"We have arrived at the required location, sir. This is the high-level cave Tōkui-dō where the blue ring is located. However, as your guide, I must warn you, sir, that entering here carries great risks."

"That's true. I've heard there is a lot of mystery inside the cave, and I’ve heard about a person who lives inside and acts as a guard. That’s why I’ve hired the best assassin I know to retrieve the item from the heart of the cave, right, Mr. Michael?"

Michael spoke, "It doesn't matter where the map of the building is. As for the advance payment, it will be five hundred AR. Is that clear?"

The person that hired him replied, "Yes, of course. Here is your money." He then received the map from the guide, who warned them again. "Alright, I’ll leave now, but I still believe it’s better to enlist as many adventurers as possible for the mission. In any case, be careful."

The guide then left, and Michael prepared to enter. He spoke again, "If the mission fails, you will be compensated for your money. I asked someone to give you the same amount if I don’t return. Is that clear?"

"Yes, understood, Mr. Michael. Thank you for your professionalism."

Michael opened the map, which showed the features of the cave, and began descending into the cave's corridor. He continued down the long, continuous stairs until the place became completely dark.

"Hmm, a cave that relies on cutting off air to prevent light and breathing."

"I need to move quickly."

Michael began to hear strange monster noises whispering and moving along the walls. Suddenly, one of the monsters attacked quickly, but Michael drew his claymore and sliced the creature in half in the darkness. At the same time, he reached the end of the stairs, where he was quickly attacked by a group of monsters with semi-human bodies and six arms that moved along the ground, their heads lacking eyes and having large, serrated mouths. They were called "Head Eaters."

Michael drew two daggers designed for killing and began stabbing and slicing until their numbers increased. He then unleashed fire from his hand, burning all the monsters, which illuminated the room in the cave. There, the burnt and dismembered corpses of the monsters appeared.

Michael also noticed the skeletons of previous adventurers.

"Recklessness and haste—this is the natural end"

Michael continued walking down the corridor adorned with strange drawings everywhere. The atmosphere was quiet, but he felt as if something was following him; he chose to ignore it.

He reached the end of the corridor without encountering any traps. Suddenly, he found a large door, which he pushed open, entering what resembled a grand foyer. As soon as he entered, he was surprised by an arrow shot directly at him. He quickly drew his claymore and deflected the arrow, which turned out to be an explosive type, causing an explosion in the area. As the smoke cleared, Michael found himself facing what appeared to be a robot is the source of the attack.

Michael moved toward the robot and evaded it.

"Fire Slash!"

He launched his attack sideways, severing a support beam behind which the person who had been following him all along was hiding.

"How long will you continue to hide? Come out!"

The person emerged from the debris and the magical robot rushed toward him. The figure, seemingly from the Elf clan, spoke, "I am the guardian of this sacred place, and you desecrate it by being here. I am astonished that you reached this far without dying like the rest of the filth."

"Where is the blue ring? I’ll take it and leave."

"That ring is a symbol of our ancestors and our ancient civilization. Do you think I will let you taint it with your hands?"

"Too bad. You’re forcing my hand." Michael drew his sword and prepared for battle.

The guardian summoned his magical staff and commanded the robot to attack Michael, leading to a fierce exchange of blows between them. The guardian activated his technique, "Eye of the Blessed Tree," causing magical eyes to appear and circle around the enemy, attacking from multiple directions.

Now, Michael was attacking the robot while dodging the incoming attacks. The situation grew more difficult as time progressed, and the number of attacks increased.

Michael unleashed his fire slashes from various angles to destroy the eyes while focusing on confronting the robot with sword strikes. But the guardian struck the ground with his staff, causing a green aura to cover the ground and summon roots that impeded movement or pierced directly into the body, in addition to the explosive magical attacks from the robot, which worsened the situation.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

The guardian spoke after seeing Michael’s movements slow down, "What’s wrong, intruder? Is your time already up?"

Michael knew that if this continued, he would surely make a fatal mistake. Therefore, he launched a fire attack at the guardian, but it hit the ceiling, causing a rock to fall. This occurred after he risked taking some hits from the roots to push the robot away with his sword for a moment, aiming for the ceiling.

The falling rock forced the guardian to evade, momentarily distracting him. Michael seized the opportunity to swiftly change his approach and appeared directly in front of him, closing the distance between them a disadvantage for a magic-type warrior.

The guardian tried to block Michael’s successive sword strikes with his staff, which had manifested a green shield. He called the robot for assistance, but as it moved, it suddenly exploded, scattering charred pieces everywhere. The guardian was taken by surprise, exclaiming, "What just happened?" only to receive a fiery stab from Michael's sword that pierced his lungs.

"Your focus on controlling that thing led to your downfall."

The guardian knelt, unable to rise, clutching his severe bleeding. "What have you done?"

"I rigged it while you were activating that magic on the ground."

Michael then noticed the ring lying on the ground; it seemed to have been inside the puppet all along. The guardian attempted to speak, but he began losing consciousness, struggling to breathe. He seemed to try to rise with the last of his strength to attack, but he quickly lost his arm to a fire slash.

"Damn you! Our curse will haunt you forever."

"It doesn't matter. I'm cursed anyway."

In the end, the guardian fell to the ground, and in his last attempt, he tried to scream at someone to get away from here.

"Ah! Run! Get out of here quickly!"

Michael noticed this, and when he turned around, he saw two small elves with tears in their eyes trying to do something. It seemed that another elf had grabbed them, preventing their movement. The elf spoke, "Take the piece, but please stop and don’t hurt the children."

Michael realized that a whole tribe lived here; he hadn’t been concerned about them. He continued walking after taking the piece following the guardian’s death until he received a blow from a stone that drew a little blood from his head. He turned to see one of those children, angry and trembling, with tears streaming down his face, saying something incomprehensible. Michael ignored him and exited through the door he found at the end of the corridor.

He discovered that the cave’s exit led him to another location, where he found the man who had assigned him the task, along with the guide.

"It seems you’ve done your research on the cave," Michael said.

"Ha ha, that’s right, and the proof is that I chose a warrior like you to carry it out."

"I’m not a warrior," Michael replied.

Then he continued, "As we agreed, here’s the piece. Pay the rest."

"Alright, here you go, with an extra as well."

The guide spoke, "Awesome! This piece will make you rich, man!"

The man said, "Don’t tell anyone! I’ll be wanted if the fools find out I have it."

The guide replied, "I won’t tell anyone, don’t worry."

The man signaled to Michael, who suddenly drew his sword and cut off the guide's head, then hid the sword again behind his back.

The man spoke, "Good. People like him will definitely spread the news or will demand payment for their silence."

Michael asked, "Will you sell the ring?"

"No, I’ll use the ring to break the barrier protecting the elf tribe that lies beneath the cave."

"Do you know about them?"

"Who doesn’t know? Without the barrier, attacking them with hired thieves will be easier, and selling their bones carries high value; they cure many diseases, so they are in demand among the wealthy."

He continued, "Let’s get out of here quickly; this place isn’t safe. There are many monsters and giant worms underground."

Before he could finish his sentence, a giant worm appeared and grabbed him with its tooth-filled mouth.

"Michael! Help me!"

"It’s not part of my job to protect you."

"What are you saying? Help me, please! I’ll pay!"

But Michael didnt help him so he was devoured and died. Michael then killed the worm with a slash, opened its mouth, and retrieved the ring from the man’s corpse. He headed to the exit and re-entered the corridor, throwing the ring there before leaving again. He continued walking for an hour until he found a caravan trying to defend itself against the giant worms.