"Then that map was just a forgery." He slammed his fist into the wall.
"Well, we should have thought about that map more. After all, who could get the map of an unexplored area?" Luna chimed in.
"Hey, missy. It's because of your lack of skills. Our boss has the real map of the cave," Patrick retorted.
If it were a world of cultivation novel, Luna might have puked blood.
"No way, you are lying," Marry accused them. She still couldn't believe it.
Onlookers also thought the same.
"Yes, way. Boss, can you please show your mightiness to these peasants?" Galanar urged Ben to show the map to everyone.
'Can't these people control their mouths,' Ben really wanted to smack everyone.
If it were found that he had the map of the cave, he would have to reveal the source of the map to everyone. He might even get accused of cheating.
Despite his reluctance, he realized that he had no other options left. With a resigned sigh, he withdrew the map from his space ring and held it up for everyone to see.
As he displayed the map, it seemed as though Ben was triumphantly waving his victory banner after decimating his rivals.
Noah approached Ben and carefully scrutinized the intricate details on the map.
The more he examined it, the more he became convinced that the map was indeed authentic.
Still, Noah couldn't help but think about the map he had found earlier.
As he compared it to Ben's map, he found how much that map was wrong. It was a counterfeit map that lead them in the wrong direction.
He bit his lower lip. Still, he was grateful that Ben had come to rescue them.
Ken also exclaimed, while seeing the map.
Although he wanted to ask about the source of the map, leaving this cave was more important.
'With this, we can leave this cave faster.' He thought.
Just as the group breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of their map, a deep voice interrupted their thoughts.
"Oh, humans. You have a very detailed map of my abode. But it's bad manners to enter someone's home and draw maps like this," the voice boomed, overflowing with mightiness.
The darkness of the cave seemed to deepen as incredible pressure surrounded them, causing the students to feel a sense of dread.
As they stared toward the source of the voice, they could barely make out the shape of a massive creature in the shadows.
Its glowing eyes fixed on them as if daring them to move. The students cursed their luck at having stumbled upon this terrifying being.
The creature stepped forward into the dim light of the cave, revealing its true form: a dragon.
Its scales glistened in the flickering light of the torches, and its sharp claws clacked against the rocky floor.
The dragon's piercing gaze seemed to pierce through the students' souls, making them feel small and insignificant in its presence.
Suddenly, the dragon began to shrink and contort until it took the shape of a tall, imposing figure.
The figure was clearly human, but there was something otherworldly about his presence.
He wore a long black coat and had piercing green eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness. With that coat, he looked like a gigachad.
"State your purpose for being here," the figure demanded. His voice was like thunder.
The students stumbled over their words, not expecting to encounter a mythical being while exploring the cave.
"Speak up, little ones," the figure said with a sneer. "Have you come to challenge me? Or perhaps you seek my treasure?"
"W-we didn't know anyone lived here," one of the students said.
The figure snorted in amusement. "You humans are always so clueless," he said. "You come barging into my home, disturbing my peace and causing chaos, and then you dare to claim ignorance?"
"I demand to know who you are and what you want," the dragon continued. "Or shall I simply eat you?"
He took out a potion from his pocket. As he opened the lid, the fragrance filled the air. "You humans don't even care about hygiene, how can I eat you. Tch," he said with a frown.
Suddenly, the dragon's eyes fixated on Galanar, and he asked in a deep, menacing voice, "And what about you? What brings you to my hoard, little human pig?"
Galanar felt a lump form in his throat as he faced the dragon's intense gaze. Summoning his courage, he replied, "I only came here to admire the grass, oh great dragon."
The dragon let out a low growl and snarled, "Do you think I am a fool? I know that you have stolen from my treasure hoard." With a swift motion, the dragon lifted Galanar off the ground and began to shake him violently, causing objects to fall from his pockets. Even his space ring fell out, and the dragon used his magic to extract its contents.
Among the objects that spilled out, the dragon noticed several adult magazines, but his attention was drawn to a mysterious artifact. "You dare to steal from me, Casper, the great and powerful shadow dragon? You are nothing but a worm, a maggot, a despicable little thief!" The dragon's voice thundered with anger.
"I will not let you leave my home alive," the dragon continued. "You will pay for your insolence with your life, and your friends will watch as I devour you whole."
Trembling with fear, Galanar begged for mercy. "Noo!! Don't do that!! I won't taste good."
"Really?" The dragon replied, intrigued.
"Yes, yes!" Galanar nodded frantically.
"Very well," the dragon said with a sly grin. "I won't eat you. Instead, I will find other ways to entertain myself with your presence."
Galanar let out a sigh of relief, but his fear quickly returned when the dragon began to describe his twisted plans. "I will keep torturing you for my amusement. It will be a good way to relieve my boredom. Perhaps I'll play some games with you, like football with your round tummy, basketball with your head, or cricket with your limbs. Yes, I will get a whole sports kit from you."
Galanar trembled in fear, knowing he was in grave danger. He would rather choose to die than be toyed with by this dragon.
Ben couldn't help but curse in his mind. "I told that bastard not to take anything." Ben had warned everyone not to touch the treasure because he knew it belonged to the dragon. He remembered Rain's words clearly.
***
"Listen, Ben. Never touch that treasure when you stumble upon it," Rain had said in a serious tone.
"Why?" Ben had asked curiously.
"Just think, you will be in deep shit if you touch that treasure. It's the dragon's treasure," Rain had replied in an amused tone.
Ben swallowed his saliva after hearing that. He resolved himself that he would never touch that thing.
***
Currently, Casper was staring at Galanar eagerly.
At that moment, Ken spoke up, interrupting the dragon's diabolical plans. "I won't let you do that."
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦