"Are you guys ready?" Lux asked as he scanned the faces of the Kobolds around him.

All the Kobolds nodded their heads. They had determined expressions on their faces, which gave Lux the feeling that they were planning to put their lives on the line for this mad sprint.

Lux had also summoned Pazuzu to make noise and lure the Giant Worm away as a last resort and ordered him to fly behind their group.

Just as Lux was about to signal the start of the operation, the oldest Kobold Mage who was mounted on top of Jed said something that made the Half-Elf want to slap him silly.

"If the Giant Worm discovers us then we'll just fight it to the death like true Kobolds," the Kobold Mage said. "Our God, Ross, will definitely send our souls to the next batch of eggs in the nursery."

All the Kobolds nodded their heads with the exception of Cadmus. He had no intention of dying in the dungeon, and it was evident in his eyes.

Lux cursed the old Kobold internally because he was setting up a death flag. The red-headed teenager was very tempted to toss the old fogey behind as a sacrifice to the Indus Death Worm, so that he could bring his cynical attitude to the afterlife.

"Ready," Lux said. "Go!"

As soon as Lux gave the order, several clanging sounds resounded in the dungeon as the Skeleton Fighters bash their metallic swords into their shields to make noise. The Skeleton Archers on the other hand aimed a barrage of arrows at the walls or ground of the Labyrinth, creating vibrations for the Giant Worm to detect.

Blackey and Whitey casted spells in different directions and made explosions that resounded in the surroundings. Ishtar was doing the same as she fired ice arrows at the walls and the ground, creating a crackling sound as the ice spread out.

The ground trembled as the Indus Death Worm charged to the eastern side of the Labyrinth were Blackie and Whitey were creating a ruckus. Since the explosive spells created more sounds than anyone, it easily caught the Giant Worm's attention.

The Half-Elf and the Kobolds entered the giant hole that the Indus Worm had created when it chased Eiko and ran in the direction of the gate. Pazuzu flew behind them, and kept its senses on guard just in case the Indus Deathworm were to head in their direction.

Dirt fell down from the ceiling of the tunnel as Lux led the way while mounted on Jed. Cadmus was only a few steps away from the Warg, while the Kobold Raiders were a dozen steps away from Cadmus.

Around the three minute mark, the Giant Worm's body broke through the wall behind them, missing one of the Kobold Raiders by only a few meters.

Pazuzu, who was behind the group, immediately shouted and lured the giant worm away using his madlad rush.

A minute later, Lux felt his connection with his Demonic Defender disappear, which meant that Pazuzu had been slain.

Another minute passed, and several more Skeletons died as the Indus Death Worm charged in their direction.

Lux and Eiko summoned their Skeletons and ordered them to stand their ground and hold the line as they continued their journey.

Six Minutes

Seven Minutes

On the eighth minute mark, an angry roar resounded behind the group as the Giant Worm annihilated all the Monsters that were hiding on the surface. It then turned its massive head from side to side, trying to detect the location of the invaders of its Domain.

Half a minute later, it charged towards the direction of Lux's group, after hearing the vibrations of their advance underground.

Lux and Eiko ordered the Skeletons that they had summoned underground to make some noises, in order to buy them as much time as possible.

Finally, after nine minutes, the location of the gate appeared in front of their eyes.

"There it is!" the old Kobold shouted. "We're almost there!"

Lux, as well as the other Kobolds glared at the old mage as if telling him "Can't you f*cking shut your trap, old man?"

As if waiting for that cue, the ground trembled, and the head of the Giant Indus Worm smashed through the wall behind them.

At that exact moment, Lux and the other Kobolds looked at the old Kobold with serious expressions on their faces.

All of them were very tempted to let their pig teammate be sacrificed in order to buy them a few seconds of precious time to reach the gate.

As if sensing the intention of his comrades, the Old Kobold Mage grabbed hold of Jed's fur, with the intention of not letting go no matter what.

At that moment of life and death, Eiko's body glowed and two more baby Slimes appeared beside her.

These two Slimes then jumped off the back of the Warg and fired several spells in the Giant Worm's direction. After that, they dug through the left and right sides of the tunnel while creating as much noise as they could.

""Pa!""

""Pa!""

""Pa!""

""Pa!""

""Pa!""

""Pa!""

The Giant Death Worm turned its head to the right side and followed one of Eiko's doppelgangers with a thunderous roar that caused the tunnels around it to collapse.

The Kobold Raiders increased their speed because the ground behind them was collapsing at a fast rate, similar to a domino effect. They knew that if they didn't reach the gate in time, all of them would be buried underground.

Lux summoned the key and held it firmly in his hand. The moment the key appeared within a dozen meters away from the Silver Gate, the barrier surrounding it disappeared, and the gate opened.

Lux passed through it safely, alongside Cadmus who was carrying the two Kobold Shamans like sacks of rice in his arms.

Just as the four Raiders were about to pass through the gate, a giant mouth closed in on them, and successfully gobbled up two of the Kobold Raiders.

A loud explosion resounded as the head of the Indus Death Worm tried to dash through the Silver Gate. Fortunately, it wasn't able to pass through because the silver barrier activated, preventing it from entering.

Lux and the others watched as the silver gate slowly closed, while the Giant Worm continued to ram the barrier with its head. After a few tension-filled seconds passed, the gate closed fully, completely barring the Indus Death Worm from entering the Inner Grotto.

The Half-Elf sighed in relief, while the Kobolds looked at the closed gate with grim expressions on their faces.

They had a close relationship with the members of the expedition, and the deaths of their comrades made their hearts ache.

The Half-Elf didn't have a close relationship with the Kobolds, so he just kept his silence. Right now, he was thankful that they managed to escape the Pseudo-Deimos Boss Monster, but he was feeling anxious about what they would find inside the Inner Grotto.

Since the Boss Monster outside was already that strong, he was afraid that the boss they would be facing was much stronger than it, which made the Half-Elf feel like they had jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire.