After killing the pack of wolves, the party decided to rest and regen their health.

“But man, your sword is really overpowered, Shesmu,” commented Leo while drinking his pots.

“Yeah. The enhanced damage is one thing, but that energy slash. You killed two wolves in one hit from a distance, how broken is that?!” Ryan added.

“Well, it is a Gold+ rarity weapon after all. Thinking about it now, if that goblord was able to land one ki empowered attack on us there, we would probably have been one shot. Plus, there was also that black and red energy orb thing. That was scary,” reminisced Shesmu.

“Anyway, how far are you guys from level 10?”

“I’m level 9, 80% of the way to 10,” responded Ryan.

“I’m also level 9, though I'm only halfway to level 10,” followed Leo.

“Okay then, we should grind a bit more before going to the tower then.”

Well, if it’s about grinding, then maybe we should try and search for a dungeon. Since we’re in a wolves area, there must be a wolf dungeon here.

Everything made perfect sense in Shesmu’s head. The only downside was that unlike the goblin dungeon, Shesmu had no idea where the wolf’s is. Thus, the only way was to search for it in the traditional way. When Shesmu’s thoughts reached that far, he looked at both Leo and Ryan.

“Do you guys want to do another dungeon?”

“What kind of question is that? Of course, we do,” responded Ryan. “But where are we gonna find one?”

“Yeah, the last one was hidden behind a waterfall. We were lucky enough to find it, but I don’t think that the lady will smile on us again,” added Leo.

“Well, who knows? Let’s just try our luck and if we don’t find it’s all good. This is just the beta, remember?”

Shesmu’s suggestion resonated with Ryan. He scratched his chin thinking for a few seconds before replying, “Yeah, you’re right. Since this is just the beta, it’s better to gather information. If we get to know where the dungeons are now, we will have a much easier time locating them in the live game.”

“Oh, I see. Yeah, that makes sense,” said Leo.

“Well then, let’s split for now. Leo, you explore the right part. Ryan, the left. I’ll check forward.”

“Sounds good,” Ryan replied. “If I find something, I’ll report to you telepathically.”

“Yeah, that’s a good idea,” Shesmu affirmed.

With those words, the party split up, each going in one direction.

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* * *

At the same time, in the battlefield that hosted the goblin and fox army, the Goblin General stood. Next to him were many of his advisors and subordinates, each of which kept their hands behind their backs and looked downwards in respect.

“Grr,”

General Chrome looked up at the direction of the sound. In front of him was a chained beast, with poles penetrating its body. These poles were engraved with runes of all kinds. They glowed golden, illuminating the dark surroundings.

“O’ king of the foxes, what a pitiful sight. To think that an evolved variant like you would fall this low, you really underestimated us.”

“General, with the power of the seal that was granted to us by the fae and our blacksmith’s prowess, even if it was an evolved beast it couldn’t resist that might. In the end, it’s just one monster who still hasn’t learned how to speak.”

The words of the kneeling advisor behind his back brought a smile to the Goblin General’s face. For the whole time, he was worried about the outcome of the battle, but seeing the firefox falling prey to the trap as planned relieved him from stress.

After looking at the Fox King for two seconds, General Chrome’s smile turned shrewd as he thought about something. He took a few steps towards the beast in front of him until he could feel its hot breath on his face. The General then taunted.

“How do you feel now? Seeing the face of the one who killed all of your brethren. Does it hurt? Does it make you despair?”

The tired eyes of the Fox king glinted with a cold light.

“Awwooo!”

The beast howled with all of its might and tried raising its paw. However, the chains blocking its shoulders and the pole that rooted its paws to the ground remained unyielding. It opened its mouth, fire gathering at the tip of its tongue. However, it dissipated into ember before dealing any damage.

“Haha! Keep struggling Fox King. Your body has been chained and your magic has been sealed. If you think that with your puny power you can break the seal, then dream on! Of course, that’s unless you evolve again.”

The Goblin General finished with a low note. He was having fun giving hope to the beast then shattering it right after. Both of him and the Fox King knew that there was 0% chance of a second evolution as the firefox already reached adulthood.

The firefox glared at the Goblin General in front of it with fury engulfing its eyes. But it knew that it was of no use. Its clan was already decimated and its power was dwindling. With all of the injuries it had accumulated, the only reason it still hasn’t died was because of the amazing natural recovery of the firefoxes.

The Fox King no longer cared about what would happen to itself. The beast already lived a long life and it had no regrets. It made the fox clan reach level of dominance thought of as impossible before, in this internal area of the forest. Its only worry was its child, but it already made sure to leave an escape path for it before the Fox King was caught.

“Haha! Well, enjoy these few days of rest, because they will be your last.”

The Goblin General then turned and signaled to his attendants to follow him out. He already had his fun and there were still many things he had to attend to.

The Goblin General left and the Fox King just lied on the ground with its eyes closed. However, what none of the participants knew was that there was another being in the room looking at the scene. For the longest time, its eyes were fearful, but as the Goblin General kept taunting the Fox King, its eyes burned in anger. By the time General Chrome left, the stealthy being’s eyes were cold.

* * *

“Huff, puff,”

Shesmu breathed in and out while standing on a tree branch. Jumping for half an hour from one tree branch to another would tire anyone who hasn’t specced in agility and vitality.

After calming his breath, Shesmu looked down. The branch was fifteen feet above the ground, so he could see whatever was happening down there clearly.

Few wolves roamed the area. Only two were entering a cave with a game on their mouths.

Thought it would be hard to find the dungeon in the middle of the night. Who would have thought that you two will guide me all the way?