Chapter 145 – New Freedom Party Coordination
Chapter 145
New Freedom Party Coordination
Date : Day 30 of Grimleaf 1024 Aethellgard Concord Year.
They stepped through the shimmering portal together, leaving behind the relative safety of the Starting Room.
Immediately, the atmosphere changed. The shift was palpable. A narrow stone corridor stretched before them. The ceiling was low. The height pressed down on them. Pale blue magic lamps embedded into the walls illuminated the passage dimly while cold air drifted through the corridor constantly.
The walls were close enough that only three people could walk abreast comfortably. Ancient stone surrounded them on every side. The material was old. Some parts had become smooth from age while others were cracked and broken.
This was a ruin-type labyrinth dungeon.
When Hyoren glanced backward briefly, the shimmering portal was still there behind them. A glowing doorway connecting this corridor to the safe room beyond.
Then he looked toward his two party members. The glance was quick but meaningful. And felt a familiar thrill slowly rising inside his chest. The thrill of exploration. The thrill of grinding.
"Okay, Elise. Jackey. First dive. Our priority is mapping the floor. We need complete layout of this labyrinth exactly like we discussed. We take every turn. Chart every dead end. And after we have proper understanding of the floor..."
A faint smile appeared. The expression was slight but genuine.
"We push toward the Floor Guardian."
Elise and Jackey nodded simultaneously.
Hyoren tightened his grip on the Steel Kite Shield before unsheathing his Mithril-alloy Broadsword slowly. The blade slid free from its sheath with practiced ease. The metallic sound echoed faintly through the corridor.
Behind him, Elise smoothly unslung Moonveil Bow from her shoulder and nocked an arrow onto the string loosely. She did not draw it yet, but she would be ready instantly if danger appeared.
Meanwhile Jackey already held both of his axes. The massive black-red Bloody Axe in his right hand. And the smaller white Flying Kite Axe in his left. He was eager for combat.
The hulking Cat-clan beastkin looked imposing inside the narrow corridor. Like a predator barely restrained from charging forward.
Hyoren nodded lightly afterward.
"Elise, take point. Your combination of Silent Step, Tracking, and Mapping is necessary here."
Elise nodded calmly before moving ahead.
She walked slowly but steadily through the corridor. And unlike before—her footsteps were almost completely silent now despite stone floor beneath her feet. Silent Step Level 4 truly showed its effectiveness. Even inside narrow stone corridor, her movements barely produced sound.
Her pointed ears twitched occasionally, searching for abnormalities in the dungeon's silence. Meanwhile her emerald eyes remained fixed sharply ahead. Her gaze was focused.
Hyoren positioned himself behind her. Shield ready. Sword lowered but prepared to swing anytime.
And Jackey calmly walked at the rear. The massive figure occasionally rolled his shoulders impatiently while gripping his dual axes tightly.
After walking for about five minutes, Elise suddenly stopped near a corner and raised her free hand. The motion was sharp—signaling them to halt immediately.
Her pointed ears twitched slightly.
"Enemies. Ten of them."
Her voice was barely above whisper. But the warning was clear enough. Hyoren and Jackey immediately tightened their grips on their weapons.
Hyoren stepped forward first, raising his shield carefully.
"Let me take point."
Elise nodded and smoothly stepped aside.
Hyoren moved ahead, replacing her at the front. He carefully peeked around the corner while keeping most of his body hidden behind the stone wall.
A small chamber opened before him. The space was larger than the corridor but still confined. The walls were cracked heavily in several places and covered in layers of dust and grime. The uneven floor consisted of ancient flagstones shifted and broken by centuries of neglect.
The entire room truly resembled abandoned ruins forgotten by time itself.
And inside the chamber—Ten goblins lounged lazily around the room. The creatures were scattered throughout the space. None of them looked alert. Several picked their teeth with sharpened bone splinters. Others sprawled carelessly against the cracked walls, half asleep.
Seven carried crude melee weapons. Clubs. Rusty swords. Rusty dagger.
The remaining three held primitive bows crafted from bent wood and rough sinew. Despite their crude appearance, the arrows themselves looked serviceable enough.
Hyoren activated Aethell Sense.
Immediately another layer of perception spread across his vision. Faint information flowed through his mind as he estimated the density of aethell around the goblins' cores.
Level 10. Just like before.
Hyoren quietly pulled himself back behind the corner.
"Ten goblins. All roughly level 10. Three archers."
Then faint smile appeared.
"We already dealt with this before."
His gaze shifted toward Jackey.
"Especially now that we have Jackey, this will be easy."
Jackey immediately raised Bloody Axe proudly.
"My axe ready to whack those green skulker!"
Hyoren nodded. Time for role division.
"Elise. Focus on the archers."
Then he shifted toward Jackey.
"I'll hold four melee goblins. Jackey, kill as many as possible before I get surrounded."
Elise and Jackey nodded immediately.
Without wasting another second, Hyoren charged into the chamber with shield raised high. Heavy footsteps echoed loudly against the stone floor. His movements were deliberate and powerful.
The Mithril-alloy Broadsword remained lowered at first, its polished blade reflecting pale dungeon light sharply. The weapon was ready to be swung at a moment's notice.
Then while running—Hyoren activated his skill.
"Magic Blade."
Aethell instantly coated the broadsword. The blade glowed faintly. The pale blue light was subtle but visible. His sword now sharper, more durable, and deadlier.
Then Hyoren focused inward. Runic Arrays etched deep within his mind surfaced clearly. Dark Aethell flowing from his core and circulated through his body.
"Enchant Maledict."
Dark curse wrapped around his sword instantly. The faint blue glow from Magic Blade mixed together with the black-purple curse aura, creating dangerous and unnatural sight around the Mithril-alloy Broadsword.
The air around the blade itself felt heavier. Corrupted. The sensation was palpable.
A debuff curse. Every wound inflicted by the sword would weaken the enemy little by little. Their strength dulled. Their defense lowered. Their movement slowed. Subtle at first. But the curse stacked.
If Hyoren planned to hold multiple goblins at once, then he needed every advantage possible.
The goblins finally noticed him. Gurgling snarls erupted throughout the chamber as the monsters scrambled to their feet in panic.
Hyoren immediately positioned himself toward the right side of the chamber where four melee goblins clustered together. Shield raised. Sword ready. He was ready to receive whatever the goblins going to threw at him.
Behind him—Elise attacked instantly.
"Charged Arrow."
She activated her skill.
SWOOSH.
The projectile streaked through the chamber with terrifying precision. One goblin archer barely had time to turn before the arrow slammed directly into its eye socket. The goblin collapsed instantly. The goblin was dead before its body even hit the ground.
Elise smoothly nocked another arrow immediately afterward. Ready to fire again.
Meanwhile, Jackey became a blur of fur and muscle the moment the battle started. He rushed toward the left side of the chamber with a wild grin stretched across his face. He truly enjoyed this.
"Precision Throw."
His smaller white axe—Flying Kite Axe—spun violently through the air toward the nearest goblin who wield a rusted sword. The weapon rotated rapidly while flying.
The goblin barely reacted.
SQUELCH.
The spinning axe split open its skull instantly. The goblin collapsed.
"ONE WHACKED!"
Jackey didn't even bother looking at the corpse. Instead, he thrust his left hand forward confidently.
"Return."
The white axe suddenly vanished from the head of the goblin before instantly reappearing back into his hand.
Then Jackey charged directly into two goblins wielding clubs.
One goblin swung downward wildly. Jackey twisted his body sideways effortlessly, letting the crude club whistle past his shoulder by mere inches.
At the same moment—His Bloody Axe swung horizontally.
SCREEECK.
The goblin's head separated from its neck cleanly. Blood sprayed across the broken stone floor. The crimson liquid created a stark contrast against the gray stone.
Without stopping his momentum, Jackey immediately reversed his movement and slashed his white axe across the second goblin's torso.
A massive gash tore across its chest. The goblin screamed painfully while stumbling backward.
"WOHOO! Three goblins whacked!"
In just a few seconds, Jackey already killed three goblins.
Meanwhile, Hyoren was holding four goblins at once.
A goblin with a club lunged first.
THUNK.
Its crude weapon smashed against Hyoren's raised shield. The impact echoed through the chamber. But Hyoren's footing didn't even budge. His stance was solid. Immovable.
Another goblin immediately rushed from the side with a rusted dagger aimed toward his ribs.
CLANG.
Hyoren intercepted the strike with his sword to parry precisely.
The blades scraped against each other sharply. The sound was metallic and grating. And instantly—Enchant Maledict transferred through the contact.
The effect was immediate. Dark curse seeped into the goblin's body. Its movement dulled slightly. Its posture weakened.
Hyoren didn't waste the opening. He kicked it to stagger it. It tumbled backward, its response was dulled because of confusion why he felt weaker suddenly.
Another goblin attempted to flank him from the right side.
Hyoren pivoted sharply and swung his broadsword across its torso.
SQUELCH.
A massive gash split across the goblin's chest. Blood sprayed onto the stone floor. The crimson liquid created another stark contrast against the gray stone.
Then Hyoren immediately slammed his shield toward the first goblin.
BANG.
The goblin staggered backward from the shield bash.
And before it could recover—Hyoren's sword swept horizontally. The goblin's head flew off instantly.
In mere moments—two goblins were already dead.
The remaining two hesitated. The pause was brief but significant. And that hesitation cost them.
Hyoren pushed forward aggressively. His shield smashed into one goblin hard enough to knock it onto the floor.
Then he immediately turned and decapitated the other goblin with a single clean slash from his Magic Blade-coated sword.
SCREECK.
Finally—he thrust his blade downward directly into the chest of the fallen goblin. The goblin twitched briefly before going still.
SQUELCH.
Four goblins. Dead in under a minute.
***
Hyoren quickly scanned the chamber. The dust was still settling in the pale blue glow of the hanging magic lamps.
The second goblin archer lay dead on the stone floor. Elise’s arrow pierced clean through its forehead, pinning it firmly to the ground. Across the room, the third archer slumped against the back wall. Blood foamed from its cracked lips while Jackey’s white throwing axe remained buried deep in its chest.
Hyoren turned his gaze toward Elise. She stood calmly, bow still drawn, a quiet satisfaction softening her emerald eyes.
He shifted his attention to Jackey, and his posture stiffened immediately.
The Cat-clan beastkin was smiling. He raised his left arm slightly, completely unfazed by the crude goblin arrow lodged in the muscle just below his elbow.
“I was late throwing my axe. That archer loosed its arrow first. HAHA.”
Jackey chuckled, flexing his uninjured shoulder.
“But don’t worry! I blocked with my arm! No probs!”
Hyoren’s jaw tightened. He closed the distance in quick strides.
“Don’t be careless, Jackey.”
His brows furrowed slightly.
“You are lucky it hit your arm. What if it struck your neck or head?”
Elise stepped forward beside him, her boots clicking softly against the stone. She shook her head lightly, her silver ponytail swaying with the motion.
“Hyoren is right… please be careful.”
Jackey scratched the back of his neck, his golden eyes dropping for a moment. The boisterous grin faded into something sheepish.
“Okay, Big Bro. Elise. I’ll be careful next time…”
He let out a breathy laugh, shaking his head.
“I got too excited from first battle. My blood boiling! Hahaha!”
Hyoren exhaled slowly through his nose. He reached out and gripped Jackey’s injured arm, his fingers careful but steady.
“Let me see...”
The goblin arrow was crude and poorly made.
It had embedded fairly deep into the muscle. But the wound was superficial. Manageable for him.
Hyoren nodded toward the wound.
“I’ll pull it out and heal you.”
He met Jackey’s gaze directly.
“Don’t move.”
Jackey nodded obediently. He straightened his posture instantly.
“Okay, Big Bro!”
Hyoren wrapped his fingers around the rough shaft. He braced his other hand against the beastkin’s shoulder, then pulled in one smooth motion.
SQUELCH.
A wet tearing sound echoed in the quiet chamber as the arrowhead slid free.
Blood immediately welled up, dark and thick, seeping from the wounds. The jagged edges of the wound had stripped away tissue, but a quick visual inspection confirmed his assessment. No fractured bone. No severed artery. Clean muscle damage.
Hyoren closed his eyes for a fraction of a second. Inside his mind, the familiar structure of the Runic Array surfaced. He traced the runes mentally.
Light. Heal. Heal. Heal.
The Runic Array granted by Luminara herself.
Unlike normal healing magic with Recover rune to guide the recovery process, this spell required precise manual guidance.
Otherwise—the body could heal incorrectly. Or worse, according to Oria’s explanation, uncontrolled regeneration could even create malformed tissue or cancerous growth.
Fortunately—Hyoren possessed something most healers in this world did not. Modern medical knowledge. Human anatomy. Physiology. Knowledge he got because he was studying to become a doctor before he was transported to this world.
All of that knowledge was perfectly memorized in his mind.
He activated the spell.
“Healing Light.”
Warm golden-white light flowed from Hyoren’s hand into Jackey’s wound.
Hyoren channeled the Aethell carefully, guiding the regeneration with deliberate focus. He carefully guided the healing process manually. Regenerating damaged cells. Reconnecting tiny blood vessels. Knitting torn muscles back together one by one. Antebrachii muscles. Brachioradialis. And many other small muscles. The flesh knitted itself back together beneath his touch. The process took only a few moments.
Every damaged structure was restored carefully with precise control. The golden light illuminated the dim dungeon corridor softly while the wound slowly closed beneath Hyoren’s hand.
After the golden light receded, the skin left behind was smooth and unbroken. No wound. No scar.
Jackey rotated his wrist, flexing his fingers rapidly. The joint moved without restriction.
Everything moved perfectly.
“WOW. Big Bro truly best!”
Jackey threw his head back, his tabby cat tail spiralling vigorously behind him.
“Not only strong, you could patch me up too!”
Hyoren smiled wryly.
“I could heal minor wounds, Jackey...”
Then his expression became more serious.
“But if it was deep gash, severe internal injury, or damaged organs… even I couldn’t heal it properly yet.”
He crossed his arms, his expression hardening slightly.
“My Light Magic skill is still too low. So don’t be careless anymore.”
Jackey nodded vigorously, his ears perking up.
“Okay! Big Bro!”
Hyoren finally relaxed his shoulders. He gave a single, satisfied nod.
“Good.”
He stepped back and surveyed the chamber. The dust had fully settled. The faint hum of residual Aethell lingered in the air as the goblin corpses dissolved into shimmering particles. Only their loot remained behind. Magic stones. Weapons. Armors.
“Okay. Time to gather loot before we continue diving.”
Elise and Jackey nodded immediately.
The Freedom Party swept through the remains efficiently and gathered the valuables, the magic stones and rusted weapons. The crude clubs, primitive bows, broken arrows, and filthy rags were left behind untouched. Not worth taking. No value.
Hyoren adjusted the strap of his steel kite shield, feeling the familiar weight settle against his left arm.
“Okay. Time to move.”
He glanced toward Elise.
“Elise, take point again.”
Elise gave a calm nod, her Moonveil Bow shifting comfortably across her shoulder. She stepped ahead into the narrowing corridor, her silent step absorbing the sound of her footsteps.
Hyoren fell into position behind her. His broadsword was gripped steadily in his right hand while the Steel Kite Shield on his left arm remained raised slightly, ready to intercept any sudden attack.
Meanwhile, Jackey brought up the rear. His twin axes rested loosely on both hands, but the hulking Cat-clan Beastkin looked ready to spring forward at any moment and whack any enemy standing before them.
The first encounter had not been flawless thanks to Jackey’s recklessness.
But the Freedom Party already proved one thing clearly. Their coordination worked. Elise ranged support and scouting. Hyoren controlled the frontline as a tank. And Jackey delivered overwhelming offensive power.
And even when injury happened—Hyoren could patch them up.
The day was still long. And Freedom Party’s first dungeon dive had only just begun.