Cave of Echo- 'One Stone, Two Birds'

Arin sat on a rock to take a breather. The situation was getting out of hand. There might be similar or greater dangers ahead in this cave, just like the Giant Centipede. If that bugger kept shadowing him like this, Arin would not be able to fight to his full potential against such troublesome opponents in the future. Basically, if he found himself in a similar situation next time, both choices available would cause problems for him, as each option would come with its own risks. If he revealed his power, he would be in trouble outside the cave. If he did not reveal his power, he would be in trouble inside the cave. He was at a complete loss regarding what to do.

It was clear that the spy was not going to leave his tail soon. So, there was only one option open to him—to get an opportunity to hurt the spy and then catch him vulnerable and make him spill the beans.

To achieve this objective, Arin risked delving deeper, going against Ashley's warning. While exploring the second level, Arin encountered a few more creatures. But they were not as dangerous as the Giant Centipede. He got rid of them without much hassle.

As Arin moved towards the third level in a desperate attempt to get rid of the annoying stalker, his intuition alerted him to trouble ahead. Although the cave was dark and cold, the fluorescent fungi cast enough light for Arin to notice strange shadows flickering ominously on the walls. Arin gripped his twin daggers tightly. It was clear to him that someone was hiding to catch him off guard. And Arin knew, in situations like this, it was best to make the ambushers realize that their element of surprise was lost, thereby hurting their morale. "Whoever is there, come out!" Arin taunted. To his surprise, two familiar faces came out of hiding in front of him.

It was the Elf Lady and the Human Male who were in Ragna's party. They were not in very good shape, it seemed. They looked disheveled, their hair completely messy, faces and armor grimy with blood and dirt. But Ragna and the Dwarf were not there with them. Something was not right.

"Hello there!" Arin greeted to ease the tension. "I am Ragna's friend. We met yesterday, in the Guild Hall, remember?" They did not utter a word, just had visible disgust and irritation on their faces. "Umm... where is Ragna?" he asked. The human just spat aside in response.

The situation was getting tense. Arin could sense bloodlust from the duo. But in this crisis, he found an opportunity. This duo seemed to be very strong and experienced. They had Level 12 Ragna in their team. So, it could be guessed that they themselves were around this level. A twisted smile came to his lips. Arin felt excited at this situation. He kissed the Twin Fangs in his hand and got ready for the upcoming conflict.

In response, the elf swordswoman in heavy armor and the human archer in leather armor stood ready as well, their faces set in grim determination despite their visible wounds and exhaustion.

The air was thick with tension. The dim light from the glowing fungi on the floor and walls cast eerie shadows, making the already foreboding space feel even more ominous. The ground was uneven, littered with jagged rocks and the remnants of earlier battles.

The elf warrior woman stood firm in her heavy armor, every dent and scratch telling the tale of her resilience. Her eyes, sharp and focused, were locked onto the masked stranger standing across from her with a twisted grin. Beside her, the human archer shifted his weight, his leather armor creaking as he knocked an arrow, ready to strike.

Arin, clad in his cloth armor, brandished his twin daggers. They gleamed with a malevolent energy, reflecting his sinister intentions. He appeared like a cruel, cunning hyena who would pounce on his victims when they were vulnerable and rip out their throats.

The cavern erupted into chaos as Arin, like a flying serpent, lunged forward, aiming his daggers at the elf warrior. The elf lady, a veteran of many brawls, met his attack with her sword. Their weapons clashed with a resounding clang. This brutal charge from Arin was quickly followed by successive, repetitive dagger attacks. He had two reasons for this. One was to drain the stamina of the lady in heavy armor, who was already visibly exhausted. The second was to not let the archer shoot him by presenting himself as a stationary target to take aim. Arin kept on targeting her with a flurry of blows. Sparks flew as they exchanged strikes, each one more brutal than the last. Arin was quick, his movements almost serpentine as he dodged and weaved, searching for an opening. Arin felt that the street fighter Arin of his past life had completely integrated with the undead body of this life, and this excited him too much.

However, the human archer was not to be ignored. Despite Arin's sincere attempts not to become an easy target, the archer took advantage of the chaos, his keen trained eyes tracking Arin's every move. He released an arrow, its deadly tip aimed at Arin. But Arin was ready as well. He dodged the arrow and jumped in front of the Elf Knight. He whispered, "Let my curse be your bane, in darkness may your strength wane," as he cast 'Feeble' on the elf warrior, causing her to stagger momentarily.

Seizing the opportunity, Arin redirected his focus to the archer. He chanted, "Darkness engulfs all the glows, into me your life flows," as he sent a wave of life drain towards him. The dark necromantic energy jolted the archer like a thunderbolt. He felt his vitality and strength being sapped. "You vile Dark Sorcerer," the archer roared at Arin. "I knew you were trouble as soon as I saw you!"

Arin was excited to see him riled up. He quickly jumped away from him and taunted, "So you can speak?" The archer gritted his teeth. "I can silence scum like you as well." Fighting against Arin's spell, he loaded another arrow. It seemed to be a special one, as Arin could sense it was glowing in the dark, and the intensity of the glow increased as he drew the arrow further. Arin taunted, "Should I sleep? You can wake me up when you're done drawing your arrow." "Shut up!" the archer shouted as he shot the arrow. The supercharged arrow flew straight and true, but not at Arin, who swiftly dodged it as he was already prepared. The invisible rogue, who had been stalking Arin from the shadows for so long, became visible for the briefest moment as the arrow pierced his heart. The rogue's eyes widened in shock and disbelief before he crumpled to the ground.

Arin's grin widened. "Fool," he hissed, his voice dripping with malice. "You were but a pawn in my game." It was Arin's objective from the beginning to get rid of the rogue by the hands of either of the duo, instead of by himself. And that's why he had jumped away from the archer to place himself between the archer and the stalker, so that when he shot, Arin dodged, and the arrow killed the stalker instead.

The elf warrior, her strength returning, roared in defiance and renewed her assault. She swung her sword with all her might, aiming to cleave Arin in two. He parried with his daggers, but the force of her attack sent him reeling. Arin retaliated with an 'Erode' curse, "Shatter your strength, weaken your will, defenses erode by my dark skill." Her last and most trusted line of defense, her heavy armor, started corroding, slowly exposing her to further harm.

The human archer, now severely weakened, struggled to remain upright. He watched in horror as Arin pressed his advantage, his daggers moving in a blur. The elf warrior fought valiantly, her determination unwavering despite the odds.

With a sudden, brutal twist, Arin plunged one of his daggers into the elf warrior's side. She gasped, her breath hitching as pain coursed through her. Arin's eyes gleamed with triumph as he pulled the dagger free, blood dripping from its blade.

The archer, his vision swimming, knew he had to act. Mustering the last of his strength, he drew another arrow and aimed it at Arin. The dark brawler, sensing the impending danger, cast a 'Wither' spell to end the archer's remaining life. The two attacks happened simultaneously. The arrow flew, embedding itself in Arin's shoulder, while the 'Wither' spell hit the archer with full force.

The cavern fell silent. Arin staggered back, clutching his wounded shoulder. The elf warrior, weakened but not defeated, slowly rose to her feet. The human archer, his strength completely spent, collapsed to the ground, breathing his last.

Arin and the elf warrior locked eyes, both battered and bruised but not broken. They knew the fight was far from over. Round two was about to begin.