The group changed directions towards the trolls’ lair, and Calculus who only wants to get to safety had no choice but to follow them.

Since he contracted with the golden dragon, his senses had sharpened, and he could easily tell that a dangerous amount of cave trolls had flooded the chambers. He did not want to risk escape by himself. In his dragon transformation, even if his claws could easy rend these creatures into two, his fusion wouldn’t last for long enough for him to survive.

As the group wade through the creatures with every step a struggle, Kairos finally acted. The Cave Trolls’ bone plated bodies meant that few attacks worked against them, while things that could actually harm them had to overwhelm their innate regenerative strength.

But for Kairos, this also meant that he did not need to hold back anymore.

He stood at the front most of their single file, sending out wave after wave of Immolation Finger. The trolls that charged at them were all easily torn to pieces by the devastating martial technique, reduced to derbies and dust.

Those seeing this technique for the first time exclaimed with utter astonishment. Calculus who was watching nearby had his face darkened. If Kairos had used this technique on him during their duel, it is almost certain that he will be killed instantly, but at that time, he only used the Immolation Finger to attack the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon. Clearly, he had gone easy during the duel.

“Whoa… is this what you tried during the testing block examination?”

“Hmph, such an inefficient way to use Ki. There’s nothing to be impressed about.”

Kairos could only smile. Even if he explains that the technique does not require much Ki to use, the others wouldn’t believe him after seeing such power, and it is also difficult to explain. The implosion, after all, is caused by taking in the energy of the victim.

There is no reason to reveal information about his techniques, because one day this may be what will save those precious to him. They had defeated over a hundred trolls by now and are taking the shortest route, but the amount that swarmed them was still concerning.

As they got closer to the creatures’ lair, the number of monsters only multiplied.

“There are over fifty ahead! We can’t fight them all. We need to break through somehow!”

*BOOM*

“GRUUUUUUU!!”

“AHHHHHHH!!!”

Before they could force their way past the blockage, the side of their tunnel collapsed, and more trolls rushed in from the new hole.

“There’s too many, we need to turn back,” Snow shouted. Judging their speed of travel, the distance to the supposed location of the lair, and the number of monsters appearing every second, ‘critical’ cannot describe their situation.

“The monster horde isn’t a problem! Leave them to me,” shouted Jim, and he released a storm of flying daggers at the Cave Trolls that flanked them. Most bounced off the bone-plated creatures, but the few knives that lodged themselves in the soft flesh behind the armoured parts elicited loud screams.

“It’s useless, they will recover from that within a second,” Flora shook her head, looking like she is ready to give up.

However, Jim’s eyes sparkled instead.

“Heh heh, when I take them down, maybe she will be impressed? Oh, golly, she might become my first female fan! Soon, I’ll have flowers all around me, hugging one on my left… hugging one on my right…”

His eyes turned into slits that are curved upwards while his smile almost reached his ears.

Jim’s attack, of course, was not done from just that. Because of the number of projectiles he released, almost every troll had a dagger in it. At the same time, he unleashed a recently learned martial technique with a great roar.

“Storm Palm: Lightning Dagger!”

Immensely bright lightning Ki danced upon the twin daggers he held as he stabbed the nearest Cave Troll right in the face.

The creature screamed as its unprotected eyes were pierced through, but before it was tormented by the pain, a flash of powerful lightning jolted through its body, instantly turning it to cinders.

Behind that latest blackened troll, many others are joining in the new fad as the electricity passed through the tightly entangled group, causing them to chorus with howls of pain. The yellowish sparks jumped from dagger to dagger, passing through the victims’ bodies, paralysing them while cooking them from within. Thanks to the metallic edge protruding from their flesh, they charred faster, and a wave of Cave Trolls fell from a single move.

Jim stood proudly with his hands planted on his waist and a wide grin on his face waiting to be praised.

“Well done. Now let’s run!” shouted Flora.

Compared to the miracles that Kairos had brought to the table, Jim’s lightning-kill was still lacking in shock value.

The Immolation Finger that she had just seen was capable of causing the Cave Trolls to be sucked into a tiny hole in mid-air and then turned into a small rain of blood by an implosion. The power behind it is a force to be reckoned with and demands reverence.

Slightly pouting, Jim hastily followed the group that had already rushed ahead. In the time that he wiped out the monsters that rushed out from the collapsed hole, the fifty trolls blocking their way had turned into blood and meat paste by Kairos.

However, the danger did not decrease as more of the creatures caught up and flanked them.

The trolls attacked savagely, unhindered by their brethren that were killed. Instead, their beady eyes glowed with a fervour. Those that became corpses became food, and they are not picky eaters.

The dimly lit tunnels that are splattered with blood were a gruesome sight to behold, and those fighting alongside the Snowdrifts appeared distressed. Calculus, especially, looked ready to be sick.

None of these young nobles had trudged through the battlefield before and wasn’t ready for the carnage. When they looked at the four boys being entirely unaffected, they couldn’t help but wonder what they had been through.

The battles that Kairos, Alan, Jim, Edward and Tommy had experienced before were far more intense than most others had heard. And this wasn't the first time they fought monsters.

In the Black Forest, hounded by Black Wind Wolves, Red Pythons, Hellbringer Bats and Shadow Crows, it was a more desperate situation than now, and they had become much stronger since then. Except for being tougher and more numerous, the Cave Trolls could hardly pose a threat unless they were careless.

Although they were quickly overwhelmed as Snow estimated, the group were not in any danger. They continually push through waves and waves of monsters without stopping.

The reason Kairos did not want to go back to the surface was because how many these creatures there are. If they escaped upwards, it would cause an untold number of deaths. Faced with an endless army of ravenous trolls, the average practitioner will be consumed without the chance to flee.

The rest, including the usually self-centred Calculus, are slowly coming to understand the repercussions. Not even the mining station could withstand the supercolony, and they were the ones that stirred up the nest.

If they failed, they would be the ones that cause a national crisis, and not even their nobility could save them at that time.

Unfortunately, they are too deep underground to send a message back to the mining centre, much less escape using teleportation artefacts. Further, the situation had hardly improved as their repertoire of talismans are quickly running dry.

“Kairos, how much longer?” asked Edward. The archer had already started attacking with his secret art to clear rows of trolls.

To save strength, he is using the shortened incantation version, but fatigue is slowly kicking in. How many they killed didn’t matter anymore as every minute they travel increases the danger significantly more.

"We'll soon reach... Edward, don't hold back!" Kairos shouted above the chaos.

After killing and running for an hour, those following the Snowdrifts have also become numb to the blood and gore and were instead thoroughly impressed by the archer's Secret Art.

Most researched and created their own Secret Arts, but when they compared themselves with him, they couldn’t even find the courage to use their techniques.

Leaf, with eyes sparkling from techniques she had never even heard before, asked Alan expectantly, “Do you also have attacks like those?”

His three other teammates had already displayed amazing firepower that could decimate the Cave Trolls. Surely Alan would also have something up his sleeves?

*cough cough… cough*

The spun his pair of tonfas and shrugged, “That’s kinda hard for me…”

“Hehe. You can’t trick me, I’ve heard that your contract beast was amazing! The strongest beast of the Tamer Class must be big, majestic, ferocious, and cool-looking! You really should bring it out and show us,” Fauna exclaimed.

Flora also beamed with a wide grin and chirped, “Even the mythical Immortal Beast, Frost Kirin, surrendered to your Contract Beast… Alan, you have to summon it and let us gain some knowledge!”

The girls had heard a little from Alucard and were thrilled. A spirit beast with invincible defence, an undeniable presence in battle, and furthermore was said to be irresistibly cute.

Leaf the tactician is matured and appealing, Fauna the inscriptionist appeared naïve but endearing, and Flora the blacksmith girl is straightforward and radiant. With these three beautiful young girls asking the inexperienced Alan, it is hard for him to decline.

Nearby, Alucard, Jim, Edward, Kairos, and even Snow, had to concentrate hard to maintain their composure. If they were a bit careless, they might accidentally burst out laughing.

Although they are still running and fighting, thanks to the light-hearted conversation, they found themselves no longer as tense as before.

With a sigh of resignation, Alan opened up his palm, facing upwards.

Leaf who is running beside looked at him questioningly.

“Umm… Y…you want me to pay you to see your Contract Beast?”

“Ack, no. I… I’m just summoning it as you asked,” Alan quickly denied as his face turned completely red.

Then, as though reinforcing his innocence, the small black tyrannical turtle appeared on his palm with a poof, snarling for greater effects.

It is frustrated at being disturbed. Who asked its foolish master to wake it up just to show it to some silly females?

“T…that’s just your pet, no? We want to see the champion of the Contract Beast Arena … wait, hold… hold on… are you telling us this is it?”

The black turtle, hearing its esteemed status as champion being questioned, snapped at the hand of the foolish girl.

“Ow!! And, it’s bad-tempered!” Leaf quickly moved back and kept a distance from the evil thing.

The others could no longer hold back at the scene and laughed heartily.

The Cave Trolls that were fearlessly attacking these humans suddenly felt a chill down their spines. These humans are truly enjoying the death and carnage… just who are the monsters here?!

Even the young two-legged ones are this fearsome, m… maybe they had attacked the wrong targets?