There was only one way out of Borgoth Cave—survive the relentless waves of monsters and defeat the final wave, including the mini boss Korrogoth. Once that was done, the exit would open.

  At least… that was how it was supposed to work.

  I frowned but remained silent, carefully scanning the surroundings. The remnants of the previous battle were gone—the ground was now smooth and undisturbed, with no cracks, fissures, or debris in sight. Magically, the cave had restored itself to its original state, leaving only the remnants of the dropped items behind.

  Strangely enough, the massive stones at the cave’s entrance remained firmly shut.

  Something felt off.

  But I didn’t want to dampen the team's mood—not when we had barely caught our breath after that brutal fight.

  We decided to take a short break, allowing ourselves time to recover. After that grueling battle, we were in no condition to do anything else.

  Muradin slumped down with a heavy sigh, adjusting his armor. The hell... I feel like I got trampled by dozens of Gabborgoths.

  Darwyn, already halfway through chugging a low-rank healing potion, wiped his mouth and smirked. "Well, technically, you kinda did."

  Muradin groaned. "Don’t remind me."

  Darwyn was leaning against a rock, his bow resting beside him as he massaged his sore arm. "I don't think I've ever shot that many arrows in one fight before."

  I sat down as well, feeling the exhaustion seep into my bones. Our bodies were battered, our resources nearly drained, and our reflexes dulled. If another wave of monsters came now… we wouldn’t last.

  Orin, who had been watching us with mild amusement, finally spoke up. "Alright, babies. Rest while you can. But don’t get too comfortable—we still don’t know how to exit this place."

  She was right. That unsettling feeling hadn’t left me.

  For now, though, we had no choice but to wait.

  ***

  After replenishing our condition, we started collecting the loot. Muradin, however, had other priorities.

  “Ha! Would you look at this? This armor looks damn good on me!” he declared, slapping his chest with a satisfied grin.

  He flexed dramatically, showing off his latest acquisition—Korrogoth’s Bulwark Armor.

  The rough, black plating looked almost indestructible, thick and imposing, with a dark silhouette of Korrogoth’s head carved into the center.

  A true jackpot drop.

  "Yeah, yeah, it suits you," Orin muttered, rolling her eyes. "Makes you look even bulkier, if that’s possible."

  Muradin chuckled, clearly unfazed. "That just means more to love."

  I couldn't help but sigh. I was really hoping for Korrogoth Soul Fragment instead. The bonus stats from it would’ve been perfect for me. But at least this drop wasn’t a complete waste.

  And that’s when Elena’s gaze flicked to me.

  She smirked. "That sigh," she said, crossing her arms. "That’s the sigh of a man who wanted something shiny for himself but has to act like a responsible leader instead."

  “Since when Erynd is our leader?” Darwyn protested, which was ignored by the others.

  I scoffed. "What? No."

  Her smirk widened. "Uh-huh. Sure. And let me guess, you were hoping for Korrogoth Soul Fragment?"

  I hesitated. Blast it.

  Before I could respond, Orin piped up, "Of course he was. The guy’s been obsessing over it for weeks”

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  "Hey!" I shot her a glare. "You don’t have to just—blurt it out like that."

  Muradin grinned, adjusting his new armor. "Well, too bad! It was destined to be mine."

  I groaned, rubbing my temples. "I swear, if you start calling yourself The Bulwark of the North or some ridiculous title, I’m leaving you behind next time."

  The group laughed and continued picking up the drops.

  Aside from Korrogoth’s Bulwark Armor, we had gathered a haul of rare monster parts, which Orin would no doubt analyze and attempt to replicate using Materialization.

  Luckily, there were three Soul Fragments belonging to Morgoth and Bristlegoth, which we kept for now. Darwyn also got a new fire-element bow, courtesy of Infergoth.

  And scattered throughout the cavern? Mana Stones. Tons of them.

  At the very spot where Korrogoth fell, a particularly massive cluster of Mana Stones had formed—a direct result of Orin’s Mana Surge.

  As we took stock of our loot, we had already agreed on a fair split—20% each. We all acknowledged that every team member played a vital role. Even Orin’s potions, which had kept us alive, now would be counted as a shared expense.

  Despite the celebration, I couldn’t shake off a nagging unease.

  Something wasn’t right.

  And then—I saw it.

  "Hey," I called out, my voice sharper than intended. "Look over there."

  Everyone turned as I pointed toward the far end of the cave—the spot where the monsters had emerged earlier.

  Five glowing green stones were etched high into the cavern wall.

  They were arranged in a semi-circle, like the numbers 10 to 2 on a clock face.

  But when we moved closer to inspect the wall beneath them—

  Nothing happened.

  The unsettling feeling in my chest only grew stronger.

  I gritted my teeth. "Alright. Everyone, search the room. There has to be a hidden switch or mechanism somewhere."

  For the next few minutes, we scoured every inch of the chamber. We checked the walls, the ground, even the ceiling—nothing.

  Frustration was starting to set in—until Elena’s voice cut through the silence.

  "Wait. Look."

  We all turned to where she was pointing—the glowing green stones.

  One of them—the far right one—had gone dark.

  At the same time, the remaining four stones shifted from green to a faint yellow-green.

  Elena’s expression darkened. "That’s exactly one hour after we won the final wave."

  A heavy silence fell over us.

  Realization dawned.

  We weren’t done yet.

  ***

  We immediately called for an emergency meeting. The atmosphere was tense, the air thick with unspoken anxiety. We had only four hours. Four hours before—what? A battle? A disaster? A massacre?

  Sitting in a tight circle, we ran through every possible scenario—what could go wrong, how to prepare, and, most importantly, how to survive.

  After a quick but intense discussion, we reached an agreement. First priority, improving our condition. Muradin got to work repairing our equipment. Orin restocked our potions. Darwyn and Elena placed traps at key locations to guard against surprises.

  As for me? I had a different plan.

  I turned to Elena. "I need my ten thousand stone share."

  Elena, who had been placing the trap, snapped her head up. "Wait, what?"

  "I’m spending my share of the stones," I repeated.

  Her eyes narrowed. "On what, exactly?"

  I grinned. "To increase our chances of survival."

  [Gorgroth’s Call cast]

  A deep, primal energy pulsed through the ground as I activated the summoning spell. The air thickened, vibrating with an otherworldly presence. Then, with a low, guttural growl, Gorgroth emerged.

  Gorgroth loomed over us, exhaling a slow, rumbling breath.

  Without hesitation, I held up handfuls of shimmering Mana Stones. The stones pulsed in my palm, radiating raw energy.

  I stepped forward, poured every last of it into its waiting maw.

  The moment the stones touched its tongue, its jaws snapped shut. A deep, grinding crunch echoed through the air as Gorgroth chewed, its entire body trembling from the surge of energy. The amber glow in its eyes flared brighter.

  Then, it began to change.

  Muradin’s jaw practically hit the floor. Darwyn blinked rapidly. "Uh… is it just me, or is it getting bigger?"

  Orin took a cautious step forward, her eyes glued to the transformation. "It’s not just you."

  Even Elena—usually unreadable—looked genuinely shocked. "That’s… not something you see every day."

  It wasn’t common knowledge, after all—not even for druids.

  Gorgroth’s body swelled. It shot past two meters, then three. Its torso thickened, its limbs stretching outward as its bark-like hide hardened into something even more impenetrable—closer to stone than wood. The ground groaned beneath its weight.

  From below, the sound of twisting roots echoed through the earth. They burrowed deeper, expanding outward in an intricate web, anchoring Gorgroth with terrifying stability.

  This—this was why I had chosen Gorgroth as my Spirit Beast.

  Most people overlooked it. Compared to other spirit beasts, it was considered weak. Slow. Immobile.

  But they didn’t know its secret.

  With enough Mana Stones, it could grow.

  Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough to push him to the next level. It would take far more stones than we had left. If only I had known, I would have brought the Mana Stones from Borvan.

  But for now?

  I clenched my fists, staring up at my newly enhanced beast.

  This would do.