Fortunately, Lynn was not just a Mage.
It seemed he would have to resort to his old tactics for dealing with goblins.
Lynn turned around and said, “Follow me into the tunnel in a moment. Once we reach the inside of the kobold tribe's territory, I'll head out first to draw their attention. Wait in the tunnel for my signal before you come out together.”
His two teammates naturally accepted Lynn's arrangement.
The three of them applied a potion to their bodies that could throw off a kobold's sense of smell. It was a common item used when dealing with kobolds, purchased at the guild for six silver coins.
Bending their waists, they squeezed into the long, narrow tunnel.
Not only had the kobolds constructed the passages connecting the mine shaft and the stone chambers to look like a labyrinth, but they had also set traps in many of the branches.
Once a trap was triggered, the kobolds would immediately sense the disturbance and gather at the two labyrinth exits to defend.
However, with Echolocation active, these little tricks did not cause much trouble for Lynn.
In less than a minute, the three of them crept along a passage to a spot less than ten meters from the stone chamber.
A musty odor, fermented from damp scales and stagnant mine water, drifted through the air, accompanied by a faint, elusive scent of sulfur.
It was a mystery how these kobolds managed to maintain such a sensitive sense of smell in an environment like this.
Having reached this point, Lynn made a hand gesture, and the two behind him immediately halted.
Any further forward, and even the potion wouldn't be enough to mask their scent.
Lynn activated Stealth before continuing forward.
While the Skill reduced his presence, it also masked his body odor.
“In the year 442 of the New Star Calendar, adventurer Lynn unlocked a new entry in the monster encyclopedia—Kobold, Kobold Minion. Current unlocked entries: 24.”
At the exit of the labyrinth stood a guard holding a spear.
But because no traps had been triggered, this kobold guard wasn't particularly cautious. Instead, it sat at the cave entrance, leisurely watching the scene inside the stone chamber.
The stone chamber was larger than Lynn had anticipated, spanning several hundred square meters and standing about six to seven meters high. It was roughly divided into two areas.
Coming out of the passage, to the left was a mining area where about twenty kobolds were working.
These kobolds had a clear division of labor. Some held extremely crude tools, hammering away at the stone walls to expand the chamber's size, providing more space for their tribe's reproduction while also harvesting the ores kobolds loved most.
The mined ore was transported to the center of the stone chamber, where another group of kobolds responsible for iron smelting used hammers to crush them into fragments. They then packed them into a clay-plastered furnace, smelting them into lumps of sponge iron for future use.
Although ventilation shafts of unknown destination had been dug into the stone chamber, this act of smelting directly in an underground chamber still left the area filled with thick smoke.
No wonder there were kobold skeletons in the abandoned mine shaft.
Lynn had originally thought they were killed by intelligence agents sent by the chamber of commerce.
But looking at it now, these already weak kobolds, living in such an environment, had likely had their lives claimed by the toxic fumes of smelting, after which they were simply dumped into the mine shaft by their kin.
As for the right side of the stone chamber, it was the kobolds' living area. They had dug alcoves into the stone walls to serve as rooms for resting.
And Lynn now faced a dilemma.
Which side should he kill first?
After hesitating for two and a half seconds, Lynn decided to start with the left side.
These kobolds had been busy mining for a long time and were at their weakest. They were the perfect targets to start with.
A ball of light was flung from the passage first, striking the kobold guard directly in the face.
As everyone knew, creatures with darkvision were often highly sensitive to bright light.
A cantrip that humans used merely for illumination became a flashbang powerful enough to temporarily blind a kobold.
“Yee—”
The startled kobold let out a sharp shriek, but in the next second, a shortsword was already thrust into its back.
Before the stun effect of Backstab could even trigger, the kobold had already collapsed to the ground.
“Killed one kobold. Obtained Bloodline Points (Kobold) *2.”
Within the cave, a small portion of the kobolds noticed the commotion and hissed.
But Lynn naturally wouldn't wait for them to assemble before acting. The moment he killed the guard, he dashed straight toward the kobolds' mining area.
Inside the passage, hearing the sounds coming from the stone chamber, Hilda and Henry knew that combat had begun. They rushed out of the passage and charged at the kobolds in the cave.
The three of them and dozens of kobolds instantly clashed in a chaotic melee.
As the first enemy to appear in the stone chamber, Lynn drew most of the kobolds' attention.
Several kobolds clad in leather armor and holding spears rushed toward Lynn, while behind them, several others raised their slings and aimed at his position.
Due to their frail bodies, kobolds were highly skilled in coordinated combat.
Against ordinary adventurers, such coordination would be devastating; once the adventurer was pinned down by the kobold warriors in front, the ranged units with slings in the back could easily pelt them into submission.
Unfortunately, they had run into Lynn.
Although Magic Missile, which triggered explosions, wasn't safe to use here, Eldritch Blast was perfect for dealing with these kobolds.
With a Burst Step, Lynn pulled back to open up some distance, a purple light already gathering on his staff.
The slinger kobolds reacted quickly. Realizing the newcomer was a Mage, they immediately ducked behind cover.
Zzzt—
The beams twisted and struck the kobolds hiding behind cover. In a fraction of a second, they left scorched marks on the kobolds' bodies before arcing to the next target.
“Killed two kobolds. Obtained Bloodline Points (Kobold) *2.”
“Killed one Kobold Minion. Obtained Bloodline Point (Kobold) *1.”
...
“Eldritch Blast proficiency +1. Current: Lv.3 (1/40).”
“Eldritch Blast Lv.3 Skill Effect—Cumulative Burn: Enemies hit by this spell are inflicted with the Burned status.”
...
In less than two seconds, the kobolds' ranged units were completely wiped out.
Even those who managed to survive the Eldritch Blast lost the strength to continue using their slings.
Moreover, after wiping out an entire goblin tribe plus several kobolds, Eldritch Blast had leveled up once again, becoming the first spell Lynn had broken through to Lv.3.
Meanwhile, Lynn's two teammates were not idling either.
Hilda took the lead, rushing straight toward the right side of the stone chamber to intercept several kobolds attempting to reinforce their companions.
Resting her greatsword on her shoulder, she used her right hand holding the upper part of the hilt as a pivot and exerted force with her left hand, spinning the greatsword outward.
Spin Slash!
The kobold targeted by Hilda raised its spear, attempting to block the female warrior's attack.
But with only a flash of silver light, the kobold's spear was sheared in two by the greatsword, and half of its head fell to the ground along with it.
This bloody scene instantly drained the remaining kobolds of their courage to fight. However, there was no retreat behind them. The passage exits leading out of the stone chamber were already blocked by the adventurers, leaving them with nowhere to run.
Just as the kobolds were on the verge of a total collapse, a sudden commotion echoed from above the stone chamber!
Several winged kobolds, far stronger than ordinary kobolds and sporting leathery wings, glided down from above, each of them carrying another kobold clutched in its talons!
Several beams of white light burst from the hands of the passenger kobolds.
These kobolds being carried by the winged kobolds were spellcasters!
Instantly, with the addition of these bomber-like kobold duos to the battlefield, the tide of combat shifted.
...
【Kobolds and Winged Kobolds】: Cave-dwelling reptilian monsters that fear sunlight. In terms of individual combat power, kobolds are not strong, but their deep-seated cowardice has allowed them to survive from ancient times to the present. Furthermore, as oviparous creatures, they possess an extremely high birth rate, enabling them to make up for their individual frailty through sheer numbers.
These monsters view serving dragons as their race's highest honor. In some legends, they are even said to share ancestry with dragons, viewing them as their sacred blood relatives.
However, most dragons do not recognize these poor relatives, treating them merely as slaves to be ordered around.
Some kobolds are fortunate enough to have a higher concentration of dragon blood than their peers, being born with a pair of leathery wings. These kobolds are known as winged kobolds.
Yet, this gift of bloodline has not made them the focus of their kin's admiration. Instead, it has garnered them a great deal of jealousy. As a result, the relationship between winged kobolds and their wingless brethren is usually quite strained.
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