Building a Kingdom as a Kobold-Chapter 51: How Did We Get Lost Before We Even Reached The Exit

The system woke me up with a cheerful chime.

[Day 2 Initiated]

[Squad Morale: Irrationally High]

[Navigation Rating: Catastrophic]

[Reminder: You Are Still Lost]

I groaned into the dirt.

Across the clearing, Flick was completely tangled in what used to be our only intact tent. His bell jingled softly as he struggled.

"I was testing emergency escape protocols," he said proudly when I glared.

"You passed. Congratulations. You're banned from further testing."

Cinders stomped over, holding her crumpled hydration chart like it was a death sentence. "None of you recorded your water intake."

Relay waved a paw vaguely. "I thought water was implied."

Tinker, who had somehow duct-taped his golem sensor to his head, muttered, "The device says we've moved exactly zero meters from last night."

I buried my face deeper into my claws.

We ate what I generously called breakfast. Burnt mushroom paste with crunchy moss flakes. Cinders declared it her "survival stew."

I declared it "edible, technically."

Glare stood dramatically on a rock. "The dawn comes for none in the depths."

Nobody answered.

The squad packed up with all the efficiency of a collapsing star. Flick lost his pack twice. Relay wrote down useless facts about the shapes of nearby rocks. Tinker dropped a critical component labeled 'probably important' and then forgot where.

Cinders loudly threatened to bludgeon someone with her spoon.

I sighed. Again.

We walked.

The walls closed tighter. The air got heavier. The faint feeling of wrongness settled over everything.

The system pinged, delighted.

[Congratulations: You Are Further From Your Destination Than You Were Yesterday]

[Estimated Progress: Negative]

[Squad Morale: Alarmingly High Considering Circumstances]

"Perfect," I muttered. "We've achieved negative exploration."

Relay scribbled. "I am calling this biome The Endless Spiral of Regret."

"Accurate."

We kept going.

Somehow.

The noises started around midday.

Soft, distant howling. Footsteps that never quite matched ours. Shifting echoes.

Tinker froze mid-scan. "Something's tracking us."

Glare whispered, "The hunter comes."

Relay squeaked. "What hunter?"

I held up a paw. The squad stopped. My flame shard pulsed faintly, warm against my side.

Predators. Something between sound and beast. Echo predators.

I lowered my voice. "Nobody panic."

Flick immediately vanished into the nearest crevice.

Cinders gripped her spoon tighter.

Relay panicked quietly.

I sighed. "Of course."

The howls started soft. Then closer. Then too close.

Flick's bell jingled from somewhere above us. Again.

I stared upward. "Why?"

The system chimed.

[You Are Now Being Hunted]

[Recommended Action: Panic Gracefully]

[Optional Action: Accept Your Fate Quietly]

I sighed. "No."

We froze as something emerged from the gloom. A half-seen thing of shifting limbs and hollow eyes.

Tinker's scanner pinged. [???]. Thanks, extremely helpful.

Relay whispered, "That seems... bad."

Cinders shifted her grip on the spoon. "I can take it."

"No, you cannot."

Glare stood dramatically at the front of the group. "It comes."

I pointed. "It can go."

The creature lunged.

Flick somehow dropped from the ceiling directly onto its back. "I got this!"

He did not have this.

We ran.

Running through a dungeon at full speed is an experience I do not recommend.

Tinker dropped his scanner. Relay dropped his notes. Flick fell off the monster, bounced, and rejoined us mid-sprint without breaking stride.

Cinders swung wildly behind her. "Back, beast! I season nothing under duress!"

I was too tired to care.

I spun at the last moment, drew Sovereign's First Flame, and cut a burning line between us and the thing. It recoiled, shrieking into the dark.

The squad collapsed in a heap, panting.

Relay poked his head up. "We survived?"

"Unfortunately."

The system helpfully added:

[Random Encounter Survived]

[Survival Odds Next Time: Statistically Absurd]

[Advice: Consider Another Hobby]

I sat down on a rock. "Noted."

We wandered deeper.

The walls changed again. Faint spiraling symbols covered cracked stone. They glowed faintly as we passed.

Tinker and Relay gasped in unison. "Ashring spiral pattern."

Flick reached out instantly.

"Don't touch—"

The carving pulsed faintly under his claws.

I stared at Flick.

He stared back, wide-eyed. "I wanted to see what would happen." fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm

I considered my life choices. "I hate you."

The system chimed.

[Unknown Myth Signature Proximity Confirmed]

[You Should Not Be Here]

[Yet Here You Are]

I walked on.

The tunnel widened into a jagged archway. Ancient. Cracked. The faintest breeze drifted from beyond.

We stared.

Through the opening was something impossible.

Sky.

Or something trying very hard to be sky.

The squad stood frozen.

Relay whispered, "The surface..."

The system gave its final sendoff.

[Dungeon Exploration Complete (barely)]

[New Zone Unlocked: The Surface]

[You Are Now Someone Else's Problem]

I stared into the unknown. My claws tightened slightly.

"Right," I muttered. "Disaster awaits."

I stepped forward.