The deeper parts of the cave were different.
Not visually.
Not at first.
The walls were still rough stone.
The air still cold.
The darkness still endless.
But something about this area felt…
heavier.
Elios noticed it immediately.
His steps slowed slightly as he moved forward, the faint black flow around him flickering with each breath.
Not unstable this time.
Reactive.
Like it sensed something before he did.
"…Tch."
His grip tightened around the blade.
The cave was quieter here.
Too quiet.
Even the goblins he had fought earlier had made noise—scraping claws, rough breathing, movement against stone.
But now—
nothing.
Only the sound of his own footsteps.
Elios continued forward.
The path narrowed briefly before opening again into a larger chamber.
And the moment he stepped inside—
he stopped.
Bodies.
Goblin bodies.
Not fresh.
Not old either.
Torn apart.
Not cut cleanly like his kills.
Ripped.
The stone beneath them was darkened with dried blood, the smell still lingering heavily in the air.
Elios' eyes narrowed slightly.
"…What did this…"
The sentence stopped halfway.
Because he already knew one thing.
It wasn't normal.
A faint sound echoed from deeper inside the chamber.
Low.
Slow.
Elios stepped forward carefully now.
Not cautious from fear.
Focused.
The black flow around him thickened slightly.
His body reacted instinctively.
Then—
Movement.
Fast.
Something lunged from the darkness.
Elios reacted instantly.
Steel clashed.
The impact pushed him back half a step.
Stronger.
Far stronger than the goblins above.
The creature stepped into view.
Larger frame.
Longer arms.
Dark red eyes.
Not a normal goblin.
Its breathing came rough and heavy as it stared at him.
Elios steadied his stance.
"…So there's more of you."
The creature moved again.
Fast.
Elios met it headon.
The clash echoed through the chamber as the blade struck against rough metal.
Not clean.
The creature knew how to fight.
Not wildly.
Not blindly.
It forced Elios backward with sheer pressure, another strike coming immediately after.
Elios blocked—
barely—
then countered.
The creature twisted away.
Too quick.
"…Tch."
Elios stepped back slightly.
The black flow flickered.
Not from losing control.
From responding.
His senses sharpened again.
The creature moved.
Elios moved first this time.
The distance collapsed instantly.
Steel cut through the air—
The creature blocked—
Elios twisted—
struck again—
A shallow wound opened across its shoulder.
It roared.
Not in pain.
In anger.
Then charged.
The impact hit harder this time.
Elios slid backward slightly, his arm stinging from the force.
"…Stronger…"
But not impossible.
The pressure inside him shifted again.
That familiar feeling.
The black flow gathered tighter around him.
Elios raised his hand slightly.
Focused.
Not fully condensed.
Not yet.
The pressure formed slowly.
The creature noticed.
It lunged immediately.
Too fast.
Elios released early.
The burst shot forward.
Unstable.
It struck the creature directly—
exploding against its chest.
The impact forced it backward violently, crashing into stone.
Dust scattered through the chamber.
Elios' arm trembled slightly.
"…Still rough…"
The creature stood again.
Slower now.
Wounded.
But alive.
Elios exhaled slowly.
Then stepped forward.
This time—
the fight ended quickly.
The creature swung wildly.
Elios slipped past the strike.
One clean movement.
The blade cut deep across its neck.
The body collapsed heavily against the stone.
Silence returned.
Elios stood there quietly.
Breathing steady.
But his gaze remained fixed deeper into the cave.
Because now—
he could feel it clearly.
Something else was down there.
Something stronger.
And for the first time since returning—
the black flow around him reacted before he did.
Like it recognized something hidden in the dark.
End.