Chapter 128 – Crawling From Above.

Rusty remained still, watching the kobold work. The small creature meticulously placed a strange device into the dirt, covering it with loose gravel and pressing it down carefully. A trap. Rusty’s eyes glowed dark and light as he shifted his weight slightly to remain undetected. The kobold’s tail twitched as it glanced around warily before scuttling away further into the tunnel.

“( •̀ – •́ )”

Gleam tapped Rusty’s helmet gently with her antennae, indicating she had noticed the same thing.

“Yeah, it’s definitely setting up traps…”

Rusty muttered as his words trailed off. He had been a monster within the dungeon, and the ones he was patrolling with didn’t possess true intelligence. If there were traps, they had been placed by the dungeon itself, not by the monsters. This behavior didn’t seem like something dungeon monsters would exhibit. It was more characteristic of free monsters.

“I see you’re confused, Rusty, but this happens sometimes.”

Alexander chimed in.

“Some monsters create their own encampments within an active dungeon. It’s a kind of symbiotic existence.”

“I see, that’s neat!”

Rusty leaned in to look at the trap and spotted a faint shimmer on a nearby rock. Poison. If an unsuspecting adventurer tripped the wire, something, perhaps a volley of darts, would be unleashed. This wasn’t the work of a simple dungeon monster but a being with heightened intelligence.

“A pressure plate of some sort that’s connected to a wire…”

While Rusty had no trap detection skills, it was hard to miss once he knew where it was. The pressure plate was expertly concealed beneath loose gravel, and a thin wire connected it to the wall. His glowing eyes traced the wire to a concealed mechanism above, where a small cluster of sharpened darts rested.

“A clever trap.”

Alexander commented again.

“A human rogue might have trouble spotting it with all this mist around.”

This mine shaft was still covered in a layer of white vapour. The Kobold vanished into a side passage leading away from the moisture, but if Rusty continued on his way, he would probably finally reach the flooded parts of the mine dungeon.

Rusty turned his gaze down the tunnel where the kobold had disappeared. If there were traps here, then it was likely leading to something worth protecting. Perhaps the kobold encampment? And if they had rogues setting traps, then maybe, just maybe, there would be a kobold mage somewhere among them.

“ ( •̀ – •́ ) “

“You’re right. Let’s follow it Gleam.”

After stepping away from the trap, Rusty moved cautiously into the corridor where the kobold had vanished. Torches flickered on the walls, but visibility was poor. If he weren’t a monster capable of perceiving his surroundings without light and unaware of the kobold rogue lurking nearby, he might have fallen victim to one of the traps. However, even if the darts were fired at him, they likely wouldn’t cause any harm. Even if they pierced his body, as long as his core remained untouched, he would be fine.

“I’m not sure it’s wise to go through here, my dear Rusty.”

Aburdon called out to him, and it was clear that something was wrong. However, neither Gleam nor Rusty had a thief class or the skills needed to easily detect such dangers. Gleam might be able to learn a spell to help, but she would first need to see someone cast it in front of her. Both of them stood at the entrance, moving forward cautiously. Before long, they spotted another wire trap ahead, with the possibility of more hidden further inside.

“This is troublesome…”

Suddenly, Gleam jumped off his shoulder and onto the wall. She skittered up to the ceiling and hung upside down, scanning the area.

“Ah… You’re right. They probably didn’t expect anyone to go through the ceiling!”

“(˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶)”

His friend had a good idea. Why move through the middle when they could use the side walls? The corridor was tight but had a higher ceiling, and the small kobold would likely struggle to reach it. Most of the traps were probably on the ground or the lower sections of the side walls.

“This is a good opportunity. I wonder if it works”

Rather than shrinking his helmet size and letting Gleam carry him, this was a perfect chance to test his upgraded Wraith Variant. He quickly pulled up his loadout and switched forms. His body expanded, his limbs stretched, and his human-like fingers elongated into claws. This form was taller than before but also lighter. His larger hands sank into the hard rocky surface as he started to climb.

“Just as planned.”

He had gained the Climbing skill while traveling to Ferndale, before entering the spider-infested forest. It was a general skill that most creatures could learn, and with its help, he could cling to the wall with greater precision. His feet also had claws, allowing him to grip some surfaces almost as well as his hands.

Rusty and Gleam moved forward along the cavern ceiling. While Gleam skittered quickly, Rusty was slower and more cautious with his movements. This was his first time hanging upside down without being carried, and the thought of falling onto potentialy explosive trap was unsettling.

“Can you track it, Gleam?”

Rusty asked as they finally passed through the corridor.

“ദ്ദി(•̀ ᗜ <)”

After passing through the first trap-filled corridor, they reached a fork with three new passages. Fortunately, Gleam still had her tracking skills, allowing them to follow the scaly monster’s trail. The deeper they went, the more elaborate the traps became. Pitfalls, tripwires, and even a rudimentary swinging log trap lay in wait below them. These kobolds clearly had experience dealing with adventurers.

However, none of their contraptions accounted for an enemy that could move along the ceiling. Rusty and Gleam advanced cautiously, their forms blending into the dark recesses of the cavern. The deeper they went, the clearer it became that this wasn’t just a small gathering of monsters.

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Then, they saw it. Clinging to the wall and using his Meld skill, Rusty remained perfectly still. A group of kobolds emerged from a concealed entrance in the rock wall. The opening had been cleverly hidden behind a shimmering illusion, flickering only slightly as the creatures passed through it. Rusty remained motionless, with Gleam tucked inside his body. His invisibility skill worked not only on himself but also on anything contained within him, including living beings.

“That’s concealment magic. They must have a kobold mage,” Aburdon observed.

They watched as the goblin-sized reptiles dragged something into the hidden entrance. The opening was tucked behind jagged rocks on an elevated platform—an area few would bother inspecting. Rusty realized he might be the first to discover this secret lair. Perhaps adventurers overlooked kobolds as insignificant prey, but for him, who needed one particular skill, this was an opportunity he couldn’t afford to miss.

Rusty remained motionless, his metal form blending seamlessly into the cavern shadows. His glowing eyes dimmed slightly as he watched the kobolds drag bodies into their hidden lair. The adventurers they carried were fresh kills, their armor still intact but stained with blood. This wasn’t the work of mindless dungeon monsters. These kobolds were organized, methodical, and dangerous in their own way.

“That confirms it. I need to get in there and find their spellcaster”