CHAPTER 35: MADMAN AGAIN?

Led by Arnold, the group stepped into the temple. The inside was eerily similar to a labyrinth—dark, narrow, and suffocating.

The floor and walls were made of old, dark cobblestone, giving the place an ancient and unsettling atmosphere. There was only one way forward.

As they advanced deeper, the path soon split into two.

"Which path should we choose?" Amon asked, placing a hand on his chin as if he were lost in deep thought. In truth, he was only pretending.

"The right path is the right one!" Aisha declared with full confidence, though no one knew where her certainty came from.

The others remained silent, their eyes naturally shifting toward Arnold, waiting for him to decide.

"We go left," Arnold said firmly. His commanding tone carried no room for argument. It was clear he had already made up his mind.

"Tch. Fine, fine. Let’s just go," Aisha muttered in frustration, crossing her arms. "I only want to kill the boss monster anyway."

With the decision made, the group turned toward the left path.

The sound of their footsteps echoed in the silent corridor, each step louder than it should have been. Suddenly, Amon’s foot pressed against a slightly raised cobblestone.

"Shit—!" Before he could even curse properly, an arrow shot out from the wall with deadly speed.

Fortunately, Aisha was beside him. She shoved him out of the way just in time, and the arrow grazed his cheek instead of piercing his head.

"Hah... hah... fuck, that was close. Thanks, Aisha," Amon panted, his heart racing.

Aisha simply crossed her arms, glaring at him. "Watch where you step. You should at least know that much."

She then stepped forward—only to press down on another trap.

Everyone immediately turned to look at her.

"...Fuck," Aisha muttered.

This time, two arrows shot out. With quick reflexes, she twisted her body and dodged both with incredible agility. The others had already backed away the moment she triggered the trap, leaving her alone in the danger zone.

She glared straight at Amon. "What the hell? I just saved you, and when it’s my turn, you run off?"

"...Eh?" Amon blinked at her, looking confused. He glanced at Arnold and the others. They had also stepped back, yet Aisha was only complaining to him. Amon suddenly felt unfairly targeted.

’Tsk. Why doesn’t she say anything to them? Why only me?’

"Because I saved you just now. That means you should save me too, not the others," Aisha shot back as if she had read his thoughts.

"Well..." Amon scratched his cheek and smiled sheepishly. "I would’ve only made things worse if I tried. Besides, you’re strong enough to handle that on your own. You don’t need my help."

Aisha sighed, clearly tired of him.

"Cough—enough wasting time. Let’s move on," Arnold cut in, ending their exchange.

"...Fine."

"Yeah, sure."

Both Amon and Aisha agreed at the same time.

From then on, they moved more carefully, watching each step to avoid more traps.

"Hey, Amon," Rock asked from beside him. "You’re good friends with Seraphina and Eliana, right?"

"Yep. And not just them. Marcus too. He’s a good friend as well," Amon said proudly, puffing out his chest.

Rock made an "oh" face, looking surprised.

Amon smirked, satisfied with the reaction.

But the moment of peace didn’t last. The sound of countless footsteps echoed from ahead.

"Get ready!" Arnold yelled.

Amon drew both his sword and gun, while the others readied their weapons.

From the darkness ahead came a horde of skeleton knights. Their rusted armor clanked as they moved, broken weapons gripped tightly in bony hands.

"Kill them!" Arnold roared.

He swung his sword down in a vertical slash, cleaving a skeleton in half.

Aisha charged in, her fists colliding against their ribcages with explosive impact. Bones shattered and scattered with every punch.

From the rear, Amelia raised her staff. "Light, pierce through them—Light Arrow!" Bright arrows of radiant energy shot forward, blasting holes through the undead ranks.

Beside her, Rock unleashed fire magic, burning multiple skeletons at once.

Ronald, wielding his battle axe and shield, pushed forward like an unstoppable juggernaut, smashing skeletons apart with every brutal swing.

Meanwhile, Amon parried the strikes of one skeleton after another, his sword clashing against their rusty blades.

Step by step, strike after strike, he fought back and slashed whenever he found an opening.

His stamina and strength weren’t great, but the skeletons were weak. Their numbers, however, were overwhelming.

The battle raged on, steel against bone, magic against darkness.

"Light Arrows!" Amelia chanted again, unleashing her strongest spell.

Multiple glowing arrows flew into the horde, exploding in radiant bursts.

The tide of battle turned, and the skeletons’ numbers began to dwindle. Victory was in sight.

But then—

Click.

Aisha, who was fighting close to Amon, stepped backward and pressed another trap.

Amon’s eyes widened. This time, he didn’t hesitate.

’I’ll save you this time, girl. Just wait.’Amon with his heroic spirit dash to help her.

The ground beneath Aisha crumbled, opening into a deep pit. She panicked as the floor gave way beneath her.

"Shit! Fuck!" she cursed, flailing helplessly as she began to fall.Her face was panicked.

Amon dashed forward, grabbing her hand at the last possible moment. He pulled with all his might, his face twisting in effort.Using all his poor strength.

Aisha’s eyes widened in shock. He actually came to save her.

With a final heave, he dragged her back up. But unfortunately for Amon while doing so, Amon lost his own balance.

"NO!" Amon screamed as his body tilted backward and fell into the hole.

"Amon!" Aisha reached out, but she couldn’t catch him in time.

At that critical moment, another hand grabbed Amon’s wrist.

Arnold.

He had also rushed forward, intending to save Aisha, but now found himself holding onto Amon instead.

Both boys exchanged stunned looks.

"Thanks, bro!" Amon beamed happily.Only for a while though.

Arnold’s face stiffened.

"...Why am I not getting pulled up?"Amon asked worried.

"Eh? Wait, wait, don’t let go—!"Now Amon panicked.

Before they could react further, Arnold lost his balance as well.

And just like that—both Amon and Arnold fell into the pit together.

"Wait! Save us!" Amon’s cry echoed as they vanished into the darkness.

The last thing he saw before falling completely was Aisha’s worried face, her hand reaching out helplessly.

—Thud! Thud!

Both boys crashed into the ground after what felt like an eternity of falling.

"Ugh..." Amon groaned in pain, slowly pushing himself up.

Arnold was beside him, also groaning as he got to his feet.

"You okay?" Amon asked, patting dust off his clothes.

"...Yeah. I’m fine," Arnold replied, his voice low.

They looked around and found themselves in a vast underground tunnel, its walls made of rough stone and soil.

"Should we head that way?" Amon pointed deeper into the tunnel.

Arnold nodded, silently picking up his sword before leading the way. Amon followed close behind.

"You know," Amon spoke up, "you should’ve been able to pull me up easily. You’re strong, right?"

Arnold stayed quiet for a moment before finally answering. "That attack I used against the snake monster earlier... it took a toll on my body. My strength is much lower than normal. And besides—you’re heavy."

"...Ouch." Amon winced but quickly smiled. "Still, thanks for trying."

As they walked further, an eerie sound echoed through the cave.

A low, sinister laugh.

Both Amon and Arnold froze in place.

They quickly ducked behind a massive boulder, peeking around it cautiously.

And in that moment, they realized—

Thus they had stumbled themselves in this fucked up situation.