Lord: Starting from a Goblin Nest

”Ron—!”

Amidst Ming Datiss’s desperate cry and its echo, Ron slowly walked down from the cavern ceiling. His feet now seemed to possess a peculiar adhesive quality, allowing him to walk freely on walls so steep they were nearly vertical, and even to hang upside down from the ceiling.

’Good thing I reacted quickly...’

Ron wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Even now, his heart was still pounding relentlessly.

He had only been trying to dodge the other man’s Lightning Bolt. Ming Datiss’s hostility toward him far surpassed his animosity for the others—that Lightning Bolt had clearly been aimed right at him! They had been standing close together; under those circumstances, if he hadn’t thought of something fast, he would probably be in an even worse state than that Mire Throat Monster right now.

In his desperation, Ron tore open a Scroll of Spider Walking Magic and leaped onto a nearby wall, which allowed him to narrowly dodge the initial impact.

Thankfully, Ming Datiss had wanted to maximize the damage and had unleashed the Lightning Bolt beneath the water’s surface.

As for the subsequent ground collapse, that was something even Ron hadn’t anticipated—the Mad Frogmen had actually built their lair on top of an underground cavern. And looking at the cross-section now, the floor between them might have been less than two meters thick!

Their deity probably didn’t even need anyone else’s help; its own movements would have been enough to break through this ’paper-thin’ floor.

”Aive? Delaford!” Ron called out his companions’ names but received no response. ’They must have fallen below with Ming Datiss during the explosion,’ he figured.

’I have to go down and find them. And Ming Datiss, and that Gemstone.’

Ron made up his mind. Before the Mad Frogmen outside could hear the commotion and rush in, he walked briskly along the wall, heading straight for the cavern below.

Darkness.

Even when Ron lit up a Dancing Light Magic, it was difficult to see very far. Moving alone in this unknown darkness, it was hard not to feel a sense of panic.

What was even more frightening was that Ron discovered he was about three or four stories above the cavern floor! And if he wanted to walk down the cavern walls, he would have to take a huge detour.

’This is gonna kill me... Luckily, the Spider Walking Magic lasts for a full hour. Otherwise, the fall alone would be brutal—not to mention I’m hanging upside down like a bat right now.’

’I have to find a way...’ Ron thought, scanning his surroundings as he moved, hoping to find a spot where he could descend.

Finally, he found the only place in the cavern that might offer a softer landing: a winding, underground Dark River.

However, this Dark River didn’t flow through the area where the others had fallen, so Ron hadn’t noticed it at first.

”This is the spot.” Ron repeatedly checked his position relative to the Dark River. He even summoned a Mage’s Hand to check the depth and the location of any potential rocks on the riverbed to ensure he could land safely in the water.

After testing the waters a few times, Ron took a couple of deep breaths. Once he was fully prepared mentally, he dispelled the Spider Walking Magic.

THUD—SPLASH!

For the first time in untold ages, the tranquil Dark River was violently disturbed. Ron’s angle and posture on entry were something else entirely. He hit the water like a depth charge, sending a splash one or two meters high before his body slammed into its depths.

”Owowowowow—”

Ron’s scream of agony echoed through the cavern. It wasn’t that he had never swum or dived before, but this was the first time he’d ever done it in *this* posture!

His entire back had slapped flat against the water’s surface, which wasn’t much better than landing on solid ground. Even without a mirror, Ron could guess his back was in for a world of hurt.

That impact was enough to straighten a hunchback!

”I definitely need to learn Feather Fall Magic!” Ron trembled as he crawled ashore, where he lay for a good while before his senses returned. ’That impact was just horrifying!’

’But finding them is the priority right now.’ After resting, Ron tidied himself up a bit, hastily wrung the water from his robes, and cast Dancing Light Magic again (the fall into the water had broken his concentration). He then started searching in the direction where everyone had fallen.

Almost the entire floor of the upper cave had shattered, and the impact of the Lightning Bolt had sent many people flying. As a result, their landing spots were far more scattered than expected. Ron had only walked a few steps when he came across the body of a Mad Frogman.

’I wonder if this is the butler...’

Ron quickly searched the body, but unfortunately, there was nothing distinctive on it, so he had no way of identifying it. To him, all the Mad Frogmen looked more or less the same.

The only way to distinguish the butler from the other Mad Frogmen was that he could speak the Common Language.

Along the way, Ron found many more bodies, an even mix of bandits and Mad Frogmen. He even found the Sorcerer.

The Lightning Bolt hadn’t done much damage to this Sorcerer, whose ancestors had apparently played poker with Fire Elements. His fatal injury came from the fall—a shattered cervical spine that damaged his spinal cord, leading to respiratory failure.

’In my previous life, with prompt medical attention, he might have been saved. In this world, though... maybe some powerful expert nearby would be willing to cast Resurrection Magic on him. But I doubt there’s anyone like that down here underground.’

Next to the Sorcerer’s body, Ron found a Magic Wand broken in two. It must have been the Magical Artifact he used for casting.

Unfortunately, this Sorcerer probably wasn’t the studious type. Ron didn’t find any Magic Items like a Spellbook or Scrolls on him, only two gold rings on the fingers of his left hand, which Ron promptly pulled off and stuffed into his robes.

”You have no use for these anymore, right? Better they go to me,” Ron muttered, trying to justify his actions. ’If I had a choice, I wouldn’t want to be a grave robber, but I’m just too broke right now.’

After pocketing the rings, Ron continued to search ahead, but there was still no sign of his companions. Just as he was starting to get anxious, a tall, slender figure appeared in his line of sight. Ron’s heart leaped, and he quickened his pace to get closer.

It was an Elf, seemingly unconscious. And next to his hand, a Gemstone orb shimmering with a bluish-purple light lay quietly on the ground.

’Ming Datiss, and that key!’

Ron quickly reached out, about to pick up the Gemstone first. However, just as he bent down, the cold tip of a rapier was pressed against his throat.