Re:The Worst System Leveling Turned Me Into A Zombie

Chapter 38: The Exterminator Pt.3

"Hah...hah..." My ragged breath fails to draw in the oxygen I need to keep up my pace. The walls darken, pulsating red and black as I try to push my body beyond its limits.

"Damnit!"

I've lost the trail.

I don't know when.

Maybe back at the fork over there, or maybe the one before that.

But it's too late to go back now.

These goblins aren't quitting.

The others are on their own.

*Tap Tap*

*Snuffle Snuffle*

I hate these things...

It's time to run again. I break away, letting my long strides propel me away from the lamp and back into the waiting shadows. Behind me, the grotesque sounds and smells of a certain Goblin Desperado and Shieldmaiden also speed up as they catch on to my escape.

Come on, I've been running for half an hour!

At this point, I'm not sure what to do. I can't just keep running through the dungeon without a direction. Eventually, I'm going to wander into other goblins.

Should I turn and just fight it out?

The Desperado is doable.

But that Shieldmaiden is a pain...my cleaver is too short to get around her shield.

Wait, is this tunnel going up?

It feels like just a coincidence, some sort of glitch. Maybe my senses are wobbled from the fighting or the arrow to the ear. But after a few minutes more sprinting, I'm sure of it.

I think it's an escape tunnel!

Quickening my pace, I feel a small rush at the prospect of a find. The goblins keep pace with me, and we race through floor after floor. The escape tunnel isn't like the main entrance. It's long, full of twists and turns, and an absolute nightmare to navigate. It's also very slender, making it difficult for more than one person to walk in it at a time. This would work out in my favor if I have to fight the goblins. There's just one problem.

Sometimes the escape tunnels aren't wide enough for humans.

There's a reason why Bern's party only really cared about burning the main entranceway. The goblin's really do use it for almost everything, and the mutant breeds might not even fit in some of the smaller escape tunnels. A twinge of fear strikes at my heart as the tunnel begins to shrink with every passing minute.

We're rising fast. Must be on the 3rd Floor now!

The footsteps chasing me have changed rhythm. Doubtless the Desperado has pulled ahead, while the Shieldmaiden follows behind. Since the tunnel is barely wide enough to contain my shoulders, they must be going single-file. The ground slopes up even more while the air grows less fetid and begins to lose some of the disgusting warmth of the nest.

2nd Floor!

I keep an eye on my System Map, trying to guess roughly where I am based on how it compares to the previous places we've explored.

Best guess...I'm not near the other escape tunnel from earlier.

A few more minutes of running makes my body grow numb. It's funny how the pain of exhaustion manages to hurt you when you think you can't feel anything else. Fortunately, I've known the worst that pain can give you. I'm not fazed.